After handing the jade seal to several colleagues, Professor Meng muttered to himself, "Could that legend be true?"
"Teacher, what legend?"
Zhuang Rui had good hearing, and after hearing Professor Meng's words, he asked a follow-up question.
"Legend has it that Liu Xiu's son was an extremely rebellious man. If Liu Xiu told him to go east, he would go west; if he told him to chase a dog, he would chase a chicken. It is said that when Liu Xiu was dying, he asked his son to bury him on the banks of the Yellow River, but actually he wanted this disobedient son to bury him in Mangshan. Now it seems that this legend has some truth to it..."
The truth of history can no longer be verified, and Professor Meng can only use these unofficial historical accounts to explain the discovery of Liu Xiu's jade seal.
Chapter 902 Friends
Although Liu Xiu is not frequently depicted in television or books, he is an extremely important figure in history. Despite being a member of the Han imperial family, he rose to power as a commoner. In history, he and Liu Bang are known as the "two commoners" of the Han dynasty, and he was indeed a great ruler of his time.
Liu Xiu fought many battles throughout his life, leaving behind numerous folk tales. However, due to the passage of time, many of these stories are now impossible to verify. If this tomb is indeed Liu Xiu's tomb, then many historical records will be rewritten.
Such an important archaeological discovery could not be determined by a single jade seal alone. After cleaning the coffin, the side chambers were immediately excavated, and a large number of bamboo slips were found in one of them.
The value of these bamboo slips even surpasses that of the gold mask and the jade burial suit, because written materials are extremely rare in tombs throughout history, and they have extremely important research value for understanding the social structure and scientific development of that time.
Thanks to proper protection measures, the bamboo slips were not damaged and were transported by helicopter overnight to the relevant department for safekeeping.
The discovery of these bamboo slips brought great joy to the archaeological team. Through the study of the characters on the bamboo slips, they believe they will be able to confirm the identity of the tomb's occupant.
However, while everyone on the archaeological team was thrilled by this major discovery, Zhuang Rui and Hao Long had already quietly left the place where they had worked for several days. After returning to Old Zhang's house, they drove overnight to Beijing. ...
"Brother Hao, thank you for your hard work. Find me somewhere to eat something, and after you take me back to the manor, go home and check on things..."
When Zhuang Rui got out of the car, it was already bright outside. He glanced out the window and realized that they had already entered the capital city area. Seeing Hao Long's bloodshot eyes as he drove, Zhuang Rui felt a little embarrassed.
Not only has Peng Fei gotten married and had children, but Hao Long has also taken a wife. Zhuang Rui wanted to find a new close confidant, but firstly, there weren't many people he could trust, and secondly, he was comfortable using Peng Fei and Hao Long, so he usually had these two with him when he went out.
"Boss, it's okay, staying up all night is nothing..."
Hao Long knew that Zhuang Rui wasn't particular about food, so when he saw a breakfast stall by the roadside, he turned the car around and stopped there.
When Zhuang Rui first came to Beijing, he really couldn't get used to the taste of douzhi (fermented mung bean juice). However, over time, a bowl of douzhi with two fried dough sticks became Zhuang Rui's favorite. At home, Aunt Li would prepare this breakfast for Zhuang Rui every morning.
This is what they call "different strokes for different folks." In Beijing, many wealthy people enjoy drinking Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) in small restaurants; they just really like it.
After breakfast, Hao Long drove Zhuang Rui to the manor and then drove back to the courtyard house. Although Zhuang Rui had reserved an apartment for him in Ouyang Jun's neighborhood, Hao Long felt it was his duty to stay in the courtyard house.
In the early morning of May, Beijing was already getting warm. King Kong loved this kind of weather the most; wearing a thick cotton-padded coat in winter made him feel very uncomfortable.
King Kong is currently wearing a huge pair of floral shorts. A while ago, he saw Zhuang Rui wearing sunglasses and secretly ruined three pairs of Ray-Ban sunglasses for Zhuang Rui, costing tens of thousands of yuan in total. Zhuang Rui had no choice but to order a pair of glasses for him, and King Kong is so happy that he wears them on his face every day.
