Zhao Mian and Wei Zhenfeng stood hand in hand on the top of the sand dune, their palms sweating from running all the way. They faced the morning sun and looked into the distance, only to see a weathered and dilapidated ancient city standing in the vast sea of sand.
It is not just a few dilapidated houses, but a group of buildings arranged neatly. It is so large that it is comparable to a small city in the Central Plains.
The specific features of the buildings have long disappeared in the vicissitudes of life, but the huge stone pillars are still heavy and profound, and the sculptures in the center of the town are still ancient and mysterious. These are things that time cannot take away.
Zhou Huairang, who arrived before them, fell to the ground. The ruins under the morning sun were reflected in his pupils, but there was another picture in his mind.
Springs flow in the desert, poplar trees grow thickly, the land is fertile, and smoke rises from cooking. Cities are built along the water, and the market is bustling with people, men and women wearing headscarves dress coolly, and the voices of vendors hawking their wares are endless.
Zhou Huairang murmured, "This should be the capital of the Yi clan."
The ruins are still there, but only the dancing tumbleweeds remain to vaguely tell of the glory of the Yi people hundreds of years ago.
The three of them remained silent, quietly taking in this unique charm.
After a while, Zhao Mian said, "As the capital of the kingdom, this city is a little too small."
Zhou Huairang agreed: "That's right, it's incomparable to Shangjing."
Wei Zhenfeng said: "That's why the Yi clan died out hundreds of years ago." According to records in ancient books, although the Yi clan was small, its royal family was extremely wealthy. It would be strange if such a small country was not coveted by the powers in the Central Plains.
The three men walked down the sand dunes with their camels and truly found themselves in the ruins, with historical relics everywhere they looked.
Zhou Huairang had been immersed in ancient books for some time, and he knew all the relics of the Yi clan like the back of his hand. He was so excited that he cried like a rooster along the way: "Your Highness, do you think the totem on this pillar looks very similar to the one we found in the Nan Palace? We have found the right place! Also, the large stone pillars on the side of the road should be the tools they used to grind spices at that time..."
Wei Zhenfeng stopped in front of a ruin that looked like a shop: "There is a sundial here. It's almost noon."
Zhao Mian looked around and asked, "Why can't I see the royal palace?"
"This is probably not the full view of the capital of the Yi tribe. Many things will be buried underground by the yellow sand due to repeated sandstorms." Wei Zhenfeng said, "Anyway, let's find the legendary 'tower' first."
Beneath the high tower, there is a dark body.
At noon, smoke of war rose, and the struggle among the princes had not yet ended.
Having found the correct ancient city, it would be much easier to find a tall tower in the city. Half an hour later, they found an abandoned tall tower in a corner of the ancient city. There were four characters engraved on the tower in the ancient Yi language, and Zhou Huairang recognized that it meant "Pure Gate Tower".
"'Jingmen' in the ancient Yi language refers to the entrance to a solemn and sacred place." Zhou Huairang explained, "Only clean and pure people can enter. If an unclean person forces his way in, their gods will punish him."
Wei Zhenfeng's face darkened. "It's over. I'm not that 'clean and pure'. I won't go in. You guys go ahead. I'll wait for you here. Zhou Huairang, take good care of your Highness."
Zhao Mian glanced at Wei Zhenfeng. Zhou Huairang was surprised and asked, "Really?"
Wei Zhenfeng said bluntly: "Nonsense, of course it's fake."
Zhou Huairang: “…”
It was noon, the sun was blazing in the sky, and the Jingmen Tower cast a dark shadow on the ground. When the three of them found a ruin in the direction of the shadow, Zhou Huairang realized that the young prince seemed to be taking revenge on him for laughing at him last time for not being able to see that the prince vomited because he couldn't eat the dry food.
The ruins in front of him were much larger than ordinary houses. Zhao Mian found some anvils shaped like thick wooden stakes, and combined with the phrase "the smoke of war rose", he speculated that this might have been an ironware shop.
Ironmaking must be done with a blast furnace. Sure enough, they soon found a dilapidated furnace in the ruins. It was about two Zhou Huairangs tall, cylindrical, with a round bottom and a round top. There was a hole under the blast furnace that led to the inner cavity, which should be the place to add ore and charcoal.
Wei Zhenfeng and Zhao Mian looked at each other. Zhao Mian nodded, and Wei Zhenfeng walked forward, lit the torch, and leaned forward to look into the cave: "Hmm? I don't see any secret passage."
Zhao Mian thought for a moment and said, "Try to light a fire in the cave."
Wei Zhenfeng found some dead wood and tumbleweeds and started a fire in the cavity. As the fire grew stronger, there was a loud bang, and something on the ground seemed to be bounced up. Suddenly, smoke and dust rose outside the furnace, and fog was everywhere.
Wei Zhenfeng protected Zhao Mian behind him in time, so Zhao Mian was not smoked by the smoke. Poor Zhou Huairang was smoked and coughed violently, and it took him a while to recover.
After the smoke cleared, a bottomless stone staircase appeared before them.
