140. A Joyful Birthday

A trace of fear flickered in Concubine Xu's eyes when she met Yue Qianxue's gaze. She continued, "No one else knew about this, but I happened to be going to pay my respects to your mother at that time. Since she could be considered to have died with lingering grievances, my conscience wouldn't let it rest, which is why I went. I happened to run into them—they were Prince Feng's guards—and that was how I guessed it."

To prove she wasn't lying, Concubine Xu offered a bit more explanation.

Yue Qianxue asked, "If you revealed this matter before the Emperor, and the Emperor spared you instead, shouldn't he have had you killed immediately?"

Stammering, Concubine Xu replied, "I... I lied to the Emperor at the time. If the Emperor had killed me, word of this matter would definitely have leaked out. The Emperor had reservations, which was why he spared me. But I suspect the Emperor still has no intention of letting me go in the end."

Yue Qianxue nodded. "You are certainly clever. Right now, the Emperor wishes he could tear you limb from limb."

A look of sorrow crossed Concubine Xu's face as she said, "Xue'er, I have nothing left to tie me down; my only worry is Linglong. I beg you, please put in a good word with the Fourth Prince for her."

Yue Qianxue gave a soft hum. "I will mention it once or twice. However, I cannot guarantee whether the Fourth Prince will listen to me."

Nodding hastily, Concubine Xu looked pleased. "Thank you so much. The Emperor harbors resentment toward me, which is why he bestowed Linglong upon the Fourth Prince as a concubine. He knew the Fourth Prince would certainly grow weary of Linglong. My poor daughter, to suffer through so much hardship..."

Yue Qianxue said with a solemn expression, "Concubine Xu, do not call this unfortunate. If the Fourth Prince had truly been wronged by you all in the first place, that would have been the true tragedy. After this ordeal, I sincerely hope both you and Linglong have genuinely turned over a new leaf. Otherwise, no one will be able to save you in the future."

"Yes, I know as much. Your father has washed his hands of us now as well," Concubine Xu sighed, and with that, she departed without lingering any longer.

Meanwhile, Yue Qianxue's thoughts remained consumed by the matter of the imperial mausoleum, burning with anger in her heart.

She was well aware that her seventeenth birthday was fast approaching. Though she had transmigrated from another world, she was still occupying the original owner's body. As of now, she was Yue Qianxue, the eldest daughter of the General's Estate.

Setting aside these distractions, she instructed Huatao, "Prepare some items for paying respects; we are going out."

Knowing what was on Yue Qianxue's mind, Huatao went immediately to make the preparations.

Secretly, Yue Qianxue also summoned Qingyang to follow along, as there would be tasks for him to handle when the time came.

Tong Xianxian was buried on a hillside outside the city. The surroundings were desolate, and the path up the mountain was naturally somewhat rugged.

Every year on the anniversaries of Tong Xianxian's birth and death, Yue Qianxue would make this trip. If the grave she was paying respects to turned out to be empty, it would truly be laughable.

Qingyang and several other dark guards arrived with tools to inspect the surrounding terrain before reporting back to Yue Qianxue.

Yue Qianxue paid her respects first. Although rashly opening a tomb was improper, Concubine Xu did not sound like she was lying. Moreover, if Tong Xianxian's remains had truly been stolen, she would never allow her mother to be buried alongside the old Emperor.

Qingyang asked, "Eldest Miss, if we do this, the General will likely be displeased."

Yue Qianxue replied, "It is fine. We will first inspect the coffin for any signs of tampering, and then decide whether to open the vault."

Deeming this a sound plan, Qingyang began to dig up the grave.

Tong Xianxian had been dead for over a decade, and Yue Qianxue's memories of her were hazy.

After waiting for the space of an hour, Qingyang and the guards finally hoisted the coffin up.

The casket was made of superior wood treated to resist insects, and it showed no signs of decay.

Yue Qianxue took a brief look and instructed, "Check it."

Qingyang already reported, "The coffin has weight to it, but it feels almost as if there is no corpse inside. It is also possible that the body has completely decomposed."

Opening the coffin under these circumstances would be a grave disrespect to Tong Xianxian.

Yue Qianxue ordered, "Check for signs of tampering first."

The two of them examined the casket more closely, brushing away the soil until they indeed uncovered several tool marks.

Coffins were completely sealed during burial and should not bear such marks.

At a single glance from Yue Qianxue, Qingyang nodded and signaled the men to open it.

Huatao hid behind Yue Qianxue out of fright. Once the lid was lifted, Qingyang was the first to step forward and look inside.

"Eldest Miss, there really is nothing!" Qingyang cried out in astonishment.

Yue Qianxue stepped forward to look as well; the interior of the coffin was completely empty.

