Hsieh Hyun-chen raised his head and looked at her with a very strange expression. After Mu Mingtang reacted, he quickly waved his hand: "Don't misunderstand, I haven't used it before. I just learned it in case I need it. Anyway, there's nothing to do right now, so don't get your hopes up. I'll just give it a try. "
In reality, Hsieh Hyun-chen didn't really believe it. How could it be so easy to open the shackles of the imperial court's prison? However, Hsieh Hyun-chen wasn't very good at dealing with women. In the past, he couldn't handle his mother. Now that Mu Mingtang had spoken, he didn't want to refuse.
Hsieh Hyun-chen stretched out his right hand and let Mu Mingtang do as he pleased. Mu Mingtang saw that his hand stopped in midair. The heavy handcuffs were supported by his single arm. Mu Mingtang felt tired just by looking at him and said: "Your Highness, how about you put it on the bed? I'll just sit on the footstool and open it."
"It's fine." Hsieh Hyun-chen didn't care, "Just do what you need to do."
His temper was really stubborn. Mu Mingtang didn't say anything and nodded: "Alright."
Mu Mingtang fiddled with the handcuffs. Hsieh Hyun-chen didn't even bother to look and said: "How can the imperial court's lock be so easy to open? I have to pay more attention to this one. It's completely made of black iron and the lock core is specially made. There are only two keys in the world and it can't be copied. You also have to use both keys to open it. It's fine for ordinary thieves to pick a commoner's lock, but how can the imperial court's lock be opened? They've never seen this kind of lock before, so they don't know … … "
At this time, there was a faint 'kacha' sound. Mu Mingtang quickly held the handcuffs and said: "I'll open it."
Hsieh Hyun-chen's voice didn't fade away. Although he dreamed of breaking these shackles, he was the son of a high-ranking official. He had been exposed to a lot of things since he was young and had an inexplicable trust in the imperial court. It was fine for thieves to open ordinary people's locks, but how could they open the imperial court's lock?
By the time Mu Mingtang had finished speaking, Hsieh Hyun-chen had yet to react. It was very difficult for Mu Mingtang to hold the iron handcuffs by herself. Hsieh Hyun-chen was so shocked that he didn't react in time to help her.
Mu Mingtang slowly placed the metal hoop on the bed. Hsieh Hyun-chen felt his hand lighten. He looked down at his wrist, still in disbelief.
"You …"
Mu Mingtang smiled very modestly. "I'm actually not very good at it. I'm just giving it a try. I didn't expect to be able to test it. "
In consideration of Hsieh Hyun-chen's sensitive feelings, Mu Mingtang deliberately spoke in a very modest manner. Actually, the experts were among the people, especially those who were skilled in craftsmanship. They were all mixed up in the marketplace.
The old thief who taught her how to pick locks was just like that. After the fall of Xiangyang City, everyone had no way to survive and could only flee to the north. That old thief was originally unwilling to teach her, but halfway through, he was afraid that he wouldn't be able to survive and that his family's craftsmanship would be lost. Thus, he reluctantly taught Mu Mingtang.
In the words of that old thief, "I don't expect you to bring glory to this old thief. In the future, don't say that you're my successor. I'm afraid that my craftsmanship will be lost, so I taught it to you, an outsider. Stealing is immoral, but craftsmanship is innocent. Whether or not you use it in the future is none of my business. "
She didn't expect that Mu Mingtang would use it in this place. It was also a miracle.
Hsieh Hyun-chen stared at her for a long time without blinking. He suddenly stretched out his hand and said, "Give it to me."
"What?"
"Your lock picking tool."
Mu Mingtang hurriedly handed over the thin gold wire in her hand. Hsieh Hyun-chen held it in his hand and looked at it left and right. Mu Mingtang saw that he was looking at it carefully and proudly said, "It's made of pure gold. I specially twisted it from jewelry."
Was this a problem with the gold? Hsieh Hyun-chen suspiciously glanced at Mu Mingtang. He put the handcuffs back on and used the thin gold wire to test the keyhole.
"How do you open it?"
"It's very simple. Look inside and feel the position of the marbles. Fiddle with the harder ones until the effective ones are flattened."
Hsieh Hyun-chen fiddled with it for a long time, but nothing happened. He was simply confused and asked, "There are several marbles inside. Which one do you want to fiddle with?"
"The harder ones. The ones with more strength."
More strength? What kind of description was that? Hsieh Hyun-chen tested it for a long time, but he still felt that all the marbles were the same. If Hsieh Hyun-chen hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he would have suspected that Mu Mingtang was playing with him. Hsieh Hyun-chen tried for a long time again, but all of them were failures. He handed the gold wire to Mu Mingtang and stared at her. "Try again."
"Oh." Mu Mingtang responded and was about to move the iron ring on the bed. Hsieh Hyun-chen suddenly stopped her and stretched out his other hand. "Try this."
Mu Mingtang didn't have any objections. The two lock cores were indeed different. The internal structure was very complicated. Mu Mingtang slowly fiddled with the marbles and calculated the positions of several marbles. Finally, she didn't know where she touched, but there was a slight click again.
This time, without Mu Mingtang saying anything, Hsieh Hyun-chen also felt that the lock was unlocked. He personally pried open the black iron ring and was momentarily speechless.
Hsieh Hyun-chen didn't say anything, and Mu Mingtang didn't dare to say anything either. After a while, she explained in a low voice, "It's really my first time unlocking someone's lock. I've never tried it before."
Mu Mingtang's original intention was to explain, but when Hsieh Hyun-chen heard this, he felt even more complicated. He sighed and suddenly asked, "What kind of business did your family use to do?"
"Antiques. Vases, porcelain, calligraphy, and paintings. We made a few of them. "
"Then how do you know how to unlock?"
