An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

She pressed her ear against the carved door, holding her breath. Outside, everything was completely silent, not even the chirping of insects could be heard. Only the occasional tinkling of the copper bells on the eaves was heard in the night wind.

The sudden knock on the door was particularly crisp in the quiet night, echoing in the empty corridor.

"Miss, what do you want me to do for you?" The man in black responded almost immediately. His deep voice penetrated the thick door, showing his extraordinary hearing.

When the door hinge made a slight "creaking" sound, Jing Chunxi quickly slipped out and closed the door tightly with his backhand, fearing that a trace of light would leak out.

"You guard the door." She ordered in a low voice. In the moonlight, she could see a hint of hesitation flash across the sharp eyes of the man in black above his veil, and his hand holding the knife tightened unconsciously.

"Yes, miss, Ma'am..." The man in black hesitated to speak, his voice revealing an unconcealable worry.

Jing Chunxi took two quick steps forward and suddenly turned around. The moonlight cast a layer of gold on her clothes.

"I will definitely save Madam."

She spoke each word clearly, with a determined light in her eyes, and her slender fingers unconsciously touched the jade pendant at her waist.

"I'll be back soon." After saying that, he walked quickly towards the big Buddhist hall next to him. Behind him was only the tall and straight pine-like figure of the man in black, casting a long shadow in the moonlight.

Jing Chunxi walked into the Buddha Hall at a rapid speed. The heavy wooden door creaked shut behind him, blocking out the last ray of moonlight.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down, but she could still feel her heart beating violently in her chest.

In the dimly lit Buddhist hall, a few eternally burning lamps emitted a faint glow, illuminating the dark spirit tablet on the table. She practically ran to the table, her knees landing heavily on the cushion with a dull thud.

"Your Majesty the Empress Dowager, I am Xier. I have come here tonight to get something for Prince Yan and Brother Xiaokang. If I have offended you, it is unavoidable. Please forgive me, Your Majesty." Her low voice trembled a little as it echoed in the empty Buddhist hall.

Alone in this eerie Buddhist temple, Jing Chunxi felt a bit apprehensive, a thin layer of cold sweat breaking out on her back. She didn't even dare to look up at the pitch-black spirit tablet. She felt as if the golden characters on the tablet were gleaming eerily in the darkness, watching her every move.

But after bowing three times in a row, she still managed to stand up. Her slender fingers trembled as she took three incense sticks and lit them on the candle flame. The moment the incense sticks lit up, she saw her shadow cast on the wall behind her, like a strange giant.

He stood and bowed respectfully three times before inserting the incense into the incense burner and watching the curls of green smoke swirl upwards in the dim light.

Kneeling down once more, she first took a candlestick from beside the incense burner. The copper candlestick was cold to the touch, and the wax had condensed into strange shapes. She carefully placed the candlestick under the altar, and the flickering flame illuminated the space below the table in a flickering manner.

After kneeling down, she carefully examined every floor tile under the altar in the dim candlelight, her eyes slightly sore from staring at the dimness for so long.

The floor tiles were all yellow, tinged with a faint red, and shone with a warm sheen under the candlelight. These tiles were fired with such a translucent finish that Jing Chunxi's raised finger was reflected on the floor tiles with crystal clear clarity.

The floor tiles were as smooth as mirrors. These were the golden bricks used exclusively by the royal family, something ordinary people would never see. Her fingertips touched the cool surface of the tiles, feeling the subtle lines on them, the marks left by time.

Because he couldn't see clearly enough, he couldn't see the lotus pattern directly. Jing Chunxi touched the middle tile that Madam Zhou mentioned, and groped on the floor tile with his five fingers, feeling every tiny bump and depression with his fingertips.

Suddenly, her fingertips touched a strange pattern, which was very deep and different from the ones next to it. Her heartbeat suddenly accelerated.

As expected, there was a pattern. Jing Chunxi felt a surge of joy as she felt it, a warmth welling up in her heart. She hurriedly moved the candlestick closer, the flickering flames illuminating every outline clearly, but she no longer cared to confirm whether the lotus engraved on it was exactly the same.

Nanny Zhou cleaned and mopped every day, so she wouldn't have made a mistake. She was absolutely certain of this. The old woman's resolute eyes seemed to be still before her eyes, making her dare not have the slightest doubt.

A sharp dagger appeared out of thin air in her right hand, its cold light flickering in the candlelight.

She aimed the dagger at the edge of the floor tile her left hand had found and gently thrust it in at a corner. The tip of the knife struck the gold tile with a crisp "ding." She thrust again and pried gently, but the tile didn't budge, not even a crack appeared.

Jing Chunxi bit her lower lip, her brow furrowed, but she was undaunted, for she was certain that the two lotus flowers would not coincide for no reason. This must be a clue left by the retired emperor, guiding her to the crucial secret.

Moreover, the floor tile under the altar is hidden in the Great Buddha Hall, and it is very reasonable to lay it under the altar. If it were not for the lotus on the jade plaque, no one would notice the hidden secret.

She adjusted her stance and pried the dagger along her right hand, prying at three corners of the tile. Not only did it not move the tile, but even the dirt didn't come out, as if the tile and the ground had become one.

Jing Chunxi's feet were numb from kneeling, and her knees were stabbing with pain. She pulled back a cushion with her hands and sat down, her heavy breathing particularly clear in the silent Buddhist hall.

She took only two breaths, then squatted forward, stubbornly continuing her attempts. When the last corner was gently pried up by the dagger, the floor tile finally moved slightly, making a subtle "click".

Jing Chunxi's heartbeat was almost about to burst out of her chest. She vaguely felt that the most important thing was undoubtedly underneath, the secret that could change the fate of Prince Yan and the Daqing Dynasty.

Even though the brick was a little loose, it wasn't easy to remove. She sat in the spot closest to the fourth corner, curled up, looking as miserable as a mouse trying to steal food.

As the dagger gradually loosened the edges of the tile, her arms ached from holding the same position for so long. Finally, the tile was lifted up without any damage, and the stench of stale earth filled her face.

She touched it with her trembling hands. The soil on the top was very flat, without a single dent, as if it had been carefully compacted. And perhaps because it had been compacted for too long, the sand had become lumpy.

She dug her fingers down hard, and the cracks between her nails were immediately filled with sand, but she only dug out a small amount of sand, and a burning pain came from her fingertips.

He could only continue to dig with the dagger, but this time, Jing Chunxi didn't dare to poke the dagger down hard, for fear that the sharp tip of the knife would hurt the thing everyone wanted to snatch.

She moved as gently as if she were taking care of a newborn baby, and could only fiddle with it little by little, but that made the digging too slow.

Jing Chunxi was a little anxious, and even in this winter, sweat was slightly beading on his forehead.

What she was most worried about was that the things were buried too deep. If they were three or five feet deep, it would take too long and time waits for no one.