At the end of the fire pool, a tall stone statue appeared lifelike in front of Yang Zhen. The stone statue stood in the open space in the middle of the fire pool with its head held high. One of its hands was holding a long sword stuck in the ground. Its brows were tightly locked and its mouth was slightly open. The other hand of the stone statue was raised high, as if it was giving orders. The face of the stone statue was clearly visible in the firelight, and the outline of its face was completely outlined. Yang Zhen stood at the entrance of the passageway in a daze, completely stunned by this stone statue. After a long time, Yang Zhen finally reacted. He slowly bent his knees and finally knelt on the ground. Tears flickered in his eyes as he lowered his head and raised his hands above his head. Then, he kowtowed to the stone statue and shouted,"Your Majesty!"
Chen Dao, who was watching from the side, walked to Yang Zhen's side and helped him up. He said,"Follow me to the front!"
Yang Zhen stood up and followed behind Chen Dao, walking along the empty space in the middle of the fire pool. Soon, the two of them arrived in front of the stone statue and stood there respectfully, looking very serious. Yang Zhen was still examining the stone statue when he heard Chen Dao say in his ear,""Yang Zhen, kneel down and kowtow to His Majesty!”
Yang Zhen immediately knelt in front of the stone statue and kowtowed three times. The empty space in the middle of the fire pool was paved with large bluestone, which was extremely hard. When Yang Zhen finished kowtowing and raised his head, there was already a bruise on his forehead. Yang Zhen approached the stone statue and took a closer look. This stone statue of the former emperor was extremely lifelike. Its face, expression, and charm all displayed the former emperor's elegance. The hair bun, wrinkles, nails, and armor of the former emperor's stone statue had all been carved very meticulously. It seemed that the former emperor had been reborn. No wonder Yang Zhen was shocked.
Yang Zhen stood up and saw Chen Dao walking behind the stone statue, so he followed. Behind the stone statue, a deep and narrow path extended outward. Yang Zhen saw it and quickly asked,"General, where does this road lead to?”
"Come with me," Chen Dao said,"you'll know in a moment."”
Thus, Chen Dao held the torch and walked in front, while Yang Zhen followed behind. They entered the small path. The path was not as smooth as before. Not only was it narrow, but there were also many turns. After several twists and turns, the two of them finally reached the end of the path. Chen Dao looked at Yang Zhen and said to him,"Yang Zhen, you have to be mentally prepared.”
"Is it dangerous?" Yang Zhen nodded.”
"There's no danger here at all." Chen Dao shook his head.”
At the end of the path, there was a straight passage that led to the ground. There were man-made steps on both sides of the passage, and the two of them climbed up along the steps. When Chen Dao pushed away the wooden board above his head, bright light shone in. Chen Dao extinguished the torch and climbed to the ground. Yang Zhen was behind Chen Dao. Seeing that Chen Dao had already climbed out, he followed closely behind.
After climbing out of the path, Yang Zhen saw a room. The path was under the bed. "This is?" Yang Zhen asked.
Chen Dao first covered the wooden planks on the path and spread the blanket on the wooden planks. Then, he jumped off the bed and patted the soil off his body. Yang Zhen looked at the room again and saw that the furnishings were normal and clean. He suddenly realized and said,"General! Is this your room?"
Chen Dao chuckled." Yes, but I didn't live here before. I only moved here after discovering this secret."”
"Then who used to own this room?" Yang Zhen asked.”
" I've investigated before," Chen Dao said." When the late emperor was bedridden, there was only one person who stayed in this room.”
"Who is that person?" Yang Zhen asked hurriedly.”
"Ma Su." Chen Dao replied.
"Ma Su? It's him?" Yang Zhen said.
Chen Dao walked to the table and picked up a wine pot with his right hand and a wine goblet with his left hand. He bent his right hand to his left hand and poured a goblet of wine. Then, he brought the wine goblet to his mouth with his left hand and drank it in one gulp. After drinking a cup of wine, Chen Dao said,"It's him, that's right. Do you know what this means?"
"I didn't expect Ma Su to be so bold," Yang Zhen said.”
Chen Dao shook his head." It's not Ma Su who is bold. It's the person behind Ma Su."”
Yang Zhen silently read, The person behind Ma Su? It's the Prime Minister!"
Chen Dao sighed and put down the wine jug and goblet in his hands. He walked to Yang Zhen's side and patted his shoulder."Is it unbelievable? If I hadn't discovered this secret passage, I wouldn't have believed it.”
