When they first discovered the bronze door, and realized it could only be opened with four small bowls, everyone assumed it must conceal gold, silver, and jewels.
Wang Yue thought so too.
After all, Heshen had been such a corrupt official. What else could he possibly have stored in his secret vault?
But no one had expected the entire vault to be filled with books—every kind of book imaginable!
Seeing this, Wang Yue couldn't help thinking of a possibility.
Could the Siku Quanshu and the Yongle Encyclopedia be inside?
On second thought, it was entirely possible. Heshen's family had sided with the Manchus in their conquest of the empire, after all, so they could certainly have gotten their hands on them.
Heshen might have been a corrupt official, but he was also renowned for his vast learning.
Even Qianlong knew Heshen was corrupt. Yet on his deathbed, he still urged his son not to execute him. That showed just how talented Heshen really was!
For a gifted scholar to show off his talents, he needed plenty of books to read. Heshen certainly wouldn't have lacked for reading material.
But the thing was, Heshen had managed to keep Qianlong thoroughly pleased with him. He couldn't have done that by simply being well-read.
So what could be more fitting than keeping the Yongle Encyclopedia at home?
Besides, by preserving these books, Heshen had ensured that any descendant who came along and opened the cave could help the family rise to prominence once more.
At first, Han Chunming and the other archaeologists hadn't caught on. But once they went inside and saw row after row of bookshelves, they realized it too.
Looking at the shelves, Han Chunming turned to Wang Yue, uncertain. "Old Wang, did we make a terrible mistake?"
He meant that