I tugged at Qin Shi Huang's sleeve and said, "Brother Ying, think positively. If we don't dig now, someone else will dig sooner or later. And if our own people dig it up, nothing inside will change except for being exposed to the light. But if foreigners dig it up and take it away, even if you have 100,000 troops, you won't be able to show your face. Even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. They'll have just as many dead as we do, and you'll be forced to leave your homeland and suffer beatings and humiliation everywhere you go..."
Qin Shi Huang laughed and scolded, "You're just a bunch of clay figures and fancy furniture. If you could really protect me, would I still be able to play these tricks on you?"
I slapped my thigh: "What a smart guy!" I should have said that from the beginning. Qin Shi Huang has been to the underworld; he knows his army is just for show. Of course, he wouldn't have any reservations. Instead, I've been rambling on for so long. Don't let Fatty's absent-mindedness fool you; I know he's already guessed what we're up to. If he's willing to help, this is a piece of cake.
Qin Shi Huang looked at the map I had found and frowned, saying, "What is this?" It seems he couldn't quite understand modern maps.
I then turned to Fei Sankou and asked, "Can you find a map of the Qin Dynasty's territory?"
Fei Sankou was still confused: "What do you mean? What are you for?"
I could only wave my hand, find a point on the map, and tell Qin Shi Huang, "This is Mount Li."
Qin Shi Huang shook his head and said, "It can't be connected."
I understand. On a map, two points form a line. Now, with only Mount Li as a place, it would be difficult for Qin Shi Huang to point out which place is which on a completely unfamiliar map.
I told Fei Sankou, "Now all you need to do is tell me where on this map you just discovered that tomb."
Fei Sankou said awkwardly, "I'm afraid it's not convenient to tell you right now." Then he asked, "What exactly are you doing?"
I quickly closed the map: "Hehe, no, it's just some ordinary people playing around when they're bored. Maybe they can even guess the answer."
Fei Sankou laughed and said, "Then you must tell me how you figure it out. Maybe I can use it as a reference." We all laughed.
I knew Fei Sankou was taking my words as a joke. If I told him that the unassuming fat man in front of him was Qin Shi Huang, he would definitely think I'd been pressed down with a mechanical pencil by his colleague…
It seems the newly discovered tomb is still under secret excavation, so he can't tell me. This matter has to end here. If I go too deep, I'll have to explain to him later who this fat man is. My impulsiveness gradually cooled down because a new hypothetical scenario occurred to me: what if the remaining three tombs are found but there's no remains of Qin Shi Huang himself? Are we just supposed to leave that fat man lying there?
As Fei Sankou was leaving, he held my hand and said, "By the way, I haven't properly thanked you for the Qin King's Cauldron incident yet."
I smiled and shook his hand. I could sense that this agent's motivation for doing all this stemmed from his love for the country. In the end, I couldn't help but say, "I wish you success on your mission, but if you really can't find it—" Fei Sankou suddenly stared at my eyes strangely. I felt a chill and chuckled awkwardly, "Then I'll keep looking."
Chapter 44 Supermodel
In our new house, the two girls each took one room. Although Liu Bang loudly proclaimed that he wanted a room with good lighting, he didn't come back to live there often and still shared a room with Ersha. Xiang Yu was quite fast when it came to grabbing a room, but unfortunately, Fatty Ying held him back. There was still one room upstairs left, with Wu Sangui as a competitor. Speaking of respecting the elderly, it's hard to tell whether the thirty-year-old Xiang Yu should respect the sixty-year-old Wu Sangui, or whether the old traitor of the Qing Dynasty should respect the Chu King Xiang Yu of the late Qin Dynasty. In the end, Xiang Yu showed generosity and, since he was living downstairs, simply shared a room with Qin Shi Huang.
In other words, aside from Wu Sangui's independent stay and me and Baozi sharing a room, nothing else changed. These important figures, despite having plenty of rooms, still chose their usual companions. However, I later realized that they weren't doing this to save me money on a bed; they preferred to use two rooms as a study and a game room, displaying a very bourgeois lifestyle. For example, Li Shishi could read, write, and study scripts in the former, while we could play mahjong with Liu Bang in the latter if we were in the mood. Hua Mulan and Wu Sangui could continue their theoretical discussions there.