Huatao peered inside too and remarked, "Before her death, my mistress explicitly requested no funerary objects, so the coffin was left empty."

At this moment, Yue Qianxue's expression darkened completely, and Qingyang sensed that something was gravely wrong.

Glancing one last time at the empty casket, she said, "Enough. Seal it back up and handle it properly."

It seemed Concubine Xu had spoken the truth. Was Tong Xianxian really destined to be buried together with the old Emperor? This was truly, as Concubine Xu had described it, the most preposterous absurdity under heaven.

Yue Qianxue's mood remained heavy all the way back from outside the city.

Later that evening, Qingyang went to inspect the imperial mausoleum and returned at night to report to Yue Qianxue: "Eldest Miss, I went to the imperial mausoleum earlier, intending to sneak into the Emperor's tomb to take a look, but the guards were far too heavily stationed. However, I did see that there are indeed two outer coffins. To investigate further, we would have to open one of them."

Yue Qianxue mused, "Presumably, after Concubine Xu spoke of this, the Emperor ordered strict guards posted. Word of this must not leak out. I will make a trip to the imperial mausoleum myself to see how things stand before deciding our next step."

Hesitating slightly, Qingyang asked, "Should we inform the General about this right now?"

Feeling a wave of vertigo, Yue Qianxue sighed and said, "Not yet. Keep it concealed for now."

Yue Yongcheng certainly knew nothing of this. If she told him now, she feared he would be overly agitated.

Once she reclaimed Tong Xianxian's remains, it would not be too late to tell him then.

The next day was Yue Qianxue's birthday. Yue Yongcheng rushed back through the night and specifically instructed Uncle Zeng to arrange a lavish banquet so everyone could share a proper meal.

Yue Qianxue felt somewhat baffled as to why Zhan Lianjing was nowhere to be found, having not seen him come to find her all day.

On her birthday, she made a special trip to look for Zhan Lianjing, only to discover that he had gone away on business.

Discontent stirred in Yue Qianxue's heart; she had not expected Zhan Lianjing to forget and run off elsewhere instead.

Still, it was only a birthday, and Yue Qianxue did not care all that much. She could simply return and share a meal with Yue Yongcheng, and that would be enough.

Upon returning to the General's Estate, Yue Yongcheng had already donned a fine robe with his hair bound in a jade crown. Without his heavy armor, he cut a remarkably different and dashing figure.

"Father, where are you going?" Yue Qianxue asked.

Yue Yongcheng replied, "Go quickly and dress up. Since today is your seventeenth century—your seventeenth birthday—I wanted you to marry off sooner, so I specifically arranged a banquet at the Stargazing Terrace to let you meet more young gentlemen."

Yue Qianxue's mouth twitched. "I'm not going. Why does this sound like some kind of matchmaking event?"

Refusing to let her brush it off easily, Yue Yongcheng scolded, "What are you making a fuss about? Look at you—it's your birthday, and Prince Zhan hasn't even shown his face. Do you have any idea how much silver the Stargazing Terrace cost? Go, go!"

Huatao added her own persuasion from the side, leaving Yue Qianxue half-willingly to put on a new dress and accompany Yue Yongcheng to the Stargazing Terrace.

The Stargazing Terrace was renowned as the premier spot in the capital for viewing the night skyline, a place not just anyone could casually visit. For Yue Yongcheng to reserve the entire venue today was a display of grand extravagance.

Upon inspection, the Stargazing Terrace was not overly large, but it was arranged with several tables laden with pastries and fresh fruits, bearing clear evidence of meticulous preparation.

Yue Qianxue's mood lifted slightly; after all, this was born of Yue Yongcheng's sincere affection, and she refused to wear a long face.

With a smile, she remarked, "Father, I never knew you could be so generous."

Yue Yongcheng snorted, "Nonsense. I have always been generous to you. How can you say such a thing to your father?"

By now, Yue Qianxue had taken her seat at the head of the table with Yue Yongcheng beside her, while a troupe of musicians began to play and sing.

Looking around, Yue Qianxue asked, "There are only the two of us. Didn't you say there would be young gentlemen?"

This was far too strange.

With a chuckle, Yue Yongcheng replied, "I just said it casually, and you actually believed it? Eat something first."

Feeling puzzled, she took a few bites before losing interest entirely.

Just then, a single flower petal drifted down right in front of her.

Startled, Yue Qianxue looked up and asked, "Where did this flower petal come from?"

The red petal carried a delicate, pleasing fragrance. All around them, more petals drifted down, casting an indescribably beautiful scene illuminated by lanterns.

Stunned, she stood up and gazed into the night sky.

Looking out into the distance, Yue Qianxue could hear voices echoing across the entire capital...