Looking at Tai'an from the full moon

When Xiao Zuochen and the other two were finally able to crawl out from under the bed, their thighs were completely numb and Teng Sen couldn't help but cover his waist.

"Why? Were you tired just now?"

Liuli said teasingly, but Teng Sen reached out and tapped her on the head.

"What nonsense are you talking about~"

Seeing this, Xiao Zuochen couldn't help but shake his head again. He really couldn't stand them being affectionate in front of him.

"It's getting late. If we can't find the secret passage, the palace gates will be closed."

"What do you think? Could it be that I guessed wrong and there is no such thing as a secret passage?"

Liuli also began to doubt herself. After thinking about it, she looked at Teng Sen again.

"You really don't know about the secret passage? After all, you've lived here with the Queen for so long, how is it possible that you didn't find out about it?"

Teng Sen showed a helpless expression again.

"Really not, little ancestor, she never mentioned the secret passage to me, and I have never seen her use it."

Liuli held her chin and thought for a moment.

"Then there is another possibility. Maybe even the Queen herself doesn't know about the secret passage!"

Xiao Zuochen was stunned for a moment, then nodded.

"It is indeed possible. Given the Queen's personality, if she knew about the secret passage, she would definitely use it to do many things that would benefit her, and those things would be detrimental to our investigation. But it seems that nothing she has done requires a secret passage, which means she doesn't know about the secret passage at all!"

"If the queen doesn't know about the existence of the secret passage, then it means that the layout of this palace must have blocked it. It is not in a very conspicuous place, and it is not in a place where she often stays."

The three of them looked around again. The bookshelf was hollow, and they could see the wall behind it at a glance. The desk had no tablecloth, and they could see through it at a glance. There was no carpet on the floor, so the mechanism and secret passage could not be built directly on the ground.

"Not only did the Queen not notice it, but even the maids around her didn't notice it, right? There are some small places in the palace that the Queen won't notice, but the maids who clean the palace should pay attention to it. If the maids find it, they will definitely tell the Queen. But since even the maids didn't notice it, it means that this mechanism is very hidden."

As Xiao Zuochen spoke, his eyes moved to the phoenix couch. At this time, the bed was neatly arranged and had been cleaned by the wild mandarin ducks. The phoenix couch was covered with curtains, and behind the curtains was a wall. However, the wall was blocked by the curtains, and the queen could not touch the wall behind the curtains.

Liuli followed Xiao Zuochen's gaze and asked with some confusion.

"But won't the maid who changes the curtains notice?"

"Maybe somewhere more private?"

Xiao Zuochen walked behind the bed and lifted the curtain behind it. He did not see any mechanism. His eyes moved down along the position of the bed until he reached the position of the bed board. Xiao Zuochen reached under the bed board and felt it. As expected, he felt a bulge underneath. Because the curtain behind the bed only needed to be placed at the back, no one had ever touched under the bed board.

"it's here!"

Xiao Zuochen turned the switch hard, and heard the sound of a mechanical door opening from somewhere in the house.

“It seems to be this way.”

Liuli walked towards the closet, but didn't see any open places. She saw the closet in front of her and suddenly opened it, but found that the clothes and sheets that should have been neatly folded in the closet were a little crooked. Because the wooden board behind the closet was missing, the quilts and clothes piled up on it fell to the back.

Liuli reached out and pulled aside the remaining clothes in front of her, revealing a dark hole in front of her.

"Come and see!"

Xiao Zuochen and Teng Sen also came over and looked inside the closet. This closet was divided into upper and lower layers, and the lower and upper layers were not connected, so the small door at the bottom was ignored. The upper layer had been cleared by Liuli, revealing a dark "bottomless pit".

Xiao Zuochen took out a tinder from his bosom, shone it at the entrance, and leaned inside through the wardrobe. He could see the stone walls on both sides of the secret passage and the messy clothes scattered at the entrance. They should have fallen when the mechanism was just opened.

"Dang——dang——dang——"

The sudden ringing of a bell outside startled several people inside. The sound was not loud, but it was deep and powerful. It was the last notice before the palace gates were closed, and it sounded like a warning to Liuli and the others.

"Forget it, let's go back first. It will be too late if you don't leave now."

Xiao Zuochen had no plan to move forward. When the bell rang, he believed that Xiao Zuoming's men must be guarding the palace gate. It was impossible to let them stay in the palace today.

Xiao Zuochen accompanied them back to Lingxiao Garden to pack their bags, and then went to the palace gate together. As expected, from a distance, Mu Dai could be seen recording one by one at the gate.

"What we are saying is that no one can be spared!"

Mu Dai raised his voice and turned his head to see Xiao Zuochen walking towards the palace gate. He swept his whisk and raised his head to meet him.

"Your Highness Prince Yun, are you here to personally send off your subordinates?"

Mu Dai asked the question even though he knew the answer. He even stretched out his hand to signal the eunuch beside him to bring over the list of people entering and leaving the palace, and he wrote it himself.

"Everyone, please report your names one by one~"

Liuli and the others did not argue with Mu Dai. After all, Xiao Zuochen still had to stay in the palace, and it would not be a good thing to fall out with him now. So the group prepared to register and leave obediently.

After everyone had registered, Mu Dai was checking the number of people.

“Eh, isn’t that right!?”

Mu Dai raised his head and looked at the group of people who had registered and were already standing at the palace gate.

"Why are there so few girls? I remember that besides the guards, His Royal Highness Prince Yun also had the Twelve Smoky Men. Even if there were dead or injured, there couldn't be so few, right?"

As soon as Mu Dai said this, Yun Qiao, who was originally standing on the outside, was about to rush over to punch him, but was stopped by Yun Bai, who shook his head at him. After all, the consequence of being impulsive would be that the master would suffer.

Xiao Zuochen heard this and took a step forward.

"Eunuch Mu Dai seems to think that he knows me very well. Is there anything that can prove that Yan Luo is my man?"

Seeing that Xiao Zuochen did not admit it, Mu Dai did not continue to argue with him about this matter. He only needed to convey what Xiao Zuochen said to the prince. After all, it would not be good for him to argue with Xiao Zuochen.

Mu Dai took a step to the side and made a gesture of invitation.

"Now that the headcount has been counted, I have also recorded the list of people leaving the palace. I will hand it over to the prince, and the rest will be decided by him. Everyone, please~"

Several people looked at Xiao Zuochen. Xiao Zuochen nodded, and then they walked out of the palace without looking back.

Seeing that the others had left obediently, Mu Dai snorted coldly, and then spoke in his shrill voice.

"Your Highness, King Yun, please move to the Buddhist temple~"

After Mu Dai finished speaking, he swept his whisk and left first, surrounded by his eunuchs. Xiao Zuochen looked at Mu Dai's departing back and fell into deep thought again.