Chapter 70: Imperial Mausoleum

The identity of Qingqiu was a closely guarded secret. Fan Chun, seeing her youth and beauty, simply assumed she was Fan Li’s favored concubine. As for Princess Changle, Fan Chun had not the slightest concern about whatever ties his second brother might have with the current Empress.

Fan Li’s face flushed with embarrassment. “What nonsense are you spouting? Changle... Her Majesty the Empress could never live under the same roof as me! And as for Miss Qingqiu, you must not speak so carelessly, lest you tarnish her reputation.”

To sully one’s name was a small matter; but a careless tongue might cost one’s life.

“Ah?”

Fan Chun, however, took it all in stride and even retorted, “Brother, stop pretending. It’s just us now, and even the three Han envoys are practically on our side.” He continued in a guileless tone, “Besides, all along the way, you and the Empress rode together in the same carriage. I saw it with my own eyes...”

Fan Li was so exasperated he wished he could kick him.

Princess Changle, always eager to stir trouble, laughed. “Your brother is right, I don’t mind sharing a tent with Lord Jin tonight.”

In front of figures like Cao Cao, Liu Bei, Sun Quan, Fan Chun, and Yan Yuan, she acted as if she and Fan Li were already entangled.

Qingqiu, aloof by nature and indifferent to worldly conventions, added, “Fan Li, I will naturally stay by your side day and night. There’s no need to arrange separate quarters for me.”

Fan Li opened his mouth, but not a word came out for a long while. These two women—one shameless, the other too pure—left him utterly helpless.

Thus, the grandest of the six tents, which all had politely yielded, ultimately fell to Fan Li.

“Ah!” Fan Li sighed and shook his head, entering the tent with a pained expression, trailed by two women.

“A true man, indeed!” Cao Cao praised, though neither Liu Bei nor Sun Quan echoed his sentiment.

The next day.

Fan Li had barely opened his eyes when he heard commotion outside the tent.

“My lord, Wang Hou has returned, but he’s gravely wounded!”

Emerging, Fan Li saw Wang Hou, chief of the hundred Mo Jin Captains under Cao Cao, lying on the ground, drenched in blood.

Cao Cao was already there, half-kneeling by Wang Hou’s side.

“My lord... the brothers, they’re all dead...” Wang Hou struggled to speak.

Cao Cao’s expression was grave, silent yet filled with anticipation.

Wang Hou continued, “My lord, I have found out... the entrance to the imperial tomb... it’s... it’s...” His voice weakened.

Cao Cao quickly leaned down, pressing his ear to Wang Hou’s lips.

Fan Li stood several yards away. From his vantage, he could only see Wang Hou’s Adam’s apple bobbing with effort. Soon, even that stopped moving.

Cao Cao slowly straightened, still half-kneeling. He gazed at Wang Hou’s lifeless form for a moment and said in a deep voice, “Your wife and children—I'll see to them.”

With the tomb’s entrance found, the party set out at once.

Cao Cao, Liu Bei, and Sun Quan had come well-prepared, and the Han dynasty, having inherited most of Former Qin’s legacy, possessed a wealth of intelligence.

“Lord Jin, if this truly is the tomb of the last Qin emperor, according to the traditions of the Ying clan, the imperial mausoleum may be buried thirty-six levels deep,” Cao Cao explained.

Fan Li was startled. Thirty-six levels underground? Even hell itself had only eighteen. Was Old Qin trying to dig through the earth itself?

Seeing his disbelief, Cao Cao shook his head with a wry smile. “This is no exaggeration, Lord Jin. The first Qin Emperor ended the perpetual chaos of the ancient Spring and Autumn era and was venerated as the Emperor of All Ages. His ambition and talent were unmatched, surpassing even the founders of Han and Chu. Before he attempted ascension, the first Emperor, fearing failure, modeled his burial after the thirty-six heavens of the immortals, constructing thirty-six mysterious subterranean chambers.”

“It is said that within these chambers are miracles capable of changing fate and even reversing death. Even if his ascension failed, the Emperor might be reborn in his tomb.”

Fan Li was dumbfounded. Such things existed? Thirty-six layers, mirroring the immortal realms? Old Qin was truly something else.

As for the secrets and wonders of the first Emperor’s tomb, Cao Cao could only offer vague speculation.

“Successive Qin emperors, seeking to match their forebear, also built thirty-six-layered tombs before their own ascensions. Sadly, the methods for such constructions have been lost. After Qin’s fall, the imperial tombs of Han, Chu, and Ming could never compare in grandeur.”

Cao Cao’s lament drew a silent shake of the head from Fan Li. If only the Qin emperors had been given a ‘Foolish Monarch System.’ If nothing else, they’d have excelled at pointless construction projects and ostentation.

“If each Qin emperor built such a tomb, why are we digging up only the last emperor’s mausoleum?” Fan Li asked.

Cao Cao blushed, apparently embarrassed.

Liu Bei grinned mischievously. “Brother Mengde’s Mo Jin Captains were second to none. Once, he actually found a Qin emperor’s tomb—only to discover all thirty-six chambers empty except for a stone stele.”

Sun Quan continued, “On it was inscribed: ‘Due to the chaos of the realm and the rise of warlords, to preserve the Qin dynasty, all the burial goods of the ancestors’ tombs were taken to fund the army and suppress rebellion.’ It was signed, ‘Unfilial descendant, Ying Ziying.’”

“What?!” Fan Li was utterly astonished. Just how dire had things become for Ying Ziying, the last Qin emperor? To fight the anti-Qin uprisings, he’d resorted to robbing his own ancestors’ graves?

He cast a glance at Cao Cao. So this man’s tastes really were unique—he’d even discovered a Qin imperial tomb already. Just how passionate was he about grave-robbing?

At last, Cao Cao spoke. “We suspect all previous Qin mausoleums were emptied by the last emperor. Only his own might still hold the Ying clan’s treasures.”

“I see.” Fan Li nodded, agreeing with Cao Cao’s reasoning.

According to historical records, Ying Ziying was first defeated by the Han founder, then killed by the Conqueror. In the Former Qin system, imperial tombs were begun upon ascension, so Ziying must have one.

“Fortunately, the original host was so learned. That’s how I know the Han inherited most of Qin’s legacy, though some was lost—even the founders of Chu and Ming never found it. It seems the rest of Qin’s treasures may well lie in the last emperor’s tomb.”

By prior agreement, the Han needed only the Sword of the First Emperor. All other treasures would go to Chu.

Fan Li grew curious. Did the three Han officials have a list of burial goods? Otherwise, how were they so sure the Sword was hidden deep within? Was he being tricked? Was everything else just worthless junk, not worth as much as the sword?

While he was lost in thought, Princess Changle appeared at his side, having sent the others away.

“Fan Lang, would you promise me one thing?”

The sudden intimacy in her address sent shivers down Fan Li’s spine.

“Princess, if you have something to say, please...”

For once, Princess Changle grew solemn, speaking softly and clearly, “I will do all I can to help you this time, but if you find a book in the tomb, called The First Emperor’s Memoirs, I hope you’ll give it to me.”