Chapter 468 Empty?

Chapter 468: Empty?

Zhou Mingqi looked at him, and Cheng Ge raised his head to meet those eyes.

"What I need is in the imperial mausoleum." His voice trembled. "It's only there."

The hall went so quiet you could almost hear them breathing. Zhou Mingqi looked at him for a long time.

Cheng Ge stood there, shaking all over, but he didn't back down.

"Your Majesty..." His voice was choked in his throat. "He's dying. I have to save him..."

Zhou Mingqi naturally knew who he was talking about.

If it weren't for the Third Prince of Nanling, he and Cheng Ge would've been dead long ago.

That Cheng Ge wanted to save him didn't surprise Zhou Mingqi at all.

But when Cheng Ge saw him stay silent for so long, his heart sank even more—if Zhou Mingqi said no, Yun Xunyu would never get another chance.

He dropped to his knees in front of Zhou Mingqi again, grabbing the hem of the dragon robe with both hands.

"The imperial mausoleum is sacred royal ground. I know this is treason..."

Every word seemed to be dragged out from the back of his throat. "If Your Majesty is angry, I'll accept any punishment.

I'll give up rank and fortune. If Your Majesty is still not satisfied, even if you have me sliced to pieces afterward, I won't complain."

He looked up, tears pouring down his face. "I just beg... I just beg Your Majesty to save his life."

Zhou Mingqi's chest was heaving.

He looked at the man kneeling at his feet, at the hands gripping his robe, and his face turned grim.

"Today, for him, you'd throw away your future, risk your life, and even have me cut you to pieces."

His voice dropped, each word grinding out between his teeth.

"Saying things like that to my face—what do you take me for?"

Cheng Ge went still.

Zhou Mingqi's voice suddenly rose: "Do you think because I usually spoil you, you can say such gut-wrenching things to me!"

Cheng Ge knelt there helpless, tears still on his face, mouth open, unable to say a word.

He crawled forward on his knees, reaching for Zhou Mingqi's sleeve, his voice shaking as he cried, "Your Majesty..."

Zhou Mingqi yanked his sleeve back, his face cold and hard.

Cheng Ge's hand froze in mid-air. He shook his head desperately. "I didn't mean it... I really didn't mean it..."

His voice got quieter and quieter, until it seemed like it was about to drown in his own tears.

"I just... I just don't know what to do anymore..." He lowered his head, his shoulders shaking hard. "I truly don't know what to do anymore..."

The hall went quiet.

Only Cheng Ge's muffled sobs remained, each one hitting like a hammer against the heart.

Zhou Mingqi looked down at him, at the figure curled up on the ground, shaking into a ball.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

When he opened them again, the anger in his eyes was gone, leaving only deep exhaustion and aching tenderness.

He bent down and pulled Cheng Ge to his feet.

Cheng Ge, dragged up by the arm, went limp as a rag doll.

Zhou Mingqi pushed him into a chair and sat down next to him.

After a long pause, a sigh broke the silence. "Someone."

The hall doors opened, and a young eunuch came in, bowing.

"Call the Minister of Works."

The eunuch acknowledged and left.

Soon, Minister of Works Du Heng hurried in. He started to kneel as he entered, but Zhou Mingqi waved a hand.

"No need for that." Zhou Mingqi's voice was calm. "Last night I dreamed of Emperor Taizu, and he said the mausoleum has a leak disturbing his peace."

Du Heng bowed quickly: "Your Majesty, the imperial mausoleum was inspected just last month, and no leak was found.

But I'll send someone to check it thoroughly again tomorrow. If there is a leak, it'll be fixed right away."

Zhou Mingqi nodded, paused, then added: "Since we're repairing, fix the underground palace too."

Du Heng thought he'd heard wrong.

"Your... Your Majesty?" His voice shook. "Did you say... the underground palace?"

Zhou Mingqi didn't repeat himself. He just looked at him.

Du Heng's face went white in an instant. He dropped to his knees with a thud.

"Your Majesty! You can't do this!" His voice was urgent and panicked. "The underground palace is sealed—a place of eternal good fortune! It can't be opened lightly!

Opening it would disturb the spirits, damage the dragon vein, and shake the very foundation of the state, Your Majesty!"

His voice got louder and louder, sweat beading on his forehead.

"Besides..." He paused, lips trembling, as if about to say something, then swallowed it back.

He didn't finish, but the meaning was clear—such a thing had never been done before.

If it were done, how would future generations record it? What would the history books say?

He didn't say it, but the weight of it hung heavier than any words.

The atmosphere in the hall grew heavy.

Du Heng knelt on the ground, not daring to raise his head or look at the emperor's face.

