Chapter 899 Opening the Coffin
"Hey, fourth brother, don't do anything reckless. We brothers should discuss things together. Don't do anything stupid..."
Wei Ge was startled by Lao Si's fierce appearance. He knew from his school days that although Lao Si was very loyal to his brothers, he was also ruthless and definitely did what he said he would do.
Having suffered such a huge loss, not to mention Lao Si, even Wei Ge himself felt like biting the person who set the trap. Give him a knife, and he would definitely stab him without hesitation.
"Brother Wei, thank you so much this time. I know what to do about my situation. I've never regretted knowing you guys in my life. I've caused you enough trouble already... Brother Wei, if you want to help me, give the brothers a million yuan. I'll handle the rest myself..."
Tears welled up in the fourth brother's eyes, and he quickly lowered his head so that Yang Wei wouldn't see them.
These days, everyone is obsessed with money. The eldest brother was willing to travel thousands of miles to pick him up, and the youngest brother was willing to take out more than 100 million to protect him. Bi Yuntao felt a mix of emotions, a bittersweet feeling welling up in his heart.
"Bullshit, I'd rather pay you to clean up my own mess than give it to you, kid. Do you think we're capable of doing those kinds of things?"
Yang Wei's eyes widened immediately. This kid's intention to hire someone to kill him hadn't been abandoned yet. It seemed he had to keep an eye on him, otherwise, given Lao Si's personality, he might sneak back to Guangdong to raise money. Speaking of which, his family doesn't know about the embezzlement. 1 million yuan really isn't a large sum.
After hearing Yang Wei's words, Lao Si lowered his head, but his eyes still gleamed with a fierce light. He blamed himself for not being able to resist the temptation, but he hated Hui Ge, who had set him up, even more.
"Fourth brother, let's wait until the youngest brother arrives. Don't get into that mess around. If we run out of money, we can start over. I don't have a lot on hand, but I can still come up with twenty or thirty million..."
Yang Wei tried to persuade Lao Si a few more times, but he knew that this brother was a bit stubborn, so he took out his phone and dialed Zhuang Rui.
To be honest, Wei Ge also had some resentment towards Zhuang Rui. He just abandoned the fourth brother here and didn't care about him anymore. In the past two days, he even turned off his phone, as if he had disappeared.
At some point, the roles of the five brothers had gradually changed. Zhuang Rui, who was once under the protection of his brothers, had now become the backbone of them.
It seems that the saying "economic strength determines family status" can also be applied to "economic strength determines social status." Although the five brothers still have a good relationship and Zhuang Rui has never said that he looks down on others, changes are still happening quietly.
Leaving aside Viagra, even the second brother in Beijing and the third brother in Shaanxi would call Zhuang Rui to ask for his opinion on anything. However, the fourth brother had relatively less contact with Zhuang Rui.
"Damn, it's just digging up graves, what's the big deal about the phone call..."
No need to ask, the call still didn't go through. Wei Ge was so angry he almost smashed his phone. Looking at his fourth brother, whose chin was drooping to his chest, Wei Ge sighed. It seemed he'd have to be a babysitter for a few more days. ...
Zhuang Rui deliberately didn't answer the phone. He wanted Lao Si to calm down and think about the absurd things he had done. As a brother, he could help once, but he couldn't help forever.
As the saying goes, you can help someone in an emergency, but not someone who is poor. A small favor is appreciated, but a large one breeds resentment. If Lao Si still doesn't repent, then Zhuang Rui can only pretend he doesn't have this brother.
Besides, these past few days have been the busiest time. Reinforcements from Beijing have arrived, and as the first group to enter the ancient tomb, they have a lot of work to do. Just labeling the tens of thousands of unearthed artifacts is enough to make one dizzy.
After emerging from the tent, Zhuang Rui stretched his body and walked towards the crowd. It just so happened that the villagers had come to deliver breakfast, and they were all gathered there drinking porridge.
