Armas, this mysterious messenger from the rest Empire, took on the heavy responsibility given by the king and quietly stepped into the Central Plains.
He followed the vague clues he got from Shi Dami, and was like a walker groping in the dark, carefully exploring the traces of the princess.
On this day, he appeared around the Huang Mansion like a ghost.
Armas hid in the shadows on the corner of the street, his eyes as sharp as a hawk, and he did not let anyone enter and exit the Huang Mansion.
After several hours of patient observation and clever inquiry, he finally determined the general location of the princess.
He was secretly grateful in his heart and murmured to himself: "Fortunately, this princess is not in the heavily guarded Youzhou. Otherwise, with the heavy guard there, I would have to spend a lot of effort and might even return in vain."
The sunset gradually sets, and the afterglow turns the horizon blood-red, as if heralding the upcoming uneasy night.
Armas found a hidden corner, sat on the ground, closed his eyes and rested quietly, waiting for the night to come.
After Shi Dami hurriedly left the Huang Mansion, he did not rush to the Sad Kingdom to follow the common sense.
He was meticulous and determined that the king would never sit idly by and watch the princess disappear without being indifferent. He would definitely send someone who could find the whereabouts of the princess. So he simply found a place around the Huang Mansion to wait for the good news.
The night covers the earth, and Shi Dami stays in a nearby inn.
The candlelight swayed in the lobby of the inn, emitting a dim halo. He slowly walked into the first floor lobby, preparing to find some food to fill his stomach.
There were few people in the hall, and the diners were talking in a low voice, and the atmosphere was a bit dull.
Shi Dami's eyes swept into the corner inadvertently, but saw a familiar figure - Armas.
The tough outline and deep eyes still have unique recognition even in the dim corners.
Shi Dami was overjoyed, as if he suddenly saw the lighthouse guiding the direction in the vast sea.
He hurriedly walked forward quickly, his face filled with a passionate smile, and his voice could not hide his excitement: "Mr. Armas, I really didn't expect to meet you here!"
Armas was thinking about the plan to sneak into the Huang Mansion at night in the corner. When he saw Shi Dami, he couldn't help but feel happy.
He hurriedly stood up to greet him, warmly invited Shi Dami to sit together, and asked anxiously: "Shi Dami, how is everything going?"
Shi Dami responded softly, "It went quite smoothly. I have successfully obtained Xi Yu's birth date."
Armas nodded his mercy and said solemnly: "Fortunately, you heard the news, and the king sent me here. This action is only successful but not failure."
Shi Dami wrapped her arms around her chest and said leisurely: "I knew that the king would send people, so I waited nearby. Now that the lord has arrived, we will surely accomplish anything."
Armas showed his firm eyes and looked at Shi Dami, and they all saw each other's determination.
Immediately, the two lowered their voices and carefully planned the detailed plan to sneak into the Huang Mansion at night, carefully considered many links, and strived to be comprehensive and safe.
Shi Dami looked serious and asked in a low voice: "Amas, have you gone to Huang Mansion?"
Armas responded equally seriously: "I'm going, I plan to act at night."
Shi Dami was silent for a moment and then continued, "Well, you need to pay more attention to your actions that night."
Armas replied: "Well, I know it."
After finishing the preliminary discussion with Smadami, he felt a little relaxed and ordered some dishes at the inn together.
The table was filled with a wide range of food, exuding an attractive aroma.
Armas picked up a piece of fresh jerky and put it in his mouth to chew it. He couldn't help but exclaim: "This Central Plains is really rich in products, with countless delicacies and delicious foods, and various rare treasures are also common in the market. No wonder many forces have competed for it from ancient times to the present."
Shi Dami swallowed the food in her mouth and nodded and agreed: "Yes, what he said is very true. Look at that movie Yu, now as the prime minister, the prosperity and importance of the Central Plains are even more obvious. In the past, all forces have been fighting and smoke in order to make the vast territory of the Central Plains. They all want to take it into their own pocket."
