Chapter 40: Discovery of the Jade Tunnel and Hundreds of Boxes of Precious Herbs

Hmph, if they want to kill her, they’ll have to pay some interest first.

A little electric shock won’t kill anyone.

Xie Zhizhi left through the main gate and found a side room in the Eastern Palace filled with the spoils from the raid on the Ministry of War’s deputy director’s house. The room was packed with box after box of treasures, and without hesitation, she collected everything into her space.

After leaving the Eastern Palace, she moved toward the emperor’s sleeping quarters.

Along the way, many palace maids, guards, and even a group of imperial doctors rushed toward the Eastern Palace.

Soon, she arrived at a place called the Liujin Hall, which seemed to be the imperial chambers of past emperors.

The secret treasures of the late “dog emperor” should still be hidden here!

At the door of the hall, guards stood watch. The gates were closed, but she manipulated her space and slipped through the crack in a window.

Inside the sleeping quarters, the space was filled with dragon-carved columns, red walls, and golden tiles, all exuding a splendorous luxury. Various extravagant items filled the room. Compared to the Eastern Palace of the former crown prince, this was true understated luxury—without any substance.

It was truly lacking in substance, mainly because of the excessive amount of tacky golden items!

But she liked it!

As Xie Zhizhi methodically cleaned out the room, she found a few precious items in a chest under the bed, which appeared to have been sent by the former crown prince to the third prince. It seemed the third prince couldn’t wait to pack up, saving her a trip to his mansion.

While using a metal and gemstone detector, it beeped and chirped in various places. After about five minutes, the room was stripped clean, leaving only a bed behind.

She moved to the front hall’s side room. Exiting her space, she observed the white jade flooring and muttered to herself, “The detector was loudest here, so there should be a tunnel.”

After a few minutes of searching, she precisely located the entrance.

Compared to the tunnel she had opened a couple of days ago, this one was wide and spacious, and the steps inside were embedded with white jade.

Xie Zhizhi looked at the dark, unlit tunnel and felt no fear. She pulled out a flashlight and began walking down the steps.

After a while, she considered entering her space for safety. What if an animal suddenly appeared and bit her?

Outside the palace…

The National Master arrived at the gates. The guards greeted him respectfully, “Greetings, National Master.”

A middle-aged man with graying eyebrows, wearing a white robe, and with a stern expression, commanded, “Open the door.”

“Yes.” The guards, used to the National Master’s frequent visits to the emperor’s sleeping quarters, followed protocol. It was said the National Master could foresee past and future events, and the late emperor had set a rule: when meeting the National Master, one must show the same respect as to the emperor.

However, when the doors were opened, what was once a luxurious palace was now empty, desolate, and bare!

“What’s going on? Who moved everything?” The National Master was furious. He had been secluded for only three days, and not only had the emperor died, but the palace had been emptied too!

He immediately calculated the situation but could sense nothing, as though the culprit had concealed themselves completely.

Two guards, still dumbstruck, stared at the empty palace, “No, no, no! It was just here!”

The National Master suddenly had a bad feeling and rushed into the room’s side chamber.

As expected, the tunnel had been opened. Was the culprit hiding inside?

The guards followed the National Master, only to see him entering the tunnel’s entrance.

Panicked, one of the guards shouted, “Quickly report to the emperor!”

Meanwhile, Xie Zhizhi continued walking through the tunnel, periodically throwing flashlights ahead to light her path, retrieving each one as she passed.

After walking for about five minutes, she reached a large area—about fifty square meters. The strong beam of the flashlight revealed over a hundred boxes stacked on the ground. Two of the boxes contained gold bars, but the majority were filled with precious herbs.

She had no idea how long these had been stored, but there was a tremendous amount.

Ginseng as thick as two fingers, over a thousand years old lingzhi mushrooms—she instantly knew their age the moment she saw them.

Dragon’s saliva incense, Tianshan snow lotus, top-tier deer antler, and bird’s nest—these were all rare, expensive traditional Chinese herbs.

The quality was even better than the ones she had bought in the modern era.

“Strange, shouldn’t these things be in the Imperial Medical Bureau?”

No matter—she had seen them, and now they were hers!

Heh heh, with a thought, she locked onto five boxes at once and swiftly stored them into her space.

In just two seconds, twenty-five boxes were collected, and she finished emptying the area.

After tossing a few more flashlights to double-check for any missing items, she found one last small box in the corner and quickly stored it as well.

The tunnel was now completely empty.

Just as she was about to leave, the sound of fast footsteps reached her from above.

Hmm? Someone was coming already.