Wuyang Imperial Mausoleum
As A-Qiu listened to him speak, a strange feeling suddenly arose within her.
This divine ruler had revealed the secrets of Liyang Palace to her so completely without reservation. This was no small matter. Liyang Palace had multiple secret passages leading to various parts of the imperial palace. Whoever possessed this secret, if they held military power, could easily launch a palace coup and seize the throne.
But this huge secret was not only completely unguarded by Lord Liyang, but he also seemed to be telling her it to her earnestly.
Is it because...she is his future wife, so he tells her all about his family's wealth and has no intention of hiding anything?
A-Qiu found it hard to stop her mind from wandering, and her face involuntarily flushed.
This secret is no less important than the "Shao" and "Wu" in ancient Chinese literature; it's worth half the world.
Lord Liyang seemed oblivious, leading her forward while continuing, "Jianzhang has served as the palace city of the Southern Dynasty for hundreds of years. Over the centuries, there have been nineteen imperial mausoleums, four of which belong to the Former Huan Dynasty alone. The one we are going to now is the largest and most prestigious mausoleum of the last emperor of the Former Huan Dynasty, the Wuyang Mausoleum. This is because the last painting of the 'Shao' and 'Wu' dances in the world is located there."
He didn't mince words; he said them directly.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Chang'an laughed and said, "Your Southern Dynasty is really strange. The most incompetent last emperor, Sima Yan, has the highest and largest tomb. Isn't that absurd?"
When he referred to "your Southern Dynasty," Shangguan Yuqi's delicate eyebrows furrowed imperceptibly.
Lord Liyang remained calm and replied, "The scale of a tomb depends on the emperor's level of attention and the strength of the nation. Sima Yan was an emperor at the turning point from the peak of the previous dynasty's glory to its decline. Although the people's hearts had been lost at that time, the national treasury was still extremely abundant due to the accumulation of previous dynasties. He also had a firm belief in the Mandate of Heaven and the gods and Buddhas, so he began to undertake large-scale construction projects from the beginning of his reign, building and expanding the Jianzhang Palace on one hand, and constructing the Wuyang Mausoleum on the other."
He recounted the story vividly, as if it were happening right before his eyes: "The scale of Wuyang Mausoleum surpassed that of his predecessors, not because he thought too highly of himself and believed that his achievements were enough to surpass his ancestors, but because he believed that the prosperity of the Great Huan Dynasty would not end and that the tombs of his descendants would only surpass his own, becoming more and more grand and magnificent. However, he did not expect that Wuyang Mausoleum would be the last imperial tomb of the Former Huan Dynasty, and thus become the imperial tomb with the highest scale of the Former Huan Dynasty."
Suddenly, however, another question came to mind.
She hesitated and said, "Historically, emperors and empresses are buried together, so is Empress Xining's tomb... also in Wuyang Mausoleum?"
Upon hearing this, the first person to show a serious expression was Shangguan Yuqi. She immediately adopted a focused and attentive demeanor.
Seeing A Qiu earnestly seeking advice from Lord Liyang, Xiao Chang'an was already extremely displeased. He then interrupted, saying, "Of course! Empress Xining died before the last emperor and was buried earlier. The funeral was so grand, and the number of burial goods was so great that the entire Southern Dynasty mourned for three days, and even our Northern Dynasty heard of it. It is said that the ancient books, calligraphy, jewels, and antiques buried with her were worth no less than tens of thousands of gold coins. Those that could not be placed were sealed in what is now Qiwu Palace. Presumably, the 'Shao' and 'Wu' scrolls were among them."
Lord Liyang didn't take it to heart and nodded, saying, "The Empress's tomb should also be in Wuyang Mausoleum, but I have never seen it with my own eyes. Indeed, the 'Shao' and 'Wu' scrolls were among the burial objects. It is said that the last emperor, mindful of Empress Wen's fondness for elegant music, buried the last 'Shao' and 'Wu' scrolls of dancers from the imperial collection with her as burial objects, in accordance with Empress Wen's status."
Shangguan Yuqi said, "Such precious artifacts from the previous dynasty, even though she was the Empress, are not entirely unacceptable for burying with my aunt. But isn't that still somewhat presumptuous?"
