Chapter 52 Their next stop was—…
Long Zhaoming's expression darkened, and he turned to Xiao Mowen and said, "Call Ke Zhenhai over."
These past few days, besides interrogating the bandits, Ke Zhenhai has been strolling around this mountain. Hearing Long Zhaoming call out, he immediately ran over and bowed: "Greetings, Your Highness."
"No need for formalities, please rise."
Ke Zhenhai clasped his hands in a fist and asked, "What are your orders, Your Highness?"
"You, and Xiao Shiqi, Xiao Mowen, uh... Mingyue too, come along."
Long Zhaoming hesitated slightly when he called out Mingyue's name. Seventeen tilted his head, puzzled, not understanding what the other party was hesitating about. He remembered that Brother Yue was quite skilled.
"There might be another trick to this row of pillars. Go up and take a look and see which ones can be pressed down and released."
Only then did Ke Zhenhai notice that one of the originally neat and uniform pillars had dented. After hearing what Long Zhaoming said, he had a better understanding of the situation.
The people whose names were called exchanged glances and then leaped onto the pillar.
Seventeen figured that since neither jumping in nor out caused the pillars to move down, it meant that some pillars would move down while others wouldn't. Fortunately, there weren't many pillars, and the four of them working together to move them one by one was quite fast.
Long Zhaoming stepped back a bit, squinting as he watched the pillar gradually reveal its shape.
Uneven, with varying heights.
Just after Xiao Mowen stepped on a pillar on the right, the entire pillar began to shake. The four of them were startled and immediately jumped down.
But after the pillars swayed for a while, nothing else changed, and the pillars that had been stepped on rose up again and returned to their original state.
Long Zhaoming closed his folding fan and looked around in confusion: "Why has it changed back?"
Seventeen also found it strange; the shaking just now didn't seem right at all.
Suddenly, his gaze was drawn to a branch, which seemed to be from the big tree he had seen when he was lost, and he didn't know when he had brought it back.
He stepped forward and picked up the branch, but out of the corner of his eye he suddenly saw a hole hidden under the grass next to the pillar. If he hadn't come to pick up the branch, he probably wouldn't have noticed it.
"Your Highness!"
Seventeen's surprised voice startled Long Zhaoming, who immediately ran to his side and squatted down as well: "What?"
"Your Highness, please look."
Seventeen pointed, and a dark hole appeared in front of them.
The others followed. Mingyue showed a happy expression. Xiao Mowen didn't know what they were looking for, but he just followed Long Zhaoming.
At this moment, Long Zhaoming turned around and patted Ke Zhenhai on the shoulder: "Thank you, Vice General Ke. Xiao Mowen, please escort Vice General Ke back."
This was a gesture to send them away. Ke Zhenhai didn't care, after all, these imperial relatives were not people he could afford to offend, so he clasped his hands in farewell and took his leave.
Mingyue stepped forward to take a look, then reached out and lifted the opening—it wasn't a hole at all, but a wooden plank.
When they saw the board being lifted, Seventeen and Long Zhaoming were also taken aback. Seventeen then went forward to help Mingyue lift the wooden board covered with moss and fallen leaves.
The moment it opened, the midday sun shone through, illuminating the entrance and letting in a few rays that reflected off a section of the clean wooden steps.
Seventeen looked down in surprise and found that there was a path leading down, but the sunlight could only reach the first few sections, while the rest was dark and deep.
“There really is a key.” Long Zhaoming exclaimed, and was about to go inside when Mingyue stopped him: “Your Highness, stay between me and Seventeen.”
Long Zhaoming nodded. He knew he didn't know martial arts, so he couldn't be a burden to them at this time.
The three walked forward in a sandwich formation, with Mingyue leading the way, Long Zhaoming in the middle, and Seventeen at the rear.
The wooden steps made a faint creaking sound, which was quite noticeable in the dark secret passage. After walking forward for a while, the three of them clearly felt the steps disappear under their feet, and were replaced by a flatter, harder path.
