The night sky was dark and a crescent moon was hidden in the clouds.

At midnight, the Shenle Marquis of Nanyuan was lit up with lights.

Wan Li and Lei Huan were drinking liquor at the square table. They chatted and laughed happily.

In the hall, apricot-red sleeves fluttered in the air. Four dancers wore exotic costumes. Between the sequined breasts and long skirts, flat and smooth abdomens were exposed. They frequently shook their soft and boneless waists. Their figures moved tactfully and gracefully.

The flower hall was fragrant and beautiful, and there were endless orchestral strings and bamboos around the beams.

After drinking another glass of wine, Wan Li’s white cheeks were slightly red. He squinted his eyes and the luster of his eyes was slightly misty,

"Wu Yong did a bad job this time and he almost made the Marquis's Mansion fall into trouble. Fortunately, you took care of the overall situation and reluctantly gave up your love so that the Eastern Depot and the court did not get something on the Wans."

Lei Huan raised his glass with a solemn expression, "Wu Yong has made mistakes and his fate was dictated by heaven."

Wan Li nodded his head acceptingly, and looked towards Lei Huan with his eyes light and fluttering, "In the future, the Taoist priest will serve my family, and I will not be able to treat you badly. The Taoist priest made great efforts to quell the rebellion of Mount Yin. Someday, when the emperor rewards people according to their contributions, I'll think more of the Taoist priest."

Lei Huan laughed,

"It's easy to say. I'm a practitioner and not greedy for money and fame. It is my responsibility to share your worries and solve problems, but..."

Lei Huan suddenly put down his cup. His slightly drooping face was gloomy and unclear, as if he wanted to talk but stopped.

Upon seeing this, Wan Li waved hands to let the dancing girls leave. He leaned forward and asked Lei Huan,

"Taoist priest, do you have any trouble? It's okay to tell me about it."

Lei Huan shook his head slowly, wringing his long eyebrows,

"Gu Di is Hong Zun's most proud disciple. His martial arts attainments are profound and he is accustomed to using the flute to inspire people's souls. How could he be sacked and killed by the Eastern Depot so easily this time?"

"Gu Di?"

Wan Li repeated confusedly,

Lei Huan explained hurriedly,

"You do not know that the leader of the rebellion of the imperial mausoleum in Mount Yin is 'Gu Di'. This person was adopted by Hong Zun since he was a young boy. Because of his unique talent in music, he was taught the skill "sound killing" by Hong Zun. And this person's life experience is mysterious, and he never takes off his mask. Ordinary people don't even know his true face and name. "Gu Di" is still the name Hong Zun bestows on him.

Wan Li lightly held the wine glass, followed Lei Huan's remarks carefully, and muttered to himself in a deep voice,

"It's true that no one has ever seen Gu Di's true appearance. As for the corpse that Leng Qingtang took into the Palace that day, there is no evidence that it is Gu Di himself..."

Lei Huan continued,

"There is one more thing I can't understand yet. At that time, the black matrix of the Swift Tower was broken and I found a magnificent flute silver needle of Hong Zun in the tower. That thing was originally the key to opening Kunhuang Tomb and was extremely important.

Since Hongzun intended to teach his beloved apprentice Gu Di, how could Tu Muxue, the secret guard of the Eastern Depot, gain Gu Di's trust in only half a year, so that he could give such an important thing to her? This...It's really hard to explain! "

"Indeed..."

Wan Li suddenly widened his eagle eyes in amazement. His eyes were astonished as a torch, and he was silent for a while before speaking,

"Leng Qingtang has always done everything without mistakes, so His Majesty believes him the most. Right now, I really can't think of any reason why Leng Qingtang deceives His Majesty?"

Lei Huan's brows and eyes burning suddenly appeared impatient,

"Lord Hou, regardless of whether Gu Di's death is true or not, where is Hong Zun's flute now? When Tu Muxue left the Swift Tower and was found by Commander-in-chief of the Western Depot, was the flute still in the hands of Master Ming? "

Wan Li's eyes turned left and right, and he raised his hand to assert,

"Commander-in-chief of the Western Depot, Ming Lan, works for the Imperial Noble Concubine, and will never deliberately conceal anything from Her Grace or me. What the Taoist priest cares about should be the thing in Leng Qingtang's hands in the Eastern Depot. If I didn't visit someone in my Eldest Sister's palace, I don’t know that there is indeed a relationship between Leng Qingtang and the secret guard Tu Muxue!"

Lei Huan was shocked, and the brilliant falcon's eyes were dazzling,

"What? Actually..."

Wan Li on the opposite waved his hand, and his sword eyebrows rose, full of confidence,

"Taoist priest, hold on. If that person is in Yongning Palace, I am not afraid that Commander-in-chief of the Eastern Depot will not get the flute back. When the treasure map and secret key are both found, His Majesty can drive to Kunhuang and explore the underground palace to find the treasures. "

Lei Huan's tense facial muscles were slightly relaxed. He raised his hand and stroked his forehead,

"It's so good... In addition, at that day I fought against a person with the profound arts in the Swift Tower, because that person wore a golden mask, I did not see his face, but get a glimpse of his face to find that person’s identity."

