Chapter 89

During the following days, several more carts of gold, silver, and treasures were transported from Hu Prefecture.

Lin Yao was tasked with leading a thousand soldiers to excavate the imperial tomb and inventory the valuable burial items.

When he reunited with Chu Chengji, Lin Yao’s dark circles under his eyes were conspicuous.

Chu Chengji couldn’t help but ask, “Have you slept at all in the past few days?”

As soon as Chu Chengji inquired, Lin Yao began to pour out his grievances, “Your Highness, I suspect that Emperor Wu Jia is blaming us.

I’ve been having nightmares every time I close my eyes. In my dreams, Emperor Wu Jia holds a Fangtian halberd, glaring at me with murderous intent…”

Chu Chengji asked with an indifferent expression, “What does Emperor Wu look like in your dreams?”

After careful recollection, Lin Yao replied, “Exactly like the golden statue in the temple when we went to worship at the Yungang Monastery, just more majestic.”

Chu Chengji’s expression carried an indescribable coldness. “Emperor Wu Jia never had a beard during his lifetime.

How could he look like the clay statue in the temple?”

Despite Lin Yao’s pleading eyes, Chu Chengji remained expressionless. “It’s impossible to say. It’s been over three hundred years since Emperor Wu’s passing.

Anything is possible. Your Highness, when we return, I still need to visit the Yungang Monastery and donate all our belongings to appease Emperor Wu’s spirit…”

After a moment of silence, Chu Chengji finally spoke, “Coincidentally, I’ve been having dreams too.”

Under Lin Yao’s expectant yet nervous gaze, Chu Chengji continued, “Emperor Gaozu knows that Great Chu is currently facing challenges. He instructed me to excavate the imperial tomb if necessary.”

This left Lin Yao dumbfounded.

Chu Chengji patted his shoulder. “As a descendant of the Chu family, I believe my dreams are more accurate.”

After some consideration, Lin Yao found this reasoning acceptable.

Since the order to excavate the imperial tomb came from the Crown Prince, it made sense for the ancestors of the Chu family to convey their grievances to him through dreams.

He sighed heavily. “Emperor Wu is indeed remarkable. He always has Great Chu in his heart.”

Changing the subject, he suggested, “Your Highness, if we win this battle, let’s visit the Yungang Monastery again to worship Emperor Wu. We can offer even more incense money as a thanksgiving.”

Chu Chengji nodded coldly, but in his mind, he was contemplating whether he should talk to the monastery’s abbot about sharing some of the incense money due to the monastery’s prosperous state.

Having an extra source of income, especially a long-term one, should make Qin Zheng happy, right?

With a somewhat decent mood, Chu Chengji flipped through the inventory list of the burial goods in several major imperial tombs recorded by Lin Yao, then his lips slowly straightened.

Seeing Chu Chengji’s expression change, Lin Yao asked, “Your Highness, is there something wrong with this list?”

Chu Chengji closed the inventory of gold, silver, and jewels that had been counted: “Several generations of incompetent rulers squandered extravagantly, no wonder Da Chu has ended up like this today.”

Comparing his own imperial tomb with those of the unworthy descendants, his tomb had fewer burial objects because the country was newly established and the treasury was tight at that time.

The accompanying items were meager, just enough to match the standards of an emperor’s tomb.

In contrast, the main tomb chambers of those tombs for the incompetent descendants were paved with gold bricks.

The items taken from the tomb chambers were clearly recorded in this list. Lin Yao dared not let anyone touch the items in the main tomb chamber out of reverence.

Chu Chengji said, “Later, have someone pry out all the gold bricks from the main tomb chamber.”

What was taken from the people should now be used for the people.

…

Back in Qingzhou,

Chu Chengji inquired a little and found out that Qin Zheng had locked up everything brought back from Hu Prefecture these days in the warehouse and ordered people to guard it strictly.

Even senior officials like Song Heqing were not allowed to open the warehouse without her authorization.

Qin Zheng personally supervised the excavation of the underground channels around Yuan River and didn’t return until evening.

Chu Chengji had already looked over the price list for the proposed underground channel project prepared by Qin Zheng and found that the expenses were tightly managed.

After Qin Zheng returned, he mentioned this: “There’s no need to be so strict with the expenses for digging the underground channels.”