After walking along the flat road for a while, Mingyue stopped. Long Zhaoming turned his head and was shocked by the scene before him.
The interior is very large, with a solid bluestone ceiling that blocks out even the slightest bit of sunlight. However, the walls are adorned with luminous pearls that illuminate the interior with a soft white glow.
Before them stood a platform several meters high made of black iron, upon which various weapons were placed, their exact number impossible to count at a cursory glance.
Various weapons were scattered or stuck in the ground all around. It was clear that the weapons were not very well made, but they were numerous.
Not only that, besides these hundreds and thousands of weapons, there were also some boxes of items piled up against the wall. Mingyue went forward and opened one of the boxes to take a look, and found that they were boxes of gunpowder.
Because it was sealed tightly, the smell wasn't very strong, but the quantity was astonishing.
Mingyue couldn't help but wonder whether this place was brought here by the bandit Fan You, or whether the Xie family had been staying here for a long time.
But now they don't need answers anymore, because these things are already theirs.
How they came to be is unimportant; as for where they are going, the Xie family has no say in that.
The three of them quietly closed the door to the secret passage. Long Zhaoming unfolded his fan and shook it, saying, "This batch of weapons... cannot be left here."
Mingyue casually suggested, "Then why not send them to the North?"
The two exchanged a glance and reached a consensus. Seventeen looked at one and then the other, and couldn't help but ask, "Isn't it a bit too far to send this pile of weapons to the North from here?"
Long Zhaoming nodded and said, "Yes, that's why we need to find a reliable person."
The three returned to the inn first, without mentioning the matter to anyone else. Even the garrison was withdrawn the next day, along with the group of bandits.
Their destination was Yejing. This group had to be handed over to Emperor Jing for disposal, as it involved a wide range of people and too many people could not be allowed to know the inside story.
Soon, the Xie family also learned that the garrison was escorting people to Yejing. They originally wanted to kill the people on the way, but Ke Zhenhai, who had made a mistake before, was on high alert this time and failed to succeed repeatedly, even losing many people.
The Xie family gritted their teeth and swallowed their hatred, comforting themselves that these bandits didn't know much. Not to mention that the one in Yejing was still missing, even if he were alive, they wouldn't be able to pry anything out of him. What the Xie family needed to do now was to get ahead of the Zhou family and seize Yejing.
A clap of thunder sounded, followed by another rain, the raindrops pattering on the ground, splashing onto the leaves and roots with a soft thud.
＊
The sound of raindrops pattering on the eaves filled the air. Seventeen stretched and returned home to have a hearty meal. The matter in Maple Forest Town was now completely resolved.
They had booked a separate room for Xie Qingyan earlier, but he was a strange person who rarely went out.
Even when they went to capture bandits or to the camp, he seemed uninterested.
Mingyue and Long Zhaoming had investigated several times and found that he indeed did not know where the weapons were stored, which probably meant that he had not yet gained the Xie family's complete trust.
Once everything was resolved, Long Zhaoming went to talk to him again, and this time Xie Qingyan agreed to go out.
He and Seventeen sat together, both looking languid. When Mingyue came in, she saw the two sleepy people and paused.
"Huh? Brother Yue is here."
Seventeen didn't want to get up from her chair. She lay on the table, looking at the bright moon, her voice soft.
Mingyue laughed and said, "What are you doing? Anyone who doesn't know the situation would think there's a calming medicine in this rain."
"Rainy days like this are perfect for sleeping."
Seventeen accepted the food that Mingyue brought in and smiled, and Xie Qingyan wholeheartedly agreed.
Mingyue glanced at him and asked, "How's your poison?"
Xie Qingyan has a poison in his body, and it is this poison that has weakened him so much. Mingyue and Long Zhaoming discussed it privately. Although this person is suspected to be the son of the late Emperor and the Empress Dowager, there is no way to prove it now. They will investigate the truth later and see what to do.
