Tang Dynasty Hidden Guards

The Prince Shao's Mansion is located in Qinghua Ward. It is a large mansion covering 20 acres. It is diagonally opposite Qingfeng Restaurant, less than 50 steps away, and next to Shangwanlou Restaurant, separated by only one wall.

It was the first watch of the night when the three of them came out from the backyard of Qingfeng Restaurant. They would stay there for the night.

Yuan Min then told Xue Wei a secret: the five-acre house opposite the Prince Shao's mansion was Xue Wei's own house.

"So Li Chongrun and I are neighbors?" Xue Wei was surprised.

Yuan Min rolled her eyes at him. "You two live across the hall. Your neighbor is Qingfeng Restaurant."

Xue Wei then realized that Qingfeng Restaurant was right next to his own house, and he had seen it the first time he had dinner with Yuan Min.

"You did this on purpose, didn't you! Building Qingfeng Restaurant right next to my house?"

"What an idiot! It's not like it's the main branch of Qingfeng Restaurant, is this really necessary?"

"Shh—" Zuo Qingling shushed them softly, leading them into a small alley and towards the back gate of the Prince's Mansion.

Zuo Qingling had already observed the Prince's residence for a while and was very familiar with the situation inside.

"The palace has been sealed off. There were a hundred soldiers stationed in the backyard before, but they withdrew three days ago. I have observed them for three days and they have not returned. However, there are still people guarding the front yard. The central courtyard and the backyard are sealed off, and there is no one inside."

She led the two to a small door. "This is a side door, used specifically for people who do odd jobs. This door isn't sealed."

Xue Wei and Yuan Min then realized that the door indeed wasn't sealed. "Why?"

"It originally existed, but it was torn off by someone with ulterior motives."

"A person with a keen eye?" Xue Wei asked with a smile, "Someone like us?"

"Pretty much. Anyway, there's nothing of value left in the palace. Even the smaller pieces of furniture have been taken. But it wasn't thieves; it was one of those hundred soldiers who stole from the palace."

Zuo Qingling leaped onto the high wall and quickly opened the door from the inside.

Xue Wei led Yuan Min in, and then the small door closed.

Yuan Min's hands were trembling slightly; she was a little nervous. Today, Yuan Min was also wearing a tight-fitting samurai outfit, which perfectly outlined her slender waist, full figure, and long legs. Xue Wei, who was standing next to her, stared at her intently.

"Don't...don't be nervous!"

Xue Wei swallowed hard, his eyes glancing again at those perfectly rounded, slender legs. "Let's just pretend we're visiting our neighbors across the hall!"

Yuan Min, however, did not notice Xue Wei's distraction. She remained silent, holding Xue Wei's hand tightly, as if afraid he would let go of her.

Zuo Qingling led the way, passing through a long corridor and several moon gates. The cold moonlight shone into the mansion, casting an eerie silver hue over it. The eeriness came from the silence, from the fact that there was no one in the mansion.

As I walked past the houses, the doors were all open, and the houses were empty. The gardens were overgrown with weeds that were half a person tall, and the ponds were dry. Everywhere was a scene of desolation and ruin.

A hundred soldiers had been stationed here for a year, and had long since turned the place into a dilapidated mess.

"Old Xue, do you think this place will become a paradise for homeless people in the future?"

"It's unlikely. Homeless people need to climb over walls every day, so they're easy to spot. Once caught, their lives are in danger. They're not stupid."

Zuo Qingling led them into a courtyard and gently beckoned, "Young master, this is the study. There's a secret room inside!"

Xue Wei asked in confusion, "How did you figure that out?"

Zuo Qingling smiled, "A family tradition!"

Xue Wei then remembered that Yuan Min had said that Zuo Qingling's grandmother, Granny Zuo, was a famous mechanical master in Luoyang.

The three entered the study, which was completely empty. There was nothing there. Next door was a rest room with only a large bed.

Zuo Qingling pointed to a wall and said, "The secret room should be here. The outside length is seven feet longer than the room length, but I don't know where the switch is."

"Will there be any hidden weapons used to injure people?"

Zuo Qingling shook her head. "My mother-in-law said that there are no hidden weapons in a commonly used secret room, only in a sealed secret room. Otherwise, it is easy to hurt yourself."

That's true.

Yuan Min suddenly said, "Qingling, go outside and keep watch!"

Zuo Qingling quickly left, and Yuan Min explained in a low voice, "I'm afraid she'll see something she shouldn't see."

Xue Wei nodded and went straight up to erect the bed, which was made of wooden planks.

Xue Wei took out a wooden hammer and tapped it little by little. When he hit the middle square, he heard a thud, and the square below was hollow.

"Here it is!"

