Imperial Tombs of Previous Dynasties

you going to do if I don’t" Duke Mo Jingli sneered, looking at the delicate woman before him as though she were a trapped bird in a cage. Unfortunately for him, he was unaware that this seemingly gent...180. Former Dynasty Imperial Tombs

180。 Former Dynasty Imperial Tombs

Since waking up from her slumber, Ye Li had never felt such a headache before. The former dynasty had been overthrown more than two hundred years ago, and in the recent few decades, there hadn't been any news of remnants from that time attempting to reclaim their lost throne. However… who could say for certain what kindled hatred between nations or within families Although Prince Regent Ding王府 wasn’t the current ruler of the land, at least half of the battles leading to the downfall of the former dynasty were won by the first generation Prince Regent Mo Lanyun. Therefore, Ye Li couldn't determine if the descendants of the former regime hated the current emperor more or the Prince Regent more. Now, however, she had clearly ended up in a place where remnants from that period resided. Thankfully, except for a few elders who seemed to know about the change in dynasties, most of the residents didn't seem to care which emperor was on the throne.

Seeing her resting her chin and her face changing expressions, Dr. Lin refrained from saying much. After all, not everyone could handle such matters.

"Master… are you intending to reclaim your lost kingdom" After a long while, Ye Li finally sorted out the jumbled thoughts in her mind and asked casually.

"Reclaim my lost kingdom" Dr. Lin looked at her with an odd expression as if he had eaten something he shouldn't have. He huffed after a moment and said, "Have you ever seen someone who has been hiding in these mountains for decades attempting to reclaim their lost kingdom Besides… I am just a doctor; what means do I have to reclaim my lost kingdom Poisoning Mo Liufang and Mo Jingxuan" Ye Li took a sip of the light tea water and said calmly, "It's actually Mo Jingqi and Mo Xiuyao. Mo Liufang and Mo Jingxuan died many years ago." Dr. Lin glared at her fiercely and frowned with confusion, saying, "The current Prince Regent is called Mo Xiuyao I remember that the son of Mo Liufang was born with the name Mo Xiwen…" Ye Li believed this time that Dr. Lin truly hadn’t left for decades, answering earnestly, "Mo Xiwen was from the previous generation of the Prince Regent and died nine years ago." Dr. Lin looked at her and said, "You know quite a lot."

Ye Li smiled and said, "Master also said I came from an illustrious family; how could I not be aware of such a major event"

Dr. Lin waved his hand impatiently, saying, "Hatred between nations or within families… two hundred years have passed since then; who can say for certain what happened back then Besides, even if the common people today have grievances with the current imperial family of Da Chu, would they really long for the former dynasty" If that were so, the previous regime wouldn't have been overthrown in the first place. In those days, several consecutive generations of emperors had been incompetent and ineffective, causing great suffering to the populace. Even if the last emperor genuinely wanted to reform and revitalize his country, he lacked the talent for governance. Ultimately, unable to turn the tide against their fate, they could only watch helplessly as their nation crumbled and their family perished. In essence, it wasn't so much about blaming the founding ancestor of Da Chu too harshly; winners became heroes while losers were condemned.

"What does Lin Yuan want Why is Master so unwilling to give it to him If Master doesn’t care about reclaiming the lost kingdom or matters beyond these mountains…"

Doctor Lin sighed and looked at her with a faint smile, saying, "It's not that I'm unwilling to give it to him; rather... I don't have what he wants. What he desires is the treasure in the former dynasty’s High Ancestor Emperor's mausoleum."

Ye Li frowned. It was natural for imperial tombs to contain treasures, but she didn’t understand what Doctor Lin meant by not having anything. With a calm expression, Doctor Lin explained, "The High Ancestor Emperor's mausoleum is indeed here. The people in this village are descendants of the most loyal guards who followed the High Ancestor Emperor back then. After his death, these people pledged to guard the emperor’s tomb for generations. To prevent future generations from being disloyal, they established a rule that prohibits their children from learning how to write and forbids them from leaving the vicinity of the mausoleum or the village."

Ye Li didn’t know how to comment on this situation, so she decided not to say anything. She raised her head and asked, "What are your plans now If you discover that I haven't brought back what he wants, will Lin Yuan personally come back"

Doctor Lin nodded and thought for a moment before asking Ye Li, "Is the current situation unstable" If the Great Chu Dynasty was peaceful and there was no hope of restoring it, Lin Yuan wouldn’t have considered the imperial tomb.