After that, Lei Huan took out a page of Chinese art paper from the wide sleeves of his robe and unfolded it.

On the paper was a portrait of a general, with clean features and a handsome appearance. He held a long spear in his armor.

Lei Huan handed the portrait to Wan Li and said,

"This is a portrait that I found in the inner world of the person who broke the matrix and then painted him according to the memory. Do you know this person?"

Wan Li took the portrait and only glanced at it, stunned and slightly horrified. He suddenly focused on a certain point in the painting, exclaiming,

"This person... Is he?"

Meanwhile, in the Eastern Depot...

Leng Qingtang’s expression condensed when he heard the rumors outside. His gentle fingertips touched Gu Yunxi’s smooth cheeks and he smiled helplessly,

"I'll go to the Western Residence. You have been too tired these past two days, so you can rest first."

"I'll follow you!"

Gu Yunxi didn't even think about it, but stood up from the chair.

She knew that Wu Yong was the real name of Priest Wu and also understood that in order to get the important witness, the Eastern Depot had already sent a secret guard to Nanyuan.

It was that day when Wan Li wanted to kill Wu Yong with poisonous wine, the secret guards of the Eastern Depot secretly exchanged the poisonous wine with a fake one. They saved Wu Yong's life from the chaotic grave by doing so.

Leng Qingtang couldn't stop the stubborn girl. Seeing that she was in a good state of mind, he nodded and agreed.

The guards lit up a lantern in the front and the three of them went all the way to an east room in the Western Residence and pushed the door open and entered.

The fire in the room was dim and Shi Lei, the seventh captain, was sitting at the table in the small room. He was solemn and his two guards stood on the bedside resting the arms on the hips.

Seeing the Master and Madam Yun come, Shi Lei got up and greeted the Master with the guards.

Leng Qingtang glanced at the bedside, asking,

"He wakes up. What did he say?"

Shi Lei turned his head, with a faint smile. The tail of his eyes was raised obliquely, and his gaze followed the master's line of sight,

"He does wake up. Finding out that he is now in the Eastern Depot, he immediately lies down without saying a word."

Leng Qingtang was disdainful of it. He walked over and said,

"It's good to pretend to be a corpse. Anyway, the Eastern Depot has ways to let the corpse speak."

Gu Yunxi followed the Master to the bed, and saw the man lying on the bed with disheveled hair. His face and body were dirty. It was undoubtedly Priest Wu according to his face.

At this moment, he closed his eyes and pursed his lips. His calm facial expression was a bit stiff, and he was obviously trying his best to suppress the panic in his heart. It was really ridiculous.

Gu Yunxi blinked, looked at as guard and asked,

"Can't you wake him up?"

The guard crossed his arm and replied, "Dead pigs are not afraid of boiling water and he can bear it. There is no response when scratching his armpits and soles of his feet."

Gu Yunxi laughed, rubbed her nose and met Leng Qingtang's eyes. Then she turned and sat on the edge of the bed.

She reached out and pushed the sloppy person on the bed, calling out,

"Hey, wake up. Wu Yong, get up."

The person on the bed was able to pretend to be dead, neither groaning nor opening his eyes.

Gu Yunxi tilted her head to look, and immediately raised her hand. Her two fingers fell firmly and moved towards the right part of Wu Yong’s waist.

The man on the bed immediately opened his eyes and mouth, and the white eyes were prominent in the round eyes. He laughed loudly as if a demon-possessed himself, rolling back and forth and struggling on the bed.

"Oh, let me go. It's so numb and itchy."

Wu Yong rolled over uncontrollably, laughing and shouting. He immediately shouted,

"Oh my god! I bite my tongue! I beg you. Please unlock the acupuncture points for me..."

When the hour was almost appropriate, Gu Yunxi got up and looked at Wu Yong with pierced eyes. Her two fingers quickly hit his waist.

Wu Yong immediately returned to his normal state. His crazy body no longer had a trace of strength, and his limbs were crawling on the bed. He panted for a long while, before regaining strength, started slowly, and wiped the secretions that ooze out of his nose and mouth.

Gu Yunxi smiled coldly and said loudly,

"Wu Yong, you look up at me. Can you still recognize it?"

Priest Wu panted, and his head was dripping with sweat and dirty hair strands. His small eyes were empty and blurred. He slowly raised her head weakly to look at Gu Yunxi. Only for a moment, he became surprised,

"You, aren't you...the chief Madam in the Palace?"

Gu Yunxi smiled,

"Hehe, you have a good memory."

Priest Wu suddenly realized and he pointed at Gu Yunxi with trembling fingers,

"Sure enough, you are working for the Eastern Depot!"

"How about you?"

Gu Yunxi looked calm and replied,

"Do you remember who you have been working for these years and what fate did you end up with? Where did the Eastern Depot find you?"

His words were not rushed or slowed, and the tone was clanging.

Wu Yong glanced at the cold-faced girl and then quickly lowered his head. He was already suppressed by her awe-inspiring aura and only shrank on the bedside embarrassedly.

