Chapter 43

While Xiao Heng was still keeping a close watch on Chu Zhaoyou, Lu Huai had already launched a nighttime raid, capturing the person who had hidden the red clothing in their home and taking them into the imperial mausoleum.

The mausoleum had exceptional soundproofing. Just block the entrance to the mausoleum, and even the Regent couldn’t enter, no matter how mighty he might be.

Chu Zhaoyou estimated that the time was right. “I’m going to interrogate the tomb guardian in the mausoleum. Regent, you should rest.”

Xiao Heng wanted to follow, but Chu Zhaoyou brought up the rule about not interfering.

Chu Zhaoyou was adamant, and Xiao Heng, despite feeling frustrated, had finally spent a good day with him. They even slept while embracing each other at night. He didn’t dare argue with him.

Moreover, without Xie Chaoyun around, there would be no one to mediate after an argument. The Regent had realized that he had to rely on his own actions and had swiftly matured.

“One hour.”

“Alright,” Chu Zhaoyou agreed immediately. “But don’t wander around. This is my territory.”

After watching Chu Zhaoyou leave, Xiao Heng’s eyes darkened. He immediately leaped out the window and hurried to the home of the man in red.

Xiao Heng had to rule out the possibility that any man related to Chu Zhaoyou could be the womanizer. His initial judgment of the womanizer had been extravagant, and his mind hadn’t been working well.

Today, when he saw that man, his age matched, and he didn’t seem very bright. He wore a red string around his neck with a small piece of jade Guanyin, quite valuable.

Even with exceptional lightness of movement, the red-clothed man would be no match for Lu Huai if he was captured.

When Chu Zhaoyou arrived, the man was tied to a pillar. He had a very fair complexion, with an air of elegance and wickedness. He was dressed in simple rough hemp clothing, and his face revealed a simple sense of confusion.

Chu Zhaoyou casually remarked, “Brother, you look like a womanizer turned thief.”

“What’s your name?”

The red-clothed man looked surprised. “Qin Feichen.”

Before Chu Zhaoyou could react, Zhao Jin suddenly burst into laughter. “So it’s you.”

“Do you know him?” When Chu Zhaoyou asked this question, he noticed Qin Feichen puffing out his chest.

Zhao Jin explained, “In the area around Yangzhou, there’s a well-known womanizer in red, who sneaks into young ladies’ chambers at night. He doesn’t steal or take anything except a flower and a couple of silvers on the table, then disappears without a trace.”

“That sounds like a scatterbrained benefactor,” Chu Zhaoyou couldn’t help but ask, “Are you very wealthy?”

Qin Feichen narrowed his eyes arrogantly, “I’m wealthy enough to rival a country.”

As the Emperor, Chu Zhaoyou felt insulted.

The Regent had just flaunted his wealth in front of him during the day, and now another one at night. They were all richer than him. They might as well go fight it out.

“Ruling by robbing tombs to become wealthy?” Chu Zhaoyou sneered, “Indeed, if you rob the tombs of ten emperors, you’d reap the savings of ten emperors. Naturally, as a lonely individual, I can’t compare.”

The wealthy Qin Feichen felt insulted. “I didn’t rob any tombs! I have wealth of my own.”

Chu Zhaoyou continued, “Oh? But the tomb guardians, except for the two deaf ones, identified you as the one using lightness of movement to transport explosives into the mausoleum and extensively steal burial items.”

Qin Feichen’s gaze faltered, finding it hard to believe he was being betrayed.

Chu Zhaoyou glanced at the jade Guanyin around his neck and clapped his hands. “Case closed. The imperial mausoleum was plundered by the number one womanizer, Qin Feichen. The evidence is the jade Guanyin around his neck, an item personally placed by me among the burial goods in the mausoleum.”

“Lü Bo, tomorrow we’ll post announcements nationwide to showcase my intelligence and deter other tomb raiders!”

Chu Zhaoyou swiftly issued orders, catching everyone off guard. Is that it? Case closed?

Lü Bo, confused, replied, “I’ll arrange it right away.”

Qin Feichen’s face reddened with anger. “The jade Guanyin is my family heirloom! How could you claim to have placed it there yourself! You and the late Emperor are the same, stealing from others. You deserve no peace even after death!”

As Chu Zhaoyou walked out, Qin Feichen yelled, “You’re playing with people’s lives! You shouldn’t publicize my name. If anyone wants to be a tomb raider, I, Qin Feichen, have a renowned reputation as a womanizer… Good people don’t get good rewards. You dog of an Emperor, come back!”

Chu Zhaoyou smiled and sat back down, looking genial. “Do you have something to say?”

Qin Feichen replied, “Let me have a drink of water first.”

“You insult me and then want to drink water. If I were not kind, I would have cut off your tongue,” Chu Zhaoyou gently urged, “Hurry up. Once you’re done, I can close the case and leave.”

Qin Feichen seemed to cherish his reputation as a womanizer. He quickly said, “The late Emperor took my brother’s and his wife’s token of love and placed it in the coffin. I’m seeking justice on their behalf.”

“Who is your brother?”