Yuan Min perked up and quickly moved closer, her eyes wide as she watched Xue Wei's every move.

Xue Wei drew his dagger and pried open the wooden board. "Look, there used to be a small pull ring here, but it was cut off by the sharp dagger. I guess Li Chongrun realized he was in danger, so he cut off the pull ring directly, making it difficult for outsiders to find the mechanism here."

Yuan Min nodded, a little scared, and asked, "What if there's a snake inside?"

"How stupid! How can a snake survive for a year without food or water?"

Yuan Min fell silent and secretly pinched his lower back. How dare he call himself stupid.

Xue Wei had just opened the lid a crack when he heard a hissing sound. "Damn it!" he cursed under his breath, and quickly pulled Yuan Min back.

The lid was lifted, and a black and white banded snake slowly poked its head out.

Yuan Min screamed and clung tightly to Xue Wei's arm, trembling with fear.

Are you afraid of snakes?

"I was bitten by a snake when I was a child, and I'm afraid of ropes now."

Unable to shake her off, Xue Wei had no choice but to pull out a throwing knife and shoot it. "Thud!" It hit the snake's head squarely, pinning the snake's head to the wooden board.

The snake thrashed about desperately, but eventually came to a stop.

After waiting for a while, no more snakes crawled out. Xue Wei patted Yuan Min's arm to signal her not to be afraid. He drew his sword, went up, and chopped off the snake's head with one stroke. Then he lifted the snake out of the window, taking the snake's head with him.

"You still say there's no snake!" Yuan Min complained in a low voice.

"Li Chongrun deliberately placed this there; he didn't tell me!"

Xue Wei carefully used his sword to pry open the lid. Underneath the lid was a small square space surrounded by copper walls. In the center was a copper ring with a chain below it. The snake had climbed up the chain.

Xue Wei gripped the copper ring and pulled hard. A piercing creaking sound was heard, and a door suddenly cracked open in the originally smooth wall.

Their eyes widened in surprise. They hadn't noticed the door in the wall at all; it was so perfectly sealed.

The door is made of high-quality steel and weighs at least several thousand kilograms.

After waiting for a moment, Xue Wei took Yuan Min's hand and they walked into the secret room together. Yuan Min hid behind Xue Wei, trembling with fear, afraid that the secret room had become a snake pit.

Xue Wei raised the lantern, and the scene inside the secret room appeared before them. The secret room was not large, only seven or eight square meters, but it was at least ten feet high. Inside, there were hundreds of wooden boxes stacked on top of each other. The wooden boxes had words on them: "Military Salary of the Righteous Army".

Xue Wei immediately understood that this was the money raised by Li Xian and his son for the rebellion, and it was obviously not copper coins, but gold and silver.

But Xue Wei wasn't looking for money; he was looking for the words Li Chongrun had said before he died: what kind of treasure was in the secret room?

"Old Xue, look here!"

When Xue Wei turned around, he noticed a row of wooden shelves on the wall next to him, with three items on them—or rather, three sandalwood boxes of different sizes.

"Take it!"

Xue Wei handed the lantern to Yuan Min. He then took down the largest box, which had a small gold lock on it. Xue Wei twisted it gently and it broke.

Opening the box revealed a dragon robe and a soaring crown, but that wasn't particularly interesting.

Xue Wei then opened the medium-sized box next to him. Yuan Min leaned closer, and the contents inside stunned them both.

Inside was a jade seal, square and upright, with five dragons coiled around the top of the seal knob. Xue Wei suddenly noticed that one corner was patched with gold, and his brain went blank.

Impossible! How could the Imperial Seal of the State be here?

With trembling hands, he took out the jade seal, and sure enough, the bottom was engraved with the eight characters "Received the Mandate of Heaven, May Your Life Be Long and Prosperous".

Yuan Min was also stunned. "This is...this is a national treasure! How did it get here?"

Xue Wei immediately understood that this was the treasure Li Chongrun had mentioned. There was also an even smaller box, but Xue Wei didn't want to look at it anymore, so he grabbed it and put it in his pocket.

He handed the box containing the Imperial Seal of the State to Yuan Min, and then picked up the large box himself.

"Let's go first!"

What should we do with the valuables inside?

"We'll come back to transport them next time. Once they're ready, we'll move them to our residence."

Yuan Min had a sudden inspiration, "Why don't I buy the Shangwanlou next door? Shangguan Wan'er agreed that I can sell it for 50,000 guan."

"Sure! We can sell it after we're done."

After the two left the secret chamber, Xue Wei pulled the copper ring again, and the stainless steel door to the secret chamber slowly closed.

"What could be inside that little box?" Yuan Min asked curiously.

"I don't know either, I'll check when I get back!"