Chapter 16: Eunuch 16 (

Eunuch 16 ('After Living Off Soft Meals, I Became…')

The next day, when Jiang He arrived, he learned from the excited System Cat that there was a tunnel in Lenggong.

He was a bit surprised, went himself to inspect the place the system had found, and from the outside it indeed looked like a tunnel.

When he told Character: Jiang Yuner and Xiao Character: Mingzhi about it, the mother and son were both stunned.

They had lived so long in that dilapidated Cold Palace, and it actually had a tunnel?

The nearby System Cat meowed, its whiskered cheeks twitching, raising its plum‑shaped paws as if saying it was all thanks to it.

Although they'd only spent a day together, the little Character: Mingzhi already knew the cat well, skillfully scratching its fur: "The cat is truly awesome."

Uncle said the tunnel was discovered by System Cat, and System Cat really is an extraordinary cat.

As for Character: Jiang Yuner, she didn't think much of it; after all, it's a cat god, always possessing abilities ordinary people lack.

The child's flattery made the System Cat very happy, completely unaware it had sunk to needing a child's approval.

Standing at the tunnel entrance, Jiang He first tossed a torch inside; seeing the torch burn for a long time, he knew the tunnel was well ventilated.

He said to the mother and son beside him: "You watch from up there; I'll go down and take a look."

He wasn't sure what else lay in the tunnel, so he didn't feel comfortable letting the mother and son follow him down.

Character: Jiang Yuner was also uneasy; she slipped a broken sickle into her brother's hand for self‑defense.

If her body weren't too insubstantial, she would have gone down as well.

Jiang He jumped in, wandered for a while, and realized this place shouldn't be called a tunnel but a cellar.

The cellar's air circulated; it was clear the builder intended it as a shelter. There were traces of past habitation, and Jiang He even found a few gold and silver ingots and some dulled jewelry in a corner.

After inspecting, Jiang He pointed at the gold, silver, and jewelry in the corner and said to the System Cat that followed: "There, all the treasure is here. Happy?"

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It was lucky it still thought there were former‑dynasty treasures here, getting excited for most of the night; when the host arrived, it immediately told it, wanting to get rich together.

Although items from the quest world can't be taken out, they still enjoy spending them there.

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The mother and son guarding the cellar saw them return safely and were about to rejoice, when they suddenly noticed the System Cat seemed down.

"What's wrong with the cat?" Xiao Character: Mingzhi hugged the Three‑Colored Cat and petted it.

The Three‑Colored Cat buried its face in the child's arms; now only a cute human infant can heal its wounded heart.

Jiang He laughed: "It's nothing, just discovered the lower area is only a cellar, and there's no treasure inside, so it's a bit unhappy."

He then explained the cellar's condition to the mother and son, handing them the gold, silver, and jewelry he had brought up.

Xiao Character: Mingzhi's eyes lit up like he'd found a treasure; life in the Cold Palace had been hard, and even at his tender age he already understood the value of money.

He hugged the System Cat and exclaimed, "The cat is so awesome, so much money!"

It was his first time ever seeing gold; he'd heard gold is more valuable than silver and can buy lots of meat, and the child's gaze at the gold was like looking at a pile of meat.

The System Cat finally felt comforted, quickly perked up, thinking the youngster had good taste, realizing it was a money‑attracting cat.

Jiang He brushed dust off himself, took the handkerchief from Character: Jiang Yuner's hand to wipe his face, and said: "I was originally worried that extensively renovating the Cold Palace would draw attention. Now it's fine; we only need to fix the severely damaged parts." He looked up at the roof that would definitely leak when it rains, "If it really doesn't work, you can stay in the cellar; give me some time, I'll remodel it, and guarantee it'll be more comfortable than living in a house above ground."

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Character: Jiang Yuner now follows her brother's suggestions, especially these past few days, as he has sent a huge amount of daily supplies—oil, grain, rice, flour, fish, meat, ribs, and even blankets and clothes. The Cold Palace is so tiny, yet there's so much stuff; if someone discovers it and the investigation reaches her brother, what will happen?

Although it's a Cold Palace, it's not that no one comes; just that few people visit regularly.

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After a few days, he finally finished renovating the cellar, also reworking its mechanisms, dividing the cellar into inner and outer layers.

"When ordinary people see the outer layer, they think the cellar is that big and won't imagine there's a small room inside! I've specially reinforced the brick walls of the inner room; it can be used as a hideout for survival. Remember how to open it first."

Character: Jiang Yuner originally thought it was just a simple renovation to make the cellar livable, but after hearing her brother's explanation, she broke out in a cold sweat.

What? The inner small room contains Meng|Han elixir; if an enemy comes, one dose will knock them down, plus the Rainstorm Pear Blossom Needles, each soaked in the medicine, guaranteed to take down dozens at once…

His mother said raising ten already strains him; it's said that after becoming emperor he'd have to support a huge harem—his father's concubines were so many he couldn't even count them. How much rice and flour would those countless concubines eat daily?

