The first time in history

Qian Mingduo had been sitting in front of his desk blankly for two days. His eyes were empty and lifeless, as if his soul had been pulled out of his body, and his thoughts were still immersed in the other world he shared with Diao Chan.

His heart seemed to be cut by thousands of sharp knives, and each cut was painful to the bone. Diao Chan was willing to give up her stunning beauty for him and become an ordinary village girl, just to be with him forever. But now, he has returned to this cold reality alone, leaving her in the distant place.

He regretted not staying awake that night, not seizing the time with her. He blamed himself for his incompetence, for not being able to control the trajectory of his fate, and for letting himself leave the one he loved.

Memories came flooding back like a tide, and Diao Chan's every smile, every move, all appeared clearly in his mind. Her gentleness and her deep affection, once the brightest light in his life, have now become a sharp thorn that hurts his heart.

He felt extremely lonely and lost. The world became so strange and indifferent to him. Without Diao Chan's company, everything lost its color and meaning. He cried out in his heart countless times, wanting to break through this invisible cage and return to her.

Qian Mingduo knew that the love between him and Diao Chan had become an unattainable dream. But his heart was forever bound by that deep affection and could not be freed. Perhaps, he would spend the rest of his life in this endless longing and pain until the end of his life.

"Time is the best medicine to heal wounds." Qian Mingduo said to himself silently. However, the pain in his heart surged like a tide and could not be calmed down. He couldn't help thinking: "Should I start another adventure right away? This may alleviate my sadness and allow me to temporarily forget those painful memories..."

His eyes involuntarily fell on the neatly stacked blind boxes in front of him. These blind boxes contained unknown surprises and expectations, but at this moment, for him, they were more like a way to escape reality. He was eager to find a little comfort by opening the blind boxes, hoping to find some strength to cheer him up again.

However, he also knew clearly that this method was only a temporary painkiller and could not really heal the trauma of the soul. But anyway, he decided to give it a try to see if he could find a little excitement in the process. After all, he only wanted to escape from reality now.

"Spring and Autumn, spies,"

There were only these four words on the note in the fourth blind box.

Qian Mingduo took a long, deep breath. This time, when he was about to open the blind box, he was not as nervous as in previous times, but felt more expectant and eager.

The moment he opened the blind box, Qian Mingduo closed his eyes.

There were only two people, one old and one young, in a dark room.

"Ling Fei, do you know the purpose of sending you here?" The old man wore a wide belt around his waist, a short coat, and "calf-nose pants". He had a few long beards under his chin and a dignified face.

"Ling Fei doesn't know?" Qian Mingduo bowed and replied.

"As the chief steward of the palace, I always have some inconveniences." The old man stroked his long beard, his eyes showing deep worry. He lowered his voice very low: "Ling Fei, listen carefully. I have been in the palace of King Wu for many years. The hardships and dangers are not worth telling to outsiders."

The old man walked to the door, opened it a crack, and looked out. He turned around and said, "On the fifth, tenth, fifteenth, twentieth, and twenty-fifth days of every month, our spies will meet you at that specific place. Remember, that place may look ordinary, but who knows how many unknown dangers are lurking there."

"Excuse me, sir," Qian Mingduo asked in a low voice, "where is the specific meeting place?"

"I will tell you where you first met." The old man took out a cloth bag from his waist. "As for where to meet next time, you can discuss it with that person. It's best not to meet in the same place every time."

The old man handed the cloth bag to Qian Mingduo and said slowly: "As the chief steward of the palace, I can get a lot of information, but every action is like walking on thin ice. If I am not careful, not only will I be in danger, but also the great plan of my country of Yue will be implicated. And the information I gave you is the key to the revival of my country of Yue, you... must not make any mistakes!"

"Ling Fei understands. Please rest assured that Ling Fei will act carefully."

"Yes!" The old man looked at the calm and sophisticated Qian Mingduo and nodded with satisfaction. "And as for Miss Xi Shi, the king ordered you to contact her alone and be responsible for protecting her safety. The reasons are complicated and unpredictable."

"She seems to be favored in this palace, but in fact, she is surrounded by dangers." The old man walked to the door and turned back to say: "What kind of mission does she carry? And why are you the only one who can contact her? It seems that there is an invisible big net behind it. If there is any mistake, everything will be lost."

The old man Ling Fei grabbed Qian Mingduo's shoulders and said, "This matter is of great importance. Do not let any news leak out. Otherwise, the Kingdom of Yue will never be able to recover."

"Ling Fei understands." Qian Mingduo opened the door and stepped aside to see the old man off.

This was a small room that could only accommodate a bamboo bed and a low table. It was low and dark. Qian Mingduo put the cloth bag in his hand on the bed, and it felt heavy.

"What the hell, what's going on?" When Qian Mingduo opened the cloth bag, he was stunned. An exquisite Browning M1906 appeared in front of him.

Qian Mingduo has an album of classic pistols in the world, and the first page is this extremely classic M1906.

"How could such a thing appear here?" Qian Mingduo was puzzled. He carefully observed the small pistol. The grip was slightly yellow, probably made of ivory. The word "FM" was engraved in the middle of the left grip, and the serial number "100" was engraved on the right grip.

"Dong, Dong, Dong" Just as he was trying to pull the bolt, there were several knocks on the door. Qian Mingduo quickly put the pistol on his waist and checked it carefully before opening the door.

"Is that Lord Ling Fei?" A young man of about seventeen or eighteen asked, bowing.

"I am Ling Fei," Qian Mingduo raised his eyes and asked, "You are..."

"Everyone calls me Little Five," the young man smiled shyly, "Master Ling, call me Little Five too!"

"Xiao Wuzi? Okay." Ling Fei nodded, "Then I will call you Xiao Wuzi."

"The chief steward has ordered me to take you to dinner."

Xiao Wuzi led the way in front, and Qian Mingduo followed closely behind, walking towards the mess hall. Along the way, Qian Mingduo saw the tall and solemn palace walls. Although they were not as magnificent as imagined by later generations, they had their own solemn and simple charm. The vermilion palace walls were slightly mottled, as if telling the vicissitudes of time.

Qian Mingduo looked at a garden they passed by. It was not like the Tang Dynasty imperial palace, filled with rare and exotic flowers competing for beauty. Instead, it was just some common flowers, plants and trees swaying gently in the breeze, adding a bit of natural vitality.

The mess hall was crowded with people. On a bamboo table was a large wooden basin filled with some vegetables that Qian Mingduo couldn't name; under the bamboo table was a wooden barrel with half a barrel of brown rice left.

The people who came here to eat were palace maids, eunuchs, servants and guards. People of status in the palace did not eat here. The "kitchen" would prepare exquisite meals for them, and their servants would deliver them to their residences in food boxes.

"Lord Ling Fei" Xiao Wuzi and a little palace maid with freckles on her face walked up to him.

"This is Lord Ling Fei," Xiao Wuzi said to the little palace maid, "He is our new Gong Zheng (captain of the imperial guards)."

"Master Ling Fei," the little palace maid bowed and said, "My name is Xiao Ke."

"Miss Xiaoke." Qian Mingduo nodded and smiled.

"Sir," Xiao Wuzi said as he walked, "I am Miss Xizi's maid."