10 pm.
Dong Xuebing had just reached home, and his mother-in-law called.
"Hello, Xiao Bing. Did your mother tell you?" Han Jing asked.
"Yes. This Saturday, right?" Dong Xuebing replied. "I will try my best."
Han Jing reminded him. "Try your best? You have to come back. I heard from your mother that you're busy, so I was worried and wanted to give you a call. You don't have to come back so early. Just take the last flight back on Friday night. We've prepared everything else. "
"Ok, mum. I know." Dong Xuebing can't say anything else.
Han Jing laughed. "Good. Rest early and take care of yourself."
Dong Xuebing replied. "Alright. Take care and take care of yourself. Also, say hello to my father."
"Oh, one more thing. The Hundred Days Banquet will be held at your Houhai's Siheyuan. Your courtyard is big, and there are not many people. It should be enough." Han Jing said.
Dong Xuebing nodded. "No problem. You have the keys, and you can decide with my mother."
Dong Xuebing had left a spare set of keys with his mother-in-law a long time ago. His mother-in-law has backups of car keys and Siheyuan keys, but he is afraid he might lose them. Dong Xuebing knew he did not choose to hold the banquet at Senior Xie's villa. Although Senior Xie had suggested to hold the banquet for Dong Xuebing, Dong Xuebing's surname is Dong Xuebing's and not Xie's. Dong Xuebing's Siheyuan is the best choice. That's why Dong Xuebing's Siheyuan is the best choice. Even three or four Xie's villas in Houhai cannot be compared to it. Although it is called the Hundred Days Banquet, it is also a platform for the Xie family to showcase their strength. Even if the Xie family does not need to showcase their strength, they should not be too shabby.
After putting down his phone, Dong Xuebing took off his dirty shoes and threw his dirty socks into the toilet. He cannot bear to look at his dirty socks. Sigh … it will be a wonder if they are not dirty after climbing mountains every day.
Dong Xuebing changed into his slippers and sat in front of his PC to book his flight tickets.
4 pm? Too early?
5 pm? That won't do either.
After checking, Dong Xuebing booked a ticket for Friday at 8 pm. He should arrive in Beijing at around 10 pm, and the next day is the Hundred Days Banquet.
Dong Xuebing took a shower and went to bed.
…
The next day.
The archaeology team rushed over from the capital.
Zhang Dongfang stayed in the County to hold the fort, and Dong Xuebing led a team to the Provincial Capital's airport to welcome them.
On the other hand, there were more than 20 people from the archaeological team. Among them were the backbone experts of the archaeological team, as well as some related staff and equipment debugging personnel. This lineup was not small. The fact that so many people from the archaeological team had come showed that the higher-ups attached great importance to this project.
People from the city also came.
There were also officials from the Provincial Cultural Department.
A few leaders went up to shake hands with the Archaeology team, and it's Dong Xuebing's turn to introduce himself.
In the end, the city leaders proposed to arrange a meal to welcome the archaeological team.
However, the old man leading the archaeological team said, "There's no need. We just ate on the plane, so there's no need to trouble everyone. Let's go take a look at the site first." The old man was very professional and immediately went into work mode. "Is the discovery of a Han Dynasty tomb still a secret?"
A person from the Provincial Cultural Department replied. "Yes. It's still under wraps." The ancient tomb was not confirmed, and the chamber was not found.
The old man from the archaeological team replied. "Alright. Not only must we not disclose it, but we must also keep it a secret. Sigh … the grave robbers are too arrogant now, and we still need to go through the procedures. We can only apply for protection from the armed police or the army after we confirm the tomb's historical value. This will take some time, and it's troublesome to get approval. But the grave robbers don't need to do this. They will try their luck when they hear the news. If they really destroy the chamber, it will be too late." It's not that they don't trust Teacher Chu and the rest's judgment. Old Chu had sent them the photos of the site and the relics, and they knew this is not an ordinary tomb. But China's government is inefficient, and they must follow the procedures. That's why they cannot make an exception and apply for protection from the armed police. In fact, they do not even have the authority to do so.
A city leader said, "Jiaolin County has already arranged for people to protect the tomb."
