Chapter 45

In the sealed chamber, the dim light of the luminous pearl illuminated the gold and silver wares, allowing a clear view. The shining Imperial Jade Seal was supposed to be a treasure that even the nobles coveted, but now it was no different from a stone. The man and woman imprisoned here had casually thrown it aside.

Zhong Li Jiujiu extinguished the torch and squatted on the ground. She used the luminous pearl to examine the floor inch by inch, then moved the gold and silver wares away to examine the walls.

Xu Buling found a corpse in the corner of the stone chamber. It had already turned into bones, but the accessories on the clothes had not completely weathered. It should have been dead for only a few decades.

Xu Buling examined it carefully and found a token that only the palace servants would carry among the bones. He picked it up and wiped the dust off. It was made of white jade, proving that it was of a high position. From the bones, it was a man, probably a eunuch.

Xu Buling had lived in Chang 'an for a long time and knew what the jade token of a eunuch was like. It was slightly different from the one in his hand. Dai Yue inherited the Qi system. There were not many changes in official positions and laws. This eunuch was probably an important person in the Qi palace, at least a supervisor.

It had been more than 60 years since the world changed hands. In Xu Buling's memory, at the end of the Three Kingdoms War, Qi was powerless. A part of the royal family fled north with their officials. The royal family was unwilling to accept the humiliation of the country's destruction and led their loyal soldiers to defend Chang 'an. Naturally, they did not manage to defend it in the end.

The last emperor was obviously an incapable and mediocre ruler. The last emperor of Qi was the same. He was tied up by his officials and refused to retreat from Chang 'an. After the city was breached, he was able to break out with his personal guards and escape to the Mobei Desert.

At that time, Xu Lie chased with his troops and captured the Qi emperor alive. The long lance 'Water Dragon' was seized at that time. He then brought the Qi emperor back to Chang 'an and knelt in front of the Taiji Palace in front of Dai Yue, Emperor Xiaozong. From then on, Dai Yue officially established the country. The Qi emperor's whereabouts were unknown. In unofficial history, he was given poisoned wine. In official history, he died of old age while guarding the imperial mausoleum. As for the details, even Xu Lie did not know.

To abdicate and hand over the throne, other than the imperial edict announced to the world by the Qi Emperor, an even more important token was the Imperial Jade Seal, which represented the divine authority of the monarch.

Since ancient times, all the emperors of the Central Plains had held the Imperial Jade Seal to command the four directions, claiming to be the ruler of the world. Although not having the Imperial Jade Seal would not affect their actual power, the people of the world would think that 'not having the Imperial Jade Seal means that your authority as a monarch is not approved by the Heavens'. In other words, if you do not have the Imperial Jade Seal, it means that your authority as a monarch is not approved by the Heavens'. For example, the Su King, Xu You, had the ability to fight for the throne. Moreover, he had the imperial seal while you didn't. What kind of emperor were you? If one hand, he had the jade seal, he would be.

However, Song Ji obviously had the Imperial Jade Seal. Although Xu Buling had never been to the court, he had seen it several times during important ceremonies. It was held in the hands of the eunuch and looked exactly the same as the one on the platform.

If the one in Song Ji's hands was fake, Northern Qi had not mentioned it for over 60 years. It meant that Northern Qi did not know about it.

Xu Buling frowned and thought for a while. He could only come up with a reasonable reason: Chang 'an had fallen. The Qi emperor had no intention of dying for his country. The loyal internal official was afraid that the imperial throne would fall into the hands of the Song clan. So he took the Imperial Jade Seal and wanted to go to Mobei. The Song clan found out and sealed the border. The internal official fled to Youzhou but had nowhere to go. He had no choice but to run to Bodhi Island. This underground fortress left from ancient times was where Zuo Zhe lived in seclusion. Zuo Zhe was the greatest contributor to the founding of the Qi Kingdom. Later, he returned to the court. It was possible that the internal official knew about it …

After sorting out his thoughts, Xu Buling threw away the jade pendant. He looked at the closed stone chamber and sighed softly.

Even if these speculations were true, it was useless. If he could not get out, he would have to sleep with this loyal old eunuch. This old eunuch was vicious. He had placed the jade on the mechanism. It would be sealed if anyone touched it. He had no intention of letting anyone take it away …

Zhong Li Jiujiu searched the stone chamber for a long time. The stone chamber was not big. There were only a few places to set the mechanism apart from the stone platform. Finally, she found a stone bar with a gap on the waistline of the wall. It could be moved.

