Wang Ruo said, "No, this is their own business and has nothing to do with us. I don't care about Qingliang Valley. As long as we can save the lives of Zhou Xiaozi, his wife, and the children that my sister has watched grow up, that's all."
The gentleman nodded in sudden realization, and as they were about to leave the city, he suggested, "Well, I'll go pick up Xihe first. Where should we meet?"
Wang Ruo replied, "On the hillside of Shouyang Mountain in the suburbs, there is a small courtyard where my master once lived. I will leave a mark for you on the road."
The gentleman was about to leave when he suddenly remembered that Wang Ruo had rushed here on the spur of the moment, fearing that Yao Chen's impulsiveness might cause trouble. If he wanted to stay in the capital permanently, he should make good preparations. "You came in such a hurry, is there anything you'd like to buy?"
At this point, Wang Ruo actually remembered some things she wanted to entrust to him: "Other things are fine, just shave your beard; I didn't notice it before, but now the more I look at it, the more strange it seems. Then buy some clothes. I remember Xihe said he liked stinky tofu, so bring some back too. As for the rest, you can do whatever you want."
"Um."
...Wang Yanzhou and Qinghe left the palace only after they had handed over the affairs of the palace to Shu Yang, who had recovered from his shock, and a group of Emperor Zhao's trusted ministers. Along the way, the two of them tacitly agreed not to mention what had happened that day. Instead, they watched the slowly rising moon and discussed what to eat tonight and whether Tang Chen would cause a quarrel with them on their way back.
The two of them had just stopped in front of the Princess's residence. Before they even got out of the car, the steward of the residence came out in a sweat, anxiously saying, "Prince, Princess, you are finally back!"
Qinghe and Wang Yanzhou smiled at each other and asked, "What happened? Did Achen and the Prince Consort sneak out?"
The steward said with a desperate look on his face, "It would be fine if they slipped away, but these two people were in the room just fine, and they just disappeared out of thin air. We've been looking for them for a while, and there's no sign of them anywhere!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Yanzhou jumped out of the car and said, "I knew that nothing good would happen if these two were together!"
Tang Chen leaned against the cold wall of the dark passage with a look of despair, his eyes fixed on the half-burnt candle in the lantern. He said calmly, "Sir, can I ask you a question?"
Ouyang Ming didn't say anything, but he had already crumpled up the secret passage blueprint that he had previously treasured and thrown it away somewhere unknown.
Tang Chen glanced at Ouyang Ming, who was also feeling hopeless, and continued, "Did you notice anything wrong with this secret passage while you were supervising it?"
Ouyang Ming said dejectedly, "To be honest, this is my first design. I never expected it to fail so badly."
Tang Chen patted his thigh and stood up from the ground: "How about we go back the same way?"
Tang Chen had actually mentioned this plan before, but Ouyang Ming had insisted on leaving, so she had no choice. Now that she had hit a wall, it was time to turn back. "Although I'm a little reluctant, let's go back the way we came."
So, the two turned the car around and walked back the way they came. What they didn't know was that they were only two steps away from the exit of the secret passage.
As they expected, the half candle was not enough to light the lantern. It seemed that it had gone out before they had walked far. Tang Chen had originally wanted to use the last bit of flame to burn the lantern, but considering the smoke and the poor air circulation, it would be more trouble than good if he accidentally choked on it.
After waiting for the fire sticks in their arms to lose their warmth, Tang Chen finally stopped in the darkness. Although she remembered coming in a straight line, she still had to confess something to Ouyang Ming: "Sir, I have something to say, but I'm not sure if I should say it or not."
Ouyang Ming said with an expression that showed he was ready for any emergency. "Alas, it's already late. There's nothing I can't handle. Don't beat around the bush with me."
Tang Chen coughed twice and explained, "It's like this. I was obsessed with embroidering fans for a while. You know, embroidering on round fans. I was obsessed with it and often embroidered in the middle of the night with candles lit. So, now when it's dark, I'm like a blind person. Also, I'm afraid of the dark. In fact, my legs are so weak that I can't even move..."
Ouyang Ming felt tired even sitting in his wheelchair, let alone Tang Chen, who was held in Wang Yanzhou's palm all day long, fearing that he would bump into something and get tired. After much deliberation, he proposed a plan that might be feasible for the time being: "Although there is not enough light in the tunnel, I remember that it was designed to be close to the ground and has plenty of ventilation holes. How about we call for help?"
Tang Chen said without hesitation: "What should I do? I suddenly can't believe you anymore."
Ouyang Ming also said self-deprecatingly: "Actually, I'm doubting myself too."
Tang Chen gathered his thoughts. He couldn't walk any more, but it was better than waiting. "Never mind, just call. What if I get lucky? This is the capital, where every inch of land is worth a lot of money. There are houses everywhere. I feel like I see hope again."
Maybe it was not time to go to Naihe Bridge to drink soup yet, so he shouted in the secret passage for a while, and someone actually heard it.
Seeing that it was already completely dark, Zhang Qiluo went out and lit up the lanterns outside the tailor shop. The shop would be open for another hour before closing. Seeing that there were not many customers at the moment, he asked the shop assistants to start counting the fabrics and materials and the bill for the day, then went back to the back room to take a break.
As soon as he entered the room, he saw the second shopkeeper, his cousin Pan Ting, standing in front of the wall with his hands on his hips and a serious look on his face. He must have been standing there for a while. How could he not remember being punished today? "What's wrong with you today? When I went out to light the lamp, you kept staring at the wall. Everything outside is arranged, and you're still staring. Are you facing the wall and thinking about your mistakes?"
Pan Ting explained thoughtfully: "No, did you hear any strange noises coming from inside?"
Zhang Qiluo saw that he didn't look like he was joking with her, so she glanced at him and put her ear against the wall to listen carefully. There was indeed a sound coming from inside, which was quite creepy.
"Really? It's a bit creepy... What are you going to do?!"
Before he could express his opinion, his cousin couldn't help but rush out and found a hammer from somewhere, just to demolish the house: "I'm going to chisel it open and see!"
Zhang Qiluo was stunned. This store belonged to the boss. If he smashed it, how would he explain it? "Are you crazy?"
Pan Ting righteously explained, "I'm not crazy. I'm doing this for safety. We're a tailor shop on the surface, but we're doing shady work. It's better to be safe than sorry."
Zhang Qiluo grabbed the hammer from his hand and said, "Oh, I think you've been listening to too many rumors and have gone crazy!"
Seeing that the hammer was about to be snatched away, Pan Ting hurriedly said, "I don't care. I have to take a look today no matter what. At worst, I'll pay for the repairs!"
Zhang Qiluo stopped immediately after hearing this: "That's great, I'll help you smash it."
“Stingy!”
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