Chapter 673: Opening the Coffin! The Social Death of the Empress
The tombs of the emperors of the Dayu Dynasty are all located in the "Beiling", which is located north of the imperial palace, past the Houhu Lake, and then northeast for a while.
The tomb of Emperor Taizu of the Yu Kingdom is located in the deepest part of this mausoleum.
Under the night.
Zhang Yan waved his sleeves, rode on the blue cloud, picked up his two disciples and Zhao Duan, and rose into the sky together in the night, crossed the city wall, and headed straight for the mausoleum.
Considering that what they were going to do tonight was really shameful, the group deliberately waited in the Tianshi Mansion for an hour or two. It was not until late at night when everything was quiet that they actually set off.
"call--"
The night breeze blows on my face.
Soon, a group of four people descended from the sky, floated silently into the core area of Beiling, and landed on the tiles of a roof.
The emperor's mausoleum is a huge cemetery, and there are special government offices around Taizu's mausoleum that are responsible for guarding the mausoleum.
But now it was too late, and the officials in Beiling had all gone to bed, so only a few lights were on in the yard.
However, from this position, you can clearly see in the distance that there are patrolling soldiers on the city wall near the mausoleum, and the flames of their torches have licked several holes in the thick night.
The clouds in the sky covered the stars, and the sounds of some unknown birds could be heard in the silent night.
"The Emperor Taizu's Tomb is just ahead."
Zhang Yan stood with his hands behind his back, his black priest robe blending into the night.
Zhao Duan steadied himself on the tiles and lowered his voice:
"No...I mean, aren't we being too high-profile?"
Zhang Yan rolled his eyes and said calmly:
"Don't worry, I've already cast a deception. The guards here are just ordinary soldiers, so this deception is enough. The real protection of the imperial mausoleum is the mechanism and even the magic array inside the mausoleum."
Jin Jian held the staff in one hand and furtively pushed the lens of his glasses with the other, whispering:
"How do we get down?"
Zhao Duan had a plan for this problem, and now he said confidently:
"First of all, we're only here to investigate, not to rob the tomb... Also, what happened tonight can't be known to outsiders, so forcing our way in by force is not an option.
Secondly, after the burial, the tomb was completely sealed and there was no so-called door.
So my idea is to use teleportation to get past the surface soil and into the underground tomb passage or chamber, and then eliminate the mechanism... Anyway, if we make some noise inside, no one outside will know."
Zhang Yanyi didn't comment, but squinted his eyes and calculated for a moment and said:
"There is a magic array blocking the outer layer of this mausoleum, but with me here, I can naturally protect you from passing through this array."
pretty!
Zhao Duan turned his head to look at the golden tablet again. The young priestess puffed out her chest and said:
"I can teleport you, but..."
She looked a little embarrassed and tangled:
"But I can't guarantee where it will randomly appear. I can only give a general direction."
Zhao Duan smiled and said:
"It's okay. Although the structure of the tomb is different, there must be a lot of space underground. You can use your senses later. Even if we appear in the mud, with our cultivation level, we can instantly squeeze the mud and expand a small space."
Gongshu Tianyuan next to him was already ready to fight. The fat face of this priest from the path of [God of Craftsmanship] had raised eyebrows.
He did not carry his big bamboo tube tonight, but a treasure chest instead. At this moment, the short and fat priest put the treasure chest on the ground, opened the lid, took out two shovels like a magic trick, and threw them to Zhao Duan and Jin Jian respectively.
He also carried a handful on his shoulders and said with a smile:
"I can't say anything else, but I'll take care of dismantling the mechanisms in the tomb. Take these shovels, and follow my instructions once you're inside."
It's a great pleasure to finally be able to display one's talents and realize one's ambitions.
Professional matters should be left to professionals. On the basis of not destroying the mausoleum violently, tonight's action must indeed follow the command of Gongshu Tianyuan.
Zhao Duan took the shovel and looked at the team with emotion, feeling that they were truly "full of talented people"...
"In that case, let's prepare for action, Heavenly Master." Zhao Duan looked at Zhang Yanyi.
The old Taoist priest looked like a master, and nodded slightly. Then he raised his hand, as if preparing to wave it gently.
According to the plan, the soldiers standing guard on the distant city wall will fall into the illusion at the same time.
A few people took the opportunity to enter and then lifted the illusion after they left. Even if someone noticed something suspicious, it would be impossible to open the tomb to confirm it.
"Let's go, we're going to the top of the mausoleum." Several people were about to set off with shovels.
At this moment, the old Taoist priest's ears suddenly moved, his face changed slightly, he interrupted the spell, grabbed Zhao Duan's sleeve, and whispered:
"Someone's coming! Hide first!"
Zhao Duan was suddenly shocked!
The few people who had done something wrong quickly hid on the other side of the roof, lay down, and held onto the roof with their hands. They only carefully stuck their heads out and looked towards the south of the cemetery.
