Shenhou Mansion The Shenhou has always been a special existence in Chu State.
From the first day of its establishment, the Shenhou Mansion has been directly under the orders of His Majesty the Emperor. The Shenhou is the only minister in the court who can meet the emperor at any time. The Yulin Guards who guard the imperial city have never been concerned about the Shenhou entering the palace at any time. They didn't dare to stop him at all. After all, everyone knew in their hearts that everything done in the Shenhou Mansion was a task under the table, and when the Shenhou entered the palace to meet the Saint, of course he wanted to report some things that others should not know.
Recently, the newly-appointed Qu Shenhou has entered the palace frequently, so whenever he sees the Shenhou appear, Yulin Wei will immediately open the palace door and quickly let the Shenhou enter the palace.
With this convenience, Qu Xiaocang could easily enter the imperial city or even the deep palace.
Of course Qu Xiaocang knew the location of the treasure house. He avoided the eyes and ears around the treasure house and came to the treasure house. In the middle of the night, the eunuch who was the butler in the treasure house also dozed off.
The entire building is made of extremely tough granite, and there is a stone door between each floor. To get to the treasure building, not only does the eunuch need the key to open the stone door, but he also needs the eunuch's personal guidance. Otherwise, if you take a wrong step in the treasure house, you may trigger the mechanism and die instantly.
The treasure building has a total of twelve floors. The mechanisms on each floor are different, and there is a eunuch on duty on each floor. The key to each floor is on the eunuch, and the keys to each floor are on the eunuch's body. Even the eunuch on duty cannot fully understand the mechanism. All he can do is follow the instructions and find a path to avoid the mechanism. Therefore, it is important to open the stone door, and the eunuch himself is also a key.
The first floor of the treasure building is the archives. Every treasure that enters the treasure building will be recorded in the archives. Therefore, when looking for treasures, you need to find the specific location of the treasure in the archives first, and then you can know it. Which floor and location the treasure is on will be taken out by the eunuch on duty.
Qu Xiaocang arrived at the door of the treasure house like a ghost, raised his hand and knocked on the door, while his other hand clenched the big knife in his hand.
The harmless face was now extremely cold and stern, with murderous intent in his eyes. When he heard footsteps coming from behind the door, a small window opened in the middle of the door, revealing a face. Qu Xiaocang, who was outside the door, had already asked in a deep voice: "Who is it?"
"Qu Xiaocang from the Shenhou Mansion!" Qu Xiaocang announced his family name: "According to the emperor's order, I came here to collect the treasure."
The reputation of the Shenhou Mansion is naturally widespread. Even the eunuchs in the palace are very afraid of the Shenhou Mansion, and their voices are much softer: "The emperor has decreed to retrieve the treasure, and there are special personnel coming. You...!"
"Act according to the decree, don't delay." Qu Xiaocang raised a hand, and a holy decree flashed past the small window: "Open the door, and I will show you the decree."
The eunuch closed the small window and opened the door. He had a smile on his face and was about to speak when he saw the flash of the knife. Qu Xiaocang had already slit the eunuch's throat with the knife. The eunuch covered his throat with a look of horror on his face. There was a gurgling sound in his throat, but he could not speak. Qu Xiaocang had already ducked into the door. When the eunuch fell, he reached out and grabbed his body, and gently put him down to the ground. In order not to make any noise and alert the people upstairs, he immediately squatted down and groped around on the eunuch's body, and soon found a key. He stood up, but before he could turn around, a sigh came from behind him.
Qu Xiaocang suddenly turned around. The moment he entered the room, he had scanned the surroundings and found no other people. This sigh came so unexpectedly that Qu Xiaocang was startled. When he turned around, However, I saw a person sitting on a chair at some point. The person was dressed as a eunuch, with sharp eyes, but his face was quite stiff and expressionless.
Qu Xiaocang, however, remained calm enough, staring at the opponent, holding the sword in his hand, and did not act rashly.
"The person you want to save is not here." The eunuch said calmly: "At the cost of the lives of Xuanyuan Po and Xue Lingfeng, if you want to seek this opportunity, Qu Shenhou is really well-calculated, but it's a pity that the devil is a taller man. You are one foot taller, you think you are very smart, but unfortunately you are only in the palm of the prince's hand after all...!"
Qu Xiaocang's expression changed slightly, but he still sneered: "I don't understand what you are talking about."
"Now that things have happened, why should Qu Shenhou deceive himself?" The eunuch said slowly: "From the moment you entered the palace tonight, I have been waiting for you. The prince has already told the Yulin Guards that as long as you enter Palace, report immediately that you did not go to see the prince after entering the palace, of course the prince knows where you are."
Qu Xiaocang smiled faintly and said, "Really?" From the corner of his eye, he noticed that at this moment, a figure flashed not far away from the gate. It was obvious that someone who was lying in ambush was approaching here.
Of course this is a trap!