Leng Qingtang took the opportunity to take a step forward and said with his hands crossed,

"Wu Yong, you should understand that I have sent the seventh tribe to lurk in the Shenle Marquis for days and nights. If it weren't for captain in time to replace Wan Li's poisonous wine, you would have been dead right now, and the corpse would be eaten by wild dogs at the unmarked common graves!"

Priest Wu trembled and remained silent.

Gu Yunxi kept her hands on her hips and continued beating,

"You have worked for the Wan family for more than ten years and you have planned tricks for the Imperial Noble Concubine to frame Concubine Yu and the emperor's son. You didn't expect that you would end up with death, right?"

The gloomy light in Priest Wu's drooping eyes flickered for a long time, seemingly entangled and guessing. After another moment, he spoke slightly, and his voice was as small as mosquitoes and flies flapping their wings,

"You, you saved me, just thinking that I know too many things about the Wans. For the Eastern Depot, I have some values..."

"You're right!"

Leng Qingtang raised his eyebrows, and his lips curled slightly. His phoenix dark and warm eyes locked on Wu Yong's frustrated face,

"I'm different from Wan Li. I do take advantage of you, but if I say I'll let you go, I won't hurt your life again."

Priest Wu slowly raised his head, and his eyes were shining brightly as if he had caught a glimmer of hope of survival. It was just that at this moment, his vigilant heart still existed. His mouth was tightly closed and he still refused to speak.

Gu Yunxi squinted her eyes, and her pink lips moved indistinctly. She raised her jaw slightly and said,

"Wu Yong, you have to think about it clearly. This is your last chance. Anyway, you are already in the Eastern Depot, and you are the criminal whom His Majesty wants to arrest. Whether you can save yourself depends on your performance!"

After a moment of silence, Priest Wu slowly straightened up. He sat cross-legged on the bed and patted the bedboard, with a sad expression,

"Fine, it's just that Wan Li breaks old friendship and Lei Huan burns the bridge after crossing it. Since they treat me unkindly, don't blame me for treating them unrighteously!"

Leng Qingtang and Gu Yunxi looked at each other and smiled, then turned to stare at Priest Wu.

At this time, a guard moved a seat here, and Leng Qingtang took a seat after lifting his robe. He interrogated in a serious manner,

"Let's start! Where is the money you have earned for the Wans for over a decade, and how much do you get?"

Priest Wu was shocked when he heard the words, and his wet forehead was soaked with sweat once again. He waved his hand to Leng Qingtang constantly and humbly,

"The Li Family, the Wans' Imperial Mandate, took off by shipping. The business on the surface traded in silk, pearls, ceramics, and tea. I don't need to say it secretly. I believe that the Eastern Depot has also found it. It is nothing more than an obscure business.

Nowadays, Da Yi has no less than 20 places and the areas of Northern Hebei, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Huiyuan are famous. There are eleven chambers of commerce there and six of them have been bought by the Wans. The remaining five are violently threatened by Wan Li who adopts many ways like drastically lowering commodity prices, bargaining goods and other shameless means, or attracting or coercing merchants to leave the chamber. Finally, the unfortunate ones are defeated."

Leng Qingtang interjected at the moment,

"Four years ago, Presbyter Qiu of the Mingtai Chamber of Commerce in Ezhou was violently ill. Was it done by Wan Li?"

"Yes, yes!"

Priest Wu agreed, nodding like garlic,

"Presbyter Qiu is a stereotype. That year Wan Li tried his best to know him, and wanted to use his way to develop a new gang about salt, exclusively making profits by selling official salt for the Wans, but he was rejected by Presbyter Qiu.

Wan Li was anxious and became murderous, and then he promoted Presbyter Feng, the puppet. "

Leng Qingtang's two fingers fiddled with the ring on his hand. When he listened carefully, he turned his eyes slightly, like a featherless feather, intentionally or unintentionally. His sight gently fell on Shi Lei, who was struggling to record in front of the book table.

Gu Yunxi's light eyes flickered. She became serious before Priest Wu, and asked hard,

"According to you, Wan Li earns a lot in a year. However, the accounts of the Jinsheng Pawnshop with your signature "Wu Laiye" have been carefully checked by the Eastern Depot, and there are only about 4 million taels every year. Tell me, where does the rest of the silver go? Does Wan Li have other concealing points?"

Priest Wu's whole body was drenched in water and he stood still as if he were fixed. His black pupils in his deep eyes shrank suddenly, and a flash of shocking light flashed by, so fast that it was impossible to capture.

He suddenly shook his head, smiled to Gu Yunxi, and flatly said,

"No, no, Madam, please believe me. Now I have fallen into such a field, and I will answer what you ask truthfully without deceiving. The Jinsheng Pawnshop is indeed the only concealing point of the Wans. In the past few years, Wan Li has collected money and silver continuously from every corner of Da Yin. Part of it has been gathered at the Jinsheng Pawnshop. In addition to the money spent by the Wans, it is used to bribe those in the Palace..."

"Then how much money is left and where does it go?"

Leng Qingtang squeezed his fists slightly, and his staring eyes burst into sharp light.

The truth that the Eastern Depot has been searching for over the past few years was right here. As long as one step was taken, it would be within reach.