Chapter 1623: [Imperial Mausoleum] (Lower)

Hu Xiaotian never expected Zong Tang to invite him, and he felt secretly delighted; it seemed Zong Tang truly had no suspicions toward him. From another angle, could this prove Zong Tang had already lost faith in Da Yong? If so, that would be a great blessing.

Weichi Chong arrived at the Jiang Taihou mausoleum to observe mourning the day he received the new emperor Xue Daoming's consent; Jiang Taihou and the former Taishang Huang were buried together, namely the father of Xue Shengkang. This mausoleum was originally designed by the artificer Zong Yuan, and even after the Taishang Huang's death the imperial mausoleum remained unfinished. Later Jiang Taihou proposed many alterations for her own afterlife, and subsequent renovations continued intermittently for decades; all changes were completed only a year before her death. Since the artificer Zong Yuan had already passed away, the duty of placing Jiang Taihou into the tomb fell to his disciple, and Zong Tang merely oversaw the external works, never gaining access to the interior of the imperial mausoleum.

Hu Xiaotian remembered that emperors throughout history often silenced designers after completing an imperial mausoleum to keep its secrets; that Zong Yuan died a natural death was his good fortune. He and Zong Tang braved the cold wind to reach the imperial mausoleum thirty li north of Yongdu's gate; the terrain was rugged, sparsely populated, with no nearby villages. After Zong Tang presented his passage token, they entered the mausoleum area smoothly. Hu Xiaotian had previously visited the Dakang imperial mausoleum and found that Da Yong's was considerably smaller in scale, a reflection of its earlier emperors' advocacy of frugal governance.

Along the way to Emperor Jingde's mausoleum, Zong Tang introduced each imperial tomb to Hu Xiaotian; the most pitiful was Xue Daohong's tomb. Although he was eventually permitted burial in the mausoleum area, his tomb was merely a mound, slightly larger than a commoner's grave, and among the many imperial tombs it was rather inconspicuous—simply a simple burial placed before his father Xue Shengkang's tomb.

Zong Tang said to Hu Xiaotian: "Xue Daohong's coffin was buried upright."

Hu Xiaotian knew there were geomantic considerations, but as a former emperor, why would Xue Daohong be buried this way?

Zong Tang explained: "Because he plotted against the Grand Empress Dowager and murdered Consort Dong Shu, he originally had no right to enter the mausoleum area. Later the emperor changed his mind, ordering him to be buried before Emperor Dezhong's tomb, forever standing there to receive instruction."

Hu Xiaotian nodded, but thought to himself: He should be kneeling instead.

Zong Tang gazed ahead at the white hill and said: "That is the tomb of Emperor Jingde and Jiang Taihou, and also the largest among all imperial mausoleums."

Hu Xiaotian followed his gaze, only to see another mausoleum guard detachment approaching them; most of the guards recognized Zong Tang, yet he still proactively showed his passage token.

The leading officer asked: "Master Zong, are you here again today to inspect the construction progress?"

Zong Tang nodded: "The court urges us; if we fail to finish by the deadline, we may all be held accountable."

The officer said: "Master Zong, please hurry, lest we be dragged down with you." The party stepped aside, and Zong Tang and Hu Xiaotian rode forward side by side. Once they were distant from the guard detachment, Hu Xiaotian asked: "If Jiang Taihou has already been buried for days, why is the work still unfinished?"

Zong Tang sighed, his tiger eyes filled with resentment: "The day of completion may well be the day we suffer."

Hu Xiaotian's heart sank; sure enough, the Da Yong imperial household could not escape this pattern—they would never allow those who knew the mausoleum's secrets to live. Zong Tang evidently still concealed something from him; thus, persuading Zong Tang to assist him seemed all the more feasible.

Arriving before the Virtue Mausoleum, they encountered another mausoleum guard detachment; they tethered their horses outside the mausoleum gate and, observing protocol, entered on foot. Despite the bitter cold, artisans could still be seen laboring there, performing the final work on the mausoleum.

They faced no inspection; walking along a side path beside the spirit way toward the mausoleum, Hu Xiaotian noticed the artisans laboring in the icy wind, each face grim, shivering, their working conditions obviously harsh; physical torment was secondary, and the mortality rate among mausoleum laborers even exceeded that of the battlefield, with fear constantly haunting their hearts.

Weichi Chong was in an unfinished shed beneath a stone platform northwest of the mausoleum; this man who had earned great merit for Da Yong's rivers and mountains, whose fame was illustrious, now stood on the stone platform overlooking the laborers' toil, his face full of worry. Though he had been here only a few days, he had witnessed many deaths; he had thought the battlefield was the cruelest place, yet he did not expect such brutal scenes to unfold constantly behind the lines, far from the flames of war.

Standing beside Weichi Chong was a youth in coarse cloth; his simple attire did not detract from his handsome features—he was Weichi Chong's daughter, Weichi Pingting, disguised as a son, who had insisted on accompanying her father to keep vigil for Jiang Taihou.

Weichi Chong sighed: "Pingting, you had better leave early; I have already arranged everything..."

