radicalducati Chapter 77 Opening of the Museum
Chapter 77 Opening of the Museum
Old Tan told Zhao Qiming the title he had given him.
Write it down word by word on the tablet.
"This title, Right Pillar of the State, is a super-rank official rank."
No more than ten members of the imperial clan were granted the title of Right Pillar of State throughout the entire Ming Dynasty.
This is no ordinary first-rank noblewoman; it's the treatment of a prince!
edge of the hole,
Zhou Ling frowned slightly:
"The daughter of a hereditary marquis married a Taoist priest, and after her death she was able to be buried next to an emperor's tomb with the rites of a prince!"
"Find out who this Taoist priest is."
"The Pure Void True Man, the Harmonious and Peaceful True Man."
Old Tan entered these two banned titles into the database for keyword searching.
A few seconds later,
The search results popped up.
"Found it!"
This Master Qingxu was a member of the Ming Dynasty imperial family during the mid-Ming period. His original name was Zhu Quan, and he was the seventeenth son of the emperor.
He was initially enfeoffed as the Prince of Ning, with his fiefdom located in the northern frontier.
Later, he was reassigned to Nanchang Prefecture, and from then on, he no longer concerned himself with politics, devoting himself entirely to Taoist cultivation.
Hear this,
The researchers present were all astonished.
I never expected such a story to happen.
After glancing at everyone's reactions, Old Tan continued:
Historical records say that he devoted himself to metaphysics, achieved profound knowledge, and authored several Taoist books, including the "Tongxuan Baojing".
Well... he lived to be over seventy.
Upon hearing this, everyone present...
They all seemed to want to laugh.
"However, this age was considered relatively long-lived among the Ming Dynasty imperial family at that time."
Later, the emperor posthumously conferred upon him the title of "Qingxu Zhenren" and granted him a burial on the north side of Zhaoling Mausoleum to guard the feng shui.
Chonghe Zhenren was his principal wife, the daughter of a hereditary marquis, who was buried with him after her death.
"Then what about this 'Right Pillar of State'? How could a Prince Ning, who practices Taoism, have the title of Right Pillar of State?"
Zhou Ling pressed for an answer.
"This wasn't actually his original title; it was posthumously conferred upon his principal wife by the emperor." Old Tan turned the tablet around to show her.
"According to the Ming Dynasty system, if a prince's principal wife came from a distinguished family, she could be posthumously granted the title of First-Rank Imperial Consort."
But this "Right Pillar of State" is a super rank, two whole ranks higher than a first-rank imperial consort!
There's only one possibility that a prince's principal wife could receive a posthumous title exceeding the highest rank: her son later became the emperor!
Zhu Quan's eldest son was later enthroned as emperor, becoming the Chengzu Emperor.
After Emperor Chengzu ascended the throne, he posthumously honored his birth mother as Empress Dowager and also bestowed upon her the highest honorary title of "Right Pillar of State."
Bai Sheng's clone was stunned for a moment.
Goodness, there's even a Taoist priest in this scene?
However, it would be understandable if the Taoist priest buried his father next to him.
Inside the tomb, Zhao Qiming held up a flashlight and examined the inscription on the stone tablet again.
Then press the intercom button:
"Old Tan, there are words on the back of the stone tablet."
"What word!?"
"The True Man of Tongxuan used his magical arts to protect the country and safeguard the emperor's cause. In the first year of the Jianwen Emperor's reign, he accompanied the emperor on a northern expedition and used his Taoist magic to defeat several enemy formations. The emperor praised his achievements and bestowed upon him the title of Tongxuan."
In the first year of the Yongle reign, he returned to his fiefdom and devoted himself to writing, using battle formations to suppress the alien forces in the northern border.
The emperor once inquired about the art of immortality, to which the reply was: "It is not something a ruler should inquire about." The emperor remained silent for a long time.
The people present fell silent after hearing the inscriptions.
If it were in the past...
They would just think it was a story made up by the Taoist priest to glorify his father.
but now,
For a moment, everyone was truly dazed, after all, the events of the past few days had been far too bizarre.
Old Tan was a decent person; after listening to the inscription, he didn't press the matter further.
"Section Chief Zhou, the nature of this tomb is now basically clear."
This is a guardian tomb, not an ordinary burial object.
"Then do we have reason to suspect that Prince Ning, Zhu Quan, was not only a member of the imperial family, but also a true alchemist who had cultivated some kind of ability?"
"That's possible, but I still think he's just an ordinary person."
"It's all because that Taoist priest emperor is building momentum for his father and increasing his influence."
Zhou Ling said this in a very calm tone.
To be honest, he didn't have a good impression of this Taoist emperor.
Having some knowledge of history, he had also heard the saying that the Ming Dynasty actually ended during the reign of Emperor Jiajing.
Regardless of the emperor's abilities, at least in terms of governing the country, he was unremarkable.
But the way the technicians next to her were looking at her was a little strange.
No matter how much you don't believe it,
This energy fluctuation didn't just appear out of nowhere.
What makes you so sure it's fake?
The undeniable facts are right before our eyes.