Zhou Mingqi looked at the man kneeling before him, his voice low but every word clear as day.

"I told you to do it, so do it. If anything goes wrong, I'll take the blame."

Du Heng's body trembled violently.

He raised his head, wanting to persuade again, but meeting Zhou Mingqi's gaze, the words caught in his throat.

Cold sweat broke out on his forehead and streamed down his cheeks, yet he dared not lift a hand to wipe it away.

Du Heng kowtowed heavily, his voice muffled: "This servant... obeys Your Majesty's decree."

He stood, legs shaky, stumbling a step before catching himself.

He backed away, still bowed, and just as he was about to turn and leave, Zhou Mingqi's voice came from behind.

"Additionally, since we'll be breaking ground for tomb repairs and disturbing Emperor Taizu's rest, go back and inform the Ministry of Rites to draft a set of rites. Tomorrow, I'll go to the imperial mausoleum myself to pay respects."

Du Heng quickly acknowledged: "Yes..."

Zhou Mingqi waved his hand, and Du Heng bowed and withdrew.

The next day.

Cheng Ge, dressed as a eunuch, followed at the end of the procession.

The robe was too big, sleeves hanging past his hands, so he rolled them up twice.

His hat brim was pulled low, covering most of his face.

No one gave him a second glance—with so many people in the procession, who'd notice one lowly eunuch?

Zhou Mingqi's imperial carriage led the way, the golden-yellow curtains swaying gently in the morning breeze.

The procession wound out of the city, crossing the early spring fields still yellowed and dry, heading north.

Cheng Ge kept his head down, the dirt road beneath his feet rough and uneven. He walked with a limp, his leg injury not yet fully healed, each quick step sending a jolt of pain.

But he didn't dare slow down, afraid of falling behind, afraid of drawing attention.

The imperial mausoleum lay thirty li (about ten miles) north of the city, backed by mountains and facing water, with towering pines and cypresses.

When he caught sight of the gray-blue rooftops in the distance, Cheng Ge's heart began to race.

The worship ceremony was not long. Zhou Mingqi stood at the front, burning incense, pouring libations, and going through the motions with proper solemnity.

The civil and military officials behind him kowtowed in unison, their robes rustling against the stone.

Cheng Ge knelt at the very back, head lowered, listening to the chanting from the front, but none of it registered.

He could think only of the elixir, only of the underground palace.

The ceremony concluded, Zhou Mingqi rose and motioned to the officials behind him: "I want to sit in quiet reflection for a while. You may all leave."

The crowd obeyed, filing out one by one to beyond the mausoleum gate.

Du Heng opened his mouth as if to speak, but one look from Zhou Mingqi made him lower his head and withdraw as well.

The area before the mausoleum fell silent.

Zhou Mingqi turned around, his gaze sweeping past the crowd, landing on the lowly eunuch who had kept his head down at the end of the procession.

He tilted his head slightly, and Cheng Ge's heart jumped.

He kept his head low, hurrying after him, steps light, feet barely whispering on the stone.

Zhou Mingqi did not look at him—without a glance, he turned and walked toward the entrance of the underground palace.

Cheng Ge followed, eyes on the golden figure, on the robe's hem fluttering in the breeze.

The entrance lay behind the offering hall—a heavy stone door carved with clouds and mythical beasts.

Two guards stationed at the tomb saw the emperor approach and dropped to their knees. Zhou Mingqi did not glance at them, just said, "Open it."

The guards hesitated for a moment, didn't dare ask questions, and rose to push the stone door.

The heavy door groaned open, a low sound like something sighing.

A gust of cold, damp air spilled out from within, carrying the scent of earth and stone.

The burial chamber was much more spacious than the corridor.

At each corner hung a glowing pearl, their faint light casting the whole chamber in a hazy veil.

The floor was paved with bluestone, the walls carved with scriptures and mythical beasts, and above was an arched ceiling.

The painted star map had faded, yet the shape of the Big Dipper could still be made out.

The air was bitingly cold, carrying a stale, musty smell.

Cheng Ge followed behind Zhou Mingqi, his gaze slipping past the golden figure to the center of the chamber.

Two massive coffins rested side by side.

One was made of golden nanmu wood, carved with five-clawed dragons, its surface covered in inscriptions—that was Emperor Taizu's coffin.

The other was slightly smaller, also of fine wood, carved with intertwined dragons—that was Prince Zhenbei's coffin.

The two coffins had rested there for nearly a century.

Zhou Mingqi walked to stand before Emperor Taizu's coffin, taking three sticks of incense from a side table and lighting them.