Zhuang Rui has been staying on the mountain for the past few days. Later, many people brought tents to the mountains. Due to the large number of people, the mountaintop has almost become a camp. The armed police guarding the ancient tomb have also brought in another squadron and deployed them at various locations at the foot of the mountain.
As for the food for these people, Old Zhang's family alone could not solve the problem. The local government mobilized nearby villages. Since the weather had become hot, the villagers delivered meals in two shifts every day. Breakfast and lunch were combined, while dinner was delivered separately.
Seeing Zhuang Rui approach, Professor Meng handed him a steamed bun and said, "Xiao Zhuang, what's wrong? You've seemed a bit distracted these past few days."
Professor Meng placed great emphasis on training his students. During the excavation of the ancient tomb, he gave Zhuang Rui as much hands-on experience as possible, and Professor Meng would answer any questions Zhuang Rui had.
Professor Meng was somewhat surprised by Zhuang Rui's physical strength. He was simply the best candidate for field archaeological excavation. Therefore, he paid more attention to Zhuang Rui and even noticed some of the details of Zhuang Rui's expression.
"Teacher, something came up at home, and I'd like to go back after the Yellow Intestine Tablets are opened..."
After hearing Professor Meng's words, Zhuang Rui simply asked for leave. Although he intended to leave Lao Si aside and let him calm down, Zhuang Rui was still worried.
It will be impossible to see the full picture of this large tomb without several months of excavation, and the matter of the fourth brother cannot be delayed for too long. Zhuang Rui also knows Bi Yuntao very well; he is definitely someone who is prone to extremes.
"Oh? Is your matter important? Xiao Zhuang, such well-preserved large tombs are extremely rare; you might not have another chance like this..."
Professor Meng was taken aback upon hearing this. For him, even an earthquake at home would probably not be as attractive as this large tomb.
"That matter can probably only be resolved if I go there, teacher. I'll try to finish it quickly and come back..."
Zhuang Rui was also curious about the identity of the tomb's occupant. Looking back over China's five thousand years of history, it seems that only the legendary Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor and the tomb of Genghis Khan can compare with the occupant of this tomb.
"Alright, let's go open the Huangchang Ticou in a bit. We should be done by the afternoon. You can go home tonight..."
Professor Meng also knew that Zhuang Rui had many businesses and could not settle down to do academic research like they could, so he did not force him.
After breakfast, the group of more than twenty people began to descend into the ancient tomb in batches. Those who came later used pulleys to make hanging baskets, so they didn't have to climb down one by one.
Although some suggested excavating from the mountainside to uncover the ancient tomb, Professor Meng rejected this suggestion, wanting to preserve the tomb's original appearance as much as possible.
Even if this tomb is converted into a museum in the future, a cable car can be built down the mountainside so that future generations can more truly understand the wisdom of their ancestors and unveil the mystery of ancient tombs.
Almost all movable objects inside the tomb were moved out, including the two damaged tomb doors, which were then repaired. Perhaps these items will be restored when the tomb is opened to the public in the future.
Next to the burial chamber with the Huangchangticou (a type of ancient Chinese tomb structure), four side chambers have been excavated, yielding a large number of precious cultural relics. However, according to Professor Meng's estimate, there are at least nine side chambers, which would subtly reflect the imperial status of the emperor.
"Everyone be careful. First, set up the ladder and remove the top wooden strips. Then, starting from the top, untangle this 'yellow intestine' layer by layer..."
Upon entering the tomb chamber, Professor Meng began assigning tasks. Due to the sheer number of cypress woods forming the "Huangchang Ticou" (a type of burial chamber structure), they had to be removed layer by layer. If the lower wooden strips were removed first, the entire wooden structure would likely collapse. This was a massive undertaking, as the "Huangchang Ticou" occupied nearly half of the entire tomb chamber. Professor Meng estimated that the quantity of yellow cypress wood here probably exceeded that of the "Huangchang Ticou" at Dabaotai in the capital. After the division of labor, ladders were erected around the coffin. The younger members of the group climbed up and, wearing gloves, began to pass down the yellow cypress wood strips, one by one, from the top.