The old man from the archaeological team said, "Can that be used? It's easier said than done to completely seal off a mountain. Tens of thousands of people surround the mountain? Even if there are tens of thousands of people, it will not be enough. They don't eat, drink, or sleep? If there is a slight gap, the grave robbers can also sneak up the mountain at night without anyone noticing. Also, with such a large area of ancient tombs, they might enter the chamber if they open a robber's hole anywhere. To be on the safe side, this matter must not be announced. We will let the public and media know when we have enough manpower to control the situation. " These archaeologists have dealt with grave robbers for too long. They know how good these people are at seizing every opportunity. This is also the experience accumulated by the archaeological team over the years. How many major tombs have been robbed in the past? They couldn't even count the number. Some of the tomb robbers were even more professional and knowledgeable than the professionals in the archaeological team. Otherwise, why would the newly discovered tombs in many countries be discovered a few years ago or even longer after being excavated? Therefore, when the archaeological team arrived, they did not say anything. Their first reaction was to prevent grave robbers, and this was their top priority.
The City Government did not say anything.
Dong Xuebing nodded. Teacher Chu had instructed Jiaolin County's media not to report any news about Qing Luan Mountain's antiques.
… …
Afternoon, before 2 pm.
Dong Xuebing led the team of archaeologists up Qing Luan Mountain.
The old man leading the team did not go straight up the mountain. He stopped from time to time and asked his staff to plant many flags and equipment. He also observed the terrain of the mountain carefully.
After more than half an hour, they arrived at the site.
"Old Chu, are you busy?" The old man smiled when he arrived.
Teacher Chu was wearing gloves to inspect a newly excavated relic. He looked up and put down the relic carefully before standing up. "Old Zhong, you are leading the team this time?"
Teacher Meng also knows him. "Brother Zhong."
Old Zhong nodded and greeted Mu Zhengzhong. Finally, he said, "I'm not the leader this time. I'm the leader. You're in charge of the scene."
Teacher Chu asked. "Is this suitable?"
Old Zhong replied. "You had been here for two days and should be familiar with the situation here. Also, you are the first to discover the ancient tomb. The higher-ups want you to be in charge."
Teacher Chu replied. "Alright. Haha, it's been a while since we last worked together."
"That's right. Two years ago, that tomb …" Old Zhong's expression changed. "Never mind. Let's not talk about it."
Teacher Chu sighed. "Those grave robbers are too arrogant. But this time, I had checked carefully, and there are no signs of grave robberies. I am sure this is an intact ancient tomb."
Dong Xuebing could tell that when they worked together to inspect the ancient tomb, they must have spent a long time to discover that the tomb was robbed.
After that, Dong Xuebing could not do anything.
Teacher Chu and Teacher Zhong, who had just arrived, started to mobilize the archaeology team.
The people from Jiaolin County's Cultural Relics Department could not help or even cooperate with them. They were not professionals. In the end, they could only go down the mountain to help the archaeological team transport the equipment and do some manual labor. The only people who could help were some people from the Provincial Cultural Relics Department and the Provincial Archaeological Department. They had long been ordered to stay at Qingluan Mountain to cooperate with the national archaeological team. Therefore, they were quickly divided into several groups by Teacher Chu and the others. Some began to dig, some operated the equipment, and some made records.
Two hours later.
At an excavation site one hundred and sixty meters away from the first bronze mirror, a young man from the archaeological team suddenly yelled out loud!
"There are bricks!"
"We have reached the tomb chamber!"
"Professor Chu, come over quickly!"
Teacher Chu, Teacher Zhong, and the rest quickly went over.
Although Dong Xuebing and Zhang Dongfang were amateurs, they also went over to join in the fun. The County's first and second leaders spent the whole day at the excavation site and did not care about the County's affairs. But Dong Xuebing and Zhang Dongfang had a common understanding. The County's most important task now is to excavate the ancient tomb. There are still many leaders in the County, and all the departments are running smoothly. Dong Xuebing had given the order that if he and Zhang Dongfang could not be contacted, the leaders in charge can handle it themselves. Dong Xuebing and Old Zhang were on the same side now.
"Dig bigger."
"Don't dig vertically. Increase the area horizontally."
"Although it is a grave, everyone must be careful."
A few hours of digging definitely wouldn't be this fast. To be able to reach the tomb chamber so early was also the result of Teacher Chu and Teacher Meng's excavations over the past two days. Teacher Chu had already marked this location as a chess piece and determined that it would be an important location to excavate.
"Is the equipment here?"
"Yes. It's here."
"Ok. Let's take a look first."
Ancient tombs are very dangerous, and there are many traps. Although it had been thousands of years and most of the traps are useless, they cannot let their guards down.
Teacher Chu opened a passageway carefully and put his head in.
Through the screen, everyone gathered around to see what's going on.
In the end, the old archaeology team came to the same conclusion. If the previous inference about the Han Dynasty Emperor's tomb was 80% to 90% correct, then now, they are almost 100% sure that the tomb they are standing on is a tomb of a Han Dynasty Emperor!
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