Chapter 38
Since there were delicious melons to eat every day, everyone rushed to the enclosure with great joy.
After a night's rest, the next day is the official autumn hunting.
The autumn hunt was held every three years. Not all officials were eligible to participate, and many officials had to remain in the capital.
This is Chu Huan's first time participating.
She had no interest in hunting. She could ride a horse but was not very good at it. She could shoot at a target but was not good at hitting moving prey while riding a horse.
So she had no intention of participating in the alternative martial arts exam with the people who had been preparing for three years, she just wanted to...
Chu Hua: [Tong'er, are you ready? Let's go find the treasure together later!]
System: [Get ready! There are many small animals and large beasts here. Be careful later. I will remind you at any time.]
Jinyiwei:???
Others: ???
Wait, what are you two going to do?
Could it be the treasure they thought it was? Could it be that the treasure of the previous dynasty was hidden near the enclosure?
Ahhh, why were you so caught off guard!
The Jinyiwei urgently passed the news on, and the emperor, who was preparing to give his opening speech, was completely stunned.
When did the system say that the treasure of the previous dynasty was in the enclosure?
Ever since Chu Huan bound herself to the system, the Jinyiwei has been hiding in the dark and no relevant news has been heard.
Never mind, let’s talk about other things later, the treasure is more important.
The emperor quickly arranged for people to protect Chu Huan, both openly and secretly, and sent a team of Jinyiwei and guards to follow her from a distance. After the treasure was discovered, a large number of people would go to dig and transport it.
Half an hour later, everyone gathered near the pre-built platform, waiting for the autumn hunt to begin.
On the high platform sat the emperor, empress, and favored concubines. On one side of the platform sat the princes, princes, and other royal relatives, and on the other side sat important court officials such as the old Grand Tutor and the old Grand Preceptor. Behind them were many civil and military officials arranged according to their official ranks.
The vast open space in front of the platform was filled with energetic students.
Some of them are lean, while others have strong muscles. Each of them carries a longbow and a quiver on his waist, like an arrow ready to be shot out of the bow.
The Emperor said: "You are all talented individuals who will become pillars of the Great Sheng State. Today, we are taking the opportunity of the Autumn Hunt to showcase your skills. The top five will be rewarded based on the total number of prey taken over the past three days..."
After briefly explaining the rules and the rewards for the top five finishers, the emperor gave the order: "Autumn Hunt, begin!"
"Boom boom boom--" the dense sound of drums rang out.
"Woo woo woo--" the horns blew continuously.
The students had been preparing for three years or even longer to become military officers. As soon as they heard the news, they hurriedly stepped on the stirrups and mounted their horses, rushing towards the woods one after another.
Chu Huan set out later than the other students. Judging from her unfamiliarity with riding a horse, it was obvious that she didn't ride very often.
Jia Yi and Cai Gang followed closely on both sides on horseback, feeling very worried: given Chu Huan's poor riding skills, it would be fine if she rode slowly, but if she rode too fast, something could easily go wrong.
In addition to the embroidered spring swords for close combat, they also brought bows and arrows and flares for long-range attacks - in case of an accident, the Jinyiwei, guards, and military generals lurking in groups near and far would rush to help as soon as possible.
Chu Huan was chatting privately with the system: [Tong'er, how many people are there?]
System: [Two nearby, thirty-six within fifty meters, one hundred and twenty-six beyond fifty meters, and more even further away. Some are exploring the way ahead, and some are driving away wild animals.]
[The Emperor even sent a secret guard to secretly protect you. He's really worried that you'll die before you find the treasure of the previous dynasty.]
Chu Hua: [I'm also afraid that you'll disappear after I die.]
So far, her personal value is far less than the system's intelligence detection capabilities - cowpox, penicillin, and quinine cream have not yet played their true value.
Chu Huan was followed by someone, so it was not easy for her to go straight to the treasure place. She rode her horse around like a headless fly.
After an incense stick of time, the system started sharing and showed Chu Huan and everyone the way.
[Sister Huan, go straight.]
【Turn left.】
【Go around the tree ahead.】
【Here we go up the mountain.】
Following the system's instructions, the group wandered around for half an hour and finally reached a mountain near a paddock.
