Wu Zhu had entered the palace for the last time five days ago. He had confirmed that the key was hidden somewhere in Hanguang Palace, so Fan Xian had searched there first. Perhaps it had been peaceful for too long, but Hanguang Palace, where the empress dowager lived, was quiet and peaceful. The serving girls on night watch had all fallen asleep, and the eunuchs responsible for watching the incense burner were also drowsy.
A faint fragrance wafted by. Both the eunuchs and the serving girls fell into a deep sleep.
In the dim light, Fan Xian followed a relatively dark corner and slid into the bedroom. His eyes looked at the strangely luxurious bed in the distance and furrowed his brows slightly. The old woman covered by a thin silk blanket was the empress dowager?
He didn't have time to sigh too much, nor would he express his senseless fantasies about how history could be changed in his hands. He only calmly walked forward and walked to the side of the bed. He didn't even glance at the woman on the bed, who was probably the most powerful woman in the world.
Calmness was the most important quality that Wu Zhu and Fei Jie had taught Fan Xian.
There was no ace hidden in the palace that Fan Xian had anticipated. In his previous plans, he had always thought that the palace would be like what Gu Long had written. Beside the Emperor and empress dowager, there would always be hidden killers who would never see the light of day.
He didn't look around Hanguang Palace to see where the treasure could be hidden. Instead, he slid directly under the empress dowager's bed and closed his eyes. His palms began to caress the wooden boards under the bed. The wood was excellent, but his actions were a bit strange.
Not long after, he opened his eyes in the darkness under the bed. His pupils were clear, and a trace of absurd joy flashed through them.
In Danzhou, he had hidden the nameless martial secret in a secret compartment under the bed. In The Deer and the Cauldron, Mao Dongzhu had also hidden the Forty-two-chapter Sutra in a secret compartment under the bed. The empress dowager of the Kingdom of Qing also had a secret compartment under her bed.
Sometimes, the human imagination was very poor.
The dagger pressed lightly and slid in from the side. The blade cut through the wood noiselessly, but the empress dowager turned over on the bed. The old woman mumbled something. Fan Xian's face was expressionless. It was as if he hadn't heard anything. He continued to work steadily. In a short while, he had taken down the secret compartment. He didn't dare to reach out and flip through it, but his night vision was very strong, so he easily and luckily saw what it was.
There were no jewels or banknotes in the secret compartment, only a piece of white cloth, a letter, and … a key.
Fan Xian looked at the shape of the key and furrowed his brows slightly. A strange expression appeared on his face. He didn't take out the white cloth or the letter. He just put the key in his pocket and slid it out.
A moment later, he reappeared beneath the palace walls.
— —
Climbing into the carriage, Fan Xian looked at Wang Qinian and quietly said, "What I need is speed."
"Yes." Wang Qinian did not know what his mission was today. He only knew that he had to pick up his master at this street corner and then meet the person he had invited back.
"I don't want anyone to know that I'm in this carriage."
"Don't worry, Sir. This is a car borrowed from the Bureau of Military Affairs. No one will dare to stop it, and no one will know."
"Very good." Fan Xian's mind relaxed a little. He leaned back in his seat and frowned. First, he had faked his drunkenness, and then he had to sneak into the palace at night. It had taken a lot out of him.
The carriage arrived at a courtyard that Fan Xian was completely unfamiliar with. The two of them quietly got out of the carriage, put on their masks again, and went straight to a secret underground room. Wang Qinian said in a muffled voice, "Sir, this is a locksmith."
In front of the two of them, on a small wooden table were many metal tools that neither of them could recognize. They glowed faintly under the light. The owner of the tools was a middle-aged man who looked somewhat honest and slow. His face was a sheet of iron, but he had a simple and honest smile on his face.
Locksmith was a profession, and it was also a form of address. But this middle-aged man was not called a locksmith because of his appearance. His name was a locksmith, and from this, one could see the extent of his skill.
Fan Xian nodded and said to Wang Qinian, "Wait outside."
Wang Qinian bowed his head and left the secret room. He knew that there were some things that he would never know, and that was the safest.
"This matter concerns the interests of the country. As a member of the Bureau of Military Affairs, I ask that you do something for the country," Fan Xian said calmly through his mask.
The locksmith's heart trembled. He thought of the foreign envoys that had recently come to the capital, and he suddenly thought he had guessed something. He quickly bowed, unsure of what he had to do.
"Be fast and accurate." Fan Xian took the key from his belt. "It has to be exactly the same."
The locksmith took it and looked at it carefully. He frowned. "There is no lock like this in the world."