"Xu Buling, come here quickly."

Zhong Li Jiujiu examined it carefully and waved her hand. "There are no arrow holes in the room. This must be used to open the door."

Xu Buling was delighted. He walked to the front. He did not dare to move it directly for fear of damaging the switch. He asked,

"What should I do?"

Zhong Li Jiujiu squatted on the ground and leaned against the stone wall. She blew a match and carefully observed the gap.

"Turn it. Don't use too much force."

Xu Buling nodded. He held the stone bar on the stone wall and turned it slightly. It was fixed, so he turned it in another direction.

Crack —

The sound of stones rubbing against each other came from behind the stone wall. It seemed that something had moved.

Zhong Li Jiujiu looked in the direction of the exit. The stone did not move. She ran to the other side, but it still did not move. She was stunned.

"Why is there no reaction? There is only one mechanism in the room. It is impossible … Is it broken? "

Xu Buling frowned. "There is a swallow's head carved on the mechanism. It points to one side, which is obviously the direction to open the door. It has been hundreds of years. It is possible that it is broken." As he spoke, he turned it a few more times, but there was still no reaction.

Zhong Li Jiujiu walked back to the stone chamber in a daze. She looked around, trying to think of another way. But the stone chamber was so big that she could see everything clearly. How could she find it?

"Xu Buling, we … we won't die here, will we?"

Xu Buring's expression was calm. After circling around a few times to no avail, he stopped and looked around.

"Li Hansheng and the others are also locked outside. They have no way to go. If the wall is not thick, they will probably break it. If there are more people, there is still a chance. "

Zhongli Jiujiu's eyes lit up. The enemy that she was trying to avoid just now had become her savior. She quickly ran to the stone wall that she had entered from and listened carefully.

Ding —

Ding —

Ding —

The iron spear stabbed the stone wall, making a clear sound.

Zhong Li Jiujiu was happy. She quickly wanted to find iron tools to dig the stone wall. If they worked together, there should be a chance to get out.

But Xu Buling raised his hand to stop Zhong Li Jiujiu. He listened carefully and shook his head.

"The stone wall is very thick. There will be a time when human strength is exhausted. Six men who have been fighting for a long time, using iron spears to dig a hole in the thick stone wall for people to crawl through. It is impossible. Even if they dig it, they will still die. They can't get out. If you remind them now, they will know that we are also trapped. Even if we dig it out, we will still die. They will probably stop on the spot and not waste their energy. "

Hearing this, Zhong Li Jiujiu's face darkened. She touched the stone wall.

"Then what should we do?"

Xu Buling rubbed his forehead and thought for a while.

"Let them dig first. Nightingale will wait outside. When she realizes that I haven't returned, she will come to look for me. There are traces of fighting outside. She will soon find the tunnel. Zhu Liu is also coming with people from Eagle Slaying Tower. According to the time, they will be here soon. When dozens of people dig together, it will be faster. "

Zhong Li Jiujiu pursed her lips. The panic in her eyes did not disappear. She pinched Xu Buling's sleeve.

"There are more than 20 stone walls in the tunnel. I don't know how thick they are. When we find them and dig them out, it will be too late …"

At this time, panic would only ruin things. Xu Buling put on a calm look and chuckled.

"I am Prince Su. If there is no other way, Nightingale can go to Leting County to find the County Magistrate. He can mobilize hundreds of people to dig here. It will only take a few days if they work day and night. No one will starve. First, find a place with ventilation. Don't suffocate. "

Hearing this, Zhong Li Jiujiu smiled reluctantly.

"This is a hiding place. There must be an air vent. But there are only a few small holes. We can't get out."

"That's fine. People can live for three days without food and water. We have a water bag with us. We can live for four or five days …"

Speaking of this, Xu Buling patted his forehead. He was a little annoyed.

"There is an underground river outside. Those bastards can probably live for half a month. Did you put any drugs in the water?"

Hearing this, Zhong Li Jiujiu's panic and fear gradually disappeared. Maybe it was because of Xu Buling's emotion. She bit her lower lip.

"I forgot … I should have put some aphrodisiac … Six men, huh …"

"…"

Xu Buling shook his head and laughed. He walked back to the stone room and sat down against the wall. He patted the place beside him. "Come and sit down. Calm down and empty your mind. I'm afraid the next few days will be hard."

Zhong Li Jiujiu sighed and sat down in front of Xu Buling. She looked at the gold and silver equipment on the ground and listened to Xu Buling's words. She closed her eyes and even slowed down her breathing. She waited quietly …