Before he could finish, Weichi Pingting interrupted him, switching to the manner she would never have shown before, nor would she openly defy her father: "I will not go; as long as you do not leave the mausoleum, I will stay by your side."

Weichi Chong gave a wry smile: "Pingting, I cannot remain here long; the court will eventually send me to Bei Jiang, so why must you worry for me? What I truly worry about is you."

Weichi Pingting said: "What do you worry about me? I am not without means of self-defense; you have toiled and bled for Da Yong, only to be treated thus by the court—truly chilling to the heart and teeth, Father! Let us simply leave Da Yong; where could we possibly find no place to settle?"

Weichi Chong looked at his daughter, both amused and exasperated; unlike her delicate appearance, her temperament was unyielding, she could not tolerate a grain of sand in her eye, and her current disposition also stemmed from his indulgent spoiling of her; by comparison, his adopted daughter Huo Shengnan was far steadier. Weichi Chong said: "Leave? I would love to just say we're going and go, but though the world is vast, where could we actually go?" He felt a sudden gloom; regarded as a traitor by Dakang and likewise unaccepted in Da Yong, even Xue Shengkang, who once promoted and relied on him, had always guarded against him, let alone the current emperor Xue Daoming. At his age, to have fallen into homelessness—returning to his roots was now an unattainable dream. Weichi Chong lifted his gaze toward the south; the towering imperial mausoleum blocked his view; perhaps the most suitable place for him was still Bei Jiang, dying on the battlefield not being a bad choice.

Weichi Chong silently looked north, yet saw two figures approaching him. Weichi Pingting also noticed them at the same moment and whispered: "Someone is coming!"

Weichi Chong's eyesight was astonishing; he recognized Zong Tang from afar and smiled: "Zong Tang!" Weichi Chong and the artificer Zong Yuan had also shared deep friendship; before Zong Tang, he always showed respect, treating him as a junior.

Father and daughter descended from the high platform; just then Zong Tang and Hu Xiaotian arrived nearby. Zong Tang clasped his hands in salute: "Junior Zong Tang pays respects to Uncle Weichi!"

Weichi Chong nodded, gazing at Zong Tang's sturdy frame with feeling: "I have heard of your father's affairs; the Bei Jiang front is urgent, I could not detach myself, and even failed to make it to Old Master Zong's grave to pay my respects—truly shameful."

Weichi Pingting's large eyes blinked; her gaze met Zong Tang's, and he immediately recognized her, merely smiling as a greeting. Weichi Pingting's gaze fell on Hu Xiaotian's face; she had never seen this person before, assuming he was Zong Tang's attendant.

Unexpectedly, Hu Xiaotian stepped forward respectfully and said: "I pay my respects to Father-in-law!"

Weichi Pingting was startled; she, Yun Ying, was still unmarried, let alone having a fiancé, so this man's utter rudeness in calling her father father-in-law before her face was outrageous—was he not implicitly claiming her as his wife? Weichi Pingting snapped: "What nonsense are you spouting!"

Weichi Chong, however, had already grasped Hu Xiaotian's true identity; he inwardly sighed, this boy left no stone unturned, unexpectedly even Zong Tang was his friend. Weichi Chong smiled and nodded: "You have great gall, aren't you afraid of being exposed?"

Hu Xiaotian laughed: "With an honest heart, there is nothing to fear."

Weichi Chong said: "An honest heart? In this world, how many dare claim their hearts are honest?" He turned to Weichi Pingting: "He is your brother-in-law!"

Weichi Pingting's cheeks flushed; only then did she fully understand: the person before her was Hu Xiaotian, who addressed her father as father-in-law because of his connection to Huo Shengnan, and had nothing to do with her; she had merely overthought things.

Zong Tang, having just heard Hu Xiaotian call Weichi Chong father-in-law, was also startled; now he understood—he had previously wondered how to introduce Hu Xiaotian to Weichi Chong, but it turned out they were already relatives, leaving him the only outsider present.

Weichi Chong invited them into his temporary shelter, the workshop shed, to warm themselves by the fire. Hu Xiaotian glanced around the leaky hut; the conditions were truly poor, indeed a grievance for General Weichi.

Hu Xiaotian asked: "Father-in-law, do you intend to stay long to keep vigil for Jiang Taihou?"

Weichi Chong replied: "Everything must follow the emperor's will."

Hu Xiaotian said: "As Jiang Taihou's adoptive son, keeping vigil for her is only natural. However, the situation in Bei Jiang is grave; once the weather warms, war will surely resume. I believe as long as you are not muddle-headed, they will not let you enjoy peace here."

Weichi Chong could not help but laugh; enjoying peace in his lifetime was unlikely. He turned to Zong Tang: "Worthy nephew, did you come today specifically to inspect the construction progress?"

Zong Tang shook his head: "I came especially to pay my respects to the Great Marshal; my father had a dying wish unfulfilled, and I hope the Great Marshal will assist."

Weichi Chong said: "Just speak plainly what you need."

Due to backend reasons, the transmission was sent twice; hereby corrected, apologizing to readers for any inconvenience—Zhangyu says sorry here! (To be continued~^~。)