Mo Xi did not know that Meng Ze had already discovered the abnormality of the silk belt. The night breeze was gentle. He left the palace, but did not immediately return to Xi He's residence.
Other than reporting to Jun Shang, there was another important reason why he was in a hurry to come to the palace — — the clues collected in the Mirror of Time made him want to reopen the old case. Regarding the case, he had three things he needed to investigate:
First, the man in black.
Before Gu Mang's betrayal, he had come into contact with a man in black. That man in black used the situation of the Chong Hua to push Gu Mang to rebel, and Gu Mang did not reject him. Then what was the identity of this man in black?
Second, War Spirit Mountain.
Before Gu Mang's betrayal, he had gone to War Spirit Mountain with the man in black. Combined with what Gu Mang had said before, he felt that the forbidden area of War Spirit Mountain was "familiar", so it was very likely that Gu Mang had tried to break through the barrier of the forbidden area and did something inside. But what exactly was inside the forbidden area of War Spirit Mountain?
Third, the Yin Prison.
Through his contact with Lu Zhanxing in the Mirror of Time, Mo Xi had already confirmed that Gu Mang had gone to the Yin Prison before his betrayal and met with Lu Zhanxing in private. Then what kind of conversation did Gu Mang have with Lu Zhanxing in the Yin Prison?
As long as these three things were investigated, the truth of eight years ago should be able to surface.
But these things happened in secret. Other than Gu Mang himself, one of them had an unknown identity, and the other had already become a ghost in the underworld. Mo Xi did not expect Gu Mang to relent, so there were only two ways to investigate these three things:
First, to turn back time.
Second, to retrieve the files from that year.
Turning back time required the Mirror of Time, but the Mirror of Time was very powerful. Mortals could only enter it once every ten years, or else they would be swallowed by the mirror and turned to dust. Therefore, the Mirror of Time was no longer a viable option.
Then the only way left was to retrieve the files from that year …
Mo Xi slowed down and looked towards the north of the palace. That was the direction of the Censorate Hall.
Every hall and pavilion of the Chong Hua had a Stone of History embedded in it. Since the day Jun Shang ascended the throne, he would wear a pendant made of Stone of History strung together. It could not be taken off until the day he died. These stones faithfully recorded every little thing that happened in the Empire. Every year, they would be collected into a book and sealed in the Imperial Censor Hall. Mo Xi could try to find secret records related to Gu Mang's betrayal.
However, the problem with the Censorate Hall was that it was fake.
Although the royal family had always claimed that the scenes recorded by the Historical Recording Stone were true and reliable, everyone knew that the stone would not lie, but people could delete fragments. If the ruler of a country ordered the scribes to erase the traces of certain events, which scribe would dare to say no?
Therefore, the future of this path was actually bleak.
The sky grew darker and darker. The last remaining rays of sunlight were swallowed up by the night. The stars in the sky and the candles on the ground flickered and lit up together. Mo Xi looked at the Imperial Censor Hall. In the distance, a group of palace maids on night duty carried palace lanterns as they meandered past the white jade railings like a snake.
… The Imperial Censor Hall's records could indeed be fake, but at least there was still a glimmer of hope. Tonight, the ruler was ill and most of the guards of the Imperial Army were concentrated near the sleeping quarters. It was a good opportunity to sneak into the Imperial Censor Hall. He could give it a try.
Mo Xi looked at the group of palace lanterns swimming away. After a moment of thought, he finally headed in the direction of the Imperial Censor Hall.
There were two entrances to the Imperial Censor Hall, both of which were enchanted and heavily guarded. However, this was not too much of an obstacle for the first general of the Empire. Mo Xi did not spend too much effort to sneak into the hall.
Unlike the other magnificent palaces, the structure of the Imperial Censor Hall was extremely unique. Rather than calling it a palace, it was more like a tomb. At the entrance to the hall stood a stone tablet. It was carried by the sculpture of the sixth son of the dragon, Bi 'an. There were four words written on the tablet: "Died yesterday."
These four words were written by the second ruler of Chong Hua. At that time, Chong Hua had just established the country. The founding ruler had suddenly died from a chronic illness left behind from war. At that time, the edict had not been written and the orthodoxy had not been established. It had not been decided whether the elder, the virtuous, the younger brother, or the son would succeed the father. As a result, whether it was the brothers of the royal family or the nobles, everyone had covetously stared at the empty throne.
Later, the bloody struggle for power wreaked havoc in Chong Hua for an entire fourteen months. In these fourteen months, countless people were wrongly imprisoned and many souls died with their eyes open. It was only when the seventh son of the first ruler succeeded the throne that the storm gradually calmed down.