Old Tan did not refute.
I just tilted the tablet slightly towards her.
Show her the ground-penetrating radar scan on the screen.
"Regardless of what he was like in life, there's something sealed under this tomb."
He pointed to an area directly below the tomb chamber on the screen.
"About five meters directly below the stone coffin, there is a cavity."
The size may not be large, but there are extremely faint energy fluctuations inside the cavity!
Zhou Ling handed the tablet back to Lao Tan.
Looking at everyone present:
"Everyone down! Leave two people at the entrance to provide cover, the rest of you follow me into the tomb."
"Brother Zhao, arrange the guard positions. Have the robots scout out all the routes before we proceed."
Zhao Qiming assigned two security guards to stay at the cave entrance.
The remaining people took all the portable searchlights with them.
Old Tan tucked the tablet under his arm and squeezed into the passageway last.
Inside the tomb chamber, the two security guards who had come down earlier were still on either side of the stone coffin.
The beam of the flashlight swept back and forth across the sacrificial murals on the wall.
"Watch your step, everyone!"
Zhou Ling emerged from the tunnel.
After standing still,
He first glanced around the tomb chamber to make sure everyone was in a safe area.
Only then did he step forward and walk to the stone coffin.
"Did you open this sarcophagus and take a look?"
Zhou Ling asked.
Zhao Qiming shook his head: "We didn't touch anyone without your orders."
Zhou Ling nodded.
Have the technicians place the probe robot on the ground.
Maneuver it slowly toward the stone coffin.
The robot's tracks rolled over the stone pavement.
The footage transmitted back by the camera,
The surface of the stone coffin under the light of a flashlight
It exhibits a layer of dark red reflection.
Zhou Ling carefully observed all the changes.
Surprisingly,
There were no signs of nails being used between the coffin lid and the coffin body.
There wasn't even a sealing layer of glutinous rice mortar.
They were simply fastened together perfectly.
This seems a bit unreasonable.
This is, after all, the coffin of an important person; the sealing conditions are far too poor.
Zhou Ling had a feeling that something was wrong, but she just couldn't put her finger on it.
She put on a pair of gloves,
He ran his hand along the edge of the coffin lid.
I felt an extremely fine groove at the head of the stone coffin.
Zhou Ling thought for a moment, then turned to Zhao Qiming and said:
"Let's try using a robot to push the coffin lid open first?"
Don't open it completely, just lift it a crack to see what's inside.
If anything unusual happens inside, stop immediately and evacuate.
Everyone present hesitated upon hearing this order.
After all, this involves opening the coffin.
This is quite common in various films and television shows; it usually involves an unexpected incident occurring after the coffin is opened...
Zhao Qiming didn't have too many concerns.
Have two security guards prepare the crowbar.
But I didn't get started right away.
The technician adjusted the robotic arm of the probe to the groove in the coffin lid.
Then, the robot began to lift itself up little by little.
Bai Sheng's divine sense was also monitoring the condition of the coffin lid.
He tried to scan the coffin with his divine sense.
I couldn't see anything clearly.
"This is really strange, quite eerie," Bai Sheng thought to himself.
This was the first time he had encountered a situation that even divine sense couldn't resolve.
the other side,
The exhumation of the coffin is proceeding in full swing.
Amidst the expectant gazes of everyone...
The coffin lid didn't budge!
"Too heavy?" Zhao Qiming frowned.
That shouldn't be the case; theoretically, this robot should be able to lift a ton.
What material is your stone made of?
Holy crap, could it really be some kind of material with suction power?
The density has exceeded the limits on Earth!?
Zhou didn't think that way:
"Could something be sucking the coffin lid shut from the inside?"
Zhao Qiming suddenly realized.
"That's possible!"
A young teammate nearby saw this and gave his colleague a wink.
"Tsk tsk tsk, Captain Zhao is really eager to improve!"
"you do not say……"
"No, what are you two talking about?" Zhao Qiming asked seriously.
Do you feel like you speak particularly softly?
Upon hearing this,
The two team members immediately fell silent, but their faces still showed a grin.
Zhao Qiming didn't seem to intend to pursue the matter further.
boom!
suddenly,
As everyone was talking,
A muffled thud came from inside the stone coffin.
It felt like something tapped inside the coffin lid!
The sound was faint, but exceptionally clear within the sealed tomb chamber.
Everyone was startled.
"Holy crap, what's going on? Something's fishy!"
"Aaaaaaah!"
Zhao Qiming was the first to react.
With his right hand on the holster, he gestured with his left hand for everyone to step back.
Then,
The stone coffin glowed with a dark red light.
The lights start lighting up one ring at a time, moving from the outermost ring towards the center.
At the same time, the ground began to tremble slightly.
Zhao Qiming grabbed Zhou Ling's arm and dragged her back two steps.
"Everyone, move to the entrance of the passageway! Watch your step! Remember!"
Several technicians scrambled and stumbled back towards the passageway.
The vibration lasted for about ten seconds, then suddenly stopped.
The inside of the stone coffin returned to deathly silence.
"Are we safe now?"
