Five days later, thirty li south of Chenliu Commandery, at a tomb.
The moon was a slender crescent. Today, this place seemed as silent and eerie as ever.
Yet, something was different, for in the darkness, a troop of fifty horsemen had arrived stealthily. They were all clad in black robes, riding black horses.
They had almost blended into the night. If not for the sound of hooves and the occasional shouts of "Jia, jia," they might have been mistaken for a spectral legion emerging from hell.
Upon closer inspection, there was also a carriage among them, entirely black, making it difficult to discern.
When the horse troop reached the tomb, the leading rider dismounted. A few torches were lit, and in the flickering light, the rider was none other than Cao Xiu.
He walked to the carriage and cupped his hands, saying, "Elder Wei, Young Master Lu… we have arrived."
"We scouted this area earlier; there should be no one around at this hour!"
As he spoke, an old man and a young man emerged from the carriage. The old man was Wei Hong, and the young man was naturally Lu Yu. Truth be told, Lu Yu didn't need to personally attend this matter, but… he was a little worried, fearing that Cao Xiu and the others would back out and not dare to go down!
After all, in ancient times, people often revered ghosts and spirits. What they were about to do, in Cao Xiu's eyes, was no different from a direct confrontation with them!
Besides that… Lu Yu also had a bit of anticipation.
Having watched too many TV shows and movies about tomb raiding, the thought of actually experiencing it made him eager.
Of course, Lu Yu had no intention of going deep inside… he just planned to stick to the periphery and play it safe.
Who knew if they would encounter anything unclean inside? Lu Yu was the type who was very timid but also craved terror, commonly known as "weak but loves to play!"
"Cough, cough…" Lu Yu cleared his throat, his gaze turning to Wei Hong.
At this moment, Wei Hong nodded repeatedly. "That's right, this is the place!"
Wei Hong had been here once before, but not as carefully as this time. Under the torchlight, they could see that the tomb was exceptionally grand and occupied a vast area. However… it had been over two hundred years, and it was somewhat dilapidated.
"I can't believe that the tomb of a mere second son of King Jing of Zhongshan, Liu Sheng, is this large! If it were that of Liu Sheng and his wife, how magnificent would it be?" Wei Hong couldn't help but lament again…
This statement, however, suddenly reminded Lu Yu…
He finally realized it. The King of Zhongshan, Liu Sheng… wasn't this the ancestor that the big-eared Liu Bei, ah no, the big-eared Liu Bei, constantly boasted about as "a descendant of the King of Zhongshan, a great-great-grandson of Emperor Jing"?
Upon understanding this, Lu Yu's mind raced, recalling the records related to this "famous" King of Zhongshan, Liu Sheng…
— Liu, son of Emperor Jing of Han, King of Zhongshan, lover of wine and women, expert child-bearer, Sheng!
Simply put, this King of Zhongshan, Liu Sheng, was a homebody. He enjoyed a drink now and then. Beyond that, his greatest life's pleasure was his multitude of wives and concubines. His greatest achievement in life was constantly having children, having children, and having children!
According to historical records, Liu Sheng eventually fathered over a hundred and twenty sons. If daughters were included, Lu Yu conservatively estimated the number to be over two hundred.
Uh…
Recalling this much, for a moment, Lu Yu felt a touch of admiration for Liu Sheng. Considering he didn't live very long, only into his fifties, of course… given his "prolific" procreation and the lack of kidney supplements back then… his kidneys must have been failing, so living to over fifty was already quite remarkable.
Having over two hundred children in his lifetime, this could qualify for a world record today!
With this thought, Lu Yu looked up at the magnificent tomb before him. Following the lineage of King Jing of Zhongshan, Liu Sheng, he continued to delve into records about him.
Speaking of which, Liu Sheng was a feudal king in the court and had some presence. For instance, at that time, Emperor Wu of Han adopted the suggestion of enfeoffment reduction from Zhu Fuyan, allowing feudal kings to divide their fiefdoms among their sons, who would then be enfeoffed as marquises by the court, thereby reducing the power of the feudal lords!
Thus, his twenty sons were enfeoffed as marquises. Liu Bei's lineage traced back to the eldest son, Liu Zhen, the Marquis of Lucheng. Lucheng was located in Zhuo County, where Liu Bei engaged in traditional handicrafts and operated a street stall.
The second son was Liu Chang, the owner of the tomb before them. Perhaps due to being the legitimate son, this fellow inherited Liu Sheng's fiefdom in Zhongshan and became the second King of Zhongshan.
As for why the tomb was built here, Lu Yu had no idea. Perhaps there was a poignant love story involved.
However, none of that was important…
Having clarified the lineage of the King of Zhongshan, Lu Yu felt he had come to the right place today.
— This tomb is rich!
The reason was mentioned in ancient texts.
Liu Sheng's sons, having been exposed to their father's ways from a young age, inherited his tradition of prolific procreation, each fathering dozens of children. So… try to imagine, when Liu Sheng died, wouldn't his over a hundred sons have filled the tomb with all sorts of rare treasures? Gold, silver, brocade…
When Liu Chang died, his dozens of sons would have done the same; it was an excellent tradition.
Considering the grandeur of this tomb, Lu Yu felt that this was going to be a big score!
"Cough, cough…"
Overwhelmed with excitement, Lu Yu felt as if he had choked on air. He calmed his pounding heart.
"General Cao Xiu? Have you found the entrance to the tomb?"
"We found it earlier. Shall… shall we go in?" Cao Xiu was usually quite bold, but at this moment, even with his preparations, he started to waver, a hint of panic showing on his face.
"Don't panic…" Unlike his expression, Lu Yu calmly took a candle from the carriage. Though small, this candle was extremely precious in the Han Dynasty, a tribute item from Nanyue. Even the wealthiest family in Chenliu, the Wei family, only had a dozen or so.
"Where is the entrance to the tomb?" Lu Yu asked Cao Xiu, holding the candle in one hand.
Cao Xiu didn't speak and pointed in the direction of the entrance.
Lu Yu nodded and walked directly towards the tomb's entrance. Upon reaching it, Lu Yu took out a candle and handed it to Cao Xiu!
Cao Xiu and Wei Hong were bewildered. What was going on?
"Young Master Lu, you… what is this?" Wei Hong, unable to contain his curiosity, asked.
"General Cao Xiu, after you enter the tomb, be sure to light a candle in the southeast corner inside!"
"Why is that?" Cao Xiu asked.
Lu Yu explained carefully, "The saying goes, 'When the rooster crows, the lamp extinguishes; do not touch gold.' The crowing rooster signifies dawn, and one cannot conduct such affairs. The extinguishing lamp shows reverence for the master of this place. After all, we are here to take his belongings. The master is a ghost. If you light the lamp, and he becomes angered, he will blow out the lamp. This indicates that the master of this place does not wish for us to disturb his tomb. You should offer three kowtows and depart. Only if the lamp does not extinguish can you open the coffin!"
Having said this, Lu Yu earnestly cautioned, "Do you remember…"
Uh…
Cao Xiu was taken aback, and Wei Hong was also confused. This was… very metaphysical! And this "ghost" business? Lu Yu understood it too?
Seeing their bewildered expressions, Lu Yu patted Cao Xiu on the shoulder.
"This is passed down from our ancestors, a contract between the living and the dead, a thousand-year tradition that cannot be broken."
"Don't worry, what we're doing is as stable as can be!"
As he said this, Lu Yu revealed a row of white teeth… looking harmless.
But Cao Xiu was in a panic. Damn it, they were even bringing metaphysics into this! Suddenly, a thought flashed through his mind, one he didn't know whether to voice or not!
…
…