I immediately called to stop, as we had arrived. Yang Guang was killed in 618 AD, which was the fourteenth year of the Daye era. This tile was manufactured two years prior, likely during the construction of the Jiangdu Palace. Historical records state that this palace was destroyed. The tile from the West Pavilion, where it fell, should be the surface of the West Pavilion, meaning this level.
The construction vehicle came with some manual tools. I volunteered to carry a pickaxe into the pit and began to carefully excavate along this layer. Soon, other tiles were found, all bearing the inscription "Daye Year 12."
Beneath the tiles, I also found traces of beams and purlins, but they were severely rotted or even carbonized.
I emerged from the pit and instructed the excavator and Big Stick to excavate horizontally along this layer. Soon, a flat area of several square meters was cleared.
About two meters to the left of the initial excavation point, another soft ribbon was unearthed. Its base color was indistinguishable, and it was tied to a wooden beam with clear signs of being cut by a knife. A sudden thought struck me: could this ribbon be the one used to strangle Yang Guang?
Historical records state that Yang Guang was strangled, but it's not explicitly stated whether someone strangled him from behind or if he was coerced into suicide. If it were suicide, a rope would certainly have been hung from the roof. Palaces typically wouldn't have ropes, but such ribbons were common.
I had the construction vehicle stop and jumped into the pit. With a pull, the ribbon snapped on its own, likely due to age diminishing its structural integrity. I carefully brought the ribbon up and washed it by the lake. Its original color was revealed to be white, likely silk, about half a meter wide. When tied together, it could indeed serve as a rope.
Bai Qingcheng thought there were characters on it and asked me what it said.
I explained my analysis, guessing that this was likely the rope used to strangle Yang Guang.
Imagine: after Yang Guang died, his body would certainly have been taken down. Those present were all from the elite Nuo Guo army. A single cut of the rope would cause the body to fall. The remaining ribbon would have been left hanging. Subsequently, the Nuo Guo army retreated from Jiangdu to Chang'an, and the Jiangdu Palace was abandoned. Its contents, treasures, and furniture would have been looted. However, this half of a ribbon hanging in the air would likely not have attracted anyone's attention.
Later, the palace was destroyed by fire, and the West Pavilion collapsed. This silk ribbon, along with the rubble, was buried underground.
"Other than this, there's no other explanation for why a ribbon, cut by a knife, would be tied to a purlin, right?"
Everyone nodded.
The excited Shabiya representative from Yang Province exclaimed, "An expert's touch is immediately apparent. You truly are the reincarnation of Bai Ze! You've not only found Emperor Yang of Sui's Jiangdu Palace but also confirmed his cause of death as strangulation. It seems the portraits in the museum will need updating."
"How are they depicted in the museum?" I asked.
"In our Yang Province Museum, there's a painting depicting Emperor Yang of Sui's incompetence and eventual strangulation. It shows a man named Linghu Da standing behind Yang Guang, using a white silk scarf to ferociously strangle Yang Guang's neck. I vividly remember that painting from my childhood visit to the museum."
History is rigorous, and it indeed should be corrected. Being killed is one thing; committing suicide is another.
If my calculations are correct, we discovered the location of Emperor Yang of Sui's death before the Miao King. They might be elsewhere at this moment, either beyond the scope of my Qi sensing abilities or perhaps deterred from approaching after seeing we entered Yang Province University first.
Regardless, by confirming the site of Emperor Yang of Sui's death, we have effectively thwarted the Miao King's plan to summon Yuwen Chengdu. The next step is to secure this location.
Bai Qingcheng immediately began making arrangements, deploying the three experts she had invited to the teacher's apartments, disguised as teachers, ready to strike at any moment. Two Shabiya snipers were also positioned near the small pavilion on the mountaintop for long-range fire support. Considering the distance from the pavilion to our location is about three hundred meters, and it's a downward angle, even I could achieve a decent hit rate.