Lu Chao went to pay a visit to the Prince Kang's Mansion, but he came up empty-handed as the old man wasn't in the mansion at all. He had no choice but to return dejectedly. He asked Xiaohonghong to pass on a message for him, and the only reply he got was "Wait patiently".
The next day, as soon as Lu Chao arrived at the government office, he was called to the front by Vice Minister Li, who, under the pretext of asking him to assist in organizing documents.
This was also Lu Chao's first time participating in a major matter of the Ministry of Works. It has to be said that the skilled craftsmen in ancient times were really not to be underestimated. Those precise designs were truly eye - popping.
Vice Minister Li frowned as he watched Lu Chao with his mouth always agape in a silly look. He murmured to himself: This young man looks like he has never seen the world. I bet he doesn't have much talent. Why did the Minister of Works let him in?
"Lu Chao, Minister Lu will summon all the officials and craftsmen to discuss this matter tomorrow. You can also participate. Be sure to record everyone's opinions in detail."
Vice Minister Li ordered.
How dare Lu Chao disobey? He quickly replied respectfully. Although he still had doubts about the intentions of Prince Kang and the old man, he decided to wait for the news patiently and see how things developed.
The next day, Lu Chao arrived at the meeting hall of the Ministry of Works early.
Several officials from the Ministry of Works and several well - known craftsmen had already gathered in the hall. Everyone was sitting around a huge drawing, whispering to each other.
Lu Chao silently walked to the corner, took out his pen and paper, and prepared to take notes.
Minister Lu sat upright in the main seat and said in a solemn voice.
"The imperial mausoleum's underground palace is a matter of national importance. For this construction, water needs to be diverted into the mausoleum to conform to the celestial phenomena and geographical conditions. What are your opinions on this? Please speak up."
An old official from the Ministry of Works stood up, bowed his hands, and said.
"Your Excellency, although diverting water into the mausoleum conforms to the theory of feng shui, the underground palace is deep underground. It's difficult to control the water flow. If there is a slight mistake, there is a risk of collapse. In my humble opinion, instead of diverting water, we can use carved stone water patterns to symbolize the meaning of water. This way, we can ensure the stability of the underground palace and also conform to the celestial phenomena."
As soon as he finished speaking, another official retorted.
"You're wrong! The imperial mausoleum's underground palace is the place where His Majesty will rest in peace for all eternity. How can we be perfunctory? Diverting water into the mausoleum was decided by His Majesty. If you, Master Song, have any objections, why don't you submit a memorial to His Majesty and ask him to change his mind?"
Master Song, who was refuted in public, was obviously extremely angry. He immediately roared.
"I'm just stating the facts and trying to ensure the stability of the underground palace. Why are you, Lord Mo, so aggressive? If the underground palace collapses because of diverting water, who can take on this heavy responsibility?"
Lord Mo was not willing to show weakness and retorted.
"This matter concerns His Majesty's will. How can we change it lightly? If, in a few days, we have the nerve to tell His Majesty that we can't divert the water, tell me, should we all go to the vegetable market together and head for the underworld or go into exile in Ningguta together?"
Lu Chao pursed his lips and almost burst out laughing. This Lord Mo was really a man of true feelings.
Seeing the tense atmosphere, everyone began to speak up to mediate.
"Lord Mo, there's no need to be angry. Today's meeting is for everyone to express their opinions. Everyone is doing their best for the construction of the imperial mausoleum's underground palace."
Minister Lu also spoke up at the right time, with a calm and imposing tone.
"Since diverting water into the mausoleum is His Majesty's will, there's no need to discuss this matter anymore. The key point we're discussing today is where to divert the water from and how to control the water volume to ensure the stability of the underground palace and make it unaffected by the water flow."
Many officials began to speak up one after another, expressing their own opinions. The hall was filled with discussions for a moment.
Lu Chao rolled up his sleeves and wrote vigorously.
One faction advocated diverting water from the mountain, believing that with the high mountain and abundant water sources, the water would flow down naturally, saving time and effort.
The other faction insisted on intercepting water from the underground current, arguing that the underground water flowed steadily, was not affected by the weather, and it was easier to control the water volume to ensure the safety of the imperial tomb.
The two factions held their ground and the argument became intense. The atmosphere in the hall gradually heated up.
"Does Master Lu have any opinions on this?"
Minister Lu suddenly spoke up, his gaze falling on Lu Chao.
Startled by the question, Lu Chao wondered why Minister Lu had suddenly brought him up. He quickly stood up and replied respectfully,
"I'm deeply humbled. I haven't even seen the design drawing of the imperial tomb. How can I dare to make any hasty remarks?"
"It is indeed a bit difficult for you as you've just started working here. However, it's always good for young people to gain more experience. Here, this is the drawing of the imperial tomb. Take a look."
