1novels Chapter 157 Yuwen Huaji: Digging up my ancestral graves? You'll have to pay more!
Chapter 157 Yuwen Huaji: Digging up my ancestral graves? You'll have to pay more!
The warehouse was gleaming with gold, filling the room with brilliance.
Yang Guang's gaze lingered on Yuwen Huaji for a long time, his expression complex and unreadable, with a faint smile playing on his lips.
This smile sent chills down Yuwen Huaji's spine, and cold sweat soaked his inner shirt.
"Your Majesty, what...what's wrong with me?"
Yuwen Huaji spoke cautiously, his voice trembling slightly.
He quickly went through it in his mind.
I did not doze off during court today, nor did I say anything wrong during my audience. My manners were impeccable when I entered the room.
Logically speaking, there shouldn't be any incriminating evidence against His Majesty.
unless……
A terrible thought suddenly popped into my head.
Could it be that His Majesty has taken a fancy to the Yuwen family's ancestral tombs?
Yuwen Huaji became increasingly panicked as he thought about it.
Once you start digging up graves, it can never end.
With such a bountiful harvest from the Zheng family's ancestral tombs, it's hard to guarantee that His Majesty won't set his sights on other powerful clans.
But the Yuwen family really didn't have that much wealth, unlike the Zheng family who were so particular about elaborate burials.
"Your Majesty, I can testify that there is nothing good in the Yuwen clan's ancestral tombs!" Yuwen Huaji quickly pledged his loyalty.
"My ancestors were honest and upright, and their burial goods were mostly weapons and armor they used in life, which were not worth much money."
"If you're going to dig, dig into those aristocratic families; they're particular about that!"
Upon hearing this, Yuwen Chenglong, who was standing nearby, also became anxious: "Yes, yes, Your Majesty, I can also testify! I know the Yuwen family's ancestral graves very well... I know them very well, there's really nothing of value inside!"
He regretted it as soon as the words left his mouth.
Yang Guang raised an eyebrow, looking at him with interest: "Oh? How come you're so familiar with your own ancestral graves? Could it be... you've dug them up?"
This seemingly casual remark sent a jolt through Yuwen Huaji's heart.
He turned his head sharply, staring intently at his son, his eyes practically spitting fire.
This unfilial son, who loves to tinker with tomb raiding gadgets, could he really do something so outrageous?
"How could I possibly dig up my own ancestral graves!" Yuwen Chenglong shouted at the top of his lungs, his face turning bright red.
"That was...that was filial piety! It was to pay homage to our ancestors, to...to have close contact with them!"
He spoke with such conviction, as if he were truly the most filial son in the world.
Yuwen Huaji's heart skipped a beat when he heard this.
For the past few months, he has been unable to sleep at night.
As soon as he closed his eyes, he dreamed that the ancestors of the Yuwen clan surrounded him and cried, saying that their great-great-grandchildren were visiting in their old age and that their home was never peaceful.
At first, he thought it was his ancestors showing them something and reminding him to be careful, but now it seems he was wrong!
"Intimate contact?" Yuwen Huaji's voice trembled. "What kind of intimate contact? Did you enter the tomb?"
Yuwen Chenglong puffed out his chest and said, "How can we worship if we don't go inside? Kowtowing outside is not sincere!"
Every time I go, I personally go down into the tomb to clean the dust and arrange the burial goods for my ancestors.
Sometimes I would talk to them and update them on what was happening at home…
He got more and more excited as he talked, not noticing that his father's face had turned as black as the bottom of a pot.
Yang Guang, who was listening nearby, found it amusing and couldn't help but laugh out loud: "According to your logic, her filial piety is truly commendable."
"Of course!" Yuwen Chenglong was even more excited after receiving praise from His Majesty.
"My filial piety towards my ancestors is witnessed by Heaven and Earth! Unlike some people who only burn paper money outside, that's just for show!"
"You...you unfilial son!" Yuwen Huaji pointed at his son, trembling all over.
"No wonder! No wonder our ancestors kept appearing in our dreams every night—it turns out you were digging up their graves!"
He cursed as he frantically unbuckled his belt.
It was a leather belt, but he had torn it open haphazardly, and it looked like he was about to pull it out to use as a whip.
"Your Highness, save me!" Seeing the situation was dire, Yuwen Chenglong slid down to his knees and knelt down to Lu Xiao's feet, grabbing his leg tightly.
Lu Xiao watched this scene with utter helplessness; the drama between the father and son was even more captivating than any theatrical performance.
"Prime Minister Yuwen," Lü Xiao cleared his throat, "how about sparing his life for the sake of the gold?"
Before he finished speaking, he raised his right foot and kicked a box full of gold ingots next to him.
"Bang!"
The box slid, and the heavy gold nuggets collided with each other, making a pleasant sound.
The box stopped at Yuwen Huaji's feet, and the lid was shaken open, revealing a crack through which golden light shone.
Yuwen Huaji froze.
He looked down at the box of gold, then looked up at Lü Xiao, and the anger on his face subsided at a visible speed.
"That's right! We'll even give you some gold!" Yuwen Chenglong got up from the ground, dusted off his knees, and regained his composure.
"Dad, have you forgotten? We agreed that you'd get ten percent of what's in the grave!"
Yuwen Huaji loosened the belt in his hand.
Of course he hadn't forgotten, he was just too angry to think straight.
The sight of this box of gold brought him back to his senses.
"Really...really giving me a share?"
He asked tentatively, his tone much softer.
Lu Xiao nodded: "The Prime Minister can receive one-tenth of the proceeds from the Zheng family's ancestral graves. If there are any other gains in the future, the same rule applies."
Yuwen Huaji remained silent.
He looked down at the gold box at his feet, his mind racing with calculations.
One percent may not seem like much, but it adds up to a lot!
Just this warehouse alone contains nearly ten boxes of gold ingots.
If what Lü Xiao said is true, and there are other aristocratic families to gain in the future, wouldn't he become rich?
He silently re-fastened his belt, his movements elegant and composed, as if the furious father who had just threatened to beat his son was a completely different person.
"Jackie Chan, if you have nothing better to do, go and pay respects to our ancestors more often."
Yuwen Huaji walked up to Yuwen Chenglong with a smile, patted his son on the shoulder and said.
As long as there's money to be made, nothing else matters!
At worst, he can burn more money for his ancestors so they can also share in his good fortune.
If all else fails, he'll invite a few experts to perform rituals at home to deal with his ancestors.
"Of course!" Yuwen Chenglong readily agreed, already making plans in his mind.
The structure of our ancestral graves is too simple; we need to renovate them properly, adding some mechanisms and secret passages to make practicing grave-digging skills more challenging.
Yang Guang watched with great interest.
The father and son's ability to change their expressions is truly exceptional.
He coughed lightly, steer the conversation back to the main topic:
"Zilie, how did your trip to Xingyang go in avenging your family?"
Although he had planted spies among the Zheng family, he did not pay much attention to bandits like Wagangzhai.
In his eyes, those were nothing more than minor ailments, insignificant and insignificant.
"It's alright," Lü Xiao replied casually.
He really didn't take Wagang seriously.
He was confident that he could conquer Wagang even during its entirety.
Moreover, with the departure of Shan Xiongxin, Cheng Yaojin, and others, there is internal discord and disunity.
"If you need more manpower, just ask," Yang Guang said. "I can send several hundred thousand men to flatten Wagang Village."