Chapter 439

——【It doesn't feel like it; it shouldn't be like this.】

——【The tomb raiders have almost emptied Princess Ancheng's tomb, leaving only a few small things. The only valuable thing is the Ming Hongwu underglaze red Three Friends of Winter pattern plum vase, and now such a small Golden Branches and Jade Leaves has appeared. If the plum vase is not convenient to carry, how could the Golden Branches and Jade Leaves not be convenient?】

Everyone discussed, and one question after another was thrown out.

They were really curious about the reason why this small Golden Branches and Jade Leaves would appear in this place.

As for other bold ideas, they didn't dare to have them.

They fixed their eyes on Fang Yang, hoping that Fang Yang could answer them as he had in the past.

Fang Yang took a look at the small golden cicada and said slowly: "Because we only have this Golden Branches and Jade Leaves, and the wooden box wrapped outside it, we can see from the particularity of the carving that it is a Ming Dynasty item. As for more information, it is actually very little."

"Even if the information is very little, you must know some of it, right."

For the items Fang Yang had dug up in the past, and being able to clearly state the background of those items in an orderly manner.

They felt that Fang Yang was definitely being modest when he said these words.

Fang Yang clenched his fist and coughed twice gently: "It's not a question of modesty. If you must listen, I can tell you about it."

"First, we have to talk about what kind of item Golden Branches and Jade Leaves is."

"In ancient times, it was a very luxurious item that entrusted emotional love."

"The artifacts we unearthed from Ming Dynasty tombs are actually much lower in level compared to the Tang and Song Dynasties; they can't compare in terms of gold and silver jewelry, but this doesn't mean there were no outstanding gold and silver jewelry in the Ming Dynasty."

"Occasionally, we can unearth some very shocking artifacts from Ming Dynasty tombs, and most of these artifacts are unearthed from the tombs of Ming Dynasty nobles, officials, and royal families."

"The Ming Dynasty rose to the custom of thick burial, which also made the number of burial objects in Ming Dynasty tombs very large. Compared with many Song and Yuan tombs, Ming Dynasty tombs can almost be described with the word 'luxurious'."

"This Golden Branches and Jade Leaves is a very complete artifact."

"It is composed of two parts. The bottom is made of Xinjiang Hetian mutton-fat white jade, and the shape is the shape of a tree leaf. Besides the leaf, above the leaf is a golden cicada made of gold. These two form a whole."

"The status of the cicada in ancient society was very high because it has the implication of reincarnation and rebirth."

"Do you know why?"

"This has to mention the cicada culture in ancient times."

"Journey to the West, I think everyone must be familiar with it. And who is Tang Seng? He is the Golden Cicada, the second disciple of the Tathagata Buddha."

"Because he neglected the Dharma, he was demoted to the lower world to reincarnate and cultivate."

"In the ancient Huaxia civilization, there is such a saying: the cicada has the ability to know beforehand, it can predict the future, and at the same time, the cicada does not eat the fireworks of the human world and lives on dew, which also symbolizes nobility."

"Even if some people who understand history study it carefully, they will find that in ancient times, many emperors' crowns had cicada patterns."

"The 'Ode to the Cold Cicada' has content about cicadas: 'Wearing a crown, taking its appearance. A gentleman follows its conduct, can serve the monarch, can establish himself, is it not the insect of supreme virtue?'"

If they hadn't heard Fang Yang's statement, others would have felt that the cicada was just an ordinary existence.

They never thought about how heavy the significance contained in the cicada was.

They couldn't help but ponder.

And Fang Yang's words hadn't ended until now; he was still continuing to speak.

"After the Han Dynasty, the molting of the cicada had the implication of rebirth, so in the tombs unearthed in the Han Dynasty, from the princes and kings down to the common people, many people had jade cicadas in their mouths after death."

"This reflects the ancients' pursuit of immortality and rebirth."

"Actually, if we taste it carefully, we will find that these implications are actually very similar to the setting of the Golden Cicada in Journey to the West; they are all reincarnation and rebirth to get metamorphosis."

"I remember a Cicada-crowned Bodhisattva statue unearthed from the Longhua City ruins, which was unearthed many years ago."

"The most eye-catching thing about this Bodhisattva statue is the cicada pattern decorated in the center of the Bodhisattva's crown."

"And this also represents the cycle of life and death of the cicada and the Buddhist concept of reincarnation, and at the same time perfectly combines Buddhist culture with cicada culture."

"Is this topic a bit heavy? Then I will tell you a relatively shallow story, which will also let everyone relax, and at the same time let us return to the Golden Branches and Jade Leaves itself."

"Speaking of who the owner of the Golden Branches and Jade Leaves is? One theory is that this is an item given by a scholar named Zhang Anwan to his most favored concubine."

269. Parents' orders, matchmaker's words!

"Zhang Anwan. If we look at it, he should be a poor scholar."