"Actually, your performance has been very good before." The eunuch said: "The prince even thought that you were sincerely surrendering. If you really take Qining's head and offer it to me this time, the prince will really treat you as a confidant. "Shaked his head and sighed: "It's a pity that you are too impatient after all, or... you don't want to miss this opportunity. You killed Xuanyuan Po with your own hands and were ordered to get rid of Xue Lingfeng, wasn't it just to win the trust of the prince, and then Looking for an opportunity to get the whereabouts of your emperor from the prince?"
Qu Xiaocang suddenly smiled and said: "It seems that Xiao Shaozong is more cunning than I thought."
"When it comes to the ability to see into people's hearts, how many people in the world can match the prince?" The eunuch chuckled and said, "But I do admire you. You bear the humiliation and bear the heavy burden, all for the sake of rescuing Xiao Guang. This loyalty , if Xiao Guang knew about it, I'm afraid he would be very moved."
Qu Xiaocang raised his neck slightly and said calmly: "The existence of Shenhou Mansion has only one purpose. Everything is for the emperor. No matter how many people die, as long as the emperor is safe and sound, everything will be worth it."
"You cover it up very well." The eunuch said: "Yan Lingxian has sincerely surrendered to the prince, and he is also the eyes and ears we have placed beside you. Yan Lingxian will honestly report every word and deed you have to the prince. These days , all the details reported by Yan Lingxian prove that you really want to be loyal to the prince, but it is a pity that a fool like Yan Lingxian will be used by you in the end."
Qu Xiaocang smiled and said: "Since you know that Yan Lingxian is a fool, why did you choose him in the first place? Yes, everyone in the Shenhou Mansion is loyal to the emperor, and the only chess piece you can use in the Shenhou Mansion is Yan Ling Xian is just a fool who cheats on others. You are right. I knew that Yan Lingxian secretly learned other people's martial arts, so I knew that this person had evil intentions, and I also guessed that he would secretly plot the actions of me and the Shenhou Mansion. You reveal it. In this case, I will simply use him to gain your trust, at least it will be more effective than killing him with a knife."
The eunuch nodded and said: "If it were someone else, he might have regarded you as a confidant, but how wise the prince is, it is not easy for the prince to truly trust someone." After a slight pause, he said: "Actually, the prince wants to You revealed that Xiao Guang was in the treasure house, which was the last test for you. If you can pass the test smoothly this time, the prince will indeed entrust you with an important task."
"It turns out that he deliberately revealed the emperor's whereabouts to me." Qu Xiaocang sighed: "You are right, I was too hasty and failed."
"Although it is too hasty, it is also commendable for your loyalty." The eunuch said: "You hope to rescue your emperor as soon as possible so that he will suffer less. Knowing that he may be imprisoned in the treasure house, naturally you can't help it. These days you have been Without action, the prince still has hope for you, but tonight you secretly left the Shenhou Mansion, and after Yan Lingxian entered the palace to report the news of your departure from the Shenhou Mansion, the prince knew that you would definitely sneak into the palace and do something to you. Also completely disappointed.”
"It is indeed very difficult to be foolproof." Qu Xiaocang sighed: "No wonder Shenhou told me at the beginning that even a nearly perfect plan can never be foolproof, because there is nothing in this world. of perfection.”
"You don't have to blame Yan Lingxian." The eunuch said, "Even without his informant, I would still be waiting for you here." He coughed and said loudly: "Colonel Yan, the prince asked you to participate in tonight's operation. After you succeed, you will be rewarded with the title of Marquis of God. Your senior brother is here, why don’t you meet him one last time?"
After he finished speaking, a person slowly walked in from outside the treasure house door, it was Yan Lingxian.
Yan Lingxian obviously felt guilty. After entering, he did not dare to look at Qu Xiaocang. He just lowered his head and even tried to distance himself from Qu Xiaocang as much as possible. Apparently he was worried that Qu Xiaocang would suddenly take action in anger.
Qu Xiaocang actually didn't even look at him, with a peaceful smile on his honest face: "Xiao Shaozong only uses these despicable and shameless villains, so what kind of situation can it become? Tell Xiao Shaozong, the emperor will obey the will of God. He is the true son of destiny. How can he, who is as disabled as a dwarf, be favored by God and sit on the throne of the emperor?" He shook his head and sighed: "There are always some dirty people in this world who overestimate their abilities. If he goes out of his way to seize something that shouldn't belong to him, he will only end up with death and reputation in the end, so why bother?"
Yan Lingxian kept his head lowered, looking uneasy. At this moment, he finally looked at Qu Xiaocang and said: "Second...Second senior brother, the prince is the direct bloodline of Emperor Taizu, he...!"
"Shut your stupid mouth." Qu Xiaocang said calmly: "Do you know that your father followed the Shenhou back then and was considered a chivalrous ancestor. If he knew that he had given birth to such a despicable and shameless son, I really doubt whether he strangled you alive in your infancy." He turned his head slightly and stared at Yan Lingxian with his eyes like a knife: "In the name of the Shenhou of Shenhou Mansion, I will expel you from Shenhou Mansion and commit suicide. From now on, you are no longer a member of the Shenhou Mansion, and you will never disgrace the name of the Shenhou Mansion no matter whether you live or die!"