After all, the "Shao" and "Wu" music were grand music for worshipping heaven, earth, and spirits, and were not for ordinary people to enjoy. Although Empress Wen was the former Empress Huan, she was ultimately just a mortal.
Ah Qiu then interjected, "In ancient times, kings and generals often had a large number of female musicians buried with them; later, it was felt that human sacrifice was inhumane, so they changed to burying them with groups of dancing and music figurines. Rulers always thought that after death they would still enjoy all the pleasures they had in life. It is not unreasonable for Empress Wen to be buried with only dancing and music figurines."
Xiao Chang'an added, "When the King of Wei was on his deathbed, he distributed incense to his concubines at the Bronze Sparrow Terrace and requested that they perform music and dance on the first and fifteenth of each month, and that they look towards his mausoleum at all times. Fortunately, he did not order his concubines to be buried alive with him, but only to perform music and dance on time for the sacrifice."
Xiao Chang'an disagreed, saying, "No matter how good a painting is, it is still an inanimate object. It is not as precious as a person. During the reign of Emperor Huan, Empress Wen, Shangguan Yanxiu, was renowned for her talent. Even in the Northern Dynasties, it was an honor for the powerful families to possess her original poems. It is probably best that the 'Shao' and 'Wu' poems, which represent the highest achievements of ritual music, were buried with her. Otherwise, they would have been destroyed in the war when Emperor Huan was destroyed."
A Qiu suddenly remembered something and said, "When the Hengzhou rebels stormed Jianzhang Palace, they looted treasures and caused bloodshed. Why are the tens of thousands of documents and books in Qiwu Palace so well preserved without any trace of fire?"
Liyang Shenjun replied, "That's because Fu Zhuo, the governor of Hengzhou who rebelled at the time and the Duke of Xiling, still respected the Empress of the Shangguan family. Since he had ambitions to become king or emperor, he didn't want to be known for burning books and burying scholars alive, or burning zithers and boiling cranes, so as not to provoke the resentment of the powerful families of the Southern Dynasty. Therefore, he sealed off Qiwu Palace to prevent soldiers from harassing it. This action can also be considered a contribution to the preservation of the historical and cultural classics of the Southern Dynasty. At least after the situation stabilized, most of the music and historical classics of the Imperial Historian's Office were found in the originals of Qiwu Palace and re-copied."
A Qiu thought to himself, "The legend that this Lord Liyang has lived in the palace for a long time and is familiar with the past seems to be true." He then asked, "Have you ever seen the paintings depicting the dance postures of 'Shao' and 'Wu'?"
Lord Liyang seemed taken aback by her question, and after a moment he said, "I have seen 'Shao' and 'Wu', but not in this scroll of dance paintings. And after this scroll was buried with me, I have never seen it with my own eyes."
Xiao Chang'an immediately became suspicious and asked, "Why? If you haven't seen it with your own eyes, how do you know it must be inside Wuyang Mausoleum?"
Lord Liyang waved his hand and said, "Please look."
They had been walking and talking, and had lost track of how long or how far they had traveled through the tunnel. A ray of light shone from a crack in the rocks above, illuminating a huge entrance.
Judging from its shape, one can feel its magnificence and grandeur, like a natural palace carved from stone. At the entrance, two huge blue stone tomb beasts sit, with dragon faces and huge eyes, and a pair of horizontally branching antlers on their heads, with strange and vivid shapes.
Above the two closed stone doors hangs an exquisite stone disc carved with stars and astronomical symbols. The strokes on it are as graceful as dragons and snakes, and it is engraved with two beautiful ancient seal characters, "Lingwei".
Lord Liyang paused before the stone slab and said, “The above-ground part of Wuyang Mausoleum is the mausoleum, and the underground part is this ‘Lingwei’, which is the underground palace where the coffin and burial objects are placed. However, there is this star slab stone lock in front of this palace, which I have never opened, so I have never entered.”
