Chu Liuyue thought she misheard. “What?”
Mu Qinghe raised his chin in response. “Nobody will notice when I open the barrier in a moment. Come with me.”
Chu Liuyue’s eyes widened, and her mouth was agape. Mu Qinghe is going to enter the imperial mausoleum?
“Lieutenant, I don’t think it’s appropriate for us to enter the imperial mausoleum. After all, we’re not part of Country Yao Chen’s royalty.”
The problem wasn’t about attracting attention—it was simply the wrong thing to do.
Mu Qinghe glanced at Chu Liuyue nonchalantly. “You don’t want to go?”
“It’s not that. I just… Lieutenant, you must have a reason for doing this, right?” Chu Liuyue racked her brain, but she couldn’t come up with a reason for why he wanted to do this suddenly.
First of all, nobody had offended Mu Qinghe in Country Yao Chen. He didn’t have to dig up anyone’s ancestral grave.
Secondly, even if there really were treasures in the mausoleum, they might not be of much value to him.
Mu Qinghe was a distinguished figure in the Tianling Dynasty, and he had seen his fair share of rare objects. Why would he break into Country Yao Chen’s imperial mausoleum?
The scar on Mu Qinghe’s face looked menacing as he narrowed his eyes.
Chu Liuyue immediately felt his hostility, so she changed her tone of voice. “Please, I’m right behind you.”
If I get on his bad side with my current status, he can easily make my life difficult. We’re here anyway. Why not go in with him and see what he wants?
Upon seeing that Chu Liuyue was obeying him, Mu Qinghe’s attitude softened.
He raised his right hand, and several silver rays of light gathered in the middle of his palm, forming a strange pattern.
Chu Liuyue took a quick peek. She found the pattern familiar, but she couldn’t remember where she saw it.
Soon, Mu Qinghe pushed his hand, and the silver pattern flew out of his palm instantly.
Buzz… buzz!
There was a soft buzzing sound.
Ripples suddenly swirled in the space in front of him—it was the barrier of Golden Inheritance Peak.
The second it came into contact with the pattern, the buzzing sound vanished, and the ripples froze as well. Then, the pattern dissolved and merged with the barrier.
A crack emerged in the middle and spread out in all directions.
Finally, a circular entrance with a faint silver glow appeared in front of the two of them!
Chu Liuyue was shocked.
The barrier of Golden Inheritance Peak was powerful; it was impossible to break through its vigorous defense using normal methods.
One could only open the barrier undetected and without it collapsing when one possessed a specific object—a key.
Mu Qinghe obviously couldn’t have the key to Country Yao Chen’s imperial mausoleum. However, Chu Liuyue suddenly recalled he wasn’t home when she visited him a few days ago.
She thought little about it then, but now that she thought about it, his absence aroused her suspicion. It isn’t his first time here. He must’ve put in a lot of effort to come here.
Her mind was spinning, but she kept her cool.
Mu Qinghe turned around. He seemed to scrutinize Chu Liuyue’s expression for a moment; then, he beckoned to her. “Keep up.”
Chu Liuyue took a deep breath and looked at the treacherous mountain peak, as well as the faintly visible boundary. A few hundred guards are guarding Golden Inheritance Peak. There are definitely high-skilled warriors holding down the fort as well. It’s only a matter of time before they find out about the intruders.
Chu Liuyue pushed that thought aside and put a foot across the boundary.
…
Meanwhile, in the Empress’s bedchamber at the palace.
With her head down, the Empress offered no response to Rong Jiu’s interrogation.
Her reaction didn’t surprise Rong Jiu. Although he hadn’t personally questioned her in the past few days, he was well aware of the happenings.
The Empress has been like this since she came back from Heptagon Alley. By the looks of it, she must be acting up again. Rong Jiu cut to the chase, not wanting to waste any time. “Your Majesty, I hear you are in possession of a highly valuable box.”
His words seemed to agitate Si Huijing because her head snapped up instantly. “What box? I don’t have it; I don’t know.”
Rong Jiu simply replied, “You henchmen have confessed everything, yet you deny it?”
The Empress was taken aback. Suddenly, she knew who the whistleblower was.
She had been guarding that item and held its existence close to her heart. For years, nobody knew about it except for that little eunuch.
He saw her with it once. Even though he knew nothing, the Empress still silenced him as a precaution.
I thought it was foolproof, but I didn’t expect this oversight. That eunuch must’ve told someone before he died. For the past few days, Rong Jiu has been interrogating every one of my servants, handmaidens, and guards. He must’ve tortured them to obtain this piece of information.
The Empress stood firm with her denial.
“Father knows about this. He wants you to hand over the box without any further resistance. If you do as he says, he will show you mercy. If you don’t, you will bear the consequences.”
The Empress was fuming. “I should’ve killed you when you were stationed at the Northwest Army!”
When she killed Rong Jiu’s mother back then, she wanted to do the same to him. However, it coincided with Consort Wan’s death. Emperor Jiawen was deep in sorrow, so she held herself back.
Who would’ve thought that Rong Jiu would rather volunteer at the Northwest Army himself?! Life at the border was tough, and she expected him to die in a battle quickly. Hence, she left him alone.
Nevertheless, Rong Jiu established himself in the army with impressive achievements, and he climbed through the ranks. By then, it was impossible for her to kill him.
Now, he was back to seek his revenge.
Rong Jiu remained unaffected by her accusation. “So, you won’t hand me the box. I have no choice but to report to Father.”
With that, he left.
The Empress was flabbergasted. She thought Rong Jiu would interrogate her severely, but she never expected him to let her go so easily.
The prince, however, had other ideas in mind. The Empress has shouldered her secret for so long without breathing a word to another. She is definitely prepared to die. I can interrogate and torture her for the whole day and still come up with nothing. Her only weakness is Rong Jin.
“Oh, when I see Father, I will beg him to show you mercy and allow the Crown Prince to visit you. After all, he is your son. I think Father will relent.”
It would be wonderful to see the mother and son together in such a state.
Before the Empress could react, Rong Jiu heard a sound from behind the screen.
He paused to look in that direction. “Who’s there?”
