Chapter 364: Secret Passage (Part 2)
The secret passage was winding, and there was a eunuch leading the way with a lantern.
There were several forks in the road, and Sun Wei could only barely remember the direction.
When they arrived at a mechanism, the eunuch leading the way pressed the button three times, but there was no response from the other end.
He pressed the button again, and the mechanism slowly opened.
The eunuch walked over first, and soon he suddenly exclaimed, "Greetings to the Crown Princess!"
Zhao Tong frowned, glanced at Sun Wei, and whispered, "For the sake of the lady, please don't speak."
Without waiting for Sun Wei's consent, Zhao Tong hurried out of the secret passage.
"Your Highness, your Highness." Zhao Tong bowed.
"It's been a while since I last saw Manager Zhao," Wang Yao asked. "Why don't you go through the main gate but choose to take the secret passage?"
Zhao Tong replied respectfully, "I am on a mission and just taking a shortcut."
"So there are so many secret passages in this palace, and I had no idea about them," Wang Yao said coldly. "No wonder the Crown Prince has been so elusive lately and suddenly said he wants to marry a concubine. Did he leave through here?"
"Replying to the Crown Princess, I just returned and I don't know about the matter of accepting Liangdi."
Wang Yao looked around for a while and asked, "Where does this secret passage lead to?"
Zhao Tong looked hesitant. "Crown Princess, this secret passage can only be entered with the Crown Prince's permission. If you want to know, I'm afraid you'll need the Crown Prince's permission."
“What if I must watch it today?”
"I still say the same thing. Without the Crown Prince's consent, we cannot let you go."
Wang Yao saw that she couldn't force her way in, so she left with a "humph".
After she left, Zhao Tong hurriedly ordered someone to open the secret passage, but Sun Wei was nowhere to be found.
Zhao Tong knew something bad had happened and quickly sent someone to look for him.
"There's no need to go to the Jingyuan end. She can't open the mechanism there. Look for the other exits."
The other exits led to abandoned palace rooms, all of which were locked. Since she was alone, she probably couldn't escape.
only……
He was startled and hurried towards the nearest exit.
There were a few lights on in the dim palace room.
A man was leaning on a couch, holding a scroll in his hand. Seeing Zhao Tong hurried in, he slowly stood up and asked, "Your Highness, has your Highness come to consult me again?"
Zhao Tong looked around and asked, "Did anyone break into Mr. Li's residence just now?"
Li Mo sneered: "There's someone here? Besides me, there are only ghosts here."
As he spoke, he lay down again and said, "So it's not the Crown Prince who's here."
Zhao Tong said nothing, but just winked at the eunuchs behind him, and they immediately began to search the room carefully.
Li Mo looked up at the scene and asked leisurely, "The steward should take care of my affairs. The weather is cold and the wind is strong in the yard. Why don't you bring me some charcoal basins and bedding?"
Zhao Tong glanced at him and said, "The charcoal basin and bedding will be delivered. However, if Mr. Li has seen anyone, please confess the truth to avoid unnecessary suffering."
Zhao Tong said this, looking at Li Mo's fingers. They were still wrapped in thick cloth, clearly not yet healed.
Li Mo didn't care.
"Now, anyone with a mouth can use my finger to make trouble. Two days ago, the steward's servant who brought me food mocked me, saying that my finger was gone and there was no need to bring me chopsticks. However, I also want to remind Steward Zhao that my finger is reserved for the crown prince, and it is not the steward's place to threaten me."
Zhao Tong's expression darkened.
The palace Li Mo was in consisted of a single room, its tables, chairs, beds, and wardrobes clearly visible. Outside, in a small courtyard, there wasn't even a tree, let alone a hiding place. Zhao Tong's men searched the entire palace, finding no one, and moved on to other rooms.
Before leaving, Zhao Tong was more cautious and left a eunuch to guard the place.
The door to the passage was closed and the mechanism sounded. Only Li Mo and the eunuch were left in the room.
The eunuch looked at Li Mo, feeling rather embarrassed.
This palace was used to imprison concubines who had committed crimes. Every courtyard was guarded. This was the innermost one. The room was dark and only had one room, without even a spare chair.
The eunuch found a place to squat by the wall.
Suddenly seeing Li Mo looking at him, he immediately stood up.
Li Mo got off the couch, walked to his side, moved the wardrobe against the wall as if no one was around, and then said, "Give me your hairpin."
The eunuch hadn't reacted yet when he saw a hairpin suddenly appear in Li Mo's hand, and he raised his hand to stab his neck.
Li Mo suppressed the eunuch's screams in his hands.
In a moment, he fell in a pool of blood.
Li Mo continued to move the wardrobe. There was a narrow hole inside, and Sun Wei was hiding inside.
Li Mo said, "Come out."
"Did you dig this narrow hole, sir?" Sun Wei asked.
"I dug it when I had nothing better to do," Li Mo said. "I was wondering if I could get through the wall. But the wall is very thick. I couldn't get through it even after several days of digging. It's a good thing for the lady."
Sun Wei nodded, glanced at the eunuch lying on the ground, and asked, "Sir, you killed him. When Zhao Tong comes later, how are you going to explain it?"
"So, your time is running out," Li Mo said. "Just now, your Majesty made a deal with me. I helped her, and you managed to get me out. Now it's your turn to help."
What she said just now was of course a temporary measure. How could she know how to escape right then?
But in this situation, she couldn't just sit there and wait for death.
She recalled the direction of the route she had just taken, looked at the wall that was too thick to be penetrated, and estimated her current location in her mind.
Fortunately, she was quite familiar with the palace.
She glanced at Li Mo and said, "I'm afraid I'd better trouble you to tell me one more thing."
"Madam, are you trying to cheat?"
"Sir, if you kill this eunuch, there is only one way to leave. If I don't help, what can you do to me?"
Li Mo sighed and shook his head: "I have been hurt badly by the Lady in my life. What does the Lady want to ask?"
"What exactly is your Highness planning?"
——
The prince hurried to Xianyang Palace.
The emperor was critically ill, and outside the palace were already kneeling courtiers of all ranks waiting for his orders.
The eunuchs outside the palace hurriedly bowed. The prince whispered, "Is Prince Yuzhang in there?"
"That's right. After His Majesty regained consciousness for a while, Prince Yuzhang went in and is still inside."
The prince gritted his teeth and said, "Didn't I say that no one can enter Xianyang Palace without my permission?"
"It was someone from the Empress Dowager's palace who brought Prince Yuzhang in. We were unable to stop them..." Before he could finish his words, he was kicked over by the Crown Prince.
The prince had a gloomy face, clenched his fists, and then walked in.
In the bedroom, the emperor had already lain down. Sima Jun was kneeling before the bed, tucking the quilt in for the emperor.
Seeing the prince coming, he stood up and saluted.
The prince glanced at the emperor lying on the bed. He saw that his eyes were slightly closed, as if he had fallen asleep again.
The Crown Prince glanced at Sima Jun, who was still kneeling on the ground, and asked, "Excuse me, please. Didn't I say that you are not allowed to enter the palace without my permission?"
Sima Jun said calmly, "If I hadn't done the opposite, why would the Crown Prince be willing to see me? Where did the Crown Prince take my people?"
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