"General, why do you think the Prime Minister ordered Ma Su to dig this secret passage? At that time, the Prime Minister was not in Yong 'an, so how did he know that there was a secret chamber in the former emperor's bedroom?”Yang Zhen asked.
"I don't know either." However, as you can imagine, after the late emperor returned here, he was bedridden not long after. Naturally, he did not enter the secret chamber in his room. Ma Su had opened a secret passage and was only separated from the late emperor by a wall. He heard every word the late emperor said. This might be the best explanation.”
Yang Zhen remembered that when he was on duty for the late Emperor, Ma Su had inexplicably asked him about the late Emperor's diet. After that, he rarely saw Ma Su. Could it be that the secret passage was opened at that time? He suddenly remembered the incident at the Prime Minister's residence not long ago. The Prime Minister knew that he had the death-exemption medallion like the back of his hand. Could it be that when the former Emperor gave Yang Zhen the death-exemption medallion, Ma Su was eavesdropping on the other side of the wall and told the Prime Minister about it? Yang Zhen was puzzled and said,""General, why did Prime Minister Zhuge make such a meticulous arrangement?”
"Why?" Chen Dao asked. Can't you tell? Just for power."
Yang Zhen said," The Prime Minister already has the power to rule the court. He's below one person and above ten thousand people. Isn't this power great enough?"”
Chen Dao suddenly shouted," Oh right, we have to go back again. There are a few words carved on the stone statue. I think this is a hint from the previous emperor."”
Before Yang Zhen could ask, Chen Dao lifted the wooden board on the bed along with the blanket and jumped down the secret passage. Yang Zhen followed behind him and jumped down as well. Chen Dao lit a torch and led Yang Zhen along the path they came from. The two of them returned to the secret chamber. Chen Dao shone the torch behind the stone statue. On a large stone at the foot of the stone statue, a few proverb words were engraved. Yang Zhen took a closer look and saw the words engraved on it: "The White Emperor Daoist Temple, searching for Qing Yi, meeting the Heavenly Dipper, Dragon Soars the World.”
Yang Zhen read it once and then read it out silently again, but he still didn't understand what it meant, so he asked,""General, what is the meaning of this?"
"I don't know either." Chen Dao smiled and shook his head. Yang Zhen, this is the mystery left behind by the previous emperor. It's just that I can't solve this mystery. You and the previous emperor are fated. Why don't you remember it in your heart and slowly comprehend it? Alright, let's hurry up. We've been down here for long enough. I haven't reorganized the 30,000 troops you just handed over to me.”
Yang Zhen smiled." General, you're right. Let's go up now."”
The two of them returned the way they came. Chen Dao put out all the fires in the secret room, then held the torch and walked along the steps. In a short while, they left the secret room. Chen Dao restored everything and left the former emperor's bedroom with Yang Zhen. Once the two of them left the abandoned garden, they returned to Chen Dao's room. After Chen Dao had tidied up everything, they sat on the stool opposite each other and began to drink wine.
Chen Daoxian drank a cup and raised his glass to Yang Zhen."Come, let's forget all our troubles today and drink to our hearts 'content.”
Yang Zhen was completely drunk and lay in Chen Dao's room in a daze. Chen Dao's alcohol tolerance was much higher than his. After drinking, he felt a little dizzy, and Yang Zhen passed out. Chen Dao shook his head helplessly and helped Yang Zhen to the bed. He then left the room and went to the military camp to inspect the 30,000 soldiers who had just set up camp.
When Yang Zhen woke up, it was already the next morning. He patted his head, which was still hurting a little, and got out of bed. He walked to the table, picked up a kettle, and poured himself a glass of water. Yang Zhen finished the water and shook his head hard to wake himself up. He did not see Chen Dao in the room. With a glance, he saw a piece of cloth with words written under the wine glass on the table. Yang Zhen picked up the wine glass and pulled out the cloth."Rest well these few days. I still have to train the soldiers. If there's anything, come to the drill ground and find me. Shuzhi."
After Yang Zhen finished reading, he left the room. At this time, the sun was already high up in the sky. From the drill ground came waves of shouts and drums. Yang Zhen was drunk last night and did not return to his room the whole night. He was worried that Guan Feng would not be able to find him, so he quickly walked to his room.
Yang Zhen had just reached the door of the room when he saw Guan Feng walking over from the opposite side. When Guan Feng saw Yang Zhen, her face was filled with anger as she shouted,"Yang Zhen, where were you last night?”
