"Right under my nose? Impossible!"
After saying that, his handsome face twisted in embarrassment; this was utterly humiliating.
Xie Lanzhi smiled faintly and remained silent. The more she acted this way, the deeper Yelü Lili's suspicions grew. In the end, Yelü Lili compromised, admitting that there might indeed be something hidden in his Yu Palace.
If what Marshal Xie said is true, then that probing was also a weakness, a weakness undoubtedly caused by the fact that Xie's main camp had been burned to the ground.
The enemy probably didn't expect Xie Ji to dare to burn down the military camp in such a self-destructive way, which also burned away their suspicions about the Xie family and hastened their exposure.
No wonder the enemy has been keeping a close eye on Xieji. They want to use Xieji to sow discord between the two places; it's a multi-pronged strategy from any perspective.
The series of events is enough to prove that this person is extremely cunning. If not controlled properly, he will become a difficult enemy to deal with in the future.
Yelü Lili spread the word and prepared a banquet in advance; he would celebrate his birthday at the Yu Palace the next day.
Xie Lanzhi felt that after staying for so many days, it was time to go out. She got up from the stool and stretched. Besides her daily work, she had a general understanding of the place, and the thousand cavalry she had brought were teaching the barbarian soldiers how to use the cannons.
The thousand riders will remain here for the time being.
She said, "I'm going to visit Xie Ji tonight."
Yelü Lili didn't ask her why she was going at night; she could leave now. He simply nodded.
The county officials arrested the water users and fined them a large sum of money. They were responsible for all the accusations of slander and rumors, and for the compensation for cutting off the water source. The water users obediently paid the money and voluntarily went to the southern water source area to reopen the water supply, even though Xie Ji was no longer at the original military camp.
The surviving warrior was still in prison. Liu Jie asked him a few questions and then said, "We'll let you out once things have calmed down."
This also serves to protect the only witness.
Liu Jie rushed to see Xie Ji, but Xie Fei and Xie Chong, the officers of the Xie clan, wouldn't let them in, so Liu Jie had no choice but to leave behind the gifts he had brought to visit the sick.
At this moment, Xie Xiu took the initiative to accept the gift and greeted Liu Jie: "General, you are still unconscious. Everyone is in a bad mood because we are leaderless. That's why we have been neglecting you. Please understand."
Liu Jie looked him over and said, "It's alright. I came here today to see if Xie Ji has woken up, so that I can give Marshal Xie an explanation."
Mentioning Marshal Xie, Xie Xiu's eyes flashed inexplicably. Then Liu Jie added, "The day after tomorrow is His Highness the Crown Prince's birthday. General Xie has fallen into a coma again. Marshal Xie has just decided to return today to take charge of the situation. You don't need to worry about being leaderless."
Xie Xiu exclaimed with delight, "The Marshal is coming back! That's wonderful!"
Upon hearing this, Xie Fei and Xie Chong, along with Liu Han and the others, breathed a sigh of relief: "That's great. As long as the Marshal comes out, there's nothing in the world that she can't solve."
"Yeah, maybe we can even expose the mastermind behind our scheme."
"Farewell!" Liu Jie said, turning and leaving.
Xie Xiu saw them off the whole way, and finally instructed the two brothers to take good care of General Xie. He was going to help with some military affairs.
Xie Fei and Xie Chong nodded quickly and went into the tent.
In the rear hall of Yu Palace, Si Caifeng heard that her husband's birthday was the day after tomorrow, so she ordered someone to pick out a jade ruyi from the dowry sent by Tianjing.
The dowry from Tianjing was locked in the treasury of the Yu Palace, and only Yelü Lili and the head of the treasury had the key.
Si Caifeng ordered the treasury to be opened that very day, but several men were sent, all of whom were turned away by the head of the department. He said that the treasury could not be opened without the Crown Prince's order.
Si Caifeng was surprised that she didn't even have this authority, so she immediately sent someone to consult Yelü Lili. No sooner had the person been sent than Yelü Lili ordered the Crown Princess to open the treasury.
After the vault was opened, Si Caifeng's men found the jade ruyi and left.
When this news reached Yelü Lili's ears, he specifically asked his men who had entered the treasury if they had seen anything different.
The subordinate shook his head without noticing.
Yelü Lili then said to Xie Lanzhi, "It's possible that it's not in my treasury."
Xie Lanzhi was already planning to leave. She had just sent Xie Ying out and naturally had no interest in bringing this up again: "Wouldn't we know once my people try it out?"
"If successful, His Highness the Crown Prince will receive a large sum of money. On the contrary, my Xie family will have worked the hardest and lost the most from beginning to end."
When Yelü Lili saw her complaining, he said, "I will pay for the repair of the military camp and also compensate General Xie."
"That's even better. I don't want to waste any more time waiting."
It is said that Xie Ying came from an unknown place. After taking a boat, she went directly to a port. Then, she went to see Xie Ji, thinking that he was a captain of the Xie clan. She found that Xie Ji was still unconscious and was being guarded by a Xie clan member she had never seen before.
She then left the military camp and went directly to visit Si Caifeng.
Si Caifeng thought that Marshal Xie had asked her to bring some message, so she hurriedly received her.
As a result, Xie Ying reminded her without saying a word: "Your Highness, you'd better go somewhere else to avoid trouble."
Si Caifeng asked, puzzled, "What does the young general mean by this?"
"For your safety."
