For three days, I couldn't get any news or send any out. Director Lu was all-powerful. People brought me food every day, but they wouldn't let me speak to anyone, just putting the food down and leaving. Even when I asked to see my lawyer, they wouldn't follow legal procedures for me.
On the fourth day, Lu Yao came. He looked at my anxious face, his smile radiating naturally. "Sect Master, I have good news for you.
"Tell me."
"Ye Qingcheng has completed the judicial procedures. She can see you this afternoon. Zhao Shicheng will testify for you, proving that the story you told is true. This way, your actions won't be considered private possession of national treasures, but merely a recent discovery of them."
"You won't let this happen, will you?"
"Of course not. Sect Master, would you like to hear Zhao Shicheng's story first? It's quite interesting, really."
I frowned, and Lu Yao continued regardless.
Zhao Shicheng was very poor as a child, the kind of poverty that instills deep fear. However, people like Zhao Shicheng weren't uncommon. During his youth, the country experienced a famine, and many went hungry.
Perhaps it was this experience, the constant threat of starvation, that led to Zhao Shicheng's later obsession with accumulating wealth. Like others, Zhao Shicheng's first priority was to solve the problem of sustenance. He was uneducated, shoveling dirt with the archaeology team during the day and desperately learning to read at night. To ensure he had enough time, Zhao Shicheng even adopted ancient methods, using a "bell pillow." This pillow would wake him up with a bell if he turned over in his sleep.
Zhao Shicheng kept matches and candles within easy reach. As soon as he woke up, he would light a candle and start studying. It took him ten years to go from literacy to mastering various antique knowledge. As a result of his hard work, in those ten years, Zhao Shicheng rose from a mere temporary worker in the archaeology team to its captain.
Thanks to Zhao Shicheng's efforts, his life improved not only materially, with no shortage of food or clothing, but also spiritually. While others were content with drinking tea and chatting, Zhao Shicheng already had a fourteen-inch black and white television at home. When the neighbors came to his house to watch TV, Zhao Shicheng's smiling face was full of proud wrinkles.
"Brother Zhao, I heard you became a leader in the archaeology team."
"What leader? I'm still doing the work. I used to listen to others, now I direct them. Brother Lu, why do you have time to watch TV at my place today?"
"We caught a corrupt official today. The mission was completed ahead of schedule."
"Corrupt officials should be shot on sight."
"Shot, definitely shot. Brother Zhao, do you know? When we caught that corrupt official, we found gold bars in his house. You saved money for years to buy a black and white TV, and he was watching a color one."
"How could he be so rich?"
"Brother, I'm in a hurry to watch TV. When you have time, have your wife cook a meal, come to my place, and we'll have some sorghum wine and chat."
"Deal!"
Zhao Shicheng wasn't inherently wicked; he simply wanted a better life. Zhao Shicheng had four siblings. His youngest sister died young, said to have starved to death. His eldest sister eloped and lost all contact. He and his younger brother relied on each other, and everything he did was for the sake of his family.
Frankly speaking, Zhao Shicheng was still essentially a farmer at heart. He never quite grasped the historical and cultural value of the lumps unearthed from the earth being classified as national treasures.
Selling national treasures, harming national culture. As long as it wasn't discovered, selling it was fine.
All the antique sales were handled by Director Lu, who was then the captain of the criminal police. Zhao Shicheng's task was to smuggle national treasures out of the archaeology team. The method was taught to him by Director Lu, and Director Lu also helped him falsify the accounts. After the sale was finalized, Zhao Shicheng only received thirty percent of the profit. Zhao Shicheng didn't care about this; as long as the money he received could take good care of his family, he was content.
Consequently, Zhao Shicheng bought a large house for his brother and turned him into a businessman, drastically improving his quality of life. He, on the other hand, lowered his own demands. He bought an apartment, but he became neighbors with Director Lu. Seeing that Director Lu, despite being wealthy, didn't even buy a television and maintained the image of a diligent criminal police captain, Zhao Shicheng was puzzled. "Big brother, why are you torturing yourself like this? The money we earn now can last us a lifetime. Why don't you resign as captain, buy a big house and a big TV, and live comfortably?"
"Brother, you don't understand. I'm not doing this just to eat. I don't care about money, but power is inseparable from wealth. This has been the unchanging truth since ancient times. What I pursue is power."
"I see. Just tell me if you need anything. I'm content being an archaeology team captain."
Director Lu smiled. "Brother Zhao, you should also be more discreet."
"With your protection, I'm not afraid!"
