Noon.
Qingluan Mountain.
The county standing committee had finalized the tone of the proposal to elevate the county to city-level status. Without further instruction, everyone already understood what needed to be done. They all got busy, knowing this matter couldn’t be made public yet. The committee mbers were all keenly aware of the stakes. The pros and cons were crystal clear. No matter how deep the previous conflicts or political differences among them, they all set those aside for now. Sothing far more important was at stake—sothing everyone stood to benefit from. At a ti like this, unity was a must. All thoughts had to be focused.
Dong Xuebing, Zhang Dongfang, and ng Hani had co to the mountain. For a long ti to co, Qingluan Mountain would serve as their second base of operations. It was going to be a long haul.
At the base of the mountain.
Several vehicles were parked, and quite a few people were standing around.
Currently, only one path leads up the mountain. All the others have been blocked off by barricades and military personnel. Every few dozen ters, an ard soldier or police officer is stationed, lending the area a solemn atmosphere.
At a temporary checkpoint.
Dong Xuebing led his group forward, intending to go up.
“Hey, hold on. Please show your passes.” Two n stopped them.
A few staff from Jiaolin County who were nearby recognized them and rushed over. “This is our Party Secretary and County Chief.”
“We know,” said the two guards, pointing at the people behind Dong Xuebing, “we an them.”
The official working group that Dong Xuebing had stationed on the mountain all had passes. But the few governnt staffers from the county office and other departnts he brought today did not. Still, this wasn’t really about passes. Dong Xuebing glanced at the two unfamiliar faces. “Where are you from?”
The two n replied sternly, “We’re from the provincial working group.”
ng Hani leaned in and explained to Dong Xuebing, “They’re from the provincial cultural departnt’s newly ford task force. They coordinate the archaeological team on the tomb excavation and protection.”
Dong Xuebing gave a perfunctory “Oh.”
The provincial staff repeated, “Those without passes cannot go up the mountain. A new policy has just been issued.”
Dong Xuebing asked, “Issued by whom?”
“Director Xiao, the head of our working group.”
Director Xiao? That would be Xiao Dongnan, Director of the Provincial Departnt of Culture.
Dong Xuebing stared blankly at the two n, expressionless. Then, slowly, he said, “Do you even know where you are?”
The two blinked, confused.
Dong Xuebing imdiately snapped, “This is Jiaolin County. The top local Party and governnt officials are standing right before you. And you think it’s your place to make the rules for us? Are you kidding ? Our governnt staff need your permission to go up or down the mountain? Who do you think you are?”
The two were stunned, dumbfounded by the scolding. What’s his problem? Why’s he so angry?
ng Hani quickly tried to calm him down, tugging at his arm with a bitter smile. “Secretary Dong, please…”
But this wasn’t about Dong Xuebing having a temper. It was about their utter lack of tact. Especially that Xiao Dongnan. Dong Xuebing had never gotten along with him. That old fox had nearly set him up on the mountain before. If it hadn’t been for Professor Chu siding with them, the tomb might have ended up under Yanbei County’s jurisdiction. Dong Xuebing had never forgotten that grudge. So he ignored ng Hani’s attempt to intervene and jabbed a finger at the two n. “You people from the cultural departnt need to get clear on your actual scope of work. Just do your job. You have no authority over our county’s administrative affairs. What are you thinking?”
He then turned to the Jiaolin County staff stationed on the mountain. “From now on, managing access and checking passes is your responsibility. Don’t let just anyone take over. This is our county’s job. What, are we letting the provincial culture people take over our administration now?”
The Jiaolin staff imdiately responded, “Yes, Secretary Dong.”
The provincial staff were livid, nearly cursing out loud.
Dong Xuebing didn’t bother with them anymore. He led his team straight up the mountain. Nobody showed any so-called “pass,” and the two n could only watch helplessly.
Zhang Dongfang looked displeased, too. “Didn’t we assign our people to manage this checkpoint?”
ng Hani shook her head. “I don’t know how the provincial group took control. This morning, it was still our people there.”
Up the mountain.
What had once been a desolate path was now bustling with activity. To facilitate transportation and movent, the mountain road leading to the tomb had been cleaned up a bit—not paved, but cleared of grass and underbrush. The path was still rough, but much better than before. What used to take nearly half an hour now took just fifteen minutes if you walked briskly—much more convenient.