Armas picked up the wine glass and took a sip. A hint of yearning and ambition appeared in his eyes. He said leisurely: "Hmph, if one day these places can become the territory of the Rest Kingdom, then my Rest Kingdom will dominate the world. At that time, both wealth and power will be limitless."
After saying that, the two of them didn't say anything anymore, just sat quietly, thinking about what they would face next.
Shi Dami breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Since that's the case, I'll be relieved. Without further ado, I will return to the Kingdom of Absoluteness to report to the king so that His Majesty can also wait for the news with peace of mind."
Armas nodded slightly, his eyes filled with concern: "The journey is long, you must be careful along the way. The situation is complicated now, and it is difficult to guarantee that there will be no accidents. Don't be careless."
"Don't worry, I will pay more attention. However, you are about to go deep into the Huang Mansion, which is the real danger. You must be safe and sound."
Armas smiled firmly: "I will do my best. You can set off quickly, don't delay the trip."
Shi Dami stopped talking and turned around and left quickly. Armas looked at his back, silently sorted out his thoughts, and made final preparations for the upcoming night operation.
The deep night was shrouding the Prime Minister's Mansion, and Xi Yu was reviewing the bamboo slips in the study, and the lights were swaying in the dim lights.
At this time, a soldier from the border crossing rushed over, kneeling on one knee, with a look of panic.
"Master, I am a special person to report. After detailed investigation, the crazy man that day, after a detailed investigation, it was confirmed that he was not a local from Youzhou. We were at the transit, but we really couldn't find any trace of how he entered the country. We were really entrusted by the Lord. This is a crime of dereliction of duty. I beg the Prime Minister to punish him." The soldier's voice trembled a little.
Xi Yu put down the bamboo slips, frowned, and his heart was full of doubts.
"Isn't a person from Youzhou? That's amazing. Since there is no record or sign of entry, can this person fall from the sky?"
Xi Yu looked serious and shouted at the soldiers: "Take that man for a good trial, so don't let him sleep. When he feels sleepy, you will use a whip to whip him. When he gets tired of his spirit, you will definitely tell the truth. I will hear the accurate letter tomorrow at noon. Do you understand?"
When the soldiers heard this, they all thought the Prime Minister had a wonderful idea and quickly responded loudly: "Prime Minister Don't worry, I guarantee to complete the task!" After that, they left with great pride.
When the soldiers were all gone, Xi Yu stood there with his hands behind his back, muttering: "This matter is not that simple. It is definitely not ordinary for the man to appear on the border quietly. I hope he can find out the reason, otherwise our Youzhou border will be in peace."
In the dim basement, there was a sense of dampness and chill. The crazy man was locked by heavy iron chains. He raised his eyes and saw a few soldiers approaching, and shouted at the top of his throat: "Aren't you going to kill me? Then don't be too slow, hurry up, I hope to die early and be reborn soon!"
However, the soldiers sat around themselves as if they hadn't heard it.
A soldier took out a few pancakes from his arms and distributed them to his companions, muttering: "I'm so tired today, and my stomach is long gone."
Another soldier responded, "That's right, no matter what this madman said, let's fill his stomach first."
While chewing on the cakes, they started chatting, talking about which brother in the camp has made contributions recently and which general has the weirdest temper.
Seeing that no one paid attention to him, the man became more and more angry. He struggled desperately with the iron chain, making a clamor, and kept shouting and cursing: "You deaf people! Do you have the courage to kill people, don't have the courage to listen to me?"
But the soldiers were still indifferent. The soldiers' laughter and the shouts of the big man echoed in the basement, which seemed particularly strange. In this dark and wet basement, the big man's roar continued to echo.
Anyway, the Prime Minister has already given an order, and I will talk about it late at night.
