Otherwise…
"Tell them to behave themselves. If they cause any more trouble, I'll send them away."
Zheng Xiang's stern words reached Lian Qing's ears, shocking her further. "Send them away? Where to?"
Zheng Xiang stood up and walked towards the door. He turned back at the threshold and said, "The territory of Great Chu is vast. It doesn't matter where they're sent, as long as they don't disrupt my affairs."
With that, Zheng Xiang strode out, leaving Lian Qing sitting there in disbelief, staring blankly at his retreating figure.
Midnight. A small courtyard in the Prince of Duan's estate.
The courtyard was silent, as if deserted.
A young maid in the courtyard stood in a corner, furtively glancing towards the main chamber. Seeing that it remained dark and still, she let out a quiet sigh, thinking she could now go back to sleep soundly.
Little did she know, the moment she turned to leave, the door to the main chamber silently opened.
The door opened just enough for one person to pass through, and then a dark shadow swiftly slipped out.
This person was none other than Zheng Wei.
Zheng Wei wore a black cloth over his face and a black hat, his entire body clad in dark attire. Only his eyes were visible.
Zheng Wei turned to close the door, casting a glance in the direction the maid had disappeared. A flicker of disdain flashed in his eyes.
He leaped into the air from where he stood, and by the time one looked again, Zheng Wei was already on the rooftop.
With a light leap, Zheng Wei landed on the roof of another building. In a short while, he had already moved a great distance away.
Following his memories from his previous life, Zheng Wei moved through the air above the Prince of Duan's estate. In no time, he reached the rooftop above Zheng Xiang's study in the front courtyard.
Upon reaching the rooftop, Zheng Wei crouched down, cocked his ear to listen for any sounds within the room, and released his spiritual energy to sense if anyone was present.
After a moment of sensing, he confirmed the room was empty. Only then did Zheng Wei descend from the rooftop.
Standing by the study door, he gently pushed it open, but it wouldn't budge. Looking down, he saw a bright, gleaming lock hanging on the door.
A dismissive glint flashed in Zheng Wei's eyes upon seeing the lock.
Just as in his previous life, the study was the place Zheng Xiang cherished most, the heart of the Prince's estate. Although no one was guarding the courtyard, there were guards patrolling the perimeter, tasked with ensuring the courtyard's security.
Perhaps believing this would guarantee absolute safety, no one was stationed within the courtyard itself, and only a lock was placed on the door.
This might have deterred others.
However, for Zheng Wei, it was as good as an open invitation.
His palm lightly brushed over the lock, and it opened silently.
He removed the lock and set it aside, then swiftly entered the room.
The room was not entirely dark.
Prince of Duan had achieved numerous military exploits, thus receiving countless rewards. The Prince of Duan's estate was naturally magnificent.
As the most important place in the Prince of Duan's estate, the Prince of Duan would certainly not neglect himself.
He was not the type who appeared virtuous and incorruptible on the surface but was secretly wealthy.
To the Prince of Duan, wealth was wealth, and it was rightfully his. He felt no psychological burden in using it.
Therefore, on the display shelves in the study, there were luminous pearls the size of an adult's fist, and a luminous pearl was also placed on Zheng Xiang's desk.
The glow of the luminous pearls was not very bright, and coupled with the obstruction of the curtains, Zheng Wei had not seen any light from outside.
Upon entering, however, he discovered that while the light was not very strong, it was gentle and not dazzling, allowing him to see the details of the room.
Zheng Wei's expression was calm, and he was not surprised by this.
This was all because he already knew about it in his previous life.
Scanning the room, Zheng Wei's gaze finally settled on Zheng Xiang's desk.
The desk was made of precious material, with only a few items placed upon it, yet each one was worth a fortune.
Even a single brush was the work of a renowned artisan.
This was enough to demonstrate the extravagance and opulence of the Prince of Duan's estate.
Zheng Wei walked slowly to the desk, looked at the surface for a moment, then walked around the desk and stopped by the wooden chair behind it.
Zheng Wei stood still for a moment, then began to circle the wooden chair.
Upon careful observation of Zheng Wei's feet, one could discover that he was not walking aimlessly but with a certain pattern.
After a while, as Zheng Wei completed his fourth circle, the wooden panel on the underside of the desk, directly facing him, suddenly slid to the right.
Soon, the wooden panel had moved completely aside, revealing a large opening large enough for one to crouch and pass through.
Zheng Wei's eyes flashed with joy upon seeing this.
Although he had stumbled upon this secret passage in his previous life, he had never descended into it.
In this life, he did not know if the secret passage was still in its original location or if the method of opening it was the same as before.
Seeing that it could indeed be opened now, Zheng Wei's delight was evident.
Knowing that time was short, Zheng Wei did not delay. He reached out, moved the wooden chair back, and crouched down, entering the secret passage.