At noon, Baozi returned, her brightly colored Chevrolet silently parked at the door. She got out of the car, clutching her keys, and walked in, exuding a genuine air of wealth and elegance. Perhaps it was because stepping out of such an expensive car, even dressed in a burlap sack, she looked like a dignified aristocrat.
Everyone looked at her with smiles and asked, "How does it feel to be the boss?"
Baozi said rather awkwardly, "It's not that great. Before, when I stood, they stood too, but now I stand and talk, and they sit and listen."
I said with a grin, "Didn't everyone praise your man for being capable?"
Baozi glared at me and said, "No. They say men become bad when they have money, so they told me to take time to keep an eye on you. I don't need to worry about the shop."
I said with a dark expression, "Fire anyone who said that! What kind of employee is so open with their boss? You must have given them a raise, right?"
As Baozi changed her shoes, she said, "It only just dawned on me today. When did you buy the house, and how long have you been keeping it from me?"
I was speechless. Shouldn't most women ask this kind of question on their wedding night, amidst the sweet romance? I really don't know when I'll be able to fully adapt to Baozi's slow-paced way of thinking.
Liu Bang said, "Let's go out and have a celebratory meal."
Baozi immediately said, "How can that be? We must cook the first meal in the new house ourselves."
It was only then that I noticed she was carrying groceries, but they were of much higher quality, all pre-packaged from the supermarket.
Liu Bang said, "Let's eat out. I can treat you."
Baozi swaggered into the kitchen, then poked his head out and said, "Nobody's allowed in. This kitchen is mine alone today."
Everyone sat in the restaurant, drinking tea and waiting. Xiang Yu tapped the table with his hand and said, "Baozi is truly a good girl—"
Normally, if someone said that, everyone would agree, but at this moment we all smiled and looked at Xiang Yu, no one saying a word. Because we knew he had ulterior motives—Baozi was his great-granddaughter from countless generations past, so we didn't want to flatter him.
Seeing that no one cheered, Xiang Yu moved his cup and muttered to himself, "Let me think, which woman could be my offspring..." We ignored him.
Xiang Yu suddenly raised his head, looked at me and said, "Xiao Qiang, I have something to say, and you might not like it. Before I met A Yu, I had two concubines, but neither of them were like a pushover!"
Everyone: "..."
I completely believe what Xiang Yu said. From any perspective, there's no reason for Xiang Yu to choose a concubine who looks like a steamed bun. This shows that genetics isn't very reliable. The only reasonable explanation is that there was a genetic mutation in the Xiang family, so although the generation with the steamed bun couldn't "uproot mountains," they did have a protective camouflage.
Li Shishi laughed and said, "Have you noticed? Baozi Jie is actually not ugly. Each of her features, while not exactly beautiful, is not bad-looking either. It's just that her face is a little round. The older folks say that's a lucky face."
Everyone nodded.
I said despairingly, "Then it seems even plastic surgery is out of the question." I suddenly realized Li Shishi was right. Baozi's eyes weren't small, her nose wasn't flat, and her eyebrows were a little too heavy, but with some work, she could still be quite attractive. In the end, I could only describe her as: perfectly proportioned features on the wrong face. However, I had no intention of having her get liposuction. If the filling is gone, all that's left is the skin; 18 folds wouldn't be enough…
Hua Mulan suddenly sighed, "Baozi is the real woman. Unlike me, no one even noticed my beauty or ugliness when I was at the peak of my youth."
Li Shishi sighed, "That's still better than just liking your face."
As Qin Shi Huang and his entourage listened to the two girls recount their pasts, reflecting on their own lives, they fell silent. It seemed none of these people were particularly happy. The fat man spent his life vying for power, even with his own father; Xiang Yu lost his empire; Bangzi's wife and family were always causing trouble; Wu Sangui left behind an infamy; and Ersha was tricked into sacrificing himself for righteousness. They each had their own troubles. As for me: all sorts of people with all sorts of troubles have now come to me, which is especially annoying.
I chuckled dryly and said, "You're all people with stories to tell, huh?"
Just then, Baozi's first dish arrived, and he casually asked, "Does anyone have a story?"
Wu Sangui suddenly said, "Xiaoqiang, how long do you plan to keep our identities a secret?"
Baozi asked curiously, "What are your identities?"