At this time, a soldier slowly swallowed the food in his mouth, wiped his mouth, glanced at the big man, and said lazily: "You should save your energy. If you are thirsty, we won't give you a drop of water. Just wait for the Prime Minister's hair to fall, don't mess around here."
After saying that, he continued to chat with other soldiers. The topic changed from which wine in the city was the most fragrant to the recent war rumors, and he completely ignored the roar of the great man.
It seemed as if he was just an irrelevant ornament in this basement, and no matter how angry or struggled, he could not arouse more troubles to them.
The big man shouted and scolded for a long time, his throat gradually became dry and he felt uncomfortable like a fire. He could not resist the instinct needs of his body and slowly stopped struggling and scolding.
He gasped weakly, and after a moment of silence, he spoke, "I'm hungry, give me some food."
However, the soldiers still sat together as if they had never heard of it, talking happily about family matters. From interesting stories on the streets and alleys to which girl was beautiful, no one turned his attention to the great man, as if he did not exist in this space at all.
The man looked at the soldiers' cold backs, and a trace of despair and anger flashed in his eyes, but he was helpless and could only endure the double torture of hunger and thirst alone in this quiet basement.
It was late at night and the coldness in the basement was even worse.
The big man was coughing and tired, and his body was extremely tired, but his anger in his heart did not diminish at all.
He forced himself to curse again, but after a few words of cursing, his throat felt as if it was being sharpened by sandpaper. His fear of thirst made him swallow the rest of the words.
His eyelids became heavier and heavier. Just as he was about to fall asleep, a soldier suddenly stood up, and the whip in his hand roared out like a poisonous snake, thrusting at the big man with a "pop".
The man was instantly awakened by severe pain and his eyes widened.
"Tell me honestly, how did you enter Youzhou?" The soldiers scolded in unison.
The big man gritted his teeth and said viciously: "I came in openly!"
After hearing this, the soldiers looked at each other and sneered. The soldier in the lead snorted coldly: "Hmph, since you are so ignorant, don't blame us for being rude. Brothers, continue to slap hard for me, I want to see how hard he is!"
After saying that, a few whips fell down like raindrops again. With the screams and roars of the man, the atmosphere in the basement became more tense and cruel.
After that, the soldiers no longer tortured the man, but just stared at him so that he would not have the chance to close his eyes.
Whenever the big man's eyelids start to fight and droop heavily, the whip will roar ruthlessly, whipping on him accurately, pulling him back from the edge of his sleep.
At first, the man would roar and struggle angrily, but as time went by, his eyes gradually lost their luster and his spirit began to be dazed.
The long-term fatigue and torture were like a surging tide, gradually shaking his inner defense.
His body couldn't help but tremble, and his murmuring voice was filled with despair and helplessness.
Finally, after being woken up by a whip again and again, the man's psychology completely collapsed.
He looked ahead like a soulless puppet, staring blankly, his eyes were empty, and he kept muttering words begging for mercy, just to let him sleep.
The stubbornness and fierceness of the past have long disappeared without a trace, leaving only a pitiful person who has been tortured to the point of exhaustion of both physical and mental health.
The big man drooped his head, as if he had been drained from his energy, and said weakly: "I said, I said, I walked into Youzhou from a secret passage."
When the soldiers heard this, they were immediately surprised and looked at each other a few times, all seeing an accident in each other's eyes.
One of the soldiers hurriedly approached and said anxiously: "What secret passage? Tell me in detail, where is the secret passage?"
The man raised his eyelids weakly and said in a pleading tone: "I feel so uncomfortable now, my head is dizzy. Can you let me take a break first and talk about it tomorrow?"
"Hmph, I think beautifully!" Another soldier immediately glared and scolded, "The Prime Minister has given me the order. I have to hear the accurate interrogation result today. You must say now, don't delay, otherwise you will feel better!"
As he said that, he raised the whip in his hand and tried to whip it down again.
Seeing this, the man was so scared that he could only cheer up and stammer and began to tell the relevant situation of the secret passage.
