Qing Xia felt puzzled and continued flipping through the pages. She saw that everything was written in the woman’s beautiful small regular script, recording large sections of jokes. Some Qing Xia had heard before, while others were completely unfamiliar.

At that moment, there was suddenly a commotion outside the door. Looking up, she saw Qin Zhiyan standing at the entrance with a stern face, looking at Qing Xia with some annoyance. He said in a deep voice, “You’re injured, why are you still moving around everywhere?”

“Qin Zhiyan, this place is so strange.” Qing Xia paid no attention to his anger and quickly said, “Look, all the utensils here are intact, even the books aren’t damaged, and there are such strong signs of life. Could it be that someone has lived here?”

Qin Zhiyan’s expression showed slight displeasure. He glanced at Qing Xia and walked to a wooden cabinet, reaching out to open it. Having learned from experience, Qing Xia quickly covered her mouth and nose with her hands, gleefully waiting on the side for Qin Zhiyan to be choked by dust and end up gray-faced. Who knew that when the box creaked open, not a speck of dust scattered out, as if it were regularly maintained, clean and fresh.

“Eh? How could this be?” Qing Xia stretched her neck in confusion, eagerly moving closer.

As if knowing what Qing Xia was referring to, Qin Zhiyan took out a bright yellow pearl from a pile of fabrics and said to Qing Xia, “As expected, I guessed correctly. There’s a dust-repelling pearl here, used to ward off dust. Look at the bedding over there—it’s all clean.”

Qing Xia’s eyes swept over and looked at the clean bedding on the bamboo bed. She couldn’t help but curiously reach out and grasp the bright yellow pearl in her hand, exclaiming in wonder, “There’s actually such a magical thing! Isn’t this better than mothballs?”

“What are mothballs?” Qin Zhiyan asked with studious curiosity.

“Oh, they have a similar function, but their effectiveness is far inferior. They’re a local specialty from my hometown.”

“Mm.” Qin Zhiyan nodded.

“Oh my!” Qing Xia held the pearl up to the sunlight and suddenly exclaimed in surprise, “Qin Zhiyan, look quickly! There’s a little insect inside.”

“Hehe,” Qin Zhiyan smiled lightly. “What’s so surprising about that? It’s called a cleansing insect. It naturally feeds on dust, is hermaphroditic, and reproduces independently. That’s why it can maintain the cleanliness and tidiness here for thousands of years.”

“Ah?” Qing Xia exclaimed loudly, “So magical! It’s just like a plecostomus.”

“What’s a plecostomus?” Qin Zhiyan raised an eyebrow and asked in confusion.

“It’s a type of fish,” Qing Xia quickly explained. “It specifically eats other fish’s excrement. When you keep it together with other fish, everything stays very clean, saving the trouble of frequently changing water.”

“Is that so?” Qin Zhiyan smiled faintly. “Truly magical indeed.”

“How can it be as magical as this thing!” Qing Xia held the yellow pearl, widening her eyes as she leaned forward to look. “With something like this, you could never have to clean your wardrobe for a lifetime! No, not just a lifetime—you could avoid cleaning your room for generations! Qin Zhiyan, can I take it with me? I really love this thing.”

“Hehe,” Qin Zhiyan chuckled softly. “It’s not some rare treasure. I have many in my mansion. If you like them, I can give them all to you.”

“Really?” Qing Xia grinned happily. “Qin Zhiyan, you’re so good to me.”

Taking out a white gauze garment as clean as new from inside, Qin Zhiyan turned around and looked Qing Xia up and down at her disheveled appearance, smiling as he said, “The host has prepared everything. You should change out of those clothes.”

“Ah?” Qing Xia blushed in embarrassment, awkwardly sniffling. “Yes, the clothes smell terrible.”

“Come with me. There’s a hot spring in the middle of the forest.”

“There’s a hot spring! Wonderful!” Qing Xia cried out joyfully and quickly said, “Only now do I realize what a blissful thing it is to be able to bathe.”

Qin Zhiyan flicked his finger against Qing Xia’s smooth forehead, smiling as he said, “Be careful of your injuries. Come, I’ll carry you there.”

The small box was filled with women’s daily clothing, clean and plain, emanating a faint fragrance. After rummaging through it, Qing Xia surprisingly found a set of men’s clothing at the bottom.

Happily gathering the clothes and shoes and socks, Qing Xia lay on Qin Zhiyan’s back and walked out of the serene bamboo house. The forest was vast, with no visible end. When the breeze blew, rustling sounds filled their ears. In the sky above was a bright yellow gaseous body similar to the sun, clustered together in one place, casting warm and gentle radiance. Everywhere were fresh flowers and tender grass, a crisp and soft green expanse. Butterflies and birds shuttled through the bamboo forests and flower seas, appearing very harmonious.

In the quiet forest, lively rabbits occasionally poked their heads out, gentle deer looked at the two people with curiosity, appearing quite surprised. Various birds chirped melodiously in the forest, their sounds clear and pleasant. Qing Xia lay on Qin Zhiyan’s broad back, feeling everything was so dreamlike and beautifully unreal.

“Qin Zhiyan, has someone lived here?” Qing Xia’s voice was crisp, carrying a trace of joy from surviving disaster and incredulous bewilderment.

“Someone should have lived here.” Qin Zhiyan’s voice was gentle and soft as he replied quietly.

“I think so too.” Qing Xia said, “Looking at the books in that room, they’re all in one person’s handwriting. It seems to be a woman’s.”

