I traveled back to the Qin Dynasty, and the First Emperor begged me to become his empress.

Chapter 392 Maodun is "Dead"

In the blink of an eye, the devastating news of the death of Modu, son of Touman Chanyu of the Xiongnu, swept across the vast grasslands like a whirlwind. This news was like a bolt from the blue, leaving countless people stunned and speechless.

People could not believe that their highly regarded heir to the Xiongnu had left them so suddenly. News of his death spread like wildfire, shocking and incredulous both the Xiongnu themselves and other tribes.

For many other tribes, Modu's death meant the future of the Xiongnu became uncertain. After all, he was the Xiongnu's only heir! His departure has led to concerns that the Xiongnu might decline as a result.

On this vast grassland, the relationships between various tribes are complex, involving both competition and cooperation. As a powerful force on the grassland, the stability of the Xiongnu directly affects the overall situation of the grassland.

The death of Modu undoubtedly dealt a huge blow to the Xiongnu. This tribe, once regarded as the overlord of the steppe, had now lost its core leader. This led other tribes to speculate whether the Xiongnu could maintain its original powerful position or gradually weaken in this upheaval.

However, at that very moment, Maodun, who was rushing to Loufan, was completely unaware of his "death." He was extremely anxious and rode his horse at full speed towards his destination.

Throughout the journey, Maodun had only one thought in his mind: to reach Loufan as quickly as possible. He was completely unaware that a sudden change was about to occur.

As Modu Chanyu drew ever closer to Loufan and was about to enter their territory, Touman Chanyu of the Xiongnu was holding a grand funeral for him!

In Xiongnu tradition, the death of a young son was usually not celebrated with a funeral, as it was considered extremely unlucky. However, Touman Chanyu defied this custom, holding such a grand funeral for Modu, which is truly perplexing. But Touman Chanyu insisted on doing so. At the funeral, many outwardly expressed grief, but inwardly harbored their own schemes. Some tribal leaders saw this as a good opportunity to weaken the Xiongnu and began secretly conspiring, preparing to strike when the time was right.

When Maodun entered Loufan, he was stopped by the Loufan guards. These guards looked at Maodun warily, their weapons gripped tightly, as if they would attack immediately if Maodun made the slightest move.

When Maodun revealed that he was Maodun, the son of Touman Chanyu of the Xiongnu, the tense atmosphere suddenly turned somewhat comical. The guards were taken aback at first, and then burst into laughter as if they had heard the funniest joke in the world.

One of the guards laughed and said, "Did you hear that? He actually said he was Maodun, the son of Touman Chanyu?" His voice was full of disbelief and sarcasm.

The other guard laughed even harder, clutching his stomach, almost choking with laughter, and said, "Is this guy crazy? Everyone knows that Maodun, the son of Touman Chanyu of the Xiongnu, was eaten by wolves a few days ago, and his body was never found. For someone to impersonate Maodun at this time is truly insane."

Upon hearing the other's words, Maodun's mouth gaped open in shock; he simply couldn't believe what he was hearing. How could he be "dead"? And eaten by a pack of wolves no less? What on earth had happened?

However, just as Maodun was in shock, his previously chaotic thoughts suddenly became clear. He knew that this was no accident and that a carefully planned conspiracy must be hidden behind it.

First, assassins were sent to hunt him down, clearly intending to kill him. But when the hunt failed, these people didn't give up. Instead, they devised an even more insidious plan—to create the illusion that he was dead. In this way, he would completely disappear from the world, and no one would be able to uncover the lie.

As long as he doesn't return to the Xiongnu, the conspiracy will remain undiscovered, and he will be as good as dead, even if he lives. But if he risks returning, he will likely be ambushed and killed along the way. Worse still, news of his death could very well trigger chaos within the Xiongnu. Many tribes would certainly covet his father's position as Chanyu, and it might even spark a fierce power struggle, plunging the Xiongnu into turmoil first.

Furthermore, the Yuezhi factor must be considered. He was originally heading to the Yuezhi, but died mysteriously on their border. His father, upon learning of this, would undoubtedly be enraged and launch an attack on the Yuezhi. So, who would ultimately benefit from this war?

After careful consideration, Maodun turned his suspicions to the Donghu. In his view, this matter seemed to be most advantageous to the Donghu. However, based on the current clues, he could not yet definitively conclude that the Donghu were the mastermind.

However, despite all the clues clearly pointing to Donghu as the mastermind, Maodun still felt that something was amiss. It was as if a thin thorn was deeply embedded in his heart, making him feel vaguely uneasy, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what the problem was.

Maodun struggled to clear his mind of these chaotic thoughts, for the most pressing issue was how to deal with the situation. Should he immediately return to expose the lies of those with ulterior motives? Or should he seek another way? After careful consideration, Maodun realized that returning directly was probably not a wise move. First, he would likely fall into a trap set by those with malicious intent; second, he only had two followers with him, and if they were pursued again, they would have almost no chance of winning.

But if he didn't return, who would believe he was the real Maodun? This undoubtedly put Maodun in a difficult predicament. To make matters worse, he was already in Loufan territory, and it would take several days to turn back. During those days, those who were targeting him would certainly not sit idly by; they might be plotting an even bigger conspiracy, waiting for him to walk right into their trap.

Faced with such a precarious situation, Maodun knew he had no other choice but to try to convince the Loufan king of his true identity and persuade him to lend a helping hand. Perhaps only in this way could he find a glimmer of hope in this desperate predicament.

Maodun composed himself and said to the guards, "I have something to prove my identity." With that, he pulled a jade pendant from his robes. This pendant was specially made for the Xiongnu royal family and was unique. Upon seeing the pendant, the guards' smiles froze instantly, and they dared not underestimate Maodun any longer. They hurriedly reported the matter to the Loufan King.

Upon hearing this, the Loufan king summoned Maodun with some skepticism. Maodun recounted his ordeal to the Loufan king in detail, including being hunted down and faking his death. The Loufan king stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and said, "This matter is of great importance. If what you say is true, I will help you. But I need to send someone to the Xiongnu to verify it."

Maodun waited anxiously, as time slowly slipped away like sand in an hourglass. Each passing day weighed heavily on his anxiety and unease. Yet, the Loufan king's summons never came, as if he had been forgotten.