“The eunuch in charge of the mausoleum.”

Eunuchs usually enter the palace early. Chu Zhaoyou glanced at Qin Feichen. “You and the eunuch are brothers?”

“We became brothers along the way,” Qin Feichen had an intense desire to confide, and he began to narrate a complete love story.

Eunuch Zhang had a wife in his youth, and they had a loving and harmonious relationship. One day, he happened to break open a stone on the mountain, discovering it was a jadeite ore. He crafted a fertility jade pendant from the polished jadeite and specifically had it consecrated at Guangji Temple before gifting it to his wife to wear. Soon after, his wife became pregnant, with twins.

The news of Eunuch Zhang’s discovery quickly spread throughout the village. When passing officials heard about it, Emperor Chu Zhaoyou was not yet born, and the late Emperor was troubled by the issue of succession. The officials immediately reported it.

The late Emperor ordered the presentation of the jade pendant, and the officials dispatched individuals to seize it. In the struggle, Eunuch Zhang’s wife and three others lost their lives. Seeking justice, Eunuch Zhang confronted the officials, but he was cruelly sent to the eunuch’s quarters and castrated instead.

The story was a tragic one. Tears welled in Qin Feichen’s eyes as he stared at Chu Zhaoyou. “Your Majesty, it’s because of that jade pendant that you were born!”

Chu Zhaoyou was deeply moved, rendered speechless.

Qin Feichen continued, explaining that after the late Emperor’s death, the jade pendant was placed inside the coffin to bless future generations with many offspring. Sadly, Eunuch Zhang had never had the chance to be close to the late Emperor during his lifetime. Finally, he had the opportunity to guard the mausoleum. While others had left, he remained at his post.

“Because of that jade pendant in the mausoleum, it was his sole remaining aspiration in this lifetime. Guarding that jade pendant, Eunuch Zhang could barely recall his wife’s appearance. After serving as a eunuch for twenty years, he had nearly forgotten that he once had a wife and children.”

Qin Feichen, a man of striking appearance, shed tears, which did not match his dashing looks at all. “But how could I be content guarding the mausoleum for my enemies? The only way was to open the mausoleum and retrieve that jade pendant.”

Chu Zhaoyou reminded him, “But you’ve already emptied the mausoleum.”

Qin Feichen responded, “I’ve come this far.”

“In that case, you can’t leave,” Chu Zhaoyou yawned. “Summon the officials to post announcements.”

Qin Feichen hurriedly clarified, “They say that money can’t be taken into the afterlife, so it’s a waste to keep it in the mausoleum. It’s better to sell it and use the proceeds to help the poor.”

Qin Feichen handled all the transportation work alone, practically working as if he didn’t need money. He had exceptional lightness of movement, leaving barely any traces after multiple trips. After transporting the goods, they planned to reseal the mausoleum and return things to the way they were before, in about a year or so.

Unexpectedly, Chu Zhaoyou suddenly wanted to renovate the imperial mausoleum. The stone door of the mausoleum was wide open, leaving no time for a proper cover-up.

To the right of the small river village, there was a cliff. Qin Feichen tossed the burial items off the cliff, and the village head was waiting below to receive them.

Chu Zhaoyou asked, “Why didn’t you run away?”

Qin Feichen was living in the village head’s house, claiming to be a distant relative of the village head, helping to look after the place.

“I thought I could escape,” Qin Feichen lamented, feeling that he could even have fled with Eunuch Zhang. However, Eunuch Zhang had been restrained early on, so Qin Feichen had no choice but to stay and assess the situation.

Chu Zhaoyou looked at this fool, unable to bring himself to tell him that Eunuch Zhang had entered the palace at the age of thirteen.

He summoned Lü Bo and instructed, “After I leave, have someone inform Qin Feichen that Eunuch Zhang entered the palace at thirteen. Rotate messengers to tell him this throughout the night. Then, go beneath the cliff and find the village head of the small river village. Keep your actions discreet.”

Daring to insult him as a dog of an Emperor, tonight he would make him question his life.

Suddenly, there was a commotion outside, as if someone was forcefully trying to enter. The Royal Guards appeared flustered. “The Regent wishes to come in.”

Chu Zhaoyou said, “Tonight, the Regent is not to be informed about the progress of the investigation.”

Qin Feichen had disappointed him too much, solving the case in just one hour.

He swiftly exited the mausoleum, just in time to encounter the Regent’s accusatory expression.

Meanwhile, Xiao Heng had gone to the small river village in vain. The guards stationed there reported seeing someone acting suspiciously and heading towards the cliff. They had sent men to pursue.

Xiao Heng patiently waited, realizing that the person must have been captured by Chu Zhaoyou.

Why had he been kept in the dark about the capture?

Xiao Heng looked as if his tail had been stepped on, blocked at the entrance of the mausoleum, and was on the verge of wanting to blow up the imperial mausoleum again.

Upon seeing Chu Zhaoyou emerge, he immediately confronted him, even suspiciously sniffing the air around Chu Zhaoyou to confirm that they hadn’t been in close proximity.

Chu Zhaoyou tilted his head. “The case is still unclear. Everything is to be kept confidential.”

