Love Affairs in Chang'an - Chapter 239

Chapter 239 Treasure Hunt
Upon arriving at the secretariat’s mansion, Qin Mubai saw that the military camp in the backyard was bustling with noise, as if they were busy. Many carriages were being decorated and troops were gathering. Yin Yang wore his general armor and was standing on the dianjiang platform lecturing. Hundreds of soldiers lined up and listened carefully.

Hearing his words, Qin Mubai finally understood that they were preparing to escort the prisoner to Chang’an.

“In that case, I have to hurry.” After some thought, Qin Mubai found Li Ke.

Li Ke was busy in his study. Seeing Qin Mubai enter, he coldly glanced at him and said in an urn, “You’re here again!”

“Yes!” Qin Mubai walked forward with a smile and said, “If you’re so busy, then I won’t disturb you anymore.”

“Don’t go!” Li Ke snorted angrily, “Didn’t you agree to help me? Yin Yang and Quan Wanji are leaving for the capital tomorrow morning, and Xue Rengui will be taken away by you. The governor’s mansion has just laid off a batch of officials, and my mansion is short of manpower. I didn’t say anything, but you must help me for a few days.”

“You are abusing your power for personal gain, Your Highness King Wu.” Qin Mubai smiled.

“Where did you start?” Li Ke asked in confusion.

“You asked me to take the salary of the Imperial Court, but I came to work for you. What is it if I don’t use my power for personal gain? Why don’t you also give me a salary and treat it as hiring me?” Qin Mubai chuckled.

“Chi, I really can’t stand you.” Li Ke helplessly shook his head and smiled. Fa Cao Gang of the Secretariat of the Prefecture was dismissed. The new officials had to wait for Quan Wanji and the others to go to the capital to hand over the criminals. Only after the Imperial Court had finished examining the case would the Ministry of Officials re-appoint him. Until then, why don’t you do me a favor and take over Farcao for now? I see that you are familiar with the law and are proficient in calculation. No one is more suitable than you. I don’t want my rule to be filled with grievances. ”

“Alright, no problem.” Qin Mubai agreed straightforwardly, “As long as you have time, I will come and help you.”

“This is righteous enough!” Li Ke happily rubbed his hands. He turned around and took out something from the bookshelf and handed it to Qin Mubai. He said, “Take it. I specially prepared it for you.”

“What is it?” Qin Mubai took it over. It was a very light wooden box. It was very beautiful.

“Don’t you know just by opening it?” Li Ke smiled mysteriously.

Qin Mubai opened the door and saw a large key and a few pieces of paper lying inside. The key was nothing special except that it was relatively large. He spread out the paper and took a look. It turned out to be a public warehouse signature issued by Cao Si of Jingzhou Prefecture. There were more than 270,000 Huyang White Rice Stones, 60,000 Corn Stones, 7,800 Official Salt Stones, and 46 large and small boats. It was covered with the official seals of the secretaries of the Jingzhou Governor’s Manor, Cao Ya, and Li Ke’s seals as evidence.

“What does this mean?” Qin Mubai was puzzled.

“I’ll give you the capital to do business!” Li Ke smiled and said, “A few days ago, Zheng Anshun counted all the materials captured by the Water Ghost side. The portion that the Imperial Court wanted has been loaded and unloaded to Chang’an. The remaining portion is temporarily stored in Jingzhou for the Jingzhou Prefecture Government to take care of. With this document, you can go and take it.”

“It’s all mine?” Qin Mubai pretended to be pleasantly surprised.

“Greed!” Li Ke scolded angrily, “You should at least give me half of this, right?”

“Haha!” Qin Mubai laughed loudly, “I forgot, there’s still half of you in there. Alright, leave it to me. When Mama Mei arrives in Xiangzhou, we’ll start to arrange these things.”

“I’m rich this time.” Li Ke sat down and smiled happily, “Although I have never been short of money, I have never made such a fortune. Mubai, you are truly a blessed general!”

“This is called foolish people having foolish fortune!” Qin Mubai smiled and said, “Actually, I still have an unexpected wealth that I didn’t tell you.”

“Another good thing? Speak quickly!” Li Ke said happily.