Qin Zheng slowly sipped her hot tea and looked at Chu Chengji, who seemed hesitant to speak.

Chu Chengji said, “If there’s anything you want to ask, just ask directly.”

Qin Zheng thought to herself, “I suspect it’s not Li Xin who’s digging up the imperial tombs, it’s you, but can I ask that directly?”

She put down her teacup and pondered, “Guizhou, how about… we both share our secrets?”

After spending these days together, he didn’t seem like someone who came from modern times, but more like a person of this era.

He didn’t even seem to fear ghosts and gods, yet he remained calm even after digging up imperial tombs.

Qin Zheng was truly perplexed about his true identity.

She knew that ancient people also existed who didn’t believe in ghosts and gods, but to the extent that he did, was truly rare.

Qin Zheng even suspected if he had accidentally crossed over from some cultivation world.@@novelbin@@

Chu Chengji remained silent, waiting for her to continue.

Qin Zheng said, “You previously mentioned to me that there were some things you would tell me when I was ready to hear them. Now, I feel the time has come.”

Her tone was calm, but her hands clasped in front of her involuntarily tightened a bit. “You should have noticed it long ago… I’m not the original Crown Princess.”

She lifted her head and looked earnestly at Chu Chengji sitting across from her, “I don’t belong here either.”

In the past, Qin Zheng wouldn’t dare to confide in him like this, but after enduring all the hardships together, with him always shielding her from harm, facing rumors and gossip, he even risked his own reputation to protect her.

It was impossible to remain unmoved in her heart.

He never rushed her or forced her to make any choices.

He simply showed her through actions that he could be trusted and relied upon.

Her defensive walls against him had long collapsed.

Moreover, because she felt that he might not belong here just like her, Qin Zheng felt an inexplicable fondness towards him, as if… they shared a secret that only belonged to the two of them.

Upon hearing Qin Zheng’s words,

Chu Chengji looked somewhat surprised.

He looked at her steadily for a while before saying, “You can tell me these things, but never speak of them to others.”

Qin Zheng didn’t expect that after summoning such courage to confess to him, she would receive such a response.

Though she understood he was saying it out of concern, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of inexplicable loss.

She replied, “I only tell you, I’m not foolish. Why would I tell anyone else?”

Chu Chengji couldn’t help but notice how vulnerable she appeared, like a hedgehog exposing its soft and lethal belly in front of him.

He leaned closer, tracing the contours of her brows and eyes with his fingertips, “I know, even if you didn’t tell me these things, it wouldn’t matter. I don’t mind.”

At that moment, his gaze softened, like the warm glow spreading from a corner of the house.

A warm kiss landed gently on the corner of Qin Zheng’s lips, “But… I’m very happy.”

He rarely showed such a gentle smile, like freshly fallen snow touched by the first rays of winter sun, clean and captivating.

He didn’t mind whether she had hidden her past from him all along, after all, that was a previous life, nothing to delve into.

But if she was willing to share these things with him, he would be happy.

It was as if she had entrusted him with both lifetimes.

Sometimes, Qin Zheng felt that once she let down her guard, she was quite easy to coax.

For example, now, after hearing his words, she was deeply moved, almost wanting to give him her previous life’s ID number. “I come from another time and space a thousand years in the future. Originally, I was an engineer.”

Worried that Chu Chengzhi might not understand, she explained, “It’s like being a commander in charge of large-scale construction projects here in the Ministry of Works, but in our time, that’s not considered holding an official position.

People didn’t have to kneel to officials. Houses were as sturdy as fortresses, towering several stories high.

Women could also hold official positions, work like men everywhere. Even the poorest families could have enough to eat and live comfortably…”

As Qin Zheng talked about these things, there was inevitably a hint of melancholy.

She had seen the most glorious and brilliant era in history, but all of that was just memories from her past life, beautiful as if it were just a dream.

Chu Chengji could sense her nostalgia for that place, so he didn’t say anything, just held her hand tighter.

Qin Zheng noticed and turned to look at him, “I asked you before if you had read a book called ‘Noble Consort in a Marquis’s Residence.’ It’s because in my original world, this world exists in a storybook. I thought you were like me, crossing over from outside the storybook.”

