Chapter 636: The Valley with a Great Temple

Lin Sicheng was never the type of person to get hung up on trifles.

He had so many major tasks to attend to; there was no need to obsess over an ethereal, illusory Treasure Map.

Of course, that did not mean giving up entirely; one might as well take a swing at it just in case—what if they hit the jackpot?

He put Zhao Xiuneng in charge, had Zhao Da and Zhao Er assist him, and also brought in two professional Data Clerks from the data team to help.

Zhao Xiuneng joked, "Junior Brother, aren't you afraid that if I find the treasure, I'll go behind your back and keep it all for myself?"

Lin Sicheng did not care at all: "Senior Brother, no need to go behind my back. If you can really find it, I'll give it to you."

Zhao Xiuneng widened his eyes: "Looking down on me, are you?"

Lin Sicheng smiled: "Senior Brother, it's not that I'm looking down on you; it's that even if you found it, you wouldn't be able to take it away!"

Zhao Xiuneng suddenly realized: just as Lin Sicheng had said before, even if that Treasure Map were real, He Youhan might not be able to find it, and even if he did, he lacked the ability to dig it out, let alone take it away.

If even He Youhan was like that, could he, Zhao Xiuneng, really be more capable than He Youhan?

Of course, this was just a flight of fancy. From the first day he met Lin Sicheng, Zhao Xiuneng had sworn an oath: from then on, he would wash his hands of the underworld, never involve himself in the jianghu again, and ensure his children and grandchildren lived clean, upright lives. ——

After joking around for a bit, Lin Sicheng put away his computer and gave his disciples and the Assistant a day off to catch up on sleep.

This was the first time Lin Sicheng had assigned them specific tasks. The two disciples were in high spirits and declined, saying they weren't tired, and prepared to switch to another office to continue checking the Information.

Zhao Da closed his computer, had Zhao Er hold it, and asked Lin Sicheng to provide him with a supplementary list of data.

Lin Sicheng took a pen and paper, and as he wrote, he gave instructions: which historical materials had which versions, which version was more complete, which library it was hidden in, how to search for it, what the key index terms were, and so on and so forth.

Zhao Da wrote every word down on the paper.

After finishing, he suddenly remembered something: "Master, did the Imperial Carriage Department of the Northern Song Dynasty also have Craftsmen?"

"Yes!" Lin Sicheng nodded. "The Imperial Carriage Department originated from the Later Liang of the Five Dynasties, in charge of the Emperor's imperial processions, curtains, and the Treasury for imperial utensils.

The officials in charge were mostly eunuchs. The personnel included soldiers, Craftsmen, and laborers. The Craftsmen among them were called 'Material-Assembling Soldiers'.

To put it simply: they were the Craftsmen who specialized in setting up tents, sheds, high platforms,

ceremonial guards, and displays whenever the Emperor held suburban sacrifices, court assemblies, imperial banquets, or went on imperial tours. Sometimes they would also receive imperial decrees to enter the palace to set up tents, arrange beds, or place screens and decorations for the Emperor and his Concubines.

In the Secret History of Jingkang that Lin Sicheng had checked earlier, among the eighty people sent as envoys to the Liao Dynasty during the Xuanhe era, there were indeed Material-Assembling Soldiers from the Imperial Carriage Department.

But that was specifically commissioned by Song Huizong for the Liao Emperor to repair palaces; there was no precedent for it before, it was a first-time occurrence, and it had nothing to do with the treasure of Emperor Tianzuo.

Zhao Da scratched his forehead: "Master, I understand!"

It was rare for him to be so proactive and studious, so Lin Sicheng was quite curious: "Boheng, why did you suddenly ask about this?"

"Oh, I couldn't sleep after going back last night, so I checked on the computer and found a piece of Information: in the early years of Huizong, a Craftsman from the Imperial Carriage Department fled to the Liao Dynasty. I was thinking: could that Birch Bark shell have been made by the Craftsman from the Imperial Carriage Department who fled to the Liao Dynasty————"

The Imperial Carriage Department was responsible for construction, which was a completely different matter from the Literary Works Academy; it certainly had nothing to do with it.

