Guanzhong Tomb Robbery Notes

"Let's go to the reservoir first." Taoist Master Zhang led the way without looking back.

I would rather go to the mass graves and see the terrain.

If I could figure out where the circle represented, I would find a chance to dig it up in the next couple of days.

"Um, which direction is the mass grave?"

Taoist Master Zhang paused for half a second and said in a deep voice, "That place is not suitable to go at night."

"Hehe, that's right. The road is not easy to walk on at night." I agreed with a dry laugh.

Thinking about going back to ask other people.

"The previous hexagram was Kan, representing water. The first six lines moved, and the changing hexagram was Shui Ze Jie."

"The Water Marsh Jie hexagram has Dui on the top and Kan on the bottom. Dui represents water and marsh, implying that there is water in the marsh but the flow is limited. If there is too much water, it will overflow outside the marsh, so there must be moderation."

"Only when the universe is in moderation can all things be at peace and in constant renewal; only when people are in moderation can they be stable and avoid danger."

Taoist Master Zhang seemed to be talking to himself.

It seemed like it was talking to me.

He advised me to be moderate and not be greedy.

My face turned red instantly.

I don't think I'm a greedy person.

But I did have a greedy thought just now.

"Lao Zhang, I..."

Taoist Master Zhang waved his hand and said, "The important thing is the degree."

"I understand." I said, reflecting on it in my mind.

There is indeed a limit to tomb robbing.

In the decades that followed my tomb robbing career, I saw many greedy colleagues, and they all ended up with bad results.

For example, Mr. Yao was driven to greed by gambling and was eventually imprisoned.

If he had been more relaxed, this wouldn't have been the outcome.

We walked for more than two hours and reached the top of the mountain. It was completely dark.

Standing on the top of the mountain and looking down.

The reservoir was brightly lit, and many people were carrying things back and forth by the reservoir.

It should be the nearby villagers who were mobilized to seal the cave.

Taoist Priest Zhang breathed a sigh of relief: "I'm glad the dam is fine, but the village affairs..."

"In the village?"

I muttered something, and instantly understood what he meant.

Miaowan Village is indispensable when villagers are mobilized to seal the caves.

But all the people in Miaowan Village were taken away by Han Gaotian to dig up mass graves.

Such a big thing cannot be kept secret.

If the higher-ups investigate, we'll all be involved.

Besides, Cui Hao and the others are still in the village, they might have been investigated by now!

If tomb robbery is involved...

"Let's go down the mountain first and ask someone about the situation." Taoist Master Zhang said calmly.

"it is good."

We walked towards the reservoir at a rapid pace.

When we reached the only way to the reservoir, a head popped out from the bushes opposite.

"elder brother!"

Cui Hao shouted softly from the other side, holding up a branch and swinging it back and forth.

I was about to raise my hand in response when a beam of light swept over me.

Taoist Master Zhang quickly pushed me into the bushes.

A man wearing a wide-brimmed hat and a white uniform was holding a flashlight and casually sweeping the grass on the roadside.

That was the Type 72 police uniform, a white shirt and blue pants.

He was accompanied by a township official wearing a red headband.

The township official gave a flattering smile and said, "What happened in Miaowan Village was an accident."

"Han Gaotian is usually a very honest guy, but I don't know what went wrong this time. Instead of leading the production properly, he actually went digging graves!"

"He must have been influenced by the evil trends out there. I severely criticized him and asked him to reflect on his actions!"

The man in the wide-brimmed hat smiled coldly with a stern face.

"Such a major incident happened at the reservoir, and the surrounding communes mobilized over 300 strong laborers to provide support, yet the people from Miaowan Village went off to dig graves!"

"The most important thing is to let him make amends."

"Otherwise, none of us can cover it up."

The township officials nodded quickly: "Yes, yes, let them let Miaowan Village make amends..."

As the two of them turned the corner, the sound gradually faded away.

What they meant was that they wanted to cover up the matter.

This is also the most common choice when encountering problems at the grassroots level.

Cover the lid, it's good for you, me and everyone, and the matter will be over after three glasses of wine as punishment.

If you can't cover it up, you will be punished.

After they walked away, Taoist Master Zhang and I walked into the grass on the opposite side of the road.

"Rat."

"Brother, you're back!" Cui Hao grabbed my arm excitedly.

"Why are you here? Where are Hu Zi and the others?"

"We heard there was an accident at the reservoir, so we came looking for you, but we searched the entire reservoir and couldn't find you."

"I wanted to go back to the village to see if you had returned, but a large number of villagers came to repair the dam. We didn't dare go to Miaowan Village, so we hid in the valley over there."

I patted Cui Hao's shoulders twice.

The thing I was most worried about did not happen.

They were also lucky; if they had stayed in the village they would have been caught and interrogated.

"Brother, where did you go?" Cui Hao became curious.

"Meet up with Hu Zi and the others first, and I'll tell you more on the way."

Cui Hao led us towards the valley.

On the way, I briefly told him what happened in the cave.

He also took out a monkey mask to show him.

"Wow! Bronze?!"

"It looks a bit strange. Monkeys don't have horns."

"But this thing should be worth some money, right?"

After Cui Hao finished speaking, he glanced at Taoist Zhang, realized that he had said something wrong, and immediately stuck out his tongue.

Taoist Master Zhang turned his head and looked away, pretending not to hear.

Cui Hao came close to me and whispered, "Brother, how much do you think this thing can be sold for?"

This guy still loves money.

When you see something good, the first thing you think about is how much it can be sold for.

I also have an estimate of the value of the bronze mask.

I think it is at least a bronze ware from the late Shang Dynasty, and it has a unique shape, so its value should not be low.

It should be easy to sell it for 18,000 yuan if I take it to Boss Dong.

In fact, I am still not very knowledgeable.

The value of the bronze mask is far beyond what money can measure.

In 89, a double-faced bronze head of a god was unearthed in the Dayangzhou ancient tomb in Xingan County, Jiangxi Province. It was designated as a national treasure.

The shape of the double-faced bronze head of the god is very similar to the bronze mask in my hand.

The biggest difference is that the two-faced bronze head of the god is hollow on both sides and cannot be worn. It is inserted into the scepter to show majesty.

The bronze mask in my hand can be worn.

"Cough cough." Taoist Master Zhang coughed twice.

"When our ancestors developed their faith, they believed that the soul resided in the bones and that the soul could freely enter and exit the body through the skull."

"So during sacrificial rituals, they would insert various bones into their heads, hoping to allow their souls to leave their bodies and get closer to the gods."

"The horns on top of the monkey mask may have a similar purpose."

"This mask is not an ordinary item. Don't do it for a few dollars..."

He didn't say anything else.

Just looked at me deeply.

Cui Hao curled his lips in dissatisfaction, thinking that Taoist Master Zhang was being a little too nosy.

"Don't worry, Lao Zhang, I will definitely not sell it." I smiled and put the bronze mask away.

I thought that Shang Dynasty bronzes were too rare.

Even if I want to sell it, it’s not now. I’ll hold on to it for two years and wait until I have established connections with the outside world.

We came to the col.

Wang Hu, Shi Nianzi, and Old Man Su all came up to me and pulled me from head to toe.

"Master Chen, are you okay?"

"We were so worried about you, afraid something might happen to you in the reservoir... Ugh! Look at my stinky mouth."

"I am fine."

I smiled and patted them, but I didn't see Wu Gengsheng. "Where's Wu Gengsheng?"

Wang Hu looked around and muttered, "He was just here..."