Chu Chengji furrowed his brow upon hearing this, “Storybook?”

Qin Zheng nodded, “But now, many things are different from the storybook. In the storybook, we both died in the palace coup in Bianjing.

The official’s daughter who cleared her family’s name and eventually married into the marquis’s family, that’s the third daughter of the Protectorate of Beiliang.”

Qin Zheng paused, realizing that he still hadn’t talked about his own affairs, so she couldn’t help but ask, “Did Husband also come from another time and space to here?”

“No.”

Chu Chengji held her close, so her face was pressed tightly against his chest, unable to see the expression on his face at this moment, but his tone sounded calm as ever, “Will Ah Zheng go back?”

Qin Zheng paused for a moment before realizing what he meant by “going back.”

She reached out and clasped the delicate cloud-patterned embroidery on his clothes, and said slowly, “There’s no going back.”

She didn’t even know how she ended up here, so how could she return?

Upon hearing her answer, Chu Chengzhi’s tense posture seemed to relax for a moment.

He gently stroked her long hair and said, “Then stay here. In another thousand or hundred years, perhaps it won’t take that long, and this place will become just like the place where you used to live.”

Qin Zheng couldn’t help but laugh.

There would come a day when she wouldn’t be able to see it anymore.

But she still responded with a “Okay” and asked, “What was Husband’s previous world like?”

This man always had a cold and indifferent demeanor, making Qin Zheng suspect that he wasn’t just an ordinary person.

Chu Chengji seemed to be lost in some memories.

His tone was bleak and indifferent, “There were constant wars, invasions from foreign tribes, and the people lived even more miserably than they do now.”

Qin Zheng didn’t expect that the world where he used to live was so turbulent, but considering his strategic acumen in military affairs, it made sense.

However, not believing in ghosts and gods to the extent of directly plundering burial goods from others’ tombs…

Qin Zheng suddenly wanted to know more about the customs of their era.

She carefully asked, “Is grave robbing common where you come from?”

Chu Chengzhi replied, “…Not really.”

Qin Zheng pondered.

Since he had already had someone remove the gold and silver treasures from the imperial tombs, it wouldn’t be a big deal to return them.

She was thinking about how to sell them off. So she discussed with him:

“The gold and silver utensils that were brought back mostly have burial marks.

Once they enter the market, I’m afraid someone with ill intentions might notice.

I thought about having craftsmen melt them down and recast them, but some things are valued for their age and craftsmanship.

If melted down, they would be worth only a few silver coins.”

Moreover, gold and silver could be melted down, but porcelain and jade, if damaged even slightly, would be worthless.

Chu Chengzhi said, “A small portion can be sold on the black market, and the rest can be taken to the Western Regions to sell.”

The Western Regions countries have always coveted items from the Central Plains, and they could fetch a good price there.

Qin Zheng thought his suggestion was a good idea.

Selling them while preserving their age would fetch a good price.

By revealing that they were burial objects of the royal family, many people would want them, and they could fetch several times their value on the black market.

Although it would take longer to turn them over, they would receive a lot of silver in return.

One had to admit, this method of laundering money was quite skillful!

With a way to sell off those items, Qin Zheng thought of the tomb-robbing novels she had read in her previous life and casually asked, “Should we find a high-ranking monk to perform some rituals and then sell off those items?”

Qin Zheng asked this mainly because she thought Chu Chengzhi could think of a way to handle these processes.

Unexpectedly, Chu Chengji’s brow furrowed so tightly it could crush a fly,

“No need. The wealth amassed by those unjust and incompetent rulers should rightfully be spent for the people.”

Qin Zheng didn’t understand why he could boldly take away the gold and silver treasures from someone else’s imperial tomb, but perhaps it was because he was well-known?

But upon careful consideration, throughout history, there have been even worse acts, like those who publicly flogged corpses.

His misappropriation of treasures from an imperial tomb probably wasn’t a big deal, especially since it wasn’t his own ancestral tomb.

However, Qin Zheng was becoming increasingly curious about his past life and asked, “Was Husba d also a regional lord in his previous life?”

Chu Chengji pursed his lips slightly, and this time, it was his turn to look at Qin Zheng, who seemed hesitant to speak.