Chapter 276 - The Shocking News in the Ancestral Mausoleum

After hearing the old craftsman’s “stress,” Shi Qingxue giggled.

She was proud but not arrogant and raised her chin, saying shyly, “If the descendants raised by Grandpa need the ancestors’ blessing to keep the title of nobility and have a bright future, as his descendants, we would be ashamed before he jumps out of the coffin to curse us.

“Elder, just rest assured and do the job. As long as you can make it and won’t disturb my grandpa’s peace, you don’t need to worry about so much.”

Perhaps this old craftsman heard such words for the first time, so he was stunned and didn’t have reactions after a long time.

In fact, he knew that the “ancestors’ blessing” was the same as the ghost theory, and it existed if he believed, while it was fine if he didn’t believe it.

It was okay as long as he was always in awe of the ancestors.

But!

Knowing it was different from doing it.

In this society, people would rather believe that it existed, and who dared to say confidently that he didn’t care about this?

The old craftsman sighed with emotion because Shi Qingxue respected the elders, and meanwhile he thought that she “went a bit too far”.

However, as a craftsman, he couldn’t say that. He merely nodded and asked casually, “Who stays here?”

Shi Qingxue finally grinned complacently and explained to the old craftsman briskly, “My grandpa was Duke Shi, and his title was given by the late emperor. He was the head of the Shi Army. Elder, please be sure to repair his grave. Not only me, but all people in Duke Shi’s mansion would also thank you.”

“What?” The old man forgot himself and shouted.

It scared Shi Qingxue, and she looked at the old craftsman nervously, wondering if this old man happened to bear a grudge against Duke Shi’s family.

“Is, is this Elder General Shi?” The old craftsman asked hurriedly and didn’t notice Qingxue’s questioning eyes.

Shi Qingxue nodded and responded proudly, “Right! The Shi Army was set up by my grandpa. He was a good man and never did anything evil. Elder, you…Are you my grandpa’s enemy?”

Before she finished her words, the old craftsman staggered and ran back to the tombstone which was broken to two parts. He suddenly knelt on the ground and cried sadly, “Savior! You took care of my family those years and I keep it in mind all the time. I always want to see you again. Even if I can’t return your kindness, it is fine to talk with you. I have never expected that when we meet again after many years, you are in the other world.”

The old craftsman’s face was covered with tears and he cried his heart out. He was so sorrowful that it was almost difficult for him to kneel.

But looking at the mess, he was irritated at once and cursed, “I don’t know which bastard was so bold as to do something so evil and refuse to make you rest in peace even after you passed away. He should be hacked to pieces.”

Shi Qingxue didn’t expect that such an accident would make her meet somebody that Shi Lei had helped in the past.

Shi Lei had done many good deeds all his life and never asked others to repay him, but unexpectedly, he was so miserable after death.

At this thought, the flame of anger rose from Qingxue’s chest to her brain and almost burnt all her reason. She really wanted to go back and cut the grave keeper to pieces to feed dogs.

Fortunately, Mo Junyang grabbed her arm and told her to calm down, so she didn’t act on impulse.

She restrained her anger and sorrow and walked to the tombstone, helping the old craftsman up. “Elder, please get up now. Grandpa said that we do good deeds not to make others feel grateful but to live up to the standards of heaven and earth. Please don’t kneel on the ground. If Grandpa knows it in the netherworld, he would be restless.”

The old craftsman wiped his tears while getting up shakily under Shi Qingxue’s support.

“My Lady, thanks for your concern. It’s Elder General Shi’s blessing as he raised a granddaughter who respects the elders so much…” After knowing that Shi Qingxue was Shi Lei’s granddaughter, the old craftsman was much more respectful with grateful and deferential eyes, almost taking Shi Qingxue as Buddha.

Since the old craftsman respected her because of her grandpa, Shi Qingxue felt restless, but as he was an old man and her grandpa’s old friend, she couldn’t interrupt him abruptly.

She restrained her embarrassed feeling with a blush and said to the old craftsman cautiously after he rattled enough, “Elder, forget anything else first. Please repair my grandpa’s grave as soon as possible, okay?”

The old craftsman looked serious in an instant and nodded repeatedly, even patting his chest to assure Shi Qingxue. “My Lady, please rest assured. I don’t dare to promise anything else, but this is my profession, and the one sleeping in it was my savior. Even if I risk my life, I will repair the grave and return peace to Elder General Shi.”

Seeing that the old craftsman led the others and started to repair it in order quickly and proficiently, looking like an old hand at a glance, Shi Qingxue got relieved a bit.

She stood under a tree and stared at the grave in the distance. After a long while, she suddenly called in a low voice, “Junyang.”

Mo Junyang hurriedly pulled her into his arms from behind and didn’t force her to turn around. He just comforted her gently, “I am here.”

