Song Dynasty Dreams: Marrying Zhao Pan’er at the beginning

Chapter 58  The Crown Prince’s Tomb is Robbed

As long as he only needed to avoid Sun Sanniang, Gao You could accept it.

“Alright!”

Seeing Gao You’s reluctant expression, Zhao Pan’er coaxed him in a soft and sweet voice.

“Gao Lang, don’t be upset!”

“Okay?”

Gao You reached out and pulled Zhao Pan’er into his arms, holding her tightly. Zhao Pan’er’s heart raced, her cheeks instantly turning red. But she didn’t resist. She simply let him hold her.

“Pan’er Jie!”

From outside the door, Xiao Lingdang’s voice called out. Zhao Pan’er quickly pulled away from Gao You’s embrace, nervously smoothing out her clothes. Gao You looked at her helplessly.

They were husband and wife—why was she so shy about a simple hug?

“Be good and go to sleep!”

Leaving behind a blushing smile, Zhao Pan’er turned and ran out of the room.

“Pan’er Jie, your face is so red! Are you sick?”

Outside the room, Xiao Lingdang asked curiously. Humming a tune, Gao You turned over and got ready to sleep.

…

By the time the sun was high in the sky, Gao You finally woke up. He found that Zhao Pan’er and the others had already gone about their daily work, as if nothing had happened the night before.

“Gao Guanren!” (A respectful way of addressing a gentleman)

A soldier rushed into the courtyard.

“General Wen Hu requests your presence at his residence!”

Wen Hu?

Gao You was a bit surprised but didn’t refuse.

Wen Hu was a straightforward person, and despite being in the military, he remained untainted by corruption—a man worth befriending.

“Fu Bo!”

Gao You called for Fu Bo and informed him that he was heading out. Then, he followed the soldier out and got into a carriage. The carriage quickly left the city.

After about fifteen minutes of fast travel, they arrived at the naval defense military camp.

“Gao You, hurry inside! I’ve been waiting for you!”

Wen Hu enthusiastically threw an arm around Gao You’s shoulder, completely disregarding his status as a general.

“You need something from me?”

Gao You got straight to the point. Wen Hu smiled and pulled out a painting.

“Do you recognize this?”

It was a painting Gao You had drawn years ago.

But this was clearly a forgery!

“It’s fake!”

Gao You said bluntly.

Wen Hu scratched his head awkwardly.

“I couldn’t get my hands on the real one!”

“Brother, do you remember where you saw this cloud pattern?”

“Why did you paint it here?”

Gao You thought back—this painting was from six or seven years ago. As for why he painted that particular pattern, he really couldn’t recall.

Shaking his head, he said, “No impression!”

Just as expected!

Wen Hu let out a sigh.

“What’s going on?”

Gao You frowned as he studied Wen Hu’s expression.

Wen Hu shook his head.

“Nothing, just a small matter I happened to think about!”

Though he spoke casually, Wen Hu was clearly troubled. His elder brother, Wen Long, was an officer in the Imperial Guard and had been stationed at the royal tombs five years ago.

A few days ago, Wen Long had captured a group of tomb robbers who had already dug a tunnel into the royal mausoleum. Following the tunnel, Wen Long ordered the Imperial Guards to inspect the tomb.

To his horror, they discovered that the crown prince, who had supposedly died over a decade ago, was missing. Inside his coffin were only a few rocks!

There were only two possibilities—Either the tomb had been robbed, or the crown prince had never died in the first place!

Regardless of the truth, as the general in charge of guarding the royal tombs, Wen Long would be held responsible!

Not wanting to be blamed, he suppressed the news and launched a full-scale operation to hunt down the grave robbers, hoping to recover the prince’s remains and his burial items.

As his younger brother, Wen Hu didn’t agree with hiding the truth, but he still wanted to help. By pure chance, he saw the cloud pattern in Gao You’s painting and realized that it closely resembled the custom engraving on the crown prince’s burial jade pendant. Therefore, he had summoned Gao You.

“General, the horses are ready!”

A soldier entered the room and reported respectfully. Wen Hu grinned at Gao You.

“Brother, do you like fine horses?”

Who wouldn’t like fine horses?

Of course, Gao You did!

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have spent time reading books about them. Seeing his interest, Wen Hu patted his shoulder.

“I got my hands on eight top-quality steeds!”

“Come with me and take a look!”

Gao You got up and followed Wen Hu out of the room. Before long, they arrived at a training field where eight magnificent horses were lined up.

Just by their appearance, it was clear—these were true thoroughbreds!

The modern equivalent of sports cars!

Completely different from the ordinary horses used for pulling carts!

“Brother!”

Wen Hu grinned at Gao You.

“The real reason I called you here is to ask you to paint an Eight Steeds portrait for me!”

“Let’s be cultured for once, just like the scholars!”

So he was called here for work?

Gao You’s excitement about the horses immediately waned.

Wen Hu didn’t seem to notice his reaction and continued,

“Once you finish the painting, you can pick one of these horses to take home!”

Take a horse home?

Suddenly, Gao You wasn’t tired anymore.

He immediately walked towards the horses and began carefully observing them. He spent the entire morning inspecting each one.

Only after a thorough examination did he finally step away from the steeds, satisfied. Based on his assessment, all eight of these horses were rare and exceptional. There was no clear winner in terms of superiority.

But the one that caught his eye the most was a fiery red horse—Its coat was as brilliant as flames, exuding a commanding presence!

“Do you really need to look that closely just to paint them?” Wen Hu asked in surprise.

Gao You smiled but didn’t explain.

If it were just for painting, a quick glance would have been enough with his skill. But since he was choosing one to take home, even spending an entire morning felt too short!