“I’m not sure yet. I’ll split the bill with you when I get it.” Qin Mubai smiled mysteriously and said, “However, it might not be money, but something else.”

“What is it?” Li Ke was even more puzzled and curious.

“I don’t know either.” Qin Mubai waved his hands and said, “According to my incomplete guess, it might be some sort of treasure. However, I still have some clues. I can’t find the exact location.”

“Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and find it!” Li Ke patted the table and said, “I know that your nose has always been very smart. I’m sure you’ll find it.”

Qin Mubai subconsciously rubbed his nose and chuckled. “If you want to find this treasure, you have to land on a death row prisoner.”

Li Ke’s eyes flashed, “Zhao Chong?”

“Smart!”

“Could it be that the water ghost also hid another treasure trove?” Li Ke rolled his eyes a few times, snickered a few times, and said, “There’s no need to say anything, we’ll split up!”

“Haha, why are you worse than me? I’m going to play the Imperial Court. Please, Your Majesty, judge!” Qin Mubai laughed loudly.

“Forget it, you!” Li Ke sneered angrily, “Aren’t you thinking the same thing as me? Don’t wait, go to the prison and find Zhao Chong. He will be taken away tomorrow morning. I’ll give you a warrant. If necessary, you can bring him out.”

“Alright.” Qin Mubai nodded and smiled, thinking that Li Ke’s trust in me had probably surpassed anyone else’s.

Li Ke wrote a warrant and gave it to Qin Mubai. He smiled and said, “Xiang Zhou is really a geomantic treasure land. With this, we will make a lot of money.”

“I calculated my fate at the beginning of the year. Southeast Lord Wang Caixi, haha!” Qin Mubai took the warrant and left with a loud laugh.

Li Ke chuckled as he looked at Qin Mubai’s back and muttered to himself, “This fellow is interesting. He is righteous!”

Qin Mubai entered Zhao Chong’s cell.

Zhao Chong was still sitting on the pile of withered grass, as if he had never moved anywhere before. Seeing Qin Mubai enter, he asked curiously, “Could it be that you solved the secret so quickly?”

“I just found some clues.” Qin Mubai took out the complete blueprint that he had written and showed it to Zhao Chong, saying, “Look, is this what happened?”

Zhao Chong received the blueprint in surprise. He first glanced at the blueprint and then read it through several times. He was instantly stunned! “West Mountain Phoenix, Jade Well Dragon, Dawn Watch, Tears!”

“How did you do it?!”

“The five blueprints are overlapped by transparent white paper, and they overlap to form a complete map and poem.” Qin Mubai said, “Because it is a relic left behind by our ancestors, you are filled with reverence, so you definitely did not think of rearranging it. Is that so?”

“Yes” Zhao Chong took a deep breath, still in disbelief. He looked at Qin Mubai in surprise and shook his head repeatedly, “You’re too powerful! In just two days, you’ve solved the secret that has troubled us for more than twenty years!”

“It hasn’t been completely untied yet, has it?” Qin Mubai frowned and said, “Don’t tell me you fully understand the meaning of the map and the poem?”

Zhao Chong looked at it carefully, shook his head, and said, “I don’t quite understand.” However, I am clear that this map is the map of the distribution of all the rivers in the West Channel. Unfortunately, there is no indication of where the treasure is buried in the map. The combination of the words “concealed head” in the poem meant that it was within the West River Cao, which could also be explained. However, this was far from enough. Even without this map, I can vaguely guess that the treasure is in the West River Channel. No one is more familiar with it than I am. I’ve been searching for it over the years, and I’ve dug almost three feet, but I haven’t found anything. ”

“Then Xishan Feng and Yu Jinglong, don’t these names have any special meanings?” Qin Mubai asked, “I think this poem is definitely not as simple as hiding the head. For example, is there such a similar place name in West Hanoi that is dozens of miles in radius?”

After thinking for a while, Zhao Chong shook his head in confusion, “No. There is no place name in the West Channel. Because there are only harbor branches and reed fields, we usually call the east-west river a harbor and the south-north river a bay for convenience. For example, East Harbor is the first river from east to west.”

“Wait, what did you say?!” Qin Mubai’s heart suddenly lit up. “Say it again?”

