Episode Summary
The episode opens during a lively Shehuo festival in Qinchuan where archaeology students Fang Kun, Guo Shilin, and Luo Qing are visiting. Their talk of exploring the Zi Mausoleum is overheard, nearly branding them tomb raiders. Meanwhile, a real tomb raiding crew led by Liu Shusheng has their find stolen by a rival group. Eight months later, these stolen black pottery figurines surface at an international auction. The students, guided remotely by their professor Zan Maocheng, provide crucial evidence to halt the sale. Rewinding to the time of the robbery, antique dealer Mu Jianhui, Liu Shusheng's brother-in-law, is revealed to be secretly involved, having orchestrated the "theft" from Liu's crew and planning to smuggle the artifacts. While the students intern at an archaeological site, Mu Jianhui deceives his sick wife about the figurines. By November 2002, police captain Qi Dacang has recovered some figurines, but the investigation into a larger smuggling ring, potentially led by a figure known as "Hua Nan Wang," is just beginning.
Spoiler Alert
Episode 1: Festivals, Felons, and Frantic Scholars
The story opens on the ninth day of the first lunar month in 2002, in Bailuyuan's Yin Village, Qinchuan City. We're thrown right into a massive traditional Shehuo festival. Think vibrant chaos: booming drums, fluttering banners, lion dancers doing their thing, and stilt walkers defying gravity. It’s a feast for the senses, and soaking it all in are Fang Kun and Guo Shilin, two archaeology postgrads from Qinbei University, along with Luo Qing, a fresh archaeology grad from Peking University. They're clearly loving the cultural immersion.
Fang Kun, ever the enthusiastic one, suggests they take Luo Qing to check out the Zi Mausoleum, famed as the most mysterious of the eleven imperial tombs in the area. This innocent suggestion immediately raises red flags for a local villager, Yan Shoucun, who overhears them and jumps to the conclusion that they're tomb raiders. Just as he’s about to confront them, another villager, Qi Xiaoman, pulls him away, needing his help to find her lost dog, Hei Sa. Close call for our academics!
Meanwhile, not too far away, a real tomb raiding crew is hard at work. This is Liu Shusheng's gang – his moniker is "Zhi Guo" (meaning "setting up the pot," a term for leading a tomb raiding operation). His four underlings, Xing Zhaohu, Li Yuanguang, Shan Wa, and Da Tou, have just finished digging a tunnel into an ancient tomb. But talk about bad luck! Just as they’re about to reap the rewards, another group of tomb raiders, Yan Xiaowu and Wang Taiping, disguised as cultural heritage protection officers, swoop in and snatch a load of precious artifacts right from under their noses. Ouch.
Fast forward eight months. Six of those stolen black pottery figurines have been smuggled out of the country and are slated for public auction at the Wensuopu Auction House. The Chinese Embassy gets wind of this and immediately sends Gao Wenhua to negotiate, demanding the auction be halted. But the auction house isn't budging, claiming the evidence provided by the Chinese side is insufficient. With only an hour left before the auction, things are tense. Back in China, Cheng Zhi, the Director of the Municipal Cultural Relics Bureau, urgently contacts You Jiehui, and Deputy Director Wang personally escorts him to find an expert in Qin and Han dynasty artifacts.
Their first stop is the Yangling Archaeological Base to consult Zan Maocheng, an archaeology professor at Qinbei University. Unfortunately, Professor Zan is away at an academic conference. However, through his remote guidance, our trio of young scholars – Fang Kun, Guo Shilin, and Luo Qing – dive into research. In a nail-biting race against time, they manage to provide the crucial evidence needed to successfully stop the auction of the black pottery figurines. Phew!
Now, let's rewind back to those eight months prior, right after the initial tomb robbery. We find ourselves in Qinchuan City's bustling antique street. Mu Jianhui is an antique dealer who, despite his low-key demeanor, has a stellar reputation in the business – he can supposedly authenticate anything with just a glance. He gets a sudden call from his brother-in-law, Liu Shusheng (the "Zhi Guo" tomb raider boss). Liu Shusheng suspects a mole in his crew because some of the loot is missing. Xing Zhaohu and the others are on their knees in the courtyard, vehemently denying they pocketed any artifacts, but they can't explain where the missing items went.
According to gang rules, Liu Shusheng is ready to chop off a finger from each of them as punishment. Luckily, Mu Jianhui shows up just in time and smooths things over. He treats them to a lavish meal and suggests a less… permanent punishment: making them eat dirt instead of losing their fingers. Liu Shusheng reluctantly agrees. Later that night, unbeknownst to Liu Shusheng, Mu Jianhui secretly meets with a cultural relic trafficker named Hua Nansheng to negotiate the smuggling price for the black pottery figurines. So, Mu Jianhui is playing a deeper game here!
At the same time, Fang Kun, Luo Qing, and Guo Shilin are interning at the Yangling Archaeological Base. Fang Kun, with his somewhat flighty and boastful personality, often gives his mentor, Professor Zan Maocheng, a headache. Professor Zan informs his team about a salvage excavation at a recently robbed Tang dynasty tomb but specifically tells Fang Kun to stay behind.
Professor Zan's wife, Xiang Xinzhi, isn't too pleased about this. She argues that her husband, an expert in Qin and Han archaeology, shouldn't be meddling with Sui and Tang dynasty tombs. Zan Maocheng explains that this particular Tang tomb is right next to the Yangling site, and excavating it could provide vital information for understanding the historical and geographical layout of Yangling. However, Xiang Xinzhi sees right through him – the real reason is that their funding is tight, and they desperately need the money from this Tang tomb project. Professor Zan can only laugh and try to sweet-talk his wife.
Back at Mu Jianhui's home, his wife, Liu Shulan (who is Liu Shusheng's sister), has been bedridden for years. She accidentally discovers black pottery figurines hidden under their bed and becomes deeply worried that her husband is involved in tomb raiding. To calm her down, Mu Jianhui lies, claiming the figurines are legitimate antiques he bought from a friend. This seems to temporarily ease her fears. Afterwards, Mu Jianhui gives ten thousand yuan to Yan Xiaowu (one of the guys who hijacked Liu Shusheng's find), and Yan Xiaowu pledges his undying loyalty. It seems Mu Jianhui was the one who orchestrated the "interception" of the artifacts from his own brother-in-law's crew!
Cut to November 2002. Qi Dacang, the captain of the Municipal Bureau's Cultural Relics Investigation Team, has successfully recovered thirty-four black pottery figurines from the south and receives commendation from his superiors. During a meeting, the bureau leadership reveals that although the Wensuopu Auction House withdrew the six black pottery figurines from auction, the artifacts are still being held by customs due to a weak chain of evidence. More supporting materials are needed.
The leadership gives Deputy Director Zhao Feng one month to lead a thorough investigation. Captain Qi Dacang brings up a notorious cultural relic trafficker known by the nickname "Hua Nan Wang" (South China King). He believes that finding this individual is the key to dismantling the entire smuggling network and identifying the original suppliers. Yang Qingshi, another investigation team captain, has heard of "Hua Nan Wang" but knows nothing beyond the nickname. Similarly, Zhang Fengchun, the director of the archaeological institute, can't pinpoint the exact origin of the black pottery figurines. After the meeting, Qi Dacang takes a break, while his apprentice, Zhou Yongfu, joins Yang Qingshi to start the groundwork investigation.