Sure enough, there was a noise outside the mausoleum. It turned out to be a group of soldiers and officials guarding the outer perimeter of the North Mausoleum, escorting a carriage to the archway of the "Ancestral Mausoleum".
Suddenly, the clerks stationed in the ancestral mausoleum woke up, holding lanterns and pushing open the door. Rubbing their sleepy eyes, they opened the door and were suddenly startled:
"Sir, may I ask what happened?"
An elderly female official from the Yangxin Palace stood beside the carriage, shook the gold medal in her hand, and said calmly:
"Zhao Shaobao has come to the ancestral mausoleum tonight on an important matter. This is a personal order from Your Majesty. Seeing it is like seeing Your Majesty."
A group of minor officials guarding the mausoleum were shocked and knelt down in a hurry:
"I didn't know the young master was coming. We are sorry for not welcoming you..."
The curtain of the carriage opened, and a figure in a black cloak slowly walked out. Under the loose cloak was the cold face of "Zhao Duan". He nodded arrogantly and said:
"I have something important to attend to. Please leave the cemetery immediately."
“…Yes, sir!”
A group of officials hesitated for a moment, but thinking of Zhao Duan's identity as the emperor's husband, they quickly agreed, stood up immediately, and walked out one by one.
Someone also ran back and called down the soldiers who were standing guard on the city wall.
Soon, even the palace guards and ladies-in-waiting who had come with the carriage were withdrawn outside.
…
The back of the roof.
The few people who were lying down and peeping were stunned, and all looked at Zhao Duan who also had a confused look on his face.
Gongshu Tianyuan's expression changed, and he stared at Zhao Duan warily:
"Brother Zhao...are you...real?"
Zhao Duan almost burst into curses and glared at him fiercely:
"If I were to pretend, could I escape the Heavenly Master's eyes?"
Zhang Yan was greatly benefited from it.
Jin Jian lowered his voice and said:
"So what's up with that guy pretending to be you?"
How the hell should I know... Zhao Duan's mind was in a mess. He held his breath and continued to peek.
At this time, as a group of people withdrew, only "Zhao Duan" was left standing next to the carriage under the archway.
Then, "Zhao Duan's" figure suddenly changed, becoming that of a woman, and his facial features also adjusted, becoming the appearance of Xu Zhenguan.
Gongshu Tianyuan widened his eyes:
"It's the puppet I created... Your Majesty... Wuwu!"
Zhao Duan suddenly covered his mouth, and then, under the shocked gaze of the four tomb robbers, the empress sneaked back into the carriage, as if to get something.
When she came out again, she had a sturdy shovel in her hand...
The four tomb robbers: "..."
Under the cover of night, the empress walked into the yard alone, carrying a shovel.
Xu Zhenguan's expression was a little nervous. On the one hand, it was because she was just a puppet at the moment. Apart from using the puppet to change her appearance and perform some shallow martial arts, there was not much she could do.
On the other hand, as a contemporary emperor, the fact that he secretly dug up the graves of his own ancestors undoubtedly caused considerable pressure on the empress's mind.
In fact, Xu Zhenguan also hesitated for a long time before finally choosing to come here.
Are our ancestors not dead?
This speculation is too tempting and too important.
After Xu Zhenguan left the Zhao Mansion, she was torn between inner and outer feelings. In the end, she, a rebellious descendant herself, quietly made the next decision, which was to take a look secretly and confirm...
"Don't blame me, my ancestors. This unworthy descendant, Zhenguan, was forced to resort to this desperate measure for the sake of the Great Yu Kingdom and the eternal legacy of our royal family..."
"Descendants promise to only take a look and never disturb our ancestors' rest..."
At this moment, Xu Zhenguan had completely lost the majesty of an emperor. He was holding a shovel and acting sneakily, just like a naughty child.
Finally, Xu Zhenguan climbed up the stairs to the city wall and quickly walked along the parapet to the location of the mausoleum cover near the ancestral tomb.
However, at this moment, the spiritual sense that belonged to the Emperor of Heaven and Man in her body took effect. Xu Zhenguan's eyes suddenly became sharp. She turned her head almost instantly, staring at the direction of the roof not far away, and shouted sternly:
"who!?"
The scolding was not loud, but it made the four people's faces change.
The four of them exchanged glances. Zhang Yan shook his head, saying that although he could cast a spell, the Empress's eyesight would definitely tell it was him...
"Get out of here! How dare you, a scoundrel, trespass into the royal territory!" The empress held a shovel, her eyebrows raised, and she felt murderous.
After a brief silence.
Behind the roof, four guys, also holding shovels, stood up silently.
The five people exchanged glances, and the air instantly became quiet.
Zhao Duan clearly saw that under the cover of night, the empress's face was angry and vigilant from the beginning, with a murderous look.