The mountain is enclosed within the enclosure, which is the royal enclosure. Normally, no common people dare to come here, and there is no road to walk on, so movement is difficult.
When they reached a place where the mountain road was too steep for horses to climb, Chu Huan tied the horse to a tree and followed the system's instructions to find a mountain wall covered with vines.
System: [Three steps left, ten steps forward, pull aside the vines, there is a cave inside.]
Chu Huan knocked around for a while, pretending to have discovered a cave: "Hey, there's a cave here."
Jia Yi and Cai Gang had been waiting for a long time and finally had the chance to use their skills. They hurried forward and pulled away the vines.
Cai Gang took out two tinder sticks from the package he was carrying, blew one of them into the cave, and threw it into the cave. The tinder stick did not go out and there was no explosion.
"Lord Chu, I will go and explore the way first." Cai Gang took another fire starter and went in carefully.
The system was exhausted by his cautious demeanor: [Why are you being so cautious? There's no trap here.]
Cai Gang: “…”
Knowing there was no trap, he didn't dare to act rashly. After carefully exploring the cave, he turned back and said, "Master Chu, the cave is not big. There is a tomb at the end."
Chu Huan: "Go and take a look."
The three of them followed the faint light from the tinder into the cave. After walking about twenty steps, they saw a small tomb.
There are a few words engraved on the tombstone: Tomb of the Beloved Daughter.
Chu Huan:?
[Tong'er, could this be the tomb of a princess from the previous dynasty?]
System: [Yes, but the tomb above is fake. If tomb robbers really found it, they would only find some nice jewelry after digging it up, mainly to deceive others.]
Most people would just take the considerable amount of gold, silver, and jewelry from the tomb and leave. No one would have thought there was another tomb underneath. These were just bait.
Jia Yi and Cai Gang: "..." This is a great idea.
If it weren't for the system's guidance, the two of them would never have imagined that the real treasure was underneath.
The system reminded: [Dig around the tombstone and uncover the lower section buried in the soil. There's a circular mechanism on top. Press it to reveal the secret passage leading to the princess's tomb. The treasure of the previous dynasty is there.]
Chu Hua: […Isn't this mechanism too hidden? What excuse would I have to dig up the tombstone?]
Jia Yi and Cai Gang: “…” It is indeed a problem.
Although the location of the mechanism was not concealed and it was easy for people to find the princess's real tomb, the location was too hidden, so Chu Huan was not sure what to do.
Headache.
A lot of Jinyiwei, imperial guards and military generals gathered outside the cave. Upon hearing what he said, they started racking their brains, trying to find a plausible excuse to help him get away with it.
It is easy to imagine that the tomb was built so secretly that there must be some mechanism inside.
With a system plug-in available, why should they waste time and manpower on breaking the mechanism?
It's just... a little difficult.
You can't let Jia Yi or Cai Gang say that they have a habit of digging up people's tombstones, right?
Eh, it seems to be possible.
Jia Yi and Cai Gang shuddered all over, feeling that they had been plotted against, and in a very miserable way.
Chu Huan suddenly exclaimed, "Cai Gang, come over and light the tinder and shine it under the tombstone."
"Yes." Cai Gang hurried over and was surprised to find that "the soil here seems to have been turned over."
System: [Yes, a tomb robber has already entered before.]
This would make their actions more convenient.
Cai Gang was digging at the ground with his embroidered spring knife. Seeing this, Jia Yi said, "Master Chu, we don't know what's here yet. I'll go out and call some more men to get some torches. The tinderbox is still too dim."
Chu Huan: "Okay."
Jia Yi left quickly, but Cai Gang dug the soil even faster. Just as he dug out the mechanism, Jia Yi came back with four Jinyiwei and four guards.
"Lord Chu, these eight brothers are patrolling nearby, driving away wild animals. They have both insect repellent powder and torches for nighttime animal repellent. I have invited them all over."
What a legitimate and sufficient reason this is.
Chu Huan secretly admired their cleverness, "Thank you for your help, sirs."
The eight people hurriedly said: "It's not a problem."
It’s really not a hassle.
They had to fight hard to get these only eight positions, and there were dozens of brothers waiting eagerly behind them.
After the rumbling sound of the mechanism, a staircase leading underground appeared at the junction of the land and the mountain wall behind the tomb.