But Lin Sicheng did not remember any History Books recording that a Craftsman from the Northern Song Imperial Carriage Department had fled to the Liao Dynasty.

"Boheng, where did you find that?"

"Master, it was in a piece of unofficial history from the Song Dynasty that I found online!" Zhao Da thought for a moment. "It's called 'Jottings from the Iron-Encircled Mountain'."

Lin Sicheng recalled it slightly and had an impression: this book was written by Cai Jing's youngest son, Cai Tao. It recorded the secret scandals of the late Northern Song palace and belonged to the category of Song Dynasty unofficial history notes, and quite an 'unofficial' one at that.

Lin Sicheng only knew the book existed but had no impression of the content recorded within it.

The key was this point Zhao Da mentioned: a Northern Song Craftsman fleeing to the Liao Dynasty—Lin Sicheng really had no impression of that.

"Boheng, bring it up and let me see!"

Zhao Da took the laptop and hurriedly turned it on.

After finding it, Lin Sicheng scanned it roughly:

During the Chongning era, a thief entered the palace one night. From the north of the sleeping quarters, he passed the rear hall and went southwest, traveled through the pavilions of various Concubines, and then went south, exiting directly through the palace of the Empress Dowager Chong'en. It was discovered near dawn, and the authorities could not fathom it. At the time, Duke Lu was in charge of the government and said: "Investigate and arrest the Material-Assembling Soldiers. Are there any from the Imperial Carriage Department who have fled?" The authorities replied: "That night, only Shan He from the Imperial Carriage Department fled."

Duke Lu said: "Arrest Shan He immediately." After three days, he was caught in Yongqiu, covered from shoulder to heel in gold utensils. Upon interrogation, the reason was discovered: He was skilled at flying ladders and was the number one hand in the Imperial Carriage Department. He had often entered the forbidden quarters for service and knew the ins and outs well. That night, he used a rope tied to a horizontal beam, called a 'soft ladder'.

The Duke Lu here was Cai Jing. The general meaning was: during the Chongning era, a thief snuck into the forbidden palace, entered the Emperor's sleeping quarters, toured the sleeping chambers of all the Concubines, and finally escaped the palace from the direction of Empress Dowager Chong'en's palace.

At the time, Cai Jing was presiding over the government. He suspected an inside job and ordered the authorities to search for all Craftsmen skilled in setting up ladders and frames, focusing on the Imperial Carriage Department. The investigation was accurate: they finally caught Shan He, the most skilled Craftsman in the Imperial Carriage Department, and found a large amount of gold utensils stolen from the palace at his residence————

But it wasn't over; there was another entry recorded afterward:

Note: The Southern Song "Records of Unofficial History" cites this and has a separate anecdote: Shan He did not act alone; he had long been having an affair with Empress Dowager Chong'en.

After being arrested, the prison testimony implicated the inner palace. The imperial court did not want to expose the scandal. The Empress Dowager secretly sent people to protect him, so he escaped death and secretly fled beyond the borders to the Liao Dynasty.

Later, when investigating the matter, it was related to Shen Gongwei, the supervisor of the Imperial Workshop Bureau, who managed both the upper and lower divisions. He had the names of the Craftsmen engraved on the objects to check their quality according to the law. He had once made ladder tools and other equipment, and also fled north with him. The matter was kept secret and not recorded in the official History Books, appearing only in private copies made by the people after the Southern Crossing.

Seeing this, Lin Sicheng let out a "Ha."

This wasn't written by Cai Tao; it was introduced by the editor from other unofficial histories, but it was even more "unofficial" than what Cai Tao wrote:

Shan He entering the palace in the middle of the night was not to steal, but to have a secret meeting with Empress Dowager Chong'en, with whom he had been having an affair for who knows how long. The gold and silver treasures found in his home were all rewards bestowed upon him by Empress Dowager Chong'en.