A simple and warm hug gave Shi Qingxue an indescribable sense of security. She leaned against him quietly for a moment and then said slowly in confusion, “Although enemies feared Grandpa on the battlefield, and he was described as a killing god, in daily life, he was a nice and charitable person. In my memory, I have never seen him quarrel with anybody or lose temper, and he just spoke loudly at most when he trained the army and taught the soldiers a lesson. None of the outsiders has said that he was not a good person…”

Shi Lei followed the late emperor to conquer the country and establish the dynasty, and all the officials at the imperial court survived from various disasters. Thus, all of them had a good relationship, which was not as fragile as nowadays.

Moreover, Shi Lei was decent and never took the credit for himself. Such a person had many friends.

So Shi Qingxue couldn’t figure out anyway who would hate Shi Lei so much as not to make him rest in peace after he died.

The sinner just had no conscience.

Mo Junyang thought that there were many questionable points in this case and he couldn’t understand for a moment. Meeting Shi Qingxue’s eyes with expectancy, he could do nothing but pat the back of her hand and comfort her silently.

Facing Shi Qingxue’s furious yet confused eyes, Mo Junyang pondered for a while and then decided to reveal something. “Qingxue, there are many doubtful points in this matter and it may implicate much more than what we have imagined. You want to know all the truth, right?”

Shi Qingxue thought that Mo Junyang was afraid that she would be impulsive and beat up the grave keeper recklessly like she had done just now, yet they couldn’t find the chief criminal but might happen to help the criminals cover up the truth.

She smiled in embarrassment and nodded in a hurry, admitting her guilt. “I know that I acted rashly just now, and I promise that something like this won’t happen anymore. Help me. We must find the chief criminal behind the scenes, and we can’t let him find a scapegoat randomly and get away with it.

“I will make all people involved in this matter pay a huge price.”

Qingxue stressed each word solemnly, like to make a vow.

Mo Junyang thought, “You think that it is simple, but it is probably more complicated than what you have guessed.”

However, since Shi Qingxue guessed wrong, Junyang made the best of a mistake and changed the subject. “Hmm, it’s great that you are mentally prepared. Don’t worry. Leave it to me. I will give you an explanation.”

Mo Junyang was always heartless and his selfish nature was deep in his bone.

Nevertheless, because of Shi Qingxue, he almost distorted his character and did everything as she liked and expected.

No matter how it would change his inside.

He wouldn’t even let Shi Qingxue find it.

Shi Qingxue relaxed after hearing his assurance.

At the moment, even she didn’t notice that she trusted Mo Junyang much more than a normal person trusted somebody else.

She trusted somebody else more than herself, which would put her in danger. Even as long as the other party wanted to, any action could destroy her in a moment, and she wouldn’t have a chance to find it.

Even though what happened to Shi Qingxue and Mo Junyang and their relationship were special, she trusted him too much.

Although Shi Qingxue didn’t think that it mattered, if she knew how much Mo Junyang had judged and weighed in this matter, nobody knew how horrible the consequence would be.

She didn’t think about what would happen in the future, but hearing Mo Junyang’s promise, she felt relieved.

However, before she spoke, somebody screamed beside the grave, which attracted their attention.

“What’s wrong?” Seeing that the craftsmen seemed to have a surprised expression, Shi Qingxue hurriedly walked forward.

At the moment, Shi Lei’s coffin had been carried onto the ground, and the old craftsman specially walked around it. Then he replied seriously, “My Lady, with my experience of many years, I think that Elder General’s coffin might have been opened…”

“What?” Shi Qingxue shrieked.

Generally, the grave robbers would only steal the funeral objects in the grave after opening it and the ordinary people wouldn’t open the coffin rashly. What would be inside except the corpse? It was not a grave of a member from the royal family who would hold jade in the mouth or wear jade clothes like chrysalis to protect the dead body. Nobody would seek bad luck for no reason.

However, somebody had uncovered the coffin and then closed it, and his purpose was…

Shi Qingxue could hardly imagine how Shi Lei’s skeleton in it was treated.

“What should we do now?” Shi Qingxue looked at the old craftsman nervously, at a loss.

“I am afraid that we should…” The old craftsman hesitated for a moment and then finally made a decision. “Open the coffin.”

Even Shi Qingxue couldn’t keep calm for now, and she glared at the old craftsman in surprise.

The old craftsman instantly realized that his words would make people misunderstand him, so he hurriedly explained, “I just worry that somebody did something evil to Elder General’s skeleton, and we should open the coffin to check it. Then I will be relieved.”

He said that, but no matter for what reason, if they opened the coffin, they would disturb the dead person’s peace.

At the same time, Shi Qingxue worried more about whether Shi Lei’s skeleton was still inside the coffin.