Qilin Examination
Ye Li in front of him; she had somehow managed to position herself several paces away from him."Really didn't expect that, Miss Ye is quite skilled. I admit defeat." The man laughed bitterly and helpl...222. Qilin Examination
222. The Qilin Examination
It seemed that within just a few days, the so-called map of treasures hidden by the previous dynasty's founding emperor had spread throughout Northwest China. To say it was only people with some influence and capability who possessed such a map would not be an understatement. Naturally, there couldn't help but be one in the study room of Ding王府 (Ding Prince’s Manor).
Murong Xiyr merely glanced at the treasure map before casually throwing it to Feng Zhiyao beside him. From Murong Xiyr's attitude, Feng Zhiyao could tell that this so-called treasure map probably wasn't genuine. Han Mingxi was very interested in it though and reached out to take a closer look himself.
Ye Li and Murong Xiyr never expected Tan Jizhi to actually hand over a real treasure map, which pointed to the imperial tomb where Doctor Lin had taken Ye Li before. Even if there was no Imperial Jade Seal or treasures hidden by the founding emperor there, it would still be an authentic imperial tomb of the founding emperor. If they were just trying to fool those who were after them, this seemed like too high a price.
Murong Xiyr said coolly with a smile, "Why bother about what he wants to do In Northwest China, can he still stir up trouble Han Mingxi, if you're interested, you might as well join us for some fun."
Han Mingxi's eyes lit up at this. He knew that Ye Li had once entered the imperial tomb before and immediately turned towards her.
Ye Li smiled and said, "There are indeed quite a few valuable items inside. It can be considered an excellent imperial tomb, but if you're talking about treasures... it's probably lacking just a little bit."
Han Mingxi understood that this was simply an emperor's mausoleum, not the legendary treasure trove as he had hoped.
However, it didn't matter. There were still plenty of valuable items in an emperor's mausoleum.
Han Mingchi was busy scheming and vying with various factions to obtain treasures from the imperial mausoleum, so Tan Jizhi, who had been pursued openly and covertly by others for a couple of days, actually came knocking at their door instead.
When Tan Jizhi met Ye Li again and Mo Xiuyao, his haughty expression had diminished considerably. He greeted the two respectfully as he approached them. Ye Li smiled and asked, "It's been quite some time since we last saw you, Mr. Tan. Are you well" Tan Jizhi gave a bitter smile while looking at her, saying, "Do you really need to ask me that, Your Excellency" Ye Li didn’t sympathize with his gaunt and fatigued appearance; she kept smiling as she said, "The news about what’s been happening these past few months has reached the ears of this Duchess and His Excellency. It must have been very hard for you." Tan Jizhi felt a knot in his throat that he couldn’t swallow or spit out. He alternated between looking pale and red-faced before finally composing himself to give them an揖手 (archaic gesture of respect). "I came here today to pick up Lin'er as per our agreement, but I have yet to hear from His Excellency and Your Excellency about when you plan on releasing her."
Ye Li said with a smile, "At any time. It looks like Mr. Tan thinks we’ve gone back on our word. This Duchess has already mentioned that Princess Anxi is still in the northwest, so it wouldn’t be safe for the Holy Maiden of Nanjiang to leave the ducal residence right now. Since you’re insistent, I won’t try to dissuade you further. However, any safety issues and incidents involving the Holy Maiden after she leaves the ducal residence have nothing to do with the Dingdu Dukedom." Tan Jizhi said in a low voice, "Of course."
Hearing him say this, Ye Li didn’t hold back, waving for Qin Feng to bring Shu Manlin over. Soon enough, Shu Manlin was brought into the study and immediately threw herself into Tan Jizhi’s arms, sobbing uncontrollably. After taking a look at her, Tan Jizhi felt relieved that she hadn’t suffered too much hardship or been treated harshly by the Dingdu Dukedom; he then tugged Shu Manlin along as he said to them, "Thank you very much, Your Excellencies. We’ll take our leave now." Ye Li smiled coolly and simply told someone to escort him out without seeing them off herself. Because many people had headed towards the imperial mausoleum, Licheng was unusually peaceful. Now that she had some free time on her hands, Ye Li ventured outside the city to inspect Qilin’s base. This was the first time since returning to Licheng that she left the city. Qilin’s base was located in a secluded valley thirty miles away from the city, constructed similarly to what she built near the capital but much larger and with more training programs. Qin Feng had worked out these ideas together with Zhuo Jinglinhan and others. As soon as Ye Li entered the valley accompanied by Qin Feng and Zhuo Jing, they saw an expansive open space where several hundred young men stood in neat rows, raising their right hands to salute her, "Greetings, Duchess!"
Ye Li surveyed them with a smile on her face; she immediately spotted Xu Qingfeng standing at the front. He was dressed in gray clothes like all other Qilin members and had an expression of solemnity that made her smile faintly.