The man spoke weakly with helpless expression on his face.
"Oh, I didn't have a good place to go along the way. I was so hungry that I was furious and had a bad temper. I just wandered around like a fierce look. Later, when I saw a house in someone else's house, I had bad intentions and forcibly occupied the house."
Speaking of this, he took a few breaths and then said, "As a result, while wandering around the room, I accidentally found the entrance to a secret passage. I was thinking about whether there was a good treasure hidden underneath, so I plucked down. Who knew that I followed the secret passage and left the road, and it was almost here to Youzhou. What I told you is the truth. If there was a half lie, I would be hit by lightning and would not die well!"
After hearing this, the soldiers exchanged glances with each other, thinking about the truth or falsehood of this matter, thinking that they had to report the situation to the Prime Minister as soon as possible. After all, the matter of this secret passage is extraordinary.
The night was already deep, and there was silence around, and only the dim light in the basement was still swaying.
After hearing what the big man said, the soldiers thought that this matter was very important, but they were really sleepy at this moment and their eyelids were fighting.
A soldier yawned and said, "It's really too late today. The Prime Minister probably has stopped now. It's not appropriate for us to report now."
Several other soldiers nodded and agreed: "Yes, yes, this man can't escape anyway. Let's wait for tomorrow morning and report this matter to the Prime Minister in high spirits. Now, take turns to guard him first, so don't make any mistakes."
After saying that, they arranged a vigil order, and waited for dawn to inform Xi Yu of this important news about the secret passage.
The next morning, the sun had just shined on the eaves of the Prime Minister's Mansion, and a soldier rushed over.
He saw Xi Yu nervously and reported the confession of the man last night.
Xi Yu's originally calm face changed color instantly and said in surprise: "There is a secret passage that can directly lead to Youzhou? This is a big deal! Whether it is an old passage or has been recently excavated, the hidden dangers are immeasurable."
The soldier responded respectfully.
"Prime Minister, the man didn't know the origin of the secret passage, so he only found it by chance. But from a small perspective, this is indeed a rare clue, and perhaps he can use it to find out the secret hidden behind it."
Xi Yu nodded slightly, his eyes showing coldness and decisiveness.
"Go back quickly and ask the soldiers to interrogate the man again. Be sure to let him lead the way to the residential area where the secret passage was discovered. The prince then arranged personnel to go and investigate together. He must find out the truth about this matter and must not let Youzhou's safety be at all."
"As for the order, Prime Minister!" After receiving the order, the soldier quickly turned around and left.
Xi Yu stood there, frowned, and fell into deep thought.
The soldiers returned to the dark cell where the man was imprisoned with a cold expression, and their steps were stepping on the stone floor and making a dull echo.
The torches in the corner flashed, reflecting the man's tired but determined face.
"What's your name? Where are you living?" The soldier in charge asked loudly, his eyes as if he was about to penetrate the soul of the man.
The big man raised his head slightly, his eyes calm.
"My name is Wang Hu, and I am from Pizhou."
"Wang Hu, now you can lead the way immediately and go to the secret passage you mentioned." The soldier took a step forward, unbuttoned the chains on Wang Hu's body, grabbed his arm, and pulled him from the ground.
Wang Hu moved his numb body for a moment, without any resistance, and silently walked towards the prison door.
The soldiers followed closely behind, the weapons in their hands flashed cold light in the faint light, and they watched vigilantly.
After a while, Wang Hu suddenly stopped, turned around, and looked at the soldiers behind him coldly.
"If you really find the secret passage this time, I have made great contributions. Now that I have come to this point, I have nothing to ask for. I just hope you can give me some pleasure and let me die more easily."
The soldiers looked at each other, all of whom looked puzzled.
The soldier in charge frowned and stepped forward and asked, "Why are you asking for death so much? Now that the secret passage is revealed, there may be a glimmer of hope."
Chapter completed!