Upon closer inspection, A-Qiu noticed that the stone disc seemed hollow, with a mechanism inside that could rotate. But upon closer examination, she discovered that the stone disc was carved as a single piece with the stone door, and fine sand flowed continuously within it, like an hourglass. Always meticulous and possessing some knowledge of ingenious mechanisms, she stroked the disc repeatedly, feeling as if she had found the key, and then began to lift the stone disc.
She had barely exerted her strength when she heard Lord Liyang and Shangguan Yuqi behind her urgently shout, "No!"
In an instant, at least dozens of long arrows shot out from the top of the stone gate, firing in rapid succession with unparalleled force. If they hit a person, they would surely pierce through their chest.
She had been warned by Lord Liyang and Shangguan Yuqi, and her movements had barely begun when someone was faster than her, grabbing her by the waist and leaping away, narrowly avoiding an arrow.
She looked up and met the bright gray eyes of Lord Liyang, who was looking at her from behind the Xuan Yu mask of Zizai Mountain. His expression was extremely concerned. After seeing that she was alright, he promptly withdrew the hand that was originally around her waist and quietly put it into his sleeve.
Xiao Chang'an quickly dodged the arrows. After the rain of arrows passed, he spat and said, "I have entered tombs and destroyed mechanisms in Chang'an and Luoyang before, but I have never seen such sharp and powerful arrows."
Shangguan Yuqi calmly replied, "Presumably, the imperial tombs you destroyed back then were hundreds or even thousands of years old, and their mechanisms were already dilapidated, and most of the arrows were rusted. But this 'Lingwei' underground palace was only built a little over ten years ago, so its mechanisms are still very powerful."
She directly accused Xiao Chang'an of being a tomb raider, but Xiao Chang'an was not angry. He laughed and said, "Those who steal a hook are punished, while those who steal a country become princes. Isn't it better to be able to subtly shift the fate of the Nine Tripods and change the ownership of the land than to fight a bloody battle on the battlefield?"
Shangguan Yuqi said, "No wonder you were willing to give up the chance to save His Majesty and come down here with us. You're probably here to explore the underground dragon vein of the Southern Dynasty."
She spoke calmly, but A Qiu clearly sensed an invisible killing intent emanating from her. It was a pure feeling between masters.
Historically, imperial tombs have always been located in the most auspicious and prosperous locations in the capital, often concealing some kind of geographical mystery. Since Xiao Chang'an has explored the tombs in Chang'an and Luoyang multiple times, and just now mentioned the auspiciousness of mountains and rivers, it's hard not to think that he came here to investigate the underground feng shui of the Southern Dynasties.
Xiao Chang'an immediately waved his hands and laughed, "This is a misunderstanding." He glanced at Lord Liyang and said lazily, "When I went with this so-called Lord Liyang, it was only to see where he would take Aqiu, but I did not know that he would eventually take us to Wuyang Mausoleum."
Upon reflection, Shangguan Yuqi realized this was indeed the case. Her heart stirred, and her killing intent immediately subsided by more than half. However, she knew she could not underestimate this Green Falcon Guard.
He is probably the most terrifying enemy of the Southern Dynasty to date.
After just being hit by a hail of arrows, Ah Qiu's vest was soaked with cold sweat. He said with lingering fear, "I used to be able to pass through beams and houses, and I've even picked locks and pried open doors. I thought I had a basic understanding of mechanisms, but I never expected that the way this stone slab works is completely different from what I've learned before."
Lord Liyang glanced at her subtly and said calmly, "This is because you are arrogant. Haven't I mentioned that although I know the entrance to 'Lingwei' is here, I have never entered it?"
He pointed to the stone plate and said, “That is the reason. Even I am not confident that I can open this lock completely. Moreover, the locks of imperial tombs are not ordinary and cannot be tried casually. If you try to do it casually, as you just did, you may easily trigger the mechanism, which could be a sharp arrow or axe, or even cause the underground to collapse, burying and sealing the tomb chamber and the underground passage, and the person may never be able to get out again.”
At this point, Xiao Chang'an finally showed a hint of admiration and said, "You are indeed an expert. If I had met you earlier to guide me, I would not have been stuck in the quicksand for three days and two nights until the hawk I released returned with soldiers to help me escape."
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