SFS Chapter 146 Making a Last-Die Struggle
Chapter 146 Making a Last-Die Struggle
Marquis Chengen suddenly woke up, hurriedly dressed, and quickly walked out of the study.
"My lord, why would someone trespass on the cemetery?" the confidant said anxiously. "Now that the city gates are closed, I'm afraid you won't be able to go to Chaoyun Mountain."
Marquis Chengen was anxious but helpless, as he had to wait until the city gates opened at five quarters past dawn before he could go to Chaoyun Mountain.
"What exactly happened?" His eyes were filled with a sinister light. "Did the people who broke into the mountains get close to our master's grave?"
The confidant replied, "The people guarding the cemetery noticed someone entering the mountains. Before they could investigate, they sent someone on horseback back to the capital to inform you before the city gates closed."
"A bunch of useless trash!" Marquis Chengen roared in fury. "He ordered them to guard the burial mound to the death and not allow anyone to enter, yet they still managed to let some in!"
He felt a sense of panic about the unknown situation.
After all, it concerns his life and fortune.
It is still 9:45 PM.
We still have to wait several hours.
Marquis Chengen's face was gloomy. He paced back and forth with his hands behind his back, pondering how he could turn his situation around now that the secret of the cemetery had been discovered.
Then I remembered something I had in my hand that might save my life in a critical moment.
He doesn't want to use it unless absolutely necessary.
He was unsure whether that thing could be a lifesaver.
If used improperly, it could very well become a death warrant.
Marquis Chengen stayed up all night. When the morning bell rang and the city was opened to traffic, he immediately took a carriage out of the city, changed into a fast horse, and rushed to Chaoyun Mountain.
Upon arriving at Chaoyun Mountain, he immediately began his ascent.
Hu Changdong, who was guarding the cemetery, had also stayed up all night. His eyes were bloodshot, and he was sitting casually at the entrance of the mountain path, taking a nap.
Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching. Looking up, he saw Marquis Chengen rushing over, looking travel-worn.
He hurriedly stepped forward: "My lord, I have already checked, and your mentor's tomb has been targeted by grave robbers."
As Hu Changdong spoke, he quickly walked to the front of the tomb and pointed to a hole dug by a tomb robber.
"I live off the land. I've seen these kinds of grave-robbing holes before. Whenever a graveyard has these holes, without exception, it's been looted by grave robbers."
Hu Changdong picked up an iron awl and handed it to Marquis Chengen: "Here, this is the tool that grave robbers use to dig holes."
Marquis Chengen glanced at the iron awl in Hu Changdong's hand, then looked closely at the tomb robber's hole.
The hole was not deep, only about the size of a copper basin.
Hu Changdong's words did not dispel his suspicions.
He asked in a deep voice, "Are you sure it was a grave robber's hole?"
"My lord, grave robbers go up the mountain during the day to catch rabbits and scout locations before they come to rob the tomb. I'm not sure if it's just based on this tomb-robbing hole, but when we searched the mountain, we found newly dug rope traps, which are specifically designed to catch prey."
Hu Changdong speculated, "Your mentor's identity is extraordinary. There's a solitary tomb here, and someone is specially assigned to guard it. Grave robbers must have thought there were rich burial goods, so they dared to risk robbing the tomb."
"After all, people die for money, and birds die for food." Hu Changdong patted his chest and assured him, "Besides grave robbers, no one else will disturb the tomb. If they had other purposes, they would never dig a hole in this location. It's not like we have a deep-seated hatred to dig up your mentor's grave."
Marquis Chengen thought about it and realized that it made sense, but he was still uneasy.
He lowered his eyes to look at where he was standing, his gaze shifting slightly.
Whether he is being paranoid or not, a simple test will tell.
It would be best to be a gravedigger.
If you're here for the sake of evidence, then you'll have to face the consequences.
Marquis Chengen dug out all the items, then put in a fake one before returning to the capital with his men.
