Chapter 158: When Luck Comes, Nothing Can Stop It

The woman added fresh tea, and hot steam rose up.

With a "click," the beam of the Flashlight vanished.

Lin Sicheng put away the Magnifying Glass and tapped his finger lightly on the tabletop: "Lower it a bit!"

So, he had made up his mind?

The man was suddenly delighted, but his tone was very firm: "Three hundred and eighty thousand, not a cent less!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the old woman glared at him: "It's not less! Those two pieces at home only sold for one hundred and thirty thousand!"

"Sister-in-law, those two pieces were only given to Big Brother as a throw-in because nobody recognized them and they couldn't be sold! But this piece is different: this is a Tang Dynasty mirror..."

The man paused: "Besides, Big Brother owns thirty percent of this mirror!"

Upon hearing that her own family had a share, the old woman fell silent.

Lin Sicheng remained silent, appearing hesitant. But his mind was racing: those two pieces couldn't be sold... who couldn't sell them?

This mirror, both brothers had a share. But his big brother had long since been locked up, so who decided on this distribution?

The key point was, the sister-in-law was completely unaware, yet this brother-in-law didn't hide it from her at all, nor did he try to welsh on the debt?

Thirty percent of over three hundred thousand is at least around one hundred thousand. In 2007, when the average per capita income was less than ten thousand, it would take a strong laborer at least ten years of hard work to earn that... Was the big brother's prestige really that high?

Vaguely, Lin Sicheng had a premonition: it seemed he had already touched the edge of it...

Seeing Lin Sicheng not speaking, the old woman thought the deal was going to fall through and grew anxious, kicking her brother-in-law.

The man scratched his head, very reluctantly: "Just lower it by thirty thousand, no lower than that!"

Thirty thousand, that was not a small amount.

Lin Sicheng nodded, took out a card, and handed it to the plainclothes man: "Zhang Ge, you take this gentleman to transfer the money."

Afterward, he pushed the mirror: "Keep the mirror safe; once the money arrives, give him the item!"

The man let out a breath: he had been trying to sell it for five or six years, and it had finally sold.

The old woman beamed with joy: another one hundred thousand in the bag.

She wanted to go along too, and the man did not refuse: this money had to be split sooner or later, better to give it early and settle it.

The brother-in-law and sister-in-law followed the plainclothes man to the bank.

A transfer of several hundred thousand, even with a VIP card, had to be done at a large bank. It took a while, nearly an hour before they returned.

Lin Sicheng took the mirror and put it in his bag, then took out four stacks of cash, unwrapped one stack to take half, and pushed the rest forward.

"Sorry for the trouble, ma'am!"

Suddenly, the old woman smiled so hard her eyes disappeared: he said he would give ten percent, and he really gave ten percent?

Her old man was sentenced to nine years, and he only left behind about three hundred thousand...

The old woman thanked him profusely: "Child, let me make you some authentic Xi'an sazi noodles, they're super fragrant!"

Lin Sicheng shook his head: "Thank you, ma'am, but I'm not quite used to eating that!"

"Oh, you're from out of town, I didn't hear it?"

"We are from Shaoxing!" Lin Sicheng replied in the Shaoxing dialect, then switched to the Guanzhong dialect, "I studied at Xida for four years!"

The sister-in-law and brother-in-law had never been to Zhejiang, so how would they know how to speak Shaoxing dialect?

However, they could tell that Lin Sicheng's Guanzhong dialect clearly carried a bit of an accent.

And the two plainclothes men on the side felt as if their hearts were being scratched by a cat.

The two of them, one from Jiangsu and one from Zhejiang, how could they not tell if Lin Sicheng's Zhejiang dialect was authentic?

The key was this last sentence; Lin Sicheng was purely a Xijing person, so how did he manage to make the Guanzhong dialect sound like it "had a bit of a resemblance," "was a bit awkward," and "clearly had a mix of Jiangzhe"?

The two plainclothes men were suspicious, and Lin Sicheng stood up to take his leave.

The family saw them out.

Having completed a deal worth several hundred thousand, the man's stone-like face finally showed some expression.

He was quite enthusiastic, and the brother-in-law and sister-in-law walked them all the way to the entrance of the alley.