Upon entering the passage, he was met with a similarly gentle light. As expected, Zheng Wei saw similar luminous pearls on the stone walls on both sides of the passage.
Every few steps, a luminous pearl was embedded in the wall. Even Zheng Wei, who was accustomed to the extravagance of the Prince of Duan's estate, felt it was excessive.
Zheng Wei proceeded along the secret passage. After about fifteen minutes, he finally reached a stone door.
He reached out and pushed, but the stone door remained immobile. Zheng Wei couldn't help but exert more force.
However, even with all his strength, the stone door remained unmoving.
Without a doubt, he knew there must be a mechanism.
He looked around, but the stone wall in front of him showed no irregularities.
Just as Zheng Wei was at a loss, he suddenly seemed to recall something. He quickly turned and walked in the opposite direction.
After walking only about a meter, he stopped in front of a luminous pearl.
He touched the luminous pearl for a while, and then… Zheng Wei suddenly exerted force, pressing the luminous pearl downwards with all his might.
Logically, the luminous pearl embedded there should not have reacted.
But as Zheng Wei exerted force, the luminous pearl actually sank.
Seeing this, Zheng Wei's face flashed with joy. It was exactly as he had thought.
Turning back, he saw that the stone door, which had been tightly shut moments ago, was now slowly opening.
Without further delay, Zheng Wei swiftly slipped through the stone door.
As soon as Zheng Wei entered, the stone door slowly closed again.
Zheng Wei paid little attention to this. He turned around and surveyed the room before him.
The stone room was very large and spacious. There were only a few wooden shelves, upon which were placed various items that all appeared to be priceless.
Zheng Wei frowned slightly. Had Zheng Xiang gone to such lengths to create this secret chamber just to store these things?
It wasn't that these items were worthless, but to be honest, they weren't truly worth the effort.
One could simply create a warehouse, store the items, and assign guards. Unless one possessed skills like his, there wouldn't be any major issues.
However, to expend so much effort for a room full of rare treasures made one suspect if this was merely a diversion tactic.
Zheng Wei walked around the room, examining every item on the shelves, but he found nothing.
Seeing that time was slipping away and he risked discovery if he didn't leave soon, Zheng Wei turned to head towards the door.
But as he reached the door, his steps faltered once more.
Zheng Wei felt a strange sense of reluctance deep within him, as if leaving today would lead to lifelong regret.
Despite his concern about being discovered by Zheng Xiang, Zheng Wei resolutely turned around and began searching the room again.
Let him be discovered. He, Zheng Wei, would never do anything he would regret.
He searched the room again, but still found nothing.
This troubled Zheng Wei.
He clearly felt something attracting him, yet he couldn't find it.
This feeling only made Zheng Wei more agitated.
He raised his hand and slammed it heavily on a shelf in front of him. The wooden shelf instantly made a loud bang.
This in itself was not significant, but at this moment, the stone wall behind the wooden shelf actually opened.
Zheng Wei watched the stone wall slowly move aside, his face filled with astonishment.
He never would have imagined that this method would work.
Since the door had opened, Zheng Wei wasted no more time and quickly stepped inside.
Entering through the opening, he was met with another long passage.
Following the passage, he reached another stone door at its end.
He opened the stone door using the same method as before and entered with a frown.
The moment he saw this stone door, his heart had begun to pound violently.
He knew then that the reason drawing him here lay beyond this stone door.
As he stepped through the stone door, Zheng Wei felt an almost unbearable impatience.
Before he could even discern the scene inside the stone chamber, a cold voice reached his ears.
"What are you doing here again? There's nothing here you want."
Zheng Wei was stunned at first, then looked towards the source of the voice.
Upon seeing, Zheng Wei froze.
Before the stone door stood a stone wall, and in front of it was a stone bed. Seated on the bed was a woman in a crimson robe.
Her back was to him, so her appearance was hidden. However, based on her silhouette and the voice, he knew she must be a woman of unparalleled beauty.
Yet, the scene before him, and this person, made Zheng Wei frown.
Was this the reason that had drawn him here?
Zheng Wei was puzzled, but his movements did not cease. He walked step by step towards the woman.
The woman's long, black hair was unbound, cascading down her back, accentuating her slender figure.
While observing the woman, Zheng Wei had already reached her.
The woman, hearing the sound of footsteps approaching from behind, found it strange. Why were today's footsteps different from usual?
Furthermore, since the person behind her had not spoken, the woman was even more bewildered.
Soon, however, the woman smiled and said, "What, you've realized your old methods don't work, so you're planning to try a new one today? Prince of Duan, do you think Kong Huangwei can be manipulated by you simply changing your tactics? I advise you not to waste your effort."
Kong Huangwei's voice was cold, and the disdain within it was not concealed in the slightest.
Zheng Wei looked at Kong Huangwei with surprise. The meaning behind her words…