After being captured, because the testimony implicated the inner palace, the imperial court did not want to make this palace scandal public, and Empress Dowager Chong'en secretly sent people to protect him, so Shan He was able to avoid death.

Later, again due to the intervention of Empress Dowager Chong'en, Shan He secretly fled beyond the borders to defect to the Liao Dynasty. Later, when the matter was investigated, it was related to Shen Gongwei, the supervisor of the Imperial Workshop Bureau: the soft ladder and flying claws Shan He used when entering the palace to meet the Empress Dowager were crafted for him by Shen Gong.

But after the matter was exposed, the two of them fled together to the Northern Liao————

Lin Sicheng could only say: as expected of unofficial history?

But if he had to judge whether this was true or false, he really couldn't say: because throughout every dynasty, there were truly quite a few palace Concubines, and even Empresses and Empresses Dowager, who had affairs with outside men.

The group looked at it, and Zhao Er pointed to one of the lines: "Master, what does 'managing both the upper and lower divisions' mean?"

Compared to Zhao Da, Zhao Er was even less fond of learning. Since he had finally changed his ways, Lin Sicheng patiently explained: "Managing means presiding over or being in charge of. The 'upper and lower divisions' here refer to the upper and lower offices of the Literary Works Academy. The upper division was responsible for the production and maintenance of precious objects like gold, silver, pearls, jade, and rhinoceros horn; the lower division was responsible for miscellaneous utensils made of copper, iron, lead, tin, wood, and bamboo.

Lin Sicheng pointed upward again: "And this Imperial Workshop Bureau, this is an old term from the Han and Tang dynasties. In the Han Dynasty, it was called the Imperial Workshop Assistant, and in the Tang Dynasty, it was called the Imperial Workshop Supervisor. Whether it was Assistant or Supervisor, it referred to the Palace Treasury Bureau————

Official documents of the Song Dynasty would not call it that, but when scholars wrote notes, inscriptions, or miscellaneous essays, they mostly used 'Imperial Workshop' to refer to the Palace Treasury Bureau, which is equivalent to an elegant rhetorical term————"

"Oh, so it was the Palace Treasury Bureau————" Zhao Er muttered it once, then suddenly froze. "Wait, Master, the Palace Treasury Bureau?

"

Lin Sicheng was stunned for a moment: That's right, the Palace Treasury Bureau?

He had explained it twice to the two brothers, yet neither of them had realized: wasn't the Palace Treasury Bureau exactly what he had been investigating all night?

He slapped his forehead hard: no more staying up late, it's making my brain stop working—

Immediately, he took the computer over and stared at the very last line: "Shen Gongwei, an official of the Palace Workshop Bureau, managed both upper and lower realms, using legal standards to inspect the quality of names and works—"

To translate: the supervisory official was one of the officials of the Palace Internal Affairs Bureau, ranking below the Vice Director of the Palace Internal Affairs (the deputy head), not a high rank, roughly around the seventh grade.

The key lies in what follows: "managed both upper and lower realms," which indicates that Shen Gongwei, in his capacity as a supervisory official of the Palace Internal Affairs Bureau, concurrently held the position of Director of the Literary Thought Institute. This official rank was even lower, eighth grade or junior eighth grade, but the technical requirements were extremely high:

Managing legal standards, reviewing designs, determining labor and materials, inspecting artifacts, supervising the craftsmanship standards of various workshops, judging the quality of products, and overseeing the

master Craftsman, as well as the production process of every single artifact.

It can be said that this position was both an official role and a master role, held by the most technically skilled clerk in the Literary Thought Institute, bar none.

There is something even more critical later on: "fled into the North together"—this person, did he eventually escape to the Liao Dynasty?

Looking at the time: the Chongning era, this was the second era name of Song Huizong Zhao Ji of the Northern Song Dynasty, used for four years, from 1102 to 1106.

