Chapter 382 - 382: Treasures in the Yangtze River (2)
Chapter 382: Treasures in the Yangtze River (2)
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
“Luo Feng, be cautious!” Li Shishi, now Luo Feng’s partner, implored with worry etched on her face.
Her life was now intertwined with his, and the mere prospect of harm befalling him was unbearable to her.
“Luo Feng, please reconsider descending into the water. The currents are swift, the depths treacherous!” Su Meiji echoed Qin Rubing’s concern, adding,
“Should you insist on this venture, at least wait for the professional diving equipment!”
Luo Feng calmly addressed the trio, “I assure you, I’ll manage underwater. Keep an eye on my hand signals,” he said, then jumped into the shallows of the river. Despite their fears, the river was not terribly deep, reaching only about three to five meters.
After a brief dive, Luo Feng resurfaced with a wallet worth three hundred yuan.
Tossing it aside, he hauled himself back onto the yacht, masking his disappointment. Not letting it dampen his spirit, he continued his search, diving whenever a potential treasure marker presented itself. Alas, his collection mainly consisted of wallets, rings, necklaces, and a Louis
Vuitton-branded cover—all valuable yet essentially trash.
“Begin a Level 5 Scan!” Luofeng commanded as they sailed into the Min River section, having crossed the Jialing River. The sun was dipping low in the sky, indicating half-past four in the afternoon.
Luo Feng’s spirits were buoyed as he noticed multiple objects clustering in the water. “Quite a treasure trove down there, isn’t it? I wonder what’s amassed in the Yangtze River?”
Then, an idea occurred to him. ‘Why not use sonar?”
Feeling silly for not considering it sooner, Luo Feng immediately asked the crew to activate the sonar. As they neared the target, the screen lit up with myriad irregular shapes.
“There’s a lot to explore. I’ll take a closer look,” Luo Feng announced before diving back into the water, trailed by an unmanned submarine equipped with a camera.
Despite the murky underwater environment, visibility remained reasonably decent. The water was deeper here, around seven to eight meters.
Upon reaching the seafloor, Luo Feng found a wooden plank. As he lifted it, silt underneath billowed, clouding the water. Feeling something hard and round under the plank, he retrieved it.
[ Ding! A copper coin from the Ming dynasty! Estimated worth — 2000 yuan! ]
He mused, could there be an ancient tomb beneath?
Back on the surface, Luo Feng was swiftly surrounded by Li Shishi, Su Meiji, and Qin Rubing.
“Have a look at this,” he said, unfurling his hand to reveal the object and grinning at them.
A flurry of questions followed. “Is it a copper coin?”
“Could there be an ancient tomb down there?” “Which era does this copper coin belong to?”
“Indeed, it is Dashun Tongbao!” Luo Feng confirmed.
Speculations buzzed among the onlookers. “Did the host locate yet another one of the Rebel King’s treasures again?”
“Spread the word, the host has found the Rebel King’s tomb!”
Luo Feng quickly intervened, “Everyone, let’s stick to facts. The Rebel King minted Yongchang Tongbao, which I have previously found.”
Li Shishi, intrigued, asked, “So, what’s this Dashun Tongbao?”
Chiding her, Luo Feng replied, “You need to invest more time in learning these things. They’re pretty basic.”
Turning to Su Meiji, he continued, “Seems like Meiji has an idea. Would you enlighten us?”
Accepting the challenge, Su Meiji stepped forward. “I’ll play the historian then,” she said, taking over from the breathless Luofeng.
Su Meiji elegantly articulated the history of the late Ming dynasty, detailing how there were two Dashun regimes, established by Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong respectively, as well as a third ‘Shun’ regime led by Aisin Gioro Fulin, known as Shunzhi. She managed to condense the complex narrative without losing the essence, leaving the audience stunned.
“Three Dashun regimes?” “Fulin led one of them? How was I unaware of this?”
Luo Feng affirmed their understanding, “Exactly. Li Zicheng’s was Dashun, Zhang Xianzhong’s was Dashun, and Fulin’s was Shunzhi. Why ‘Shun’, you may ask? Well, historians have varied theories. Myself included.”
Holding up the copper coin, Luo Feng segued into another intriguing aspect of history, “Speaking of Dashun, we can’t overlook Liu Bowen.”
His comment left the group perplexed. “Liu Bowen? Wasn’t he instrumental in the establishment of the Ming Dynasty? How does he fit into this narrative?”
“It’s an interesting story. When the Ming Dynasty was freshly formed, Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang consulted Liu Bowen about its potential longevity. Liu Bowen predicted four characters, ‘Yb Shin Zé Zhi’ (meet ‘Shun’, then stop). When Zhu Yuanzhang sought clarification, Liu Bowen demurred, citing the need to keep the secrets of heaven undisclosed.. In other words, he dared not reveal more! Predicting too many years could seem deceitful, while predicting too few could enrage the emperor!”