All along the way, provincial cultural staff were bustling about. So were even giving orders to Jiaolin County workers. Granted, the provincial task force had been ford to assist with excavation and artifact preservation, so they were involved in many aspects. But their core duty was to assist the archaeological team in the tomb. Yet now, at a glance, the atmosphere suggested they were overstepping, acting like the stars of the show, ddling in everything. anwhile, staff from Jiaolin County and experts from Baohong City looked helpless, reduced to onlookers as the provincial team hogged the spotlight.
At the excavation site.
Dong Xuebing hadn’t been back in two days, and already things had changed dramatically. New machinery and equipnt he hadn’t seen before were everywhere. The number of personnel had also tripled or quadrupled. He looked around but didn’t see Professor Chu. He saw Xiao Dongnan, surrounded by a crowd of reporters, smiling as he gave statents—probably about the excavation progress and findings. He was acting like the person in charge.
However, from the administrative side, Dong Xuebing was the top official. All governance decisions were his to make. From the professional archaeology side, Professor Chu was the highest authority. Xiao Dongnan had no place running around playing boss here.
“Secretary Dong!” soone called from the side.
Dong Xuebing turned. “Professor Chu, there you are.”
Chu was examining a newly unearthed artifact with white gloves on. When he saw Dong Xuebing, he put it down and walked over. “All finished on your end?”
Dong Xuebing nodded. “Got back yesterday.”
Chu smiled. “Co, I’ll show you the latest finds.”
“Sure, but what’s going on with them?” Dong Xuebing pointed at Xiao Dongnan and the others posing for the caras.
Chu chuckled. “Beats . They’ve been all over the place since yesterday—eager to hog the spotlight. Almost everything we finish discussing, their people rush to announce to the press. And so of their terminology isn’t even accurate. I didn’t want to make a scene, so I kept quiet. If they want to play spokesperson, that’s fine with . Doesn’t concern .”
Dong Xuebing said, “But it does concern us. We’re trying to build hype for the county. They steal the spotlight, and we’re left in the dark.”
ng Hani kept coughing. “Secretary, keep it down.”
She, Zhang Dongfang, and the others all understood, but they couldn’t say it out loud—there were reporters everywhere.
Dong Xuebing didn’t care. His working style had always been straightforward and blunt. “Professor Chu, let’s check out the main chamber first. We’ll deal with them later.”
“Co with ,” Chu said.
At the main tomb chamber.
Half of the soil layers covering the chamber had already been removed. The layers were neatly tiered. Standing above, Dong Xuebing looked down. Maybe it was psychological, but he felt an imposing, solemn aura rising from below. Probably just his imagination—but he was still excited. Setting aside the city elevation project, just being the top county official witnessing this historic mont filled him with pride. No amount of money could buy that.
“When will the main chamber be fully revealed?” Dong Xuebing asked.
Chu replied, “This tomb is different. It’s of great significance, and the higher-ups want it livestread. So we need to proceed carefully. We’ll wait until all the satellite tombs are fully excavated. I can’t give an exact tiline—probably one or two months. You should prepare for that.”
Dong Xuebing nodded. “No problem. Follow your own pace. Whatever you think is right, go with it. No issues on our side.”
Chu said, “Central Television is already pushing. The province, too, I think. Everyone wants to go live ASAP. But we need to wait. The ti isn’t right. The main chamber isn’t fully uncovered, and the entry point hasn’t been decided. We can’t afford any mistakes.”
Dong Xuebing smiled. “It’s fine. You’re the expert. You make the call. If there’s pressure from above or other problems, push them to . I’ll take the heat.”
Chu clapped him on the shoulder. “Then I won’t be polite about it.”
Dong Xuebing said, “No need to be. You handle the technical side, I handle the administrative side—that’s how we agreed from the start. Besides, you understand the cultural and historical importance better than I do. I’m anxious too, but not enough to risk damaging cultural heritage. We have to be cautious—zero errors.”
Chu nodded slightly. He knew he hadn’t misjudged Dong Xuebing. When he chose to back Jiaolin County during the tomb ownership dispute, even telling a small lie to do it, it was because he valued this quality—Dong Xuebing’s patriotism and respect for history. He trusted Dong Xuebing more than most politicians, so he preferred collaborating with him over anyone else.
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