Outside the study of the Cai Mansion in Chenliu Commandery, by the courtyard gate.
Several armored guards stood here. When Cao Cao arrived, the guards intended to announce his presence, but Cao Cao stopped them.
Cao Cao recognized these guards as warriors from his hometown of Qiao Pei, led by Cao Xiu, tasked with protecting Lu Yu’s safety. However… the guards’ appearance was somewhat peculiar.
Cao Cao then noticed that all the dozen or so Qiao Pei armored guards in the Cai Mansion, though not tall, were all incredibly robust, with ruddy complexions. Especially their eyes, which were bright and sharp, as if guarding Lu Yu’s safety in the Cai Mansion was a matter of utmost honor.
This…
Cao Cao’s eyes darted around. Given the current season, all military camps were drastically reducing grain rations. Many people were struggling to get their next meal, some were even gaunt and listless.
Yet, here with Lu Yu, all the armored guards Cao Cao saw in the entire mansion were not only not thin, but had become burly and broad-shouldered. And it wasn't flabby fat, but a solid muscle feel all over. Most terrifyingly, there was a gleam in their eyes, as if they would fight to the death if anyone dared to harm a single hair on Lu Yu’s head.
Cao Cao, being exceptionally intelligent, immediately understood. It seemed Lu Yu’s food supply was excellent, and being well-fed… naturally led to an abundance of energy with nowhere to be spent!
Instantly, his curiosity about how Lu Yu managed to procure grain deepened.
Just then, an armored guard cupped his hands.
“Duke Cao, Young Master Lu is in the study. Since you’ve arrived, shouldn’t we inform him?”
“No need!” Cao Cao waved his hand. “I’ll go myself…”
As he spoke, Cao Cao slowly walked towards the study, his steps light, as if deliberately not wanting to disturb the conversation between Yu’er and Wei Hong…
After all, their conversation was most likely about grain!
Before reaching the study door, he could already hear the voices inside. It wasn’t Wei Hong and Lu Yu’s voices, but who else could it be?
Cao Cao paused his steps and decided to stop at the doorway to listen for a moment.
“Young Master Lu, I have investigated what you asked me to. The King of Zhongshan, Liu Sheng, had over twenty sons who were enfeoffed as Marquises. Most of their tombs are in the regions of Yan and Si, very close to us, reachable within a day’s journey!”
“Besides that, there are many other tombs of feudal kings like Liu Sheng within Yan Province. I have already dispatched trusted confidants to survey them on-site. If the locations are accurate, we can send people at any time!” Da Feng Novel Network
Wei Hong had been in business for many years, with a business network spanning across the Central Plains, hence he had more knowledge about these imperial tombs.
And this “intelligence” was precisely what Lu Yu lacked most at the moment.
However, Wei Hong spoke so casually, while Cao Cao outside was completely bewildered!
Uh…
Tombs? Mausoleums? King Liu Sheng of Zhongshan? Marquises?
Cao Cao felt his brain was not working well. At this moment, he naturally wouldn’t think that this “King Liu Sheng of Zhongshan,” who had been dead for two hundred years… would also become his lifelong adversary, Cao Cao!
However, connecting all the keywords, Cao Cao couldn’t fathom what scheme Yu’er and Old Wei were brewing.
Just then.
Lu Yu’s voice continued.
“Old Wei, I’ve been pondering something these past few days!”
“It’s not enough for our brothers to just have enough to eat. Duke Cao has hundreds of thousands of Qingzhou soldiers and millions of civilians. These are the foundation and premise for Yan Province’s stability, and greatly beneficial for Yan Province’s further development. If unrest truly breaks out, without the skin, how can the hair attach itself? We won’t be able to escape unscathed either!”
Wei Hong naturally understood Lu Yu’s meaning. “On this point, Old Man Wei thinks the same as Young Master Lu. It’s actually not difficult. A single royal tomb can support tens of thousands of people. Yan Province has so many tombs of kings and nobles; if we dig up a few more, won’t the food supply for millions be secured?”
“Speaking broadly, this is helping Mengde solve his urgent problem. Speaking narrowly, these tombs won’t dig themselves, so why not? If we don’t dig them, future generations will. We are all doing this business, so who is much nobler than whom? Hahaha…”
Wei Hong stroked his beard and laughed…
Lu Yu nodded. In fact, he had no intention of hiding this from Cao Cao.
