Chapter 965 Burning Books and Burying Scholars Alive
The circular hall, which had been closed for who knows how many years, was roughly illuminated by a few torches.
The hall was empty, giving it an eerie and desolate feel, but the lifelike tomb murals on the surrounding walls were rich in content, with figures one after another, making it seem slightly crowded.
At this moment, Ouyang Rong had already viewed two-thirds of the tomb paintings and stopped in front of a seemingly "ordinary" one.
He kept his head tilted back, examining the tomb painting with exceptional care, so engrossed that he didn't even hear Miaosi's soft calls from behind, which made the latter a little uneasy.
"Little Rongzi, are you possessed by a ghost? Don't scare me like that! If you don't turn around, this fairy is going to run away..."
The dull-witted young man in front of the mural ignored him.
The mural in front of us was painted without any colored paint. It depicts a palace in the dead of night, and there is only one figure, a man in a crown, sitting on a throne. Therefore, most of the painting is outlined with black paint and blank space. Even the body of the man in the crown is only depicted with a few strokes.
However, it is immediately apparent to anyone outside the painting that he is sitting in the center of the tomb painting, which is also the highest position in the center of the palace.
These tomb paintings are like comic strips; each painting is a still image, and this particular painting is nothing special.
But Ouyang Rong didn't know why either.
There was an indescribable feeling in my heart that made me stop here.
A certain intuition seemed to be subtly reminding him that this painting was quite special.
Ouyang Rong decided to follow his instincts and continue observing.
For a moment, I was so engrossed in gazing at it that I became quite lost in thought.
The man in the tomb painting, dressed in a crown, sits alone on a high throne, with no one else around. He seems to be silently gazing at the empty palace before him.
The scene gradually exudes a strange sense of loneliness.
Moreover, Ouyang Rong quickly understood some of the clues.
He remembered that in all the tomb paintings he had looked at before, this man in ceremonial robes always had someone by his side.
Including the painting before that, there are fewer people, but there are also little green figures.
In places where there are people, and in all the tomb paintings before him, the aura he exudes is that of an undisputed leader, making it clear at a glance that he is the king.
However, the tomb mural depicting this scene shows no other figures besides the man in the imperial robes.
Ouyang Rong searched the area with his eyes, but indeed he did not see a single palace servant.
This is definitely the first pair.
What does this mean?
Is it simply a waste of ink?
Or perhaps, what meaning did the painter of the tomb mural in the hall intend to express?
So, is it the loneliness of an emperor? Or something else entirely?
Or perhaps it's related to the whispered words of the little green figure in the previous painting?
Ouyang Rong pondered for a moment, then reluctantly withdrew his gaze, no longer "meeting" the lonely man in the imperial robes in the painting, and turned to continue forward.
Miao Si rode the white sturgeon and followed, saying with satisfaction:
"Little Rongzi, I was so scared just now, I thought you were possessed... Hmm, is there something wrong with that painting? Could there be some kind of mechanism?"
Ouyang Rong shook his head and remained silent.
He carried a spirit and a fish, and continued down the path.
The subsequent tomb paintings were all unremarkable, depicting the "ordinary" lives of emperors.
Having seen the murals before, especially those depicting the solitary lives of men in ceremonial robes after "unifying the world," Ouyang Rong was quite familiar with this.
But soon, after walking only a few steps, Ouyang Rong saw the little green man again...
In one scene, the courtiers appear to be arguing fiercely, especially the Confucian scholars wearing official hats... This group is quite large, occupying many positions in the court... Previously, when the man in the official robes was injured, there were also many people surrounding him, far more than the green figures.
However, the argument in the hall was soon brought to an end. The man in the imperial robes, surrounded by a crowd of people, seemed to have issued some kind of order, which was then transmitted to all parts of the country... because Ouyang Rong saw the black-clad officials stationed in various places kneeling before the messenger to receive the decree... they must have received the message.
Soon, in the next painting, a large number of small green figures appeared. Their green color varied in shade and came from all directions and all over the world. They eventually gathered in the capital city where the man in the crowned robes was located, surrounding his palace.
In the next tomb mural, many craftsmen were recruited from all over the country and gathered together, along with countless densely packed laborers... They were moving timber and building ships.
The intention was quite obvious. Ouyang Rong also saw that there were craftsmen and laborers behind them opening up mountains and digging rivers, and even hollowing out a huge mountain. He didn't know what they were doing.
