Chapter 44

Qin Feichen arrived in the capital four months ago, aiming to increase his reputation. Unfortunately, his timing was poor—just as he arrived, the Regent cracked down harshly on womanizers, effectively quelling their activities.

Understanding the situation, Qin Feichen didn’t dare to act. Through a stroke of luck, he befriended the village head of Small River Village, who, seeing his impressive lightness of movement and his naivety, sought to win him over. Together with Eunuch Zhang, they concocted a moving love story.

As explosives were not easy to come by, Qin Feichen busied himself for three months, both investing money and effort, until finally, the mausoleum was blasted open.

During the separate interrogations of the mausoleum guards, their testimonies were largely consistent. When asked why they poisoned their deaf colleague, Eunuch Zhang said, “We were guarding such a great treasure, and with the Regent paying no attention, we couldn’t retrieve it. Could we not indulge in a little envy and discussion? Liu was stubborn, refusing to let us speak, claiming it would offend the spirits and bring bad luck. Guarding the mausoleum was already dull, and not being able to speak made it worse. So, I and Eunuch Zhou decided to ask the village head to buy some medicine to mix into his food.”

Afterward, Zhang and Liu shamelessly discussed how they would divide the spoils and enjoy life after robbing the tomb, their thoughts becoming increasingly warped. They quickly found an ally in the village head of Small River Village and made the decision to act, only to be interrupted by the arrival of Qin Feichen.

Before the explosion, Zhang and Liu, fearing deafening noise and potential failure, cleverly drugged themselves to partially impair their hearing, ensuring that they could adapt to any outcome.

Chu Zhaoyou inquired, “But what about the villagers of Small River Village? Weren’t you concerned they might report you?”

Eunuch Zhang hesitated, “Originally, we planned to leave the next evening, but unexpectedly, emissaries from the capital arrived that afternoon, announcing the renovation of the imperial mausoleum. With a little manipulation, we could easily deceive the villagers for a day or two.”

Upon closer examination, there was a history of renovations at the imperial mausoleum. Small River Village, being the closest to the mausoleum, had a long history of being conscripted for labor. During the late Emperor’s reign, stringent overseers were appointed, forcefully enlisting villagers. Failure to meet the Emperor’s exacting standards often resulted in abuse and deaths, leaving nearly every household in mourning due to the construction of the mausoleum.

With the plundering of the late Emperor’s mausoleum, the villagers of Small River Village, while fearful, also felt a sense of vindication. Covertly feigning deafness and muteness for a day was a small price to pay.

Chu Zhaoyou, feeling a headache coming on, rubbed his temples. While the principal instigators had been apprehended, the village head remained at large. Given the trio’s conspicuous greed, they would be dealt with according to the law.

Qin Feichen, though innocent, had been an accomplice. Despite his innocence, he had shown contempt for imperial authority and therefore could not be deemed entirely blameless. Chu Zhaoyou assigned him a task and required him to pay a fine for his transgression. Additionally, he had to compensate the villagers of Small River Village on behalf of the late Emperor.

After sealing the mausoleum, Chu Zhaoyou arranged for a rough restoration of the imperial mausoleum and allocated a large portion of the funds to Small River Village, using the pretext of mausoleum renovations to refurbish the village’s residences.

“I personally oversee the work, offering higher wages, and now I am temporarily appointed as the village head of Small River Village.”

This title is quite respectable; refurbishing the villagers’ houses is far more interesting than restoring the imperial mausoleum.

The ruler of Great Chu swiftly shifted the focus of the year’s work, embarking on a path of poverty alleviation and grassroots support.

Chu Zhaoyou clenched his fist. Once the Regent left the next day, he would assume the role of village head.

In the evening, Chu Zhaoyou, with a troubled expression, said, “I am truly useless. I apologize to our ancestors.”

Xiao Heng held Chu Zhaoyou as he slept for two days, regretting that this wasn’t the capital, but the late Emperor’s mausoleum. He gently patted Chu Zhaoyou’s head, “Since Your Majesty knows you can’t be of help, you shall return to the capital with me tomorrow.”

Chu Zhaoyou gritted his teeth inwardly. He was just being modest, but the Regent’s remark about returning to the capital tomorrow made him very happy, so for now, he chose not to dwell on a few hurtful words.

He cherished the warmth and comfort of the bed, where the Regent deigned to sleep with him, but tomorrow night, he would have to sleep alone.

Surprisingly, Chu Zhaoyou felt a bit reluctant.

Next, he would have to remain alone for three months or even longer. He hoped the Regent wouldn’t return to Hualing Mountain. However, considering the long and lonely time ahead, he felt a twinge of discomfort. Perhaps one day, the ministers would realize that governance continued fine without an emperor, and the Regent could start his own drama as the leading man.

