The temple man was nowhere to be found at the moment, and there was no clothes and socks in the room, only the incense powder and rouge that he used to regard as treasures were sprinkled all over the dresser, red, white, and white.

Did the temple people escape? Where will Chen Yi be now?

"Girl, did you find what you were looking for?" The tall swordsman approached me and asked in a whisper.

I calmed down and leaned down, and found what I wanted under the bed: "Found it, let's go!" I wrapped a few sticks of vine in a silk handkerchief and stuffed them into my arms, and strode out.

The Qi Palace in the morning was quiet, and the Dianjiangtai at this time, like the sleeping birds in the treetops, did not wake up in advance because of the restless hearts of the world. For more than 200 years, it has stood here silently, silently witnessing the glory and disgrace and victory and defeat of several generations of monarchs of the Qi Kingdom. Compared to our restless souls, the struggles for power, the brutal court killings, it may have long since been lightened.

The two groups of soldiers guarding Dianjiangtai had been ordered by Qi Hou to take them away last night, and the three of us came to the southeast of Dianjiangtai without hindrance.

Here, there is a sewer that is lower than the surrounding area and communicates with the various drainage ditches. On the outer edge of the sewer, there are more than 100 pieces of pottery shards with semi-circular relief three-petal lotus, and in the middle is a bronze cover with animal face. The beast's eyes were round, its square mouth and fangs, its eyes, teeth, and the four dense circles of clouds and thunder patterns around it were deliberately cast into hollows to drain the stagnant water.

This should be the entrance to the underground drainage culvert of Qi Palace!

"Let's wait here!" I flicked my hem and knelt down at the entrance to the tunnel.

"No!" The two swordsmen bowed their heads and stood beside me, one left and one right.

The smell of dew lingered in the morning air, and a mist as thin as a veil lingered in the treetops. The morning was quieter than ever, but it didn't soothe my nerves at the moment.

Soon after, the bell of the hundred officials entering the court was heard in the distance.

Has it begun? Has the decisive battle between the monarch and the secretary of Qi been?

I tried my best to slow down my breathing and prayed silently with my heart, praying that in the Tingxian Palace, the Marquis of Qi could capture Chen Heng in one fell swoop, and that Wu Xian would be safe and sound.

I don't know how long it took, and the swordsman next to him suddenly let out a soft cry and pulled out the sword at his waist: "Girl, someone is here over there!" ”

When I opened my eyes, I saw two figures running side by side on the avenue to the left of the Dian Jiangtai. It was the fat temple man who ran up and flicked it, but behind him was a beautiful woman wearing a heavy red exhibition dress and a jade flute with beads on her head.

"Put away your sword, it's your own people." I got up and walked up to the fat temple man.

"Aunt, girl" When the fat temple man ran to me, he was already out of breath and his face was flushed, he said anxiously to me: "Zuo Xiang didn't come to the court today, and Zuo Sima Chen Qian didn't come to the court, Mr. Zhao asked the slave to inform the girl, please hurry up and go down the culvert with Mrs. Jun first!" ”

"Chen Heng didn't come to the court?!" My head buzzed, and I shouted, "Wuxian let us go first, what about him now?" ”

"Mr. Zhao, he ......"

"Temple mink, where is the culvert? Don't lead the way yet, what nonsense! The beautiful woman in red behind the fat temple man gasped and clutched her chest, she didn't seem to be able to see me, so she kept pushing the fat temple man behind her back.

This woman is Qi Hou's wife, Mrs. Qi Lu Ji?

"Girl, it's too late now, I'll talk to you later." The fat temple man didn't have time to answer me after being interrupted by Mrs. Qi, and rushed directly to the entrance of the underground culvert. He knelt on the ground, counted nine times to the right, starting with the one that was level with the left eye of the beast's face, and then pulled out the ninth pottery tablet with all his might. As soon as the pottery shard was removed, the other pottery shards fell to the right, and a gap was immediately revealed at the entrance. The two small ears on the bronze top of the beast's face were also exposed.

"You two, lift the lid up!" The Fat Temple man took a step back. The two swordsmen glanced at each other and immediately leaned over to pull the two bronze earrings.

"Where's the shirtless? Hasn't the pilgrimage meeting been dispersed yet? Did the right minister Kan Zhi lead the troops out of the palace? I was anxious, and when I saw that the fat temple man was empty, I hurriedly pulled him and asked again.

"The court meeting has not yet dispersed, and Mr. Zhao is still protecting the monarch in the court. The right prime minister has already received the order to transfer troops to the left minister's mansion, but he may not have left the palace at this time. ”

"In addition to Chen Heng and Chen Qiang, what about the other doctors in the Chen family? They didn't come either? ”

The fat temple man shook his head: "I didn't come, and the slave heard in the court that the Chen family is not in court today, and even the best doctors Ziya and Cao Dafu who are the best with Zuo Xiang on weekdays don't know." ”

Chen Heng has a total of three brothers, he himself served as the left minister of Qi, the eldest brother Chen Qian served as the left Sima, and the remaining two brothers also held important positions in the court. Today, all of them will not go to court, and they must have to make a big move!

"Girl, it's open!" Two swordsmen tugged at the ears of the bronze lid and opened the hole in half.

