The golden Buddha is more than a foot tall and is extremely delicately carved. The statue is solemn and placed in the niche.
Perhaps no one has come in these days, so the incense has been extinguished. There is a thick layer of ashes in the incense burner, and it seems that it has not been processed for some time.
King Huainan has been preparing to launch a coup in the imperial mausoleum recently, and he doesn't think he has time to spend in this Buddhist hall.
Dou Kui took a closer look and saw nothing strange. He looked at Qi Ning and lowered his voice and said, "Master Marquis, is there something weird about this golden Buddha?"
Qi Ning moved closer to the golden Buddha, and Dou Kui also came closer. Before he could understand what was going on, Qi Ning already said softly: "Master Dou, it is said that if gold is touched frequently, its luster will gradually dim due to sweat stains on the human body's texture. , is there such a saying?”
Dou Kui hurriedly said: "That's true." He knew that there must be a reason for Qi Ning's words. He took a closer look and faintly found that the luster of the waist and shoulders of the golden Buddha was indeed much darker than other parts. Qi Ning understood something instantly. Looking at his expression, I knew he understood. He chuckled and said, "Master Dou, pick up the golden Buddha and look at it."
Dou Kui immediately stepped forward, reached out and carefully took down the golden Buddha. The golden Buddha was made of pure gold and was quite heavy. When he took it down, his hands touched his waist and shoulders.
"The Golden Buddha placed in the Buddhist hall, logically speaking, will not be easily moved." Qining said: "But the Golden Buddha has obviously been moved frequently."
Dou Kui nodded and said: "What the Marquis said is absolutely true." He put the golden Buddha aside and moved closer to the bronze pedestal on which the golden Buddha was placed. The pedestal was in the shape of a lotus and looked quite old. So did Qi Ning. Taking a closer look, the lotus pedestal had six petals in total. Qining quickly saw that there was some patina on the edges of four of the petals.
Qin Ning didn't waste any time. He stretched out his hands, grabbed the two lotus petals with no patina on the edges, and twisted them slightly. As expected, the lotus pedestal was not stationary. With a slight exertion, the lotus pedestal was rotated. , and then heard a noise from behind, Dou Kui immediately turned to the back and said in a voiceless voice: "Master Hou, you... look...!"
Qining let go and quickly turned to the back, only to see a large green brick on the ground automatically move away, revealing a cave.
Dou Kui lowered his voice and said, "Master Marquis, this should be where King Huainan's treasure is hidden." He looked inside and saw that it was pitch black and couldn't see anything clearly. To show his loyalty, he whispered: "Master Marquis, please go down first to see how the situation is."
Qi Ning didn't say much. He went over and took a small copper cup for worshiping the Golden Buddha. He walked to the entrance of the cave and threw the copper cup down. He heard a crisp sound soon. Qi Ning said with a smile: "It's not very deep. Mr. Dou, please watch here first and don’t let anyone come in. I’ll go down and see what’s going on.”
Dou Kui said: "That's fine, Lord Marquis must be careful."
Qi Ning did not hesitate, stretched out his figure, and jumped into it. As expected, it was not very deep below. Qi Ning landed lightly on the ground. When his eyes adjusted slightly, he saw a passage to the left. Then he carefully followed the passage and walked through it. There was a piece of fire on the body and it was burning.
Qi Feng still presented this fire seal. When you go out, you should carry one or two fire seals with you in case of emergency.
After only walking a short distance, there was an iron gate in front of it. General Tie held the door. Qining easily cut off the iron lock with his cold blade. He pushed the door open and there was a secret room inside. He held up the fire folder and went in. Qining discovered that the secret room was It was neat and luxurious inside, with animal skins covering the floor, surrounded by antique shelves made of fine mahogany, and a soft couch in the middle. There was also a table beside the soft couch with an oil lamp on it.
Qining put out the fire and lit the oil lamp, and the secret room suddenly became bright.
As soon as the lights were on, the surroundings were filled with light. There were precious antiques on the antique shelves. Qining turned around with his hands behind his back, knowing that the antiques in this secret room were the real top-grade ones. Every piece looked like They are all of great value. A rough estimate shows that they add up to no less than forty or fifty pieces.
Qi Ning sighed in his heart, thinking that some people said that the king of Huainan was so rich that he could rival the country. This seems not to be an exaggeration. The treasures stored in this secret room alone, once converted into silver, would be an astonishing amount.
The Huainan palace was confiscated. Qining knew that even if these treasures were left here, they would no longer belong to Xiao Shaozong. Once they were made public, they would eventually be confiscated to the treasury. What Dou Kui said before was true. Dongxi controlled the household department, and these properties became Sima Lan's palm.
The Sima family is already very powerful now. If they have a large amount of silver in their hands, and the money can be used to control the gods, it will be enough to make the Sima family's position in the court more stable. Therefore, even if the Sima family really takes over the Ministry of Household Affairs one day, Qi Ning also only hopes that what he gets is a household office full of holes, rather than a gold box with full warehouses.
Thinking of this, Qining knew that these properties must not enter the warehouse of the Ministry of Revenue.
