After she finished reading the letter, she felt fortunate that she hadn't offended the Dowager Consort Xiao. Otherwise, she might well be a corpse by now.
The letter clearly stated that in order to cultivate the daughter who entered the palace as a consort, the Xiao family had not only taught her the four arts of the Chinese scholar (qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting), but also various martial arts. She even knew about the witchcraft from the Western Regions.
Back then, the reason the Dowager Consort Xiao knew the folk remedy about the virgin's blood was that she had learned it from her master in the Western Regions.
Now, even if she saw the Dowager Consort Xiao again, she would never be able to associate that woman with kindness and devotion to Buddhism.
"But why did the Dowager Consort Xiao volunteer to come to Baotuo Temple? She is skilled in various arts. She should have been able to survive the intrigues in the palace."
Cui Qizhou thought that sometimes she was really stupid, while at other times, she was overly smart.
"After the decline of the Xiao family, she lost her support. Naturally, she couldn't stay in the deep palace any longer. Even a person with great skills couldn't withstand the schemes of everyone around her."
These words woke her up like a clap of thunder. Shi Muyuan suddenly realized, but then she ran into a problem.
"Now that we know the Dowager Consort Xiao has a fragment of the treasure map, should we still take action tonight? She is so powerful. I'm afraid I'll be caught before I even manage to sneak in."
The man sneered contemptuously, "Didn't you look at the back of the envelope?"
Shi Muyuan flipped the envelope over, and the daily life of the Dowager Consort Xiao came into view.
Finally, she found a flaw in it.
"The Dowager Consort Xiao goes to listen to Buddhist scriptures from Master Sikong every morning at the Mao hour. That would be the perfect time for me to sneak in."
"Not too stupid after all. Don't worry. I'll wait here until you find the fragment of the treasure map for me."
For some reason, his reassurance made the fear in Shi Muyuan's heart disappear.
As long as she could get the fragment of the treasure map, this man would guarantee her safety. He surely wouldn't let the meat that was already in his mouth slip away.
Shi Muyuan felt relieved, and her expression relaxed.
"The time is almost up. Why don't we go there and wait?"
Cui Qizhou didn't refuse. He took the lead and flew out using his lightness kung fu. But after walking a few steps, he suddenly realized there was no one behind him. He looked back in confusion and saw someone waving anxiously at the window.
Only then did he remember that the former grand empress dowager only knew how to manipulate power and had never learned any martial arts. He showed a look of disgust. This woman was just a burden to him.
Although he was disgusted in his heart, Cui Qizhou still gave in. He fished the woman out and, taking advantage of the fact that there was no one around, moved forward.
Shi Muyuan didn't miss the fleeting expression on his face. But could this be blamed on her? Even in modern times, she was just a junior urban management officer, the kind who was gentle and easy to talk to. Not to mention martial arts, she didn't even know how to fight.
While she was daydreaming, the two had already arrived at their destination. Before she could think further, Cui Qizhou took her and lightly jumped onto the roof.
Shi Muyuan had been afraid of heights since childhood. Suddenly being taken to such a high place, she couldn't adapt for a moment. She opened her mouth and endured for a long time before she didn't scream out.
Cui Qizhou beside her ignored her feelings and said sarcastically, "The grand empress dowager is not afraid of anything in the world. Who would have thought she would be afraid of such a little height one day?"
Shi Muyuan glared at him and grabbed his sleeve, not willing to let go.
"Mind your own business!"
Just as the two were about to continue bickering, a sound suddenly came from below. The two of them shut up in tacit understanding.
They watched as the Dowager Consort Xiao came out, looked around, locked the door, and left.
Seeing how nervous the Dowager Consort Xiao was, it was impossible for them not to think too much. The two looked at each other and confirmed that the fragment of the treasure map was inside.
However, Shi Muyuan hesitated at the crucial moment.
Cui Qizhou waited impatiently and urged, "Didn't the grand empress dowager promise to find the fragment of the treasure map for me? Why aren't you moving now? Could it be that you want to break the agreement?"
As he said the last sentence, the temperature around him dropped rapidly. Although it was clearly the hot summer, Shi Muyuan only felt a bone - chilling cold.
Knowing that the man was angry, she quickly explained, afraid that the man would be unhappy and push her down to her death at this moment. "You know I'm afraid of heights."
Cui Qizhou twitched the corner of his mouth. He knew he had lost his temper wrongly. His ears turned slightly red, and he pretended that nothing had happened. Then he took her and landed on the ground. He even kindly threw her in through the window.
Shi Muyuan rubbed her butt and angrily made a face at the window. This man was too much.
For some reason, the man who was about to leave turned back. "If the grand empress dowager wants to stall for time, don't blame me for being rude. In this desolate mountain, even if the monks around want to save you, it will take a long time for them to come. It's very easy for me to make you disappear without a trace."
As soon as these words were spoken, the woman immediately behaved herself, and a sycophantic smile appeared on her face.
"What are you talking about, national teacher? We are still allies. Wait a moment. I'll go right away."
Watching her run away, the man's mouth curled up involuntarily. When he noticed his strange behavior, he immediately sank his face.
...
Fortunately, Shi Muyuan had the foresight to change into a different set of clothes before coming. Now when looking for things here, she wouldn't be hindered by her clothes.
However, after searching around, she found nothing. It seemed that this was really just the meditation room of a fallen consort.
Could it be that the information collected by Cui Qizhou's subordinates was wrong? No. According to that man's character, he would never allow his subordinates to make the slightest mistake. So, the fragment of the treasure map must be here.
She slumped on the ground, looking at all the places she had rummaged through. Her eyes kept turning as she thought about what was wrong.
As she thought, she simply lay down on the ground. Just then, something unexpected happened. Her hand accidentally pressed on something, and a sound came from the room. If it weren't for the remoteness of this courtyard, it might have attracted the people around.
After the noise subsided, Shi Muyuan saw that there was actually a hidden chamber behind the ordinary - looking wall.
Right! How could she forget? Weren't such plots common in those palace - intrigue dramas and novels? These ancient people liked to be tricky and hide important things in hidden chambers. The Dowager Consort Xiao was the same.
She felt that she was getting closer to the treasure map. In a great mood, she hummed a song and walked in.