"What are you going to the Tang Emperor's Mausoleum for?" Qiu Wanlan asked in surprise.

“I’m going to dig… uh, I want to pay my respects to this Western Liang male emperor,” Zhang Fan said.

“The days for ancestor worship have long passed,” Qiu Wanlan said. “Outsiders are not allowed to enter the imperial mausoleum area, let alone the Tang King’s Mausoleum.”

"Why?"

"The Qiu family follows the Tang Emperor's dying instructions. From the day the Tang Emperor's Mausoleum was closed, no outsider, including members of the Qiu family, is allowed to set foot inside," Qiu Wanlan said solemnly. "Those who violate this instruction will be disemboweled and killed!"

"Really?" Hearing his second aunt say that, Zhang Fan wanted to go to the Tang Dynasty Mausoleum to dig... and burn incense and pray.

“Young Master Zhang, the Second Miss’s words are not meant to scare you,” Butler Yu said. “Throughout history, countless desperate men have tried to steal the treasures of the Tang Dynasty’s mausoleum, but most of them were found dead in the wilderness at dawn, their bodies disemboweled and their deaths gruesome. Nowadays, no one dares to approach the Tang Dynasty’s mausoleum even once.”

The more dangerous the Tang Emperor's Mausoleum was, the more Zhang Fan felt there was something there. The ancestral precept left by the Tang Emperor after his death stipulated that outsiders, including members of the Qiu family, were not allowed to set foot inside the mausoleum.

This is interesting, because strictly speaking, I'm not a member of the Qiu family, am I? But I'm not exactly an outsider either.

After all, he and I might both be from Mars.

Since that's the case, it's inevitable that we'll have to excavate the Tang Emperor's Mausoleum and pay our respects there.

"Since it's so dangerous, let's not go." Zhang Fan stretched and said, "I'm exhausted from reading all day. I'm going back to rest."

"By the way, Second Aunt," Zhang Fan said, turning around, "I want to sleep in tomorrow, so please don't let the servants wake me up."

"OK."

Before dawn the next day, Zhang Fan packed his backpack, put his pillow under the covers to pretend he was still asleep, and then began to threaten Xiao Qing and Xiao Hong:

"I'm warning you! No matter who comes, say I'm sleeping and don't let anyone in!" Zhang Fan said fiercely.

"If anyone finds out I went out today, I'll strip you both naked and hang you on the gate of Xiliang City for all to see! Then I'll sell you to the brothel to be male porn stars!"

"Even if I'm not dried into a dried-up body, those ugly women with gaping, blood-red mouths will suck me dry!"

"Don't you guys understand? Don't you even understand human nature?"

Xiaoqing and Xiaohong nodded repeatedly, huddled together, trembling. In their hearts, Zhang Fan was already a tyrannical and cruel master, and he was truly capable of doing these things.

Zhang Fan initially wondered if he was being a little too harsh by scaring the two young men every day. But when he saw the two effeminate young men hugging each other, he was furious and all his remaining guilt vanished.

Before dawn, Zhang Fan scaled the wall and left the Qiu family's house. He rented a fine horse in the West Market, mounted it, and rode out of the city gate at the break of day, heading west towards Lingshan.

Lingshan is about 80 li west of Xiliang City.

Lingshan is not just one mountain, but a collective name for a mountain range.

At the foot of Lingshan Mountain, a stream flows through the canyon from the left, called "Panlongjian". On the right side of Lingshan Mountain, there is a stone mountain with exposed limestone strata, known as "Hujushi".

From a feng shui perspective, this place aligns with the concept of the Azure Dragon on the left and the White Tiger on the right, making it a truly auspicious location.

The emperors of the Western Liang dynasty were buried in Lingshan. As the saying goes, purple qi comes from the east. The east is the sunny side and the place with the most yang qi. Most of the imperial tombs are concentrated in the east of Lingshan, but the Tang emperors' tombs are located in the west of Lingshan.

At the foot of Lingshan Mountain, there is a stone staircase leading directly to Leiyin Temple at the top of the mountain. Although Zhang Fan also wanted to go and see it, that was not his purpose. He left the stone staircase halfway up the mountain and turned west, continuing along the mountain dirt path.