This year happens to be the beginning of Emperor Huizong's reign, and it happens to be the first phase of Song Huizong's reform of the various bureaus and institutes of the Palace Internal Affairs Bureau.

Let's expand our thinking: after this person fled to the Liao Dynasty, he was highly valued, kept his techniques, and taught students. That pot,

and that map, were made by his students.

Or even more likely, they were made by him directly.

In this way, it perfectly explains the most illogical question from before: how idiotic would Yelu Yanxi have to be to have a secret vessel containing a Treasure Map made by the Song Dynasty's Palace Internal Affairs Bureau?

As it turns out, that pot was not made in the Song Dynasty, but by a Song Dynasty Craftsman in the Liao Dynasty—

Thinking of this, Lin Sicheng's fingers couldn't help but clench: at first glance, it seems too coincidental, but sometimes, reality is even more coincidental than imagination—

Then why wasn't it found before?

Because this book is too niche and too unofficial, Lin Sicheng hadn't remembered it at all, let alone listed it in the data table.

And even if he could have remembered it, as long as he didn't check it himself, it would definitely have been missed. Because what is written here is "Palace Workshop Bureau," not Palace Internal Affairs Bureau.

Of course, it is unofficial history after all, so it might not be true, but at least the hard work of so many people tonight wasn't in vain.

Lin Sicheng let out a breath, patted Zhao Da on the shoulder, and had Li Zhen bring over his computer.

Even if the others were slow to react, they knew Zhao Da had made a great contribution and gathered around one after another.

"Senior Brother, tell us how to search, we can help too—"

Lin Sicheng shook his head: "Senior Brother, I'll handle it—"

Because they couldn't help.

This Shen Gongwei was only an eighth-grade official; by common logic, if he hadn't participated in major historical events, it would be impossible for his information to remain in historical records, even in unofficial history.

The only reason he could leave his name in this book was entirely due to the reflected glory of Shan Wanshu, who was suspected of having an affair with the Empress of Song Zhezong and the sister-in-law of Song Huizong.

If this record is true and the two defected to the Northern Liao, then their names would no longer appear in the History of the Song. If one wants to check, one can only look in the historical records of the Liao Dynasty.

But there are too few historical records of the Liao Dynasty, and the only one recorded in Han Dynasty characters, the "History of the Liao," also has more falsehoods than truths. At present, one can only look through the few

existing historical records native to the Khitan.

Not many, just a few: the remaining scrolls of the "Veritable Records of the Imperial Dynasty" edited by Yelu Yan, the "Diaries of Activity and Repose" and "Daily Records" of the National History Institute,

the "Veritable Records of the Seven Emperors," and a few books of anecdotal history and unofficial history.

But these are all in Khitan Script, and except for him, no one present can read them—

Lin Sicheng checked them one by one, first flipping through the official histories, then the Veritable Records and anecdotal histories.

When he reached the end and opened an unofficial historical notebook that resembled a novel, he narrowed his eyes:

Shen Gong, whose ingenious thoughts surpassed others, was especially skilled in gold and silver forging and carving techniques, and was famous in Nanjing for his exquisite craftsmanship. At that time, Yelu Yan was in power and always valued the unique talents of craftsmen. Seeing that the gold and silver vessels made by Gong were more ingenious than those of his contemporaries, he recommended him to the Privy Councilor Xiao Fengxian.

Fengxian took his vessels to inspect them, and indeed the designs were orderly. He ordered Gong to enter the Nanjing Palace Internal Affairs Bureau, initially granting him the position of Assistant Director of the Palace Workshop Office of the Palace Internal Affairs Bureau (deputy head of the gold and silver imperial vessel workshop, junior eighth grade), specifically in charge of imperial craftsmanship supervision, determination of imperial legal standards, and the creation of secret gold and silver vessels—

Gong was diligent in his duties, strictly adhering to imperial standards, and the vessels he created all met palace requirements. In the sixth year of Qiantong (1106), he was ordered by imperial decree to supervise the creation of imperial vessels. When the vessels were completed and presented to the Emperor, Yelu Yanxi was overjoyed upon seeing them and praised him, saying: "The craftsmanship meets heavenly standards, the ingenuity enters the minute details, he can be called a master Craftsman." He was granted the title of Imperial Vessel Maker of the Palace Internal Affairs Bureau, bestowed with brocade and Imperial Ink, received exceptional favor, and was permitted to freely enter and exit the inner court workshops, specifically in charge of secret imperial creations.