"I learned it from a thief on the road."
She learned it on the road, not from someone who taught her from a young age. Hsieh Hyun-chen sighed and completely gave up on arguing with Mu Mingtang.
"Alright, just follow your instincts and unlock the other two as well."
After Mu Mingtang unlocked the door, she stood at the foot of the bed and looked at Hsieh Hyun-chen. Suddenly, she didn't dare to say anything. The two of them were silent for a long time. In the end, Mu Mingtang whispered, "Your Highness, the lock is unlocked. Do you want to get up and walk around?"
Even when he was in a coma, he couldn't forget this pair of chains. But at this moment, Hsieh Hyun-chen suddenly didn't dare to move. Mu Mingtang stood to the side and quietly watched. After a while, she smiled and said, "I was too careless. Your Highness has been ill for a long time and should slowly rest. How can you be anxious? I don't understand medicine, so I was just speaking nonsense. Your Highness, please don't take it to heart. "
Before Mu Mingtang could finish speaking, she suddenly saw Hsieh Hyun-chen supporting himself on the bed and was about to stand up. Mu Mingtang was shocked and hurriedly went to help him, but Hsieh Hyun-chen pushed her away, "No need."
Hsieh Hyun-chen had just woken up not long ago. Just standing up took all of his energy. But he insisted on not letting Mu Mingtang help him. He sat on the bed for a long time and tried several times before he finally managed to leave the bed.
As soon as he steadied himself, his body began to sway. Mu Mingtang hurriedly went forward to support him. With her support, Hsieh Hyun-chen only managed to take two steps forward before he was too weak to move. Mu Mingtang hurriedly helped him back and covered him with a blanket, "Your Highness, it's okay. Take your time."
Hsieh Hyun-chen had been in a coma for too long. Even if his four limbs were fine, he was still weak after taking two steps. Mu Mingtang fetched some water and carefully fed him, "Your Highness has just woken up and is too weak. That's why you don't have any strength. You'll be fine after you rest for a while. In any case, the chains have already been removed. We have plenty of time in the future. "
Hsieh Hyun-chen's face was indifferent. The color of his lips was so pale that it was almost non-existent, "I can't even take two steps right now. I'm no different from a cripple. What difference does it make whether the chains are removed or not?"
"How is there no difference?" Mu Mingtang slowly sat down on the bed. Her long skirt spread out on the ground. The color was bright, just like a begonia.
"You've just woken up and are too weak. You'll definitely get better in the future." As she spoke, she deliberately smiled, "If you ask me, even if Your Highness is weak right now, you're already stronger than most people. I can't even carry such heavy chains with both hands. You can lift them with just a lift of your hand. "
This kind of consolation was too clumsy. Hsieh Hyun-chen casually tugged at the corner of his mouth, saying, "Things don't work that way. Using the standards of a normal person, my current body is still okay. But compared to how I was in the past, it's a far cry. "
Mu Mingtang actually understood this principle. A tiger and a rabbit were not evaluated on the same standards from the beginning. Hsieh Hyun-chen was once famous. The name of the God of War was passed down by word of mouth. Everyone was passionate about evaluating geniuses. Now that a genius had suddenly fallen, the harshness of public opinion was far worse than that of a normal person who had never been famous before.
Especially Hsieh Hyun-chen himself. He knew best what he was like in the past. Now that he was so weak that he even needed someone to help him walk, it was hard for him to accept. Mu Mingtang was speechless. Anything he said now would seem weak. Mu Mingtang stood up and took the cup of water away. He covered Hsieh Hyun-chen with a blanket again, saying, "I've never believed that people's fates are predetermined by the heavens. If you ask me, a person with ability will be able to live well no matter where they are. It's not a coincidence that a genius could surpass so many people when he was young. When he grows up, as long as he wants to, he will still be a genius. "
Hsieh Hyun-chen did not reply. He looked extremely tired and had already closed his eyes. Mu Mingtang did not leave. He stood guard for a while. After seeing that Hsieh Hyun-chen was sleeping soundly, he quietly tucked Hsieh Hyun-chen in.
Hsieh Hyun-chen seemed to be in a deep sleep. He did not respond at all. Mu Mingtang felt that Hsieh Hyun-chen's attitude towards life and death was very contradictory. When he was unconscious, he noticed that there was something wrong with the porridge. He would rather starve to death than eat the porridge. But when he woke up, it was as if he was certain that he would die.
He heard that his mother had been killed by the Emperor Gong of Jin. His father had also died mysteriously. His trusted aide and adjutant were suspected to have been killed by him. A dignified general had turned his blade on his former comrade. Hsieh Hyun-chen must have felt a deep sense of guilt towards himself. So his instinct was to struggle for survival, but his rationality could not accept this.
Mu Mingtang looked at this familiar yet unfamiliar face. He couldn't help but say softly, "Only by deterring strong enemies from the outside and suppressing vassals from the inside can you live up to your title of Wu An. Right now, there are Rong enemies in the North, Tibet in the West, Dali in the South, and even further away, there are the Uighurs and Western Xia. Strong enemies surround us. After the Sixteen Prefectures of the Serene Cloud were cut off, they are still foreign territory. Although the current Emperor is open to speech, he emphasizes literature and restrains military force. He is content with only a small area. The people outside the capital are still living in a precarious situation. Ye Dynasty needs you. The world needs you. "
Hsieh Hyun-chen's eyelashes were quietly closed. He did not respond. It was as if he had fallen into a deep sleep. Mu Mingtang paused for a moment. He said even more softly, "I also need you. I have offended Jiang Mingwei. If I am alone, she will not let me go. It is rare for me to be able to hold my head high like this. If I fall from grace later on, how embarrassing would that be? "
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