"But he is not an ordinary scholar either; he is a Jinshi in the Hongzhi reign of the Ming Dynasty."

"A Jinshi, he has to seek an official position."

"Although Zhang Anwan was just a Jinshi, he had many wives and concubines. Specifically, he had one wife and three concubines, and the youngest was only 18 years old."

"Why did Zhang Anwan give such an important and extremely precious thing to his concubine instead of his wife?"

"We mentioned before that Zhu Yuanzhang and Zhu Di married princesses to their ministers to maintain the relationship between the two families."

"They are all figures of the Ming Dynasty, and in the Ming Dynasty, marriage alliance was a very important means to maintain the relationship between two families."

"That is to say, the reason why such a precious thing was given to a concubine is very likely that the concubine was a woman Zhang Anwan loved very much."

"Being able to give such a precious thing to a concubine, I hope to continue the relationship in the next life."

However, no matter how you say it, it shows that Zhang Anwan loved this concubine very much.

【Popularity】 +1+1+1+1.

——【I can't understand those complex remarks; they are too deep, but I am good at listening to stories. I think what Fang Yang said is a bit unreliable. Giving such a precious item to his concubine instead of his wife—isn't this favoring the concubine and destroying the wife? In ancient times, this was a very serious thing, right.】

——【It's really unreliable. Golden Branches and Jade Leaves must be the apple of someone's eye; how could it be a concubine? If you don't know how to say it, don't talk nonsense, okay?】

——【This still needs to be combined with the era. In the Ming Dynasty, and even in many eras, it was all parents' orders and matchmaker's words. Things like love are not important at all; they are all combinations of interests.】

——【Yes, wives in ancient times were not wanted to be married, but they had to be married even if they couldn't, while concubines were only married if they liked them. If this Golden Branches and Jade Leaves was really in the hands of the concubine, one can imagine how much he loved her.】

——【If I didn't hear the story just now wrong, Fang Yang said Zhang Anwan married one wife and three concubines. If concubines are only married if they like them, then this Zhang Anwan is completely a scumbag. His love is simply too cheap; I don't want to judge it at all.】

——【Oh, everyone don't take it too seriously; this is just a story after all. Just listen to it, and don't be too sincere.】

Hearing Fang Yang's explanation, everyone at the scene was moved, especially some artifact experts and archaeological experts.

However, if it really was as Fang Yang explained, then Golden Branches and Jade Leaves couldn't be Princess Ancheng's thing.

But if it was like this, why did it appear near the tomb of Princess Ancheng and her Imperial Son-in-Law?

Until now, there hasn't been a reliable explanation.

Everyone was very curious, but Fang Yang didn't explain anymore, but suddenly ran to the Culture Bureau director and asked about some things in a low voice.

The Culture Bureau director looks at Fang Yang now, and no matter how he looks at him, he looks pleasing.

When Fang Yang asked him a question, he smiled happily: "Fang Yang, it's no problem to speak louder. This is not a question that cannot be answered."

Fang Yang saw that the Culture Bureau director really didn't take it as a big deal, paused, and then asked seriously: "Director, were there many Ming and Qing tombs excavated in this area before?"

Since the Culture Bureau director had already said so, Fang Yang asked very directly, without any beating around the bush.

The Culture Bureau director hadn't answered yet, and Bai Chang suddenly rushed over very excitedly.

"A few years ago, quite a few Ming and Qing tombs were excavated here. It was because of this that I and my friends bought this piece of land."

Bai Chang was very proud because the waste land he bought dug up artifacts.

He felt a bit arrogant even in front of his father.

But when facing Fang Yang, he was cautious and looked admiring.

After all, he had secretly regarded Fang Yang as the person he admired the most in his heart.

If the other party had something he wanted to know, and he happened to know it, he was naturally impatient to give the other party an explanation.

That way Fang Yang would also consider him more.

Yes.

Bai Chang hoped that he could become the fourth fixed candidate for Fang Yang to dig land around the world.

Although he looked like he had no use, he could sponsor them financially.

Although Fang Yang and his group didn't seem to be short of money.

While Bai Chang was happy by himself, Fang Yang just glanced at him and then fixed his gaze on the Culture Bureau director again.

"I suggest you can carry out excavation work in the vicinity of this area, probably within 500 meters to 1 kilometer. There will be new discoveries, and then you will be able to understand where this Golden Branches and Jade Leaves came from."

Fang Yang said this and looked like he was going to call it a day, but it was only three o'clock now.

The Culture Bureau director had heard that Fang Yang sometimes dug until five o'clock in other cities; why was he calling it a day at three o'clock here?

He couldn't let Fang Yang go so early.

The Culture Bureau director couldn't help but think this way in his heart, thinking quickly about what way to keep Fang Yang.

His brain was running very fast; he believed that his brain had never turned as fast as it was now in his life.

Just when he thought he couldn't think of anything, finally he thought of it.

Sincerity is the killer move!

He thought of such a sentence.