Under that kind of situation, even if the ruler ascended the throne, he would not be able to find peace. The second King lived every day in the midst of intrigues and schemes. His Queen, his children, and even himself were subjected to all sorts of plots and plots. He was always walking on thin ice, and at last he was afflicted with a mental illness. He had to come to the Censorate to check the records of the past, over and over again.
For example, where did a certain royal brother go today?
For example, who did a certain important minister meet yesterday?
As long as he caught the slightest clue, he would definitely follow the vine to the melon, firmly grasping all the clues in the palm of his hand.
Under this kind of mental condition, his second life was extremely tiring. When he was old and retired from his high position to pass on his son, he could finally relax. It was only then that he realized the various things of the past, such as the death of yesterday. It was better to let bygones be bygones. As a result, he came to the door of the palace that he used to visit often and was extremely important to Chong Hua. He set up a stone tablet and left these four words:
Died yesterday.
Since Died yesterday, why should the ruler care? Why not turn back?
In the third life, when the new ruler ascended the throne and saw the inscription, he was moved. Firstly, he mourned for his father, and secondly, he followed the wishes of the previous ruler. Thus, he renovated the Imperial Censor Hall and built it into a tomb. In this special palace, the balcony was the tomb, and the past was the deceased. It was to remind everyone to be benevolent, to let go of the past, and to not pursue the past.
All these years, almost no one would go to the Imperial Censor Hall to investigate the past. Although there were many guards, they were lax. This was also the reason why Mo Xi could easily enter the hall without prior notice.
Tock tock …
Mo Xi's iron-plated military boots stepped on the brick floor, creating a lonely echo.
The Imperial Censor Hall was very deep and wide. The layout was the same as a real tomb. Along the way, there were twelve stone beasts guarding the tomb. The deepest one could go was more than 150 feet below the ground.
On both sides of the main path were "tomb chambers", which were the places where the empire's archives were sealed. They were arranged according to the year. Outside, there was a sealing stone. The stone was carved with which dynasty and which generation.
Mo Xi quickly came to the "tomb chamber" from eight years ago. He looked at the glittering inscription on the inscription and raised his hand to feel it. He felt a powerful boundary technique.
Then, the stone beasts carved on the stone door made a dull sound. The stone beasts spoke, "Who is —"
His booming and majestic voice echoed in the mausoleum.
"Who —?"
This was also a seal set up by the second ruler. The Imperial Censor Hall recorded the years of the Spring and Autumn Period. Logically, it should be open and honest. However, if anyone could enter and investigate the past of others, then the Royal City would become even more bloody.
Therefore, the second ruler set up such a boundary. Everyone who entered the "tomb" to investigate the past had to report the true name of the Tomb Guardian Beast so that they could investigate in case of an accident. Even the ruler himself was no exception.
Mo Xi knew that this was a big mistake, but to know the truth, it was not a big price to pay. He placed his hand on the spirit stone between the Tomb Guardian Beast's eyebrows and said:
"Xi He's residence, Mo Xi."
The Red Spirit Stone eyes of the Tomb Guardian Beast shone brightly, as if to verify whether Mo Xi's words were true. After a while, the light was extinguished, and the huge sealing stone made a heavy muffled sound.
The voice that seemed to have come from the ancient times sang, "Yesterday — was — dead —"
Following the Second King's final warning to his sons, the door opened.
A stone room with three hundred and sixty-five coffins, exuding a bone-piercing chill, was completely revealed in front of Mo Xi.
The three hundred and sixty-five coffins represented the three hundred and sixty-five days of the year. Every day, the events that happened in Chong Hua were recorded into jade scrolls and placed in the coffins according to their categories. Mo Xi remembered the days that he needed to investigate very clearly, so there was no need for him to calculate. Without any hesitation, he walked straight to the coffins in the depths of the "tomb".
The closer he was to the truth, the faster his heart beat. Mo Xi stopped in front of the coffins, his dark eyes flickering.
Then he raised his hand, but before his fingertips touched the coffin, his heart suddenly tightened —
Mo Xi's gaze moved to the side of the coffin, where the dust was obviously uneven.
Mo Xi's heart turned cold!
This coffin had been opened by someone!
He hurriedly pushed the lid of the coffin open. When he saw the situation in front of him, his heart, which was already in a state of panic, was like a stone falling into a deep valley, falling down continuously.
He saw that the coffin was in a mess. The Wang Jian, which contained the past, was damaged to the greatest extent, and some of the bamboo slips were almost shattered into powder!
Mo Xi's expression changed abruptly, and he cast a spell to open the dozens of coffins around him — as expected, the bamboo slips inside were all shattered …
Although he had expected that this trip would not be so smooth, when he saw this scene with his own eyes, Mo Xi still felt like he had been hit in the head with a stick!
He put his hands on the sides of the coffin, closed his eyes, and forced himself to calm down.
