Chapter 45: Night Exploration of the Treasure House

"..." Ye Qingyu was silent. He would definitely not use anyone else for this kind of thing. Who else could he use except the person in front of him?

"Okay, okay, how about you blindfold me?" Qing Yi said with a smile, trying to ease the awkward atmosphere.

With Qing Yi's coaxing, the young prince of the northwest finally finished applying the Ling Xiao ointment. The two chatted for a while longer, Qing Yi sitting beside him, diligently reading the jade book. He had to do his best to complete the task Xiao Ye had assigned him! Ye Qingyu, on the other hand, sat on the bed, flipping through a book on military strategy. The bedroom was silent, broken only by the occasional sound of pages turning.

In the deep night, when all was silent, Ye Qingyu, Qingfeng, and Qingyi, quietly left Luohua Palace and headed towards the treasure house. Qingfeng had secretly scouted the terrain and the deployment of guards during the day, and now he was leading the two of them forward.

The Treasure House is actually a towering tower, heavily guarded. It also boasts a copper-cast iron gate that can only be opened with the Emperor's token and a special key. This key was personally bestowed upon him by the Emperor of Chu, a testament to the Emperor's trust in him. Countless rare treasures of the Chu State are hidden within this building.

"Qingfeng, you stay outside in case anything happens." Ye Qingyu whispered.

He then produced a brass key and walked to the bronze door. With a gentle twist, it slowly swung open, and Ye Qingyu and Qing Yi, intently focused, stepped inside. The building was dark and gloomy, yet held a hidden secret. Three doors stood in a row, each requiring a unique key to open.

"This is where the jades are stored." Ye Qingyu took out a night-shining pearl from his bosom, and the soft light instantly illuminated the surroundings. Qing Yi looked up and saw countless jades neatly displayed there.

"Qingyi, where are the jade artifacts made during the reign of the founding emperor of Chu?" Ye Qingyu asked in a low voice. Qingyi closed his eyes and recalled that he had turned the jade book upside down that afternoon, so he was naturally confident.

"Southeast corner, first to seventh rows." Qing Yi answered softly.

"Okay! Let's see which boxes are empty?" Ye Qingyu said, and he and Qingyi began to check one by one. However, after checking, their hearts sank - the seven rows of boxes that should have been filled with founding jade artifacts were actually mostly empty!

"Check the other boxes again!" Ye Qingyu said in a deep voice.

Ye Qingyu and Qingyi busied themselves with the task for a while longer, only to discover that the remaining jade boxes were intact, save for the jade from the founding period. Clearly, the thief was well versed in imperial secrets, knowing full well that the emperor would neither use nor easily reward these jades with typos, hence his brazen theft.

Suddenly, Ye Qingyu and Qingyi exchanged a glance, their intentions understood. Ye Qingyu quickly raised his hand, his wide sleeve covering the night-shining pearl, and quietly placed it in his arms. Then, he flashed and hid in the dark corner. At the same time, a subtle sound of a bronze door turning could be heard—"Someone's coming!"

The two men immediately held their breath, their gaze fixed on the bronze door. At that moment, the Treasure House was plunged into darkness, as the Night Pearl had been stored away. However, Ye Qingyu and Qingyi, masters of profound internal energy, possessed night vision far superior to that of ordinary people. They could vaguely discern a figure in black, dressed in full nightwear, creeping in from the bronze door's entrance.

The man in black was completely unaware that there were two other uninvited guests hiding in the treasure house tonight. His steps were light but somewhat anxious. He did not pause after entering, and walked straight to the southeast corner with ease and familiarity, obviously coming to steal the jade.

The man in black pulled out a tiny tinder from his pocket and flicked it lightly. A faint flame instantly lit up the pitch-black hall. Although the light was faint, it was enough to make Ye Qingyu and Qingyi's hearts tighten. They hurriedly and carefully retreated, fearing that the faint light would cast their shadows and attract the man in black's attention.

In the dim light, Ye Qingyu and Qing Yi watched as the man in black expertly opened each jade box, his eyes quickly scanning the pieces as he selected them. Soon, he had selected four or five pieces and quickly stowed them away in his treasure bag. After doing this, he blew out the fire stick and, in a flash, sprinted towards the door.

"Should we catch him?" Qing Yi moved his lips slightly, silently asking Ye Qingyu.

Ye Qingyu shook his head slightly. His goal was not only to capture the man in black who stole the jade artifacts, but more importantly, to find out the mastermind behind the scenes and find out how these jade artifacts were sent to the Xihua Mansion Jade Shop without anyone noticing.

If this person were a notorious thief, breaking into the palace to steal, common sense would indicate that they would have taken as many treasures as possible, and would never have risked leaving with only a few. Furthermore, this person had been able to successfully open all three doors of the treasure house. You know, collecting all three keys is no easy feat!

The keys to the treasure house are custom-made from dragon-patterned black iron, each with a corresponding key. The first key is held by Guifu, the eunuch in charge of the Imperial Household Department; the second by Chen Yan, the commander of the Imperial Guards; and the third by the Imperial Household Department. Only when all three keys are combined can the treasure house be opened.

But the key in Ye Qingyu's hand was the only spare key granted to him by the Emperor of Chu. With it, he could open all the bronze doors in the treasure house. Just two days ago, the Emperor of Chu had specifically summoned Ye Qingyu to retrieve the key from the inner compartment of the gilded self-ringing clock in the imperial study. This secret was known only to the emperors of all generations.

After the black-clad man left, Ye Qingyu and Qingyi hurriedly counted the missing jade artifacts. Once they confirmed the number, they didn't hesitate and quickly evacuated the treasure house. After all, time was running out; once daybreak arrived, it would be difficult to escape unnoticed.

After they came out, they looked around but could not find Qingfeng. Ye Qingyu secretly speculated that Qingfeng must have discovered the traces of the man in black and followed him all the way.