First he was stunned, then astonished, then incredulous, and finally his face turned pale, and he subconsciously hid the shovel in his hand behind his back.
silence.
Silence is Cambridge tonight.
After a while, Zhao Duan finally broke the silence with a shameless face:
"Your Majesty, what a coincidence..."
Xu Zhenguan's face was filled with shame and indignation, and she felt ashamed. She gritted her teeth and said:
"Zhao! Du! An!"
…
…
A moment later.
On the extremely quiet rooftop, the three masters and apprentices from the Tianshi Mansion stood alone in the distance, not saying a word, their eyes drifting towards the city wall opposite from time to time.
On the top of the city wall, the empress was sitting with her back to the crowd, gritting her teeth. Zhao Duan was next to her, lowering his voice and explaining with saliva flying:
"...In short, this is what happened. No matter how wrong I am, it's all my fault. I know this is extremely disrespectful, but for the sake of our Great Yu Kingdom and the eternal legacy of our royal family, I have no choice but to resort to this desperate measure... I promise to only take a look and absolutely not disturb our ancestors' rest..."
The empress stared at him expressionlessly, her tone dark:
"You're using my words!"
Huh? Really? No wonder it feels familiar... Zhao Duan was extremely embarrassed. He explained:
"I... I was worried that Your Majesty, as a descendant of the royal family, would have difficulty making a decision, so I just took the liberty of doing this. It's all right this way..."
The Empress' tone became increasingly cold, even tinged with a hint of complaint:
"Do you think I'm unreasonable and want you to bear the blame for my own reputation as an emperor so I can preserve my own?"
"No, no, no, Your Majesty is a sage king throughout history, absolutely not..."
The empress said:
"Do you think I haven't considered this? Since this involves our royal ancestors and is a matter of my royal family, I naturally have no choice but to take care of it. I won't delegate it to anyone else."
"Yes, yes, that's why His Majesty came in person and didn't pretend to be anyone."
"..." The empress stretched out her hand angrily and twisted Zhao Duan's thigh fiercely, causing him to grimace in pain.
"I didn't say anything..."
Another while passed.
Zhang Yanyi, his master and his apprentice just saw the emperor and his minister approaching. The empress looked calm and composed, as if nothing had happened before. She looked at Zhang Yanyi calmly, nodded, and said softly:
"Master Zhang is also working tirelessly."
This is a bit ironic...
Zhang Yan was a little embarrassed for a moment. After all, as one of the most powerful magicians in the world, and a god-like existence in the eyes of the world, he came to dig up people's ancestral graves in the middle of the night and was caught. This was undoubtedly a huge black history.
He could only keep a straight face, look away, and reluctantly say:
"Your Majesty, it's getting late. Let's get down to business."
Jin Jian and Gongshu Tianyuan also nodded frantically.
The empress sighed softly and did not continue to argue. To put it bluntly, both sides had lost face in tonight's incident. If either side leaked this matter, their image would collapse.
In a sense, the two sides reached a kind of "mutual deterrence", which in turn ensured that neither side would tell the matter.
After realizing this, the Empress seemed to have forgotten her previous unhappiness and nodded:
"Then let's go down together. It's just right. With you here, I can save some energy."
Zhao Duan nodded and hurriedly repeated his plan.
After the empress finished listening, she suddenly reached into her sleeve and took out a blueprint, saying:
"This is the blueprint from when the imperial mausoleum was built. We can proceed according to it."
Zhao Duan's eyes lit up. With the blueprint, it was obviously much more efficient than groping around randomly.
Immediately, everyone took action.
Jin Jian cast the spell first, found the location according to the blueprint, and opened a full moon.
Zhang Yan cast a spell, temporarily sealing the formation inside the imperial mausoleum.
The five-member team entered the full moon and soon appeared in an underground tomb passage.
Jin Jian used his staff as a torch for lighting.
Next, Gongshu Tianyuan used the blueprints to dismantle the mechanisms inside the tomb using the methods of a craftsman.
The journey was smooth and unobstructed, and soon the group arrived at the main tomb and saw the huge coffin placed in the tomb.
"Your Majesty..." Zhao Duan looked at the empress: "Are you coming in person?"
Xu Zhenguan took a deep breath and nodded. She handed him the shovel, first bowed seriously to the ancestors, then opened the coffins one by one and placed her hands on the coffin lids inside.
Everyone gathered around the coffin, holding their breath. Jin Jian held the staff that released light, his face tense.
There was a moment of silence.
"My descendants are unfilial!" Xu Zhenguan gritted his teeth, closed his eyes, and forcefully opened the coffin that had been sealed in dust for six hundred years!
"Bang!"
The coffin lid was opened, and dust spread out first. Then, everyone looked inside the coffin at the same time.
Then his expression changed at the same time.
The coffin was empty.
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