He reasoned that he had been engaged in tomb robbing for some days now. Every day, gold and silver treasures were sent to the mansion, and carts of grain were brought into the military camps. This matter was so obvious that, given Old Cao’s suspicious nature, wouldn’t he come to investigate?
Once he investigated, he would naturally know that Lu Yu was conducting a business without capital.
At that time, Old Cao would establish “Mojin Xiaowei” and “Faqiu Zhonglangjiang” as a matter of course, and everyone would get rich together…
Anyway, Qin and Han dynasties had no shortage of anything except feudal kings;
Feudal kings were mostly incapable of anything except extravagance and corruption. He, Lu Yu, and Old Cao were the ones profiting!
Along with Yan Province overcoming the grain crisis and stabilizing, Lu Yu could also live a more settled life.
But… Old Cao seemed not very clever!
Or rather, he wasn’t as suspicious by nature as described in the books. For so many days, he hadn’t come to investigate, and Lu Yu felt he couldn't understand Old Cao.
Of course, Lu Yu didn’t know that even if Cao Cao was naturally suspicious, as his eldest son, he would never suspect him.
“Mangdang Mountain is actually worth a visit. The tombs of King Liu Wu of Liang Xiao and Empress Li are both there. Liu Wu was the grandson of Emperor Gaozu. His father was Emperor Wen, and his brother was Emperor Jing. As for the ‘Rule of Wen and Jing,’ one can imagine… the richness of Liu Wu’s burial goods.”
“We can also try to visit the tomb of King Liu Sheng of Zhongshan himself… I heard it’s on Ling Mountain, and there’s a tomb-guarding village at the foot of the mountain! With over one hundred and twenty sons, how many burial goods must there be?”
Lu Yu’s words inside the study continued. Although he didn’t know the exact locations of these tombs, ancient texts and documents contained some records, making it not difficult for Wei Hong to follow the clues and find their resting places.
Lu Yu vaguely remembered that before his transmigration… a complete “golden-thread jade suit” was unearthed from the tomb of King Liu Sheng of Zhongshan, which showed the richness of the tomb!
“Haha…” Wei Hong stroked his beard and chuckled sentimentally. “No hurry, one by one… one by one, no one will escape.”
Regarding this, Wei Hong truly felt no guilt at all. Merchants, by nature, pursue profit. As the saying goes, money can make ghosts push the mill! Today, Wei Hong felt that money could make the mill push ghosts!
Inside the study, Lu Yu and Wei Hong were chatting animatedly…
Outside the study, Cao Cao’s pupils widened, his mouth unconsciously opening. His heart was pounding, a continuous series of “thump, thump, thump.”
Tomb raiding? Grave robbing? Earning money from the dead? This… how had he, Cao Cao, never thought of this?
Having served under Dong Zhuo in the past, how could Cao Cao not know that Dong Zhuo was able to raise a large amount of military funds in a short period precisely by employing this method? The key was… Dong Zhuo’s massively profitable case from the past, and Lu Yu’s current profitable case, proved that this method was highly effective!
So that’s how it is…
Cao Cao sighed in relief. This move was brilliant.
Yu’er was as unconventional as ever. Of course… although this “originality” was not entirely upright, even somewhat sinister and despicable, in the end, victory determines kingship. History and achievements are always written by the victors. As long as one could grow stronger and dominate the chaotic world!
Sinister and despicable could also be the sharpest weapons!
Hoo… hoo…
With more sighs, the conversation between Lu Yu and Wei Hong had almost opened a completely new world to Cao Cao. It was truly a case of mountains and rivers turning, and willows and flowers brightening a new path! Yu’er had made another great contribution this time…
Cao Cao was repeatedly astonished, his heart stirred.
The voices from inside the study came again.
This time it was Wei Hong’s question… “Didn’t Young Master Lu say before that feudal kings would definitely set up some anti-theft mechanisms in their underground tombs? This…”
“This is also a point of concern for me.”
Lu Yu’s eyes blinked. “Therefore, if we want our tomb-robbing business to advance further, we will need someone bold, meticulous, and wise to lead the entire operation…”
“As for the candidate, I actually have one in mind, but I don’t know if Duke Cao would be willing to let him go to me?”
A candidate?
Upon hearing this, Cao Cao’s eyes fixed!
We have such an outstanding tomb-robbing talent in our Cao camp?
This must be brought forth and entrusted with a great responsibility!
At this moment, Cao Cao was already impatient and yearning for this new field!
…
…