Chapter 151: Found the secret room

Li Xiu said firmly: "Rest assured, I have already quietly probed, and the mechanisms and arrays inside have all been activated. The Crown Prince absolutely cannot find it!"

Li Xiu is an illegitimate son of the Li family, and it is rumored that his biological mother was the old Duke's favorite concubine. He has demon blood, so he was extremely beautiful. Not long after giving birth to Li Xiu, his biological mother died of unknown causes.

And Li Xiu was raised by the old Duke's wife, and was close to the Li Duke since childhood.

After the old Duke's wife passed away, the old Duke remarried, and children were born one after another, and he no longer had the one legitimate and one illegitimate son in his eyes.

Later, the children fought internally, and when competing for the Duke's position, Li Xiu didn't know what means he used, causing those brothers to go crazy or have accidents and die.

Finally, he supported his eldest brother to inherit the Duke's title, which is the current Li Duke.

It is also because of this that the Li Duke is particularly generous to his younger brother Li Xiu, and even gave him the best courtyard in the West Courtyard.

Li Xiu doesn't like to be an official, but is addicted to beauty and arts, and his personality is eccentric and gloomy.

At this moment, Dongfang Qi had already rushed to Li Xiu's study regardless.

His eyes were as sharp as a falcon, and after scanning a few times, he immediately discovered a plain-looking vase decoration on the bookshelf.

In a wealthy family, if a vase is to be placed, it must be a valuable antique.

And a vase without too much value, placed in such a conspicuous position, must have a problem.

Dongfang Qi was about to check the vase, when Li Xiu blocked the bookshelf first: "Your Highness, everything in the study is clear at a glance, there is absolutely no one you are looking for."

Dongfang Qi said: "There is nothing on the surface, maybe there will be in the dark. Li Second Master, if this palace is not mistaken, the vase behind you should be the activation switch for the secret room, right? This palace suspects that the deputy general who disappeared from the Eastern Palace accidentally touched the mechanism and was locked in the secret room."

"In a wealthy family, it is not surprising to have a few secret rooms. And what is stored in the secret room is naturally private and secret things. Without evidence, just using the word suspicion, Your Highness is so offensive, don't you want your reputation if it spreads out? How do you let other aristocratic families look at the royal family?"

The other Li family disciples were also excited:

"When the Qi Kingdom was established, the founding Emperor kept saying that he treated the major aristocratic families well, is this how he treated them?"

"Our Li clan has been passed down for thousands of years, and has been dedicated to the country and the people. Even if the Emperor comes in person, he is treated with courtesy. If the Crown Prince insists on trampling, we would rather die than accept this humiliation and make our ancestors ashamed!"

"That's right, a scholar can be killed but not humiliated! If the Crown Prince insists on breaking in, then step over our corpses!"

During the conversation, many disciples of the Li family sat cross-legged, with a proud posture of a scholar who can be killed but not humiliated.

Dongfang Qi's eyes turned cold: "It's just a secret room, but you are blocking this palace from checking in every way, could it be that there is something rebellious? The more this is the case, the more this palace must enter!"

"Crown Prince, this is slander!" The one speaking was Li Rui.

I only heard before that the Crown Prince was gentle as jade and treated scholars with courtesy. I never knew he had the ability to turn black into white.

Dongfang Qi said: "Whether it is slander or not, open the secret room door, and this palace will know at a glance. Otherwise, this palace has the right to suspect that your Li family has rebellious intentions!"

Simple two sentences, actually turned around.

Li Xiu finally compromised and said: "The monarch wants the minister to die, the minister has to die. If the Crown Prince insists on seeing it, our Li family naturally has nothing that cannot be exposed."

However, cunning as he was, he did not forget to set a trap for Dongfang Qi: "But if there is no person or thing the Crown Prince is looking for, what should be done? Today, Your Highness broke in at will, disturbed the female relatives, and spied on private inner rooms. If it spreads out, the face of the Duke's mansion will not be preserved, and in the future, won't everyone be able to come to the door and trample?"

Dongfang Qi said: "This palace came to find someone. If I can't find anyone in the end, this palace is willing to apologize to the Li Duke for today's matter."

"An apology is a bit too general." Li Xiu smiled gloomily, "How about, please ask the Crown Prince to write a self-criticism edict, how about it?"

This is taking the Crown Prince's future as a gamble!

Although he is the only heir of Qi Zhaodi, he is not supported by all aristocratic families.

Especially the Li family, after the marriage with the Crown Prince was rejected, they have been holding a grudge, and turned to marry the Li King.

Not long ago, because the Li King ambushed the Crown Prince in Yixian Canyon, he was stripped of his title and demoted to a commoner, and the Prince of Jin threw an olive branch to the Li family for the first time.

After experiencing the previous confrontations, the Li family least hopes that the Crown Prince will ascend to the throne.

Therefore, they are more willing to see the Prince of Jin gain power. Once there is an opportunity to grasp the Crown Prince's pain, they will naturally not be soft-hearted.

They are also not afraid of Qi Zhaodi asking for guilt afterwards. As an aristocratic family with a thousand-year foundation, they have their own fiefs and raise private soldiers, which is no less than the vassal kings.

Unless they commit a major crime of rebellion, the Emperor dare not move them casually.

The case in Yushi Town was like this.

Even if Qi Zhaodi was angry, he only ordered a reprimand and suspended the Li Duke's position in the imperial court, which was not a punishment at all.

After another month or two, when the limelight passed, they could find a reason to resume their official positions.

"If Your Highness does not agree, we would rather die than yield today! Your Highness will also bear the crime of forcing a loyal minister of the aristocratic family to death!"

Top-level aristocratic families like the Li family, the biggest difference from ordinary nobles is that they have the strength to challenge the royal family.

Dongfang Qi said without hesitation: "Good, this palace agrees. Open the secret room!"

His Twin Talisman would not sense wrong, especially after arriving near here, the sense of Lin Qingyue was more obvious. He was very sure that Lin Qingyue was inside.

Therefore, no matter what reason the Li family used to make things difficult for him, he must break in, at all costs.

Li Xiu saw the Crown Prince agree, and didn't say anything more, personally came over to turn the mechanism, and opened the secret room door.

However, the secret room was empty, without Lin Qingyue or Hong Yao.

Dongfang Qi walked quickly to the bed, flipping through the messy bed, trying to find clues.

Li Xiu said sarcastic words on the side: "Nothing, can the Crown Prince stop now? Instead of wasting time here, it's better to go back to the Eastern Palace and think about how to word the self-criticism edict."

Dongfang Qi lifted the quilt on the bed and saw the blood stains on the bed at a glance.

Li Xiu said shamelessly: "I just like to be intimate with my beloved concubine in the secret room. A little hobby, let the Crown Prince laugh."

Dongfang Qi said coldly: "This bed of blood, is it just your little hobby?"

Li Xiu said: "It was a bit heavy, this doesn't count as anything, right?"

However, Dongfang Qi keenly smelled that it was demon blood.

If there is no accident, it should be Hong Yao's.

So Lin Qingyue found Hong Yao here?

But where did they go now? ===== CHAPTER 152 =====