Chapter 265 You are really good
Fan Xian, who was observing secretly against the wall, took a deep breath as he watched Wu Zhu and Old Eunuch Hong chase and fight as they left the palace.
After adjusting his state, Fan Xian slowly put on his black mask and left the corner of the corridor. He glanced at the towering palace wall and ran over.
Thanks to the experience of being trained by Wu Zhu to jump off cliffs when he was a child, Fan Xian, who had special inner energy, could climb the palace wall effortlessly.
In the blink of an eye, he jumped over the wall and landed smoothly in the corridor of the palace wall. He glanced left and right, and after confirming that there was no one there, he crossed the corridor and rushed towards the inner wall.
On the other side, Yan Xiaoyi, who was patrolling with his men, suddenly stopped and stretched out his hand to signal the guards behind him to stop.
He tilted his head slightly and moved his ears. He seemed to hear a hint of unusual noise, but when he listened carefully, everything was normal.
After waiting for a while, a captain of the guards behind Yan Xiaoyi took the initiative to step forward and asked.
"Commander Yan, what's wrong?"
Yan Xiaoyi was not sure whether it was his illusion, so he turned around and asked him.
"Did you hear anything just now?"
The team leader thought about it and answered honestly.
"No, what did you hear?"
Yan Xiaoyi did not answer. He could not explain it clearly, so he simply did not say anything. It was still necessary to go to a high place to observe. It is better to be cautious. After thinking about it, he opened his mouth and gave instructions.
"Bring me my bow!"
"Yes!"
……
Turning his attention back to Fan Xian, he had already successfully landed on the ground like a gecko. After determining the direction, Fan Xian took small steps and quickly moved in a certain direction. When he reached the corridor with a shelter, he suddenly slowed down his pace and walked normally without any hurry.
The reason for giving up speed was to guard against Yan Xiaoyi's amazing hearing.
He and Wuzhu had discussed this matter long ago. There were two major obstacles in breaking into the palace to steal this time, one was Hong Sixiang and the other was Yan Xiaoyi.
Hong Sixiang was restrained by Wuzhu, and he only had to deal with Yan Xiaoyi. How to deal with him? It was very simple.
As a ninth-rank archer, Yan Xiaoyi has two major qualities, one is eyesight and the other is hearing.
If he wanted to deceive her hearing, after entering the palace he just had to give up running fast and avoid jumping and making too much noise.
It is not difficult to hide from its eyesight. Just don't climb high places. There are various buildings on the ground to block your view, but there are none at high places.
If you can do these two things, Yan Xiaoyi won't be a problem as long as you don't encounter him head-on.
Fan Xian's targeted plan worked. Yan Xiaoyi, who had been sitting on a high place and aiming with a bow for a long time, found nothing.
Seeing Yan Xiaoyi on the high ground lower his hands and give up his guard, the captain of the guards stepped out again and asked.
"Commander Yan, is there something wrong?"
Yan Xiaoyi looked down at him.
“There were no unusual sounds.”
The team leader thought for a moment and said.
"The nobles in the palace keep civet cats, and they are all unusually fat. Maybe the noise just now was caused by them?"
Yan Xiaoyi did not comment.
"Maybe, you guys continue your patrol!"
"Yes!"
After the captain of the imperial guard led his men away, Yan Xiaoyi thought for a moment and then moved, floating towards the Qinzheng Hall. He wanted to sit at the highest point.
……
Dodging patrolling guards, palace maids, and eunuchs along the way, Fan Xian successfully reached the Queen Mother's bedroom.
Without Hong Sixiang, Fan Xian walked around the palace as if he was in an empty space. He put a knife-tipped drug into the incense burner, and the two palace maids on duty in the bedroom soon fainted on the ground.
Fan Xian came to the Queen Mother's bed carrying the incense burner, glanced at the old lady whom he had not had the chance to see before, placed the incense burner next to the Queen Mother's pillow, and drew the curtain.
Fresh drug, wish you a sweet dream, old lady!
Fan Xian thought with evil interest that it would take some time for the drug to evaporate, so he had to let the old lady inhale more.
Glancing around at the palace maid lying limp on the ground, Fan Xian strolled a few steps and sat down on the steps next to the tea stove. He pulled down his mask, picked up the teapot, poured himself a cup of tea, and began to sip it leisurely.
After two cups of tea, Fan Xian thought it was about time, put on his mask again and opened the curtain.
After confirming that the Queen Mother had fainted completely, Fan Xian moved the incense burner away, roughly pushed the Queen Mother aside, and then lifted up the quilt. A very conspicuous square secret compartment appeared before his eyes.
Following the existing traces, Fan Xian easily knocked open the secret compartment with the tip of the dagger, and a uniquely shaped key came into view.
Fan Xian picked up the key, looked at it, and then rubbed it with his fingers.
The shape and material of this key are not uncommon in modern times, but it is very unusual to appear here. It must be this one.
……
Outside the palace, a tea stall.
Mei Cheng'an lay on the table, head tilted, bored.
"It's boring!"
Wang Qinian poured him a cup of tea.
"Master, I'm really bored. Why don't you take a walk around the palace?"
Mei Cheng'an rolled his eyes, pulled the teacup in front of him, felt the warm tea mist drifting on his face, and closed his eyes.
"How long has Fan Xian been gone?"
Wang Qinian thought for a moment and replied.