Chu Zhaoyou thought, “I have worked really hard to help you cope with the late Emperor’s legacy.”

“Do you loathe the late Emperor? Do you detest me?” he murmured, well aware that the Regent had once despised the young Emperor, initially ignoring him and later resorting to threats and intimidation.

Xiao Heng fell silent for a moment before saying, “The late Emperor is the late Emperor, and Your Majesty is Your Majesty. This Regent can distinguish between the two.”

He could even distinguish the changed Chu Zhaoyou, the one he actually liked. It was strange to think this way about oneself, but the He Xin Gu wasn’t reasonable. The Regent had to force himself to accept it.

If it weren’t for the He Xin Gu, robbing him of any possibility with Chu Zhaoyou, the Regent might have even considered, for Chu Zhaoyou’s sake, forgiving the late Emperor. After all, Chu Zhaoyou had also drugged him. Watching the little guy do whatever it took to survive initially made him so angry he could have strangled him, but later, for some reason, he couldn’t summon any anger.

Instead, he felt a strange sense of satisfaction. Fortunately, everything Chu Zhaoyou wanted was in his hands; he could take it all, as long as Chu Zhaoyou’s gaze remained fixed on him and not on anyone else.

Counting silently to twenty, Xiao Heng felt the young Emperor burrow into his arms.

He needed to think of a way to share a bed when they returned to the capital.

…

Chu Zhaoyou woke up, bidding the Regent farewell with great joy in his heart, but he restrained himself from asking when Xiao Heng would depart. It wasn’t until after lunch that Chu Zhaoyou couldn’t contain himself, considerately suggesting to the Regent, “If there’s urgent business at court, we must leave tonight.”

“Is Your Majesty in a hurry to send this Regent away?”

Chu Zhaoyou responded indignantly, “This realm outwardly belongs to me. If something were to happen, of course, I’d be anxious.”

“In that case, Your Majesty, why don’t we return to the capital today and take a look? It wouldn’t be appropriate for Your Majesty to hand over the entire realm to me, would it?”

Chu Zhaoyou faltered, “I can’t see any way forward. Maybe I should go catch tomb raiders at the mausoleum.”

Xiao Heng bluntly retorted, “Forgive me for speaking frankly, but it’s been three days, and Your Majesty hasn’t found a clue to such a simple case. Why not return to the capital and let me handle the investigation?”

I’ve already solved the case!

Chu Zhaoyou almost wanted to smear the sticky rice cake in his hand on the Regent’s face. Suppressing his indignation, he reluctantly said, “Does Your Highness look down on me?”

Hearing “Your Highness” for the second time, Xiao Heng still couldn’t resist.

When the young Emperor said “Your Highness,” the tone tightened slightly, as if coquettish, a world apart from the sardonic “Regent.”

Xiao Heng realized that he might actually have a problem. Even if Chu Zhaoyou called him by the title he detested the most, “Grand Tutor,” he couldn’t summon any anger now. In fact, he was even feeling a bit eager…

He cleared his throat and awkwardly said, “I didn’t mean that.”

Chu Zhaoyou instructed the eunuch to bring a package and considerately said, “I’ve prepared this for you, Your Highness.”

Xiao Heng raised an eyebrow, “Did Your Majesty do it personally?”

Chu Zhaoyou nodded. He had tied a knot in the clothes that Xiao Heng had soaked on the day he arrived. If the Regent didn’t leave today, he would have to leave anyway. Strangely, the package seemed larger than what he had packed, as if the eunuch had added something else inside.

“Mmm.” Xiao Heng took the package and set it aside. “Xiao Jiu, come in.”

Chu Zhaoyou felt a sense of foreboding, and then two individuals entered the room. One of them was dressed in the standard black attire of the Regent’s residence, escorting a disheveled middle-aged man.

Chu Zhaoyou looked at the Regent, his expression turning pale. Could this man be the village head?

He’s been apprehended?! Can’t he be given a few more days?

I am extremely disappointed!

Xiao Heng stood up and announced, “The village head of Small River Village, Liu Zhuang, conspired with the mausoleum guards Zhang and Zhou to blast open the mausoleum, steal its treasures, and flee to Pingzhen. They have been arrested, and the case is closed.”

Most of the burial items are still under the cliff. Liu Zhuang only took the most valuable items made of gold and silver before fleeing in haste.

When Xiao Heng went to find the man in red that night, he learned about a cliff near Small River Village. It took a full day’s journey to reach the mountain road from the village. Transporting a large number of burial items was risky and challenging. Tossing them off the cliff was the shortest route, and the area below the cliff was desolate and uninhabited. Xiao Heng immediately ordered his subordinates to investigate. Within a day, Xiao Jiu had traced and apprehended the village head.

When Chu Zhaoyou tried to inquire about the location of the burial items from Qin Feichen, Xiao Jiu had already been searching below the cliff, making him one step ahead of the Royal Guards.

