Chapter 62 Working Together from Within and Without to Seize the Throne
Not long after Li Qian's arrest, Pei Zhi's injuries had almost healed. On his first day back at court, Pei Zhi submitted a memorial to the emperor, requesting an investigation into the remaining members of the Li family and the elimination of corrupt officials. The emperor, who had long been intolerant of the Li family's remaining members, immediately agreed and appointed Pei Zhi as imperial envoy, giving him full authority over the matter.
Ye Wanning followed Pei Zhi, and after the secret guards entered the capital, they disguised themselves as Su Zhong's confidants to gather evidence against the remaining members of the Li family. The secret guards ran around, disguising themselves as all sorts of people, some as hawkers, some as cart drivers. In just three days, they collected a considerable amount of evidence: ledgers related to embezzlement and corruption, letters exchanged between the secret guards and the Turks, and records of the transfer of family property.
That day, they received a message from an informant saying that he was at the home of Zhang Yuan, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel in the capital. Years ago, Duke Li recommended Zhang Yuan as his retainer and later promoted him to Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel. Zhang Yuan had always been extremely loyal to the Li family.
Pei Zhi, accompanied by his men from the Shadow Pavilion, ostensibly came to investigate embezzlement, and brazenly entered Zhang Yuan's home. Zhang Yuan's study was lavishly furnished, with bookshelves filled with rare and ancient books. Pei Zhi casually flipped through the books, when suddenly his gaze fell upon the middle of the bookshelf—those books were arranged neatly, unlike the other bookshelves which were cluttered.
Pei Zhi stepped forward and gave it a strong push, and the bookshelf slowly moved to the side. With a whoosh, a dark, secret room appeared!
Behind the bookshelf was a secret room filled with gold and silver treasures, as well as more than a dozen wooden boxes. Opening the boxes revealed weapons: Turkic scimitars, Tantric poison needles, and siege ladders used for attacking cities.
On the innermost table lay a letter addressed to the sect leader of the Tianyan Sect. It read: "Sect Leader Diaoyutai, rest assured, I have made a copy of the capital's defense map and will send it to you as soon as it is ready. I am also inquiring about the military tally and the armory map; I will certainly not disappoint you."
“Tianyan Sect?” Ye Wanning frowned as she held the letter. “What kind of sect is this? I don’t think I’ve ever heard of it before.”
Pei Zhi's expression turned serious: "Tianyan Sect is the largest and most powerful sect in the martial arts world, controlling numerous forces across the north and south of the Yangtze River. It is said that the sect leader Xuanjizi and the late emperor were half-brothers and had always wanted to seize the throne. The Tantric Sect is very likely a branch of Tianyan Sect, used to train assassins."
Ye Wanning's heart sank. It turned out that their biggest obstacle wasn't the Li family, but another enemy hidden in the martial world. The Tianyan Sect wanted the military tally and the armory map, hoping to seize the throne through an inside-outside attack.
"Inform the Emperor about what happened here as soon as possible," Pei Zhi said. "The Tianyan Sect is very powerful. If we are not careful, something terrible will definitely happen."
Ye Wanning nodded and put the letter away. "Also, have the secret guards investigate the Tianyan Sect's background, find out where their headquarters is, and how many troops they have. Also, keep an eye on Zhang Yuan's movements; he must know a lot about the Tianyan Sect."
"My lord, young lady, the palace has summoned us. They say Empress Dowager Li is dying and wishes to see Miss Ye one last time," someone from Yingge reported as they entered.
Upon hearing this news, Ye Wanning hesitated. Empress Dowager Li was her mother's biological mother and her maternal grandmother, but back then, in order to protect her own position, she watched helplessly as Duke Li murdered her mother and even tried to conceal her true parentage.
"Wan Ning, should we go and see her?" Pei Zhi noticed her hesitation. "No matter what, she's Mom's family. Maybe we can learn more about Mom from her."
Ye Wanning nodded and followed the eunuch to Cining Palace. A faint smell of medicine filled the palace. Empress Dowager Li lay on her sickbed, her face deathly pale and her breath faint. Seeing Ye Wanning enter, she stretched out a hand, struggling to grasp her: "Wanning...you've come..."
Ye Wanning walked over without saying a word. She looked at Empress Dowager Li, feeling a mix of emotions. This woman was pitiful, lamentable, and hateful.
"Wanning, I'm so sorry to your mother... and so sorry to you..." Empress Dowager Li cried, her tears dripping onto the brocade quilt. "Back then... back then I was also desperate. If the late emperor had known I had an illegitimate daughter, not only would I have died, but the entire Li family would have died..."
"Just say what you want to say," Ye Wanning said calmly.
Empress Dowager Li took another breath. "What I just mentioned about the late emperor's treasure... is fake... It wasn't gold or silver jewelry at all, but rather a map of the armory left behind by the late emperor. It contained a large amount of weapons and provisions, intended to defend against foreign invasion..."
"Why do you say it's a treasure?" Ye Wanning's eyes widened in surprise.
"It's to protect it..." Empress Dowager Li coughed violently, a trace of blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. "The Tianyan Sect has always wanted this map. They say... as long as they get the map, they can control the Great Qi's armory and seize the throne... I could only mislead them by saying it was a 'treasure,' making them think it was just gold and silver jewelry..." She grabbed Ye Wanning's hand, her grip suddenly tightening. "Your mother knows the truth. She hid the map... hidden it in the base of the Guanyin statue in the Ci'an Hall... You must find it, protect it, and not let the Tianyan Sect succeed..."
Before she could finish speaking, Empress Dowager Li's hand went limp, and her eyes closed. The palace maid beside her cried out, "Your Majesty the Empress Dowager! Your Majesty the Empress Dowager!"
Ye Wanning stood in the Cining Palace, her heart empty. Empress Dowager Li had made too many mistakes, but in the end she still told the truth, which could be considered a small way of making amends.
As she left Cining Palace, Pei Zhi was waiting for her at the palace gate. Seeing her pale face, he hurriedly asked, "What's wrong? What did Empress Dowager Li say?"
Ye Wanning repeated the story word by word, and finally said, "In the end, she said that her mother hid the map of Hyogo in the base of the Kannon statue in the Ci'an Hall. Let's go back and take a look."
Pei Zhi nodded, "Alright, let's go back now. But... can we trust Empress Dowager Li's words?"
"Whether you believe it or not, we have to go and see it," Ye Wanning said. "The map of Binggo is related to the safety of the Great Qi, how can we be careless?"
Back at Ci'an Hall, she went straight to the Guanyin statue at the back. The Guanyin statue was sculpted by someone her mother had personally commissioned years ago. It was about three feet tall, made of ordinary material, and had no gold plating. It was usually placed under the pavilion in the courtyard, and no one paid any attention to it.
She circled the Guanyin statue and examined the base carefully. The base was square, about two feet on each side, and its surface was engraved with simple lotus patterns. Ye Wanning squatted down and tapped the side of the base with her finger; the "thump-thump" sound indicated it was hollow—there was indeed a hidden compartment inside!
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