Tap, tap~
Three sets of footsteps fell within the secluded underground passage that had been sealed for a hundred years.
Buried deep underground, the dark stone passage was about two meters wide and tall, with brick walls on either side and an arched ceiling. It had been built exceptionally sturdily.
Ye Jingtang raised his palace lantern and carefully examined the masonry, then lightly tapped the floor with his saber sheath to check whether the bricks were hollow and how securely they were laid. They proved exceptionally solid, and the passage looked fit for normal use.
Dongfang Liren held a lantern too, examining the details around the entrance as she slowly followed Ye Jingtang.
The Empress Dowager gazed into the pitch-black depths of the passage, feeling a tiny bit apprehensive, and followed close behind Li Ren. But they had barely taken a few steps inside when another figure dropped down at the entrance and called out:
"Your Majesty."
Ye Jingtang looked back and saw a middle-aged palace maid with an official saber hanging behind her waist. He had met her on his first visit to the palace. She was Yang Lan, a minor commander of the Imperial City's Secret Guards, specifically responsible for the security of the Empress Dowager's residence. She was also why he could not easily go to the Ginkgo Tree to dig up the treasure his adoptive father had left.
The Empress Dowager had been rather nervous, but when she turned and saw her shadow tagging along, she looked a little disgruntled.
"This place hasn't been opened in two hundred years. Nothing's going to happen. With you right beside me, I'm not nervous at all. Go wait outside. If something really happens, come rescue me then."
Yang Lan inspected the passage entrance. She could tell it had been