The discovery of the Terracotta Army attracted many opportunistic antique dealers. If Zhao Shicheng hadn't become greedy regarding the俑头 (the heads of the terracotta warriors), he would likely be living a comfortable life now.
There were no "ifs." Zhao Shicheng's dealings in national treasures finally came to light. Director Lu said that to resolve the matter, a scapegoat was needed. Zhao Shicheng didn't hesitate to betray Xun Chong. However, Director Lu then stated that such a large case couldn't be pinned on Xun Chong alone. Thus, Zhao Shicheng became the real scapegoat.
Zhao Shicheng was Zhao Shicheng's only brother. Having sent his own brother to the gallows, Zhao Shicheng felt as if the sky was collapsing.
Furthermore, he learned the truth: Director Lu hadn't made a mistake; Director Lu had deliberately done it.
But what was the point of knowing? If he exposed everything and fought a losing battle with Director Lu? Zhao Shicheng couldn't do it. Zhao Shicheng was dead, but the Zhao family had to continue. He had a son and a daughter, and Zhao Shicheng also had a daughter. For the sake of these three children, Zhao Shicheng had to survive.
However, his brother's wife proved unreliable. Not long after Zhao Shicheng's death, she abandoned Zhao Zhichao to Zhao Shicheng and married a businessman from Guangzhou, never to return to Xi'an. Later, she attempted several times to bring Zhao Zhichao to Guangzhou, but Zhao Zhichao unilaterally refused.
For this, Zhao Shicheng bore all the burdens, treating Zhao Zhichao as his own daughter. At one point, he truly wanted to hide the truth forever. But he never imagined that Zhao Zhichao would spark a romance with Lu Fan.
This was something Zhao Shicheng absolutely could not allow. He had Zhao Zhichao transfer schools, but this couldn't sever Zhao Zhichao's longing for Lu Fan. Having no other choice, Zhao Shicheng finally revealed the secret he had kept hidden. Lu Fan finally understood that he shouldn't be with Zhao Zhichao.
Lu Fan and Zhao Zhichao broke up, and Zhao Shicheng was transferred from his job. Zhao Shicheng knew this was Director Lu's subtle manipulation. As Director Lu had said, he wasn't after wealth; he was after power.
Zhao Shicheng resented no one. As long as his children lived peaceful lives, that was all that mattered. Zhao Shicheng's children had no problems; he didn't object to any of their romantic partners. His greatest concern was Zhao Zhichao. He personally sent Zhao Zhichao to Yunnan University. He thought everything would get better, but things didn't unfold as Zhao Shicheng had imagined.
What happened later made Zhao Shicheng realize he had made a mistake. He shouldn't have told Lu Fan the truth; otherwise, Zhao Zhichao wouldn't have known. Because he made an impulsive decision, Zhao Zhichao not only learned the truth but also learned a mysterious skill called "The Schemer" for revenge.
Scheming, just as Director Lu had done back then... Zhao Shicheng understood. He cooperated with Zhao Zhichao, pretending to be harmed by her. Finally, he left the archaeology profession he had dedicated his life to, taking on the role of a night watchman.
Lu Fan, estranged from his father Director Lu due to the incident with Zhao Shicheng, took out his anger on Zhao Shicheng. To gain Director Lu's trust, Zhao Shicheng feigned madness and even moved into a mental hospital last year.
His abandonment of everything had a very pure purpose: to avenge his deceased brother. Because of my involvement, Zhao Zhichao finally stood in opposition to Director Lu. Zhao Shicheng was convinced that this time, he could send Director Lu to prison.
Hearing Lu Yao's account, I felt as if a knife were twisting in my heart.
"What have you done?"
"Naturally, I stand with the Sect Master. I'm fulfilling the conditions you promised Lu Fan: to save Zhao Zhichao's life. She will be personally escorted to Beijing by your good brother, Chang Dachun."
"Is that all?"
"Of course not. After Zhao Zhichao leaves, Zhao Shicheng will use the evidence Zhao Zhichao collected, along with Ye Qingcheng, to rescue you. However, fate may not be on their side. Zhao Shicheng will be targeted and killed as soon as he leaves the airport. Ye Qingcheng will also have her past crimes exposed, leading her to choose to flee. Of course, the police will find her, and after a confrontation with the frenzied Ye Qingcheng, they will reluctantly shoot her."
"Lu Yao, what a cruel plan!" I glared at Lu Yao, gritting my teeth.
"Is it? Cruel enough, then that's right. I must also tell you, Sect Master, this is just the beginning."