“Mm, I think the Great Qin Empress must have lived here.”

“What?” Qing Xia exclaimed in surprise. “Great Qin had an empress?”

“You don’t know?” Qin Zhiyan said in confusion. “This is known by everyone in the world. In the first year of Renchen, Second Ancestor Hu Hai ascended the throne, ruled for fifteen years, and died of illness. After his death, his wife Qin Dianqiu ascended the throne as Great Qin’s Third Generation, the unprecedented and only female emperor in history.”

“Qin Dianqiu?” Qing Xia murmured in amazement. “Did she usurp the throne? A woman could actually become emperor in feudal society? Like Wu Zetian?”

“What Wu Zetian?” Qin Zhiyan furrowed his brow in confusion and slowly said, “The Empress was Second Ancestor’s only wife throughout his life. In the second year of Guisi, she married into the imperial family as a widow, bringing two children—the elder four years old, the younger two—and took the surname Qin following her husband. In the third year of Jiawu, the Empress became pregnant but was captured by the Xiongnu at Hansha City. Second Ancestor personally led eight hundred thousand troops in pursuit, chasing over four thousand li beyond Yanmen Pass, killing over two hundred thousand Xiongnu and burying alive over three hundred thousand more, completely annihilating the Southern Xiongnu lineage. Unfortunately, the Empress was defiled in the enemy camp, lost her unborn child, and fell ill, unable to conceive again. Afterward, Second Ancestor established the Empress’s eldest son, Qin Nianzhi, as crown prince. After the emperor passed away, the crown prince was young, so the Empress ascended the throne. Two years later, the crown prince took personal control of government and the Empress abdicated. She died of illness less than a month later. It seems she didn’t die of illness but came to the imperial mausoleum to accompany Second Ancestor.”

Qing Xia listened with her mouth agape, and after a long while suddenly realized, “No wonder your Qin clan bears the surname Qin instead of Ying. So your Qin clan descendants aren’t actually Ying Zheng’s bloodline.”

“Mm,” Qin Zhiyan nodded. “But we still consider ourselves descendants of the Ying family. Besides the Qin surname, in the genealogy, we all use Ying as the national surname. My given name is actually Ying Yan.”

“My heavens!” Qing Xia whispered in admiration. “Hu Hai was truly a devoted man! He married a widow as his wife, and when his wife was raped by others and couldn’t bear children, he let the widow’s son become emperor. How selfless!”

“Hehe, the affection between Second Ancestor and the Empress has been celebrated as a beautiful story for thousands of years. I’m surprised you didn’t know.” Qin Zhiyan smiled faintly and continued walking forward.

Qing Xia’s heart surged like turbulent waves, her mouth hanging open for a long time, unable to close. She truly hadn’t expected that among ancient emperors, there would be such a man. This Hu Hai not only completely swept away the image of incompetent tyranny that Qing Xia knew from later generations, transforming into an upright, world-conquering heroic emperor, but was also passionate and loyal, marrying only one wife in his lifetime. It was simply unbelievable.

Thinking of that small bamboo house from earlier, she couldn’t help but feel a pang of sadness. That woman who had received countless affections from that man, staying alone in his imperial mausoleum, reminiscing daily about the past moments and years—how sorrowful and heartbroken she must have been.

No wonder such a vast project was excavated in the underground imperial mausoleum. Only the imperial family would have such capability.

In the blink of an eye, they arrived at the depths of the bamboo forest. Surrounded by emerald bamboo clusters, a pool of steaming hot spring water appeared before their eyes.

Qing Xia was immediately overjoyed, throwing all thoughts of Second Ancestor and the Empress to the back of her mind. She danced and shouted on Qin Zhiyan’s back, “Ah! It’s a hot spring! Wonderful!”

Qin Zhiyan turned back with a faint smile. Seeing Qing Xia’s rosy cheeks reflecting in the misty spring water with heart-stirring beauty, he smiled and said, “Alright, it’s just a hot spring. Look how happy you are, like a little child.”

Hearing this, Qing Xia paused slightly. Yes, since when had she become like this?

In the past, she had been cold and ruthless, with harsh methods, constantly moving through blood and death, forever shuttling under the cover of night.

But since entering this imperial mausoleum, she seemed to have gradually changed. She could also be vulnerable, could also cry, could also despair, could also be moved, could also excitedly shout and yell, could also sob heartbrokenly when sad. Something was subtly changing. In this harsh environment of the imperial mausoleum, she was becoming more and more like a normal twenty-year-old girl.

And all of this had an inseparable relationship with the man before her eyes.

Slowly turning her head, Qing Xia faced her cheek toward Qin Zhiyan’s profile, lying sideways on Qin Zhiyan’s shoulder.

Under the sunlight, Qin Zhiyan’s elongated eyes appeared very gentle. His eyebrows were light, sweeping obliquely into his temples. His nose bridge was high and straight without appearing prominent. His lips were thin, yet he didn’t seem like a heartless person at all. Though his complexion was slightly gaunt and pale, it radiated a strong scholarly aura.

His appearance might not be stunning at first sight, but it was definitely the most comfortable and warm. He possessed noble temperament and extraordinary transcendence. Unlike Chu Li’s aggressive sharpness, and unlike Yang Feng’s cold and hard heroic bearing, he was like the fritillaria fragrance on his body—though not gorgeous perfume, it was the most warm and intimate medicinal scent. Without any vulgar commonness, only elegant freshness.