From then on, Shen Gong gained favor through his skills, served in the palace for a long time, managed imperial vessel standards, supervised the work of all craftsmen, and thus was able to interact with close palace officials and inner court confidants—

Han names in Khitan Script are all transliterated, so Lin Sicheng didn't know if this name was Shen Gong, Sheng Gong, or Shen Gong.

But one thing is certain: the technical level of this Shen Gong's gold and silver forging and Openwork Carving was extremely high, high enough to be the best in the Liao Dynasty. Otherwise, Yelu Yanxi could not have given him such an official title: Imperial Vessel Maker of the Palace Internal Affairs Bureau.

The rank of this official was not high, roughly junior seventh grade, but the point lies in the two words "Imperial Vessel Maker." To put it bluntly: by the Emperor's Imperial Edict, he specifically supervised imperial vessels.

The key is that Yelu Yanxi allowed him to freely enter and exit the inner court workshops, which can be called the closest of close officials.

Lin Sicheng had an intuition: this Shen Gong was very likely the same Shen Gongwei mentioned in the "Records of Court and Field Anecdotes."

From this, could it be that he was the one who made that pot, and he was the one who hid that piece of paper?

Of course, it was just an intuition; there had to be supporting evidence.

Lin Sicheng continued to flip forward, and when he flipped to another book, he suddenly paused, a strange look appearing on his face.

The book was titled "Sequel to the Records of Burning Pepper," and since there was a sequel, there must be a prequel, called "Records of Burning Pepper." These two books and the "Collected Talks of Iron Mountain" by Cai Tao were of the same nature: specifically recording the secret palace affairs of the late Liao Dynasty.

The former recorded the period of the Daozong Emperor, and the latter recorded the period of Yelu Yanxi.

Lin Sicheng found a line in the sequel: Shen Gong, Imperial Vessel Maker of the Palace Internal Affairs Bureau—Gong was skilled in ingenuity, Yelu Yanxi valued his art, his favor exceeded the norm, and he was able to enter and exit the palace. Over time, he had a secret affair with Concubine Wen, and their feelings were secretly connected.

In the first year of Baoda (1121), the son of Concubine Wen, Xiao Sese, the Prince of Qin, Aoluwo, was benevolent and had a good reputation, and the court and the public favored him—at the Emperor's

command, Xiao Fengxian fabricated a great case, accusing Concubine Wen and Yelu Yudu (a member of the Liao royal family, a leading general, the brother-in-law of Xiao Sese, and the uncle of the Prince of Qin) of plotting to depose the Emperor, and the words implicated Shen Gong—

Concubine Wen was sentenced to death, and many of her relatives were executed. During the interrogation, all traces of Gong's communication with the palace and his involvement in the treasonous plot were found, and rumors of palace affairs spread inside and outside, so the court officials all requested that Gong be punished with the heavy law.

Yelu Yanxi cherished his peerless craftsmanship and also considered that he had never held military power and had only participated as a technical official, so he specially pardoned his death, stripped him of his favor, but did not remove him from his post, still ordering him to remain in the Palace Internal Affairs Bureau to supervise the creation of imperial vessels—

This passage records the process by which Yelu Yanxi listened to the words of treacherous sycophants to kill his wife and children, leading to his isolation. It further led to Yelu Yudu rebelling against the capital and bringing the Jin army to attack the Liao territory.

History has long had a conclusion: the Prince of Qin (Yelu Yanxi's son) had too great a reputation, and people inside and outside the court wanted Yelu Yanxi to abdicate and let the Prince of Qin inherit the throne. Yelu Yanxi did not want to become the Retired Emperor so early, so he instructed Xiao Fengxian to frame him.