"It's almost an incense stick of time."
Mei Chengan nodded softly.
"It's time to come out."
Wang Qinian didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
"Master, you are embarrassing me. I don't know either."
Mei Chengan waved his hand.
"I am just talking to myself, you don't have to answer."
Wang Qinian said "oh" and stopped talking.
After a moment of silence, Mei Cheng'an moved his ears.
"Out."
When Wang Qinian heard this, he immediately turned his head and looked back, and sure enough, he saw Fan Xian's figure in the distance on the street.
“It really came out!”
Turning around and giving Mei Chengan a thumbs up, Wang Qinian exclaimed.
"Master, your ears are amazing!"
Mei Cheng'an curled the corners of his mouth, opened his eyes and sat up, drinking the tea in one gulp without caring about the cup.
He put down his teacup and stood up. "Let's go. It's time to get down to business. Remember to turn off the stove before you leave and give the people some coal money."
Wang Qinian snorted and refused to ask the young master for a penny to avoid being scolded.
Standing on the street with his hands behind his back, Mei Cheng'an asked casually as he watched Fan Xian approach.
"Did you get the key?"
Fan Xian didn't say anything, but threw something at him.
Mei Cheng'an reached out to take it, took a look at it, familiar shape, familiar color, it was undoubtedly the key.
Then Mei Cheng'an remembered the special material of the key, and he subconsciously rubbed it with his hand.
Can this thing withstand a full-strength arrow from a ninth-grade archer?
Fan Xian walked in and looked at Wang Qinian who was standing next to his fellow villager.
"Let's go find a locksmith."
Wang Qinian nodded and took the lead.
"Come with me, this way."
……
In a dimly lit room, a slovenly-looking, unshaven middle-aged man was turning over and examining the thing in his hand beside the candlelight.
Mei Cheng'an stood with his arms folded, looking at the table that was almost full of unfinished padlock keys.
Fan Xian squatted on the bench opposite the locksmith, resting his chin on his hand and watching the locksmith study the key quietly.
Wang Qinian stood at the other end of the table, watched silently for a while, then patted the locksmith on the shoulder and spoke.
"It's this key. Can you make a copy for me? Is that ok?"
The locksmith didn't look at him, nor did he say anything. He squinted his eyes again and looked at the thing in his hand for a moment, then spoke in confusion.
"Is this a key? I've never seen a key like this in all my years as a locksmith."
Wang Qinian was stunned when he heard this.
"Never seen it before? Isn't this the key?"
The locksmith shook his head.
"No! I am sure there is no such key! There is no such lock!"
"this…"
Wang Qinian looked at Fan Xian.
"Could it be... that I took the wrong one?"
Mei Cheng'an curled the corners of his mouth, reached out and picked up a slender traditional key from the table and looked at it.
The shape is so different that it's no wonder the locksmith didn't think it was a key.
Fan Xian was speechless. He glanced at Wang Qinian and then looked directly at the locksmith.
"Don't worry about what it is. Just ask if you can get an identical one."
The locksmith looked at what he had in his hand, thought for a moment and said.
"This thing is extremely magical. It would take a long time to copy it."
Fan Xian said decisively.
"As long as the general idea is there, the details don't matter!"
The locksmith looked at him.
"More roughly?"
Fan Xian nodded.
"Roughly, how long will it take?"
The locksmith clicked his tongue and examined the object in his hand carefully.
"If you don't care... a cup of tea is enough!"
"Okay! Please."
While waiting for the key to be made, Wang Qinian stayed inside to watch, while Mei Chengan and Fan Xian chatted outside the door.
"That old lady doesn't look kind at all. Her face is wrinkled and pale. She looks quite scary."
Mei Chengan glanced at him.
"You should be more polite. It's just that I didn't let you into the house that day. It's nothing serious. Everyone gets wrinkled when they get old."
Fan Xian snorted.
"My grandmother is not like that. You can tell a person's character from their appearance. Anyway, I don't have a good impression of the Queen Mother."
Mei Cheng'an shrugged and said no more. This thing is very subjective and idealistic, and idealistic things themselves cannot be said to be right or wrong.
"Tell me about the secret compartment. Besides the key, is there anything else in it?"
Fan Xian shook his head.
"I was busy taking the key and didn't look through it carefully, but I took a quick glance and it seemed like there wasn't much there except for a letter and a piece of cloth."
Mei Chengan let out a sound.
"Do you think that letter might contain a love letter?"
Fan Xian was speechless. Just like me, he was another person with a bad taste.
"You are so boring, why are you so gossipy? She is so old, who would write a love letter to her?"
Mei Chengan spread his hands.
"That's why I'm curious. What if you collected it when you were young and kept it till now? You can secretly open it and take a look when you put your key away."
Fan Xian rolled his eyes.
"Not interested, I want to see it myself!"
Mei Chengan frowned.
"Young man, you don't seem to be in a very high spirit. Don't you find it boring if you lack curiosity about this world?"
Fan Xian snorted.
"I beg you, can you please put your curiosity in the right place? That's the old lady's privacy. Is it appropriate to pry into other people's privacy?
Do you still have the basic moral principles of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and trustworthiness in your heart? I despise you!"
"..."
Mei Chengan's mouth twitched.
"You've elevated a simple chat to a moral level. You're amazing!"
……
(End of this chapter)