While the craftsmen and laborers were working, a group of small green figures stood on high places, looking down at them. Some of them pointed and made noises, and it was unclear what they were directing, but it was probably related to what they were doing.
Soon, strange buildings rose from the flat ground. They were strange because the tomb paintings depicted them in a somewhat impressionistic and abstract style, as the painters cherished their brushstrokes and strived for simplicity.
Ouyang Rong tried to make out the details. In the "strange building," there seemed to be a very high platform with something resembling an armillary sphere on it, which appeared to be used to observe celestial phenomena.
In addition, there are three-legged, double-eared objects that resemble tripods. Besides these, there also seem to be alchemy furnaces. These are relatively easy to identify because you can see piles of firewood burning brightly under these furnaces in the tomb paintings.
The little green people swarmed and occupied these strange buildings, or rather, they were built for them.
Among these, alchemy furnaces are probably the most numerous, occupying half of the area in the tomb mural... More than half of the green figures are engaged in alchemy.
Ouyang Rong pursed his lips and moved his gaze to the next painting.
Black-clad officials from all over the land appeared to be searching for something within their territories. Soon, a steady stream of boxes were being transported to the capital by black-clad elite soldiers.
They appeared to be materials for alchemy and were sent to the alchemy furnaces.
Ouyang Rong stopped again and examined the painting carefully. He saw some small green figures in the painting with bare chests and breasts, looking somewhat crazy. He wondered if they had taken the wrong medicine. There were also small green figures lying on the ground next to them.
In addition, Ouyang Rong saw a disturbing scene: small green figures seemed to be throwing some "animals" into the furnace, including two-legged "animals" that looked like humans. He wondered if they were using living people to refine elixirs.
In addition, there are brushstrokes in some corners of the painting that resemble severed limbs and crying children, which are easy to miss if you don't look carefully.
Ouyang Rong suddenly took a step back, as if trying to see the whole picture of the tomb painting in front of him.
As if summoned, the white sturgeon swam up, its shimmering white light reflecting off the wall.
All that could be seen in the tomb mural was shrouded in wisps of white smoke, neither cloud nor mist.
The smoke must have come from the countless alchemy furnaces below, rendering the entire painting, making it resemble both a misty fairyland and something else entirely.
Ouyang Rong vaguely understood the painter's intention in this brushstroke.
"Little Rongzi."
Having observed this far, even the carefree and clever Miaosi roughly understood something, and muttered to himself:
"Aren't these little green men just sorcerers? They like to concoct elixirs and seek immortality, always doing all sorts of mystical stuff..."
Ouyang Rong withdrew his gaze, remained silent, and continued walking forward.
In the tomb mural behind, the man in the ceremonial robes reappears, pacing back and forth in the palace. Scattered objects are around him, as if they have been overturned, and there seems to be a person lying on the ground... Many people are kneeling at the palace gate, led by several small green figures, followed by civil officials, scholars, palace servants, and soldiers.
In the next tomb painting, the scene shifts to the palace where the man in the ceremonial robes is located. Envoys are frequently dispatched, leading black-clad elite soldiers to the place where the alchemy furnaces are gathered, as if urging something.
The scene gradually became chaotic.
The alchemy furnace continued to emit white smoke day and night, but green figures kept running away and abandoning the furnace. In addition, some green figures seemed to be captured and were being beheaded on the spot by black-clad warriors... The whole scene was chaotic, giving people a sense of restlessness and rage.
Ouyang Rong remained calm, his steps unwavering, his gaze fixed on the next tomb painting.
The scene returns to the tall palace, its doors tightly shut, and the figure of the man in ceremonial robes is nowhere to be seen, as if he were hidden inside and not depicted.
However, a large group of people were kneeling at the foot of the long steps outside the palace. The most numerous of them were small green figures, which were very conspicuous and made up almost half of the group. They were also the ones who led the kneeling.
Ouyang Rong glanced around briefly, and was about to look away when he suddenly looked back at the kneeling crowd outside the hall.
He noticed two figures who were not kneeling.
It looks like he's standing up.
However, because these two figures were also painted with green paint, they blended into the surrounding "green" and almost blinded people.
Ouyang Rong approached and examined him carefully.
I could see clearly the two standing green figures; they were standing at the front of the crowd.
Moreover, the green paint on these two figures is quite deep, appearing somewhat eerie compared to the green figures beside them. It's unclear whether it was painted casually or with a deeper meaning.