“What’s the matter?” Zhao Chong was stunned, so he repeated what he had just said.

“Port, Bay, West Mountain Phoenix, Jade Well Dragon” Qin Mubai carefully chewed on the meaning of these words, then squatted down and drew with withered grass.

“What did you think of?” Zhao Chong asked in confusion.

Qin Mubai did not answer, but thought carefully. Zhao Chong didn’t disturb him anymore, allowing him to think.

After a long time, Qin Mubai smiled and asked, “Zhao Chong, is your grandfather familiar with the Book of Changes and concentrated on studying Feng Shui, Yin and Yang?”

“How do you know?” Zhao Chong said in surprise.

“I guessed.” Qin Mubai smiled even more confidently and said, “West Mountain Phoenix and Jade Well Dragon, in these short words, there is a deep implication of mountains, rivers, yin, and yang.” Phoenix, yin also; Dragonborn, Yang also; Shuibei Shannan is Yang, Shannan Shuibei is Yin; The well dragon is a hidden dragon. “The so-called three elements of dawn and tears can be completely understood as’looking west and three elements of inward ‘, that is, the three north and south bays you mentioned. This is also an implicit reference to the location.”

“Wait, wait!” Zhao Chong’s head grew big. He hurriedly waved his hand and said, “I didn’t understand a single word you said. Tell me, which harbor branch is the treasure in?”

“Right now, I’m not completely sure.” Qin Mubai shook his head. He looked at the map and said, “Even if it was arranged in terms of Yin and Yang, there were at least six or seven places in these dozens of harbors that met these requirements. Could it be that they were all dug out?”

“It’s already amazing. It’s definitely worth it to dig it up one by one. If it was me, I would definitely dig it up!” Zhao Chong said excitedly, “You’re too amazing! You praise someone as intelligent and knowledgeable as you, so you can guess these clues.”

“No, I’m just guessing nonsense.” Qin Mubai smiled and thought, If Li Jingchuan hadn’t told me many things about the five elements of yin and yang and the application of geography and hydrology, forcing me to learn a lot of knowledge in order to understand the military manuals, how could I know all of these things?

“Quickly tell me, where is it?” Zhao Chong said excitedly. After a moment of hesitation, he said, “Don’t misunderstand. I just want to solve the mystery and fulfill my long-cherished wish. I will never reveal anything about the treasure to outsiders before I die. I swear on behalf of my ancestors!”

“I believe you.” Qin Mubai smiled and held the blueprint, pointing at the location he had calculated for Zhao Chong.

“No, this place is impossible!” Zhao Chong said decisively, “I once built a house here, and this used to be a place where we stayed. From the terrain, there is absolutely no possibility of burying the treasure.”

“What about here?”

“It’s not possible here.” Zhao Chong said, “Even we rarely enter this place. First, the river is extremely shallow and mud is very deep, and the ships are unable to cross. Inside, there is only a swamp and reeds, and there is no formed land.”

Qin Mubai frowned and said, “Wait a moment, I’ll figure it out later.”

“En!”

After pondering for a long time, Qin Mubai asked, “Is there a continent with many sycamore trees in the West River Trough?”

“Parasol tree? You mean … Phoenix-dwelling Parasol tree?” Zhao Chong was pleasantly surprised, “Really! There is a large mound near the Thirteen Western Harbors. It is several hundred feet in radius, and there are dozens of sycamore trees on it!”

“Really?” Qin Mubai’s eyes lit up. He picked up the map in surprise and carefully laid it out according to the landscape. He decisively pointed to a place and said, “This is it!”

Zhao Chong was pleasantly surprised. He glanced at where Qin Mubai was pointing, but shook his head disappointedly, “No, that’s impossible!” This was a small stone slope. Apart from weeds and water birds, the most common species on the slope were poisonous snakes. Even if we go there, we will only take a detour because there is a faint murderous aura coming from there. As long as someone disembarks, they will definitely be bitten by a snake. They will either die or be crippled. They are very evil! “Moreover, that small rock slope is very bare and flat, giving people a good view. There are only gravel and pebbles. Who would bury the treasure there? Wouldn’t it be discovered at a glance?”

