Love Affairs in Chang'an - Chapter 245
Chapter 245 Dragon of the Jade Well
Qin Mubai and Li Ke searched the palace carefully for a long time, but they didn’t find any other suspicious signs. Apart from the stone statues, there were only ordinary buildings and ornaments left in the hall.
Li Ke carefully looked at the jade seal and shook his head, “There is nothing to prove the authenticity of this jade seal now.”
Qin Mubai did not say anything, but he could hear some hidden meaning in Li Ke’s words: He wanted to hide this jade seal!
“Why didn’t you say anything?” Li Ke looked at Qin Mubai with a strange expression.
It was indeed strange, as if there were some vigilance and some guilt. It was as if he was worried that Qin Mubai would be able to see through his thoughts. He wanted to try his best to conceal it, but he was worried that he would not be able to conceal it. He looked hesitant, hesitant, and somewhat helpless.
Qin Mubai nodded at the door of the hall, “Let them go far away.”
Li Ke understood and personally went forward to drink away the people accompanying him. He then walked back and said, “This matter is very important. I want to hear your opinion. There’s no need to beat around the bush. I want to hear the truest thoughts.”
“My idea is that regardless of whether this jade seal is real or fake, you must hand it over to His Majesty the Emperor.” Qin Mubai said resolutely.
Li Ke inadvertently raised his eyebrows and said calmly, “Why?”
“An ordinary man is innocent, but he is guilty of a crime.” Qin Mubai only said these eight words.
After hearing this, Li Ke was silent for a long time and nodded unwillingly, “I understand.” However, if this is a fake jade seal and Father Emperor is toyed with by me, will he blame me again? Or perhaps, back then, after the Great Tang Northbound Turkic Empire welcomed Empress Xiao back, he also took back the jade seal, causing Royal Father to be greatly pleased with the dragon’s appearance. If this jade seal is real … then what explanation did Empress Xiao bring back from Mobei back then? Then isn’t she bullying you? Didn’t I harm her again? You know, she’s my grandmother. ”
Qin Mubai nodded and said, “Your worries are reasonable, but none of this is a big problem.” If we can figure out the origins of this place, we can figure out the twists and turns of the jade seal. At that time, there would be a way to explain it to His Majesty, so naturally, Empress Xiao would not be implicated. “Your Highness, no matter what, this jade seal does not belong to you. You must not be tempted.”
Li Ke pursed his lips, gritted his teeth, knitted his eyebrows, and nodded.
“Anything you say.”
Qin Mubai heaved a sigh of relief. Judging from Li Ke’s expression, it was definitely a lie to say that he didn’t want to take it for himself. Moreover, from the moment he stepped into the hall, Li Ke seemed to have forgotten that he was the prince of the Great Tang and the son of Li Shimin. He probably smelled the aura of Yang Guang from the former Sui Dynasty. The emperor of the Great Sui Dynasty who once ruled the world seemed to have a trace of his soul still attached to Li Ke’s body, causing him to be somewhat distracted and forget himself.
It was also possible that he was even fantasizing that if this jade seal was real … did it mean that Li Ke was the true destined son of heaven? Moreover, this place was so similar to Yang Guang’s mausoleum that it was easy for him to have a fantasy-this jade seal was deliberately left behind by Yang Guang!
This was undoubtedly a very dangerous signal!
Qin Mubai had always known that Li Ke was not something in the pond. To say that he had no ambition and did not report it was definitely deceiving himself and others. But this ambition, this retribution, definitely cannot come from Yu Feng of the former Sui Dynasty, nor from the bewitchment of the jade seal!
There is no impervious wall in the world. If Li Ke took the jade seal-whether it was real or not, he would die without a doubt!
