After being reborn as a man, the woman improved her family's fortunes through education.

Chapter 679 House Arrest

Ouyang Jue didn't understand why those who came with him could move around freely, and even join the treasure-hunting team in this military camp.

He, however, was confined to the camp and his movements were restricted.

He was clearly the first person to get the right to stay in the tent. Was he any more useful than those roughnecks?

Ouyang Jue spent over a month in the mountain camp in a state of utter confusion and bewilderment.

They ate coarse grains and wild vegetable pancakes every day, which made their faces sallow.

Ouyang Jue hadn't bathed for a month, and he felt like he was about to ferment.

These days made him feel like he was under house arrest.

After all, he can't go everywhere within the camp. He knows there's a river nearby; he could even go for a dip in it.

She no longer asks for hot water in the bathtub; taking a cold shower is Ouyang Jue's biggest wish right now.

When people are in dire straits, they can indeed repeatedly lower their bottom line and their demands for quality of life, from just being alive to just being able to eat their fill to just being able to take a bath.

While the demands may seem to be increasing, for a scion of a wealthy family like Ouyang Jue, who is accustomed to a life of luxury, these are actually quite modest.

"It's time to eat, it's time to eat!"

The gong sounded outside the tent, but Ouyang Jue only raised his eyelids slightly. He didn't need to collect his own food; someone would bring it to him.

This wasn't any preferential treatment; it was just that the camp's leader didn't want him to move around too much.

Even his eating, drinking, relieving himself, and sleeping were all done in a small tent. The owner of the camp did not require him to do anything, nor did he allow him to leave, as if all he needed to do was to live.

Therefore, it can be inferred that his being alive is valuable to the other party.

Could it be that the other party knows he is a member of the Ouyang family and wants to use him to threaten the family into taking sides?

Ouyang Jue thought of many things: the princes' struggle for power and the fight for the throne.

But which prince is the owner of this camp?

Ouyang Jue was also educated by a prominent family scholar, so he was naturally not stupid. He figured out the key point after a little thought.

I've lived in a daze for so long, just without thinking too deeply about it, too lazy to use my brain.

Now that I've calmed down, it didn't take long to deduce the ownership of this private army camp.

After all, besides members of the royal family, who else is qualified to compete for that position?

Ugh, how did I get caught up in such bad luck? I should have known better than to come here. I've suffered so much and gained nothing.

I wonder if the Fifth Prince will send someone to look for us since he hasn't heard from our group for so long. And my parents must be worried sick.

Ouyang Jue belatedly reflected on his impulsive actions, but when he thought of the Fifth Prince, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine for some reason.

That was when cold sweat suddenly broke out.

He suddenly thought of an even more terrifying possibility: could this treasure be a scam from beginning to end?

The purpose was to bring this member of the Ouyang family to the south, where he would be captured by the private soldiers in this camp!

Then, he used himself as a bargaining chip to threaten the Ouyang family into working for him and fighting for the throne!

The Fifth Prince is also a prince!

As a prince, how could he not have ambition?!

However, this treasure map came from the Tong family, which is the maternal family of the Fourth Prince. Could it be that the Fourth Prince and the Fifth Prince have actually stood together and formed an alliance?

No, no, why would the Fourth Prince form an alliance with the Fifth Prince, who on the surface has no power?

The Tong family clearly has a powerful background and is the Fourth Prince's greatest asset.

Besides, there's only one spot. If they really win, will the spot go to the Fourth Prince or the Fifth Prince?

Or will the two cooperate to eliminate other competitors first, and then fight it out in the end?

No, no, this is still wrong. This is far too risky. The previous investment may be wasted. Neither of them are stupid. Who would do something so foolish?

But if there is no alliance, what about the treasure map that the Tong family offered as a prize?

"Ah~"

Ouyang Jue huddled in the low tent, sighing repeatedly. He thought he could uncover the truth by following a line of reasoning, but the more he thought about it, the more confused he became.

What's wrong?

"time to eat!"

A bowl of coarse grain cakes, whose exact color was indiscernible, was tossed in. Ouyang Jue was momentarily unsure whether to marvel at the sturdiness of the earthenware bowl or the hardness of the cakes.

Although I know these coarse grain cakes are very dry, I'll starve to death if I don't eat them.

Ouyang Jue took a bite of the wild vegetable and coarse grain pancake, and his mind seemed to clear up.

Who says treasure maps are always fake?

If it's fake, why keep sending people out to look for it?

To make a show of it all would be too much of a fuss.

Those people were chosen because they possessed the abilities of tomb raiders, weren't they?

So the treasure is real, the treasure map is real, and the fifth prince's desire for the treasure is also real.

Was falling into the hands of these people merely an incident or a coincidence?!

It's quite possible that even the Fifth Prince himself didn't know that the treasure was right under his nose.

For some reason, even though he knew the treasure map was probably real, Ouyang Jue still felt that this private army belonged to the Fifth Prince.

He had no specific evidence to support his claim.

Maybe it's just... intuition?

It takes a lot of water to really get the dry, coarse grain and vegetable pancakes down your throat.

Just as Ouyang Jue was lost in thought, a commotion came from outside the tent.

He pricked up his ears to listen carefully; it seemed that someone was arguing.

"That picture is definitely real, but someone may have gotten there first."

"First come, first served? Could it be that the Tong family dug up the treasure and left behind some junk to fool people?"

"Who knows? Anyway, it's definitely there according to the location. So how can we be blamed for the treasure being gone?"

"Who knows if the owner of this camp is reasonable? If he's not, can we still keep our heads on our necks?"

Is that the voice of those tomb raiders? Have they found a treasure?

It just doesn't sound like there will be much to gain. Would the Tong family really play such a big joke?

Ouyang Jue felt that this was not something the Tong family would do. It was very likely that something unexpected happened along the way, and the treasure was found by a lucky person who did not even have a treasure map.

Moreover, how can we ensure that there is only one entrance to this treasure? According to those people, they dug for a full twenty or thirty miles before finding it.

The area is twenty or thirty miles long, and the treasure might already be located outside the boundaries of this mountain forest.

This forest is just one of the entrances to the treasure; there are simply more direct routes they haven't found.

Hmph, it has nothing to do with me now. I've already handed over the treasure map, and they didn't take me with them on the subsequent treasure hunt, so it has nothing to do with me.

He, Ouyang Jue, is nothing more than a pitiful person under house arrest and deprived of his freedom.

Ouyang Jue's only worry now is whether the Fifth Prince has already come to their Ouyang family. This struggle for the throne is no joke!

The Fifth Prince had repeatedly tried to get Ouyang Jue to be his matchmaker for Ouyang Yan, but Ouyang Jue always outwardly complied while secretly going against his wishes.

Just kidding, the Empress Dowager has explicitly forbidden women from the Ouyang family from entering the royal family, who would dare to disobey?

Anyone with a screw loose would try to play matchmaker for them, especially since Ouyang Yan clearly already has someone she likes...