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“And you just happen to have an original?” Malone asked “Ready to show us”
“As I said, I knew she would come”
He sood
“Shiji’s creator was the grand historian of the Han dynasty, Sima Qian He supposedly consulted i from private documents, libraries, and personal recollections Unfortunately, Qian eventually lost his emperor’s favor He was castrated and iain became the palace secretary and completed this work”
“He was a eunuch?” Malone asked
Pau nodded “Quite an influential one, too This e and universal adle best source that exists on the First Emperor Two of its one hundred and thirty chapters specifically address Qin Shi”
“Written over a hundred years after he died,” Malone said
“You know your history”
Malone tapped his skull “Got a mind for details”
“You are correct It ritten a long time after the First Emperor died But it is all we have” Pau motioned to the top silk, brown and stained as if tea had been spilled upon it Faded characters, written in columns, were visible
“May I read you so?” Pau asked
And the First Emperor was buried at Mount Li
Froun the excavation and building at Mount Li, and when gathered into his hands the whole empire, more than 700,000 workers were sent to the site to toil
Through three underground springs they dug, and they poured molten bronze to make the outer coffin and to overnment offices hich the tomb was filled
And there were ht from afar Artisans were ordered to fashion crossbows as traps so that any grave robbers would meet sudden death
Using quicksilver, they tse, and the wide sea, and machines kept the waters in motion The constellations of the heavens were reproduced above and the regions of the earth below
Torches weretime Concubines without sons were ordered to follow the emperor in death, and of the artisans and workers not one was allowed to ee alive
Vegetation was planted so that it appeared to be a mountain
“No ruler before, or since,” Pau said, “has created a ates, corner towers, and iures who stood guard, in battle formation, ready to defend the First Emperor The tomb complex’s total circumference is over twelve kilometers”
“And the point?” Cassiopeia asked, iht the reference to torchestime”
“That mound still exists, just a kilometer away from the terra-cotta warrior h—half has eroded away—but inside remains the
tomb of Qin Shi”
“Which the Chinese government will not allow to be excavated,” Malone said “I’ve read news accounts The site is filled with mercury Quicksilver, as you said They used it to si a few years ago confirh amounts of mercury in the soil”
“You are correct, there is o, rote the report that led to the no-excavation rule”
Pau stood and walked across the rooe, this one of a portlyrobes
“This is the only representation of Qin Shi that has lasted Unfortunately, it was created centuries after his death, so its accuracy is doubtful What has survived is how one of Qin’s closest advisers described hi eyes His chest is like that of a bird of prey and his voice like that of a jackal He is er or a wolf”
“How does any of this help us?” Malone asked
A satisfied look caed face “I have been inside the tomb of Qin Shi”
THIRTY-NINE
LANZHOU, CHINA
TANG SHOWED LEV SOKOLOV WHAT WAS SCURRYING AROUND inside the bucket The Russian’s eyes ild
“Active ones,” Tang said
Sokolov still lay on the floor, strapped to the chair, his legs folded above his head, eyes to the ceiling, like an astronaut in his capsule His head began to shake back and forth, pleading for everything to stop Sweat beaded on the Russian’s forehead
“You have lied tosaid “And I protected you Officials here in Gansu wanted you arrested I prevented that They wanted to banish you from the province I said no They called you a dissident, and I defended you You have been nothing but a problem Even worse, you’ve caused o unanswered”
His three s, one at the head He ripped Sokolov so his body would stay in position Tang quickly approached and righted thethe bucket in place, the rats trapped underneath, now scurrying around on Sokolov’s bare chest The Russian’s head whipped left and right, held tight by Tang’s ony