The three of them were silent for a long time. Wei Zhenfeng was the first to step onto the stone steps. After making sure his feet were firm, he turned around and looked at Zhao Mian: "Let's go?"
Zhao Mian said without hesitation: "Let's go." Now that they had come this far, they had no reason to retreat.
There was only one torch left, held by Wei Zhenfeng who was walking in front, and the area it could illuminate was limited. The three of them walked carefully, and the darker it got, Zhou Huairang's skin color could almost perfectly hide in the dark. Fortunately, the stone steps were not too long, and after walking for about one-third of an incense stick of time, they stepped onto flat ground again.
Even though the area they could see was limited, Zhao Mian could sense that they were in a relatively open area. Wei Zhenfeng saw a bronze gate in front of him. He held a torch in one hand and groped around with the other: "Found it."
After he finished speaking, Zhao Mian's vision suddenly brightened up. He saw two Changxin Palace lanterns standing next to the bronze door, which were lit by Wei Zhenfeng one after another. Only then could Zhao Mian and Zhou Huairang see the full view of the bronze door.
The bronze door was not big, at least not as big as the gate of Nanjing Palace, but the patterns on it were extremely delicate, all of which were totems symbolizing the royal family of the Yi clan. There was a small groove in the middle of the bronze door, and its shape was exactly the same as the "key" they found in Nangong Mountain that day. Obviously, this was the mechanism to open the bronze door.
Zhao Mian couldn't help but curl his lips: "Fortunately, you stayed with us." He looked at his childhood sweetheart, "Go."
Zhou Huairang wanted to cry and laugh at the same time, and called out with emotion: "Your Highness..."
Zhao Mian encouraged him: "I'll be watching you here."
Zhou Huairang took out the jade he had been keeping with him, and walked to the bronze door under the gaze of Zhao Mian and Wei Zhenfeng, and stopped. He swallowed twice, and with trembling hands, he solemnly placed the jade into the groove - a perfect fit.
After a "click" sound, the three felt a vibration under their feet. Accompanied by a heavy muffled sound, the door to the Yi clan's underground palace slowly opened.
The unknown lies ahead. It may be the treasure they have been waiting for and pursuing for a long time, or it may be a trap or an accident. But they walked in without delay.
The torch in Wei Zhenfeng's hand was about to burn out. The three of them first tried their best to find torches and palace lanterns on the wall and light them up. The underground palace soon became bright, making it much easier for them to move around.
Zhao Mian felt something was wrong. If this place was only used to store gold and silver treasures, and no one would live here for a long time, then why were so many torches and lanterns prepared
The deeper they explored, the more Zhao Mian's doubts grew. This ancient underground palace was indeed the remains of the royal family of the Yi clan. There were traces of renovation on the walls, and the traces were still very new, estimated to be no more than five years old.
In addition, they also saw a lot of things that shouldn't be in the ruins: a bed covered with a gorgeous carpet, a complete set of imperial tea sets on the tea table, four treasures of the study produced in Huizhou, Nanjing, and a box of oriental pearls that only the Queen of Xixia could use... Each of them was very valuable. Then they checked the bedroom, study, and dining room in turn... Everything that should be in the Xixia imperial palace was here.
At this point, even Zhou Huairang discovered the problem: "Your Highness, why do I feel that this is not a place to hide treasures, but rather a 'small palace' for people to live in."
The treasure place he imagined was a secret room filled with gold, silver and jewels in a mess, instead of being neatly arranged like in the underground palace. The precious oriental pearls were placed in the bedroom, and the four treasures of the study were placed in the study. It would be so troublesome to move them, just like a house search.
Wei Zhenfeng wiped the dust off the table with his fingertips and said, "I wanted to give it to someone to live in, but no one has lived here for a long time."
Zhou Huairang guessed: "Is it for the people from the Imperial City Bureau to live in?"
Wei Zhenfeng picked up a teacup and examined it: "How can the people from the Imperial City Bureau be worthy of using these?"
Wei Zhenfeng smiled and said, "That's right." Just that box of priceless Dongzhu is enough to feed the 50,000 Yuan army stationed in the desert for a long time. "Wei Zhenfeng stretched his body and was in a good mood: "These days have not been in vain. Why don't we spend the night here tonight to celebrate our successful treasure hunt? I haven't slept in a bed for a long time."
Zhou Huairang immediately said, "The bed in the main hall belongs to our prince, so you are not allowed to take it."
"No need to fight." Wei Zhenfeng said lazily, "I can sleep until the 15th anyway."
Zhou Huairang: “…”
"A question," Zhao Mian suddenly asked, "How did the last emperor and empress of Western Xia die?"
Zhou Huairang thought without hesitation: "Didn't they commit suicide before the Yuan army broke through the gate?" He looked at Wei Zhenfeng, "Young Prince should know best."
Wei Zhenfeng shrugged and said nothing.
Zhao Mian thought thoughtfully: "What kind of person is the Xixia Emperor?"