“Haha, the more you think so, the more likely it is that the treasure will be buried here!” Qin Mubai clapped his hands in surprise and said, “The more dangerous and exposed a place is, the safer it is. Because you don’t even suspect it, how can you talk about anyone else? Also, think about it, this island is made up of water birds and poisonous snakes, isn’t it a metaphor for mountain phoenixes and well dragons? Perhaps this is a coincidence, but the possibility of this location is the greatest!”

Zhao Chong excitedly and nervously swallowed his saliva, “Then hurry up and look for it! It’s best if you have news by tomorrow morning, come back and tell me immediately. Let me go to the guillotine with peace of mind!”

Qin Mubai smiled and said, “If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have been able to get out of this river. Therefore, it’s better for you to come with me!”

“What are you talking about?!” Zhao Chong’s eyes widened in disbelief as he shook the shackles on his hand, “I’m a death row prisoner!”

“I know, but it doesn’t matter.” Qin Mubai smiled indifferently. “Before the autumn, as long as your head is still on your neck, then you are not dead. Since you are not dead, you can do something useful, right?-I’ll go prepare first. I’ll call you later, and you can come with me to search for treasures!”

“Alright!”

Zhao Chong was extremely surprised!

Immediately, Qin Mubai left the prison and went back to the secretariat to meet Li Ke, asking him to help send more than ten trusted confidants and strong soldiers. He immediately went to prepare fire seeds, shovels, and snake repellents. Just as the Dragon Boat Festival was approaching, there were quite a few realgar wine made by ancient methods, and there were also many good medicines to be used. There was also a large ship towing two small shuttles.

These items were all readily available in the secretariat’s mansion, but they were also very fast. After getting ready, Qin Mubai sent someone to the prison to bring Zhao Chong out. Li Ke was curious and followed. Hence, the group of people got into the carriage with supplies, boarded the official ship at the dock, and headed towards the west river channel.

On the way to the ship, Li Ke and Qin Mubai stood at the side of the ship, chatting and laughing with each other.

Li Ke said, “Mubai, what if I don’t find anything?”

“Think of it as a fun game. There’s nothing to lose anyway.” Qin Mubai chuckled.

“Yes, too.” Li Ke smiled indifferently and said, “I’ve been very busy recently. Let’s just take it as a distraction. Actually, I’ve always liked adventures. It’s just that I seldom have the chance to do such a thing because of my status. Sometimes I really envy you. I can do whatever I want and be at ease.”

“Actually, you can also live a carefree life.” Qin Mubai smiled and said, “If you have no desire, you are just strong. If you have no desire, you are happy. If you think too much, you are troublesome.”

‘”Hu” Li Ke let out a long sigh of relief and said helplessly, “I don’t want to. But I can’t help it. I was destined from the moment I was born. I can’t be calm and at ease in this life. This is my destiny.”

“Fate … Fate again.” Qin Mubai lightly raised the corner of his mouth and smiled. The two of them no longer spoke. They only quietly looked at the flowing waters of the Han River and fell into deep thought.

Soon after, the West River Cao arrived.

The vast expanse of water grass and reeds was filled with mist, and the harbor roads were crisscrossed. One could not see the edges at a glance, and there was a faint ghastly aura.

The group of people boarded the small prism boat and carried the pole into the harbor. The deep reeds quickly concealed the two prismatic boats. From the outside of the harbor, it was almost impossible to find any traces of them.

“No wonder the water ghost is difficult to eradicate. Hiding in such a place is simply impossible to find!” Li Ke sighed.

“Gentlemen, aren’t you afraid that I will design to lure you into the net, capture all of you and kill you, and then escape from Ascending Heaven?” Zhao Chong smiled coldly and said, “You are no match for me here. If I jump into the water or flee into the reeds, you won’t be able to catch me again.”

Hearing this, the two soldiers beside him were shocked and hurriedly pressed down on him.

“Let go!” Qin Mubai shouted softly and the soldier hurriedly let go. Zhao Chong smiled indifferently, stood up, and even brushed the mud off his clothes.

“If you really want to do this, you won’t say it out loud.” Qin Mubai smiled and said, “I believe you.”

