Chapter 87: Deposed Crown Prince, Spy in Place, An Easy Treasure?
Chapter 87: Chapter 87: Deposed Crown Prince, Spy in Place, An Easy Treasure?
Great Zhou Capital City, the Imperial Palace.
Dressed in magnificent robes, the incomparably beautiful Noble Consort Wan listlessly wandered the palace grounds with her retinue of palace maids and eunuchs, letting out a soft sigh from time to time.
The palace maids and eunuchs behind her followed at a distance, heads bowed, moving in utter silence and with bated breath.
They feared that even breathing out of rhythm would enrage the increasingly ill-tempered consort. Just two days ago, a young eunuch had been beaten to death simply for stepping through a doorway with his left foot first.
Seeing Noble Consort Wan continue onward, her personal maid had no choice but to screw up her courage, step forward, and whisper a reminder, "Your Highness, Siguogong Palace is just ahead."
Noble Consort Wan stopped in her tracks.
Siguogong Palace. Within the Imperial Palace, it was as neglected as the Cold Palace. While no one wished to visit the Cold Palace, no one dared to visit Siguogong Palace. For it housed the great taboo of the Great Zhou.
The family of the deposed Crown Prince.
Five years ago, the Crown Prince had attempted a palace coup. After his failure, he was deposed by the Emperor, and his entire family was relocated to Siguogong Palace.
Forbidden to leave without an imperial decree, their situation was tantamount to imprisonment.
"Such a pitiful person," Noble Consort Wan murmured.
Lv Zhu’s face fell. "Your Highness, be careful what you say."
"I was talking about the deposed Crown Prince Consort," Noble Consort Wan said, shaking her head with a look of sympathy. "She has such a serene disposition, unconcerned with worldly affairs and devoted to her Buddhist faith. Yet she was implicated and brought to this. Who in the capital doesn’t pity her?"
The Crown Prince Consort was famous in the Capital City for her stunning beauty, kind heart, and serene, unassuming nature. Every year, she would aid the poor, personally ladling out congee for the beggars.
She had been this way even before marrying the Crown Prince.
For ten years, she did this without fail, never once stopping.
She was always seen fingering a string of Buddha Beads, and was accustomed to a vegetarian diet and chanting sutras. The people of the Capital City called her a Living Bodhisattva.
But after the Crown Prince’s rebellion and deposal, she too was imprisoned. Five years had passed. How many five-year periods does a woman truly have in her life?
Noble Consort Wan sighed and turned back the way she came.
Suddenly, something fell at her feet.
She instinctively looked down.
Her face immediately went pale. "AAH! A rat!"
"Quick! Protect the Consort!"
A group of palace attendants rushed forward to shield her.
"Hurry and kill it! Filthy rat, how dare it offend me!" Noble Consort Wan fumed.
The attendants began stomping frantically at the ground. The rat appeared to be scurrying in terror, but it nimbly dodged left and right, somehow managing to break through their circle and escape.
Noble Consort Wan stamped her foot in fury, her ample bosom heaving. "Useless fools! It got away! It got away!"
"MEOW!" Suddenly, a calico cat with a sleek, glossy coat shot out from the bushes and pinned the rat with its paw.
Everyone stared at the scene, stunned.
The calico cat picked up the rat in its mouth, walked over to Noble Consort Wan, and looked up at her, purring.
A look of delight instantly appeared on Noble Consort Wan’s face. Pointing at the cat, she said to her attendants, "Look, the cat is presenting me with a gift."
"Your Highness is a person of great fortune. Even this beast knows to curry your favor," one of the attendants chimed in with a quick compliment.
"Yes, yes! In the storybooks, this would be a Spiritual Beast acknowledging its master. This cat is destined to be with Your Highness."
"This cat is the truly fortunate one to have met Your Highness."
The others all chimed in with their agreement.
Noble Consort Wan’s face bloomed into a smile. She looked at the calico cat with a mixture of joy and apprehension. "Someone, quickly dispose of that rat. I want to keep this cat for company."
"Yes, Your Highness." A eunuch immediately stepped forward, grabbed the rat’s tail from the cat’s mouth, and carried it away.
Only then did Noble Consort Wan dare to crouch down and try to pet the cat.
The moment she extended her hand, the calico cat flopped onto the ground, exposing its belly and letting out a deep purr.
"What a clever little thing. You know you’ll want for nothing if you stick with me, don’t you?" Noble Consort Wan was overjoyed. She reached out and gave the cat’s belly a few soft rubs.
The calico cat had successfully infiltrated Noble Consort Wan’s circle.
.........
In the morning, after settling all matters at the Hundred Households and his home, Pei Shaoqing set off for the Prefecture City.