He understands even more that Sima Lan is clearly aware of the huge wealth of the Huainan Wang family. The old man is cunning and cunning. He may have already made plans for these properties. He just has no reason to interfere with it, but he will definitely come up with it. There are other ways to get involved, so I have to move these treasures as soon as possible and have them completely under my control. Longtai had probably taken this into consideration when he issued an order early in the morning for him to come and preside over the house raid.
At this time, he had understood what Longtai was thinking. I thought that this could be regarded as corruption according to the order. If he handed over these things honestly, he would not only be ashamed of himself, but also ashamed of the emperor.
From the corner of his eye, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a wooden box in the corner of the secret room. It looked very inconspicuous. Qining moved over, squatted down, carefully pulled the box out of it, picked it up and put it on the table. The box was also locked with an iron lock, and was still cut with a cold blade.
Opening the box, he saw books neatly arranged inside. Qining picked up the book above and opened it, only to see that it was an account book, which recorded the property details of the Huainan Palace. Qining flipped through it. A few pages, in addition to recording the details of the restaurants owned by King Huainan, there are also some shops controlled by King Huainan behind the scenes.
Qi Ning put down the account book and took out the lower one to look through. On it were written line by line the names and positions of officials. There were as many as fifty or sixty officials in front and behind them. In addition to some Beijing officials, many of them were Local officials also wrote notes in writing behind each official.
The first person on the list was Dou Kui, the Minister of Hubu, who later expressed his credibility, and Qian Raoshun, the Minister of Punishment, who also indicated his credibility.
Qi Ning sighed, thinking to himself that although the Huainan King had a noble status, his mental skills were clearly inferior to those of Sima Lan. Qian Raoshun stabbed him at the most critical moment, so it is no wonder that he would have a negative attitude toward the Huainan King. A fatal blow. King Huainan had always regarded Qian Raoshun as a trustworthy person, so how could he beware that Qian Raoshun had already been bribed by Sima Lan.
In addition, some officials were marked for investigation or alert. Qining knew that this was actually the list of King Huainan's party members. Once this list fell into Sima Lan's hands, none of the people on the list would be able to escape. Knowing that this roster is of great importance, I carry it in my arms.
Seeing that there was a letter underneath, he took one and glanced at it. There was no signature on it. The letter had already been opened. Qining took out the letter paper inside, opened it and looked at the oil lamp. He soon showed surprise. His expression immediately became more solemn.
Qining knew that the letter hidden here was something important without even looking at it. When he took a closer look, he was shocked. It was better to say that it was a letter than a letter of allegiance.
Although the other party's name did not appear from beginning to end, and there was no signature, Qining had already guessed who wrote the letter from between the lines.
In the content of the letter, in addition to expressing loyalty, the most important thing is that the other party reached a deal with the King of Huainan.
The other party will fully support King Huainan in winning the throne. Once King Huainan ascends the Dragon Throne, he will allocate all the counties of Xichuan to the other party, allowing the other party to establish himself as a king, become a separate country, and become a vassal state of Dachu.
Li Hongxin!
Qi Ning looked grim. He had confirmed that this letter was written by Li Hongxin, King of Shu in Xichuan. Judging from the paper, this letter was quite old, at least no less than a year. In other words, it was at least a year ago. Li Hongxin had already had secret contacts with the King of Huainan and reached a deal.
If it was a year ago, the previous emperor had not yet passed away, it seems that when the previous emperor was still in power, King Huainan and Li Hongxin had a secret agreement.
Qi Ning could understand that the King of Shu was imprisoned in Chengdu and had been under the strict supervision of the court. As a man who once made waves in Xichuan, it would certainly not be easy to feel trapped in a cage. Although the King of Huainan was a Tai The direct bloodline of the ancestor emperor not only did not inherit the throne, but also did not have much say in the court. Both of them were unsuccessful people, but they were both ambitious people. They reached a deal with each other and did not Don't be too surprised.
The King of Shu needs a backer in the capital, while the King of Huainan needs the support of soldiers and horses. If the King of Shu can stir up trouble in Xichuan and find an opportunity to regain military power, and the court has King Huainan as an internal agent, the two of them can join forces, even if they fail in the end. , and it will definitely cause Chu State to suffer unprecedented heavy losses.
Qi Ning suddenly thought that the incident in the Black Rock Cave in Xichuan might have been secretly planned by the King of Shu and the King of Huainan. Once the officers and soldiers massacred the Black Rock Cave, it would instantly trigger a rebellion in the Miao Family's Seventy-Two Cave. Once Xichuan If the turmoil breaks out, Li Hongxin, the king of Shu, will definitely take the opportunity to erect a flagpole in Xichuan.
That was when the new emperor had just ascended the throne, and the situation in the court was not stable. If Li Hongxin took the opportunity to control Xichuan, and there was King Huainan as an internal agent in the court, the consequences would be disastrous. Thinking of this, Qi Ning felt a chill on his back. , secretly thinking that fortunately the Black Cave incident was calmed down smoothly under his mediation, otherwise the Chu State would have been in flames of war.
Although the King of Huainan was counted in the Sima family's favor this time, his actions were not unjust.