One of them was a small, eerie green figure with a pointed head, wearing a tall hat.
Ouyang Rong suddenly remembered that this outfit seemed to be the same green figure that had whispered in the ear of the man in the crown in the palace late at night, except that the green of this figure was now a bit darker.
Ouyang Rong shifted his gaze to the other person.
This standing, eerie green figure is dressed in an even more interesting way.
He appeared to be wearing a hat and... a scholar's robe, but his features were not clearly visible.
Judging from his attire, he should be a Confucian scholar, but he was wearing green paint.
Ouyang Rong raised an eyebrow slightly and looked at him a few more times.
If not for careful observation, Ouyang Rong would have almost missed noticing that the Confucian scholar in the tomb mural was also depicted with green paint.
Ouyang Rong scanned the area again, confirming that only the two eerie green figures were standing abnormally, while everyone else was kneeling outside the hall.
He immediately looked at the next picture.
The scene remained the same: outside the hall where the man in the ceremonial robes stood, the same group of people were still kneeling.
However, the two eerie green figures in the previous picture have disappeared.
In addition, there was another difference: the palace gates had been opened from the inside.
If I'm not mistaken, those two eerie green figures went in to meet the man in the imperial robes.
The next painting changes the scene once again.
It seems to be on the banks of a great river, where craftsmen and laborers have gathered again to build a large ship together.
This ship seemed to be of great importance, guarded by a dense array of black-clad elite soldiers. In addition, several teams of palace servants stretched out from afar, carrying large boxes aboard. The boxes appeared to come from all over the country and seemed to contain rare and precious treasures...
In addition, the bodies of some laborers were floating in the river, their fate unknown.
Ouyang Rong looked down.
In the next painting, the large ship should be completed, the craftsmen and laborers have all disappeared, and the ship is heavily guarded.
This was the first time Ouyang Rong had ever seen a man in imperial robes leave the palace and the capital and come to this large ship on the riverbank.
Behind him stood two figures in dark green, standing respectfully.
It was the same scholar in dark green and the man in the tall hat with a pointed head who had been standing there earlier.
The two seemed to be introducing something to the man in the ceremonial robes.
The man in the imperial robes tilted his head slightly, looking at the large ship laden with treasures in front of him, and pointed with a hint of satisfaction.
Behind the three, besides the black-clad warriors protecting them, stood a large group of green-clad figures and Confucian scholars.
Ouyang Rong continued looking back.
As expected, the large ship had already left, its silhouette receding into the distance, seemingly heading east.
At the bow of the large ship stood two conspicuous figures in dark green: a scholar in dark green and a man with a tall hat and pointed head.
The two men were carrying a ship full of rare and precious treasures, but their purpose was unknown.
On the shore behind them, a man in imperial robes was leading a large procession to personally see them off.
Ouyang Rong squinted at the scene before moving on to the next painting.
The later tomb paintings became much calmer, mostly depicting men in ceremonial robes going on tours.
However, as he continued browsing, he noticed that the man in the ceremonial robes was gradually becoming hunched over, as if he were aging, and there were also scenes of him lying in bed from time to time.
Even the black paint used to depict his body on the tomb mural has become increasingly pale, like a brush with ink almost used up, showing signs of drying out.
A considerable amount of time must have passed since that large ship was sent away.
The large ship laden with rare treasures and the two eerie green figures have yet to return.
Ouyang Rong had a vague premonition of something, and finally, he came to a tomb painting and slowly stopped.
He turned his head to look.
He saw flames, flames covering the entire wall.
Flames that filled the entire tomb mural!
The heat of the flames seemed to penetrate the tomb painting, burning one's eyes. Ouyang Rong subconsciously squinted and leaned back slightly.
The flames in the tomb painting were outlined with dark yellow paint.
Amidst the overwhelming flames, Ouyang Rong recognized many familiar objects, all of which he had seen in the tomb paintings earlier:
Alchemy furnace, armillary sphere, large ship, bamboo slips, and... people.
In the center of this tomb painting is a huge pit filled with human figures, and many more figures in the air are falling into the pit.
The figures that fell into the pit were all acquaintances.
The largest group consisted of those little green figures, followed by Confucian scholars! Accompanying the two into the fire pit were scriptures, bamboo slips, and various elixirs and medicines.
Everything from the past has been buried in the flames!
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