Looking at the Land Cruiser at the entrance of the village, and then at the "Zhe D" license plate, the man had a thought: "Boss, can I have your phone number!"

Lin Sicheng nodded: "Of course!"

He had to play the part to the end; there was no need to doubt, it was definitely a Shaoxing number.

After exchanging numbers, the three of them got into the car.

Watching the off-road vehicle turn around and get onto the highway, the man looked thoughtful.

Looking left and right to see no one was around, the old woman couldn't stop complaining: "You're the one with too many ideas, spending over five hundred thousand twice, could this really be the Police? Which police officer goes to a graveyard in the middle of the night to look for a tomb?"

"So generous with his money, giving away a referral fee of over thirty thousand just like that? And driving such a nice car, how rich must the boss behind him be?"

"Second brother, this is a chance to get rich that fell from the sky..."

The old woman chattered on, but the man remained silent.

If it had been over a month ago, he certainly wouldn't have suspected anything.

But during this period, many strangers had suddenly come to the village, wave after wave?

As soon as they entered the village, they asked about this and that, either asking about tombs or Cultural Relics. But they asked so much and bought so few things, if they weren't the Police, what were they?

"That's because the imperial tomb was robbed!" The old woman curled her lips and pointed to the mountain, "Look at all those people all over the mountain, running around like monkeys every day, can't you see them?"

The old woman let out a "heh": "Besides, if that kid were really the Police, he would have arrested you and me long ago!"

The man was annoyed by the noise: "Sister-in-law, I didn't say he was the Police!"

"Then what are you afraid of?"

The man thought for a moment: "He had just finished looking for the tomb two days ago, and the people on the tomb mountain swarmed like a black mass. Then, the cops came into the village..."

The old woman was stunned: That kid... was he a tomb raider?

What the brother-in-law was afraid of was: perhaps it had already been dug, which was why there were so many people on the tomb mountain, and why so many Police came afterward?

He was even more afraid that the kid would attract the Police...

"Definitely not, he only looked for such a short while, he came down as soon as he got up the mountain!" the old woman shook her head, "Besides, if he really was the one who dug it, with so many police cars parked at the entrance of the cemetery, how could he not see them? How would he dare to come?"

That was true.

Otherwise, the man wouldn't have left his phone number.

"Sister-in-law, don't worry, I'll go back and ask the one who holds the card (the person in the gang responsible for keeping watch and gathering information) before saying anything else."

The old woman nodded: "If you sell the item, don't forget my finder's fee!"

The man sighed...

The shadows of the buildings gradually lengthened, and the cool Wind was wrapped in the pungent fragrance of chili oil.

A porcelain Bowl the size of a human head was piled high with pulled noodles. Diced meat mixed with daylilies, and the amber-colored oil sauce spilled to the rim of the Bowl.

Lin Sicheng was stunned for a moment: "Since when do they give so much for pulled noodles here in Xijing?"

Zhang Feng didn't speak; he handed over a pair of chopsticks and gestured with his chin to the side.

Lin Sicheng turned his head; the plaque for the "Provincial Committee Office Residential Compound" was bathed in sunlight, and the guards stood straight as pins.

That explains it.

He turned back and broke apart his chopsticks.

Finishing in a few bites, the three of them left the restaurant.

Across the road was the Provincial Museum. Having made an appointment with Yao Hansong in advance, the laboratory was already prepared.

As soon as they entered the door, Yao Hansong started complaining again: "You are like a blacksmith selling pancakes, purely neglecting your proper work. Leaving experiments undone and Artifact Research aside, what are you messing around with the Public Security for?"

Lin Sicheng smiled: "Finding the tomb earlier means it can be robbed less, and there can be fewer losses..."

Yao Hansong glared: "Are the tens of thousands of police officers in Xijing all just freeloaders?"

Lin Sicheng didn't speak, he just smiled.

The two plainclothes officers looked at each other and pursed their lips: This old man has a sharp tongue?

Seeing that Yao Hansong was still unsatisfied and wanted to nag a bit more, Lin Sicheng was quick-handed and took out the two Bronze Mirrors.

