Her Entire Court Reborn with Her in the Modern World

Chapter 169: Chapter 168: What a Graveyard Team Building for the Emperor and Ministers

Pei Xuan finally shifted his gaze from that conspicuous bundle of green bristlegrass up to the man’s face. The man wore a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, which surprisingly added a touch of warmth to his naturally aloof features. Though he was waiting in line to enter the cemetery, he maintained a strict one-meter distance from the person in front of him, clearly averse to proximity with strangers. This entirely ascetic appearance was also exactly like Cui Jinghan.

Pei Xuan narrowed his eyes. Ever since he had recognized Xie Qingshi many years ago, he realized that he wasn’t the sole chosen one. Other former colleagues had also experienced a fate similar to his; the illusion of his unique destiny had been shattered, which admittedly struck a blow to his ego.

But Pei Xuan didn’t care. If the Empress hadn’t actively recruited talent, his haughty disposition meant he wouldn’t have even glanced at the other three gentlemen who shared his level of renown. He excelled in both literature and martial arts, whereas the other three were merely scholars. How could they possibly be mentioned in the same breath as him?

Recognizing Xie Qingshi had been an accident. Pei Xuan certainly wasn’t going to seek out Cui Jinghan or Helan Jing on his own initiative. But if Cui Jinghan had actively delivered himself right to his doorstep, he naturally wouldn’t let the opportunity slip by.

Pei Xuan stepped out of the car, shut the door, and approached the entrance. Yet, when his turn came, he was stopped and denied entry.

"Sir, to ensure the number of visitors in the cemetery doesn’t exceed maximum capacity, you cannot enter without a reservation," the staff member said with a beaming smile. "Please scan the code to book your slot first."

Pei Xuan remained expressionless. He wondered, "I have to queue and make a reservation just to visit my own tomb? What has the world come to?"

After scanning the reservation code, he discovered that not only were today’s slots fully booked, but the entire schedule for the next five days was completely full. The system prompted him that new tickets were released every evening at six-thirty, advising him to set an alarm so he wouldn’t miss the chance to grab one.

Pei Xuan pinched the bridge of his nose and slowly exhaled. He thought, "My tomb has nothing but a stele and some grass. What’s so interesting about it?"

Putting his phone away, he stood under a tree with his arms crossed, his gaze icy. There was only one entrance and exit. He would simply wait here; Cui Jinghan had to come out eventually.

Inside Zhongwu Tomb, tourists milled about in crowds.

Completely unaware that he had just provoked an old rival, Cui Jinghan was currently asking where Yan Sinian was. A few minutes later, Yan Sinian ran over, panting heavily. "Senior Brother, you’re here so early!"

"It’s Sunday, so there are naturally a lot of tourists," Cui Jinghan replied flatly. "If we arrived any later, we’d have to queue for an hour." His gaze swept over Shi Changying and Ning Liuyu, his expression remaining neutral.

"You’re always so thoughtful, Senior Brother, reminding us to reserve our entry slots." Yan Sinian immediately began to butter him up. "Otherwise, we definitely would have made a wasted trip today."

Ning Liuyu lowered her voice to a whisper meant only for Shi Changying. "Sister Yingying, this is my first time at Zhongwu Tomb too. I didn’t expect Lord Pei to be so popular."

"It’s just because four hundred years have passed, and people view him through rose-tinted glasses now," Shi Changying said, raising an eyebrow. "They have no idea how unforgiving his sharp tongue was. He was never satisfied until he had rendered his opponents completely speechless."

"I remember Lord Pei mocked every single civil servant except for Lord Ye." Ning Liuyu thought for a moment before adding, "Perhaps it’s because taking heat from a civil servant causes less physical harm than being ambushed by a military officer. He was actually quite good at assessing the situation."

After Yan Sinian finished his flattery, he finally noticed the bundle of green bristlegrass in Cui Jinghan’s hand. His brain seemed to make a loud crackling noise before entirely shutting down. Completely baffled by Cui Jinghan’s bizarre action, he had no choice but to seek help from his fellow seniors in the "Nine Dogs and One Man" group chat.

[Fifth Brother]: Xiao Yan clearly hasn’t been studying properly, especially the texts of our ancestors.