"Hehe!" Upon seeing Zhuang Rui enter, Jin Gang eagerly rushed forward, extending both arms to hug Zhuang Rui, and then extending his right arm to shake hands with him, displaying manners comparable to those of an English gentleman.
"Where are my two friends?"
Zhuang Rui patted King Kong's big head. He knew that King Kong could understand him. This big guy was becoming more and more human-like and had now become the most popular member of the family.
Even Zhuang Rui's children are closer to Jin Gang than to their own father. Whenever they come to the manor, they cling to Jin Gang all day long, which makes Zhuang Rui feel very depressed.
"Ho ho, hoo hoo!" King Kong pounded its chest and led the way for Zhuang Rui. To be honest, it didn't really like those two. They didn't even play with it when it came to the manor, and that pretty boy didn't even acknowledge it when it greeted it.
Animals' preferences are very straightforward. After King Kong took Zhuang Rui to a lawn near the swimming pool, he went off to play on the electric scooter. The manor's security guards charge it every day, and it's one of King Kong's favorite toys.
"These two brothers are in good spirits, getting up so early this morning?"
Zhuang Rui walked over and woke up Lao Si, who was lying on the lawn with his eyes closed.
"Youngest...youngest..."
The fourth brother sat up, called out Zhuang Rui's name, and then lowered his head. He knew that he was able to leave the casino unharmed thanks to Zhuang Rui.
After all, more than 100 million is no small amount. Even some so-called large corporations might not be able to turn over such a large sum of cash in a short period of time. The fourth brother knew that this time they had probably emptied Zhuang Rui's coffers.
It's been almost a week since he left the casino. Now, Lao Si has a full beard, his eyes are bloodshot and look like he has conjunctivitis, he's lost a lot of weight, and his mental state is extremely poor.
"Fourth Brother...you..."
Seeing his fourth brother, who used to be so full of vigor and used to pick up girls and joke around with him, now looking so dejected, Zhuang Rui had a lot to say, but he couldn't say it at this moment.
"Youngest, I'm sorry..."
The fourth brother lowered his head, making a sound as soft as a mosquito's buzz. He dared not face Zhuang Rui at all, let alone his family. His phone was already switched off, and his family was probably frantically looking for him.
"Get up! What kind of state are you in?"
Lao Si was a typical Chaoshan native. In all the years of college, Zhuang Rui had never heard him say sorry. Looking at Lao Si's appearance, Zhuang Rui didn't know what to feel, so he pulled him up.
"The person isn't dead, why are you putting on this act? Are you begging for pity?"
Seeing the fourth brother's face, which looked like it hadn't been washed for days, Zhuang Rui's anger flared up. He turned around and shouted, "Jin Gang, take him to take a bath..."
Jin Gang, who was riding his electric scooter and yelling loudly in the distance, immediately jumped off the scooter and ran over after hearing Zhuang Rui's call, picking up Lao Si in one scooter.
"What are you doing, little brother? What are you trying to do? Let me go..."
The fourth brother had no idea what King Kong was going to do. Being held by this enormous creature, it was impossible not to be afraid. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn't break free from King Kong's grasp.
"I'm just trying to wake you up. You can come up when you're ready..."
Zhuang Rui ignored the fourth brother and looked at Yang Wei, saying, "Brother Wei, you've had a tough time these past few days..."
"What are you saying? Fourth brother is also my brother..."
Wei Ge shook his head, punched Zhuang Rui, and then turned to watch the show. He had been frustrated by Lao Si these past few days, and seeing Lao Si get his comeuppance made him feel incredibly happy.
After carrying the fourth brother to the edge of the swimming pool, King Kong swung his long arm and threw the fourth brother in. With a "plop," the pool water splashed, and King Kong grinned from ear to ear on the shore.