Ye Li didn’t hide anything. She nodded and said, "It’s indeed chaotic. Unless something unexpected happens… it's very likely that the Black Ink Army will break away from the Great Chu royal family…"

"Break away..." Doctor Lin sighed with some sentimentality, saying, "Back then, everyone talked about how close Emperor Taizu and Prince Founder were, and how formidable they were when they fought for supremacy. I never thought that these two would come to such a point of breaking apart now. No wonder... no wonder… It’s useless for me to meddle in this. Little lady, pack up your things; we need to leave as soon as possible." Ye Li was startled, "Leave What about the villagers here"

Doctor Lin snorted and said, "I will naturally leave a message for him, advising against any action towards these people." Ye Li raised her eyebrows, "Will he listen to you" Doctor Lin sneered, "If not, I’ll give it to Mo Xiuyao…" Ye Li fell silent, deeply respecting this cheap master of hers who dared to involve Mo Xiuyao in something he didn't even know the truth about. Do you want Mo Xiuyao dead or Lin Yuan

“Perhaps you should choose someone else What about Prince Southern Thunder of Xiling Town, Lei Zhenting” Ye Li sincerely advised, seeing that Doctor Lin still had some feelings towards Lin Yuan and she didn’t wish for their master-disciple relationship to be hurt in the future. Doctor Lin glanced at her with suspicion and narrowed his eyes, asking: "Little lady, what is your relation with Mo Xiuyao I seem to have heard those two guys say that Mo Xiuyao is also near Hongzhou now… so coincidentally…"

Ye Li smiled faintly. “Master, it’s not important who I am right now; what do you think You only need to know that your disciple will never harm you.”

Doctor Lin scrutinized her for a long time before Ye Li remained motionless and composed, letting him have his way. After some time, Doctor Lin harrumphed lightly and nodded in agreement, ending the conversation.

To leave such a secluded small village is not something that can be done at will, especially when the person setting out is an elderly man in his sixties with no martial arts skills and a pregnant woman. Even worse, they are heading for an imperial tomb that has never been explored before. Given their group consisting of an old man and a pregnant woman, it's unrealistic to imagine them escaping the perilous mountains that even adult men find dangerous. Moreover, there is also the possibility of encountering Lin Yuan or someone he sends. Therefore, the rumored path leading out from inside this tomb is their only hope.

Ye Li couldn’t help but recall some tomb-robbing novels she had read in her previous life and hoped that this imperial tomb wouldn't be as perilous and eerie as described in those books. Otherwise… If given a choice, Ye Li would rather wait until after the baby was born to take a safe route out. But now, no one knows who she is; once the person named Lin Yuan appears, things might change. If he truly harbors ambitions of reclaiming his country, it's certain that he won't fail to guess that she is Mo Xiuyao’s wife and the head matron of Dingguo Mansion. Then it would be troublesome.

Several days later, Dr. Lin finally packed up everything they needed, including his rare ancient books. Ye Li took advantage of this time to prepare some necessities. When everyone in the village was still asleep, an old patriarch over seventy personally escorted them into the mountains. As expected, it was the same waterfall she had previously investigated. The elderly patriarch led them into the waterfall; inside was a vast cave. Ye Li was prepared and pulled off her cloak’s hat to shake off any water droplets. When she covered herself with the cloak earlier, Dr. Lin and the elderly patriarch both looked at her in surprise. Smiling sweetly, Ye Li said, “Isn’t it for our baby Just being cautious…” Dr. Lin glanced at her meaningfully but didn't say anything more. The old patriarch also did not speak much after looking at them; apparently, he had already negotiated with Dr. Lin beforehand. He then led the two of them into the cave.

This cave was large and deep, clearly a natural formation. On top were oddly shaped stalactites from which droplets occasionally fell. In the middle was a rapid man-made river; not only was the channel meticulously constructed, but even the paths on both sides were carefully carved out of stone blocks. Although moss had grown over them due to years of disuse, one could still discern beautiful patterns etched into the bases. Ye Li couldn’t help but twitch her mouth; it seemed that every emperor began constructing their imperial tomb upon ascending the throne. If they all followed such a grand scale as this former high ancestor’s, then indeed one would need to start building immediately after becoming emperor. Even places unrelated to the tomb were so well-built, suggesting that if construction hadn’t started earlier, there might not even be a place for them to bury their bodies when they died.

