The immortal of the Tang Dynasty, but the game starts at Xuanwu Gate?

Zhao Baishan stammered as he confessed to hiding the money in several places: a secret cellar in the west of the city, a hidden compartment in the pawnshop in the south of the city, and under an inconspicuous charitable estate outside the city.

There are still quite a few places.

Chen Huai'an listened calmly, nodded, and gestured for his attendant to take notes.

They asked him a few more questions about how he usually conducted his business, what methods he used, and what shady dealings he engaged in.

Zhao Baishan was now completely open with information, even revealing the color of his underwear that he had worn that day.

He Ming stood to the side, his eyes blazing with fury, muttering something indistinctly, but unfortunately, he was missing half a tooth, so no one could hear him clearly.

Chen Huai'an turned and glanced at him, saying calmly, "Don't worry, your share will be accounted for later as well."

A hint of fear appeared in He Ming's eyes, but he still held onto a sliver of hope.

"You three, come here," Chen Huai'an called the three men over and said, "Now's your chance to prove your worth. Send men to the place he just mentioned and find all the money."

"Okay!"

When it came to raising money, Cheng Chumo and his two companions became even more excited, patting their chests and promising to get it done.

After the three left, Chen Huai'an squatted down in front of He Ming, seemingly talking to himself, "Actually, I roughly know that Zhao Baishan is just a small fish, while you are the big fish. However, you are tough, and normal methods definitely won't make you talk."

"Furthermore, you seem to still have hope in Pei Ji, believing that he will definitely come to rescue you?"

"But what if I told you that those three boys were the eldest sons of the Duke of Su, the eldest son of the Duke of Cao, and the fourth son of Tang Jian, the Duke of Ju?"

Chen Huai'an smiled and said, "As Pei Ji's retainer, you must have been educated and know what it means to have a new emperor and a new court."

"Do you still think Pei Ji can protect you?"

He Ming was completely stunned.

No wonder...

No wonder these people are so arrogant. At first, he thought they were just people with some background, but he never expected that they would have such a powerful background.

Duke of Su, Duke of Cao, Duke of Ju.

They were all powerful dukes...

"He Ming, I think people should think more about themselves. What do you think?"

Chen Huai'an said something meaningful.

He Ming remained silent for a long time, a struggle flashing in his eyes, before falling silent again.

Clearly, he still had no intention of betraying Pei Ji.

Chen Huai'an was not annoyed and said to himself, "Now you should understand that if you want the formula for the Beauty Pass, you are not offending an ordinary merchant, but the interests of several dukes."

"Zhao Baishan has already confessed. His actions over the years are so egregious that he is almost universally condemned."

"Do you really think that as Zhao Baishan's uncle, the one who provides him with protection, he can escape?"

"Given that you've infringed upon the interests of three dukes, do you think Pei Jiming will protect you once he knows your actions have been exposed?"

He Ming remained silent.

Chen Huai'an understood: "It seems you guessed the same thing as me. You are a big fish. You hold something that Pei Ji will never give up, so you are still stubborn and firmly believe that Pei Ji will protect you."

He Ming's expression changed completely, and the look in his eyes as he looked at Chen Huai'an was filled with deep fear.

He hadn't even said a word, yet the other party had already guessed this far!

Chen Huai'an clicked his tongue, leaned close to He Ming's ear, and whispered, "But what if I told you that most of the costs of this deal were covered by the Crown Princess, Lady Changsun?"

"Isn't the girl you're pressuring, named Shen He, a lady-in-waiting to the Crown Princess?"

Upon hearing this, He Ming's pupils contracted rapidly; he couldn't believe what he had just heard.

He mumbled something.

Chen Huai'an didn't understand, but it didn't matter; he didn't need to understand: "You should know very well that you won't survive. You and your nephew are doomed!"

"I'm not asking you to tell me any dirty deeds that Pei Ji secretly made you do. I just want you to tell me what you're relying on, and what makes you think Pei Ji will definitely protect you."

"Tell me this, and before tonight, arrangements will be made for your family and your nephew's family to leave Chang'an and get away from this vortex."

He Ming lay sprawled on the ground, his face ashen, his eyes lifeless, without uttering a single word.

Chen Huai'an was not in a hurry and waited patiently.

Just when Chen Huai'an thought it would take a long time for He Ming to make up his mind, he tried to stand up but failed; he was too badly injured.

So He Ming could only turn to the side and write a line on the ground with his bloodied finger.

"East of the city, in the ancient forest courtyard, in the hidden cellar under the bed in the side room... spare my family."

Chen Huai'an said earnestly to He Ming, "I promise you, this is a promise."

He Ming stared intently at him, then after a while, gave a self-deprecating laugh and closed his eyes.

While the great figures in the heavens are engaged in battles of magic, for insignificant people like them... even self-preservation is a luxury.

"..."

After some time, Cheng Chumo and the other two ran back excitedly: "Sir, we found it! We did a rough count, and it's at least 60,000 or 70,000 strings of cash. We're rich!"

"I'll send you the dam!" Chen Huai'an rolled his eyes at him, annoyed. "Have two people keep an eye on them, the rest of you come with me to one place."

Cheng Chumo scratched his head, wondering if he had said something wrong.

However, he didn't ask any more questions and did whatever the master told him to do.

And so, the group that had just returned immediately headed to the east of the city.

After searching for a while and asking around among many people, they finally found their destination.

This is a relatively secluded courtyard called Gulin Courtyard.

"Sir, what are we doing here?" Li Zhen asked, puzzled.

Chen Huai'an casually said, "I don't know either. I got the information from He Ming. I asked him for a long time, but he just wouldn't say anything and only wrote down his name."

The three little brothers: "..."

Don't you have any idea why they're not saying anything?

He's lucky to be alive after that slap.

"Let's go, we'll know once we go in." Chen Huai'an kicked the door open and stepped inside.

The three brothers were dumbfounded.

Is this even human?

If I'm not mistaken, the front door is locked, right?

The three looked at each other, and in the end, without saying anything, they followed him inside.

Following He Ming's directions, Chen Huai'an found a hidden cellar under the bed in the side room.

Chen Huai'an went down without hesitation, and the three brothers immediately followed.

As soon as they came down, lit the candles, and saw what was inside the dark cellar, the four of them were struck dumb, standing there in disbelief.

Even Chen Huai'an was no exception.

Cheng Chumo was so frightened that his legs went weak and he knelt down: "I...my goodness..."

"......"