This is a game that King Kong and Zhuang Rui often play in the summer. However, Zhuang Rui is just as strong as him, so he finds it fun. Throwing at Lao Si's thin arms and legs is not a challenge for King Kong at all.
Although he grew up by the sea, being thrown into the water like this still made the fourth brother swallow several mouthfuls of water. In addition, the weather in May was not yet the season for outdoor swimming, and the cold pool water immediately cleared Bi Yuntao's mind.
"Damn it, youngest brother, are you trying to murder me for money?"
The fourth brother hadn't been eating or drinking well for the past few days, and he had no strength in his hands and feet. It took him a lot of effort to climb ashore, where he lay there panting heavily.
"Trying to swindle you? You still have money for me to cheat?"
Zhuang Rui walked over and tossed a bath towel over Lao Si, saying, "Alright, dry yourself off, don't catch a cold..."
"Zhuang Rui, I'm sorry..."
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Bi Yuntao's spirits, which had just lifted slightly, vanished again, and he began to dry his hair with a towel.
"Fourth Brother, don't say sorry. I'm not only helping you, but also helping myself..."
Zhuang Rui's words made the fourth brother suddenly raise his head. He was a little confused as to why Zhuang Rui said he was helping him.
"It's been so many years since graduation. Although I've made a lot of money, I feel like I've lost something. At the very least, the contact between us brothers has decreased, and we don't seem to have the same tacit understanding we had in college..."
Zhuang Rui paused for a moment, then continued, "Fourth Brother, while it's possible you were scammed, the main reason you got into this mess is probably because you felt empty inside, which led you to try gambling to stimulate yourself, right? To be honest, all of us brothers share responsibility. If we kept in touch more often and knew each other's current situation, we would never have let this happen to you..."
Zhuang Rui's words silenced Wei Ge, who was standing to the side. It was indeed true. After graduation, everyone had their own path to follow, and they settled down to their own lives with their wives, children, and warm beds. Their contact with each other had indeed decreased significantly, and their feelings had gradually faded.
If something like this happens to Lao Si five years from now, Wei Ge honestly asks himself if he really can still find people to help him like he does now.
"Money can be earned back, but family and friends are a lifetime's wealth. Fourth Brother, stop saying sorry. The first person you're sorry to is yourself..."
Zhuang Rui spoke with great emotion, his eyes already misting over. The fourth brother lowered his head and began to sob. Wei Ge also quietly wiped away his tears.
Only King Kong didn't know why these people suddenly became sad. Feeling uncomfortable staying there, he quietly slipped back to get his electric scooter.
"Alright, Fourth Brother, let's talk about this. We can't just suffer such a huge loss for no reason..."
Once the fourth brother had calmed down a bit, Zhuang Rui helped him up, a cold glint in his eyes. He was determined to get his revenge for what he'd lost.
Chapter 903 Thousand Gates
There are rules in the underworld, especially among con artists. When swindling, they always leave a way out for their clients. As the saying goes, a cornered dog will jump over the wall. Con artists rely on skill and rarely go to extremes, lest they create hidden dangers for themselves.
The art of swindling has existed in China since ancient times. Many mysterious figures who rose to prominence like meteors were cultivated and trained by hermits of the art of swindling. For example, Su Qin and Zhang Yi were disciples of Guiguzi, while Zhang Liang was a student of Huang Shigong.
However, the term "swindling" has been passed down to this day and has become synonymous with fraud. Modern swindlers are far less sophisticated than their ancestors. Small-time swindlers set up scams on the street or play with cans on buses, while larger swindlers frequent casinos and shopping malls. But all their methods revolve around the word "deception".
However, the group that set this trap for Lao Si was really too unethical. They had already driven him to the brink of despair by making 200 million. Even without the subsequent 180 million, Lao Si would not have fared well when he got home. They were pushing Lao Si to his death.
Logically speaking, rats have their own paths and cats have their own ways. Zhuang Rui isn't a member of the underworld and shouldn't interfere in this matter. However, he was the one who provided the money, and Lao Si is his brother, so Zhuang Rui couldn't ignore it. Besides, he also harbored a lot of resentment.
