The next day.
Ganzhou.
The Lei Tai Han Tomb is located here.
Ying Chen, Professor Li, and Elder Dong were all in place.
Elder Guo and Gui Zhishun, upon hearing the news, insisted on tagging along and were on their way.
What Ying Chen didn't expect was that Wang Zizai arrived even earlier than Elder Guo.
It was evident that Wang Zizai had not forgotten about Ying Chen's affairs due to his daughter, but was rather concerned about them.
As soon as he got out of the car, Wang Zizai took out a stack of documents from his backpack.
The paper of these documents was yellowed, indicating they were quite old.
Indeed, Wang Zizai began to explain, "These are all materials from the excavation of the Lei Tai Han Tomb twenty years ago, along with my personal notes. There should be no more authentic or detailed records of this in China."
Upon hearing this, Professor Li and Elder Dong immediately gathered around.
"Old Wang, I didn't expect you to keep secrets!"
"Not bad, Old Wang! We thought that after you retired from the archaeological institute, the materials would stay there too. It seems we underestimated you."
The two teased Wang Zizai.
Wang Zizai had also announced his resignation from the archaeological institute after deciding to join the Xun Feng Laboratory.
This inevitably angered the leaders of the archaeological institute, who considered the Xun Feng Laboratory their prime target.
However, the archaeological institute was ultimately just a low-profile organization with limited funding and power, and for a time, they could do little to counter the Xun Feng Laboratory.
"It's not exactly keeping secrets. I wanted to submit these notes back then. But the leadership used the excuse of the Lei Tai Han Tomb excavation being abandoned halfway to refuse them. So, I had to keep them myself."
Wang Zizai explained.
The Lei Tai Han Tomb was like a lingering concern for Wang Zizai.
Never had a tomb been excavated only to be abandoned at the very beginning.
And they had brazenly promoted the excavated portion as the tomb of Zhang Daoling without proper verification.
Wang Zizai had tried several times to clarify in the media, but was always stopped by the leadership of the archaeological institute.
Rustle!
Wang Zizai unfolded a blueprint.
It was a structural diagram of the excavated portion of the Lei Tai Han Tomb.
"Mr. Ying, please take a look."
"These are the two tomb chambers that have been excavated from the Lei Tai Han Tomb, Chamber One and Chamber Two."
"And China's most famous 'Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow' came from Chamber Two."
"The 'Horse Treading on a Flying Swallow' was considered the biggest discovery of the Lei Tai Han Tomb back then. Besides that, most of the artifacts inside were stolen, leaving very little behind."
"This is why many people confidently claim the Lei Tai Han Tomb is the tomb of Zhang Daoling. Because most of the items inside were stolen, making it impossible to verify the identity of the tomb owner."
"However, I have made some deductions. I can't guarantee 100% accuracy, but at least 80% certainty, which allows me to infer that the owner of both Chamber One and Chamber Two is not Zhang Daoling, but someone else entirely."
Wang Zizai explained while showing several on-site photos.
"This is Chamber One. Chamber One is a joint burial tomb of a couple. The identity of the tomb owner is unknown, and there are insufficient burial objects left for verification. However, it can definitely be excluded as Zhang Daoling's tomb."
"This is Chamber Two. Chamber Two is on a much grander scale, with more and higher-grade burial objects. This is why many people confidently asserted that the tomb owner was Zhang Daoling."
"However, most of the artifacts in the tomb are from the late Eastern Han Dynasty. Furthermore, the bronze galloping horse is inscribed with characters like 'Zuo Qi Qian Ren' and 'Zhangye.' We also unearthed a large number of Wu Zhu coins at the time. Based on these items, we can infer that the tomb owner was at least an official of the rank of two thousand shi."
Hearing Wang Zizai's words, Professor Li and Elder Dong exchanged glances.
"There weren't many officials of the rank of two thousand shi in the Eastern Han Dynasty! Zhang Daoling was certainly not among them, so he can be ruled out. Among the remaining candidates, those who could be buried here and be accompanied by bronze chariots and horses as a ceremonial procession are few." Professor Li said.
"Exactly." Elder Dong nodded, then pondered for a moment before mentioning a name.
"I suspect it's the Marquis of Xuanwei—Zhang Xiu!"
As Elder Dong finished speaking, he immediately received Wang Zizai's impressed gaze.
"As expected of Elder Dong. Others say you've only been playing politics and networking all these years, and have forgotten all about academia. Little do they know, Elder Dong is Elder Dong, always the cornerstone of the archaeology community! With just this, those outside rumors will crumble!"
"Not at all, not at all." Elder Dong waved his hands, a mixture of shyness and satisfaction at Wang Zizai's praise.
He wouldn't be so smug when praised by others, as it was likely flattery.
But praise from someone like Wang Zizai was genuinely heartfelt.
How could Elder Dong not be pleased?
"Mr. Ying, Mr. Ying..."
While the three were engrossed in conversation, they turned their heads and found Ying Chen looking listless on the other side, as if he hadn't been listening to them at all.
"Huh?" Ying Chen snapped back from his reverie and looked at the three.
"It's nothing, you continue. I'm listening!"
"..." The three were speechless.
Ying Chen's demeanor did not suggest he was listening at all.
A hint of mischievousness flickered in Elder Dong's eyes, as if he wanted to playfully tease Ying Chen.
He deliberately asked, "Then, Mr. Ying, what are your thoughts on Professor Wang's deduction? If Chamber One is Zhang Xiu's tomb, does Chamber Two have a chance of being Zhang Daoling's tomb?"
Elder Dong had played a trick.
He deliberately swapped Chamber One and Chamber Two, and brought up the speculation that had already been ruled out.
He thought Ying Chen would surely make a fool of himself.
To his surprise, Ying Chen gave Elder Dong a wry smile and then said, "When I said I was listening, I was indeed listening. Chamber One is a joint burial tomb for a couple, Chamber Two is Zhang Xiu's tomb. Neither Chamber One nor Chamber Two are Zhang Daoling's tomb. Zhang Daoling's tomb, at the very least, lies beyond the Xuan Well."
Ying Chen's statement instantly astonished all three.
Apart from being shocked by Ying Chen's vast knowledge, they were also amazed that Ying Chen directly revealed the location of Zhang Daoling's tomb!
After all, even Wang Zizai was currently clueless about the true location of Zhang Daoling's tomb!
"Mr. Ying, how did you know that Zhang Daoling's tomb is beyond the Xuan Well?"
Wang Zizai couldn't help but ask.
The Xuan Well was an ancient well imbued with mystery in local folklore.
It was rumored to seal countless demons and monsters, and those who approached it would fall seriously ill or even die.
It had been buried and sealed by the local populace many years ago.
Even the exact location of the Xuan Well was subject to widespread speculation.
Wang Zizai had asked many elderly locals years ago, but their accounts varied, and ultimately, he had to give up.
Now, Ying Chen directly asserted that Zhang Daoling's tomb was beyond the Xuan Well, and Wang Zizai couldn't understand how Ying Chen knew this.
Facing Wang Zizai's questioning, Ying Chen chuckled, "Did you think I was really daydreaming just now?"
"I was merely observing the qi!"