Chapter 82: Why Are You Kneeling Here?

"Quick! No need to be orderly, move! Speed must be fast!"

Although they didn't understand why, everyone obeyed the order and started immediately.

Soon, a dazzling yet chaotic mound of gold and silver rose in the hollow, with jewelry and jade carefully buried inside.

"Move the stones! Pull the vines! Seal off the entrance we came through!"

"Father!" Xiao Ningchen seemed to understand a bit.

"When empty, make it solid; when solid, make it empty," Xiao Yuanhang said, his gaze deep. "When the Wei family discovered the treasury was robbed, their first reaction would surely be that the valuables had been taken away."

"With such a huge sum of money of unknown origin, they would certainly dare not report it to the authorities."

"They would go mad chasing outward, never imagining the items are still in his old lair, just moved to another spot!"

"Brilliant!" Xiao Ningchen was enlightened, looking up at his own father with admiration, the mind forged on the battlefield!

Xiao Er also understood: "Prince, your insight! With this, we only need to guard the secret entrance; once the uproar subsides and they abandon the search, we can transport the loot in small batches at leisure! Unseen by gods or ghosts!"

"Exactly!" Xiao Yuanhang nodded. "Now, everyone meticulously erase every trace! Not a single speck may remain!"

Everyone buried themselves in work, except Tuan Tuan, who lay on Xiao Ningxun's back, sleeping blissfully.

Xiao Ningxun laughed: "Good thing I brought you along, little lazy bug!"

After finishing, the group retraced the original path and exited through the back tunnel.

Xiao Yuanhang instructed: "Seal this tunnel from the inside with stones and earth! Make it look like an ancient collapse naturally blocked! The external vines must be restored to their original state without error!"

"Yes!"

Among the Guard were many experts in this art, and they quickly made the tunnel seal flawless.

The group stood outside the tunnel, looking at the cliff wall; vines hung down, moss remained unchanged, as if centuries had passed without any alteration.

Only the owl seemed displeased that its home entrance was blocked, perched on a nearby branch, tilting its head at the strange bipedal beasts.

Xiao Yuanhang gave the owl a slight nod, as thanks, then barked low, "Withdraw!"

The party, just as they had arrived, slipped silently into the night forest, vanishing without a trace.

Early the next morning, Emperor Xiao Jieyun entered the Prince's Mansion, specifically requesting to see Tuan Tuan.

Cheng Ru'an hurriedly woke her daughter, coaxed her into her clothes, and brought her before Xiao Jieyun.

Tuan Tuan yawned: "Imperial Uncle, you came so early! Hungry? I haven't had breakfast yet!"

Xiao Jieyun smiled faintly: "I am a bit hungry as well; shall I eat with you?"

"Mm!" Tuan Tuan looked at her mother: "Mother! I'm hungry."

Cheng Ru'an quickly ordered the servants to bring the morning meal, secretly surprised—when had Tuan Tuan become so familiar with the Emperor?

Xiao Jieyun put down his chopsticks after a few bites, leisurely sipping tea, while Xiao Yuanhang sat nearby attending to Tuan Tuan.

The Emperor smiled as he watched Tuan Tuan eat heartily, "If I could watch her eat like this every day, I could eat a few more bites myself."

Xiao Yuanhang looked at his daughter with affectionate kindness: "Her appetite has always been like this; that's perfectly fine."

Tuan Tuan looked up: "Imperial Uncle, you look much better!"

Xiao Jieyun said: "I came here precisely for this matter."

"The National Preceptor heard that you discovered that Talisman, and told me that fifteen days from that day I should come back to see you."

Xiao Yuanhang lifted his head, his expression firm: "What does the National Preceptor mean?"

"Fifteen days isn't enough! Imperial Uncle, the qi you had stolen away won't return, that bad thing won't stop bothering you until thirty days later."

Xiao Jieyun's expression darkened: "That long?"

Tuan Tuan kept eating: "It's already soon! Imperial Uncle."

Xiao Yuanhang asked: "Your Majesty, what have you discovered?"

