Chapter 991 - 956: Jade Pig

Qin Zhengyang said, "I’m not sure either, but this should be related to Jiayue Department Store. Both Jiayue Department Store and Huayuan Group’s owner are Tang Jingwei."

Wang Jianming took a sip of tea and said, "So, it seems that Tang Jingwei is really having a run of bad luck."

Qin Zhengyang said, "I don’t know much about him. In the past, I interacted a few times with Hua Nian’s CEO, Tang Jinglun."

Wang Jianming said, "You’re right, since this matter has been brought up, it won’t quiet down easily. There will definitely be follow-ups, we must get to the bottom of this to avoid being caught off guard."

Qin Zhengyang asked, "Do we need to involve the police?"

Wang Jianming replied, "Find someone reliable to understand the situation first. It’s best to start from that old lady, reassure her so that she feels free to disclose the true situation."

Qin Zhengyang said, "Alright, I’ll get on it right away."

Wang Jianming said, "It’s best to keep this matter low-key. Stirring up the hornet’s nest would be troublesome."

Xu Chunliang chatted with Fan Lidada, leaving a bit later. As he was about to get into his car, he received a call from Liang Hongtao.

"Is that Uncle Xu?"

Xu Chunliang responded, "It’s me." Earlier, while talking outside with Liang Hongtao, Liang had asked for his phone number.

Liang Hongtao said, "Uncle Xu, I know you, you’ve trended for hitting someone."

Xu Chunliang was dumbfounded and gave a wry smile. Good news never goes beyond the door, but bad news spreads far and wide. He didn’t expect even kids to know about his trending for hitting someone.

Liang Hongtao said, "Uncle Xu, there were too many people just now. Is there a time you’re free? I want to meet with you privately."

Xu Chunliang guessed it was probably something about his grandmother and was quite busy lately. Due to last night’s issues, he hadn’t planned on getting involved.

But Liang Hongtao added, "Uncle Xu, I have important information to report to you. I’ll wait for you by the gate of the noodle shop opposite Third High School." He hung up before Xu Chunliang could agree.

Xu Chunliang felt a bit helpless. He did say to the kid to come to him if he encountered any problems, but didn’t expect it to happen so soon.

Not far away, Ye Qingya came over, "Chunliang, you haven’t left yet?"

Xu Chunliang smiled, "Sister Qingya, when did you arrive?"

Ye Qingya said, "I came to accompany my senior sister and meet the invitation from the Cultural and Tourism Bureau. We just had to make an appearance, right?" Looking at Xu Chunliang’s Passat, she said, "Mind giving me a ride to the hotel?"

Xu Chunliang nodded. Since they had to pass Third High School to reach the Marriott, he drove to the place where Liang Hongtao agreed to meet. As expected, he saw Liang waiting by the noodle shop door.

Xu Chunliang stopped the car and rolled down the window, waving at Liang Hongtao.

Liang Hongtao came over, hesitated when he saw someone else in the car.

Xu Chunliang said, "Get in the car, this is my sister, not an outsider."

After Liang Hongtao got in, he greeted Uncle Xu again and then called Ye Qingya "Auntie."

Ye Qingya couldn’t help but laugh, "You can just call us brother and sister."

Xu Chunliang asked, "What’s up, why are you looking for me?"

Liang Hongtao hesitated for a moment but then took a jade piece from his neck and handed it to Xu Chunliang, "Uncle, take a look at this, is it an artifact?"

Xu Chunliang glanced at it, thinking it would have been better to bring Pu Jian since he didn’t have much expertise in this area. He looked at Ye Qingya.

Ye Qingya understood his meaning, reached out, and took the jade piece. It was carved into a jade pig, made of typical Hetian jade. The stone was hard with a warm luster. Judging by the material and carving style, it was a typical East Han mid-period jade piece.

She looked closely at the text engraved on top. Due to jade’s high hardness and smoothness, carving patterns on its surface was not easy. Carving regular text was even more difficult, so it was rare to see text on jade artifacts. Before the East Han period, only a few jade seals had inscriptions. As jade carving techniques improved during the East Han, a new form of decorating jade with auspicious text appeared. The phrase "Everlasting descendants" carved here was commonly used as a protective charm.

Ye Qingya asked, "Where did you get this jade?"

Liang Hongtao looked cautiously at Ye Qingya.

Xu Chunliang said, "Don’t worry, just tell us."

Liang Hongtao said, "It was a relic my father left me."

"Your grandmother gave this to you?"

Liang Hongtao nodded.

Ye Qingya said, "This jade artifact is from the East Han, employing the typical Han eight-cut carving technique. Take a close look at this jade pig; its decorations balance strength and softness with exquisite jade craftsmanship. The carving is bold and powerful, clean and sharp, without any sluggishness, making it a rare treasure." Her curiosity was piqued, wondering how such an exquisite jade artifact ended up in this kid’s hands.

Liang Hongtao said, "Uncle Xu, I’m born in the year of the pig. My grandmother said this was a relic my father left me."

Xu Chunliang asked, "Does your family have any more items like this?"

Liang Hongtao bit his lip and said, "Uncle Xu, if I hand this over to the state, will my grandmother be in trouble?"