"That man's name is Liu Minghui. He's from Hong Kong and owns a teahouse in Guangzhou. I met him there when I went for tea. Later, we went to nightclubs together a few times, and we gradually became acquainted..."
After taking a cold shower early in the morning, the fourth brother felt much clearer-headed. Recalling his experiences over the past few months, he began to recount his family's current situation.
The fourth brother, Bi Yuntao, came from a family that made their fortune through "free trade" with Hong Kong in his early years. Apart from him, who is a college graduate, the rest of them were rough men.
However, the fourth son's grandfather was very insightful. After retiring from business, he started a multinational trading company, which grew rapidly in the early days of reform and opening up. But as the company grew larger, the fourth son's grandfather defied all opposition, hired a professional manager to run the company, and withdrew all the family members.
Even now, many people in Guangdong don't know that the famous XX Group is the business of the fourth son's family.
However, while this made the company's management more standardized, the fourth brother's entire extended family, including uncles, aunts, and dozens of others, became idle, receiving millions in dividends every year.
The fourth son's so-called management of the family company's finances actually meant he had no say in the company's internal finances. All he could manage were the family funds, which were distributed as dividends only once a year.
So, like the rest of the family, the fourth brother was bored every day, spending his time playing cards, drinking tea, and going to nightclubs.
After he met Liu Minghui, he went to nightclubs several times at Liu's invitation. During these visits, Brother Hui was very generous, spending lavishly each time. He spent tens of thousands of yuan in just a few visits, but he didn't ask anything of Lao Si. Gradually, Lao Si lowered his guard and truly regarded him as a good friend.
Anyone who's been to a nightclub knows that Cantonese people love playing drinking games like rock-paper-scissors and guessing dice. Lao Si was no exception; it's all normal social interaction.
Sometimes, in order to save face in front of the hostesses (that's how Lao Si understood it at the time), Liu Minghui would occasionally take out a stack of hundred-dollar bills to gamble at the nightclub. However, he lost more than he won, and he had excellent gambling manners. Over time, Lao Si got used to it. Winning or losing was only a matter of ten or twenty thousand dollars, and he didn't care much about it.
About a month or two later, during a tea party, Liu Minghui said he was going to Macau to gamble and asked Lao Si if he wanted to go.
By then, Lao Si had already considered Hui Ge a friend. He had been to Macau before, and since he was bored all the time, they made plans to go and have some fun together.
The first time he went, Lao Si started playing in the lobby. He had 50,000 yuan worth of chips, but he had bad luck and lost them all. Later, Liu Minghui suggested going to the VIP room to play with some familiar people.
The fourth brother didn't want to go at first, but Liu Minghui said he would find a card-playing partner and that if they lost, he would cover the losses, but if they won, the fourth brother could keep the winnings. The fourth brother couldn't resist Liu Minghui's provocation, and besides, several hundred thousand yuan wasn't much to him, so he went up with him.
Whether it was because Lao Si was incredibly lucky or those other guys were just incredibly unlucky, after playing for four or five hours, Lao Si actually won over three million. This made Bi Yuntao, who had always felt spiritually empty, a little interested in gambling.
Later, Hui would invite Lao Si to Macau every weekend. In his words, it was just to relax on the weekend, and Lao Si didn't suspect anything.
Living in Guangdong, Lao Si naturally knew that gambling was illegal in Hong Kong, so many Hong Kong people would take a boat to Macau to gamble on weekends. He assumed that Hui Ge was doing the same.
On his previous visits, Lao Si had made a considerable profit, winning a total of seven or eight million. Lao Si wasn't greedy for the money, but he was quite nostalgic for the adrenaline rush that occurred when the cards were dealt. Later, when Liu Minghui invited him to gamble on weekdays, Lao Si gladly accepted.
However, in the next few games, Lao Si's luck turned soared, and he lost all his previous winnings in just two or three games, even losing several million yuan.