Chapter 25: The Map of the Five Kingdoms Found

The Crown Prince stood in the empty bedroom, his anger building with every inch he surveyed. If the guards were telling the truth and no one had entered, how could everything have disappeared? His mind wandered to the secret letter the spies had brought him earlier that night.

Things from the Imperial Censor’s office had also mysteriously vanished.

Even though he was reluctant to believe in such ominous signs, he couldn’t help but start doubting.

Meanwhile, the Third Prince received a letter from his spies and began making plans in secret. It was going to be a sleepless night.

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After leaving the Imperial Palace, Xie Zhizhi circled around most of the Imperial City before returning to the secluded little house.

Once she arrived at the nearby mountains, she revealed herself.

She glanced at the time—it was already past the hour of Xu.

Xie Zhizhi, dressed in a faded floral old dress with her hair pinned up, ran quickly, her movements light and swift. She rushed to the little house.

Jing Yi and Jing Er had been waiting outside. As soon as they saw her familiar figure, they happily rushed up to greet her, “Miss!”

Jing Yi pulled out a still-warm flatbread from his chest and, walking by her left side, worriedly asked, “Miss, you didn’t take any silver with you when you left. Are you hungry? Here, have this.”

“You’re so kind, Yi,” she said, even though she wasn’t hungry, she took the flatbread and took a bite. The rich meat filling was fragrant and the crispy outer crust was delicious. “This is really good. It’s from that shop in West City, right?”

The meat-filled flatbread was the shop in West City that the original owner loved. It was always packed with people, and you had to wait in line just to buy one.

Jing Er nodded, circling around Xie Zhizhi to check if she was injured. Only after confirming she was fine did she let out a sigh of relief. “I was so worried about you, Miss. So, you went to buy flatbread in West City?”

“Me? I went to rob a house!” Xie Zhizhi pulled them inside. “Let’s talk inside.”

The small house was located in a more remote area with few neighbors.

Inside, candles flickered, and the wooden table was scrubbed clean. A steaming pot of tea was placed on the table.

Jing Er smiled, amused. “Miss, where did you rob a house?”

“Just kidding.” Xie Zhizhi smiled broadly, her eyes forming crescents as she continued to eat the flatbread. This was the authentic flavor with no added preservatives, something she couldn’t find in modern times. She wouldn’t tell them everything just yet.

Jing Yi sat down on the chair and asked, “So, Miss, shall we head to the frontier tomorrow to find the general? Whether he’s alive or dead, we need to get an answer. But jumping into the river… we believe the general saved countless lives, and with such deep blessings, he won’t die so easily.”

“Not yet,” Xie Zhizhi replied. “We can’t leave the capital until we find the map. Once we leave, we might not get another chance.”

“Didn’t you find the map in the general’s study?” Jing Yi furrowed her brows, puzzled. “If the general’s residence doesn’t have it, only that dog emperor could have it.”

Xie Zhizhi suddenly slapped her thigh. “Ah! I forgot to go to the Imperial Study! Maybe it’s there!”

She decided to go there tomorrow.

“Tomorrow, I’ll go out and search again.” As she said this, she took out a small box that Xie Zongyi had left behind and placed it on the table. “This is what I found in Father’s study. It contains only a warehouse key and some parchment. Take a look and see if there are any hidden mechanisms.”

Jing Er sat to her left and leaned over to take a look. The lock on the box was broken, clearly forced open by Xie Zhizhi’s strength. She directly opened the wooden lid.

Inside, there was a layer of parchment with a key resting on top.

“Miss, should I take everything out?”

“Go ahead.” Xie Zhizhi finished the last bite of her flatbread, wiped her mouth, and took a sip of hot tea. She saw Jing Er remove the parchment and the key, and once the items were out, there was nothing left inside.

Jing Yi, who had been watching the entire process, asked, “Can this parchment be opened?”

“Open it! Let’s see what it is,” Xie Zhizhi said casually. Jing Yi quickly moved the teapot and cups aside as Xie Zhizhi laid the parchment out flat on the square wooden table.

At first, they thought it might be some letters or something else.

But as the parchment slowly unfurled, a map of mountains, rivers, roads, and cities appeared before their eyes—an atlas so detailed that it shocked all three of them.

Xie Zhizhi hadn’t expected a military map. She couldn’t believe Xie Zongyi had hidden it like this.

The parchment was thick, stacked several centimeters high, and the table wasn’t large enough to fully spread it out.

“Let’s lay it on the floor,” Xie Zhizhi said. The three of them each took a corner and carefully moved it to the ground.

As they slowly spread it out, they discovered the map was rich with details—mountain ranges, rivers, cities, forts, winding roads, and landmarks. The map stretched across borders and regions, even showing territories of other countries.

“This is the Western Regions!” Jing Yi pointed to a particular area, looking astonished at the vast grasslands depicted.