Every day Zhou Di spent almost half of his time peering at the two mummified bodies embraced in the glass vacuum cover: Zhou Chuyu and Nie Huanzhang. Now it had been confirmed that they were indeed Zhou Chuyu and Nie Huanzhang, according to the gold plate and the Zhou family genealogy. The inscription on the gold plate read:
Please don't separate us. I want to hold my baby in my arms. Nie Huanzhang
In the Zhou's family genealogy, Nie Huanzhang was written after Zhou Chuyu's name. Upon learning that one of the mummies was one of his ancestors, Zhou Di had some questions swirling in his mind. He truly wanted to know what had happened to them. Why did they die so young? Was it because their families couldn't tolerate their relationship, leading them to die together in a lover's pact? Or were there other reasons?
Zhang Zhen walked over with his son, Zhang Tianming, and lightly tapped Zhou Di on the back of his head, saying:
"Watching them every day. Don't you feel bored?"
Zhang Tianming chuckled, looking at his somewhat childish junior. Zhou Di, feeling embarrassed, looked at his leader and senior schoolmate and said:
"Sir, I just want to know why they died so young. Look at Nie Huanzhang, he looks like he is holding Zhou Chuyu, my ancestor, in his arms like a precious treasure."
Zhang Tianming suggested:
"I think it is because your family couldn't accept their homosexual relationship, so both of them choose suicide."
"But that can't explain the faint poison on Zhou Chuyu's body which couldn't cause his death." Zhang Zhen added, looking at Zhou Di, "You can imagine what might have happened between them. But for now, go and do your work properly. We're closing the exhibition today."
Zhou Di asked:
"Why?"
Zhang Zhen replied, pointing at the two mummified bodies:
"A prominent figure is coming to our small museum to see them."
Zhou Di said:
"Well, that's not my concern. It's yours and Tianming's job. I'd rather stay in the restoration room and fix the tripod from South Qin Dynasty."
He hurried off to the restoration room. Zhang Zhen watched his retreating figure, shaking his head. Then he looked at his son and said:
"He is good in every way, but his introverted nature really is a bit..."
Zhang Tianming defended his junior:
"That is just what he is like. He always seems to avoid meeting people, but once you get to know him, you'll find him very likable."
Zhang Zhen said:
"Let's go and thoroughly check everything in the exhibition hall again now. We can't afford any mistakes today, especially with this guest. He's not someone to be trifled with, a veritable demon king. We need to serve him well."
"Dad, who is it?"
Zhang Zhen sighed and said:
"You know that there are four warlords in our country: Yang Tianhu from the East, Feng Xiao from the West, Chen Yutian from the North and Liao Feng from the South. The one visiting here today is the eldest son of Yang Tianhu, Yang Chen, from the East. It is said that he's not yet thirty but he is already a force to be reckoned with. Even the leaders of the other three warlords find him troublesome. For them, he is a powerful and dangerous opponent."
"But I heard that he is a playboy who indulges in drinking, gambling and frequenting brothels."
"It's him, however, many of the rumors about him are indeed just legends, but don't look down on this Junior Yang. Although he enjoys fine wine and beautiful women, he also has genuine talent. Yes, he is a person with competence and well-trained. For example, as I know, he isn't a master of playing musical instrument and Weiqi but he is good at them well. The vices you mentioned only give his father, Yang Tianhu, a headache. When I said the other three warlords find him troublesome, it's because he's an exceptional military strategist. Everyone who confronts him in battlefield suffers casualties and he doesn't play by the usual rules. Even in defeat, he only allows his opponents to have a small victory, sometimes at a cost more devastating than his own. All three of those warlords have clashed with him. What's more terrifying is that he has cultivated several outstanding generals, both old and young, who share his military prowess."
Zhang Tianming asked in confusion:
"Why did he suddenly decide to visit our small exhibition?"
"No one knows but you also know that our mummies remains of Zhou&Nie have caused a quite a stir. Perhaps he came for this reason."
Yang Chen stood in front of the glass vacuum cover, carefully examining the two mummified bodies embracing each other. He didn't say a word until Zhang Zhen called out to him several times to snap him out of his trance. Finally, he sighed and said:
"It's incredible, truly unbelievable. A pair of homosexuals embracing for over a thousand years, perfectly preserved till now. 'Please don't separate us. I want to hold my baby in my arms.' I wonder how deeply Nie Huanzhang loved Zhou Chuyu. How did you know that the other one was named Zhou Chuyu?"