"What's going on? Are you still going to run away or not?"
Zhao Qiming released Zhou Ling's arm.
He took a deep breath and was about to say something,
Suddenly I noticed,
The groove on the stone coffin lid had opened at some point.
The sarcophagus was no longer sealed.
A plume of white smoke seeped out from the gap between the coffin lid and the coffin body.
The smoke resembled the ethereal mist seen in TV dramas, except it spread across the surface of the coffin lid.
Then it flowed down the coffin.
Zhao Qiming quickly aimed the probe of the gas detector at the smoke.
A string of data popped up on the instrument screen.
He stared at the screen for a while: "Everyone, don't be too nervous. Fortunately, it's not poison gas, just ordinary air."
But the composition is a bit strange; the nitrogen content is normal, but the oxygen content is low…”
"This is ancient air that has been sealed for hundreds of years."
Zhou Ling, having considerable experience in the field, drew a conclusion and said...
"That's a good thing!"
Zhao Qiming stepped forward and said, "At least now we can open the coffin and see what's inside."
The others followed suit.
Indeed, to be honest, everyone is very curious about what's inside.
There was a little bit of fear, though.
But it was precisely this fear that fueled their curiosity.
This game is probably designed to give you the feeling of watching a horror movie, right?
"Open the coffin! Open the coffin!"
Zhao Qiming urged, and took the lead and went over.
Zhou Ling rushed over and gently tapped the coffin lid twice.
The echo sounded very hollow.
Obviously,
The inside of the stone coffin was not solid.
She nodded to Zhao Qiming.
Zhao Qiming understood immediately.
Two security guards were instructed to use a crowbar to realign the crowbar with the groove on the edge of the coffin lid.
This time, the coffin lid didn't have the same suction as before; it was indeed made of very ordinary stones and didn't have much weight.
With just a slight lift of the crowbar, the coffin lid loosened.
Squeak squeak squeak!
The coffin lid was pried open little by little.
Grayish-white ancient air drifted out of the coffin.
Zhou Ling shone her flashlight into the coffin.
empty!
There were no human remains or even any burial objects inside the stone coffin!
The bottom of the coffin was a flat bluestone slab, with nothing on it.
Bai Sheng was bewildered; no wonder he hadn't seen anything after looking for so long.
It turns out there was nothing inside the coffin!
That's not surprising, um, that's not surprising.
Zhou Ling analyzed: "If it had been robbed, the coffin lid would not be sealed, so the possibility of it being looted by grave robbers can be ruled out."
There's a possibility that this tomb was never intended for burial in the first place!
"Wait a minute, look what I found!"
Zhao Qiming exclaimed as if he had discovered a new continent.
When the flashlight is turned on,
It was at the bottom of the coffin.
It was engraved with a row of extremely messy cursive script.
The strokes are rapid, as if the person who carved the characters was very angry!
Old Tan brought the magnifying glass close to the words one by one to make them clear, and then slowly read them aloud:
"Prince Zhu Quan of Ning is a fraudulent cultivator who falsely claims to be practicing Taoism to obtain a title; he is not a true cultivator!"
Those who seek fame and fortune, those who deceive the world and steal reputation, will not have a good end!
This tomb was not sealed by my will; I leave this mark so that future generations may remember it!
Old Tan: "..."
Zhao Qiming: "That person really cursed me! To have such words as 'may they die a horrible death' engraved on someone's coffin—what kind of deep-seated hatred is that?"
Old Tan put the magnifying glass into his pocket: "That means Sister Zhou's guess is correct."
Prince Ning, Zhu Quan, was not a Taoist priest at all. Emperor Chengzu, wanting to glorify his biological father, posthumously bestowed upon him a multitude of Taoist titles and even granted him a propitious burial plot next to the Zhaoling Mausoleum.
"A Taoist priest from elsewhere came to seek out Prince Zhu Quan's reputation for practicing Taoism, only to discover that he knew nothing about magic and was merely a member of the royal family using Taoism as a pretext."
The alchemist was furious, but there was nothing he could do. Simply to vent his anger, he carved these words on the bottom of the coffin!
At this point, everyone seemed to start talking non-stop.
The team members couldn't help but whisper among themselves.
Zhao Qiming had absolutely no intention of interfering.
After all, the atmosphere is already quite oppressive, and people need to vent.
"Wait a minute."
Zhou Ling used a flashlight to scan the empty coffin floor twice.
"Do you remember those dark red colors when the stone coffin was glowing just now?"
Now that the coffin lid is open, the light is gone. Where did the light go?
"Furthermore, since this is a joint burial tomb, the inscription on the tombstone states that Prince Ning, Zhu Quan, and Chonghe Zhenren were buried together."
Even if Prince Ning, Zhu Quan, was a fake cultivator, where are his and Master Chong's corpses?
As the saying goes, those involved are often confused, while bystanders see things clearly.
Bai Sheng could see everything clearly from the tree.
I couldn't help but feel a chill run down my spine.
Didn't they see it?
There was a corpse right above their heads, so glaringly obvious.
Didn't anyone notice?