Originally, Li Ke had been criticized by a group of veteran officials led by Eldest Sun Wuji because he was born of the princess of the former Sui Dynasty, saying that he was carrying the blood of the former Sui Dynasty, which was unlucky and disadvantageous. Actually, Changsun Wuji’s argument was somewhat ridiculous. Few people really believed him. The reason for that was because bloodline belonged to his father. This was a custom from ancient times to modern times. Changsun Wuji’s theory was clearly a forceful remark that he was pointing at a deer as a horse. His goal was to artificially label Li Ke as “fake and inferior” and deprive him of the capital to seize the first wife, so as to reduce the pressure on his nephew.
However, if Li Ke obtained a “suspected jade seal” in a “suspected palace of the former Sui Dynasty” and hid it, then he would really be digging his own grave, and it would be difficult for him to survive. Changsun Wuji’s words would be based on the facts-although the remnants of the former Sui Dynasty had not been cleared, Li Ke held the jade seal left behind by his grandfather with ulterior motives!
At that time, no one would be able to save him. Even if Li Shimin had always valued and liked this son of mine, he would still be able to kill him quickly!
…
Li Ke held the jade seal and pondered as he studied it. Suddenly, he couldn’t help but shiver. “Mubai, maybe we shouldn’t have exploded this place!” He said with a trace of panic in his eyes.
“Are you afraid?” Qin Mubai said indifferently.
Li Ke reluctantly nodded his head and said, “Whether I offer this jade seal or not, there is no benefit. If the jade seal is true, it will make my grandmother guilty of deceiving you. If the jade seal is false, I will be guilty of deceiving you. If I do not … then I will die without a doubt.”
“Comparing the two, it’s better to offer it!” Qin Mubai said, “If it was a little clever, it should be fine.”
“How can I offer it?” Li Ke hurriedly asked.
“First of all, we must find out whether this jade seal is real or fake.” Qin Mubai said, “There is only one way to clarify this matter.”
Li Ke frowned and said, “You want me to find Empress Xiao?”
“Yes.” Qin Mubai nodded. “A secret that has been hidden for decades has suddenly been discovered. She must be greatly shocked. However, I estimate that she is most likely someone who knows about it. It may not be a big crime to have a history. Perhaps she herself was deceived back then?”
“That makes sense.” Li Ke apparently heard an “important reminder” from Qin Mubai’s words. His eyes lit up and he nodded, “It is said that those who do not know are innocent. Perhaps Empress Xiao has been deceived for many years. I wonder if the jade seal is true or false?” If this jade seal was fake, it would be even easier to say. In the last years of the former Sui Dynasty, the anti-kings were everywhere, and anyone could secretly forge a jade seal. This could be one of them. In this way, you can justify yourself. ”
“However … this palace is really hard to explain.” Qin Mubai looked around and murmured, “An ordinary bandit against a king, where did you get the strength to build such a huge underground palace? Furthermore, this is not an ordinary tomb, but an underground palace that is the size of a real Golden Royal Palace. To me, this is not a tomb at all, but an underground palace.”
“That’s right. If it was a tomb, there should be a jade coffin. However, there isn’t one here. There are only many civil and military officials made by these yin people.” Li Ke said as he walked around.
Qin Mubai reached out and touched the puppet’s body. He couldn’t help but feel a little surprised and said, “How strange! They’re actually wearing real armor and official robes!”
“What?” Li Ke was also shocked. He came forward to take a closer look and said in surprise, “Indeed! When I first came in, I felt that these puppets were too realistic. It turned out that they were wearing real armor and robes. Originally, I thought they were just plated with gold, so realistic!”
As he turned his head and spoke, his hand lost some weight. Li Ke casually pushed it, and a puppet actually fell to the ground with a thunderous rumble.
With a “bang”, the puppet landed and smashed into the ground with a loud sound. The mud under the armor actually shattered, revealing the dense white bones inside!
“Ah!” The two of them cried out in surprise-“How could this be!”