Yelu Yanxi knew very well whether Concubine Wen, Xiao Sese, and Shen Gong had an affair, so he did not punish Shen Gong.

But it wasn't over yet; there was another line later:

In the second year of Baoda, Yelu Yanxi fled west, and Nanjing was in danger, so he promoted Gong from the Palace Internal Affairs Bureau, granted him the title of Official in Charge of Baggage Following the Imperial Carriage, and ordered him to escort the journey west.

In the fourth month of the third year, the Jin army surrounded the baggage at Qingzhong, and the Prince of Qin, the Prince of Xu, the various Concubines, the Princess, and the accompanying officials were captured by the Jin army. The Jin army sent the clansmen and baggage east, and Yelu Yanxi engaged the Jin army in battle at Baishui Po, losing all the imperial ritual objects and palace account books.

However, the baggage train was entirely lost. The Emperor was furious and wished to enforce military law, intending to behead Gong before his horse. Gong prostrated himself on the ground and shouted loudly: "What your subject has lost are merely

ordinary vessels and common materials! The Supreme Treasure has not been damaged in the slightest; it is all buried at Yekexi—" Before he could finish, the Emperor barked at his attendants to cover his mouth, and then immediately had him beheaded. People at the time did not know what he was referring to, and all felt it was an injustice—

The second year of Baoda was 1122. In just one short year, Yelu Yudu, leading the Jin army, had already occupied most of the Liao territory west of the Liao River. Of the five capitals of the Liao Dynasty, three had fallen: Tokyo Liaoyang, Zhongjing Dading, and Xijing Datong.

Zhongjing was the Liao capital, but Emperor Tianzuo ran fast and did not follow in the footsteps of Song Huizong. However, by this point, he was already fleeing in a panic, losing every battle he fought, and fleeing after every defeat. Because information was cut off, the Yelu imperial clan and the nobility believed Emperor Tianzuo had died in battle, so they established a new emperor in Yanjing, known in history as the Northern Liao.

During this period, the Jin soldiers besieged Emperor Tianzuo at Qingzhong (Zhaojun Tomb). Emperor Tianzuo led light cavalry and fled; the Jin soldiers only seized Emperor Tianzuo's princes, concubines, and baggage train.

Afterward, Emperor Tianzuo set an ambush halfway and soundly defeated the Jin soldiers at Baishui Po—this detail is clearly written in the "History of Liao" by Tuotuo of the Yuan Dynasty.

The key lies in the latter part not written in the "History of Liao": The Emperor was furious and wished to enforce military law, intending to behead Gong before his horse. Gong prostrated himself on the ground and shouted loudly: "What your subject has lost are merely ordinary vessels and common materials! The Supreme Treasure has not been damaged in the slightest; it is all buried at Yekexi—" Before he could finish, the Emperor, fearing the secret would be leaked, angrily barked at his attendants to cover his mouth, and then immediately had him beheaded—

Since Emperor Tianzuo had already snatched back the imperial ritual objects and the palace accounts, what was the "Supreme Treasure not damaged in the slightest" that Shen Gong shouted about?

And that sentence that followed: "It is all buried at Yekexi—" Here, "buried" means the place of interment—as well as "Before he could finish, the Emperor, fearing the secret would be leaked, angrily barked at his attendants to cover his mouth"—

Seeing this, Lin Sicheng's heart couldn't help but skip a beat: What Shen Gong shouted, and what Emperor Tianzuo was afraid of him shouting, could it be a treasure that had already been buried somewhere?

Lin Sicheng let out a breath, closed his eyes, and went through it all from beginning to end again.

After a good while, he suddenly opened his eyes and stared at the first item Zhao Da had found: "Shen Gongwei, an official of the Directorate for Imperial Manufactories, managed both the upper and lower realms; he inscribed the names of craftsmen on objects to inspect their quality through standards—he once built ladders, siege engines, and other equipment, which also perished or were taken north."