“Why? I’m a bandit canal of the Green Forest that is extremely ferocious and murderous!” Zhao Chong said.

“Just by instinct.” Qin Mubai smiled and said, “There are some things that I really don’t know why, nor do I need any reason.”

Zhao Chong sneered and looked at Li Ke, “Don’t tell me you think so too?”

“I’m not as smart as him. I don’t have this kind of intuition.” Li Ke curled his lips indifferently, “But, I believe him.”

“Haha, I see!” Zhao Chong laughed loudly and suddenly pointed his finger, “Turn left ahead!”

Qin Mubai shouted, “Listen to him!”

“Yes!!-”

The shuttle boat nimbly passed through the narrow river, and hadn’t stopped for nearly an hour.

“Mubai, is there a problem?” Li Ke asked Qin Mubai softly.

“Don’t worry. If treasure hunting is that easy, then it’s not treasure hunting. It’s picking up money on the street.” Qin Mubai smiled.

“Do you remember the way you came here? After turning around for a long time, my head fainted.” Li Ke said.

Qin Mubai chuckled, “I should barely remember.”

“Really? You only left once, but you still remember? It seems like everything here is the same. I’m afraid it’s still hard to remember even if I walk ten or eight times.” Li Ke was astonished.

Qin Mubai blinked her eyes blankly, “What’s so strange about this? As long as I walk through it once, I can always remember it!”

Li Ke was both angry and funny, his face trembling, and a few words burst out between his teeth, “Of course?!”

On the side, Zhao Chong laughed loudly, “It’s really the same rice, raising a hundred kinds of people!” In my memory, there are less than three people who remember walking through these rivers once. Of course, I’m one of them. About half of us can remember these crossings three or five times. However, there were some people who were still lost after walking eight or ten times. We usually don’t allow such a fool to board the ship, and only do some toiletries on the shore to carry the bags and unload the cargo. ”

“This is outrageous!” Li Ke shouted angrily, “Believe it or not, I’ll kick you down?”

“Alright, I’m looking forward to it!” Zhao Chong smiled carelessly and said, “Kicking me down means letting me go. Don’t blame me then.”

“Alright, I’ll let you be proud for a while longer. In any case, it won’t take long before your head falls to the ground.” Li Ke hated Zhao Chong so much that his teeth itched, but he couldn’t tear off that face to quarrel with him on the spot.

Qin Mubai snickered from the side and thought to himself, “It seems that Zhao Chong has stabbed Li Ke in the back.” Who would have thought that this always smart fellow would actually be an idiot!

After walking for a long time, Zhao Chong suddenly shouted loudly, shocking the entire ship.

“Here we are!-That’s it!”

Everyone looked in the direction he was pointing at. It turned out that dozens of feet away, there was a hill filled with gravel and weeds. The hill was empty and there were no trees in sight. The hill was slightly arched in the middle, and it looked like a graveyard. It was a huge graveyard.

“You mean here? Are you kidding me?” “Who would bury the treasure here? At least I wouldn’t,” Li Ke said in disbelief.

“Yes, that’s right.” Qin Mubai chuckled, “Even you think it’s impossible, which makes it even more possible.”

“What do you mean? Aren’t you cursing?” Li Ke couldn’t help but be a little annoyed. He had just gotten bored with Zhao Chong, but now he seemed to have been mocked by Qin Mubai again, so he was very depressed.

“No, I mean seriously.” Qin Mubai said, “It is precisely because His Highness is a smart person that smart people often make correct decisions.” You don’t think there’s any treasure here. Perhaps the person who buried the treasure is trying to pinch someone else’s mind and deliberately do the opposite. Normally, only a fool like me would bury the most precious treasure in such a place where people would find it most easily. ”

“Cats hide their paws.” Zhao Chong laughed loudly, “Qin Mubai, you really are extraordinary!-Go ashore, what are you waiting for? Do you think I can be as smart as Qin Mubai and set up an ambush in such a bare place?”

“Chi, even if there really is an ambush, how can this king be afraid of you!” Li Ke sneered and jumped off the boat first. Just as he steadied himself, he suddenly let out a scream–

“Ah–snake!!!”9