Seeing this, the old Taoist priest quickly spoke up:
"Your Highness, this is not the place to talk. Let's find another place."
Yelü Han stopped crying and looked around. This was a temple, a public place, and certainly not a place for them to talk.
Thinking of this, Yelü Khan said, "Let's go to the secret room."
Ge Kaishan was taken aback; he hadn't expected there to be a secret room in the Taoist temple.
Thinking about it, it makes sense. The second prince fled here for refuge, so he must have taken precautions to ensure his safety. Building a secret room here to avoid danger is very necessary.
Two old Taoist priests walked in front and turned to the back of the statue. There was a long walkway paved with blue bricks.
An old Taoist priest bent down and lifted a blue brick from the ground. There was a small hole under the brick, just big enough to fit an arm.
The old Taoist reached into the cave and manipulated it; an opening appeared behind a god on the shrine.
Ge Kaishan was astonished to see the suddenly appearing cave entrance.
"General Ge, it's very safe inside, let's go in," Yelü Khan said.
Ge Kaishan nodded and followed Yelü Han into the cave. One of the old Taoist priests did not follow in; he remained outside.
Seeing the three enter the cave, the old Taoist priest began to operate, and everything that had just happened was restored to its original state.
Upon entering the cave, there is a long passageway inside, with several oil lamps that, though not very bright, illuminate the path within.
After walking for a while, the group found that the passage began to widen and light appeared at the end.
Soon the three of them walked out of the passage, and the space in front of them opened up into a bright and spacious area.
Ge Kaishan looked back and saw that they had come out of a cave. Looking ahead, there was a huge mountain hollow, surrounded by mountains on all sides, like a giant sinkhole.
The valley is surrounded by cliffs, making it impossible to descend from above. Perhaps this cave is the only entrance and exit into this place.
The terrain in the valley is flat, with large tracts of farmland. As far as the eye can see, there are many people working in the fields.
This place was like a paradise on earth. Ge Kaishan never expected that Yelü Khan would find such a place to hide.
The environment here is unique and very warm. Although it is very cold outside the mountains, the crops here have already grown.
Seeing Ge Kaishan's surprised expression, Yelü Khan spoke:
"When I fled here to seek refuge, I discovered this auspicious place and decided to make it my home. I planted some crops here so that I wouldn't starve to death. Perhaps this is a gift from God."
There are only a few hundred people here, and their power is weak. They don't even have the ability to protect themselves, so they have to be careful in everything they do.
"My palace is ahead, General Ge, please." After saying this, Yelü Khan walked forward.
Ge Kaishan was stunned again. In this mountain valley, Yelü Khan had actually built a palace.
Soon, the group arrived at a bend in the hill, where there were many houses, all thatched, resembling a village.
As Ge Kaishan walked and looked around, he couldn't see any large buildings. Where exactly was the palace that Yelü Khan had mentioned?
The three stopped in front of a brick house. Needless to say, this should be the palace that Yelü Khan had mentioned.
Upon seeing Yelü Khan arrive, a servant came out from the inner room and was about to bow to him when Yelü Khan waved his hand, and the servant immediately retreated back into the room.
"General Ge, this is my temporary palace. I apologize for the humble appearance."
"Your Majesty has suffered because of my incompetence. Fortunately, the storm has passed and the sun is shining again. Once Your Majesty returns to Yanjing and takes charge of the government, the foreign kingdoms will be a completely different place."
"General Ge, please don't try to comfort me. My strength is too weak to accomplish anything great. Returning to Yanjing and taking control of the government is easier said than done."
As Yelü Khan spoke, he led Ge Kaishan into the house, where they sat down in a room, and servants quickly served them tea.
"Your Majesty is overthinking it. Your Majesty's return to the capital to take charge of the government is the will of the people. It is a perfect combination of favorable timing, location, and popular support."
The Great Northern Dynasty currently possesses an army of 300,000, which can greatly assist Your Majesty, enabling Your Majesty to achieve your great cause.
Ge Kaishan's words greatly surprised Yelü Khan, who could not understand their meaning.
"I already knew that the Northern Dynasty's 300,000-strong army was marching north. The foreign kingdom is already in dire straits. How can you say that they are helping me?"
"Your Majesty is unaware of the truth; please allow me to explain in detail."
"General Ge, speak quickly. Could it be that the 300,000-strong army of the Great Northern Dynasty is pressing on our borders to create momentum and provide an opportunity for me?"
"Your Majesty is absolutely right. The Great Northern Dynasty also hopes that Your Majesty will take charge of the government and thoroughly improve the relationship between the two countries."
Next, Ge Kaishan recounted in detail the whole story of how the group came to Mabushan, omitting the rumors and troubles they had spread along the way.
Yelü Khan finally understood. He hadn't expected that the people of the Northern Dynasty would get involved in his plan to ascend the throne, and that they would spare no expense, mobilizing 300,000 troops to tie down all of Yelü Wu's forces and help him with his operation.
Yelü Khan stood up, took a few steps, and bowed deeply to the south to express his gratitude for the assistance provided by the Northern Dynasty.
Then Yelü Khan came to Ge Kaishan and bowed deeply to him.
"General Ge is loyal and devoted to the country, and he works hard for the nation. Please accept my bow."
Yelü Khan's grand gesture was too much for Ge Kaishan to bear, and he was so frightened that he immediately knelt down.
At this moment, the old Taoist priest beside him was overjoyed. He walked up to Yelü Khan and said:
"With the strong support of the Great Northern Dynasty, Your Highness's great cause is likely to succeed."
Yelü Khan was very excited. He grabbed the old Taoist's hand and said:
"Lord He, I never thought our hard times would be over soon, and the legacy left by our ancestors could be saved."
Only then did Yelü Khan remember to introduce the old Taoist priest to Ge Kaishan so they could recognize each other.
This man was a veteran minister of the late emperor. Seventeen or eighteen years ago, he fled here with Yelü Khan. His family had more than a hundred members, most of whom were killed by Yelü Wu, and only a few escaped.
"So it's Lord He, my apologies for not recognizing you."
Ge Kaishan bowed to the old Taoist priest, who quickly returned the bow.
Only then did Yelü Khan speak and ask:
"General Ge, where are General Li Guang, Marquis Zhengyang, and the Princess you just mentioned? I want to visit them."
"Your Majesty, they are in a small village nearby, less than five li from the Taoist temple."
"Very well, General Ge, take me there to meet them."
"As you command!" Ge Kaishan said excitedly.
Then, the three of them left the house, left the small village, returned along the same route, and went back into the cave they had just been in.
The three walked for a while in the cave before being led out through another entrance by the old Taoist priest.
The entrance to the cave is located in a woodshed next to the kitchen, a place where firewood is stored. No one would notice that there is a cave entrance leading into the mountains.
The three of them came out of the cave and headed to the changing room in the dormitory area.
A short while later, Yelü Khan and the old Taoist priest took off their Taoist robes and changed into ordinary clothes.
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