Jia Yi: "Light the torch."
Cai Gang: "I'll go ahead and explore the way."
The group surrounded Chu Huan and slowly walked down the stone steps.
Before reaching the bottom of the stone steps, I saw half a body lying down. A bony hand was clinging to the last stone step. In front of it was a long trail of black bloodstains, which looked quite old.
Cai Gang walked in front and threw half of the skeleton to the side before Chu Huan saw it.
However, the system didn't understand Cai Gang's kindness and reported: [A tomb robber who was trying to escape was caught in a dragon-breaking stone weighing over a thousand pounds and dropped from a great height. With bad luck, half of his body was broken. He died after finally climbing here.]
Cai Gang and others: "..."
The person who followed quietly in from behind: "..."
Tong'er, can't you take into consideration that your host is a thirteen-year-old girl and her psychological endurance is not very high?
There's no need to explain it in such detail, really.
It was fine if Chu Huan didn't look at it: [You can say it, and I can choose not to look at it.]
System: [Okay.]
As soon as he finished speaking, Cai Gang and others changed their formation from a long strip to a circle, surrounding Chu Huan in the middle to prevent her from seeing the content that could easily cause nightmares.
Otherwise she would take a few more glances and turn around and run away without taking them.
Continuing along this straight road, they saw many corpses of tomb robbers, scattered weapons, and some gold, silver and jewelry that were stolen but not taken away.
System: [There are two stone Pixiu at the entrance. Put your hand into the mouth of the left one and press down to open the door.]
[Don't open the right one, or the Dragon-Breaking Stone will fall down soon after you enter. Many tomb robbers have died in this stage.]
Chu Huan took it to heart: "Everyone, let's find the mechanism."
"yes!"
While the others were hammering around with their knives, Chu Huan touched the Pi Xiu and pressed the mechanism.
Many of the mechanisms encountered later operated in the same way.
System: [You have to walk close to the wall in this section, otherwise you will be hit by arrows. You have to jump on the grid in this section, if you step on the wrong one, it will be a trap. You have to bend over in this section, there are spears above that will be ejected...]
After passing through eighteen strange levels, Chu Huan finally arrived at the main tomb chamber. She could no longer walk.
"No, let me rest."
The main tomb chamber was built very spaciously and majestically. In the center were two jade coffins. The jade was so clear that you could clearly see two corpses in red clothes inside.
In front of the jade coffin was kneeling a skeleton wearing men's linen clothes, which was suspected to have been placed in the tomb for burial when it was sealed.
Perhaps because they were afraid that the skeleton was too light and would be knocked down by the occasional earthquakes in the capital, they supported it with a wooden frame.
This skeleton is definitely not a tomb robber. Most of the tomb robbers who broke in died in the first eighteen levels. There are fewer and fewer of them as they go to the back, and none of them entered the main tomb chamber.
Chu Huan sat on the steps and said, "I'm resting here."
"Yes." Jia Yi and others exchanged glances. Jia Yi stayed to protect Chu Huan, while the others went to other tombs to check the situation.
System: [Sister Huan, aren't you curious about what's going on with this skeleton?]
Chu Huan's voice was almost breathless when she replied: [Tell me, what's the matter?]
People who viewed the tomb: ???
The person who followed quietly in:!!!
Can you still eat melons now? This is amazing!
I'm nervous and don't know what kind of melon it is or whether it tastes good. Hehehe.
The system chuckled: [Although the previous dynasty was destroyed, it also had its heyday. The owner of this tomb was Emperor Jingwen, the emperor during the previous dynasty's heyday, and his most beloved youngest daughter, Princess Anle.]
Chu Huan: [That Princess Anle who is said to love making money?]
System: [Yes, she was very good at making money. She was afraid her tomb would be robbed after her death, so she built several fake tombs in various places. Of course, the one I brought you to is the real one, otherwise how could it be called a treasure from the previous dynasty?]
Chu Hua: [How many are there?]
System: [It is twice the size of the Jingwen Empire Treasury, and a little more than four times the current Emperor's Treasury.]
Chu Huan couldn't help but sigh: [Tsk tsk, what a tragic contrast.]
