Chapter 144 The Person Used for Substitution

Chapter 144: The Stand-In Himself

The next day, outside the imperial mausoleum, dawn had just broken.

The morning mist had not yet cleared, and low, gray-white clouds pressed down, shrouding the entire mausoleum in a hazy veil.

On the square before the mausoleum, all the civil and military officials had already assembled.

The colors of their court robes appeared dull in the morning fog, but the expressions on their faces were clear enough: some curious, some tense, some gloating, and some worried.

In the center of the square stood an incense altar, with curling smoke rising from the burner.

Behind the altar lay the stone gate leading to the underground palace.

Xiao Jing stood at the very front of the officials, dressed in his princely robes, his face solemn.

A faint smile curled his lips, barely perceptible, yet it couldn't hide the determination in his eyes.

He glanced first at the sky, then at the stone gate.

Soon, the impostor would be exposed—today.

As Xiao Jing thought this, his gaze swept over the crowd and landed on the figure slowly approaching.

Because Xiao Yan's identity was still unconfirmed, he was only wearing a simple set of ordinary robes today, but the plain robe made his silhouette stand out—tall and straight.

He walked unhurriedly, as if strolling through a garden, like someone going to a casual banquet, not a life-or-death trial.

Xiao Yan stopped before the officials, standing beside Xiao Jing.

He turned to Xiao Jing, irritation and displeasure flickering in his eyes.

Thirteen days! For thirteen whole days, he hadn't seen Liu Qingci at all.

It was all Xiao Jing's fault for reinforcing the guard at the Prince Yu residence, so no one could get in.

These days, Xiao Yan had been devouring books, but he couldn't see the actual person he mentally cast in the roles from those books.

He was thoroughly annoyed.

Unsurprisingly, Xiao Jing had no clue where Xiao Yan's strange mood came from.

It was time.

The official in charge of the mausoleum stepped forward, lit incense, offered prayers, and recited a long eulogy.

The incense smoke rose in curling wisps, melting into the morning mist, and then the stone gate slowly opened.

As the winch pulled, the heavy stone gate groaned dully, like a sigh from the earth's depths.

The officials instinctively stepped back half a step.

Xiao Jing did not move.

He stared at the widening gap into the deep darkness, and the smile at the corners of his mouth deepened.

The officials filed in, holding torches that lit up the dark underground chamber. The civil and military officials followed, walking deeper in.

Xiao Yan followed them in.

"Eeheehee~ Host~ It's so dark and creepy here~ Aren't you scaredy?"

Little K giggled in Xiao Yan's mind.

Xiao Yan's eyebrow twitched, and he replied irritably, "Should I be scared now?"

Little K let out a couple of whimpers, "Look how dark this underground chamber is. What if there's something spooky..."

Xiao Yan said flatly, "The nastiest thing is walking right in front of us."

He glanced at Xiao Jing, who was walking in front.

Little K 'peeked' that way, its light orb flickering in his mind. "Oh, true."

Then it perked up, "Host! Are you ready to see Xiao Jing's expression later? It's going to be amazing!"

Xiao Yan ignored it.

Finally, they reached the main burial chamber. At its center lay a coffin.

The officials stepped forward, lit incense, offered prayers, and recited another part of the eulogy.

Then they began to open the coffin. The lid let out a harsh screech as the crowbars pried, the sound echoing through the chamber.

Xiao Jing stared at the lid, his eyes unblinking.

The lid was pried open a crack, and a stale, musty smell seeped out through the gap. The officials worked together to lift the lid.

The coffin was empty.

No body, no remains, no clothing—nothing at all.

Only a thick layer of dust lay at the bottom of the empty coffin.

Xiao Jing's pupils contracted abruptly.

He stood frozen, as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over him.

Impossible!

He had clearly seen it with his own eyes!!

That night, he had stood by the coffin and seen it clearly. The stench of rot had invaded his nostrils, making him gag on the spot, and even now, the memory sickened him.

The officials reacted even more directly.

"Empty?!"

"It really is empty?!"

"His Highness Prince Yu... is he really not dead?"

Gasps and murmurs began to fill the burial chamber.

"Gentlemen, there's no need to panic."

Xiao Yan emerged from the crowd and stood beside the coffin.

His expression remained calm, as if he had expected this all along.

"This coffin should indeed be empty. After all, I never died. Now, do you all finally believe me?"

The officials stirred again.

Xiao Yan paused, then turned and walked toward a corner of the tomb chamber.

Everyone stared at him.

Xiao Yan reached that corner, reached out and ran his hand along the stone wall.

Then he pushed hard, and that section of stone wall slowly slid aside, revealing a dark, hidden tunnel.

The officials gasped.

"There… there's a secret passage here?!"

"There’s actually a secret passage in the royal mausoleum!"

Xiao Yan turned and looked at Xiao Jing, a smirk curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Sixth Brother, you didn't know, did you?" he said. "This royal mausoleum has a secret passage leading outside the city. That day, I left through here."

Xiao Jing's face turned deathly pale in an instant.

He stared at that dark tunnel, as if struck by lightning.

A secret passage?

When he arrived, there clearly wasn't one.

He had personally inspected every inch of the stone walls and every floor tile—there was nothing!

But now, this secret passage appeared before him.

As if it had appeared out of thin air.

Xiao Jing's head buzzed, his vision blurring.

Impossible! This can't be!

Xiao Jing's breathing grew more labored.

His chest heaved violently, as if he couldn't get enough air.

"You… you…" He pointed at Xiao Yan, his fingers trembling. "What the hell are you?!"

With that, he staggered back a step, his back slamming into the cold stone wall.

The cold from the wall seeped through his clothes, making him shiver.

"No… no…" he muttered, his gaze unfocused, as if speaking to himself. "You're a ghost… you must be a ghost…"

He suddenly lifted his head, staring at Xiao Yan, his eyes bloodshot, like a trapped beast.

"Only a ghost can appear out of nowhere! Only a ghost can conjure up a secret passage! Only a ghost can…"

His voice suddenly trailed off.

Because he recalled what had happened in the past few days.

He remembered the imposter’s composure at court, remembered how leisurely he read and sunned himself at Prince Yu's mansion.

Do ghosts bask in the sun?

Do ghosts read books?

Do ghosts have shadows like the living? Do they live like the living?

Xiao Jing's mind was in chaos.

Countless thoughts clashed in his mind, making his head feel like it was splitting.

He clutched his head, leaned against the stone wall, and slowly slid to the ground.

"Impossible…" he muttered, his voice hoarse and barely recognizable. "You're a ghost… you have to be a ghost… otherwise how could you…"

The officials around exchanged bewildered looks. Some wanted to step forward but didn't dare.

Xiao Yan stood not far away, looking down at Xiao Jing.

"Sixth Brother," he said, his voice unsettlingly calm, "if you've gone mad, the entire court is watching."