"Incompetent and unjust? Extravagant and lustful?" Zhou Huairang was full of contempt. "The only right thing he did in his life was probably to delegate power to Gu Ruzhang."
"How could such a king of a fallen country do such a heroic thing as sacrificing his life for his country?" Zhao Mian said slowly, "I guess this must be another Xixia palace he prepared for himself."
Zhou Huairang followed Zhao Mian's train of thought: "Your Highness means that Emperor Xia originally wanted to live in hiding underground after the fall of the country? That's why he emptied the Xixia Palace?"
Zhao Mian nodded: "Unfortunately, for some reason, he never came here."
Wei Zhenfeng said, "The Xixia emperor and empress are already dead. I have personally examined their bodies. There is no doubt about this." He paused, "As for whether they committed suicide, that remains to be discussed."
Zhou Huairang asked: "Wasn't it Beiyuan who killed him?"
"No," Wei Zhenfeng smiled, "When we arrived, they were already dead."
A gust of cold wind blew by, and Zhou Huairang's heart shuddered: "Then, who is the real regicide?"
A silver-haired figure appeared in Zhao Mian's mind. Could it be Gu Ruzhang, who was known for his loyalty to the emperor and his patriotism
If he were Gu Ruzhang, what would he do if he learned that the king of a country had already prepared to abandon the country and flee
A monarch who emptied the palace in order to survive, and an emperor who sacrificed his life for his country with his wife. Which one does the Imperial City Bureau, which carries all of Gu Ruzhang's hopes, need more as their belief in restoring their country
For Gu Ruzhang, which one is the foundation of his life: loyalty to the emperor or patriotism
Wei Zhenfeng also thought of Gu Ruzhang, but he did not think too much about it. He was still thinking about another thing: "If this is really the 'small palace' prepared by the Xixia emperor for himself, there must be food in the kitchen - I'm hungry, Zhou Huairang, go see if you can find anything to eat."
Zhou Huairang said "oh oh" twice and asked, "Your Highness, how about you? Are you hungry?"
Zhao Mian said: "I just finished eating a big pancake."
After Zhou Huairang left, Wei Zhenfeng leaned on the chaise longue, buried his head and said in a muffled voice: "It's finally over... I'm so hungry."
Zhao Mian's heart moved, he walked to his side and asked, "Are you hungry now?"
His Royal Highness's words were not pleasant to the ear, but his tone was unusually calm, and even contained a hint of concern.
Wei Zhenfeng turned over, lying on his side and looked at Zhao Mian: "What do you mean?"
Zhao Mian didn't pretend to be with Wei Zhenfeng and asked, "Why haven't you eaten in the past few days?"
Wei Zhenfeng uttered an “ah” and raised his hand to scratch the teardrop mole under his right eye: “Have you been discovered?”
Zhao Mian asked hesitantly: "Are you... doing this for me?"
Wei Zhenfeng thought for a moment and said, "Is it?"
"You don't have to do that." Zhao Mian said forcefully, "You and I are allies, so you don't have to give in to me when it comes to life and death." It would be better to give in to him in bed than to give him the cake.
Wei Zhenfeng sat up and said frankly: "Actually, it's not entirely for you. To be precise, it's for 'you guys'?"
Zhao Mian was slightly surprised: "For me and Xiao Rang?"
Wei Zhenfeng sneered: "Who is Xiao Rang? Do I know him well?"
Zhao Mian said, "After all, we have slept together for several nights, so how can we not be considered familiar with each other?"
"For me, a relationship is special only if we sleep together in bed. Sleeping on the floor doesn't count as a relationship at all."
Zhao Mian asked: "So what do you mean by 'you guys'?"
Wei Zhenfeng looked at Zhao Mian and asked, "Zhao Mian, how do you feel now?"
Zhao Mian felt his chest and felt quite comfortable: "Of course it's good."
They successfully found the Western Xia treasure and temporarily escaped the danger of dying of thirst and starvation, so they were in a happy mood.
"Okay, then I have a question I've been wanting to ask you." Wei Zhenfeng pretended to be relaxed and said, "To be honest, I was almost suffocating along the way."
Zhao Mian knew very well that Wei Zhenfeng was the type of person who said whatever he wanted to say, and that the problems that had been holding him back for a long time must be very difficult to talk about.
He said, "You ask."
Just as Zhao Mian knew Wei Zhenfeng, Wei Zhenfeng also knew Zhao Mian very well. He could imagine the impact his questions might have on Zhao Mian, and he emphasized in advance: "No matter what I ask, you are not allowed to draw your sword."
Zhao Mian thought to himself, since you said that, the questions you ask will most likely provoke me to draw my sword.
Could it be that Wei Zhenfeng wanted to cheat and was unwilling to give him 40% of the treasure
Apart from this, he couldn't think of any other possibility.
Zhao Mian was facing a formidable enemy: "I will do my best."
"That's right," Wei Zhenfeng turned his head away, a little embarrassed, "Is it possible for you to... get pregnant with my child?"
Zhao Mian: “… … …”
(End of this chapter)