The three of them continued walking inside the cave until it was about half an hour later before stopping; they had reached its end. Water flowed out from under the stone walls. Ye Li hoped this situation wouldn’t require diving underwater.

The old patriarch carefully felt along moss-covered and overgrown rock faces, eventually finding a spot where he took out an oddly shaped key to press against it and turn. Not long after, there was a rumbling sound as a door in the stone wall cracked open. The elderly patriarch said to them, "You two may go in now; proceed with caution."

Dr. Lin nodded, saying, “You…”

The old patriarch raised his hand to stop him and nodded, saying, “I understand. We’ve guarded this place for centuries, no one has ever entered before. Over the years… we didn’t want to know what’s inside. Since the founder emperor never left any instructions for future generations regarding its contents, we don’t wish to alter that now. I am old; all I hope is that in the future, our village will be a common ordinary village and no longer needs guarding. This secret ends with me. Thank you for not revealing this secret to the young master these years… after you leave, it won't be needed anymore. Take it along.”

Dr. Lin nodded, saying, "Take care." He then took the key from the old patriarch and pulled Ye Li inside as the stone wall slowly closed behind them.

As the stone door closed, the surroundings turned pitch black. Dr. Lin lit a torch and walked to an oil lamp on the wall, igniting it. Soon, the candlelight reflected off a copper mirror opposite them, then refracted towards another mirror, illuminating the previously dark passage within moments. Ye Li raised her eyebrows but followed Dr. Lin in silence.

The corridor was quiet except for their footsteps. As she walked, Ye Li observed the walls on either side of her. The former Emperor Taizu had indeed been wealthy and powerful; even as Consort Princess of King Ding, Ye Li had participated in several imperial mausoleum ceremonies. She had entered the tomb chamber of the previous emperor before but only briefly at its outermost section. Here, however, every inch of this inconspicuous corridor was intricately carved from marble. Dragon-shaped bas-reliefs adorned the walls and floor, with gemstones set into each dragon's eyes, exuding imperial splendor.

Following the passage further without encountering any traps or mechanisms as rumored, Ye Li could only roughly estimate their position and distance within this subterranean mausoleum devoid of daylight.

After half an hour, they arrived at a side chamber. Oil lamps inside immediately filled the room with fragrance; Ye Li stepped back warily from them. Soon realizing it was dragon's perfume, she still kept her distance as it could harm pregnant women. Dr. Lin looked down at his worn map and surveyed the empty room: "Let’s rest for a while. You must be tired..."

Looking at his map, Ye Li asked curiously: “If Elder Clan Leader is unwilling to expose the treasures in the imperial mausoleum, does he not fear we will come back after leaving and take them” Dr. Lin turned around with a faint smile: "It’s said that... without a key, we can’t open the entrance we came through. As for our exit… it can only be opened once, lasting but fifteen minutes." Ye Li couldn’t help sweating: “Master, are you sure no one has used this exit” Calling him master clearly pleased the old man; his expression relaxed as he replied: "If someone had, what would you do" Ye Li smiled wryly and said helplessly: “Then I’d have to go with Master through thick and thin, but it’s too bad for my baby…” Dr. Lin couldn’t suppress a smile either and looked at her saying: “This kid is pretty lucky; he’s been with you for so long without harm, nothing will happen.”

“Thanks to Master’s blessing,” Ye Li smiled. Lightening up somewhat, she asked puzzledly: “What exactly did the founding emperor of the previous dynasty leave in the imperial mausoleum Why didn’t Elder Clan Leader want Lin Yuan to obtain it” Dr. Lin replied calmly: "I don't know, but Emperor Taizu instructed the tomb guards not to spread its contents outside. As for Elder Clan Leader… they just wish to live a peaceful life." Ye Li raised her brows; Dr. Lin continued: “Lin Yuan grew up in the village from childhood, so Elder Clan Leader knows his character well. If he fails to retrieve anything, that's one thing. But if he succeeds, no one in this village will survive.”

Ye Li was puzzled; Dr. Lin waved dismissively and ceased further explanation.

She found a spot to sit down, gently rubbing her belly as she reflected on their situation while studying the carvings on the stone walls. The silence in the empty chamber was only broken by Ye Li tapping lightly at the stones occasionally with her fingers.

–––s tomb: “digging through three layers of earth to reach his coffin which was placed on a layer of mercury, with palaces and officials’ quarters inside, filled with odd-shaped items and precious object...