The flame flickered for a moment, then dimmed, leaving only three red embers at the tips, pulsing faintly in the pearls' cold light.

He gathered his robe and knelt.

His knees struck the stone with a dull thud that echoed in the empty chamber.

Raising the incense above his head, his voice was not loud, yet each word was crisp and clear.

"Emperor Taizu above, your unworthy descendant Zhou Mingqi has come to apologize for disturbing your rest with the tomb repairs."

Cheng Ge stood behind him, rooted to the spot, watching that kneeling figure.

He didn't know what to do with his hands or where to stand.

He just stood there, staring at Zhou Mingqi's back, at the robe pooling on the stone.

Zhou Mingqi rose, placed the incense into the burner, and turned around.

He glanced at Cheng Ge, then took six more sticks of incense from the altar, holding three out to Cheng Ge.

Cheng Ge froze for a moment, then quickly took them.

Zhou Mingqi looked at him, his voice very soft: "Kneel."

Cheng Ge didn't think twice, and with a thud, he knelt down. Zhou Mingqi handed him the fire starter in his hand.

Cheng Ge took it and lit the incense. Three red glows flickered at his fingertips, casting light on the fine sweat on his palm.

Zhou Mingqi didn't look at him, only facing the coffin, his voice low: "Do as I do."

Cheng Ge nodded, "Oh... alright."

Zhou Mingqi raised the incense above his head, and Cheng Ge hurriedly did the same.

Zhou Mingqi kowtowed, and Cheng Ge followed suit, the rustle of robes coming from beside him.

Zhou Mingqi straightened up, and he straightened up too. Zhou Mingqi kowtowed again, and he followed again.

He had no idea what this meant, but he just copied whatever Zhou Mingqi did.

After the final kowtow, Zhou Mingqi straightened up, and Cheng Ge quickly followed.

He stood up a little too fast, his body swaying, about to topple sideways.

A hand grabbed his arm—gentle, yet steadying.

Warmth seeped through the cloth, fingers tightening briefly to steady him.

Cheng Ge froze and turned his head.

Zhou Mingqi wasn't looking at him, just pulling his hand back to his side, as if nothing had happened.

He reached out, took Cheng Ge's incense, and placed it with his own three sticks into the burner.

Zhou Mingqi turned and walked over to Prince Zhenbei's coffin.

He didn't move right away, just stood there with his eyes down, as if waiting for something.

Cheng Ge stood behind him, also motionless. The tomb was so silent he could hear his own heartbeat.

After a long while, Zhou Mingqi reached out and pressed his hand on the coffin lid.

The lid was heavy, and pushing it open produced a dull thud that echoed through the tomb.

Zhou Mingqi looked into the coffin, and his eyes suddenly darkened.

His gaze locked on the inside, unmoving, as if he'd seen something he shouldn't have.

Cheng Ge sensed something off and peered in too.

"Empty!!!" His voice burst through the tomb, full of shock.

Inside the coffin, aside from burial goods on either side, there was no sign of any remains.

Cheng Ge stood there, stunned, his mind buzzing.

Damn! I bowed for nothing!

His knees ached from kneeling. He'd kowtowed three times, lit incense, and it was empty?

Zhou Mingqi stayed silent, his hand resting on the coffin's edge.

After a pause, he turned and walked to Emperor Taizu's coffin.

Cheng Ge quickly followed.

Zhou Mingqi pushed the lid open—same thing, the coffin was empty.

There were only burial goods, each arranged neatly in place.

Cheng Ge stood beside him, staring at the empty coffin, even more confused.

No remains. Neither coffin held any.

So where had Prince Zhenbei's remains gone? And Emperor Taizu's?

He turned to look at Zhou Mingqi.

Zhou Mingqi's face showed nothing, but his breathing was heavier, loud in the silent tomb.

He stood there, staring at the empty coffin for a long time. Then he bent down and pulled out a rolled-up object from inside.

It was a roll of silk, yellowed with age, edges frayed, but carefully rolled and tucked at the very bottom of the coffin.

Zhou Mingqi unrolled the silk.

The night pearls' light fell on it, revealing dense rows of writing.

Cheng Ge couldn't read what it said, only saw Zhou Mingqi's hand pause briefly, his gaze locked on the silk.

Cheng Ge waited nearby. Zhou Ming stared at it for a long time before handing it over.

Cheng Ge took it and looked down—it was a marriage contract.

The handwriting was neat, every stroke made with care. At the bottom, two names were written side by side.

One was Emperor Taizu's name, the other—Prince Zhenbei's.

Cheng Ge was speechless: "..."

The two of them looked at the marriage certificate, then back at the coffin. The place was clean, with no signs of tomb raiding.