‘”Could it be that these puppets were cast from the corpses of real humans, and then they were dressed in armor or official robes to stand here as guardians of the treasure hall of the Dark Ones? It’s just like when an eminent monk dies, his flesh is cast from mud to protect the relics from extinction?” Li Ke said in surprise.
“That’s possible!” Qin Mubai took a deep breath. This scene in front of him was truly beyond his expectations. He bent down and removed the broken mud tyres. He found a silver fish talisman from the dense white bones. He picked it up and found that there was a word on it–“From the Fifth Stage Commandant’s territory, Cao Huan!”
“It’s really like this!” The two of them were shocked at the same time!
The fish talisman was equivalent to an official’s “ID card” in the former Sui Dynasty. From this fish talisman, it was obvious that the person on the puppet was Yang Guang’s confidant guard. He was also the commandant of the carriage, the military attach é that Yang Guang had served on the royal chariot while traveling!
“Then … are these people also true?” Li Ke was surprised and wanted to reach out and push down another puppet.
“Forget it, Your Highness.” Qin Mubai stopped him and said, “Even if they were people from the former Sui Dynasty, it’s rare for them to be loyal to their Lord and follow him to his death. Give their undead some respect!”
“En” Li Ke gritted his teeth and nodded. “In that case, Zhao Chong’s grandfather is probably one of them. These people had probably come here with Zhao Chong’s grandfather and had gathered in Xiangzhou to become water bandits. Afterwards, these people passed away one after another. Then, according to their own agreement, they poured the remains into the mud, put on their official robes and armor, and turned into puppets to continue to guard the palace. It was possible that Zhao Chong’s grandfather had not told his descendants these secrets. But before he died, he left behind a secret about the palace and hoped that his children and grandchildren would erect his remains here as well. “It’s a pity that the old man left so quickly that he died before he could finish his explanation. As a result, those treasure map and poems were left behind, becoming a secret that had troubled Zhao Chong and his son for more than 20 years!”
“It should be like this.” Qin Mubai nodded and sighed, “They should be the loyalists of the former Sui Dynasty. To be more specific, they are the loyalists of Yang Guang, the last emperor of the former Sui Dynasty.”
“Mubai, do you think it’s possible that after Emperor Yang was buried in Jiangdu, they secretly brought his corpse here to be reburied? Since they know about this secret Li Palace, it’s very likely that they will do so!” Li Ke said, “Seeing that they have to stand here loyally to protect them after their death, I suspect that Emperor Yang’s corpse is very likely here!”
Qin Mubai’s eyes lit up, “What you said makes sense. Your Highness is wise!”
“Then let’s look again? If we really find Emperor Yang’s real corpse, then we might be able to tell if the jade seal is real or fake!”
“Alright!”
The two of them searched the palace for a long time again, not even letting go of the darkest and most inconspicuous corner. Unfortunately, they didn’t find any hidden mechanism.
They exchanged glances and shook their heads in disappointment. Both of them wanted to give up.
“Perhaps we guessed wrongly …”
Li Ke was a little tired and leaned against a large jade pillar nearby to rest, saying, “I have a place that I can’t figure out.” Back then, after the Jiangdu army chaos, Empress Xiao was captured by Yuwen Hua and then returned to Dou Jiande. Later, Emperor Yang’s sister received a tooth tent from the Turks who lived in the capital for decades. It is said that she brought the jade seal with her when she went to Mobei, so I doubt very much how she hid the jade seal and did not fall into the hands of Dou Jiande, Yuwen Hua and other ambitious people, and was able to keep the Turks from being flattened by the Great Tang until she brought it back to the Central Plains and presented it to my father? ”
“Yes!” Qin Mubai was also shocked. “Could it be that … Dou Jiande, Yuwen Huanhe, and Khan of the Turks all knew that the jade seal in her hand was fake, so she wasn’t interested in taking it for herself?”
“That’s right!” Li Ke’s eyes widened. “Is the thing in my hand … real?”
