kvmb Chapter 199 Secret Room
Chapter 199 Secret Room
Su Wuming stared at Nianyao, his expression somewhat cold. Nianyao returned Su Wuming's gaze, showing no sign of yielding.
Xue Yunting's voice rang out from the doorway, breaking the deadlock: "Whether he acknowledges it or not, it cannot change the fact that he is the late emperor's only son."
The two turned around at the same time and saw Xue Yunting accompanying Qin Jiu as they walked in. Qin Jiu went straight to the wall, where there was a huge flowerpot containing a tall lotus.
Qin Jiu forcefully lifted the Guanyin Lotus, pulling it out of the large flowerpot along with its roots and soil. He then took out a round board from the flowerpot. Several people gathered around and saw that the bottom of the large flowerpot was hollow, revealing a hole large enough for one person to pass through.
Xue Yunting glanced at Su Wuming: "You really are a prophet."
Qin Jiu said, "How could Su Xiang's son be any different?"
Several people jumped into the large vase and slowly walked forward along the dark passage. After turning a corner, the space suddenly opened up in front of them: a spacious basement.
In the very center stood a stone coffin, covered with a white silk cloth, through which ink stains peeked. Everyone looked at Qin Jiu, who slowly stepped forward, lifted a corner of the white silk cloth, and then lowered it again.
Through the lifted white silk, one can just see the portrait of a woman.
Qin Jiu took a few steps back and stood next to Su Wuming: "Lord Su?"
Su Wuming looked at Nianyao: "Sister, this is the portrait of the late emperor. Do you want to take it for your brother-in-law?"
Before Nianyao could say anything while staring at the white silk, she heard a loud bang, and a stone door slid open on the opposite wall, allowing the First Madam to walk in with a group of people.
The First Madam was not surprised to see them. She walked to the stone coffin, lifted the white silk and threw it aside, touched the stone coffin lid for a while, and then made a gesture to open it.
The servants behind her lifted the coffin lid, and the First Madam stood stiffly, staring at the coffin without moving. Xue Yunting and Su Wuming stepped forward together and saw Jingzhao lying quietly inside, as if asleep.
Xue Yunting bowed to check Jing Zhao's breathing, then straightened up and said to Qin Jiu, "Ninth Brother, Master Jing has left."
Qin Jiu slowly stepped forward. Looking at Jing Zhao, dressed in black, in the coffin, his nose suddenly stung with tears.
As father and son, they didn't have much affection for each other. But this was his biological father, and they shared an unbreakable blood relationship...
Many people thought that her mother was forced to apologize and committed suicide out of shame and indignation. But Qin Jiu knew that her mother apologized voluntarily and committed suicide voluntarily. She truly didn't want to live anymore.
Qin Jiuniang once said to Qin Jiu, "All women in the world are pitiful, especially the women in Jingzhao Manor. That concubine is nothing but a pitiful person, and so is the First Madam..."
Qin Jiu took his aunt away from Jingzhao Manor to seek medical treatment at Heaven and Earth, actually out of pity for the women of Jingzhao Manor. He once thought he hated Jingzhao, but in this situation, he felt that his father was also a pitiful person.
After all these years, they still can't forget the late emperor. Is it the late emperor's fault? Of course not!
It's hard to say who's right or wrong, but nobody's happy. It's one thing for the previous generation to be entangled, but now the next generation is also dragged into it.
Qin Jiu walked a few steps to the lampstand, picked up a large red candle, and threw it onto the white silk. The white silk quickly caught fire. Nian Yao took half a step forward and then stopped, watching the old white silk burn to ashes, and frowned slightly.
The First Madam glanced at them and suddenly raised her voice: "Qin Jiu was expelled from Jingzhao Manor in the past, and now he has colluded with outsiders to frame the Manor Master. Everyone has the right to kill him. Guards, arrest them and lock them in the dungeon."
A group of servants immediately stepped forward and surrounded Qin Jiu and his companions.
Xue Yunting shielded Su Wuming behind him, saying, "You've gone too far. Framing someone is one thing, but trying to kill a court official is another. If any one of us dies, the entire Jingzhao Manor will be buried with us."
The servants, who were just about to pounce, hesitated upon hearing Xue Yunting's powerful voice. Jingzhao Manor was indeed powerful, but killing the young general, the young prime minister, and the leader of the Great River Gang was something they had to think twice about.
The First Madam said coldly, "The young general is indeed courageous, but it's a pity... Listen to my command, everyone! A fire suddenly broke out in Xuanyuan Palace. The young general and his men bravely sacrificed themselves to protect the late emperor's former residence, leaving no trace of their bodies..."
Xue Yunting and his group suddenly realized the seriousness of the situation; the First Madam was determined to kill them.
Su Wuming stood at the very back, tugging at Qin Jiu's sleeve: "Ninth Brother?"
Qin Jiutou resigned himself to his fate: "To die in the former residence of the late emperor is an honor for a commoner like me."
Xue Yunting said coldly, "With them?"
No sooner had he finished speaking than Su Wuming suddenly leaned against his back. Xue Yunting moved swiftly, grabbing him and asking, "How are you?"
Su Wuming felt dizzy and his legs were weak: "Hold your breath... This secret room is poisonous..."
The First Madam took a few steps back and said in a deep voice, "Make your move."
Su Wuming was a scholar with no internal strength whatsoever. Xue Yunting scooped him up on his back, and with a swift stroke of his longsword, the two who had charged forward were instantly decapitated.
Nianyao's internal energy was slightly weaker, and after a few moves, she began to feel dizzy. Qin Jiu leaped up and stood in front of the First Madam, his long sword pressed against her neck: "Stop..."
Before she could finish saying "Stop," the First Madam suddenly lurched forward, spurting blood onto Qin Jiu's face. Qin Jiu's pupils contracted; he was momentarily stunned and instinctively caught the collapsing First Madam.
Xue Yunting glanced over out of the corner of his eye and called out, "Ninth Brother, be careful..."
Qin Jiu felt a chill run down his chest, and looking down, he saw a short sword embedded in his skin. The First Madam's face was contorted with rage: "Die!"
Qin Jiu sent the First Madam flying with a single palm strike, causing her to stagger backward several steps before being surrounded by people. Xue Yunting, burdened by his weight and distracted, was slashed on the leg with a knife.
Nianyao exclaimed in alarm, "Let's go..."
No sooner had she finished speaking than a series of rumbling sounds rang out, and stone doors slid in to block both cave entrances. Nianyao rushed to the entrance, her long sword stuck in the crack, attempting to stop them, but to no avail.
This sudden turn of events shocked everyone. The servants looked at each other and stopped: The First Madam was going to trap them all here to die.
A servant rushed to the First Madam's side, shaking her desperately: "First Madam... First Madam, you said that as long as we kill them, you will spare our family and guarantee us wealth and honor..."
The man, in his frantic shouting, suddenly broke down, frantically slashing at the First Madam with a knife, crying as he did so: "First Madam, you lied to us...you lied to us..."
Nianyao's head grew heavier and heavier. Leaning against the stone door, her voice was weak: "Ninth Brother?"
Qin Jiu sat down cross-legged, pressed several acupoints to stop the bleeding, and tried to slow his breathing. He decisively dismissed Nian Yao's idea: "The stone door can only be opened from the outside."
Su Wuming had already fainted. Xue Yunting put Su Wuming down and tore off his outer garment to bandage himself.
Nianyao stumbled over and slumped down next to Xue Yunting, resting her head on his shoulder, looking utterly desperate: "Yunting, I don't want to die. I still want to go to the Northern Desert to find Luo An..."