When Ji Yuluo mentioned “Mingxiang Pavilion,” Huo Xian was convinced she wasn’t lying. This teahouse indeed belonged to the Xiao family. Xiao Yuanting had once hosted a so-called poetry gathering here, where a group of ignorant noble children used it as an excuse to fool around. By the end of that event, Xiao Yuanting had lost interest and said the teahouse was dull, wasting such a good location, and he intended to turn it into a tavern.
Huo Xian didn’t know what happened afterward, but it was likely left unsettled.
The two stood in the narrow alley. This was the back door of the teahouse. The carriage that had taken her to the Xiao residence yesterday had returned, and Zhao Yong had gone back to the palace.
Huo Xian looked up at the tea room Ji Yuluo had pointed out.
Thinking carefully, the Duke’s residence wasn’t completely unrelated to Zhao Yong. The Yunyang case three years ago involved Ji Yuluo, who was determined to kill Zhao Yong, indirectly proving Zhao Yong had some connection to Yunyang. Moreover, he had once inquired about Yunyang’s old case from Sheng Lanxin. All these clues put together suggested that Yunyang held significant meaning for Zhao Yong. Ten years ago, Xiao Cheng, serving as a patrol censor, had stayed in Xuanzhou, with Yunyang being its main city.
Too much of a coincidence.
Huo Xian stood below the teahouse for a long time and asked her, “Is there only one path directly to the imperial city?”
Ji Yuluo furrowed her brows in thought. She had been in such pain that day, she couldn’t be sure. She hesitated, “There might be a few secret rooms.”
After saying this, Ji Yuluo had a bad feeling, and sure enough, Huo Xian said, “Let’s go and see.”
Ji Yuluo immediately refused, “No.”
She rejected so decisively, her expression inexplicably wary, that it made Huo Xian pause and look at her. Ji Yuluo quickly regained her usual composure and said, “That tea room is where the manager takes a nap. The doors and windows are tightly closed. If we break in, it will surely arouse suspicion. If they stop using the secret passage, it will be more trouble than it’s worth.”
Her reasoning seemed flawless. However, Huo Xian replied, “Breaking in isn’t necessary. Aren’t you good at starting fires?”
Ji Yuluo fell silent for a moment, wanting to say something, but he cut her off, “What, are you trying to deceive me? Or have you set traps in the secret passage? Then you must go with me, otherwise, I won’t feel at ease.”
“…”
Huo Xian called Nanyue over and gave a few instructions. Shortly after, thick smoke began to billow from the teahouse, followed by a stronger smell of burning, with three nearby shops catching fire.
If only one shop caught fire, it would be suspicious, but if several did, it would seem like an accident. Besides, one of the adjacent shops sold buns, and it was common for the kitchen to accidentally catch fire.
The teahouse quickly became chaotic with people fetching water to extinguish the fire.
Ji Yuluo took advantage of the chaos to enter the tea room. It was still as tidy and elegant as it had been yesterday.
Huo Xian stood and observed, while Ji Yuluo skillfully triggered the mechanism, and the wall before them swung open.
Even though he already knew about it, seeing this passageway leading to the imperial palace still amazed Huo Xian.
For such a strictly guarded place as the imperial palace, Zhao Yong had secretly dug this passage. It was quite a feat, and this secret passage might have existed even longer than Zhao Yong had been by his side.
Huo Xian, carrying an oil lamp, walked in.
After a few steps, Ji Yuluo remained where she was, staring at the passage for a long time before following at a leisurely pace.
The weak light from the oil lamp only illuminated a small area.
The damp, metallic smell wafted over, making Ji Yuluo clench her hand silently as she explored, using the wall for support.
She remembered that not far ahead, a part of the stone wall was missing, indicating another path. However, at the time, she had been in so much pain that she just kept walking straight without looking around much.
Huo Xian was walking in front and noticed the footsteps behind him slowing down. He turned around, “What’s wrong?”
Ji Yuluo replied, “Nothing, it should be just ahead.”
Huo Xian stood still, seemingly scrutinizing her, but it was too dark to see anything clearly. He then turned and continued walking.
Sure enough, it wasn’t long before the continuous wall ended, and on the left was a descending stone staircase leading to a secret room.
Perhaps they hadn’t expected outsiders to come here, as there was not even a door.
Inside, there was no decoration, resembling a makeshift prison cell with a few boxes placed on a pile of straw. Opening them, they found all silver.
It was government silver.
Huo Xian held the oil lamp to inspect it closely. There wasn’t much, roughly estimated at around ten thousand taels. It was an amount that was difficult to hide in the palace but seemed excessive to dig a secret room for hiding.
Moreover, with Zhao Yong’s power and status, a mere ten thousand taels of silver was nothing. He could have just transported it to a private residence, and no one would question the source. But—
“This isn’t all,” Ji Yuluo knelt down on one knee, staring at a pile of straw with an imprint next to it. “These boxes were probably not yet transported out. There should be more.”
Huo Xian held the lamp closer and indeed saw the surrounding straw piles had been compressed into square shapes by heavy objects.
Huo Xian frowned.
