Shen Tang analyzed the clues carefully. "We know that this coffin was dug up by tomb raiders, then sold along with me to Second Master Shen, who collected antiques. In other words, the coffin was in the hands of the Shen Clan at the time. If we do the math, only a few days passed between his purchase of the coffin and the Shen Clan being confiscated and exterminated. Second Master Shen probably didn't have a chance to sell it or destroy it..."
The confiscated property had ultimately gone to the state treasury.
Which meant it had ended up in Zheng Qiao's hands?
"Zheng Qiao's estate was most likely divided up and plundered by the various Vassal Lords who crossed the Miao River and invaded Ganzhou. Of course, it's also possible that someone took advantage of the chaos, robbed the treasury, and fled. But it was a coffin..." If some desperate criminal had been looting valuables, in their panic and haste they would have stolen small, valuable things that were easier to carry. Even the finest coffin wood was awkward to transport.
Taking all that into account—
Shen Tang thought it more likely the coffin had fallen into the hands of one of the Vassal Lords.
Excluding Shen Tang's forces, fewer than five powers had survived the fighting in Ganzhou. Of those, Huang Lie, Wu Xian, and Zhang He had emerged with the most intact forces. "Gu Ziyi died at Huang Lie's hands, and Huang Lie and Zhang He later lost to Wu Xian and me. If the coffin didn't end up among the people, then it's either with Wu Xian or with me—or it was given away as a reward?"
She had swallowed up the Gao Country established by Wu Xian.
Shen Tang decided to try the clumsy approach