-
In Lanxue Garden, Shen Qingtan and Zhao Yi sat in the master's room.
"Second Master, Second Madam, I found the original owner of that land, paid him money to get the blueprints, and also found out about a wild path leading up the mountain. I disguised myself as a grave robber and dug a hole in the tomb."
Jiang Mu reported in a low voice: "After I escaped down the mountain, I rushed to the capital. I hid on the only road leading from the capital to Chaoyun Mountain and saw that Marquis Chengen went to Chaoyun Mountain."
Shen Qingtan looked at Jiang Mu with some surprise, seemingly not expecting him to come up with such an idea.
Jiang Mu scratched the back of his head: "I disturbed Elder Li's final resting place. I will burn some paper money for him later to comfort his soul."
Shen Qingtan nodded slightly.
Jiang Mu breathed a sigh of relief, always feeling that Old Li must have done something terrible in his past life to have given birth to an unfilial son and adopted a student who was utterly lacking in virtue.
Shen Qingtan looked at Zhao Yi: "It seems our guess was correct."
Knowing that Shen Qingtan was determined, Zhao Yi asked, "What are your plans?"
“It’s fine once it’s confirmed, there’s no need to obtain evidence.” Shen Qingtan said slowly, “The Marquis of Chengen is very suspicious, especially since such an important thing is buried in the grave. The slightest disturbance can make him extremely nervous.”
Zhao Yi nodded slightly, confirming that it was indeed the case.
"Given his cautious nature, he would definitely move the items. But since the incident happened so suddenly, he didn't have a suitable place to hide them, and he would suspect that he was being watched, so he would take them back to the Marquis's residence first. Once he finds a suitable place, he will move them again."
Shen Qingtan revealed her plan in detail: "My goal is to break away from the Chengen Marquis's mansion. If the Chengen Marquis finds out that I already know that the officials in Qingzhou lied about the disaster and that he is suspected, he will definitely kill me to silence me."
Zhao Yi gestured for her to continue.
“Sending people to Chaoyun Mountain is the first step, laying the groundwork for what’s to come,” Shen Qingtan continued. “The matter in Qingzhou is inextricably linked to Prince Yu. He’s ruthless, and if he finds out I’m investigating the disaster in Qingzhou, he will definitely not let me off the hook.”
Zhao Yi frowned deeply: "You're going to put yourself in danger?"
“We have made thorough preparations, nothing will happen.” Shen Qingtan explained, “If Prince Yu wants to kill me to silence me, after Marquis Chengen learns of the news, he will likely suspect me, and guess that Prince Yu wants to kill me because of the disaster in Qingzhou, after we have been disturbed by someone.”
"He's afraid of incurring Prince Yu's wrath, so he'll definitely try every means to kick me aside and ruin my reputation, just to show his loyalty to Prince Yu. You're my husband, and if my reputation is bad, you'll be in a very passive position too. Given Prince Yu's perverse tastes, isn't this much more interesting than just killing me?"
Prince Yu's favorite thing was to slowly cut flesh with a dull knife, to watch people suffer and despair, to watch them make their last desperate struggle, and then, when people saw a glimmer of hope, to stab them hard.
Only when he feels at peace will he show mercy and stop taking his anger out on Marquis Cheng'en.
Shen Qingtan could tell from Prince Yu's attitude toward the red fox that he liked to torture people.
However, all of this was predicated on the fact that she had not yet learned the specific details of the disaster in Qingzhou, which is why Prince Yu was in the mood to watch her make her final, desperate struggle.
"It's too risky." Zhao Yi shook his head and said disapprovingly, "Even the best of us can make mistakes. No matter how well we prepare, there will inevitably be oversights."
Shen Qingtan knew that Zhao Yi would not let her take any risks, but if this matter succeeded, they could uproot everything.
Her great revenge will be fulfilled.
More importantly, Consort Ling and Prince Yu were ultimately a hidden danger.
If they knew that Zhongyuan had been found and could cure Zhao Yi's illness, would they still tolerate him?