Putting other things aside, just considering Empress Dowager He's private treasury—
Wow, piles and piles of gold and silver jewelry;
Antiques, calligraphy, paintings, and precious herbs, filling box after box;
And some noble families destroyed in the chaos of war, or large families rescued by the "Righteous Army," their collections, ancient books, nearly all ended up in Empress Dowager He's hands.
Rows of bamboo slips, rolls of embroidered books, many solitary and rare editions said to have been burned in the flames of war are actually treasured by Empress Dowager He.
When Wang Liulang agreed to Empress Dowager He's invitation, as a renowned scholar to take the role of Director of Bowen Academy, there was an amusing story circulating—
The Pre-Qin Treasure that Wang Liulang yearned for most, he had traveled far and wide for years but never found it.