Gongsun Yi’s second disciple, Ye Yu, also took his leave to return to his mountain and report on his mission. Before he departed, Pei Shaoqing gave him a handsome sum of money.
After leaving the Pei Mansion, Ye Yu decided to have a good look around Tongzhou City before returning to Bazhou. After all, it was his first visit.
But it was as if he were on autopilot.
He wandered around until he found himself at the entrance of Qunfang Garden.
His expression flickered. He had just sworn off carnal pleasures a few days ago, and now his heart was torn. ’Should I go in? Or not?’
"What are you dawdling at the door for, young master? Hurry and come in!" two women called out, proactively stepping outside to welcome him.
Ye Yu found himself pulled inside before he could resist.
’Oh, well. Forget it.’
’I’ll try quitting again next time.’
’Young Master Pei doesn’t seem like a good official. The money he gave me was surely extorted from the people of Tongzhou.’
’So, in a way, I’m just taking from the people and giving back to the people.’
"HYAH!" "HYAH!" "HYAH!"
On the main road, three horses galloped at full speed.
Pei Shaoqing was in the lead.
Behind him rode Ye Hanshuang and Liu Yuheng, their full posteriors rose and fell in their saddles, and their bountiful chests bounced in rhythm. Beauties on horseback—it was a scene as beautiful as a painting.
「Three days later, at Trapped Dragon Mountain outside Jin Guan City.」
Following the simple map drawn by Yan Sichen, Pei Shaoqing found the cave he had described.
"This is the place. Let’s go."
After tying up the horses, the three of them slowly stepped inside.
The moment they entered, they were struck by a bone-piercing chill.
The temperature difference was so vast it felt like they had fallen from the scorching sun straight into an icehouse. All three of them shivered.
"KYEKYEKYEKYE..."
A sinister laugh echoed through the cave.
"Stop with the spooky act! Taste my blade!"
Liu Yuheng’s shapely eyebrows shot up in anger as she let out a sharp cry.
SHIING! The longsword flew from its scabbard. Sharp streams of sword qi crisscrossed through the air, carving deep gashes into the stone walls.
"Wait, milady heroine!"
Seeing that Liu Yuheng had finished gathering her strength and was about to unleash a full-power strike, a voice hurriedly called out.
Then, a swirling black mist appeared before them, coalescing into the pale face of a young man. It spoke with utmost courtesy, "Please, spare me, great heroes. This humble one was blind to your greatness and foolishly tried to scare you away. It was truly impolite of me. I beg your forgiveness.
I am merely a dead soul, lucky enough to have stolen a bit more time, just barely clinging to existence. I have never harmed a soul. Even if you let me go, I have less than half a month left. Why would you dirty your hands on me? Please, don’t kill me."
"You’re quite the actor," Pei Shaoqing said with a cold, noncommittal laugh, seeing right through the act. "A certain friend of mine, surnamed Yan, told me you’ve lived for two hundred years. He said he’s been feeding you living souls for the past three years, and that you have countless deaths on your hands."
"Yan Sichen! Where is he now? And who are you people?" Seeing that Pei Shaoqing knew so much, the old ghost dropped its innocent act.
Pei Shaoqing announced in a severe tone, "I am the Hundred Households Commander of the Jing’an Guard’s Tongzhou Hundred Households. Yan Sichen has already confessed to the crimes of feeding a ghost with human lives and plotting treason. He also confessed that you were the one who incited him. Today, I have come to apprehend you and bring you to justice!"
"What?" A clear look of shock appeared on the ghost’s dead-white face. Its expression shifted as it said, "The incompetent fool. I knew that good-for-nothing was unreliable."
Then it cackled again. "Since Yan Sichen has sold me out, he must have also told you about the former dynasty’s lost treasure. My lord, you are far more intelligent than that fellow. Would you be willing to cooperate with me for a mutually beneficial outcome?"
"A pack of lies! In your dreams! I, Pei Shaoqing, am a loyal subject! I am loyal to His Majesty and loyal to the Great Zhou! I will never fall for your tricks!" Pei Shaoqing declared with righteous indignation.
The old ghost cackled. "No one is born loyal. They only refuse to betray because the price isn’t high enough. Lord Pei, please, just hear me out..."
"I’m not listening!" Pei Shaoqing cut him off with a wave of his hand. He then clasped his hands in a salute toward the Capital City and declared in a resonant voice, "I have already reported your existence to the capital. You can forget about your little schemes!"
The old ghost froze, finally starting to believe it had truly encountered a loyal official of the Great Zhou. It sighed wistfully. "My Great Yu was not lacking in loyal officials such as yourself, my lord. So how did we end up with our nation shattered and our people scattered?"
’What’s with all this useless chatter? Keep sweetening the deal! Come on, bring out the good stuff and tempt me!’
