The first time in history

Chapter 145 Silk Shop

"Whether the emperor asked her to secretly investigate our friendship with the military generals, that was what she said herself. How could we take it seriously? If the emperor had not told the imperial aunt about this, how would this memorial of mine have ended?" Qian Mingduo sighed lightly.

Lu Ran looked at Qian Mingduo and said with concern: "Your Highness, nothing is more important than your own safety. Since Your Highness has already sensed that danger is approaching, the most urgent thing is to think of a foolproof strategy!"

Qian Ming thought about it for a while, then nodded decisively, opened the door of the study, and clapped his hands twice.

Zi'er floated down from a lush tree, and Qing'er suddenly appeared outside the study.

"Zi'er, Qing'er." Qian Mingduo ordered, "Take some necessary things with you. We need to get out of the tunnel. You should know where to go."

He turned to Lu Ran and said, "Ran'er, I think you should know what I'm going to do. I'll leave this to you."

Zi'er and Qing'er slowly pulled open the bookshelf, revealing a white wall. Zi'er then pulled a wooden board under the bookshelf and a floor under the white wall, slowly moving them. Obviously, this was the entrance to the tunnel.

Not long ago, Ran'er took Qian Mingduo into the tunnel. Unexpectedly, it came in handy at this time.

Qian Mingduo signaled to Zi'er and Qing'er, and the two sisters turned around and went into the tunnel.

"Your Highness!" Ran Er grabbed Qian Mingduo's hand, "Do we really have to go this far? What if... it's not what Your Highness thinks?"

"Wouldn't that be the best?" Qian Mingduo gently stroked Ran'er's hand. "Once my father punishes me, there will be no redemption. However, as long as I am not in prison, I still have room for maneuver. It's just...everything outside depends on you."

"I know." Ran'er put Qian Mingduo's hand on her face and said softly, "How could things develop to this point? I can't imagine it."

Qian Mingduo held Ran'er in his arms, "You need to select some reliable and capable people among the spies that can be mobilized to closely monitor the imperial aunt. Tell them not to be careless. You need to arrange a time every day and ask Xiu'er to come to see me."

"I'll arrange someone right away." Ran Er said reluctantly, "Your Highness, take care."

Outside the palace walls, there are several rows of tall trees with lush branches and leaves. These trees are like loyal guards, quietly guarding the palace.

To the west, facing the dense forest, is a busy street with heavy traffic.

This street is bustling with people. There are shops on both sides of the street, including cloth shops, taverns, grocery stores, etc. There are signs hanging in front of the shops to attract customers. There are small vendors setting up stalls on the street to sell various items.

Pedestrians either hurried past or stopped to select goods. Horse-drawn and ox-drawn carts passed by from time to time, making bursts of noise. Transactions were frequent here, and the atmosphere was full of life.

There was a big word "Qian" on the sign outside a silk shop. It was obviously the Qian's Silk Shop.

The boss was called Qianzhuang, and he hired two assistants and an accountant. Shelves filled two walls, and there was a narrow door on the other wall. Outside the narrow door was a small courtyard, where the assistants and the accountant lived in the south room. The north room served as a warehouse, filled with silk and cotton. The west room was where the boss Qianzhuang lived.

There are two sturdy locust trees planted on both sides of the north room. Their crowns are dense, prosperous and lush, giving people a feeling of vitality.

These branches are intertwined to form a natural green barrier, separating the north house from the outside world.

There is a dark room at the intersection of the north room and the west room. This is a real dark room because there is no door to enter. There is only a small window on the top of the wall facing the street.

The floor in a corner of the darkroom was suddenly lifted up slowly, and a pair of vigilant eyes looked around. The empty darkroom seemed dim and empty.

Zi'er walked down the wooden ladder and nodded to Qing'er. The two of them lit several candles on the wall, which instantly illuminated the entire space.

This room was the same size as the north room of the silk shop, because it was located in the basement of the north room. There was a large bed in one corner of the room, and a few small stools and a low table were placed under the other wall. Apart from that, there was nothing else.

When Qian Mingduo came in from the tunnel, Zi'er and Qing'er had already packed everything up. They spread a quilt on the bed and placed Ruichen's usual tea set on the low table.

Qian Mingduo first climbed up the wooden ladder and looked at the darkroom. Then he went up to the roof from a stone platform on the west side of the darkroom. He opened a small wooden door and reached the roof of the north room. The roof of the darkroom and the roof of the north room were connected.

Qian Mingduo stepped on the thick beam and came to the air hole on the west side of the north room. This small air hole was opened to prevent the wooden structure of the roof from getting damp, and now it became Qian Mingduo's lookout. He could see the gate of Ruichen Mansion from afar.

It was raining heavily outside, and Qian Mingduo saw a carriage parked at the door. A man of similar stature to him was hiding under Lu Ran's umbrella and hurriedly got into the carriage.

Lu Ran held the umbrella very low, and the man was wearing a bamboo hat, so no one could see the face of the person under the umbrella.

Qian Mingduo saw Lu Ran just crossing the threshold, paused, and looked back at him intentionally or unintentionally.

Qian Mingduo smiled. This was what he and Lu Ran had agreed on. He asked the guard Ma Jun to replace Ruichen, get on the carriage, and then go to the canal dock. He would find a boat heading south, and when the boat reached a sparsely populated area, Ma Jun would quietly leave. In this way, no one would know Ruichen's whereabouts.

"May God bless you!" Qian Mingduo stepped on the beam to return to the dark room, closed the small door on the roof, and jumped onto the stone platform.

He didn't want to hide in the dark underground, but sensing the danger coming, he had to make this helpless choice.

"Leave this opening open for some fresh air." After descending the wooden ladder, Qian Mingduo looked up and said, "It's very humid underground."

Zi'er nodded, "It's still a little stuffy."

Qian Mingduo sat on the bed and looked up to see Qing'er and Zi'er standing at the entrance of the tunnel. He smiled. "You sisters have been protecting me in the dark. Now that we are here, we don't have to work so hard anymore."

He patted the edge of the bed and said, "Come here and sit next to me."

Qing'er and Zi'er looked at each other, both of them blushing. When they walked to the bed, Qian Mingduo stood up and slowly stretched out his arms.

Qing'er and Zi'er leaned over and gently placed the swords in their hands on the ground. They approached Qian Mingduo and kissed him on the cheek. Then, they slowly untied Qian Mingduo's belt...

"You can have a good sleep tonight." Qian Mingduo leaned his elbows on the panting Qing'er and Zi'er. "I'm fucking tired too."