Chapter 340: "Cousin, Make a Sound~~~~

The first winds of winter blew across the border. In a desolate, windswept valley, a young man had rolled up his sleeves and was frantically digging with a shovel.

He had already excavated a sizable pit, with mounds of freshly turned earth piled high on either side, yet he just kept digging and digging in the center.

Finally, he... reached his breaking point.

"Argh, why am I doing this?!"

In a fit of anger, Yun Jian slammed the iron shovel on the ground. It bounced back and whacked him right in the shin, making him cry out with an "OW!"

"Aah! Your Majesty is such a bully!"

This was a mountain hollow outside Yizhou City. It had been over a month since the Empress had departed from Yizhou.

The Empress had saved Feng Yin, but the poison in his system ran so deep that even the Imperial Physicians had been powerless to help. No one knew where she had found some obscure folk remedy, but after making Feng Yin drink it, she’d had him placed in a coffin and buried on the spot.

The Empress claimed that Feng Yin was in a state of suspended animation and needed to be buried in the earth to allow the medicine to break down the toxins in his body.

When the time was right, she said, all they had to do was dig him up, and he would come back to life.

The Empress had confided this matter to Yun Jian alone, ordering him to keep watch in Yizhou and dig up the grave when the time came.

Yun Jian had a very reasonable suspicion that the Empress was getting revenge on him for daring to question her identity.

’Seriously, how can an Empress be this petty?’

’Besides, it’s been forty-nine days. Are we sure the person I dig up will still be alive, and not just a skeleton?’

Huh... The thought suddenly gave him the creeps.

Although the man buried below was his cousin, he didn’t think their relationship had ever been *this* intimate.

’Digging him up after all this time... isn’t that a bit rude?’

’Maybe I should just... not dig him up?’

Suddenly, an eerie gust of wind blew past, and the hair on Yun Jian’s body stood on end.

"Eek... C-Cousin, it’s not me who wants to disturb you. It was the Empress’s orders."

"Cousin, please don’t scare me. I forgot to prepare anything. Next time I’ll bring you some incense and joss paper..."

The only reason he dared to dig at all was that the Empress had said Feng Yin wasn’t dead.

’If I’d known, I would have bought some joss paper and snacks before I came. That way, if my cousin ’appeared,’ I’d at least feel a bit more prepared.’

Yun Jian grabbed the shovel and stared at the yellow earth at his feet. He really, really didn’t want to dig anymore.

’Maybe I should just fill it back in and call it a day?’

As he hesitated, he took two more half-hearted scoops, only for his shovel to hit wood.

The unvarnished lid of a raw wood coffin came into view.

GULP!

Yun Jian swallowed hard, so terrified he froze, unable to move a muscle.

’Why do I have to go through an ordeal like this?’

’I’m still young! I haven’t even found a wife yet!’

"Cousin... Cousin, are you in there?"

"Cousin, just make a souuund..."

The moment the words left his mouth, he scared himself.

’There’s a coffin down there. If something inside it *does* make a sound, how can I be sure it’s human?’

Yun Jian was on the verge of tears. His legs were trembling with fear, but he somehow managed to resist the urge to run.

Trembling, he used the shovel to scrape away the remaining dirt, exposing the entire coffin lid.

Just as the work began to distract him from his fear, the ground beneath him vibrated, and a loud THUD echoed from inside the coffin.

A jolt shot through Yun Jian as if he’d been struck by lightning. He froze solid, his expression locked in place.

THUD!

Another one, impossibly clear.

"AHHH!!!"

Yun Jian threw his shovel and scrambled away in a mad dash. Though his limbs seemed stiff with fear, he was surprisingly agile as he clambered up a nearby tree. There, he came face to face with a waiting Silver Armor Guard. The meeting was so sudden that they could only stare at each other, dumbfounded.

Yun Jian recognized him; this man had served by the Empress’s side.

Seeing a familiar face, Yun Jian’s fear vanished. He calmed down, and his reason returned.

’His being here must be the Empress’s doing.’

’In that case, maybe my cousin really isn’t dead.’