"Mrs. Jun, let's go down first!" The fat temple man picked up Mrs. Jun beside him.

Madame Qi glanced at the black hole, took a step back, pointed at me with her dancôme-covered finger and said, "Let her go down first!" ”

"I'm not leaving, I'm going to stay here and wait for the shirtless. You go first! Temple Mink, do you know where you are going to meet Qi Hou later? ”

"My subordinates know." The two swordsmen spoke in unison.

"Very good, then you leave one person to accompany me, and the other person escorts Mrs. Jun to the meeting place and waits first."

"Girl, you'd better come with us! Mr. Zhao said that Zuo Xiang may have secretly stationed troops to rebel, and if their people enter the palace first, we will not be able to leave. The fat temple man supported the pale Mrs. Qi and looked at me anxiously.

"I know it's urgent, but the more dangerous it is, the less I can leave him alone."

"Girl, it won't help you to stay!"

"I know." When I was in Jinyang City before, he told me that if I encountered danger in Qi Kingdom, I would flee alone. At that point, I said no. Now, even if he asks again, I'll say no!

"If she doesn't leave, leave her alone, let's leave quickly!" Mrs. Qi let go of the temple mink and lifted the hem of her red shirt. She was in a hurry to flee for her life, looking at the bottomless dark passage and not daring to enter, she hesitated for a long time and pointed to the tallest of the two swordsmen and said, "You! You carry me down! ”

"Girl, take care!" The fat temple man knelt on the ground and kowtowed heavily, and then ran to Mrs. Qi and carried the delicate woman on her back.

I nodded at the tall swordsman, who glanced at his companion and slid into the hole with a whoosh.

After the short swordsman waited for the three of them to leave, he put down the copper cover again.

I looked at him and smiled apologetically, "I'm sorry, you had to risk waiting here with me." ”

"The master has an order, desperately escorting the girl to a safe place, but everything is subject to the girl's arrangement." He straightened his chest and pressed his sword back.

"What's your name?"

"Disdainful, Yi."

"The ...... who came with you"

"It's the contemptible brother, named Don."

"Yi, don't worry, I will definitely let you see your brother again!" I looked at the swordsman and solemnly made a promise.

Hearing this, he frowned slightly, and then nodded vigorously.

Time passed little by little, and the birds in the Qi Palace woke up from their sleep, flapping their wings and hunting the flying insects that had no time to dodge. The morning sun of the new day, with a thousand zhang of light, crossed the hundred-foot city wall, and the bluestone road more than three zhang wide in front of him was paved with a layer of golden-red glow in an instant. In the crevices between the stones was the dew that had been condensed all night. At this time, the sky was full of red glow, and from a distance, it seemed that thousands of wisps of blood shining with dark red light were meandering along the cracks in the stone.

I climbed the stairs and climbed the high platform, looking at the blood-stained palace in the distance, and my heart was uneasy.

Swordsman Yi comforted me, he said that Chen Heng is not going to court today, maybe because Chen Heng's assassination failed last night, and he was afraid that the matter would be revealed, so he hid.

In the face of this kind comfort, I could only smile wryly and nod. I actually hope that what he says is the truth, but I know in my heart that as ruthless as Chen Heng, he will not retreat, he will not dodge, he will only use tougher means to eradicate the enemies in his way. The road paved with red glow in front of you may soon be sprinkled with real blood.

I clutched my sleeves and looked at the railing on the point platform, and at the end of the bluestone road was the tallest and majestic tower of the Qi Palace. More than 200 years ago, the princes of various countries drove into the Qi Palace from there chanting the slogan of "respecting the king and destroying the emperor", and the overlord Qi Huan Gong stood on the high platform at my feet, swore to the heroes, and finally drove away the Yidi who invaded the Central Plains.

Today's Qi country is no longer glorious. Now the Marquis of Qi is only asking for a life in the hands of his courtiers. If the spirit of Huan Gong knew underground, how would he feel?

"Girl, why don't we go down the dark tunnel and wait first? It's safer that way. "Swordsman Yi approached me.

"Yi, did you hear any strange noises?" I looked at a banner waving in the wind on the castle tower and asked in a low voice.

"No, don't worry too much, girl, the master will be here soon."

"yes, maybe I misheard." Am I too nervous? Just now I seemed to hear the sound of horse-drawn carriages galloping outside the city walls.

"Girl, are you alright?"

"It's fine." I rubbed my eyebrows and opened my eyes.

What about the flag? What about the flag with red letters on a black background just planted on the roof of the city tower?

Startled, I stood on tiptoe and poked out of the railing. At this moment, a thunderous drum suddenly sounded on the arrow tower on the east side of the castle tower. Outside the city, a few fires broke through the sky.

I looked at each other with the swordsman, shocked.

"Girl, quick! Hurry up and go down the dark road! The swordsman grabbed my hand and hurriedly ran to the point general.

Our feet were barely enough to reach the second step, the drumming in our ears stopped abruptly, and when we looked up, several rockets had been planted in the arrow tower on the left side of the tower, and a burning man burst out of the wooden tower and fell down the hundred-foot wall.

"Yi, hurry up and listen to the notice of the Xian Palace, the Chen clan's men and horses have attacked the east gate!"