Xiao Heng asked directly, “Do you know him? Is he the womanizer?”

Huh??

As if he had already obtained the script in advance, Chu Zhaoyou was shocked. Could the Regent hear their conversation inside the mausoleum?

Was he eavesdropping on the ground?

Chu Zhaoyou evasively responded, “Let it go. Currently, he has nothing to do with the case.”

I really haven’t solved the case yet.

Chu Zhaoyou had always been clear about right and wrong, and womanizers were utterly reprehensible. Was “let it go” his way of defending him? Xiao Heng raised his voice, “Why would a womanizer come to the imperial mausoleum? Who was he meeting?”

The Regent calmly speculated, “Is he the womanizer who took you out of the capital? And is Lady Zhao also looking for him?”

Xiao Heng knew that his aunt was looking for someone?!

Chu Zhaoyou was briefly flustered, but then he remembered that his aunt was always reliable. He observed Xiao Heng’s expression and realized that he didn’t seem to know the reason behind his aunt’s search, which put him at ease.

What was this about a womanizer? Chu Zhaoyou was momentarily confused before recalling the fabricated story he had once made up about a womanizer.

The Regent still remembered this incident?

Could he use this opportunity to admit to it and benefit from it?

By doing so, he would both conceal the progress of the case and find a suitable excuse for his departure from the capital.

Qin Feichen had good lightness of movement, and bringing him along wasn’t an issue. Besides, he was a womanizer who “cherished his feathers,” so it wasn’t unfair to him.

Chu Zhaoyou pretended to reluctantly admit, “It’s him. I recognized his clothes in the small river village.”

Xiao Heng coldly laughed as he drew a sword, specifically a guard’s sword, its blade scraping against the ground, sparking, “Defying the Emperor and committing treason. I’ll go in and kill him!”

“Stop!” Chu Zhaoyou hastily intervened. “Qin Feichen isn’t the kind of womanizer you think he is!”

“You’re defending him!”

“No!” Chu Zhaoyou quickly reiterated Qin Feichen’s absurd womanizing theory, “He only thinks womanizers are dashing and romantic. In reality, he’s been spending money, even giving me a couple of silvers as travel funds. As long as I portray encountering an impressive womanizer to the public.”

Xiao Heng searched his memory and indeed found such a person on the list of womanizers given to him by the secret guards, but this individual had been active in Yangzhou all along.

“If he hasn’t done anything wrong, Your Majesty, why would Lady Zhao be searching for him?” questioned Xiao Heng.

Chu Zhaoyou spoke in a lofty manner, “I believe he’s a talented individual.”

Xiao Heng’s gaze turned cold. “Is it that my reports aren’t swift enough, or that my martial skills aren’t sufficient to protect Your Majesty?”

Fearful of Xiao Heng resigning, given his current health condition, Chu Zhaoyou needed someone to help him manage state affairs. He resorted to flattery, saying, “The light of fireflies cannot compare to the brilliance of the sun and moon! After the incident with Zhang Huiji, I have gained new insights. Even if Qin Feichen didn’t directly offend any women, his behavior could cause them distress, leaving them anxious and unable to live in peace. I, as a grown man, vomited continuously for over ten days. It still nauseates me when I think about it.”

“I must find him and have him apologize to the ladies, acknowledge his mistake, and prevent him from sliding into substantial criminal behavior!”

Chu Zhaoyou’s words were stern and convincing, as the incident with Zhang Huiji did indeed make him nauseous.

Xiao Heng remained skeptical. “He really hasn’t offended you?”

“Absolutely not!” Chu Zhaoyou vehemently denied. “If he had, he’d be facing the same fate as Zhang Huiji by now.”

Recalling Chu Zhaoyou’s fierce attack on Zhang Huiji, Xiao Heng couldn’t help but believe him a little more.

Later, when Xiao Heng’s subordinates came to discuss matters with him, Chu Zhaoyou returned to the mausoleum, smiling as he looked at Qin Feichen.

“Here are two options for you: become a womanizer, or become a tomb raider.”

Qin Feichen didn’t hesitate. “I choose the former.”

“Very well. However, your involvement in the excavation of the late Emperor’s mausoleum is a serious offense. It can’t simply be overlooked. There are three things you must do. Firstly, apologize to the ladies. Secondly, you’ll cover the expenses for the mausoleum’s repairs. Lastly, acknowledge that you… coerced me…”

As Chu Zhaoyou spoke, Qin Feichen was fine with the first two requests. When the last one was mentioned, Qin Feichen’s eyes widened. “You want me to be the fall guy?”

Being the scapegoat for other womanizers? Coercing the Emperor to leave the city could land him in prison, right?

Chu Zhaoyou responded, “If you don’t want to talk, then be silent. Eunuch Zhang entered the palace at the age of thirteen!”

Do I have a child or something that makes you want to pin this on me? This is about the fate of the nation. Can you handle it?

Painfully, Qin Feichen covered his ears. “Please, stop. I agree!”

Author’s Note: Qin Feichen: Taking the fall for the nation is tough… Oh my, does he really have a child?