"No need to salute," Ye Li walked to the center, looking with satisfaction at the several hundred dashing Qilin members before them. "Today marks the end of your training over these past few months. At the same time, the final round of tests will begin now. Are you all confident"
"Yes!" Everyone shouted in unison. Ye Li nodded approvingly, saying, "Good. Now I order that the content of this assessment is as follows: 1) March westward for one hundred and twenty li, arriving at the designated location before dawn tomorrow morning; 2) Capture all non-civilians from Northwest and armed individuals within a ten-li radius centered on the destination. If resistance is met, eliminate them on the spot; 3) The following listed individuals must be captured alive without any harm inflicted—details will follow. Everyone will act in teams, and if anyone fails, the entire team will be eliminated. Are you clear"
"We obey!" All Kirin members responded together, their eyes glowing with excitement and eagerness. After half a year of various unprecedented trainings in this valley, they now longed to go out and see for themselves how strong they had become. Ye Li nodded approvingly and smiled, saying, "I wish you all good luck." Qingfeng stepped forward and handed over the necessary equipment and weapons; he sternly instructed his subordinates, “You have heard the duchess’s orders clearly. Furthermore, I will clarify a few rules: mistakenly capturing or harming civilians means elimination! Inflicting harm on target individuals means elimination! Failing to capture target individuals also means elimination! Dismissed!”
"Understood!" The Kirin members loudly replied and quickly formed several small teams to head towards their respective destinations.
Ye Li and the others watched until they couldn’t hear any sounds from the valley anymore. Zhuo Jing frowned and said, "Duchess, according to reports by dark guards, there are at least a thousand troops gathered around the imperial mausoleum area. Is it wise to send these people" Ye Li turned back with a smile, looking at Zhuo Jing, saying, “Although they haven’t completed their final training yet, compared to your initial trainings, they have improved significantly. Do you doubt them, Zhuo Jing Qin Feng, what do you think” Qin Feng said solemnly, "If these people can't handle such a task properly, then I would rather send them back and start over with new recruits. Duchess, rest assured, my men will not disappoint you." Ye Li nodded and said, “Very well, let’s go see how they have progressed.”
In the cluster of mountains near Hongzhou, it had been even more bustling than in Li city these past few days. Although many people knew that something was amiss and felt tricked by Tan Jizhi, the allure of the Imperial Seal of State was irresistible to most. At first, everyone kept their activities under wraps, but when one group found the entrance to the imperial mausoleum one afternoon, things truly came alive with activity. Since all parties knew about the mausoleum beforehand, they brought along many tomb raiding experts this time around, so it wasn't surprising that an entry point near Hongzhou was discovered. However, since this particular entry in the Hongzhou area only allowed access outwards and not inwards, forcefully breaking through would risk collapsing the entire tomb passage or even the underground palace. Thus, no party was eager to act rashly; instead, there were even hints of collaboration among them.
Han Mingxi was not one to seek out trouble; everyone knew that he belonged to the Ding王府 (Ding Prince's Estate), and even if he wanted to join in, others would likely not welcome him. Therefore, he merely led a few discreet subordinates at a distance, waiting for an opportunity to gain some advantage. Considering how vast the imperial mausoleum was, it wouldn't be possible for everyone here to remain aloft indefinitely. However, there was one thing that puzzled Han Mingxi privately: Even though this place was some distance from Li City, Prince and Princess Ding could not possibly be completely unaware of the situation here. It seemed odd for them to completely disregard such a 'gold mountain' and these people without any concern, which did not align with Prince Ding's usual style.
"Brother, what do you think about this" Han Mingxi asked Han Mingyue, who was seated beside him, once he had regained his senses.
Ever since Su Zuodie died, Han Mingyue had been in a state of decline. Out of consideration for Han Mingxi, Mo Xiuyao and Ye Li naturally did not bother with him but left him under Han Mingxi's care. Regardless of whether it was out of brotherly affection or to ensure the safety of their family, Han Mingxi would take good care of Han Mingyue so that he wouldn't cause trouble. These days, Han Mingyue had been living in Han Mingxi’s residence without stepping outside and now looked pale and lifeless, devoid of any former grace or charisma. Tired of this situation, Han Mingxi decided to bring him along on his personal matter concerning the imperial mausoleum.
Whether Han Mingyue had heard Han Mingxi's question or not was unclear; he merely glanced sideways without responding. Currently, Han Mingxi didn't expect any guidance from his brother and hoped that he wouldn’t cause trouble so that he could be alive in gratitude for the care given to him by his brother and ancestors of their family. Thus, Han Mingyue’s silence did not anger Han Mingxi; instead, he leaned casually against a tree, seemingly lost in thought: "I have this feeling that Prince Ding won't let me easily profit from private gains."
Han Mingyue remained silent and lowered his head. Sighing, Han Mingxi waved his hand and said, "Forget it. We'll know what's going on when the time comes." He didn't believe that Prince Ding would really allow so many people to act recklessly in the northwest.
—— Author’s Note ——el together" The wealthy merchant looked disdainfully at Ye Li from across the table, while the sickly-looking young man nodded politely.Ye Li smiled and declined with grace, "I’m merely curious about...