Xu Chunliang replied, "She wasn’t aware of the situation, so there shouldn’t be any issues." After seeing this jade pig, the situation had become clear. It was highly likely that Liang Zhigang discovered the ancient tomb back then. The few people involved chose not to report this matter, privately divided the artifacts from the tomb, and then leveled the tomb to continue building the structure.

Liang Zhigang’s death may have been due to uneven distribution of the spoils or perhaps even to silence him.

Liang Hongtao said, "Uncle Xu, my grandmother fears my future being affected, but I’m not afraid. I believe my father was murdered, and I must find out the truth."

Ye Qingya was unaware of the events occurring and looked at Xu Chunliang in surprise.

Xu Chunliang said, "Xiao Tao, rest assured, I’ll do my utmost to help you investigate, but relying on just this item seems of little use."

Liang Hongtao said, "There might be a few more items at home, but I don’t know where they’re hidden. I remember playing with a seal when I was little."

Ye Qingya asked, "Where’s the seal?" The seal is the most direct evidence to identify the tomb owner; having one would be ideal.

Liang Hongtao shook his head, indicating he didn’t know where the seal was, but he took out a comic book.

Ye Qingya took the book and saw a few crooked stamps on it.

Ye Qingya whispered, "Chu Wu Marquis seal." After examining the seal for a while, she turned her gaze to Liang Hongtao, "Do you remember what the seal looked like?"

Liang Hongtao said, "It’s been too long; I can’t recall the specifics, but it was bronze."

Ye Qingya asked, "Did the seal have a turtle on it?"

Liang Hongtao nodded repeatedly, "Yes, I remember now, it had a little turtle on it, which I really liked."

Ye Qingya and Xu Chunliang exchanged a glance. According to Han Dynasty regulations, the emperor’s seal had a chi tiger knob, the empress’s gold seal had a chi tiger knob, and the marquises, prime ministers, grand commandants, and grand generals used gold turtle knobs. It seems both Liang Hongtao’s jade pig and the yet-to-be-found seal were excavated from this Chu Wu Marquis’s tomb.

Marquises in the Han Dynasty were mostly Liu surname; specific information would need further research.

Liang Hongtao saw their solemn expressions, knowing this matter was significant. At seventeen, he had his own judgments about many things. Due to his grandmother’s grievances earlier today, Liang Hongtao began to realize his father’s death wasn’t straightforward.

Liang Hongtao said, "Uncle Xu, I have one request—find the truth about my father’s death. I’ll persuade my grandmother to donate all the items, please don’t hold her accountable, okay?"

Xu Chunliang reassured him, "Xiao Tao, don’t worry, I’ll handle this well. Besides me, who else knows about this matter?"

Liang Hongtao said, "I haven’t told anyone else, I trust you."

Xu Chunliang thought to himself, you’ve found the right person, and advised Liang Hongtao, "For now, act as if nothing has happened, don’t mention our meeting to your grandmother. Also, pay attention to anyone contacting or calling her recently."

Liang Hongtao replied, "Okay."

Xu Chunliang handed the jade pig back to Liang Hongtao, but he insisted Xu Chunliang keep it, saying he would persuade his grandmother to donate the other artifacts as well.

Ye Qingya watched Liang Hongtao walk into the campus, commenting, "This kid is quite smart."

Xu Chunliang said, "Very clear-headed, he knows how to avoid risks."

Ye Qingya asked, "Why didn’t he go to the police instead of you?"

Xu Chunliang said, "Perhaps it’s fate."

Ye Qingya laughed, "I heard him say it was because he saw you on the trending news—maybe he’s a fan."

Xu Chunliang said, "Didn’t expect that hitting someone could earn me fans." He glanced at the jade pig and handed it to Ye Qingya for further examination; they didn’t leave right away.

Xu Chunliang, sitting in the car, called Ding Si, who also started in the sand and gravel business. People in Dongzhou in this field likely have some connections.

Ding Si, upon hearing Xu Chunliang mention Liang Zhigang, immediately said he knew the man. Liang Zhigang was quite a tough character in his life, often in and out due to brawls.

Xu Chunliang, understanding the context, realized why Liang Hongtao wasn’t worried about his political review; he would never pass it anyway.

Xu Chunliang asked candidly, "Brother Si, do you remember how he died?"

Ding Si replied, "I think he was drunk and run over by a dump truck at the construction site. It happens often, but getting run over by your own dump truck is rare."

Xu Chunliang straightforwardly asked, "Brother Si, have you heard of any Han tomb being dug up at the Jiayue Square site?"

Ding Si said, "Haven’t heard; but there are plenty of Han tombs in Dongzhou. Management wasn’t as strict back then, and construction sites often uncovered ancient tombs. Unless it’s a major one, no one would bother reporting it to the cultural relics bureau, as it would cause construction delays. In those days, where there’s a construction site, there was always a relic dealer. This was common knowledge. The management was loose back then; now it’s different. Anyone hiding ancient relics risks home raids and imprisonment."

Xu Chunliang said, "Help me find out who Liang Zhigang worked with and who the construction company at Jiayue Square was."

Ding Si readily agreed to take care of it.