Pei Shaoqing was dying of anxiety inside.
’Raise the price! Raise the price! Come on, raise the price!’
’Even if he didn’t dare use whatever he could squeeze out of this old ghost, having it and not having it were two entirely different things.’
"But even so, I will still tell you where the treasure of the Great Yu is," the old ghost said suddenly.
Pei Shaoqing was stunned, a suspicious look in his eyes.
"What kind of scheme are you trying to pull, you damned ghost?"
The old ghost laughed. "Some things can fall into anyone’s hands, but not the hands of the Yan traitors."
Clearly, he deeply despised the Great Zhou’s Royal Family.
Therefore, he never had any intention of fulfilling his promises to Yan Sichen; he was merely using him.
’Of course, it was also possible that his current attitude was just a ploy to deceive me,’ Pei Shaoqing thought, remaining ever vigilant. ’I can’t tell if this old ghost’s words are true or false.’
"I didn’t realize you eunuchs could be so loyal to a fallen dynasty. Two hundred years have passed, and you’re still as devoted as ever."
"If you can be loyal to the Yan traitors, why can’t I be loyal to the Great Yu?" the old ghost retorted righteously. Then he added calmly, "Deep in the cave, there’s a hidden recess in the left wall. The map to the former dynasty’s treasure is inside. Go get it yourselves."
Both Ye Hanshuang and Liu Yuheng looked to Pei Shaoqing.
"Sister Shuang, you go get it," Pei Shaoqing said without hesitation. Then he looked at Liu Yuheng. "Madam, if this ghost tries any tricks, feel free to cut it down."
"Understood." Liu Yuheng nodded firmly.
"Heh heh, your true colors are showing," the old ghost chuckled sinisterly. "You’re just another greedy brat, pretending to be a loyal official. The greatest villains always look the most loyal, you know."
"You don’t seem like a eunuch," Pei Shaoqing remarked.
The old ghost started, then sneered. "Have you ever met a eunuch? What do you think we’re all like? Effeminate sissies? You think there aren’t manly men like myself among us?"
"How manly can a man be without his ’little brother’?" Pei Shaoqing said, twisting the knife.
Liu Yuheng’s pretty face flushed. She had heard from Zhao Zilan that Pei Shaoqing was quite ’manly’ in that particular department.
The old ghost was livid. "You... Hmph! You sharp-tongued brat! If we were back in the palace, I’d have had a disrespectful punk like you chopped into eighteen pieces!"
"You should worry more about how many pieces the Court will chop you into," Pei Shaoqing retorted.
The old ghost snorted coldly and fell silent.
"Big Brother!" Ye Hanshuang walked over quickly, holding a jade box. She glanced at the old ghost before handing the box to Pei Shaoqing. "There really is a map in here."
Pei Shaoqing looked at the old ghost, momentarily speechless, his expression shifting. ’Is this map real or fake?’
’The very thing Yan Sichen racked his brain for...’
’And I got it this easily?’
’It seems a little too good to be true.’
’Whatever. Real or fake, I’ll just hold on to it for now.’
"I’m a dying soul. What’s the point in deceiving you? You can verify for yourself whether it’s real or fake later," the old ghost said, sensing his thoughts. Its tone was unfriendly.
It then added coldly, "As they say, a dying man’s words are true. Take my advice: don’t go after the former dynasty’s treasure until you have sufficient strength. Otherwise, you’ll just be doing all the hard work for someone else, and your joy will be short-lived."
"Thank you for the reminder, but there’s no need. I will present this map to His Majesty," Pei Shaoqing said in a firm voice as he took the jade box and placed it in his storage ring.
The old ghost’s eyes flickered with surprise when it saw the storage ring on his hand, but it didn’t let it show. It just sneered. "A clumsy performance. Don’t bother putting on an act to test me. Rest assured, the Yan traitors won’t get any information about the Great Yu’s treasure from my lips."
’As long as the treasure of the Great Yu doesn’t fall into the hands of the Yan rebels...’
’As long as the items inside can see the light of day once more...’
’What does it matter if my soul dissipates completely? After being trapped here for two hundred years, living has been no easier than death.’
’Originally, once the Taiyin Soul-Inviting Technique was complete, my soul body’s power would have surged, and I could have possessed Yan Sichen and taken his place. But now, all of that has come to nothing.’
’Perhaps this is the will of Heaven. I should have perished along with the Great Yu two hundred years ago.’
"Believe what you want. I am a loyal subject!" Pei Shaoqing replied, his expression unchanged. He then turned to Liu Yuheng and Ye Hanshuang. "I’m going into the city to get us some supplies and fresh water. You two keep an eye on him. Don’t fall for his tricks. If he tries to escape, kill him on the spot."
"Yes!" the two women replied in unison.