Chapter 324: Chapter 324: Prince Liang’s Rebellion?
324 Prince Liang’s Rebellion?
After gathering information, Wei Zijian hurriedly returned. He pushed open the door and rushed to the table for water.
Wei Shulan said, "Drink slowly."
Wei Zijian gulped down a large glass of water as if he were dying of thirst. Only then did he speak. "Prince Liang’s residence has been sealed off by the King of Chu, and indeed, an imperial robe was found there. Prince Liang has been imprisoned by the emperor in the Imperial Palace. His family members have all been arrested and are just waiting for the imperial decree to be sent to the execution ground."
Zhao Zhitong frowned, finding it hard to believe. "How could Uncle Pei be planning a rebellion? And an imperial robe was found in his residence?"
Pei Yuanqing had been traveling and sightseeing outside the Capital City for years. How could this happen so suddenly after his return? Zhao Zhitong felt that this whole matter seemed strange from every angle.
Qiao Muchen said thoughtfully, "It is indeed rather strange."
Just as they were puzzled, the room’s window was suddenly hit by something with a THUD. Zhao Yu immediately became alert, picked up his knife, and went to the window.
The next second, a man in black jumped in through the window.
Zhao Yu swung his arm, preparing to capture the intruder, but the person was extremely agile and dodged Zhao Yu’s attack.
The two were at a stalemate and about to fight in the room when the man in black spoke first, "I am one of Prince Liang’s men."
With that, Zhao Yu put away his knife but remained cautious. "You are one of Prince Liang’s men?"
The man in black nodded and pulled down the cloth covering his face, revealing an unremarkable countenance.
This face... it seems vaguely familiar, Zhao Zhitong thought. She pondered for a moment but couldn’t recall anyone named Guan Er, so she dismissed the thought.
The man in black spoke, "My name is Guan Er, and I am Prince Liang’s personal guard. I escaped when Prince Liang’s residence was sealed."
After briefly explaining the situation, Guan Er said, "Before Prince Liang was taken away, he secretly gave me an order to deliver this to Miss Zhao and Young Master Qiao."
With that, he took an envelope from his bosom and handed it over.
Zhao Yu was always vigilant. He didn’t let Zhao Zhitong take the envelope; instead, he reached out and took it himself. After checking it for any danger, he then handed it to Zhao Zhitong.
"Tongtong, here you go. It’s safe."
There was only one letter in the envelope. The handwriting appeared to be Pei Yuanqing’s.
It said that he had left something for Zhao Zhitong and Qiao Muchen, placed in a bamboo house in the suburbs. Guan Er knew the specific location and was to take them to retrieve it.
Zhao Zhitong and Qiao Muchen read the letter together. After exchanging glances, they asked Guan Er, "How can we trust you?"
Guan Er didn’t get angry at being doubted. He simply took out Prince Liang’s token from his person—a thumb ring that symbolized Prince Liang’s identity. This thumb ring had been bestowed by the emperor upon Prince Liang and the King of Chu at the time of their enfeoffment. Prince Liang wore it daily, and it was not something ordinary people could obtain.
Zhao Zhitong took the thumb ring and examined it. It was indeed Prince Liang’s thumb ring, bearing the emblem that symbolized his status. Moreover, there was a scratch on the inner side, one that had been accidentally made at Zhao Zhitong’s home a few years ago.
This evidently proved that the thumb ring indeed belonged to Prince Liang.
Zhao Zhitong and the others temporarily believed Guan Er.
So, they all followed Guan Er to the bamboo house in the suburbs.
The bamboo house looked quite ordinary. After searching the rooms for a long time, they found nothing.
Zhao Yue asked, looking at Guan Er, "This bamboo house is practically empty. Where is the item Prince Liang left for us?"
Guan Er shook his head. "My master said that for safety, the item’s location could not be told to anyone. So, even I don’t know it. If you want to get the item, you have to rely on yourselves. My master said you two are smart and will definitely find it."
After saying that, Guan Er stood aside in silence.
Zhao Yue shrugged, looking at Zhao Zhitong and Qiao Muchen.
The three of them exchanged glances and nodded affirmatively.
This makes it clear that the item Prince Liang left in this room must be extremely important, they thought. He must have been terrified of it falling into the wrong hands. His current misfortune is likely related to this item as well.
They began another meticulous search.
The bamboo house consisted of two rooms, both very simple.
Upon entering the first room, they saw a table with a Go board on it, displaying an unfinished game. To the right of the entrance was a shelf holding some calligraphy scrolls and flower vases. On the left was a screen, adorned with several landscape paintings, nothing particularly special.
Beyond the screen was another room, apparently a bedroom. It contained a bed, and several candlesticks stood at its head.
Zhao Zhitong walked out of the inner room and looked at the Go table. She didn’t understand Go and couldn’t quite make sense of the board. Suddenly, an idea struck her, and she called out, "Qiao Muchen, come here!"
Qiao Muchen and Zhao Yue both came over. "What is it? Did you find something?" Zhao Yue asked.
Zhao Zhitong pointed to the Go game on the table and said, "This Go game must mean something. You two play Go, take a look."
Both men had already glanced at this Go board when they first entered, so they hadn’t studied it closely.
Qiao Muchen said, "This Go game is very chaotic. It doesn’t look like a completed game; the stones seem to be randomly placed."
Zhao Yue agreed. "Yes, many stones are not in positions they should be. It’s just a messy board."
Zhao Zhitong nodded and crouched down to study the game herself. I don’t understand Go, but I feel these black and white stones are trying to express something, she mused.
After a moment, she suddenly said, "Qiao Muchen, come here! Remove the Go stones that shouldn’t be on the board according to the rules of a proper game!"
Qiao Muchen paused for a moment. Right, why didn’t I think of that? He then came over, sat down, and began to remove the stones. Zhao Yue also came over to help. The two of them studied the board and removed stones together.
After a while, Qiao Muchen said, "Alright, that’s it." Then he looked at the Go board again, studying the arrangement of stones.
"Do we have to play out the entire game?" Qiao Muchen asked doubtfully.
Zhao Yue also nodded. "We probably should. Come on, let’s finish this game."
He was about to sit down and play when Zhao Zhitong suddenly said, "Wait." As she spoke, her gaze traveled from the Go board to the screen.
"It looks like the Go stones are pointing to this screen!"
After saying that, she stood up and went to the screen. She felt around its surface for a while until her fingers found several small, recessed areas.
Qiao Muchen and Zhao Yue were both completely puzzled. They stared at the Go board, but even after some time, neither could see any connection between the Go board and the screen.
Zhao Zhitong, however, had already figured it out. She asked Zhao Yu to light all the candlesticks in the bedroom. She then went to close the door of the outer room.
"I’ve always found this room strange," Zhao Zhitong said. "Now I suddenly realize—this room has no windows!"
As she closed the door, the room was instantly plunged into darkness.
Meanwhile, in the bedroom, Zhao Yu had lit all the candlesticks.
They were now in the outer room. As they looked at the screen, several bright spots appeared on it, shining through from the light in the bedroom.
Qiao Muchen immediately understood Zhao Zhitong’s meaning. He quickly went forward and circled the bright spots on the screen. Only then did they open the door.
They could see that the circled areas on the screen corresponded to several characters on one of the landscape paintings.