The Command to Pamper the Husband - Chapter 121

Master Deqing’s face grew more serious. “Your Majesty, did you say that this gold is stored in three different places?”

The Emperor nodded. “Yes, is there a problem?”

Master Deqing stood up and paced back and forth on the polished marble floor of the Imperial Study, his brows furrowed. “Your Majesty, could you show me the exact locations of these three places on a map of the capital?”

The Emperor immediately raised his hand, and the Chief Eunuch presented a detailed map of the capital. The locations were marked on the map.

Master Deqing was shocked. “Your Majesty, look at this map. The three locations form a tripod pattern. This is a setup, known in the field as a ‘tripod divide,’ meant to divide the kingdom.”

The Emperor’s face turned pale, and he almost shouted, “Outrageous!”

The atmosphere in the Imperial Study became instantly tense. Previously, he only knew that the Duke had opened a private gold mine, an audacious act. After being deceived by the Duke, he was filled with rage. He had even considered sparing the Duke, taking into account the Great General and the secrets the Duke held. But if not for Master Deqing’s timely arrival, he wouldn’t have discovered the Duke’s treacherous intentions.

Divide the kingdom! The Duke dared to divide his kingdom!

Master Deqing looked at the three marked locations. “Your Majesty’s anger is understandable, but do not be too distressed. Although this setup is domineering and vicious, now that the Duke has been captured, the gold just needs to be properly handled. It does not pose a great threat.”

“How should it be handled?” the Emperor asked.

“These gold ingots have been buried for a long time. To dissipate the energy they’ve absorbed, they need to be exposed to the sun for three days. After that, they should be transported back to Linglong Mountain and reburied, never to be mined again,” Master Deqing explained.

“Is that all?” the Emperor asked, still uneasy.

Master Deqing smiled. “Yes, that is all. Your Majesty need not worry too much. Though your destiny lacks metal, it aligns with the dragon vein. You are the true Son of Heaven. These minor tricks cannot harm you.”

With Master Deqing’s reassurance, the Emperor’s anger slightly subsided. The Chief Eunuch, knowing the implications, realized the Duke was now doomed. As for Master Deqing’s statements, the Chief Eunuch remained skeptical. He didn’t believe in ghosts or spirits, but it didn’t matter if he believed; what mattered was that the Emperor did.

“Make sure all the gold is removed. None must remain,” Master Deqing instructed.

The Emperor nodded. “And what about the ton of gold you need for the altar?”

Master Deqing waved his hand. “The altar cannot be built immediately. I need to calculate the best location, size, and time for its construction. This will take at least three months. Your Majesty need not rush.”

Three months was ample time to gather a ton of gold. But if building the altar would take three months, when would they catch the person with the spiritual energy? Three months was enough time for someone to cause chaos.

“Isn’t three months too long?” the Emperor asked.

Master Deqing smiled wryly. “Your Majesty, such matters cannot be rushed. I came to inform you of the revival of spiritual energy. According to my current observations, this energy is weak and will not pose a significant threat for at least six months to a year. We have time.”

With this, the Emperor could only nod, though he remained uneasy. After another conversation with Master Deqing, the latter took his leave. As soon as he left, the Emperor immediately ordered the Chief Eunuch, “Bring the Duke here.”

The Chief Eunuch obeyed and quickly carried out the order. It took less than half an hour to bring the Duke from the Ministry of Justice’s jail to the Imperial Study.

Not long ago, the Duke was a powerful and influential figure. Now…

Looking at the kneeling Duke, the Emperor almost didn’t recognize him. The wound on his leg from the Heavenly Hound’s tail was severe, and now it had festered in the jail. His hair was disheveled, and his clothes were in disarray. The Emperor stared at the wound on the Duke’s leg, regretting that he hadn’t asked Master Deqing about the Heavenly Hound’s sudden manifestation.

Was it related to the gold?

Pushing the thought aside, the Emperor addressed the Duke. “Who instructed you to mine gold from Linglong Mountain?”

The Duke, kneeling on the floor, was filled with despair. He had thought he had escaped punishment, but the Emperor’s wrath came like a storm.

Slumping to the ground, the Duke spoke weakly, “Five years ago, I encountered a wandering Taoist. At the time, my eldest son had been bedridden for six months.”

The Emperor remembered this.

“The Taoist was brought into the house by my family. He said my son’s life was being drained and that to protect him, we needed to suppress his life force with something, which turned out to be gold,” the Duke continued.

The Emperor’s heart filled with cold laughter.

My destiny lacks metal, and your son’s life force needs gold to be suppressed. So, you’re saying I took your son’s life force, and you had to take mine to save him?

“You believed the Taoist’s nonsense!” the Emperor snapped.

The Chief Eunuch… Didn’t Master Deqing just leave?

“Later, I had people search for gold mines. When we discovered gold at Linglong Mountain, I immediately ordered its extraction. None of the gold was touched; it was all buried under my residence.”

The Duke looked pitifully at the Emperor. “I had planned to present all the gold to Your Majesty once the mining was complete.”

The Emperor snorted coldly. “And the letter was fabricated by you two?”

The Duke immediately confessed. “The letter was my wife’s idea. I foolishly followed her lead. I know I deserve death for deceiving Your Majesty. Please, spare my life for the sake of the untouched gold.”

The Duke still didn’t know that the gold from his mansion had been found at the Capital Magistrate’s residence and his other house.

The Emperor sneered. “You claim all the gold was buried in your study’s courtyard?”

The Duke nodded.

The Emperor slammed the table. “Outrageous! Do you think you can still deceive me? Then explain to me why gold was found at the Capital Magistrate’s residence and your other house, with soil identical to that from your mansion!”

The Duke was stunned.

What?

Gold at the Capital Magistrate’s residence? And at my other house? I didn’t place any there!