Everyone: “…”
The Jinyiwei who was recording the conversation had a bitter look on his face. How could he possibly remember this? The emperor would definitely be furious if he saw it.
The system laughed heartily: [Haha, let’s not talk about this poor bastard.]
Chu Huan: [Is this the tomb of Princess Anle and her husband?]
The system hesitated: [Hmm... sort of.]
Princess Anle is a strong woman who loves money and has a rather assertive personality. She doesn't like men who are stronger than her. So she chooses a young man who came from a humble family and was the third place in the imperial examination. He is handsome, weak, has no family background, is easy to control, and won't tell her what to do.
The princess asked, "Are you married?" The third place winner replied, "No." The princess sent someone to his hometown to inquire and found out he was indeed unmarried. So the princess confidently recruited him as her husband.
Chu Huan was a little confused.
At the beginning, he sounds like Chen Shimei, but he is the third place in the imperial examination, has no wife and no children, so it doesn't seem like it.
System: [After seven years of marriage, one day Princess Anle discovered that her husband was acting suspiciously. She sent someone to follow him and discovered that he often visited a woman.]
The princess thought she was the prince consort's concubine, so she invited the woman to a restaurant. She wanted to see what kind of beauty could charm the prince consort, but she turned out to be just an ordinary white flower.
The princess asked, "Are you the prince consort's concubine?" The woman smiled and said, "No." The princess then asked, "Is he the one who is pestering you?" The woman hesitated and replied, "Yes."
Chu Hua: [Seven-year itch, mental infidelity?]
The crowd eating melons: ???
What does the seven-year itch mean? What does emotional infidelity mean? It's hard to understand what this person is talking about.
[No.] The system said, [Under the princess's repeated questioning, the woman was forced to reveal her past. It turned out that she was a child bride bought for the prince consort by his parents.]
The woman was originally the daughter of a good family, but unfortunately, she encountered floods and plague, her family suffered, and all her relatives died. She could hardly survive, so she sold herself.
The family was extremely poor because they had to support the prince consort's imperial examinations. The young woman, despite her young age, helped out in every way. She would go out before dawn to sell food and clean the house. All the money she earned went to support the prince consort's studies and his parents. She hadn't even bought herself a new set of clothes in years.
Chu Huan almost guessed what would happen next: the story of a passionate woman and an unfaithful man was too common.
[Unfaithful man! Ugh!]
Everyone was angry: Bah!
Many of them are still bachelors who have not even married. This prince consort does not know the hunger of the hungry. He has two such good women as his companions, but he still does not know how to cherish them!
How abominable!
System: [The princess sent someone to the princess's hometown to inquire about the situation. However, the person who went there said that the princess had chosen him and that he would become the princess's princess. How could the princess's parents dare to say anything about the child bride?]
The villagers also felt that the prince consort was a royal relative, and with the emperor and princess as his backers, he would have a better future than being an ordinary third place winner, so everyone worked together to keep the news a secret.
The woman's family had all died, and no one stood up for her. What could she do on her own? The prince consort's parents felt sorry for her and gave her some money to let her go.
Chu Huan: “…” This is a typical example of being able to share hardships but not wealth.
System: [That sum of money was quite a bit. The woman rented a house and hired a doctor to take care of her health. Gradually, her weakened body recovered, her rough hands smoothed out, and she began embroidering.]
The woman's mother was a master of embroidery, and she had a talent for it, but she hadn't had the time before. Gradually, her embroidery became famous, and within seven years, she had expanded her business to the capital, where she was discovered by her husband.
Chu Huan: […If the Prince Consort doesn't get involved, both of us can be considered happy.]
The system scoffed: [How could they possibly be both happy and at peace? Before the prince consort left, he thought the woman would be his future wife, and he slept with her before they even got married.]
He was worried that the woman had found another man, so he kept pestering her. He felt that it was impossible for her to manage her business in the capital alone, and he thought she had married a man who ran an embroidery business.
[The woman denied it, but the prince consort was certain she was either divorced or widowed, and that it couldn't be the woman's own doing. He believed there were only one woman as capable as the princess, and there couldn't be another, and they were all his women.]
Chu Hua vomited several times: [This overwhelming smell of Pu Xin's scumbag man is rushing towards me.]