Honestly, since ancient times, eunuchs have sought power and wealth. Zhao Yong was also greedy. Just the annual “audience money” from officials outside the capital was a significant amount, but he embezzled even less than Huo Xian did. Compared to wealth, Zhao Yong seemed to enjoy the thrill of high positions and supreme power more.
But now it seemed, he did need money after all.
However, what role the Duke’s residence played in this was still unknown.
In the silence, Ji Yuluo suddenly spoke, “It seems Zhao Yong doesn’t consider you one of his own, not even involving you in money-making affairs.”
She was trying to sow discord.
Huo Xian chuckled, “Yes, it’s truly heartbreaking.”
Ji Yuluo calmly said, “There’s nothing to be heartbroken about. After all, Lord Huo doesn’t see eye to eye with Zhao Yong on everything. Even biological fathers and sons have rifts, let alone you two.”
Huo Xian turned his head to look at her in the darkness, seeing only her smooth outline and small chin. Such a delicate and pretty young girl, “What are you trying to say?”
She preferred to speak after they got out.
Ji Yuluo closed her eyes to endure it, forcing herself to calm down and regulate her breathing. She said, “You’re not a permanent favorite of Zhao Yong’s. Any day you might completely fall out of favor.”
The secret room was empty and quiet, with the sound of dripping water echoing, amplifying Ji Yuluo’s voice in this dark, damp place, making it seem cold and magnified.
Huo Xian was silent for a moment, then suddenly brought the oil lamp closer to her face. The faint yellow light illuminated the side of her face, clearly showing the fine sweat on her forehead. Her face looked pale, her bloodless lips tightly pressed, and her body gently rising and falling with restrained breaths—
She was trembling!
Huo Xian paused for a moment, suddenly recalling her odd behavior before entering the secret passage. Realization dawned on him, and he said, “Are you… afraid of the dark?”
Ji Yuluo immediately stood up, her voice even colder than before. “There’s nothing here except a few boxes. If you’ve seen enough, let’s go.”
Without waiting for Huo Xian, she turned and headed up the stairs.
But after just a few steps, someone grabbed her wrist.
Annoyed, Ji Yuluo turned around, ready to say something, but Huo Xian handed her an oil lamp and strode forward. He stopped midway up the stone steps and glanced back at her, “What are you standing there for? Let’s go.”
Ji Yuluo gripped the lamp tightly before starting to walk again.
She still walked very slowly.
As they walked, Huo Xian continued to investigate, and at some point, he fell behind her. When they reached the secret door at the end of the teahouse, just as Ji Yuluo was about to activate the mechanism, a hand suddenly reached out and grabbed her, signaling her to be silent.
Ji Yuluo listened carefully. Outside, there were rustling sounds and the manager asking the staff about the fire.
It was not unusual for the manager to be in this tea room as it was his resting place.
The hollow wall didn’t block sound well, and fearing they might be discovered, Ji Yuluo didn’t dare make a move and remained still.
Huo Xian, holding her hand, noticed that her palm was covered in sweat.
The sweat was cold.
Ji Yuluo pressed her ear against the wall. Only when she heard the door outside close and the noise completely disappear did she relax. She was about to touch the mechanism when she realized her hand was still held by Huo Xian.
He hadn’t let go, and she had forgotten to pull away.
Ji Yuluo tried to withdraw her hand but failed.
Frowning, she looked at Huo Xian.
His gaze was fixed on the wall, seemingly lost in thought. He finally lowered his eyes to her and, after a brief pause, released her hand. “I forgot.”
When the wall door opened, bright light flooded in.
Due to the fire, all the windows had been opened. Instead of using the front door, they climbed out through the window. Once they were back in the carriage, Huo Xian noticed that Ji Yuluo’s face looked even worse than it had in the secret room, as pale as paper.
Her lips were tightly pressed, and though she still held her back straight, she seemed listless, her vacant eyes staring out the window.
Huo Xian suddenly reached out to touch her forehead, but she reacted quickly, grabbing his fingers and bending them back. She frowned at him, “What now?”
Huo Xian opened his mouth, tsk….never mind.
“Nothing. Can I at least lift the curtain a bit? You can enjoy the view, why can’t I?”
Ji Yuluo glanced at him inexplicably, then fully pulled open the carriage curtain. Daylight immediately flooded in through the window, causing Huo Xian to squint against the sudden brightness. Once he adjusted to the light, he resumed observing her.
Ji Yuluo was feeling very unwell, fearing that if she spoke another word, she might vomit. She stared out the window to distract herself, but Huo Xian’s scrutinizing gaze was intolerable, as if he was stripping her bare with his eyes. Unable to bear it any longer, she turned back, “If you have something to say, just say it.”
“I’m waiting for you to speak,” Huo Xian replied. “Earlier in the passage, you had more to say.”
Ji Yuluo was momentarily stunned, recalling that she indeed had more to say to sow discord between him and Zhao Yong. She hadn’t finished because she disliked that place so much.
Ji Yuluo fell silent, contemplating her words. Just as she began with, “You—,” the carriage abruptly halted, causing a violent jolt. Unprepared, Ji Yuluo was thrown against Huo Xian.
Under normal circumstances, this wouldn’t have been an issue. The problem was that the impact made her stomach churn violently, and she couldn’t hold it back, “Ugh—”