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"Uncle, I don't want to marry so many women." The child's voice trembled with tears, "I really can't support them!"

Jiang He scolded the Dog Emperor in his mind once more.

"Character: Mingzhi, your father the emperor is an exception; historically there have been emperors who married only one empress, and that empress was so capable she could even support the emperor."

He had eaten braised pork, the best he'd ever tasted in his life; in his heart it was definitely the most delicious thing under the heavens, but his mother said there were many things in the world tastier than braised pork.

But he didn't expect that when his uncle discussed ideals with him, he'd pose such a huge dilemma.

Jiang He's mouth twitched, his face full of dark lines, "You think the top priority of being emperor is keeping women?"

In his previous life plan, he only thought of escaping the palace with his mother, living under a false name, becoming a shopkeeper or accountant to support his mother, and having daily feasts and no worries about food and clothing—that was the best life for him.

"Even smoke won't scare me!" Jiang He raved, "Floods won't scare me either; I've already waterproofed it…"

"Also, I set traps here; the floor is covered with poisonous thorns. If I weren't worried about scaring you, I'd even fill it with a nest of venomous snakes and scorpions. If an enemy falls down and isn't half dead, I consider it a loss! Moreover, these things that look like switches, I've coated them all with poison… Oh dear, I'm still uneasy; perhaps I should dig an escape tunnel. Before fleeing, I could release a lethal poisonous fog throughout the building; any pursuers, whether they value their lives or not, would die on the spot…"

Jiang He's face showed satisfaction; in a gentle voice he told the child: "Character: Mingzhi, don't worry. Actually, being emperor isn't hard at all; as long as you ensure the people of the world can eat meat, you're a good emperor!"

"Brother, stop talking about killing so many people; she's scared listening! Also, she doesn't think the enemy would go that far; you've thought of fire attacks, water attacks, poison attacks—basically you're more ruthless than villains; they definitely can't outwit you!"

Character: Mingzhi, however, listened with great enthusiasm, his eyes shining, eager to move in immediately.

Jiang He was talking about the founding emperor of Great Liang; his empress was a merchant, an extremely wealthy one—so rich she could rival a nation. It's said the founding emperor could raise a rebel army thanks to the supplies provided by the empress.

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Character: Mingzhi suddenly recalled his mother saying he should take ten wives and concubines; so becoming emperor means marrying many women…

When facing the naive and pure human infant, he was as gentle and warm as a spring breeze.

If villains attack in the future, he can protect his mother like a great hero, raising his small hand, sprinkling medicine, and all the bad guys will fall!

But he doesn't like those pretty young ladies, because behind the scenes they're often ill‑tempered, look down on them, and even bully them in secret.

"Uncle, you want me to become emperor?" The child had no idea how shocking and outrageous his uncle's words were; if anyone heard them, they would surely exterminate nine generations of his family. Now he was very worried, "But I don't know what being emperor entails."

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How to put it? If history were a novel, the process by which Liang Gaozu could become emperor would probably be: "After relying on eating soft meals, I became emperor."

Thinking this, the child firmly said to his uncle: "Uncle, Character: Mingzhi will become emperor!"

But what could he do? He had already promised his uncle he would become emperor.

It's all because the dog‑like emperor is lecherous and inhumane, constantly holding beauty pageants each time making a huge fuss, leaving the clueless child with the first impression that an emperor must keep a large harem of women.

It is said that his father the emperor spends each day selecting different beauties to accompany and sleep with him.

Although young in age, Little Character: Mingzhi's years of living in the cold palace have taught him that anything without benefit must absolutely not be done.

Character: Jiang Yuner broke out in a cold sweat listening to this.

"Uncle, what's good about being emperor?"

Li Character: Mingzhi, who is seven in nominal age but not yet six in actual years, now faces the first difficulty in his life.

Of course, if the empress could support herself that would be even better; he, his mother, and his uncle have already been working hard, and his mother said that when his uncle grows old, he will provide for his uncle's old age.

"Our Character: Mingzhi is truly brave!" Jiang He beamed, hugging the child, "Come on, come on, today uncle will talk with you about life and about ideals."

Little Character: Mingzhi couldn't help patting his little chest, his face full of relief.

Jiang He couldn't help laughing; indeed he was still just a child, and he spoke in a coaxing tone used for young beasts: "You can eat your fill and stay warm; when the time comes, whatever flies in the sky, runs on the ground, or swims in the sea—whatever you want to eat will be available."

He now finds it difficult to eat meat, let alone feed the whole world meat; suddenly he felt as if a great mountain weighed on his shoulders, bearing a pressure inappropriate for his young age.

Little Character: Mingzhi was well‑behaved and adorable: "All right, uncle!"

For the first time in her life, Character: Jiang Yuner felt that her younger brother seemed to have gone astray.

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