Although the tomb had been open for several days, the faint fragrance of cypress wood still lingered in the tomb chamber. Zhuang Rui pulled one down from the top and examined it carefully.
This yellowish cypress strip is about one meter long and ten centimeters wide on each side. Although the moisture in the wood has long since evaporated, the grain is still clear, and when you bring it close to your nose, its faint fragrance is refreshing.
How many pieces of yellow cypress wood are there in total?
One by one, the cypress logs were removed and piled up in a corner of the tomb. Someone was specifically tasked with counting the number of cypress logs. After a whole morning, all the cypress logs outside were finally removed.
The statistician, beaming with excitement, shouted, "Professor Meng, there are a total of 21,680 pieces! This far exceeds the scale of the Huangchangticou (a type of ancient Chinese zither) at Dabaotai in Beijing..."
It is worth noting that the Han Dynasty tomb with the most cypress wood unearthed in China is the Dabaotai Han Dynasty tomb in Beijing. To date, no other Han Dynasty tomb has surpassed the scale of that tomb. Therefore, the staff present were all excited about this discovery.
It can be said that the discovery of this Han tomb will rewrite many conclusions of scientific research on Han tombs and will greatly promote further research on Han Dynasty tombs.
"Alright, everyone take a break, let's prepare to open the coffin..."
For a tomb, the coffin is undoubtedly the most important part, because the identity of the tomb's occupant is often revealed inside the coffin.
This is a huge coffin that is nearly 2 meters high and more than 3 meters long. The coffin is made of wood and is carved with many patterns, especially the dragon and phoenix carvings at the head of the coffin, surrounded by clouds and mist, making it look like a fairyland.
Whether it was the protective structure of the outer coffin or not, this enormous coffin was completely undamaged. Both its color and the wood were as new as if it had just been placed there.
Chapter 900 The Coffin Within a Coffin
Judging from where Zhuang Rui was standing, the wood used for the coffin showed no signs of splicing, as if it were made from a single piece of wood. Zhuang Rui couldn't imagine how big a cypress tree it must have been.
The coffin lid and the coffin fit together so perfectly that someone tried to stuff a piece of paper inside, and it was impossible to get it in; the fit was so tight that there were almost no gaps.
"This... is a bit difficult..."
Professor Meng circled the coffin several times, his brows furrowed. He had initially thought the coffin was made of mortise and tenon joints, but upon closer inspection, he discovered that there wasn't a single tenon nail on it, which Professor Meng found somewhat unbelievable.
In general, the protruding parts of ancient wooden furniture are called tenons, and the recessed parts are called mortises. This form represents a very high level of craftsmanship in traditional Chinese furniture, and coffins are no exception. However, this huge coffin seems to be a little different.
"Teacher, it looks like they made a hole and poured molten copper in..."
Zhuang Rui used his spiritual energy to observe the outer structure of the coffin and found that in eight places, the structure was completely different from that of the wood. After gently wiping one place with sandpaper, he found that the substance in the hole, which was about two centimeters in diameter, was completely different from the material of the coffin itself.
After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Professor Meng walked over, took a small knife, scraped off a layer of substance from the coffin, and after careful examination, said, "That's right, it's molten copper poured in. It's unlikely to be opened from the mortise and tenon joints..."
This makes the coffin more airtight, but it also increases the difficulty of opening the coffin. It is almost impossible to open the coffin lid intact.
Professor Meng circled the coffin for a long time without finding a good solution. In the end, he had no choice but to have people make notches in different parts of the coffin so that they could be used to open it with a crowbar.
"Xiao Liu, you stay at the back, and two more people on the side. Zhuang Rui, you go to the front. Okay, everyone get the crowbars, be careful, don't use too much force, let's pry up the coffin lid together..."
