The Real Heiress Has an Appraisal System

When she said there would be a prison sentence, no one was surprised. They just fell into a collective silence.

After all, stealing cultural relics was a crime punishable by prison time. It was only right that possessing this Terracotta Warrior would lead to a sentence.

But then, Gu Shengsheng thought for a moment before adding, "I’ve considered it carefully. For this particular Terracotta Warrior... a life sentence isn’t out of the question."

Viewers in the live stream chat instantly flooded the screen with comments. "Why, streamer? Isn’t this a Terracotta Warrior from the time of Emperor Qin Shi Huang? A fixed-term sentence should be more than enough, shouldn’t it?"

"Yeah, and this thing ended up overseas. No telling how that happened. Did the Little Sakuras take it out of the country back in the day?"

"Streamer, you’re killing me with the suspense! Why do you have such a grim look on your face?"

"Yeah, what’s going on?"

The couple, however, was surprisingly calm, showing an air of frank acceptance.

Gu Shengsheng then looked at them and said, "This wasn’t dug up in Anxi City, was it?"

The wife replied, "No, it was in He City."

Gu Shengsheng then asked a few more questions about technical details.

Finally, the husband looked at Gu Shengsheng and asked, "Miss Gu, what are your thoughts on this artifact?"

Gu Shengsheng said, "This isn’t a Terracotta Warrior from the Qin State. It’s from the Yin Shang Dynasty... It’s a living human sacrificial figure."

A living human sacrificial figure... Upon hearing those words, it wasn’t just the viewers whose expressions changed; even the faces of the people from the Cultural Relics Administration turned grim.

During the Yin Shang Dynasty, burying the living as sacrificial offerings was a common practice. There was no such thing as crafting lifelike figures from clay to be buried with the dead.

The art of pottery sculpting only developed after the Qin Dynasty. During the Yin Shang Dynasty, the venerated practice was always live human sacrifice.

That’s why the vast number of Terracotta Warriors from the era of Emperor Qin Shi Huang are almost all made from sculpted clay.

But during the Yin Shang Dynasty, they used real people, dragged away to be buried as sacrificial offerings before they had even died.

Gu Shengsheng continued, "During the ancient slave society period, the practice of sacrificial burial was widespread. In He City, the remains of over five thousand people from live sacrificial burials have already been discovered. This is one of them."

At this, a chill ran down everyone’s spines. The main reason was the realization that the head of the "Terracotta Warrior" found today was just that—a head, carried away from its body.

The more they thought about it, the more frightened they became, and the live stream chat filled with worried comments.

"Streamer, how exactly is a living sacrificial figure made? You don’t mean they were dragged off to be buried while they were still alive?"

"Or is it like in those horror novels I’ve read, where they’re sealed directly in wet clay and eventually suffocate?"

"I hear that’s the most unbearable way to go. One of the most agonizing deaths imaginable."

"..."

Gu Shengsheng nodded. "That’s right."

"To be precise, being made into a living sacrificial figure was also a form of execution. What you’re describing is similar. First, the living person’s body would be wrapped in white cloth, then placed in a kiln and fired into a ’figure.’"

"Afterward, they were coated with paint and clay, and buried with some of their personal belongings to ’guard’ the monarch or the owner of the tomb. Most of them were actually death row inmates or common slaves."

As Gu Shengsheng explained this, everyone was struck by how fortunate they were to live in the modern era.

Thankfully, all that was in the ancient past.

Just then, the wife on the call spoke up, a rare move on her part. "Miss Gu is correct."

’Normally, the police over there would be on their way to investigate soon. The victim had already suffered such a tragic fate, being made into a sacrificial figure, and now they didn’t even have a complete body. Their head had been carried off to a foreign land... The whole situation was just too absurd.’

’The relevant authorities would need to bring them in for questioning, but since they were in a foreign country, it would take some time.’

Gu Shengsheng didn’t say much more, because she sensed something was off about the couple. It seemed like they had intentionally revealed this on her stream, almost as if they meant to turn themselves in... Even the assistant beside them was more nervous than they were.

Gu Shengsheng had a bad feeling.

She typed out her suspicions in a text to Zhao Dehai. He replied, "Stall for another twenty minutes. Our people from the embassy are heading over."

"Okay."

Gu Shengsheng continued, "Is there anything else you’d like me to appraise?"

The couple produced another item: an exquisite little cup. When Gu Shengsheng focused her camera on it and examined it closely, she saw the pattern on its surface and paused.

"Ma’am, could you please rotate it for me?" An urgent light appeared in Gu Shengsheng’s eyes.

Those who followed her appraisals knew it was rare to see Gu Shengsheng this agitated.

Gu Shengsheng got a clear look and counted carefully. There were nine dragons in total.

Each dragon’s head extended toward the base, while their tails joined together to form the handle. The remaining eight dragons were arranged symmetrically—four facing upward and four downward.

Gu Shengsheng’s expression grew excited. "This has to be the Nine Dragon Cup from the Ming Dynasty!"

"This artifact has been missing for over fifty years. People heard about it right after it was first excavated, but it hasn’t been seen since. Legend says it was an artifact from the Ming Dynasty belonging to Zhu Yuanzhang, crafted by officials in Jingdezhen to curry his favor. It’s considered a masterpiece."

"I can’t believe something this incredible ended up in a foreign country."

But Gu Shengsheng wasn’t just marveling at the cup. ’This couple is supposed to be highly accomplished appraisers and renowned experts.’

’How did they get mixed up in theft? Now there’s no telling how many years they’ll face in prison.’

As Gu Shengsheng was feeling a pang of regret for them, the wife spoke furtively, "Miss Gu, how much longer until someone from Huaxia can get here to see the artifacts in person?"

As she spoke, she deliberately emphasized the words "in person."

Gu Shengsheng held up one finger and said, "Soon."

The moment she spoke, the tall, brawny assistant realized what was happening. He grabbed the wife by the neck and pressed a gun to her head. "You lied to me! You said you couldn’t be sure about the artifact and needed someone from Huaxia to appraise it!"

"So why are so many people from Huaxia showing up outside?!"

The wife seemed to have lost all will to live. With tears streaming down her face, she closed her eyes, as if welcoming death.

Her husband then seized the opportunity, while the foreign assistant was distracted, to smash a blue and white porcelain vase over his head. The tall foreigner collapsed to the ground.

Just as he was about to open fire, the people from Huaxia rushed in and slapped handcuffs on him. The local law enforcement agency arrived at the same time.

He had no chance to resist.

After the assistant was taken away, the wife rushed to grab hold of someone from the Huaxia embassy. "He has accomplices!" she said frantically. "A lot of them! It’s an organization that specializes in artifact trafficking! I have evidence, I have evidence!"

As she spoke, her husband brought over a large, organized stack of documents. "We’re sorry for the trouble," he said. "Please take these."

"And take us, too. Take us with you." The couple looked at each other. ’As long as those people are caught,’ they thought, ’a lifetime in prison would be worth it.’