Zhang Zhen hastily replied:
"It is quite a coincidence. We have a colleague with the surname Zhou, who saw Nie Huanzhang's name in his family's genealogy. We checked his family genealogy and found that the name of Nie Huanzhang was indeed listed next to Zhou Chuyu. And the date of their death was written on the exact same day. So we made this conclusion that the other one was Zhou Chuyu."
Yang Chen looked at Zhang Zhen in disbelief, repeating:
"Unbelievable, truly unbelievable. Do you know their ages at the time of death?"
"Nie Huanzhang died at under 25 years old and Zhou Chuyu died at under 20 years old. That's what we determined from their bone ages."
"What? So young?"
"Yes, we're also speculating about the story between them. Zhou Chuyu had mild poison in his body, not lethal, while Nie Huanzhang was severely poisoned, likely leading to immediate death. We suspect that after Zhou Chuyu's death, Nie Huanzhang took poison to join him in death, maybe for their love."
After hearing Zhang Zhen's explanation, Yang Chen remained silent, continuing to gaze at the two mummified bodies until Zhang Zhen called out to him multiple times, bringing him back to reality. He then said:
"Sorry, Mr. Zhang. I am deeply moved by them."
Afterwards, he followed Zhang Zhen to continue looking at other exhibits while listening to Zhang Zhen's explanations. After seeing everything, Yang Chen said to Zhang Zhen:
"Mr. Zhang, is there somewhere we can have a private conversation?"
Zhang Zhen replied:
"Oh, please come to my office."
Then he led the way to his office and Yang Chen took a paper bag from his adjutant and followed along. Meanwhile, Zhang Tianming invited others to another room for tea and cake. Zhang Zhen offered tea to Yang Chen and asked:
"General Yang, is there anything I can help you with?"
Yang Chen calmly took out a porcelain plate from the paper bag and handed it to Zhang Zhen, saying:
"Take a look. Which dynasty do you think this is from?"
Zhang Zhen examined the plate, then took out a small magnifying glass to inspect the patterns and the logo at the bottom carefully. Afterward, he handed the plate back to Yang Chen and said:
"This is from the Northern Jin Dynasty, around 500 years ago. At that time this kind of the plate was quite popular during Northern Jin Dynasty, but it's rare to find one in such good condition nowadays. May I ask where General Yang obtained this one?"
Yang Chen looked at Zhang Zhen, remaining silent for a while, seemingly struggling with a decision. Eventually, he said:
"Well, I have a villa in Xishan Mountain that I haven't been maintaining for a long time. Recently, I decided to renovate it and build a sightseeing deck for summer relaxation. During this process, I discovered a buried cave with many of these plates and some other poercelain items inside. This plate is one of them. I haven't allowed anyone to touch them because I would like you to come and take a look first."
Zhang Zhen was astonished and asked:
"Which kind of the cave is it? Is it a tomb?
Yang Chen shrugged and replied:
"I don't know but it appears to have signs of being artificially constructed."
"Alright, I will bring some people to take a look tomorrow."
Yang Chen responded:
"But, Mr. Zhang, I hope you can keep this matter confidential. After all, it is my private place and I don't want to become any more of a focal point. I've already attracted more attention."
"Don't worry, General Yang. Tomorrow, I'll bring two trustworthy individuals to take a look. As for how to handle it, it is entirely up to you. I promise you that no one will discuss this matter in public."
"Are these two people really trustworthy?"
"Yes, General. Both of them are reserved individuals and I'll tell them properly."
"Okay, I will send a car to pick you up tomorrow."
The next day, Zhang Zhen, accompanied by Zhang Tianming and Zhou Di, rode in the car provided by Yang Chen and headed to Xishan Mountain. The vehicle jolted along the rugged mountain road for about half an hour before they saw a large gate. Once inside, the road became smooth. After another ten minutes, they spotted a western-style building ahead. The driver guided them to a small door on the side. Upon entering, they found themselves in a small hall with a classical Chinese style, clearly not the main hall. It was apparent that it wasn't used by the owner, as it was furnished for the occasional rest of the servants from outside. A young man in military uniform, whom Zhang Zhen recognized as Yang Chen's adjutant and also surnamed Yang, was already waiting for them. The adjutant said:
"Please wait a moment. I have to report to the Young Marshal."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhen was puzzled. Yesterday, he had been addressing Yang Chen as a general, and now it seemed he should have called him the Young Marshal. After the adjutant left, Zhang Zhen whispered to Zhang Tianming and Zhou Di:
"It's the Young Marshal, not a general. Please don't make the same mistake as I did."
Zhang Tianming and Zhou Di exchanged glances, lowered their heads and stifled a laugh.