Less than a hundred meters ahead, a man holding a fan stood with his hands behind his back.

"Second...Second Aunt?" Zhang Fan panicked for a moment.

"Nephew, are you going to Leiyin Temple to burn incense and pray so early in the morning?" Qiu Wanlan asked Zhang Fan with a smile.

“Yes,” Zhang Fan explained, “I had long heard that Leiyin Temple was very popular and that all the Buddhas would grant my prayers, so I came to pay my respects.”

"Is that so?" Qiu Wanlan raised her fan and pointed forward. "Then nephew has gone the wrong way. That's the way to Leiyin Temple."

"Really?" Zhang Fan scratched his head. "It was my first time here, and I didn't know the way. I got lost without even realizing it. Thank you for your guidance, Auntie."

Zhang Fan turned around and wanted to go back the way he came; at worst, he could just go around Leiyin Temple and then come down.

"Nephew, you're going to Leiyin Temple to offer incense, why are you bringing iron shovels and pestles?"

Qiu Wanlan's voice came from behind. Zhang Fan stiffened for a moment, then turned around and said with a wry smile:

"Second Aunt is wise, so please don't tease your little nephew."

Zhang Fan sighed helplessly, "I'll head back to the Qiu family now."

“I didn’t force you to go back.” Qiu Wanlan walked closer to Zhang Fan and glanced at his backpack. “You’ve prepared everything quite well, so I don’t need to worry about it.”

"Well?"

What does this mean?

"You can't fool others with a pillow." Qiu Wanlan gave Zhang Fan a disdainful look. "I've already told the old man that you and I are leaving Xiliang City for a few days today. We'll be staying at the old house in the countryside in Qiujia Township. They don't need to worry about us."

"Thank you, Second Aunt," Zhang Fan said gratefully, but what did "we" mean?

“Let’s go then.” Qiu Wanlan led the way. “I know the way to the Tang Emperor’s Mausoleum well.”

"No." Zhang Fan caught up with Qiu Wanlan with a pained expression. "Second Aunt, are you going too?"

"It's too dangerous there. It's said that at night, blue-faced, fanged demons roam around the Tang Emperor's Mausoleum, specializing in gouging out the hearts of women. Those who die unjustly are all disemboweled, their deaths gruesome and tragic..."

Zhang Fan wanted to scare Qiu Wanlan away from following him.

"Then I won't go." Qiu Wanlan suddenly stopped.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Zhang Fan exclaimed happily, "I don't want to put my aunt in danger either."

Qiu Wanlan turned and left: "Then I'll go back and tell the old man that you're going to dig up the Qiu family's ancestral graves."

"Don't!"

Zhang Fan grabbed Qiu Wanlan's hand and helplessly admitted defeat: "Second Aunt, please lead the way."

"You begged me for this." Qiu Wanlan turned around with a smug look on her face, her steps becoming lighter.

The Tang Dynasty Mausoleum is located west of Lingshan Mountain. The entire route is a narrow dirt road with weeds growing on both sides. There are many mountain streams along the way, so horses cannot travel on it and people can only proceed on foot.

Every year when the Qiu family holds a sacrificial ceremony for their ancestors, they clear the weeds along the path to the Tang King's Mausoleum. Now, only a little over a month after the last ceremony, the weeds that have grown back on both sides are almost submerging the path again.

Qiu Wanlan changed into men's clothing today, a long shirt and trousers, which was perfect for hiking in the mountains. It seems that she had made preparations for going to the Tang Dynasty Mausoleum.

"Second Aunt, since you know what your nephew is going to do," Zhang Fan pointed to Tie Qiu on his back, "then why did you still let me go?"

After all, he wanted to dig up someone's ancestral graves, and Qiu Wanlan, as a descendant of the Qiu family, should have stopped him, right?

“The Qiu family is no longer an imperial family,” Qiu Wanlan said, turning around. “Besides, the Tang King has been dead for a thousand years, and the Qiu family actually has a lot of private disputes about this king who is not of the imperial family.”

“The fact that the Tang emperor built his mausoleum separately west of Lingshan Mountain, far from the imperial mausoleum in the eastern suburbs, may well have been intended to keep him away from criticism.”