’But if he isn’t dead, and the Empress already had men here, why did she tell me I had to do the digging alone and couldn’t tell anyone?’

Yun Jian glared at the Silver Armor Guard, as if trying to read the answer on his face.

’Was it the Empress? Did she deliberately trick me, just to scare me?’

’It must be! It absolutely is!’

’How can the Empress be so cruel? She’s such a bully!’

The Silver Armor Guard turned his head away in disgust. They had been taking turns on watch. He had arrived before Yun Jian, so they had witnessed everything from the moment he started digging.

The way the man had nearly wet himself in fear before he had even hit the coffin was just too pathetic to watch.

Yun Jian was furious and wanted to give the guard a piece of his mind, but the man suddenly leaped down from the tree.

The nearby trees rustled, and a dozen or so men quickly descended.

A dozen Silver Armor Guards...

For a moment, Yun Jian felt his entire world collapse.

’Wait, does that mean my huffing and puffing while digging, and all my pathetic screaming, was witnessed by all dozen of them?’

The light in Yun Jian’s eyes instantly died.

He watched as they all gathered at the edge of the pit and quickly unearthed the coffin.

Yun Jian wasn’t afraid of the coffin at all now. ’My cousin is about to get up anyway. I might as well lie down in his place and let them bury me instead!’

The Silver Armor Guards worked quickly, digging out the coffin and carrying it to a shady spot under the trees.

Without any ceremony, they simply pried off the lid. The person inside sat up, looking bright-eyed and full of life.

Yun Jian stopped in his tracks, telling himself, ’Don’t be scared, don’t be scared!’

In reality, his feet were glued to the spot; he couldn’t move an inch.

The knocking Yun Jian had heard had been Feng Yin. He had woken up, discovered he was trapped in a coffin, and started panicking. Now, even after being rescued and breathing fresh air, his terror had barely subsided.

A group of tall, imposing strangers surrounded his coffin, their presence overwhelming. Feng Yin was too frightened to make a single rash move.

"Mr. Feng."

One of the men quickly walked over and hauled Yun Jian forward. "Mr. Feng, do you recognize him?"

Feng Yin sensed no malice from them. He looked at the man who had been dragged over and found him somewhat familiar, but still shook his head slightly. "I don’t remember..."

His mind was a complete blank; he knew nothing.

Yun Jian was dumbfounded. "Cousin, it’s me, Yun Jian! You don’t remember me?"

Feng Yin shook his head, then nodded. "I don’t remember, but you feel familiar."

Seeing this, the Silver Armor Guard had nothing more to say.

He produced a bundle that had been prepared in advance. "Please change your clothes first, Mr. Feng."

After lying in a coffin for almost fifty days, he definitely needed a change of clothes.

Watching the Silver Armor Guards produce clothes, food, and water, Yun Jian was once again certain that he had been completely duped by the Empress.

’She clearly intended for these men to do the digging all along, yet she tricked me into huffing and puffing by myself for half the day!’

"Since you were all here, why didn’t you come out and help sooner?"

The Silver Armor Guard replied coolly, "We were about to, but you seemed to be digging with such gusto. We couldn’t bear to interrupt."

Yun Jian was livid! They were clearly just enjoying the show at his expense!

’I’m so angry, but I can’t win a fight against them, which makes me even angrier!’

With a belly full of rage and nowhere to vent it, Yun Jian could only change the subject. "So, what’s going on with my cousin? How come he doesn’t even remember me?"

The Silver Armor Guard said, "Her Majesty said that while the medicine could save Mr. Feng’s life, its properties are extremely potent. It was highly likely to cause complete amnesia. His not recognizing people is a normal side effect."

"We were left here only to wait for Mr. Feng to awaken. Her Majesty left a letter for him. The path he takes from here is his own to choose. We will simply escort him from a distance."

After Feng Yin changed his clothes, a Silver Armor Guard handed him the letter.

It was unclear what was written in it, but after reading it, Feng Yin’s expression suddenly twisted in pain.

One hand clutched the letter, the other pressed tightly against his heart. He asked them in a strained voice, "She... Who is she?"