Moreover, it seems that Xie Qingyan himself was completely unaware of the matter of parentage, and presumably the Xie family had never mentioned it to him.
"Fortunately, I've gotten used to it over the years."
Xie Qingyan smiled, his lips curling up. Although his health wasn't great, he was quite resilient and survived no matter how much he was tormented. He himself thought he was amazing.
Seeing this, Mingyue pondered for a moment and said, "Yesterday, His Highness mentioned that the divine physician who could cure you is in the North. In a few days, the North will also send someone over. Would you like to go with him to see him?"
Long Zhaoming and Mingyue had already discussed it. Since it was not appropriate to send this batch of weapons out openly, they decided to have the people from the North receive them. If there was anyone from the North they trusted, it would be Long Xiaoyun, the son of Consort Rong.
Consort Rong and their mother were close friends. When their mother passed away, Consort Rong helped them a lot, both openly and secretly. In order not to worry Emperor Jing, she also arranged for one of her twin sons to stay in Yejing and the other to go to the north.
The meaning is quite clear: although I have two sons, I will not compete with you, and I am willing to help you.
Emperor Jing was grateful and treated Consort Rong with great courtesy. Long Zhaoming was naturally aware of the situation of the two sons and treated Consort Rong as their second mother.
The letter was delivered to the north by fast horse. Long Xiaoyun stayed a few more days after the festival because Consort Rong missed her son. By the time the letter reached him, he had not yet arrived in the north.
Overjoyed upon receiving the letter, he immediately set off on horseback. About ten days later, after exhausting several horses, he led the northern troops who had been rushing to catch up to Fenglin Town.
They entered the town silently. Long Zhaoming and Mingyue led their men to the armory, which surprised the enemy.
"Wow! Third Brother, this pile of weapons arrived just in time!"
Long Xiaoyun was only eighteen years old this year, and was in the prime of his youth. He was deeply moved by the heroic figure of his second brother, who is now the Emperor Jing, when he fought bravely in the north. Later, without the Empress Dowager having to persuade him much, he took the initiative to join the army in the north.
This kid is quite capable; in just a few years, he rose to the position of deputy general. As for the commander of the Northern Army, there is only the one on the throne.
Long Xiaoyun looked at the armory in front of her with bright eyes, then turned to Long Zhaoming and said, "Let's not delay, I'll take the things and leave now!"
After saying that, he looked at Mingyue, who was standing next to Long Zhaoming.
The guard looked familiar to him, but he had never seen him in the palace before.
Long Zhaoming noticed his gaze, and seeing that Mingyue didn't seem inclined to explain, he patted Long Xiaoyun's shoulder and said, "Be careful on your journey. The origin of these weapons is questionable, and there may be unexpected events along the way. I have already informed my brother, the Emperor, who sent me to find you and bring these weapons back to the North."
Long Xiaoyun was deeply moved. His elder brother was truly wonderful! Although he was not in the North, he always thought of the North. His choice back then was absolutely right!
Seeing Long Xiaoyun's moved expression, Long Zhaoming chuckled and said, "There's one more thing. There's someone you need to take back to the North."
Who is it?
"Xie Qingyan greets Vice General Long."
Xie Qingyan bowed slightly, and Long Xiaoyun quickly returned the bow, scratching his head as he asked, "Are you really going to the North? With your health..."
"Yes, I heard that there is a great doctor in the north, so I went there hoping to have my chronic illness examined."
Upon hearing this, Long Xiaoyun understood. The renowned doctor from the North was indeed famous. Seeing this, he no longer hesitated and waved his hand, saying, "Alright, come with us. If you feel unwell, just say so. We're not in a hurry this time."
After Long Xiaoyun set off with his weapons and Xie Qingyan, Long Zhaoming exhaled a breath of stale air and laughed, "Alright, we can set off now."
Seventeen smiled broadly, her eyes crinkling. The matter here was finally resolved; their next stop was—
Jiangnan.
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