Yang Zhen chuckled and patted the back of his head.""I was drunk yesterday and fell asleep in General Chen's room. I just woke up.”
Guan Feng walked over and raised her hand to hit him. Fortunately, Yang Zhen dodged quickly and was not hit by Guan Feng. Guan Feng pouted." Yang Zhen, you're so good. You went drinking on your own and made me look for you everywhere. How dare you hide from me now?"”
Yang Zhen said," Feng 'er, your fist is so hard. If you punch me, I'll probably have to rest for a few days before I can recover. I have to dodge." Oh right, why didn't I see He Ping and Niu San?”
Guan Feng said," They all went out to look for you. I reckon they'll be back soon if they can't find you. You said that you went to drink with General Chen and didn't even tell us beforehand. You made it so difficult for us to find you."”
Yang Zhen walked behind Guan Feng and placed his hands on Guan Feng's shoulders. He gently pinched them a few times and said,"Feng 'er, don't be angry. If anything happens in the future, I'll definitely inform you in advance. Today, you will accompany me to the city to inquire about Pu Yuan's news, alright?”
Guan Feng's face was filled with joy. She turned to look at Yang Zhen and immediately said,"Wait for Niu San and He Ping to come back before going out. I'll let them ask around when they go out.”
"Feng 'er, you're really thoughtful," Yang Zhen said happily.”
Yang Zhen and Guan Feng entered the room together and sat facing each other. They had just chatted for a while when heavy footsteps came from outside. Yang Zhen heard it and immediately said,"Listen to the footsteps. Niu San must have returned."”As soon as he finished speaking, a burly man walked into the room. It was indeed Niu San.
Niu San entered the room and walked to Yang Zhen's side in two steps, panting heavily. Yang Zhen quickly poured a glass of water for Niu San and passed it to him. Niu San took the glass of water and said,""General, you're back? It's good that you're back. Thank you for the wine, General!”Hearing Niu San's words, Guan Feng turned around and smiled secretly."This Niu San gave him a cup of water, but he thought it was wine. It seems that he is also a drunkard who likes to drink.”
Before Yang Zhen could say anything, Niu San picked up the glass of water and drank it in one gulp. Once the water was in his stomach, Niu San's eyes widened. He looked at Yang Zhen and asked,"General, why does this wine taste like water?”Yang Zhen couldn't help but laugh. He raised one hand and pointed at Niu San."Niu San, oh Niu San, what should I say about you? You only know how to drink. I gave you a glass of water and you treated it as wine.”Guan Feng smiled and turned around, asking,"Niu San, what did you find out about the matter I asked you to investigate?”
Niu San looked at the cup of water in his hand with a dazed gaze. He smiled and said,""I thought it was wine, so it's water. General, I've asked around. There's no one called Pu Yuan in this area. I've never heard of him.”
"Hmm, let's wait for He Ping to come back and see how he finds it," Yang Zhen said.”
Guan Feng nodded and poured a cup of water for Niu San. She handed it to Niu San and said,"Niu San, come! Let me toast you with a glass of water."
Niu San quickly took the cup and said to Guan Feng,""Thank you, General!"
Niu San gulped down another cup of water. Then, he poured himself a few more cups of water and drank them all in one gulp. It seemed that he was extremely thirsty. Niu San drank a few cups of water and placed them on the table. He stroked his stomach with his left hand and said happily,""Alright, I won't be thirsty anymore.”
As Niu San finished speaking, a hand reached out from behind Niu San. The hand was very thin and small. Everyone who saw it felt that it was only skin and bones. Niu San grabbed that hand and pulled it forward, pulling out the person hiding behind him. It was He Ping. When Niu San saw that it was He Ping, he let go of his hand and quickly asked,""Why is it you? When did he come? He didn't even make a sound. Was he trying to scare people to death by being so sneaky?”
"I came in when you were talking, but I didn't dare to disturb you when I saw you drinking so much water."”
"How did you find out in the city?" Yang Zhen asked.”
He Ping replied," I did find some clues. There is indeed a person called Pu Yuan here. However, he doesn't live in the city. He lives in a Taoist temple outside the city." It was said that Pu Yuan was a peerless master craftsman. His ancestor was the direct disciple of Ou Yezi, a blacksmith in the Spring and Autumn Period. The former emperor had ordered him to forge five thousand steel knives and distribute them to the White-Eared Soldiers.”
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。