[The Only Human]: Xiao Yan, as your brother, I am truly disappointed in you.

Yan Sinian was completely lost. Why were they belittling him again?

[Ninth Brother]: We all study the Cui Style. Even if you skip other people’s works, you should at least read through Cui Jinghan’s writings, right?

Yan Sinian still didn’t understand. What did Cui Jinghan’s writings have to do with green bristlegrass?

[Second Sister]: Didn’t Cui Jinghan frequently use bristlegrass to mock Pei Xuan? Since Senior Brother is currently the top practitioner of the Cui Style among the younger generation, it makes perfect sense for him to bring bristlegrass to Zhongwu Tomb.

[Fourth Sister]: Senior Brother is truly a role model for our generation. He’s determined to carry out our ancestor’s legacy!

Yan Sinian thought to himself, "No wonder they all managed to become Dean Xu’s students. They’re all a little crazy."

Zhongwu Tomb was massive, featuring a vast forest of steles surrounded by lush flora and trees.

Cui Jinghan suddenly spoke in an indifferent tone. "Most of the stone steles here were erected by people sent by the Hong Clan during the Jiang Dynasty."

Shi Changying’s expression shifted slightly. "Are you saying that the inscriptions on them aren’t necessarily true? That they might even contradict true history?"

"Exactly." Cui Jinghan was slightly surprised by her sharpness. "I wouldn’t say they are entirely contradictory, though. As long as it didn’t harm their interests, they would naturally record the truth."

Shi Changying scanned the area. She could see that the inscriptions were basically all praising Pei Xuan—which, ironically, was entirely factual.

Cui Jinghan shot a glance at Yan Sinian, his voice icy. "You’re not even as good as your own student. All you know how to do is binge-watch TV shows all day."

Yan Sinian was speechless. Why was he getting scolded again?

"Senior Brother, I don’t study history." Yan Sinian felt deeply wronged. "Miss Shi’s father is a historical archaeology expert whose main focus is the history of the Xuan Dynasty. Of course she knows more than I do."

"An Expert of Xuan History?" Cui Jinghan let out a cold laugh. "Very few of them are genuine experts. When the historical pen is in the hands of the enemy, they can write whatever they please."

As if struck by a sudden thought, he quickened his pace.

Yan Sinian hurried to catch up. "Senior Brother, wait for me!"

He sighed inwardly. His Senior Brother was truly temperamental!

Ning Liuyu was eager to split up from them. She immediately pulled out the camera she had prepared in advance, her eyes sparkling. "Sister Yingying, want to take some photos?"

Shi Changying agreed without hesitation. Standing in the middle of the stele forest, she struck a pose with a peace sign.

CLICK. The photo was freshly captured.

Shi Changying posted the picture to her Moments, adding the caption: "A tour of Zhongwu Tomb, visiting Chief Guard Pei’s grave."

Even though Xie Qingshi and Qingyuan had just arrived at the entrance at that moment, they both coincidentally saved the photo, their thoughts aligning with surprising unanimity. They knew this was perfect ammunition to mock Pei Xuan; it had to be kept safe.

"Every time I meet up with Sister Ying, I feel like a thief," Qingyuan said melancholically.

Xie Qingshi pulled the brim of his hat down lower and replied flatly, "Now there are two thieves."

"If only Chengyi were here, she knows how to apply disguises." Qingyuan gave a soft snort. "I refuse to believe the paparazzi would still recognize me if I had a completely different face."

Xie Qingshi’s eyes flickered slightly. "Lord Xiao Chengyi, huh..."

The two of them joined the back of the line, waiting to enter the cemetery. Just then, someone silently approached them from behind and reached out, gently tapping both of their shoulders. At the exact same moment, a flamboyant voice rang out.

"Mr. Xie, Miss Lu. What a coincidence."

Qingyuan and Xie Qingshi stiffened simultaneously. When they turned and saw it was Pei Xuan, they tensed even further. They had spent the entire journey dodging fans and the media, thinking they had finally made a safe getaway, only to be instantly recognized by Pei Xuan.

Pei Xuan looked at them scrutinizingly. "Why are you two here as well?"

Would Xie Qingshi and Qingyuan suddenly grow a conscience and come to sweep his tomb? He certainly didn’t believe that.

There was absolutely something fishy going on.