Was this Shen Gongwei the same Shen Gong who was "barked at to cover his mouth and beheaded before the horse" by Emperor Tianzuo?

Only by verifying this point could all the hypotheses and deductions hold true.

The key was this Shen Gong of the Liao Dynasty: his skills were so good, so good that he was deeply trusted by Emperor Tianzuo for his craftsmanship, to the extent that the baggage and treasures brought out while fleeing were all entrusted to his management.

He even participated in so many major events: the treason case of Concubine Wen Xiao Sese and her son, the Prince of Jin, Aoluwo, and he fled west with Emperor Tianzuo, losing battle after battle and fleeing after every defeat—how could such a figure not be recorded in historical materials?

Lin Sicheng slid the mouse again, searching archive by archive. Whether it was official history, stone inscriptions, epitaphs, unofficial history, scriptures, or inscriptions, and regardless of which country recorded it, as long as it was historical data from the period of Emperor Tianzuo of the Liao Dynasty, he checked them one by one.

Looking at the photos of documents that were clearly square characters, yet not recognizing a single one, a group of people looked at each other in dismay.

Looking at the watch again, it was almost twelve o'clock—

Zhao Xiuneng gave a look: they hadn't closed their eyes for nearly two days and one night; if they kept going, wouldn't they break down?

Wang Qi Zhi paused and shook his head: You know Lin Sicheng's personality, don't you?

When searching for the Zhang Anshi Tomb in Xijing, or when searching for those five kiln sites in Shanxi, when was it not a case of staying up for several days at a time?

At least today they were inside a house, protected from the wind and the rain.

Besides, looking at the situation, it should be soon.

Sighing inwardly, Wang Qi Zhi stood up and called Li Zhen to the side. Immediately, Li Zhen brought a cup of hot milk and replaced Lin Sicheng's hot tea.

Lin Sicheng picked it up and took a sip, frowned, and put it back down.

Just like that, he searched until nearly three o'clock, when Lin Sicheng's eyes suddenly lit up.

Hard work pays off.

Collection of the Institute of History, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, "Anecdotes of the Liao: Biographies of Artisans," Biography of Shen Gong:

Shen Gong, originally named Shen Gongwei, was a Vice Minister of the Imperial Manufactories of the Song court. After the fall of the Song, he fled north and drifted to Yanjing. He was skilled in gold and silver forging and carving, precise in mechanical techniques and standards, exhausted the wonders of the hundred crafts, and could distinguish the quality of objects without a hair's breadth of error.

In the fourth year of Qiantong, Li Chuwen saw that the standards of the vessels controlled and made by Gong were exquisite and unique. He found his talent extraordinary and, knowing well that Gong possessed the abilities of a palace craftsman and secret manufacturing techniques, recommended him to Yelu Yan. Yan, who held the reins of government at the time, had always valued officials with technical skills. After examining Gong's standards and viewing the various gold and silver vessels he had made, he was very pleased and recommended him to the Privy Councilor Xiao Fengxian—

Reading from front to back and back to front, Lin Sicheng let out a sharp breath: It finally matched.

The fourth year of Qiantong of the Liao Dynasty was 1105, which was also the third year of Chongning of the Northern Song Dynasty under Emperor Huizong. It perfectly matched the time when Shan He and Shen Gongwei fled to the Liao Dynasty.

Li Chuwen was a famous treacherous official in the final years of the Liao Dynasty, serving at the time as the Minister of the Imperial Manufactories.

After hearing of Shen Gong's reputation, Li Chuwen personally examined him and recommended him to his uncle Yelu Yan (who was granted the surname, originally named Li Yan). Yelu Yan then recommended him to the powerful official Xiao Fengxian, who held absolute power at the time. Finally, he was discovered by Emperor Tianzuo.