Professor Meng directed everyone to insert the crowbar into the gap that had been chiseled open in the coffin lid. At his command, everyone exerted force together, and the huge coffin made an unpleasant "crackling" sound.
"Get up, get up..."
"Press a little harder, and you'll pry it open..."
"Everyone, stand back a bit, be careful, there might be traps inside..."
Shouts echoed throughout the tomb. Such a large coffin might contain deadly traps and hidden weapons. Professor Meng loudly reminded everyone to be careful.
Getting injured in these ancient tombs would be an extremely unpleasant experience, because after being sealed underground for thousands of years, many substances and bacteria would deteriorate, and once infected, it would be very difficult to cure even with modern medical methods.
Fortunately, after the heavy cypress coffin lid was opened, there seemed to be no movement inside. At the rear of the coffin, two people used iron hooks to pull the lid down.
The coffin, with its lid removed and a heavy base, is over 1.8 meters tall. The interior is not directly visible, but people with ladders nearby have already climbed up to look inside.
"There's also a coffin..."
"Professor Meng, there's also a bronze coffin..."
"Damn it, whose grave is this? It's so complicated!"
Those who saw the scene inside the coffin exclaimed in surprise. Inside the cypress coffin was a bronze coffin. Under the light, the bronze coffin lid revealed several simple stripes, making it appear even more mysterious.
"That's not right. Huangchangticou (a type of traditional Chinese burial chamber) usually uses cypress coffins, so why is there a bronze coffin here?"
Professor Meng also climbed the ladder and took a closer look. His brows were furrowed, clearly unable to figure out the crux of the matter.
It is important to know that the ancients understood death as an ascension to heaven, a continuation of their lives in another world in another form. Therefore, after death, they prepared coffins and elaborate burials for themselves, hoping to bring these things into the other world.
Because the human body belongs to the element of wood in the Five Elements theory, the ancients were very particular about the choice of coffins and believed that if a person was buried in an iron coffin, their soul would not be able to enter the cycle of reincarnation.
Therefore, in history, it was extremely rare to use bronze coffins, which belong to the metal element in the Five Elements theory.
"Prepare the pulleys to open this bronze coffin..."
After observing for a long time, Professor Meng made a decision: only by opening the coffin could these secrets be revealed and the identity of the tomb's occupant be known.
Due to limited resources, the group used two alloy ladders placed on either side, reinforced the ladders with pulleys, and lowered ropes down from both sides of the bronze coffin. Fortunately, the bottom of the bronze coffin did not fit the cypress coffin perfectly, which allowed the two ropes to successfully tie the bronze coffin in place.
"One, two, three... push!"
If outsiders saw this scene, it would be hard to imagine that these people, who are usually well-dressed scholars, were now like laborers, pulling ropes and using pulleys to lift the bronze coffin, which weighed at least several hundred kilograms, from the coffin made of cypress wood.
When the bronze coffin was taller than the cypress coffin, people below carefully moved the ladder and slowly moved the coffin to the open space. This task alone took almost two hours.
"I wonder what's inside?"
"Yes, a coffin within a coffin, the burial goods must have been very abundant..."
"It seems like there's water inside? When we lifted it up just now, I felt water sloshing around inside..."
"Impossible. This tomb is at least two thousand years old; any moisture would have evaporated by now..."
Despite the exhaustion, everyone was excited to have successfully retrieved the coffin. For archaeologists, uncovering one secret after another hidden in the long river of history is undoubtedly the most exhilarating thing.
"Let's rest for a bit, then prepare to open the coffin..."
Professor Meng was also beaming with joy. He had been busy in this place for a week and was finally about to reveal the identity of the tomb owner. While telling everyone to rest, he himself kept circling around the bronze coffin, observing how to open it.
Zhuang Rui sat to the side, looking at the bronze coffin, his brows furrowed. Although he could sense that the coffin contained a large number of antiques, it was indeed, as one of the researchers had just said, that there was some shoddy workmanship inside.