With that, he motioned with his hand, and a servant beside him handed a thick scroll of drawings to Lu Chao.
Lu Chao took it with both hands and slowly unfurled it. The drawing only showed a rough layout. The outermost layer was a circular path, symbolizing the concept of the sky being round and the earth being square. The middle layer was the sacrificial area, with altars, inscriptions, and statues, looking solemn and grand. The innermost layer was the main burial chamber, with a huge coffin placed in the center.
Seeing that the two sides were at a deadlock, Vice Minister Li bowed and said,
"Your Excellency, in my humble opinion, since the imperial tomb has been under repair for many years, it would be more prudent to conduct an on - site inspection to decide where to divert the water from."
As soon as he finished speaking, several ministers stood up and echoed, "We second the motion."
"Vice Minister Li is absolutely right. However, entering the imperial tomb requires the Emperor's permission. Please allow me to go to the palace to ask for the Emperor's approval before making a final decision."
In the palace, the Emperor and Master Mingyue were sitting opposite each other, each holding a game piece on the checkerboard with black and white pieces criss - crossing.
"I observed the celestial phenomena last night. I saw the Purple Star moving, indicating an unusual omen. It seems that the fated person is about to appear," Master Mingyue said.
The Emperor's hand holding the game piece paused slightly. He looked up at Master Mingyue, a hint of eagerness flashing in his eyes.
"Master, what should I do?"
Master Mingyue smiled gently, put his hands together, and chanted a Buddhist mantra.
"Your Majesty, there's no need to worry. Just follow the will of Heaven. When the will of Heaven is revealed and the right opportunity comes, everything will fall into place naturally."
The game continued with the candlelight flickering.
A few days later, Minister Lu brought back the news that the Emperor had approved the request to survey the imperial tomb, but it had to be carried out under the escort of the imperial guards. Lu Chao was also included in the list of those going.
On that day, the group arrived at the imperial mausoleum. At the entrance of the imperial tomb, the imperial guards were already standing in full formation.
The leader of the imperial guards was a burly man with a cold and stern face. He swept his cold gaze over the people in front of him.
"Your Excellencies, please remember to not touch anything here randomly! If you trigger the mechanism, no one can save you."
Lu Chao and the others quickly agreed and followed the torch - carrying imperial guards, not daring to move a muscle.
The interior of the imperial tomb was dim and damp, with ancient inscriptions carved on the stone walls. Lu Chao carefully observed the environment of the Western Zhou Dynasty tomb. He found that the structure of the imperial tomb was far more complex than what was shown on the drawing. Many passages were not marked on the drawing.
"Hey? I seem to hear the sound of water. We should be close to the underground water flow!"
Vice Minister Li suddenly stopped, pressed his ear against the wall, and looked very focused.
Hearing this, everyone held their breath, trying to catch the faint sound of water.
However, just then, there came an extremely slight tremor under Lu Chao's feet, as if the bricks were silently sinking. His eyes quickly swept across the ground, and he noticed that the gaps between the bricks were slightly uneven, faintly revealing a strange air.
"Everyone, stay still! There's a trap here!"
Lu Chao hissed in a low voice, with an undeniable sense of urgency in his tone.
As soon as his voice fell, there suddenly came a low mechanical whirring sound from the ground, and the Western Zhou stone walls also began to tremble slightly. The leader of the imperial guards frowned, quickly drew his saber, and said coldly.
"Everyone, step back and don't move! Raise your shields!!"
Lu Chao squatted down and gently touched the ground with his fingertips. Suddenly, his gaze stopped on a nearly invisible pattern on the wall. It was an extremely hidden engraving in the shape of a snake, winding upwards. He forcefully turned the engraving downwards, and the mechanical sound finally stopped.
Vice Minister Li wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and said with a lingering fear.
"Thanks to Lu Chao's alertness. Otherwise, we might not have escaped this disaster today."
The leader of the imperial guards put away his saber and gave Lu Chao a cold look.
"You actually know the art of traps?"
Lu Chao smiled faintly and bowed, saying, "I only know a little. It's just a fluke."
"I didn't expect Staff Officer Lu to have such a skill. You've hidden it well. I really misjudged you before!"
The officials started to chatter one after another.
Originally, they thought he was just a good - looking "ornament in the Ministry of Works". Now that he had shown his real skills, everyone had to re - evaluate him.
Having learned their lesson, the group didn't dare to act rashly anymore. They closely followed the leader of the imperial guards, proceeding with caution at every step. In this way, the group managed to enter the underground palace without major incidents.
Vice Minister Li led the group to study the direction of the water channel. Lu Chao stared at the inscriptions on the wall, lost in thought. He seemed to have seen these inscriptions somewhere before, but he just couldn't remember.