Sure enough, after just one glance, Yao Hansong's eyes widened: A Tang Dynasty Gold and Silver Flat-removal Phoenix Pattern Mirror, not to mention its size, it's also square?

The key is the phoenix pattern of this Silver Ornaments; the user must have been a County Princess of the second rank (daughter of a Prince). It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it an Imperial Gift.

But suddenly, Lin Sicheng had brought one back?

Yao Hansong held it in his arms, looking at it over and over: "Where did this come from?"

Lin Sicheng sighed: "Just bought it from a Cultural Relics dealer!"

"How much did it cost?"

"Not much, 350,000!"

Only 350,000? It would be worth ten times that...

Yao Hansong couldn't put it down: "Then what are you sighing for?"

Lin Sicheng paused: "Last week, border defense authorities intercepted a 'Golden Seal of Fuping Marquis', made of gold!"

Yao Hansong was suddenly stunned: Without a posthumous title, it must be the first Marquis... Is that the Marquis Gold Seal of Zhang Anshi?

Moreover, there has never been an excavation precedent; it is equivalent to being the first one in the world. But it was almost taken abroad by a Grave Robber.

And compared to that, what does this Bronze Mirror count for? It's almost not worth mentioning...

Subconsciously, the old man remembered the half-joking remark Lin Sicheng made when he was nagging earlier: Finding the tomb earlier means it can be robbed less, and there can be fewer losses...

Is my own awareness not even as high as this kid's?

Yao Hansong sighed and patted Lin Sicheng on the arm.

Testing the rust composition was fast. In just half an hour, the results were out.

Taking a glance, Lin Sicheng felt a sudden sense of relief in his heart.

Sure enough, he hadn't guessed wrong at all: the rust layer composition of the two Bronze Mirrors was exactly the same.

Yao Hansong also took a look: "Buried in layers?"

Lin Sicheng nodded.

In Xijing, it's not strange at all for tombs from two dynasties to be stacked on top of each other. Sometimes, one can even dig up a three-layered tomb: one layer from the Han Dynasty, one from the Tang Dynasty, and another from the Song, Yuan, Ming, or Qing dynasties.

Yao Hansong stared at the two mirrors: "Can you determine the approximate excavation range?"

Lin Sicheng nodded: "Yes!"

Gold and Silver Flat-removal craftsmanship began during the Longshou Era of the Great Zhou Empress Wu, and was banned by Emperor Suzong after the An Lushan Rebellion.

That means it was only made for about sixty years. Counting the women of the Li Clan who were qualified to be enfeoffed as County Princesses and could be buried in Chang'an during this period, there are no more than those ten families: Cui, Lu, Zheng, Wang, Wei, Pei, Liu, Xue, Yang, and Du.

Combined with the fact that it "overlaps with the Zhang Anshi Tomb" and must be in Fengqiyuan, it can basically be narrowed down to two families: the Wei and Du families in Cheng Nan, just five feet from heaven!

Therefore, based on these two Bronze Mirrors, Lin Sicheng dared to remove the "suspected" from his previous statement that "the Zhang Anshi Tomb is suspected to be in Fengqiyuan."

As long as he can find the County Princesses married into the Wei and Du families between the time of Empress Wu and Emperor Xuanzong, Lin Sicheng dares to lock the tomb's location within one kilometer.

By then, there would be no need to even look for the tomb; they would just need to stop the construction, and the Police would surround it...

Just as he was secretly thinking, "clack, clack, clack, clack," leather shoes hit the floor tiles like a gust of Wind, fast and urgent.

Just as he turned his head, a figure flashed, and Chen Peng stood at the door of the laboratory.

Lin Sicheng was not surprised at all.

He guessed that when Zhang Feng (male plainclothes officer) reported to him while eating that they were going to the Provincial Museum to test it, Chen Peng had already come.

He had been sitting in the car downstairs waiting for news, and as soon as there was good news, he rushed over.

His eyes were slightly bright, and his expression revealed a few traces of excitement.

After greeting Yao Hansong, he took the report, scanned it briefly, and grinned.

Chen Peng thought Lin Sicheng was useful, but he hadn't expected him to be *this* useful?

Although he had taken two punches from his master and been cursed at by Wang Qizhi as if he were a father or mother, it was worth it.

