abcnovels
Chapter 279 - 279: Astonishing the World! The Imperial Jade Seal Appears? (2)
Chapter 279 - 279: Astonishing the World! The Imperial Jade Seal Appears? (2)
Chapter 279: Astonishing the World! The Imperial Jade Seal Appears? (2)
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“This bronze lock appears to be more than just a decoration, does it not?” Gu Santong reached out to unlock it, but found it impossible to do so.
“Could it really be more than just for show?”
Luo Feng thought for a moment, then looked at Gu Santong. “Master Gu, do you know how to pick locks?”
“Do you think I, an archaeologist, would know how to do that?” Gu Santong was at a loss for words. He knew how to restore artifacts, but when it came to mechanical objects, he was utterly clueless.
“So, what do we do now?”
Luo Feng was also at a loss and scratched his head. Was there nothing they could do but stare helplessly? If they tried to break it open, Luo Feng had the strength to do it, but he feared that they would also damage whatever was inside.
“Let me make a phone call.” Master Gu aimed a signal-boosting device at his phone and dialed a number.
“Little Huang, is there anyone in the archaeological team who can pick locks?
They need to be skillful so as not to damage these artifacts.”
“Master Gu, there is! Brother Cai knows how to pick locks!” The person on the other end of the line immediately recommended someone.
“Great, ask him to come down to the tomb with his lock-picking tools.”
Gu Santong nodded, hung up the phone, and gave Luo Feng an ‘OK’ gesture, indicating that he had found someone to help.
“Your archaeological team is quite impressive, having someone who can pick locks. Be honest, Master Gu, did he change careers?” Luo Feng jokingly asked Gu Santong since they had nothing else to do while waiting for the lock to be opened.
“What are you talking about? Our archaeological team would never have someone with such a shady background!” Gu Santong rolled his eyes, finding the comment rather offensive, considering they were part of a national archaeological team with official appointments.
“Fine then. Since we can’t open the box for now, I’ll go take a look on the other side.”
With that, Luo Feng left the terracotta figure and walked towards a coffin.
The coffin was very long, spanning about ten meters in length and five meters wide. It was the largest coffin Luo Feng had ever seen. Of course, Luo Feng knew that the outer layer was not the actual coffin; the real one was inside. According to ancient records, the emperor’s coffin had seven layers, while that of a feudal lord had five layers, and a high-ranking official’s had three.
Thus, if it was an emperor’s coffin, being so large was not that unusual. Although the tomb of Emperor Qin had not been opened yet, records mentioned that Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s coffin had seven layers. “Goodness, this coffin is enormous!”
“Is it possible that the person inside is a ten-meter-tall Ultraman?
“Cut it out! Ultraman? If you want to make me laugh to death so you can inherit my online credit, just say so.”
“Given the scale of this tomb, did its construction not create a huge commotion back then?”
“That’s why I think this is a secret tomb built by Emperor Qin!”
“Come on, why would Emperor Qin’s tomb have counterfeit bronze figures?”
“Emperor Qin’s tomb took nearly 40 years to construct. This tomb must have taken at least a decade, right? If it was built by Emperor Qin’s subordinates, he would have known about it!”
Luo Feng circled the outer coffin and said, “The construction of Emperor Qin’s tomb began in 247 BCE and was completed in 208 BCE, taking 39 years in total. Each year, 700,000 people participated in the construction, with the number peaking at 800,000.”
As Luo Feng spoke about Emperor Qin’s tomb, he had much to say. “Moreover, there is an unwritten rule when building a tomb for the emperor: the construction must not stop until the emperor dies. Otherwise, it is as if they are wishing for the emperor’s early death. Even if the tomb is essentially complete, it cannot be declared finished. Instead, they must claim that it is still under construction and add some minor, insignificant projects.”
“As for why Emperor Qin’s tomb was completed two years after his death, I suspect that they were busy filling the tomb with earth. Considering the size of the tomb, two years is not a lot of time, especially if they wanted to avoid damaging the internal structure.”
Huh?
Beneath the floor tiles near the outer coffin, there appeared to be markings for buried treasures. Were they hidden under the floor tiles?
Luo Feng immediately tapped on the floor tiles a few times.
“Hehe, as I thought, there is a hollow space below!” Luo Feng said with a smile.
“Hey, host, please don’t laugh. Whenever you do, I feel like my heart is going to tremble.”
“Why would they bury something beneath the floor of an ancient tomb?” “Could it be objects used to suppress the royal aura? Perhaps they’re gold bars?”
“It’s unlikely. If they buried such large gold bars, what’s the point of suppressing the royal aura?
Luo Feng was about to pry open the floor tiles when Gu Santong’s voice came from nearby, carrying a hint of surprise.
“Little Luo, come take a look at this!”
At Gu Santong’s request, Luo Feng could only set aside the tile he was about to pry up.
At that moment, Gu Santong was squatting next to a terracotta figure, pointing to its feet. “Look, some of the clay has flaked off the surface of the figure’s feet, revealing a golden color.”
Of course, Luo Feng’s attention was not on the gold color revealed on the terracotta figure, but on the ground beneath it.
There were markings for buried treasures.
He had been so focused on the box held by the terracotta figure that he had missed the markings. With so many overlapping treasure markings, it was easy to overlook them.
Now, upon closer inspection, the markings seemed to be underground, right beneath the terracotta figure’s golden feet.
“These feet of the terracotta figure must be made of red gold!”