A wry smile crossed Xiao Jieyun's face: "Found... this matter is related to the Empress Dowager."

"What?" Xiao Yuanhang was stunned. "Empress Dowager? What does she intend?"

Tuan Tuan was also puzzled: "Empress Dowager? Isn't she Imperial Uncle's mother? How could a mother harm her own child?"

Xiao Yuanhang quickly patted her little head: "Good, finish eating first."

"Okay." Tuan Tuan obediently continued eating.

Xiao Jieyun pondered for a moment: "I don't understand either; I am the Empress Dowager's own child, have always shown her respect and filial piety, yet she would collude with Da Xia to steal my dragon qi!"

"Da Xia?" Xiao Yuanhang was even more surprised. "The Empress Dowager allying with the enemy! Absolutely inconceivable!"

"Da Xia produced a child claimed to be the reincarnation of a deity, said to be seven years old yet able to summon wind and rain, extraordinarily divine; the Empress Dowager has indeed teamed up with him."

Tuan Tuan hummed: "Stealing others' things, what kind of god is that! A stealing god?"

Xiao Yuanhang suppressed a laugh: "Why are you overthinking so much!"

Xiao Jieyun also laughed at her: "Today I came simply to let Tuan Tuan enter the palace and see if anything is still amiss."

"Tomorrow then." Tuan Tuan, having been up half the night, was woken early to see the Emperor, exhausted and just wanting to sleep.

Xiao Jieyun nodded: "Fine, tomorrow then."

After the morning meal, the Emperor left, and Tuan Tuan immediately fell asleep; Cheng Ru'an was overprotectively tender, staying by her side.

Prince's Mansion study.

Xiao Yuanhang sat upright at the desk, looking at a military treatise.

Light footsteps sounded as Xiao Er's figure appeared in the doorway, a strange smile on his face; he hurried forward and whispered:

"Prince, there is movement at the Needle Guo Hou Mansion."

"Hmm." Xiao Yuanhang didn't even lift an eyelid, replying lightly, as expected.

Xiao Er stifled a laugh, continuing in a low voice: "At dawn, the rear gate of the mansion quietly dispatched seven or eight swift horses outward in all directions; the riders looked like elite household retainers from his mansion, each appearing hurried."

At the end of the hour of the Dragon, a Wei family caravan originally heading south to purchase goods had its cargo loaded to the city gate, but was called back by fast horses from the mansion.

Xiao Yuanhang's mouth twitched: "The family assets are all gone; it's time to get angry."

"Anything else?" Xiao Er stepped closer, lowering his voice even more, "Those we placed near the Wei family heard it clearly."

"Inside the high wall, things were unsettled from early morning; faintly came the sound of shattering pottery and a man's furious shouting and cursing, clatter and bang, the commotion lasted a good half an hour before settling down."

Xiao Yuanhang set down the military manual: "The illicit silver has all vanished without a trace—nothing to investigate, nowhere to look for it. This mute's loss, he's done for."

Xiao Er laughed: "Not just done for—it's maddening! Our people watched from afar while theirs swarmed over the mountains, searching everywhere, yet they never went back to search that mountain with the treasure cave."

Xiao Yuanhang smiled faintly: "Keep an eye on them; once they've all withdrawn, we'll transport the gold and silver from the cave out in small batches repeatedly, using it all to buy grain and medicine to relieve the disaster victims."

"Yes!" Xiao Er withdrew.

The study returned to tranquility, as if nothing had just happened.

The next day, Tuan Tuan followed her mother to the Imperial Palace; upon reaching the gate, Eunuch Cheng stepped forward: "Princess Consort, His Majesty orders this old servant to fetch the Little Princess; please, Princess Consort, go pay your respects to the Eldest Princess."

Cheng Ru'an nodded, instructing Tuan Tuan: "Be good, don't cause trouble for His Majesty."

"Got it!" Tuan Tuan replied, "Weng weng! Let's go." She took Eunuch Cheng's hand and walked to the gate of Zichen Hall.

Only saw a person kneeling perfectly upright.

"Huh? What are you doing here?"