Gu Jianli, exhausted from her efforts, took a moment to catch her breath before she turned and walked towards Ji Wujing. In the empty chamber, even her light footsteps echoed clearly.
Ji Wujing leaned lazily against the iron cage, watching her approach with a blank expression.
Gu Jianli stood outside the cage, looking at Ji Wujing through the bars. She said, “Don’t be angry.”
Ji Wujing looked at her lazily, snorted softly, and said slowly, “Let me guess what you’re going to say. Hmm…”
Ji Wujing mimicked Gu Jianli’s serious tone, “If it were a stranger in danger, I would try my best to save them. Not to mention someone I know, and he pushed me out of harm’s way…”
“No,” Gu Jianli interrupted him, shaking her head. “He was closer, and you were farther away. If I saved him, I might make it in time. But if I ran to save you, the stone door might have closed before I reached you.”
Ji Wujing looked at Gu Jianli, speechless for a moment. Then he asked, “Gu Jianli, are you always this calm and rational in any crisis? Wait, no. If you were always calm and rational, why didn’t you run out with him? Why did you come back?”
Ji Wujing’s long, fox-like eyes narrowed slightly, curving into a playful smile. “Gu Jianli, are you so unwilling to leave Uncle that you want to die with him?”
Gu Jianli’s eyes showed a hint of confusion. She shook her head and said, “I didn’t think that far…”
Ji Wujing was annoyed. “Then why did you come back?”
“Because I was afraid you’d be angry and upset, so I came back to explain.”
Ji Wujing laughed. “Gu Jianli, are you foolish? Coming back to die just to explain this to me?”
“Yes.” Gu Jianli looked at Ji Wujing and nodded seriously.
After a moment, Ji Wujing said, “Gu Jianli, may heaven bless us that our daughter won’t be as silly as you.”
Gu Jianli blinked slowly, then a gentle smile spread across her lips.
“Why are you just standing there? Come in and let Uncle give you a hug,” Ji Wujing said, opening his arms with a teasing tone.
Gu Jianli belatedly said, “Oh,” and turned to lift the brick.
Ji Xuanke had been lucky; the lock on his cage was rusty. However, the lock on Ji Wujing’s cage was intact.
Gu Jianli frowned, hitting the lock hard twice, but it didn’t budge. She started to get anxious.
Ji Wujing teased her, “Don’t be anxious. Look how flustered my little wife is because she can’t hug Uncle.”
Gu Jianli ignored him, her small eyebrows knitted together as she continued to hammer at the lock.
“Forget it.” Ji Wujing grew impatient. “Move aside.”
Gu Jianli was stunned, looked at him, and stepped back, not understanding.
Ji Wujing gripped the iron bars of the cage and pulled hard. The cage immediately deformed.
Gu Jianli was shocked. “If you could bend it, why did you have me try to break it?”
Ji Wujing just smiled without answering, bending down to walk out.
Gu Jianli, still astonished, asked again, “If you could get out of the cage, why didn’t you leave when the stone door was open?”
Ji Wujing replied nonchalantly, “Watching you put all your effort into breaking the lock was amusing. I got distracted and forgot.”
What kind of reason is that?
Gu Jianli was so shocked that her mouth opened slightly, staring blankly at Ji Wujing.
Ji Wujing noticed her slightly parted lips, which seemed to invite him. He narrowed his eyes, leaned down, and slipped his tongue inside, accepting her unspoken invitation to taste her.
Suddenly, Gu Jianli became furious. She pushed Ji Wujing away with all her might and yelled angrily, “How could you do this! We could have both escaped!”
Ji Wujing turned his head, rubbing his ear, and said, “I told you I forgot.”
“You!” Gu Jianli was truly angry.
She turned away from him, taking a step to the side to distance herself. Despite her anger at Ji Wujing’s carelessness, her fury was short-lived. She frowned, thinking of a way to get out.
“We’re not the only ones who know we’re trapped here. The guards will come to rescue us. Even though this chamber is sturdy, if we break it bit by bit, we’ll eventually get out. We just need to wait.”
No sooner had she finished speaking than a rumbling noise filled the chamber. Broken stone slabs started falling from the ceiling, and the ground beneath them began to tremble.
Ji Wujing grabbed her wrist and pulled her into the iron cage to avoid the falling debris.
“What’s happening?” Gu Jianli looked up at the high ceiling. The falling stones made her avert her gaze to protect her eyes.
