eurekapd Chapter 169: What I Thought Was an Age-Gap Romance Turns Out to Be Unrequited Love
Chapter 169: What I Thought Was an Age-Gap Romance Turns Out to Be Unrequited Love
"Let's go to the imperial mausoleum!" Ye Yaoyao said, looking at Qin Jingyu.
"Yes! Before my mother entered the palace, she raised a pot of phoenix tail flowers. No one in my maternal grandparents' family knew the origin of the flowers. I heard that they cherished them and took good care of them every day."
[In the end, they still couldn't raise them, right?]
"Yes! Before Mother entered the palace, she was depressed and unhappy. Later, the flower withered and could not be kept alive."
"I told you it wasn't that simple." Ye Yaoyao said, somewhat disappointed.
"Then why go to the imperial tombs?"
"I have an idea, maybe I can find phoenix tail flowers in the future."
"Let's go!" Ye Yaoyao didn't ask him what he thought, and hurriedly stood up to leave.
"It's getting late, are you going to travel through the night?" Qin Jingyu asked with a smile.
"Oh! Oh! Then tomorrow."
"Okay, let's set off together tomorrow."
The mountain range where the imperial mausoleum is located is connected to Taiyou Mountain, and it only takes half a day for a carriage to get there! Going to the imperial mausoleum is a secret operation, and Ye Yaoyao has been leaving early and returning late these past few days without telling Liu Yunshu.
We arrived at the imperial mausoleum at noon. It was surrounded by green mountains, lush and verdant. The main gate was tightly closed, and the copper nails gleamed in the sunlight.
The stone steps in front of the gate are wide and gentle, with stone lions on both sides standing tall and majestic, and two rows of soldiers guarding the side.
"Who goes there? State your name."
Lian Jin took out the token, "Prince Jing has returned to the capital to pay homage to the late emperor."
Upon hearing that it was King Jing, the soldiers knelt down and paid their respects.
Qin Jingyu led Ye Yaoyao into the imperial mausoleum. The interior was dimly lit, with only enough light from the lamps on the walls to illuminate the path.
On both sides of the sacred path leading to the mausoleum, there are solemn stone statues. Stone figures and horses stand silently with empty yet profound eyes, watching over the deceased emperors for hundreds and thousands of years.
As you pass through each large tomb chamber, the stone walls on both sides of the passageway are carved with murals depicting the emperor's various glorious achievements during his lifetime.
The two arrived at the late emperor's tomb. A huge coffin made of golden nanmu wood was placed on a high platform in the center. The coffin was carved with lifelike dragon patterns, highlighting the emperor's noble status.
Candles burned on both sides as Qin Jingyu led Ye Yaoyao to light incense.
"My mother's coffin is with the concubines."
Ye Yaoyao was somewhat surprised. Given the late emperor's favor towards Consort Xi, it would have been acceptable for her to be buried with him after her death. Consort Xi, however, was buried according to ancestral custom.
Upon finding Consort Xi's coffin, Ye Yaoyao noticed that, aside from some burial objects around it, there were no carved phoenix tail flower patterns.
"Handsome man, you don't mean to... open the coffin, do you?!"
When Ye Yaoyao saw Qin Jingyu place his hand on the coffin lid, she tentatively asked.
"Oh, right." The next moment, Qin Jingyu patted the coffin lid with one hand and then gently pushed it open.
Ye Yaoyao quickly clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and silently chanted:
[Your Highness Consort Xi, the person who opened your coffin lid is your son, Qin Jingyu.]
He just missed you and wanted to see you, please don't be offended! Please don't be offended!
Qin Jingyu smiled upon hearing her words and tapped her head with his hand.
"Open your eyes and look!"
Ye Yaoyao cautiously opened her eyes and looked at the coffin.
"Ah! It's empty."
Apart from the burial goods and neatly folded clothing, there was no remains of Consort Xi.
"Did you know beforehand that it was an empty coffin? Where did Consort Xi go?"
The clothes inside the coffin were very neat, and it didn't look like anyone had touched them.
[Could it be that the coffins of the late Emperor and Consort Xi were not placed in the imperial mausoleum, but were buried elsewhere?]
"I have some guesses; it's possible that Mother Consort is not dead!"
The late emperor erased all traces of Consort Xi, yet her coffin remains here; this is the only possibility.
"Wasn't it said that Consort Xi had a difficult childbirth and the Imperial Hospital was helpless? If she didn't die, then where is she?"
"The Imperial Medical Academy's diagnosis was correct. He was still alive at the time, but later news of his death spread. It cannot be ruled out that he was revived."
Entering the palace was not her own wish; although she enjoyed her father's favor, she remained depressed.
[I thought it was a May-December romance, but it turns out it was the late emperor's unrequited love! Consort Xi was in her prime, how could she be interested in someone so much older than her?]
[Host, either someone in the palace is trying to harm her, or someone else has fallen in love with her.]
[System, you found out again.]
Of course, the system has a point.
Yes! Yes! The system gives you a thumbs up!
How many likes do you want?
[How about a thousand likes?]
【middle!】
The system suddenly gained another thousand points and was so happy that it stopped talking.
Qin Jingyu inspected the clothes and found they were not embroidered by the imperial palace embroiderers before closing the coffin lid.
"Let's go! Let's get out of here."
"Handsome man, what's next? Should we look for Consort Xi?"
"Find it!" Qin Jingyu's attitude was firm.
In the main general's camp in the northern border region.
The man in the main seat was handsome and imposing, with a touch of domineering presence between his brows, yet his refined features added a touch of scholarly elegance.
There was a half-face mask lying to the side. It must have been worn for a long time, because the skin on his face looked fair. He glanced at the tent entrance, picked it up, put it back on, and picked up a military book to read.
The next moment, the strategist, dressed in plain clothes, entered and looked at him, complaining:
"Hey bro, you can still watch this?"
"Otherwise what?" Ye Xiumu replied calmly.
"I'd like to go back with you to see my goddaughter. What's with this messenger? He's been here for two days and there's still no word."
"Why don't you think of a way to get them to deliver the imperial decree quickly so you can go back to see my goddaughter?"
"That person is very suspicious. The more anxious we act, the less likely they are to deliver the imperial edict. They might even take the edict back the way they came."
"So we just wait?"
"No more than a month."
The emperor feared that he would return and join Qin Jingyu in a rebellion, so he naturally took precautions.
Ye Xiumu was eager to see his beloved, and he secretly went back to see the mother and daughter several times, but he could only watch from the shadows.
When he first received the news that Ye Yaoyao had fallen into the water and died, he was extremely upset. Fortunately, good news came later that she had been revived.
At the crucial moment when they were planning to return, Ye Xiumu almost couldn't help but give up because Ye Yaoyao fell into the water. In the end, Ye Xiumu found Ji Xiao to protect the mother and daughter.
Meanwhile, Han Ming, who had been hiding in the shadows, said that he saw Ye Yaoyao fall into the water and tried to save her, but for some reason he couldn't move.
Because of his failure to protect his master, he was whipped. Only after Han Ming begged him on his knees was he given another chance to secretly protect Ye Yaoyao.
The strategist frowned, pacing back and forth in the tent, muttering, "A month? That's too long. My goddaughter misses us terribly."
Ye Xiumu glanced at him. "She might not even know I'm her father, let alone you."
The strategist had seen Ye Yaoyao when she was a child and liked her very much. At that time, Ye Xiumu even told him to find a wife and have a daughter.
"Tell me, I was right in front of Xiaoyao, so why does she only remember the mysterious uncle?"
"We are bound by blood, do you?"
"You're amazing! You're so good!"