Everyone: “…” Another word they don’t understand. It’s so hard for them to eat a melon!
The system's tone became excited: [That's not all!]
He kept pestering her so much that the woman was truly troubled. She told the truth and swore that she had come to the capital for business. If the princess felt troubled, she could leave immediately and never come back to the capital again.
The princess believed it. If the woman really wanted to destroy her marriage, she would have appeared seven years ago. She could have even told the truth when she sent someone to question her. She wouldn't have had to wait seven years.
Chu Huan really wanted to applaud these two seals: [That's how it should be!]
There are so many men in the world. If this one is not good, then say goodbye. The next one will be better. Why bother hanging yourself on a rotten cabbage?
Everyone: "..." Some were shocked by Chu Huan's remarks.
Never mind, it’s not the first time, they just focus on eating melons.
System: [The princess did not drive the woman away. Instead, because of her experience, she took her in as a close friend. They were both women and both enjoyed doing business, so they had a lot in common.]
For the sake of the child, the princess sent the consort to the farm and did not allow him to live in the princess's residence. Instead, she invited the woman into the princess's residence and sent all the good things to the woman's courtyard. Sometimes, when the two of them stayed up late chatting, they would even sleep together.
The prince consort felt something was amiss, so one day while the princess was away he rushed to the princess's residence. He drugged the woman, stripped her naked, and checked her body for any signs of sexual intercourse.
Chu Hua: ???
A small head, a big question mark, [He thought the princess and the woman were having a lesbian relationship? ]
System: [Yes.]
Chu Huan was so angry that she swore: "Two men can talk by candlelight at night, sleep with their feet touching, and have a pure friendship. Why can't two women do the same?"
[A dirty person sees everything as dirty! Damn, I'm so pissed! Damn scumbag!]
[Don't be angry, don't be angry. The prince consort's retribution will come soon.] The system soothed Chu Huan, but fearing she might still be angry, it quickly finished the following sentence, [At the critical moment, the princess rushed back.]
The princess had the consort beaten and thrown into the woodshed, and then asked the imperial physician to examine the woman. However, the physician said that the drug was nothing serious, but that the woman had been injured and would never be able to be a mother again.
The princess was shocked and angry, thinking that the woman had experienced some tragedy. She beat the prince consort mercilessly. When the woman saw that the prince consort was about to be beaten to death, she had no choice but to tell the truth.
It turned out that the woman had become pregnant the night before her husband's trip to Beijing for the imperial examination. Later, the princess sent someone to inquire about her, and learned that she had been sent away by her husband's parents, leaving her homeless. As a single woman, she found it difficult to raise a child, so she went to a pharmacy to get some medication for an abortion, but ended up having an accident.
The princess was furious. From then on, the consort was not deposed, but he lost his official position and money. He became a foot-washing servant in the princess's mansion. After his death, he was buried in the princess's tomb, but he was a kneeling skeleton.
Huh? Chu Huan was slightly stunned. She turned her head and glanced at the two jade coffins. There were clearly two of them.
A flash of inspiration came to him: [Could the coffin contain the princess and that woman?]
System: [Yes, the two of them became sworn sisters of the opposite sex. They can't live together, but they can die together. They will go to the underworld together and continue to be good sisters.]
[The woman died first, and the princess ordered her husband to kneel until his death. She also ordered him to kneel and guard the coffin for both of them after his death. In the underworld, he could only serve as a lowly foot-washing servant.]
Chu Huan breathed a sigh of relief: [That feels good.]
She pretended to stand up and walk around, walked over to the skeleton and quietly kicked it. [Hmm, even better.]
Everyone: “…”
Although this is disrespectful to the deceased and not very good, the prince consort's actions are indeed shameful.
She's already a child bride, can't you just marry her and sleep with her first?
You've already decided on your future wife, and now you've slept with her. How can you still confidently claim you're not married? Have all those years of hard work been for nothing?
Seven years have passed, and he's been living his life peacefully without bothering you. Why do you have to pester him? And why do you still have such despicable suspicions?
Everyone who passed by had to kick the skeleton of the prince consort to vent the anger of the two tomb owners.
Before Chu Huan left the tomb, she looked back and found that her husband had fallen down.
Well, you are lying down well, don’t get up :)
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