“The mechanism’s triggered. This place is going to collapse,” Ji Wujing said lazily.
“Ah…” Gu Jianli was momentarily stunned, murmuring, “So we might get crushed before the guards arrive…”
The ground’s shaking grew more intense, making it hard to stand.
Ji Wujing looked down at Gu Jianli’s face and asked, “Gu Jianli, if we really die here together, will you regret it?”
Gu Jianli slowly raised her eyes to meet his gaze, staring blankly at him for a long time, seriously contemplating his question.
Unbeknownst to her, a smudge of dirt had settled on one of her cheeks. Ji Wujing gently wiped it off with his palm, saying as he did, “Do you regret it? If you hadn’t come back and left with Xuanke, you wouldn’t be about to get crushed to death. You could’ve continued your relationship with him.”
Gu Jianli furrowed her brows and looked at him with a pained expression.
“Ji Zhao, we’re about to die here. Can’t you be serious?”
“If you answer my question, I’ll seriously talk to you about something else.”
Gu Jianli pushed Ji Wujing away hard. She backed up, pressing her back against the iron cage, frowning and glaring at him. “Ask, ask, ask. What’s the point of asking? If everything I’ve done this past year hasn’t shown you, then there’s no need to ask me!”
“I understand.” Ji Wujing drew out his words, chuckling. He gently stroked Gu Jianli’s face, sighed softly, and said, “I understand, but I want to hear you say something nice.”
Gu Jianli felt her heart soften.
“Something nice?” She tilted her head slightly to look at him. “You know I’m afraid of ghosts. If we die here today and end up in the underworld, you have to protect me. Then we’ll cross the River of Forgetfulness together and be husband and wife in the next life. Hmm… I’ll give birth to our little Nan Nan.”
Ji Wujing gently lifted one corner of his mouth and then turned around, smiling brightly.
Gu Jianli lowered her eyes, her own smile lingering in her gaze.
Ji Wujing turned back, took Gu Jianli’s hand, and led her out of the cage, saying, “Let’s go. We don’t have to wait for the next life. Let’s get out now and have our little Nan Nan.”
“Get out now?” Gu Jianli looked up in surprise, letting him lead her without resistance.
Ji Wujing guided her through the falling debris toward one of the walls. When they reached it, he bent slightly and began feeling along the surface.
Gu Jianli watched his movements, gradually realizing what he was doing. She couldn’t believe it. “You… you wouldn’t…”
Ji Wujing continued searching the wall and replied casually, “Seven or eight years ago, when the imperial tomb was renovated, it was Ji Chong who was in charge.”
“So…”
“So,” Ji Wujing turned his head slightly, pointing to the various iron cages in the chamber, “I supervised the installation of these mechanisms.”
He clicked his tongue and said slowly, “Ji Chong loved studying mechanisms and couldn’t help showing them off to me. He explained the setup of the traps and mechanisms here. But it’s been so long that I’ve forgotten some details. Let me think…”
Gu Jianli pursed her lips, glancing back at Ji Yan, now buried under fallen stone slabs, and sighed.
Ji Wujing squinted slightly, relying on his memory as he felt around the wall. With a clear “click,” the left wall suddenly shifted, its movement distinct from the overall tremors of the chamber.
“This should be it?” Ji Wujing, not entirely certain, led Gu Jianli through the stone door. Behind it lay a descending staircase, pitch black and seemingly endless.
Gu Jianli found the sight somewhat frightening. She frowned and said, “Why is it going down…”
“I can’t quite remember. Let’s go and see.” Ji Wujing led her down the stairs.
His casual yet cheerful demeanor made Gu Jianli turn to look at him in surprise. As they descended, it grew darker, and without the night pearls to light their way, visibility was nearly zero. When she could barely see his profile, Gu Jianli spoke up, “Wujing.”
“Yes?”
“Nothing.” Gu Jianli turned her head, looking ahead, her smile growing.
The endless darkness ahead didn’t seem so terrifying. What did it matter if there were ghosts or monsters?
Walking hand in hand, there was no fear.
Ji Wujing glanced at her face in the darkness, his eyes lingering on her curved lips. He said, “Gu Jianli, let’s kiss before we continue.”
Gu Jianli seemed to consider this seriously before replying, “Okay.”
Ji Wujing laughed.
He placed his hand on the back of her head, pressing her gently against the cold wall, and gave her a soft, lingering kiss.
