The emperor faked his death? Never mind, I will ascend the throne directly!

As soon as Song Yuwei stepped out of the gambling house, Zhao Sheng noticed something strange.

The strange feeling did not come from Song Yuwei, but from behind her.

Zhao Sheng glanced back, but only caught a glimpse of a blurry figure.

This seemed to be the thin man who had just won fifty taels of silver from them.

That shadow moved stealthily and hurriedly. Where was there any trace of the arrogance of a gambler who had won money?

It's clearly like... like he's done something wrong and is in a hurry to run away.

Zhao Sheng approached Song Yuwei and lowered his voice and said, "Sir, there's something wrong with that skinny monkey."

Song Yuwei frowned slightly: "What do you mean?"

Zhao Sheng explained, "Just now at the gambling table, that skinny guy acted like a gambler. He didn't sit or stand properly, and even walked crookedly."

"But just now, he was so nimble and light-footed as he passed through the alley behind us. How could he look like a gambler at all?"

When Song Yuwei heard this, her eyes flashed and she thought to herself: It seems that there is something fishy about this gambling house.

She asked calmly, "Can you keep up?"

Zhao Sheng patted his chest and assured, "Don't worry, sir. Even if this kid had wings, he wouldn't be able to fly out of my palm!"

"Follow them, but be sure not to alert them."

Song Yuwei ordered, "If there is any danger, retreat immediately."

"I understand the humble position!"

Zhao Sheng took the order and disappeared into the crowd in a flash.

Zhao Sheng's lightness skill is considered to be among the best in the martial arts world, but that skinny monkey's skills are not weak either.

He moved freely among the crowd, and Zhao Sheng almost lost him several times.

Zhao Sheng cursed his bad luck inwardly. It was really unfair that he lost the fifty taels of silver. If he had known that this skinny guy was a martial artist, he should not have persuaded Song Yuwei to stop. He should have asked the adults to teach him a lesson!

After chasing each other all the way, the two came to a dilapidated temple on the outskirts of the city.

Zhao Sheng saw the skinny monkey slip into the temple from afar, and his doubts grew even more.

What is a gambler who always wins doing in this dilapidated temple in the middle of nowhere?

Could it be that there is some treasure hidden?

Thinking of this, Zhao Sheng couldn't help but feel a little excited.

If you can get this treasure, you can get not only fifty taels, but even five hundred taels!

Zhao Sheng quietly sneaked into the dilapidated temple and hid on the roof beam to observe.

The skinny monkey walked around the temple and finally stopped in front of a black stone statue.

Zhao Sheng thought to himself: This statue...why does it exude an evil aura?

Then the skinny monkey was heard muttering something, and his hands fumbled on the statue for a while, then he pushed hard. There was a "boom" sound, and the statue slowly moved away, revealing a pitch-black tunnel entrance!

Zhao Sheng took a breath of cold air. This skinny monkey was indeed weird!

What could be in this tunnel? Could it be their lair? Or... a hidden treasure?

Zhao Sheng felt itchy and wanted to go down and find out what was going on.

But he changed his mind and realized that his superiors asked him to follow in order to investigate the situation, not to put himself in danger.

If he went down rashly and encountered any danger, wouldn't he be betraying the adults' trust?

Thinking of this, Zhao Sheng suppressed his curiosity, memorized the location of the ruined temple firmly in his mind, and then left quietly.

When Zhao Sheng returned to the Prime Minister's Mansion, it was already late.

The mansion was quiet, with only a few lanterns emitting dim light, making it seem a little deserted.

Song Yuwei's father, the current left prime minister Song Zelin, was still inspecting in Hexi. In the huge mansion, there was only Song Yuwei and some maids and servants.

Zhao Sheng walked into the study room with ease and saw Song Yuwei bent over her desk reviewing official documents. The candlelight reflected on her pretty face, making her look even more serious and rigorous.

"grown ups."

Zhao Sheng clasped his fists and saluted, "I'm back."

Song Yuwei raised her head, put down the pen in her hand, and rubbed her eyebrows: "How is it?"

Zhao Sheng reported the situation of the ruined temple in detail, focusing on describing the strange black stone statue and the mysterious tunnel entrance.

"That statue is filled with an evil aura, sir. I feel this matter is of grave importance."

After listening to this, Song Yuwei frowned and tapped the table lightly with her fingers, making a crisp sound.

Suddenly she stood up and paced back and forth in the study with a serious expression.

Her mind was full of thoughts: this gambling house, this skinny monkey, this dilapidated temple, this tunnel, what is the connection between all these things?

"This matter is of great importance. I must go to the palace immediately to report to the emperor."

Song Yuwei stopped and spoke in a firm tone.

"Sir, it's late at night now, and the palace gates are probably closed." Zhao Sheng reminded.

Song Yuwei chuckled: "It's okay, there's been unrest everywhere recently, His Majesty will see me."

After saying this, she ordered her maid to prepare the carriage, and she changed into her official uniform, ready to enter the palace.

Zhao Sheng looked at Song Yuwei's vigorous and decisive manner, and couldn't help but sigh in his heart: The Lord is worthy of being an Lord, he is calm and decisive in the face of things, she is really as good as a man!

Song Yuwei took a carriage and arrived at the palace without any obstruction.

When the guards at the palace gate saw that it was the acting left prime minister, they naturally did not dare to stop him and quickly opened the palace gate.

Li Chengfeng was reviewing memorials in the imperial study when he heard Song Yuwei asking to see him late at night. He was quite surprised.

But he knew Song Yuwei and knew that she was not the kind of person who would come to him for no reason.

"Invite her in."

Li Chengfeng put down the red pen in his hand and said in a deep voice.

Song Yuwei walked into the imperial study and saluted Li Chengfeng: "Your Majesty, I pay my respects to you."

Li Chengfeng saw Song Yuwei's solemn expression and felt something was wrong. He asked, "My dear, why are you entering the palace so late at night? Is there something important?"

Song Yuwei bowed and said, "Your Majesty, today, Zhao Sheng and I were out on the streets observing the sentiments of the people and secretly investigating the gambling houses in the city. We discovered that there seems to be something fishy going on behind the scenes at one of them, called 'Golden Jade Full House.'"

Li Chengfeng narrowed his eyes slightly: "Oh? What's strange?"

"That gambling house may seem to be doing a booming business, but there's always a fixed group of people who always win every time they gamble."

"I have personally verified this."

"Personal verification?"

Li Chengfeng interrupted Song Yuwei with great interest.

"I didn't expect you to be interested in this."

Song Yuwei raised her eyebrows, coughed lightly, and explained.

"I just want to see for myself what tricks those people have to win every time they gamble. Your Majesty, please don't tease me."

Li Chengfeng laughed and stopped joking with Song Yuwei, letting her continue to report.

"After I left, one of them left the gambling house, and Commander Zhao followed him to the ruined temple west of the city."

Song Yuwei paused and observed Li Chengfeng's reaction. The latter listened to her report attentively.

She continued, "Commander Zhao witnessed with his own eyes a skinny gambler who looked like a monkey discovering a tunnel entrance behind a black stone statue in a dilapidated temple."

Li Chengfeng frowned. "Tunnel? Black stone statue?"

Li Chengfeng repeated these words, his fingers tapping on the table again and again, making a dull sound.

The imperial study was silent for a moment, with only the occasional crackling sound of the candlelight adding to the tense atmosphere.

After a while, Li Chengfeng suddenly raised his head as if he remembered something.

"Song Zelin sent me a letter two days ago, mentioning an organization called 'Cult of Immortality'?"