Xie Ying asked for the direction of the vault again, and Si Caifeng pointed it out. Xie Ying immediately jumped onto the roof and encountered the experts from Yu Palace. She took out Yelü Lili's iron token, and the experts immediately retreated.
Then Xie Ying walked directly to the roof of the vault, took out gunpowder from her pocket. This was a failed product from the Ministry of Works. It was weak but produced a lot of smoke, which could create smoke and fire to confuse people's vision, so she liked it very much.
She flung a handful of tinder onto the roof, then dropped the tinderbox and immediately jumped off.
A loud "whoosh" of white smoke rose from the palace's glazed tiles, startling the people below who screamed, "Fire!"
"There's a fire near the vault!"
The head of the treasury immediately ordered someone to put out the smoke, while he and his men carried the contents of the vault out, box by box. Xie Ying took the opportunity to sneak in and searched the floor, walls, and beams, knocking on them, but found nothing amiss.
It wasn't until the director came in and deliberately lingered around the bookshelves that Xie Ying quickly located that spot.
At the same time, Yelü Lili heard that the Yu Palace was on fire.
He was eager to leave, and Xie Lanzhi followed him. The two of them took a small boat out of a cave full of stalactites, where two fast horses were waiting on the shore.
The two rode their horses and hurried towards the Yu Palace.
The director sent people to move the things out, and suddenly the smoke on the roof went out. The palace servants struggled to carry bucket after bucket of water, but it was of no use. It was all a false alarm.
The director's expression suddenly changed drastically.
News came from outside the palace that His Highness the Crown Prince had left the palace early, expressing concern for the safety of the Crown Princess.
The director immediately said, "Move the things back."
They started moving things again. Before the first group of people could even go inside, there was a sudden bang, an explosion inside, and flying stones and thick smoke. Everyone choked and had to put down their things and rush out.
The director's face immediately turned pale: "What's that noise?!"
"Yes, it exploded!"
"Chief, we don't know what exploded. What flammable items were stored in the vault?" the guards asked one after another.
But the director was already staring blankly, because an irregular round hole had suddenly collapsed in the north wall of the vault. The hole was bottomless and pitch black inside, like a giant eye in a cold abyss, which was terrifying.
A figure suddenly emerged from the hole in the wall like a monster, but it was indeed a person. It was Xie Ying.
The director clenched his fists and was about to call for someone to arrest her.
Suddenly, the sound of horses' hooves came from near the vault. Yelü Lili arrived first. Before he even dismounted, he saw the hole behind Xie Ying. His pupils contracted, and when he looked at the director, the director was already terrified.
"Your Highness, Your Highness!"
Regardless of what Yelü Lili said, the owner of the horse behind her leisurely rode over and asked Xie Ying, "After drilling for so long, have you dug anything out?"
"Like gold that looks like a brick?"
Xie Ying immediately smiled and raised her hands, revealing two gold bricks.
Yelü Lili's expression darkened.
He then glared at the director with murderous intent: "How dare you deceive me! You hid Suha's assets in my vault!!"
"Your Excellency, things are not as you think. I... I can explain!" The director raised his hands and knelt down.
Xie Lanzhi had already drawn her sword and handed it to Yelü Lili. She couldn't help but smile and say, "Can I borrow your sword? Haha, don't be shy."
Hearing her mockery, Yelü Lili's face darkened further, and he finally ordered his men to arrest the director.
Then a group of soldiers went into the vault and came out through the hole behind Xie Ying, carrying out box after box of gold that was heavy enough to break bricks. They dumped it all on the ground, scattering it everywhere and piling it up into a small mountain.
Xie Lanzhi, still on horseback, bent down and estimated, "It looks like there are about a million taels of gold."
This number immediately shocked everyone!
One million in gold, equivalent to ten million in silver, would take five years to accumulate. This is also equivalent to three years' worth of revenue for Luochuan's nearly depleted treasury. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Suha is as rich as a nation.
Xie Lanzhi also specifically reminded him: "Your Highness, this hole has probably been dug for quite some time."
This wasn't something that could be accomplished overnight. There are probably other details involved, but she won't interfere in this matter.
Yelü Lili, however, said, "I dug this hole myself, but I didn't expect that the traitor would use it first before I even had a chance to use it."
After saying this, he drew his sword and spurred his horse closer and closer to the kneeling chief.
The director looked up in terror: "Spare me, spare my life! I was threatened too, I..."
Who threatened you?
"I... I don't know, and I've never seen him before, but if I don't ask who that person is, he won't put the drug in my mouth, I..." Before the chief could finish speaking, the blade of his waist knife flashed, and the chief's body was severed from his head, which fell to the ground.
Bright red blood splattered on the floor tiles.
Yelü Lili sheathed his sword and addressed Xie Lanzhi in a restrained tone: "Marshal, is it time to close the net?!"
A note from the author:
Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants with nutrient solution between 11:28:35 and 17:10:18 on January 3, 2022!
Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: 53732868 for 25 bottles;
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
Chapter 117 A Big Fish Caught in the Net
Xie Lanzhi replied without hesitation, "Of course, leave the rest to me."
It was only then that Xie Ying realized Xie Shangguang was not by the marshal's side.
Xie Shangguang rushed to the new military camp, eager to see Xie Ji, but the Xie brothers, Xie Fei and Xie Chong, stopped him from entering.
"The general hasn't woken up yet; he needs to rest."
"Young General, please don't make things difficult for us."
Xie Shangguang pushed and shoved the two men several times, but still couldn't get into the tent. He was about to shout, but Xie Fei covered his mouth.