The Emperor's Tomb Read Online Free PDF Page A

item caught Ni's attention--a small ladle balanced on a smooth bronze plate upon which he noticed engravings.
    "The compass," Pau said. "Conceived by the Chinese 2,500 years ago. The ladle is carved from magnetic lodestone and always comes to rest facing south. While Western man was barely capable of existing, the Chinese learned how to navigate with this device."
    "All of this belongs to the People's Republic," Ni said.
    "To the contrary. I saved this from the People's Republic."
    He was tiring of the game. "Say what you mean, old man."
    "During our glorious Cultural Revolution I once watched as a 2,000-year-old corpse, discovered in perfect condition at Changsha, was tossed by soldiers into the sun to rot, while peasants threw stones at it. That was the fate of millions of our cultural objects. Imagine the scientific and historical information lost from such foolishness."
    He cautioned himself not to listen too closely to Pau's talk. As he'd taught his subordinates, good investigators never allowed themselves to be swayed by an interrogee.
    His host motioned to a wooden and brass abacus. "That is 1,500 years old, used in a bank or an office as a calculator. The West had no idea of such a device until many centuries later. The decimal system, the zero, negative numbers, fractions, the value of pi. These concepts--everything in this room--all were first conceived by the Chinese."
    "How do you know this?" Ni asked.
    "It's our history. Unfortunately, our glorious emperors and Mao's People's Revolution rewrote the past to suit their needs. We Chinese have little idea from where we came, or what we accomplished."
    "And you know?"
    "Look over there, Minister."
    He saw what looked like a printer's plate, characters ready to be inked on paper.
    "Movable type was invented in China in 1045 CE, long before Gutenberg duplicated the feat in Germany. We also developed paper before the West. The seismograph, the parachute, the rudder, masts and sailing, all of these first came from China." Pau swept his arms out, encompassing the room. "This is our heritage."
    Ni clung to the truth. "You are still a thief."
    Pau shook his head. "Minister, my thievery is not what brings you here. I've been honest with you. So tell me, why have you come?"
    Abruptness was another known Pau trait, used to command a conversation by controlling its direction. Since Ni was tired of the banter, he glanced around, hoping to spot the artifact. As described, it stood about three centimeters tall and five centimeters long, combining a dragon's head on a tiger's body with the wings of a phoenix. Crafted of bronze, it had been found in a 3rd century BCE tomb.
    "Where is the dragon lamp?"
    A curious look spread across Pau's wrinkled face. "She asked the same thing."
    Not the answer he expected. "She?"
    "A woman. Spanish, with a touch of Moroccan, I believe. Quite the beauty. But impatient, like you."
    "Who?"
    "Cassiopeia Vitt."
    Now he wanted to know, "And what did you tell her?"
    "I showed her the lamp." Pau pointed at a table toward the far end of the hall. "It sat right there. Quite precious. I found it in a tomb, from the time of the First Emperor. Discovered in ... 1978, I believe. I brought the lamp, and all these items, with me when I left China in 1987."
    "Where is the lamp now?"
    "Miss Vitt wanted to purchase it. She offered an impressive price, and I was tempted, but said no."
    He waited for an answer.
    "She produced a gun and stole it from me. I had no choice. I am but an old man, living here alone."
    That he doubted. "A wealthy old man."
    Pau smiled. "Life has been kind to me. Has it to you, Minister?"
    "When was she here?" he asked.
    "Two days past."
    He needed to find this woman. "Did she say anything about herself?"
    Pau shook his head. "Just pointed her gun, took the lamp, and left."
    A disturbing and unexpected development. But not insurmountable. She could be found.
    "You came all this way for that lamp?" Pau asked. "Tell me, does it relate to your