“Wait, there’s another possibility.” Qin Mubai said, “That is, at first, Empress Xiao did not have any so-called jade seals in her hands.” It was only a few years ago that a jade seal appeared in her hand. Of course, it was fake! Otherwise, as a weak woman, she had experienced many different men and traveled thousands of miles in the world. How could she keep a jade seal intact? I guess that the fake jade seal in Empress Xiao’s hand might have been given to her by someone in this hall, or perhaps it was given to her by Zhao Chong’s grandfather. The reason for that was because Empress Xiao knew the secret of the whereabouts of the jade seal back then. In order to cover the underground palace with her mouth, the people present did so. And the real jade seal has always been placed in this underground palace, dedicated to the former Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty! ”
“A seamless reasoning, it must be like this!” Li Ke gritted his teeth fiercely, “In that case, there is no doubt that Yang Guang’s true remains are definitely in this underground palace!”
“Wait!” Qin Mubai’s heart suddenly lit up and he said, “Your Highness, you just said that Empress Xiao went to the Turks. Where did you live?”
“The Turkic dental tent is located in the Yudu Mountain. What’s wrong?” Li Ke said confusedly.
“Something’s wrong!” Qin Mubai suddenly exclaimed, “Li Jing once led troops to the Northern Expedition to annihilate the Turks, but in his military manuscripts, he called the Mountain of Teeth Tent the Western Mountain!”
“West Mountain Phoenix!-West Mountain Phoenix, Yujing Long, Dawn Watch, Tears!” Li Ke was also surprised, “Could it be that the Western Mountain Phoenix is referring to Empress Xiao? That Jade Well Dragon … isn’t it referring to Yang Guang?”
“So… Yang Guang’s remains are in the jade well?” Qin Mubai knitted his brows and walked towards the dragon chair.
“Yu Jing, could it be this underground palace? What does it have to do with the Dragon Chair?” Li Ke quickly followed and asked.
“Yu Jing, Yu Jing … Isn’t Yu Jing the place where the dragon chair is located on the throne of the Golden Royal Palace?!” Qin Mubai’s brows furrowed as he placed both of his hands on the dragon chair and said in a low voice, “I’m sorry!”
The pure golden dragon chair that weighed hundreds of kilograms with a bit of dark energy actually gave off a smacking sound. It was indeed swirling.
“Ah!” Li Ke let out a cry of alarm.
It was because at this moment, the sea dragon jade wall diagram behind the dragon chair split from the middle to the sides, revealing a dark passageway!
“It really is here!” Qin Mubai was also surprised.
“Let’s go in and take a look!”
The two of them lit the torches and were shocked just two steps away. At the entrance of the passageway, four standing skeletons were staring at them, their skeletons wearing armor and holding long sabers in their hands. These skeletons were all supported by armor, so they didn’t fall to the ground.
“These are probably the four corpses that escorted the corpses in. They stood here alive and didn’t fall.” Qin Mubai said.
Li Ke only nodded and walked around the four skeletons. Qin Mubai quickly followed.
There was light ahead, turning a corner, revealing a gorgeous “bedroom”. The beautiful walls of the brocade carpet were extraordinarily luxurious, but the cold air inside was bone-chilling.
Seeing this scene in front of them, the two of them were dumbfounded!
On a huge dark green jade bed, there was a golden silk bed cover covered with countless gorgeous and dazzling luminous pearls. Light came from there. One could vaguely see a “person” dressed in a yellow dragon robe lying on the jade bed through the bed cover. The cold energy in the jade bed was dense, and the two of them could not help but tremble from the distance.
“Mubai, tell me” Li Ke took a deep breath and said with a trembling voice, “Is that person on the bed-my grandfather, Yang Guang?”
Qin Mubai frowned and slowly shook his head. “Even if it was, you don’t recognize it.”
“But I have to take a look!”
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Ke rushed to the side of the jade bed, swallowed his saliva, stretched out a hand, and slowly lifted the bed cover …