Chu Zhaoyou said awkwardly, “Thank you for your assistance, Regent. There are still some doubts in this case. I need to straighten things out.”

I will think it over for another two days. You can leave promptly.

Xiao Heng remained composed, “There are still some doubts, such as a certain womanizer…”

He didn’t understand why Chu Zhaoyou was covering for Qin Feichen. Perhaps it would be best to first remove Qin Feichen as per Chu Zhaoyou’s wishes  keep him and then use him as leverage.

But what was there to hide from a chance encounter? Placing Chu Zhaoyou at the mausoleum, Xiao Heng had a gut feeling that he might fall into a trap. Keeping an eye on someone right under his nose was the only way to feel secure.

Chu Zhaoyou hastily interjected, “No, no, I was mistaken. There are no doubts in this case.”

He had promised to help Qin Feichen cover up the tomb raiding incident. He couldn’t let the Regent uncover this. Qin Feichen seemed unreliable, and a few words from the Regent could easily turn the tables.

“In that case, Your Majesty and I should return to the capital,” Xiao Heng remarked as he picked up the package, teasing, ” Your Majesty even helped pack this package, and the carriage is ready as well.”

Chu Zhaoyou stared at the familiar package, realizing why it seemed larger. He glanced at the eunuch, silently questioning him.

The eunuch wore a pained smile, evidently feeling threatened.

Xiao Heng awkwardly led Chu Zhaoyou for a while, then, as if suddenly awakened from a dream, Chu Zhaoyou embraced a nearby pillar.

No, I haven’t even been the village head yet.

Xiao Heng chuckled at Chu Zhaoyou’s reluctance to leave. Instead of forcing him, he patiently inquired, “Is there anything else, Your Majesty?”

Chu Zhaoyou raised his hand, “Two days ago, I made a vow at the mausoleum, swearing to witness the complete restoration of the mausoleum to honor my late father’s spirit.”

Xiao Heng smiled, not in anger but encouragement, looking at Chu Zhaoyou, “Your filial piety is commendable. How long do you plan to oversee the restoration?”

“Six months!” Chu Zhaoyou glanced at the Regent, who quickly darkened, and swiftly corrected himself, “I meant to say, three months would be sufficient.”

Three months would be enough time for him to devise a new plan.

Xiao Heng coldly pried open Chu Zhaoyou’s hands, which were tightly clasped around the pillar. Three months? Not even three days!

“I’ve made a solemn promise. Regent, please respect me and speak civilly. Don’t use force. I’ll call for Lu Huai!” Chu Zhaoyou cried out.

Xiao Heng lifted Chu Zhaoyou and walked out with big strides. Surrounded by the Royal Guards, he showed no fear, arrogantly snatching the Emperor in public.

The Regent was beginning to act like a thug, using the Emperor to command the vassals.

Chu Zhaoyou, fearing to provoke the Regent, who was known for his forceful ways and lacked a wife, feigned a struggle. The Royal Guards looked on, hesitant and slow to react, gradually retreating.

Zhao Jin, helpless, was no match for the Regent, and he shared Chu Zhaoyou’s concerns.

As they stepped out of the mausoleum, Lu Huai appeared.

“Uncle Lu!” Chu Zhaoyou grabbed the Regent’s collar, trying to maintain a sense of dignity.

The Regent’s neck was squeezed tight, but he didn’t resist, only watching Lu Huai warily.

Lu Huai’s gaze swept between the two, deliberately ignoring Chu Zhaoyou’s hopeful expression.

Having lived for quite a number of years, Lu Huai could see things more clearly than younger individuals. When the Emperor arrived, he seemed discontented despite maintaining a facade of normalcy. However, upon the Regent’s arrival, he immediately brightened up, even borrowing clothes for the Regent.

With a flicker in his eyes, Lu Huai remembered a certain scene where Chu Zhaoyou had discreetly vomited behind Xiao Heng’s back. He had seen it and Chu Zhaoyou had asked him not to reveal it. Lu Huai was tight-lipped and wouldn’t speak out of turn.

“Take care on the journey,” Lu Huai said sternly. “The mausoleum is not a suitable place for Your Majesty to stay for an extended period.”

Chu Zhaoyou: “…”

What’s wrong with you, Uncle??

In February, news about the Regent’s search for an antidote to the He Xin Gu spread like wildfire throughout Great Chu.

In a bustling inn in a prominent town closest to the capital, an old man sat, attentively counting peanuts, muttering to himself, “Tell, don’t tell, tell, don’t tell…”

Author’s Note: Qin Feichen: So, what am I up to now?

Young man, take my advice, the farther you run, the better.

The comment from someone referred to as “Little Red” cracked me up.

(Just to be clear, I won’t tease you all, the old man won’t show up so soon.)