That pot was nine times out of ten made by Shen Gong, including that Treasure Map, which was also nine times out of ten drawn by Shen Gong. Even the treasure that might truly exist was likely hidden by Shen Gong himself for Emperor Tianzuo.

Thinking about it from the other side: even Xiao Fengxian couldn't bring him down, and there were even rumors that he had an affair with Concubine Wen, yet Emperor Tianzuo never punished him. Why, at the time when they should have been sharing adversity, did Emperor Tianzuo find a random excuse to behead him before his horse?

Get this straight, Shen Gong was just a baggage officer, not a commanding general. That battle was lost to the point where Emperor Tianzuo lost all his princes and concubines. He didn't behead the general leading the troops, but instead used the baggage officer in charge of supplies as a sacrifice for the flag?

In an instant, two words popped into Lin Sicheng's mind: Silencing him!

If the mouth was silenced, what about the treasure?

Lin Sicheng tried hard to recall: whether it was existing historical materials or archaeological documents excavated in the years that followed, not a single one mentioned that Emperor Tianzuo had any treasure—

In a flash, he slid the mouse and found the entry recorded in the "Sequel to the Records of Burning Pepper": In the fourth month of the third year, the Jin soldiers besieged the Emperor at Qingzhong—The Emperor was furious and wished to enforce military law, intending to behead Gong before his horse. Gong prostrated himself on the ground and shouted loudly: "What your subject has lost are merely ordinary vessels and common materials! The Supreme Treasure has not been damaged in the slightest; it is all buried at Yekexi—"

Qingzhong is the Zhaojun Tomb, located north of Yuquan District, Hohhot City, NMG Autonomous Region. Less than eighty kilometers further north is the middle section of the Daqing Mountains, which is the Jia Mountain that appears repeatedly in documents related to Emperor Tianzuo.

"History of Liao: Annals of Tianzuo": Bingyin (1122), Zhongjing fell, and the Emperor went to Nvgu Dicang. Hearing that the Jin soldiers were approaching, he did not know what to do, so he took light cavalry and entered Jia Mountain, placing his family and baggage train there.

Wuxu, the Jin soldiers besieged the baggage train at Qingzhong, and the Taibao of the Hard Camp, Temuge, stole the Prince of Liang, Yali, and fled to Jia Mountain—Bingwu, the Jin soldiers sent the clansmen and baggage train eastward, so he sent troops to intercept and fight at Baishui Po—then he fled west to Jia Mountain.

These two times were the two occasions when the princes and concubines were captured and the imperial vessels were snatched back.

There is more afterward: The Jin people captured Zhongjing, and none of the generals could hold them back. Tianzuo was afraid and fled to Jia Mountain, with the military situation becoming more pressing by the day.

In the fourth year of Baoda, after Tianzuo obtained the troops of Yelu Ambassador, he claimed he had divine help and planned to send troops to recover Yanyun—he sent troops from Jia Mountain, captured several prefectures, but was soon crushed by the Jin army and retreated back to Jia Mountain.

In the first month of the fifth year of Baoda, the Jin soldiers besieged Jia Mountain. The Emperor broke through the encirclement and fought at Yan'e Xiashui, but his army was crushed. He was captured by the Jin person Wanyan Loushi—

This means that from the second year of Baoda, when the Liao capital fell, until the fifth year of Baoda, when he was captured alive, for these four years, Emperor Tianzuo had been fighting a guerrilla war in Jia Mountain.

Setting aside whether there was a treasure, with an army for so many years, with people eating and horses chewing, where did the grain and fodder come from?

While pondering, Lin Sicheng stared at the computer: Fourth month of the third year, the Jin soldiers besieged the Emperor at Qingzhong—Shen Gong shouted: "The Supreme Treasure has not been damaged in the slightest; it is all buried at Yekesume—"

Qingzhong is the Zhaojun Tomb, so what is Yekesume?

"Yeke" means big, "Sume" is temple, and there should be another word after it: "Kele". Put together: A valley with a big temple—

Lin Sicheng stood up abruptly: Daqing Mountains, Damiagou?

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