Chapter 1: The Ancient Tomb of the Prince

“Dad, Mom, I’m home!” As soon as she stepped through the door, Zhang Xiaolan shouted energetically, picturing her mother rushing over to hug her and her father greeting her with a smile. Yet nothing of the sort happened. Her high spirits quickly faded as she stared at the empty room, awkwardly standing at the entrance. How could it be that she’d shouted so loudly and still no one came to greet her?

“Your darling daughter is back! Come out, quick! If you’re late, there’ll be no gifts for you!” she called out again, her tone playful and tempting, but the silence remained unbroken. Where on earth had those two “elders” gone? Thank goodness she’d brought her keys, or she wouldn’t have even been able to get inside.

Annoyed, she strode into the kitchen to look for something to eat, but even the refrigerator was bare. As she closed the fridge door, she noticed a sticky note affixed to the surface. Zhang Xiaolan leaned in to read:

“Lanlan, we’ve gone to Huangshan for a trip. It was a last-minute decision, so we didn’t tell you. If you come home, you’ll have to sort out your own meals. Love, your parents.”

“So this is what you call love? If you loved me, you wouldn’t just abandon me and go off traveling on your own!” Zhang Xiaolan yelled at the refrigerator, yanked the note down, and tossed it into the trash. Moments later, she fished it back out and declared with a huff, “I’ll keep you as evidence, hmph!”

It was rare for Zhang Xiaolan to get a day off and come home, but she’d managed to coincide perfectly with her unreliable parents’ vacation. Not only did they fail to welcome their hardworking daughter home from an archaeological dig, they’d actually gone off traveling and left her alone—hungry, too, with nothing to do but cook instant noodles for herself. Her current situation could only be summed up in one phrase: if you want something done, do it yourself; rely on others, and you’ll only go hungry.

Sitting cross-legged at the coffee table in the living room, eating noodles, she flipped on the TV just as a documentary about an ancient tomb excavation was airing. The program showed scenes of unearthed coffins, but Zhang Xiaolan watched with relish, completely unfazed—a benefit of her archaeology studies. If she’d been there in person, she would have eagerly examined the artifacts in detail.

The news anchor on the program narrated, “In a remote mountain forest near Lizhuang Village, Henan, a prince’s ancient tomb has been discovered. Days of heavy rain and a resulting mudslide damaged the tomb, exposing some burial goods, with certain relics already sustaining damage. Experts are conducting emergency excavations. Based on research, the tomb is estimated to be over 1,500 years old.”

“One thousand five hundred years… That would be the Northern and Southern Dynasties. Not a bad era for artifacts. A prince’s tomb should have plenty of treasures—let’s hope it hasn’t already been raided,” Zhang Xiaolan commented between bites, making her own assessment as she watched the scenes shown on screen. Suddenly, during the segment displaying the unearthed items, something caught her eye—a sense of familiarity washed over her.

She focused intently on the unfolding excavation. The commentator continued, “Due to the natural disaster, a flash flood exposed half the tomb. Experts are now on-site directing the removal of the coffin, which has already sustained some damage. Unidentified fluids are seeping from within; a temporary workspace is being erected for the opening of the coffin.

“The outer casket has been opened, revealing an inner coffin made of basswood with intricate designs carved on the lid. The body inside has decayed, but the burial goods are remarkably well-preserved—even the bedding and silks covering the corpse remain intact. On the chest of the deceased lies a seal, its script clearly visible, though the characters are not yet identified. Experts believe it is related to the tomb owner’s identity, and so far, all evidence points to this tomb having never been disturbed by grave robbers.”

A fleeting image on the screen gripped Zhang Xiaolan’s interest. Though it lasted only seconds, the object seemed oddly familiar. Tilting her head, she racked her brain. “Where have I seen that before?” she murmured, as something sparked in her memory. She stood up abruptly and hurried into her room. When she emerged, she was holding a brocade box from which she produced a pendant on a cord—though, on closer inspection, it resembled a seal more than a pendant. A smile curved on her lips.

“As the saying goes, truth is stranger than fiction—this seal is exactly like the one on television!” she marveled, talking to herself. Although the color differed from the one on TV—after all, burial items inevitably change hue after centuries underground and exposure to coffin fluids—the resemblance was uncanny. An idea took root in her mind.

“Well! Since fate brings us together, I might as well go see it for myself—it’s my field, after all!”

On a sudden whim, Zhang Xiaolan decided she had to see the prince’s tomb in person—and do a little research while she was at it. With nothing to do at home and Henan not too far away, she figured she might as well treat it as a solo trip. If her parents could leave her behind for their travels, why shouldn’t she set out alone and play the role of an intrepid backpacker? It wasn’t her first time traveling solo, but this journey promised to be unlike any before.

Zhang Xiaolan: A 22-year-old graduate student in archaeology, proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and dance—skills her parents had pressed upon her. Clever and lively, she’d been fascinated by antiquities since childhood, so when it came time for college, she’d applied to the archaeology program without her parents’ knowledge, and was ultimately accepted. Her family possessed a Shoushan stone seal, fashioned like a pendant and passed down through generations, strung on a cord to be worn around the neck—an old habit from the days when her ancestors fled hardship. Now, they were settled in the south.

True to her nature, Zhang Xiaolan acted without delay. The next day, she bought a train ticket to Henan, packing all her gear. Before leaving, she stuck a note on the refrigerator: “Dad, Mom, are you enjoying yourselves? You really just left me behind! And the worst part is, there was nothing to eat in the fridge, so I’m off traveling, too! Don’t wait up and don’t worry. Love, your daughter, Zhang Xiaolan.”

A few hours on the high-speed train brought her quickly to her destination. After some inquiries, she learned that Lizhuang Village was still over ten hours away by road. For now, she made her way to the local museum, having already found out that the excavated burial goods were displayed there—the TV program had been edited, and several months had passed since the discovery.

“Excuse me, are the burial artifacts from the 1,500-year-old prince’s tomb, as seen on TV, on display here?” she asked a staff member, finding the museum nearly empty outside the holiday season. She was especially keen to see the seal.

“Oh! They’re in Exhibit Hall A, though only a small portion is on display—the rest are still under restoration,” the attendant replied politely.

“Thank you!” Zhang Xiaolan made her way to Hall A, scouring the displays. She saw many burial items but found no sign of the seal until, at last, she spotted it in a slightly secluded corner.

She bent down, carefully studying the seal for a long while. The more she looked, the more familiar it felt. Strangely, a heat bloomed in her chest. She instinctively touched her own pendant—the family heirloom seal—hanging at her neck. Perhaps it was just her imagination. Shaking off the odd sensation, she focused again on the artifact. Having studied ancient scripts, she examined the seal for a long time before recognizing the character: Rui.

“Rui… is that the prince’s name, or his title?” she wondered aloud. She wanted to ask the museum’s director about the restoration progress and whether she could see the prince’s remains, but as an unknown visitor, her questions were politely declined—she was told there was no information to share. Disappointed, she had no choice but to leave.

Nevertheless, she made up her mind—she felt an irresistible urge to visit the prince’s tomb site, whether out of curiosity or some mysterious compulsion. She was determined to see the ancient tomb with her own eyes.

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