Zhang Dongfang listened with suspicion. Secretary Dong adjusted his earlier instructions again, and Secretary Su Yan was quickly dispatched to make arrangements.
'Sorry for the long phone call, Old Zhang,' Secretary Dong smiled warmly.
'No problem,' Zhang Dongfang said curiously. 'Who’s coming over tonight? The call was from…'
Secretary Dong nodded. 'I contacted an old friend to help look at the things. There’s a consensus that it’s a Han Dynasty burial item. They’re saying it’s quite special, so we should do as much protection work as possible and wait for them to arrive to discuss it further.'
Them—who exactly? Who’s making such a big fuss about this and telling them what to do?
Zhang Dongfang asked, 'Is it an expert in identification?'
Secretary Dong laughed. 'It’s Mr. Mu Zhengzhong.'
'Mr. Mu Zhengzhong, the one from the antiques collection circle?' Zhang Dongfang was shocked. Although their county’s antiques market wasn’t very developed, he knew the name well, especially after frequently seeing Mr. Mu on TV programs. Zhang Dongfang never imagined Secretary Dong would have such wide connections, knowing even Mr. Mu Zhengzhong. How they spoke on the phone made it seem like Secretary Dong and Mr. Mu had a very close relationship.
'Mr. Mu Zhengzhong—what’s he doing?' Zhang Dongfang asked.
Secretary Dong smiled. 'There were also archaeologists on the other end of the line. They should be coming over tonight with Mr. Mu.'
Zhang Dongfang’s eyes narrowed. Archaeologists, too? Scholar, could there be an ancient tomb?'
Secretary Dong said, 'We’ll know when the experts arrive. It’s not certain yet.' At this point, Secretary Dong sounded cautious.
But Zhang Dongfang wasn’t foolish. With a famous collector like Mr. Mu and archaeologists on their way, one could only assume something significant was happening at Qingluan Mountain. Just looking at a few photos of the recently excavated bronze mirror wasn’t something these busy experts would do lightly, especially just flying from Beijing to their remote county. It wouldn’t make sense for them to go through such trouble on a whim. The only logical explanation was that there might indeed be an ancient tomb at Qingluan Mountain, not just an ordinary one. It was likely to be a significant historical and research tomb. Otherwise, why would the experts and archaeologists be taking it so seriously?
Thinking this way, Zhang Dongfang was also moved.
This was a good thing—a big, big good thing.
Zhang Dongfang quickly said, “Xuebing, you must give me some inside information. What’s going on?'
Secretary Dong sighed. 'Even I don’t know, Old Zhang.'
Zhang Dongfang didn’t believe him. 'We’ve been together long enough; you issued the protection order immediately, so you must have had some inkling.'
Before, Zhang Dongfang had been skeptical about Secretary Dong’s decision, finding it inexplicable and unnecessary. But now, hearing that archaeologists were proactively coming to their remote county, Zhang Dongfang’s concerns were dispelled. He suddenly remembered that Secretary Dong had demonstrated an extreme political sense and extraordinary work capabilities from his first day in office. He should have thought of it earlier—there was more behind this decision. Secretary Dong couldn’t have made such a clearly misguided decision without some ulterior motive.
Dong Xuebing hesitated. 'It’s just a guess. I don’t know for sure."
Zhang Dongfang hummed and listened intently, ‘What are you guessing?’
Dong Xuebing looked towards the door; though it was closed, he still lowered his voice. ‘I’ve dabbled in antique collecting and have some knowledge and experience. Just from that bronze mirror, I could tell it wasn’t ordinary. Mr. Mu and his team didn’t say anything directly, but I guess this is likely a tomb of a Han dynasty emperor, maybe even some accompanying tombs. It could very well be a cluster of ancient tombs.’
Zhang Dongfang was stunned. ‘A cluster of ancient tombs?’
Dong Xuebing nodded. ‘If confirmed, this would certainly be the biggest archaeological discovery in recent years. But it’s still unclear—everything depends on Mr. Mu and his team when they arrive. So for now, we can only try to protect that area at Qingluan Mountain. We cannot allow tomb robbers to get in; otherwise, we could become eternal sinners if it gets ruined over there. I’ve sent extra manpower and formed this cultural relic protection work group. There absolutely cannot be a single problem over there.’
Zhang Dongfang now understood. Thinking for a moment, he said, ‘I get it. If that’s the case, we must take it seriously—no one wants to be an eternal sinner.’
Zhang Dongfang was convinced. Dong Xuebing planned to get him on board. Without Zhang’s cooperation, Dong Xuebing would find it extremely difficult to carry out his plans, even though he already had a general grasp of the county’s situation. Zhang Dongfang had been the longtime leader in Jiaolin County, and who knew what hidden cards he still had up his sleeve? Now, he was biding his time and waiting for Dong Xuebing to make a mistake in delivering a fatal blow. Dong Xuebing never underestimated him. No one who reached their level was simple. With Zhang Dongfang and his faction watching closely behind him, Dong Xuebing also felt constrained. Finally persuading him was just the first step. This was such a crucial period; Dong Xuebing had put so much effort and faced criticism from his family and others, just waiting for this moment. He had to ensure nothing went wrong with this issue.
‘Old Zhang,’ Secretary Dong said.
‘Hmm,’ Zhang Dongfang paused and sat back down, looking at him.
Secretary Dong took a sip of tea. Though it seemed like he was joking, his words felt like a bombshell. I heard our county applied for county-level city status before and got rejected because it did not have enough cultural heritage. I’ve seen the application file for that county-level city. Should we bring it back out again?’
County-level city—reapplying for county-level city status.
Hearing this, Zhang Dongfang was instantly silent. You could see his hands clenching tighter, and his breathing was a bit faster. ‘I’ll get the files ready.’