And he felt even more fortunate.

When Chen Peng had considered whether or not to arrest that old woman back then, Lin Sicheng had advised him: try not to arrest her for now; there's no value in arresting her anyway.

Because her husband was merely a peripheral Street-Runner for fencing stolen goods; he didn't even know who had dug up the items or where they had been dug from, so what use would it be to arrest that old woman?

Keep her for now; perhaps she would come in handy in the end...

Thinking about it now: he estimated that back then, Lin Sicheng had already foreseen that the police wouldn't be able to catch the people, and the Cultural Relics Bureau wouldn't be able to find the tomb.

That was why he had left a loose end...

Suddenly, the thought of getting Lin Sicheng into the Municipal Bureau grew even stronger...

Chen Peng let out a breath, folded up the report, and gave Lin Sicheng's shoulder another thump: "Are we looking or not?"

"Looking!" Lin Sicheng nodded, "But Director Chen, if we can't find it, you might get criticized."

Chen Peng let out a "Ha": for the sake of this damn tomb, I've already taken a beating, let alone a round of criticism?

He also understood what Lin Sicheng meant: in a National Level high-tech development zone, it was of course impossible to halt construction on the entire twenty-plus square kilometer Aerospace City just because of one tomb.

But if it were only one or two square kilometers, with provincial-level departments stepping in, such as the Public Security Department or the Provincial Cultural Relics Bureau, there would basically be no problem with halting work.

Of course, at the very least, they had to determine which square kilometer it was.

As long as he dared to confirm it, Chen Peng would immediately file an application report. Once the report was approved, he would dispatch police forces while halting construction, surrounding the area like an iron wall. Never mind "foreign organizations," even if they came from outer space, he'd make sure they flew right back out.

And even if the worst happened and they found nothing, at most he would just get a round of criticism...

Chen Peng patted Lin Sicheng's shoulder: "Let's go!"

"Alright, let's go!" Lin Sicheng replied, then thought for a moment, "Director Chen, why don't you ask Director He?"

Huh, this kid is pretty sharp?

If two units applied at the same time, it would certainly be faster than one unit. And even if he ended up getting scolded, if he and He Zhigang were scolded together, wouldn't that be better than him getting scolded alone?

Chen Peng's eyes lit up, and he took out his phone and walked out of the laboratory.

After saying goodbye to Yao Hansong, Lin Sicheng also walked out of the laboratory.

After going downstairs and reaching the parking lot, Chen Peng had just finished his call.

Just as he walked over, preparing to say something, Lin Sicheng's phone gave a "buzz" vibration.

He glanced at it, and Lin Sicheng's eyes lit up with a "ping": it wasn't the previous phone, but this one from Shaoxing.

He held up a finger, went "shh," and then answered.

Was it really as expected?

"Boss, we met at noon... you bought a Bronze Mirror from me..."

The man was concise and to the point, "I have another piece here, do you want to take a look?"

Lin Sicheng remained calm: "What is it?"

"A bundle of Tang Dynasty silver flowers!"

Silver flowers... how could there be such a thing from the Tang Dynasty?

Lin Sicheng was suspicious for a moment: "Tell me roughly what it looks like first, what are its features!"

"There's a silver ring clamping the bottom, and on top are flowers, separated branch by branch, there are eight of them... between the flowers and the branches, they are connected by silver wires that look like springs."

Silver ring, springs, eight branches of silver flowers...

Lin Sicheng's heart gave a "thump": what kind of silver flowers were these?

This was a Flower Tree Crown for a noblewoman of the Great Tang, also known as a Flower Hairpin Crown. According to rank: Empress Dowager and Empress had twelve trees, first-rank noblewomen had nine trees, and second-rank noblewomen had eight trees.

What is a second-rank noblewoman? Nine concubines, wives of dukes, a County Princess...

The key was that the Bronze Mirror in his bag was also for a County Princess.

Could it be that he didn't even need to look up the data?

"Alright, where should I go to see it?"

"You come pick me up first, I'll take you there..."

"Good!"

"Beep beep," the call hung up. Then with a "snap," Lin Sicheng slapped the phone into his palm.

When luck comes, you can't even stop it...