"I don't care. I just want you to make a copy of this key. Can you do it or not? "
"It's very difficult. This key is too complicated. Even if the shape is exactly the same and no one can detect it, I can't guarantee that the copied key will be able to open the corresponding lock. "
"Very well, let's begin." Fan Xian was pleasantly surprised by the reply, but his voice was still cold.
The locksmith nervously copied the key, and from time to time came the sound of grinding iron. Fan Xian also nervously looked at the door of the secret room. He didn't know how long Wu Zhu could stall Eunuch Hong. Eunuch Hong lived too close to Hanguang Palace. If Eunuch Hong returned to the palace, it would be difficult for Fan Xian to put the copied key back.
Finally, the locksmith finished his work, sweating profusely. He handed the key to Fan Xian. Fan Xian compared the two keys and found that the copied key was exactly the same. Even the rust on it was almost identical. He finally relaxed a little. He smiled and asked, "What did you do before?"
His face was covered with a black cloth, so his smile looked a bit strange.
"I … I was a thief." The locksmith was sweating profusely. He didn't know what he had to face after completing such a secretive task.
Fan Xian thought to himself, "So it's someone in the same line of work." He squinted at the tools and molds left on the table and frowned. He walked to the table and grunted. Tyrannical zhenqi rushed out of his body and smashed all the molds in his hands.
He told Wang Qinian to destroy the metal tools as well and send the locksmith south for a while. Only then did Fan Xian relax and return to the palace.
— — —
He re-entered Hanguang Palace. The sweet fragrance had faded, but the night breeze was still gentle. The atmosphere of peace and harmony filled the palace. Like a ghost, Fan Xian slid under the bed and put back the copied key. He took out the adhesive he had brought with him and rearranged the secret compartment. Only then did he quietly leave the palace.
Fan Xian didn't know how long it had been since the last bell rang. He knew it was time for him to leave. But at that moment, his eyes fell on a small courtyard on the other side of the palace. It was Guangxin Palace, where the eldest princess lived.
Fan Xian's plan for today had been perfect. If he didn't want to complicate things, he should have immediately left the palace and waited for things to gradually develop. Perhaps it was the joy of obtaining the key that got to his head, or for some other reason, Fan Xian's next move was somewhat unexpected.
He believed that under the cover of darkness, even in a palace as strict as the palace, he would still be able to walk freely. Walking along the corridors, Wu Zhu and Fei Jie, the two masters of darkness, relied entirely on their nocturnal abilities. With great difficulty, they approached Guangxin Palace. Along the way, they even brushed past a yawning palace maid.
Guangxin Palace was still lit. It was obvious that there were people inside. Guangxin Palace was different from the other palaces in the palace. There was a small wall outside the palace.
As the saying goes, if you've already crossed the river, what's there to be afraid of? But Fan Xian knew that many masters eventually died at the hands of mediocre people. So he carefully circled to the back of the palace, closed his eyes, and climbed up the thick pillar.
His palm fell on the smooth surface of the pillar. Fan Xian had used up too much of his zhenqi that day. He couldn't help but feel flustered and impatient, so it was a bit difficult to climb up. Carefully, he climbed to the roof of Guangxin Palace. He didn't dare to open the roof tiles to peek. Instead, he squinted his eyes and looked for the hard to find bright tiles among the glazed tiles.
Perhaps his luck was too good. The roof of the Royal Palace did not need bright tiles, but the Eldest Princess was someone who liked daylight. So Fan Xian found one and carefully crouched down, lowering his head to ensure that each simple movement was stable and did not make any noise.
Under the bright tile, the light was not bright. But with Fan Xian's eyesight, he could still see and hear clearly. He squinted, knowing that he had guessed correctly. And his luck was good.
...
...
The eldest princess, Li Yunrui, reclined on the couch. Her face was languid, and she looked charming. She only wore a white robe. Under the thin silk, the curves of her body were revealed. There was a hint of youth in her maturity. If any man in the world were to see her, they would probably bow down to her bare feet.
As the Emperor's closest sister, she didn't need to use her beauty to seduce him. And the man in front of her was 70 years old. Before tonight, he was known as the world's foremost scholar of morality. He wasn't someone who could be seduced.
Zhuang Mohan coughed twice. "My business is done. I hope the eldest princess will not break the agreement."
The Eldest Princess played with the fake scroll that she had spent a fortune to make. She smiled sweetly, filling the room with spring. In a soft and timid voice, she said, "I want Master Zhuang to trample Fan Xian to the ground, so that he will no longer have the face to stay in the capital. Can you do that?"
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