The Wang Jian in the coffin was made of Kunlun Immortal Jade, so it was not easy to damage them. Now that they were shattered, it meant that someone must know the secrets of the past and did not want these secrets to be exposed. Who could it be?
Under the arched eyebrows, Mo Xi's eyes were tightly closed, and his eyeballs moved under his eyelids. For a moment, many shadows flashed through his mind —
Murong Lian.
Imperial Censor.
Junshang.
Even Gu Mang himself before the rebellion.
All kinds of speculations surged into his mind. While his internal organs were suffering, a sudden noise outside pulled Mo Xi's thoughts back to reality. There were footsteps and noises in the distance.
"Someone broke into the Imperial Censor Hall!"
"Quickly search!"
Mo Xi immediately looked up at the open stone door, and then at the scattered fragments of Wang Jian's stone coffin. He knew that after today, he would not have the chance to easily return to this place. His mind flashed. Regardless of whether Wang Jian could be repaired, he raised his hand and waved. Suddenly, countless fragments of Wang Jian floated in the air, like a river of stars, and were all collected into his Qiankun Bag.
At this time, the cultivators guarding the Imperial Censor Hall had already gathered in the hall with magic weapons. Mo Xi was originally planning to hide and avoid them, and quickly leave the chaotic Imperial Censor Hall before the cultivators spread out. But after thinking carefully, he realized that he had opened the tomb by revealing his identity, and the people of the Imperial Censor Hall would interrogate the tomb guardian beasts one by one. It would take at most two hours for the news of him breaking into the Imperial Censor Hall to be spread.
And what could he do in these two hours?
After thinking, Mo Xi took a deep breath, tidied his clothes, and slowly walked out from the depths of the tunnel. Although he was still far away, the guard captain immediately noticed him. He raised his sword and said angrily,
"Where did this traitor come from? How dare you bypass the Imperial Censor Hall and break in …"
His words were cut off before he could finish. Because the guard captain saw that person slowly walk out of the shadows, revealing a face with deep facial features and a face that was as cold as the moon shining on the frost.
All the noisy Imperial Censor Cultivators were stunned. Some of them directly knelt down out of habit.
"Xi, Lord Xi He!"
"This subordinate deserves to die. I didn't know that Lord Xi He was here. It was this subordinate's slip of the tongue!"
Mo Xi's prestige in Chong Hua was too high. His upright and noble image was deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. If someone else appeared in the Imperial Censor Hall without prior notice, the Imperial Censor Hall's first thought would be of trespassing. But if it was Mo Xi, it would be different. The Imperial Censor Hall's first thought would be that Lord Xi He had accepted some secret mission that did not require their notice.
No one would think that Lord Xi He would do something that went against Heaven's authority for someone or something. And Mo Xi was betting on this point. He was betting on his 30 years of reputation. He walked in front of the stunned Imperial Censor Guards and swept his sharp gaze across their faces.
"There's no traitor," he said. "It's a secret order from the Military Council that requires me to use the files from that year."
The guard captain was stunned. "Does Lord Xi He have His Majesty's token …"
"I already said that it's a secret order." Mo Xi's thin lips and teeth touched. He turned his frosty face and said coldly, "How could there be a token?"
"But …"
"This matter concerns military affairs and is highly confidential. I didn't want more people to know about it. But all of you are conscientious in your duties, so you found out quickly. " Mo Xi looked at the guard captain. "If you have any doubts, you can come with me to His Majesty's bedchamber to verify it."
Who didn't know that His Majesty was seriously ill these days? If they went to investigate at this time, they would offend Lord Xi He and be chased out of the door by His Majesty.
Moreover, the person standing in front of them was Mo Xi.
He was Chong Hua's most upright general, the First Marshal of the Empire, and the pure-blooded noble of four generations of generals. What was there to be suspicious about?
After the guard captain thought it through, he immediately lowered his head and cupped his hands. "Lord Xi He, please forgive me. This subordinate is just conducting a routine investigation. Lord Xi He, please don't take offense!"
Mo Xi said indifferently, "It's fine. Just remember, don't speak of today's matter to anyone else. "
"Yes!"
Just like that, he left the Censor Hall calmly. When he walked outside, the night wind blew. Mo Xi realized that his clothes were soaked with sweat. Although this matter was temporarily covered up, there was no such thing as an impenetrable wall in the world. Mo Xi didn't know how long he could hide the fact that he was investigating an old case.
Mo Xi looked at the full moon in the imperial capital and the frost on the eaves of thousands of households. His fingers clenched tightly in his sleeves — tightly holding the Qiankun bag that contained Wang Jian's fragments.
Only the most outstanding Master Refiner would be able to repair a Jade Slip that had been damaged to such an extent. He didn't have time to delay. He had to immediately find an extremely strong and trustworthy blacksmith to repair it …
Almost as soon as he had this thought, the figure of a suitable person immediately appeared in his mind.
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