The punishment of the female imperial court

Chapter 279 Ink

"The play in my main hall is at its most exciting part. The night is long, so why don't you come and watch, Lord Yu? I just recommended that distinguished guest, but unfortunately, he was too busy and declined. If you would be so kind as to grace us with your presence, I will certainly arrange the best seats for you."

Yu Qiansi tilted her head: "I don't like it."

The commotion below grew louder, and the man in black urged them on in a low voice.

Yun Zhongjun sighed: "Then please make yourself at home, Lord Yu."

Yu Qian made a show of leaving downstairs and disappearing into the shadows. Only after the footsteps had completely faded away did she return and enter the small hall.

When Bo Yi pushed open the door, he brought with him a scent mixed with sulfur and sandalwood. His cuffs were still stained with damp mud, and there were new scratches on his knuckles. "You've worked hard." Yu Qian Si handed him a plain handkerchief, the dark patterns embroidered on the corner of the handkerchief faintly visible in the firelight.

Bo Yi shook his head, water droplets falling from his hair splashing tiny flowers on the blue bricks: "Apart from being a bit smelly, it's nothing."

“Now, we have time to see why Yun Zhongjun is afraid of you.” Yu Qiansi lightly tapped the window frame with her fingertips. A thin layer of dust accumulated on the sandalwood window frame, leaving fine lines on her fingertips. Outside the window, the branches of an old plum tree cast a jagged shadow on the Xuan paper window.

Previously, she had asked the people in the Criminal Investigation Department, and Sui Feng had also been to Yunzhong City, and had never heard of anyone stopping him. Therefore, it was rather unusual that Lord Yunzhong specifically refused to let Boyi come.

Moreover, Shi Mo'er was found by Boyi under a different identity.

Yu Qiansi realized that Yunzhong City would provide each guest with similar clothes and masks, yet the man in black beside Yunzhongjun always managed to find her accurately. Clearly, there must be some identifying mark on these pre-prepared garments.

If what she predicted is true, then every guest in Yunzhong City is probably under the control of Yunzhong Jun.

Therefore, he had to find another way.

Just as Yunzhong City has its own path, so too does the Ghost Market. However, even if ordinary people know this path, they would find it difficult to traverse it.

So she asked a few old beggars who had received her favors to take Boyi to the ghost market.

The moonlight in the wild graveyard was as pale as frost, making the inscriptions on the broken tombstones appear bluish-gray. The beggar who was leading the way and Boyi lifted a broken tombstone inscribed with "Filial Son and Virtuous Grandson," startling a swarm of woodlice, which scattered and fled in all directions among the cracks in the stones.

The entrance to the tomb passage reeked of a sour, rotten smell of moldy silk and decaying wood, like a gaping maw.

Bo Yi took a deep breath of fresh air and, steeling himself, rushed into the tomb passage.

The mud inside was thick and sticky like porridge, and every step felt like walking on rotting entrails. Bo Yi's leggings were already soaked through, the cold mud seeping into his boots, and unknown creatures were crawling up his legs. Water droplets condensed on the walls and dripped down, and in the dim light of the candle, insects could be seen swimming around in the mud.

Even worse, the tomb passage reeked. The stench came from various sources, and while Boyi could initially distinguish them, he soon felt like vomiting.

He recalled the scenes on the battlefield countless times, and felt that what he was hearing now was even more disgusting than the enemy corpses that had been exposed to the scorching sun for more than a month.

“We’re here,” the lead beggar suddenly stopped, pointing his right hand, missing an index finger, to the wooden plank above his head. Moonlight filtering through the cracks revealed countless dust particles floating like a miniature snowstorm.

Bo Yi pushed aside the wooden plank, and several fat rats scurried across the shallows, their claws slipping on the wet moss, making squeaking noises.

Fortunately, at the end of this road was the shallow beach beneath the ghost market. He dodged the two guards at the entrance of the ghost market, took off his dirty clothes as a beggar, and carefully washed himself before feeling a little better.

Unfortunately, his fire didn't do much good.

Fortunately, a significant commotion suddenly broke out in the ghost market, which managed to lure Yun Zhongjun away.

"Is everything going well?"

“Tonight, there have been too many unexpected people.” She frowned, looking around the empty little hall, searching for places where there might be hidden mechanisms or secret passages. “I just saw the young master.”

Upon hearing this name that he hadn't heard in a long time, Bo Yi's heart sank.

Aru always paid special attention to anything related to him.

He lowered his eyes and smiled, exhaling a breath of stale air: "I'll help you."

Unfortunately, this little hall was too empty. Apart from a table, two chairs, and a lamp, there was nothing else.

It makes one somewhat unsure how to find it.

This place is situated on high ground and connects Cloud City and Ghost City, so it must be more complex than it appears on the surface.

It conceals complexity within simplicity, yet leaves no trace—truly a brilliant technique.

Yu Qiansi walked to the spot where the man in black had been standing.

This spot happened to be in the shadow of the candlelight.

She touched the blue brick wall and stepped on the blue stone bricks on the ground, but found nothing.

If the mechanism isn't here, then it's probably next to the table.
"Boyi, go and take a look at that table."

Bo Yi stepped into the candlelight, and was momentarily stunned by the warmth.

Yu Qiansi's heart skipped a beat: "What did you discover?"

"This taste"

Yu Qiansi looked at the table, which was brightly lit by candlelight: "It's made from a single piece of agarwood, which is indeed luxurious. Plus, we brewed two different teas tonight. Did you smell anything else unusual?"

Bo Yi nodded, thought for a moment, then shook his head. "Tonight, my nose is probably ruined by the smoke."

He ran his fingertips across the tabletop, feeling a tiny groove at a bend in the pattern.

The wall in front of Yu Qiansi receded, silently revealing a hidden compartment.

She reached out and took some things, besides the bronze box from before.

She carried everything to the table, picked up the bronze box first, and examined it carefully by the flickering candlelight.

If the young master has an agreement with Lord Yunzhong, he must be included in it.

Unfortunately, the bronze box was too complicated to find the mechanism, and she dared not touch it.

While Yu Qiansi was studying the box, Bo Yi also started looking through other documents.

These messy pages made the air around the candlelight stagnate like glue, filled with the musty smell of old paper and ink sticks.

"Do you still remember that 'exquisite opening' in the villa on the outskirts of Beijing?"

What was the series of mechanisms that locked Ya Yin up?
Bo Yi spread a tattered booklet in front of her: "You said you saw it in the dungeon of the Ghost Market, this should be it."

However, the one they encountered was modified to reflect their specific circumstances at the time.

Yu Qiansi put down the box, took the booklet, and casually flipped through it.

The booklet was printed on soft, thick, and dense paper, which had yellowed and turned grayish, but the ink lines remained clear and fresh. The ink stamp in the lower right corner of each diagram had gold powder mixed in with the ink, which was faintly visible in the candlelight.

"ink?"

Could it be the Mo family, one of the four great families?
How did the Mo family get involved with Yun Zhongjun?

She felt that tonight's trip had not only failed to resolve her doubts, but had instead created even more questions.

Yun Zhongjun not only possesses the Mo family's mechanisms, but he's also searching for members of the Yi family. What exactly is he planning to do?