The Eastern Suburbs Imperial Mausoleum is located east of Lingshan Mountain. All the emperors of the Western Liang Women's Kingdom were buried here. The mausoleum is guarded day and night by dedicated tomb keepers, so there is no need to worry about thieves robbing the tombs. There is also Leiyin Temple standing on it, which is very popular and attracts a lot of tourists.

Conversely, the Tang Emperor's Mausoleum stands alone to the west of Lingshan Mountain, and the Tang Emperor left a decree that members of the Qiu family and outsiders were not allowed to enter. Therefore, even the Qiu family only approached the Tang Emperor's Mausoleum when they offered sacrifices to their ancestors each year, and they always left before sunset.

Zhang Fan and Qiu Wanlan headed to the Tang Dynasty Mausoleum at midday, the time when the yang energy was at its strongest and the sun was at its most intense.

On the western slope of Lingshan Mountain, there is a canyon called "Folichong". The forest is lush and the trees block out the sun. Even at noon, you can still feel a cool breeze in it.

"After passing through Folichong, you'll reach Meishuangping ahead." Qiu Wanlan pointed into the distance, "Do you see that round hill? That's where the Tang Emperor's Mausoleum is located."

Click!

There was a crisp sound underfoot. Zhang Fan looked up and saw that he had broken a piece of bone.

The closer they got to the Tang Emperor's Mausoleum, the denser the pile of bones on the ground became. Zhang Fan was already used to it, and even picked up a leg bone from the ground to examine it closely.

"What are you doing with that thing?" Qiu Wanlan felt a chill run down her spine when she saw Zhang Fan admiring the half-bones bone for a long time. She scolded him, "Don't be so careless! Don't let it bring bad luck. Put it back right now!"

“Look.” Zhang Fan not only didn’t put down the bone in his hand, but instead brought it closer to Qiu Wanlan, startling her. “This bone was cut off from both sides, and the cut surface is flat, looking like it was snapped with pliers.”

"Don't scare me." Qiu Wanlan felt a chill run down her spine, and her eyes darted around involuntarily. "Could...could there really be a Yaksha demon?"

"There are no ghosts in the world, you have to believe in science." This time, Zhang Fan led the way towards Xiaoyuanshan. "Put on this mask, be careful, there may be miasma in the dense forest."

Walking through the dense forest, with waist-high weeds underfoot, there was nowhere to put your feet.

puff!

"oops!"

Qiu Wanlan's legs went weak, and she screamed as she jumped away in terror.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Fan stopped and turned to look at Qiu Wanlan.

"Um, um..." Qiu Wanlan stammered, pointing to Zhang Fan's feet.

Zhang Fan looked down and saw a corpse at his feet. Unlike the skeleton in front of him, this corpse was relatively fresh, with rotting flesh still clinging to the bones.

Judging from the appearance of the corpse, it looked as if it had been cut in half at the waist by something, and the internal organs in the abdomen had been emptied out. Just now, Qiu Wanlan stepped on it, which crushed the chest cavity.

Zhang Fan stared at the severed opening in the corpse's abdomen, lost in thought for a long time.

"Let's go, we might see an old friend this time."

"Don't scare me." Qiu Wanlan nervously pulled Zhang Fan's arm and walked alongside him.

It seems that even in the Western Liang, where men are inferior to women, women still have things they should fear.

"How come you don't seem afraid of these things at all?"

"Because I know a spell," Zhang Fan said with a smile. "Just by silently reciting it in my heart, I can make all evil spirits retreat."

"That powerful?" Qiu Wanlan stared wide-eyed, her face full of disbelief. "It can't be one of those old Taoist priests' tricks, can it? Don't try to fool me. Every year, the Qiu family drives away a few old Taoist priests who are trying to scam people out of food and drink."

"They're nothing! This incantation of mine is a forbidden technique. As soon as I utter it, all demons and monsters will have to retreat in fear!"

"Second Aunt, do you want to learn?"

"Tell me quickly!" Qiu Wanlan was furious at Zhang Fan's smug and secretive attitude.

"Then listen carefully!"

"Hey!"

"Prosperity, democracy, civility, and harmony"

Freedom, equality, justice, and the rule of law

Patriotism, dedication, integrity, friendliness...