Chapter 147: Unconvinced! She’s Just a Newbie, Why Tell Her Everything?

"Let’s record the inscription first," Gu Shengsheng said after a quick glance. "It looks like an epitaph—an account of the occupant’s life."

With that, she took out a pen and paper and wrote:

Ming Hongwu Period, entered the palace as a eunuch. Served King Yan. Jianwen Period, followed Zhu Di’s uprising. Was fortunate enough to...

And then it just stopped.

"This appears to be a record of his life," Gu Shengsheng said. "It’s incomplete. We’ll have to enter the tomb to see if there’s more, and then research it against historical records. But based on that rudder we saw earlier, I think he might have been a high-ranking maritime official."

"Miss Gu, you can actually read this kind of ancient script?!" Director Wang Yu of the Anxi Museum exclaimed in disbelief.

Even after all his years as director, he couldn’t read many of the texts himself; it would normally require a team of experts to decipher.

He couldn’t believe something that would take them ten days to half a month to research only took Gu Shengsheng a few minutes.

’She’s a true prodigy!’

"That makes sense," Zhang Zhengyi said. "A eunuch from the Ming Dynasty. It’s hard to guess his identity, though."

"Zheng He?" Wang Yu wondered from the side.

Gu Shengsheng immediately disagreed. "No, Zheng He’s tomb has already been found at Niu Shou Mountain. More importantly, the eunuchs who sailed with him, and in fact most eunuchs from the Ming Dynasty, were buried there."

"It’s very unusual to find one here in Anxi City."

"But if we can identify this historical figure, we might be able to fill in some gaps in the historical record regarding Zheng He. Everything is interconnected. I hope we make a real breakthrough this time," Zhang Zhengyi said, suddenly more motivated.

’After so many years of hardship in archaeology, you have to have some accomplishments. Watching the annals of history be filled in, bit by bit—that’s my life’s ambition.’

Just as Gu Shengsheng was about to ask about the arrangements for the next day’s excavation...

An old man in a heavy coat bustled in.

He was bald, with only a few lonely strands of hair lying across the top of his head, but they were combed perfectly flat.

You could tell he cared a great deal about those few remaining hairs.

He walked straight up to Gu Shengsheng and said sternly, "I am the director of the Anxi Archaeological Investigation Department. Miss Gu, thank you for your help today, but we recommend you do not enter the tomb tomorrow."

"There have been accidents at this tomb for the past two days. We’re very grateful for your help, Miss Gu, and I know Mr. Zhang is keen on mentoring you. But for your own safety, we can’t let you take such a risk."

After all, Gu Shengsheng was just a novice, and it wasn’t out of the question that someone could get killed down there.

’If it were only about this, he wouldn’t have bothered coming all this way himself,’ Gu Shengsheng mused. ’There must be something else he needs my help with.’

So she asked, "Do you have other arrangements for me, then?"

"Yes. Miss Gu, your knowledge of historical records and cultural artifacts is second to none. We truly don’t have anyone with your talents on our team. Over the past few days, we’ve recovered a few scattered burial artifacts. We can’t make heads or tails of most of them, so we’ll have to trouble you with those."

"Alright." Gu Shengsheng nodded and then looked over at Zhang Zhengyi.

Zhang Zhengyi sighed. With the director having spoken, there was nothing he could do to change his mind.

It really was dangerous, after all, and Gu Shengsheng was still just a young woman.

No matter how much he trusted her, he couldn’t guarantee that an accident wouldn’t happen.

"Shengsheng, why don’t you go with Director Wang Yu to examine the artifacts. I’ll keep you updated on any progress we make."

At that, one of Zhang Zhengyi’s assistants, Zhang Yu, looked displeased.

He said bluntly, "Professor, you know our progress can’t be casually disclosed. But this time, not only are you getting close to some internet influencer, you’re even giving her first-hand information."

"Aren’t you just giving her a chance to cash in? If she can do it, why can’t we? I’d love to start a livestream and become a creator with a million followers too!" Zhang Yu said, his voice filled with indignation.

He had been bottling this up for days and was only now letting it out.

He didn’t understand. He’d followed his professor for so many years, but as soon as they came to Anxi City, the professor had suddenly gotten so close to this woman.

He did understand that this Gu Shengsheng was incredibly skilled; he had witnessed her impressive abilities firsthand.

’But when it comes to actually entering a tomb, she can’t be better than us, can she?’

’So why does he need to consult Gu Shengsheng on this kind of thing?’

Gu Shengsheng looked at Zhang Yu and asked, "Then what is it you want your professor to do?"

"We should each stick to our own roles, Miss Gu. Your contributions have been huge, and you’re more skilled than I am in some ways. But when it comes to exploring the tomb and conducting basic research, you definitely can’t compare to me."

"So I think this information should be kept quiet until the documentary comes out. There’s no need to give you material for self-promotion."

’He really despised these internet influencers. He’d been annoyed from the moment he heard Gu Shengsheng was livestreaming, thinking she was just a pretty face cashing in on her fame.’

Gu Shengsheng said, "Think whatever you want about me. I’m here to help. Just make sure I get my share of the artifacts according to the regulations when the time comes."

’An easier job isn’t so bad, I guess.’

’It’s just that Zhang Yu’s attitude is really terrible. Hopefully, he won’t have to eat his words later.’

Gu Shengsheng offered a piece of well-intentioned advice, "You have a very short fuse. You can’t be that impulsive when you go into the tomb, or you’ll just cause trouble for your professor and the rest of the team."

Zhang Yu nodded reluctantly. "Miss Gu, thank you for your advice. I’ll be careful. I don’t need you to remind me."

He was a man in his thirties, and being lectured by a young woman like this was incredibly irritating.

More importantly, he couldn’t refute what Gu Shengsheng had said, because Zhang Zhengyi often berated him for the very same thing.

After he and the director left, only Zhang Zhengyi and Gu Shengsheng remained.

Zhang Zhengyi sighed. "He’s really not going to make it. He’s still so restless at his age. It looks like I’ll have to find some new young talent to mentor."

"It’s fine. He’s not a bad person, just a bit thoughtless," Gu Shengsheng said. Then she added a warning, "This tomb really does have a lot of problems. I even get an eerie feeling from it. When you’re down there, Professor Zhang, don’t do anything reckless."

"Alright, I’ll keep you on a call. I just feel more at ease when you’re involved. The director and I already agreed on this. If it really comes down to it, we’ll ask you to come down."

He continued, "Shengsheng, I just have this feeling that you’re going to be the one to save us."

Gu Shengsheng sighed in resignation. "Honestly, this is my first time dealing with something like this, and I’ve never even seen this tomb before. I’m definitely a rookie in that respect. You shouldn’t expect too much from me, but I can certainly offer my opinions."

Early the next morning, Gu Shengsheng rose with Zhang Zhengyi and the others.

Gu Shengsheng, Director Wang Yu, and several staff members from the archaeology team’s appraisal unit all went to a tent set up outside the ancient tomb.

Many of the items had been dug up sporadically from the surrounding area over the past two days.

The others struggled with their analysis, but Gu Shengsheng was like a machine. With a single glance, she could rattle off every parameter—and most bizarrely, even a price. She knew every single feature...