The staircase seemed endless, the darkness making the journey feel longer. Gu Jianli, led by Ji Wujing, walked and walked for what felt like an eternity. Just when her legs began to ache, and she thought the stairs would never end, Ji Wujing stopped.
Gu Jianli squinted her eyes, finally seeing that there was a door in front of them.
Ji Wujing stepped forward, pulling Gu Jianli behind him. He gave the door a gentle push, and it opened easily.
In an instant, a blinding light shone, making Gu Jianli squint in pain. She instinctively closed her eyes, even through her eyelids, she could feel the intense light. After a moment, she opened her eyes and was stunned by what she saw.
“Is this… the national treasury? No, it can’t be… The treasury wouldn’t be under the imperial tomb…”
The chamber was filled with boxes of gold bars, gemstones, and weapons.
Ji Wujing made a noncommittal sound, saying uncertainly, “I seem to remember Ji Chong mentioning that when the Taizu founded the Great Ji Dynasty, he hid a treasure here to prevent future generations from depleting the kingdom’s resources.”
“Then, does this mean all of this belongs to us?” Gu Jianli’s eyes lit up. “That’s great! Since the founding, the Great Ji Dynasty hasn’t been as strong as it once was. In recent years, we’ve often been harassed by surrounding tribes. With these resources, we can strengthen the nation again!”
Ji Wujing looked at her with a complicated expression, not entirely pleased. “Using it to buy troops and fight wars? Not a good idea.”
“We can also use it to build roads, bridges, and reduce taxes to benefit the people,” Gu Jianli suggested.
Ji Wujing glanced around the gleaming room, begrudgingly saying, “Wouldn’t it be better to use it to build a palace of gold and jade for our little Nan Nan?”
Gu Jianli was momentarily taken aback, envisioning a grand, resplendent palace. She quickly said, “But the current emperor is your son!”
Ji Wujing’s mind flashed to Ji Xinglou’s face rolling his eyes. He scowled, muttering, “Oh, I forgot about the little brat.”
After leaving the imperial tomb, Gu Jianli and Ji Wujing decided to keep the treasure a secret for the time being. They ordered Chen He to discreetly transport the treasure under the guise of renovating the tomb.
Gu Jianli also wrote to Gu Zaili, advising her to stay in Xiangxi for now, quietly training troops. In a few months, they would support her with reinforcements to crush the two small tribes in the west that had been causing trouble.
She also wrote to Gu Jingyuan to inquire about the situation in the Western Regions.
Xiangxi and the Western Regions were not far apart. Gu Jianli instructed Gu Jingyuan to keep Batur in check and secretly coordinate with Gu Zaili. They would seize the opportunity when reinforcements arrived from the capital to jointly annihilate the Western Regions and fully integrate them into the Great Ji Dynasty.
Ji Xinglou was young, and his ascension was unusual, making the court officials complacent.
If someone had to replace Ji Lan as emperor, the choice between Ji Yan and Ji Xinglou wouldn’t have surprised the court officials. It wasn’t because Ji Xinglou was Ji Chong’s legitimate son, but because he was young. The younger the emperor, the easier it was for officials to manipulate and take advantage.
Gu Jianli was well aware of this. She remained vigilant, working diligently every day. She knew Ji Wujing’s impatient nature; he couldn’t be relied upon for managing officials, but he could deal with rebels if needed.
To her surprise, Chen He played a significant role in reorganizing the court. He managed palace affairs efficiently and handled everything entrusted to him impeccably. He was decisive in action and skilled at winning people’s hearts.
Gu Jianli looked at the documents piling up on her desk and sighed.
“What’s wrong?” Wen Jingshan, lying on the luohan bed by the window, asked while reviewing Ji Xinglou’s homework from the previous day.
Gu Jianli frowned and said, “Eunuchs holding power won’t last long. While Chen He is trustworthy now, what if the next head of the Western Depot isn’t when Xinglou grows up? As a woman, I didn’t care about court politics before, so I don’t know the good from the bad among the officials. In these chaotic times, if I mistakenly appoint the wrong person, it could cause great trouble and burden Xinglou in the future.”
Ji Xinglou, lying on a small table writing, looked up at Gu Jianli’s words, rolled his eyes, and showed a look of disdain.
Wen Jingshan thought for a moment and said, “Judging people is never easy and can’t be accomplished overnight. The current power structure in the court is deeply entrenched, with countless hooks tying the officials together. Their loyalty may not be genuine. Instead of relying on them, it’s better to introduce new exams and broadly recruit talent, selecting fresh faces for the court.”