Chapter 27: Earning Ten Thousand Taels of Silver

Words : 1056 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

Chapter 27: Chapter 27: Earning Ten Thousand Taels of Silver Zhan Lan walked all the way to the end of the alley, standing in front of a wall, where she knocked three times on a brick. The wall uniformly fell, revealing a mechanism underneath that controlled its opening and closing, and Zhan Lan walked through. Passing three large pagoda trees, she entered a dilapidated house and proceeded through a staircase into an underground passage. A powerful voice came from the end of the tunnel, "Sir, are you here to buy or to sell?" Zhan Lan, dressed in black martial arts attire and wearing a veil cap, was tall, and to appear like a man, she had even bandaged her chest before leaving. "Both!" Zhan Lan replied. Three secret doors opened one by one, and Zhan Lan followed a boy into the underground palace. The young boy was extremely handsome, his appearance in stark contrast to the gloomy atmosphere of the underground palace. Zhan Lan caught a glimpse of a valuable jade pendant around his neck. The underground palace spanned three floors, magnificent and brightly lit. The Qilin Underground Palace was a civilian intelligence agency. Compared to Emperor Xuanwu's Tingyu Tower, each had its advantages. One dealt with the civilians while the other served the royal family. An old woman sat high up, her face covered with a black veil, and a golden hairpin sat in her graying hair. With waveless ancient eyes, she stared at Zhan Lan, speaking in a hoarse voice. "Our Qilin Underground Palace only collects valuable intelligence. You are brave to come here alone, young lady. If the information you provide is worthless or false, watch your little life!" Zhan Lan thought to herself: What poisonous eyes! Despite being so thoroughly disguised, her female identity was perceived at first glance. Zhan Lan calmly responded, "Since I dared to come, I surely know the rules here." "Then you should take out the dagger hidden in your sleeve!" The old lady's voice rose slightly. Zhan Lan promptly took out the dagger and placed it on the table in front of her. A hint of liveliness appeared in the old woman's eyes. Over the years, among the women who dared to enter the Qilin Underground Palace, the person in front of her was the first. Moreover, this lady's calm and composed demeanor was truly rare. "Hurry and tell, what intelligence do you wish to sell?" The old woman looked somewhat weary. Zhan Lan smiled and said, "I will sell a piece of information first, then I will have the silver to buy information!" While coughing, the old woman laughed, "It's been many years since I've heard such an amusing statement! Do you think the Qilin Underground Palace is a place for you to play?" The old woman exuded a formidable aura without anger, and rows of Hidden Guards in gray robes emerged from the shadows, creating a tense atmosphere immediately. Granny Qi narrowed her eyes, "You seem to know quite a lot about this place!" This mission had been ongoing for over half a month, but the real murderer had yet to be found. Among all the missions over the years, this one was the most difficult. To prevent the matter from escalating, the officials had closed the case, but the Wang Family did not trust the verdict. That's why they turned to the Qilin underground palace, but how did this girl come to know about it! Zhan Lan stretched out her delicate fingers and said, "Five thousand silvers. Landlord Wang gave you more than this amount." Granny Qi snorted, "If you can find the real murderer, I'll give you ten thousand silvers." Zhan Lan was very pleased with this amount; with so much silver, she could do many things. Granny Qi respectfully said to the little boy, "Young Master, you should go rest first, Granny and this young lady have some business to discuss." The little boy left reluctantly, and only then did Zhan Lan start speaking. "Miss Wang was raped and died beside a pond in the wilderness, the real murderer is her cousin, who wanted the Wang Family's property." Under Granny Qi's somewhat surprised gaze, Zhan Lan continued, "Miss Wang wanted to marry someone else, not her cousin. So, on a stormy night, her cousin violated her, and intending to end her life, he took her to the wilderness and killed her. That's why the officials arrested a rapist, and the case was hastily closed." Granny Qi said gravely, "Impossible, Miss Wang's cousin is frail, lame, and is said to have a hidden disease. How could he possibly rape Miss Wang." Zhan Lan raised her eyebrows, "Every word I say is true. The Qilin underground palace has the means to make him confess, and also to make Miss Wang's cousin stand up from his wheelchair!" She knew that the master of the Qilin underground palace was not Granny Qi. They had great capabilities here, capable of making Miss Wang's cousin confess. Granny Qi suddenly understood, "So you mean Miss Wang's cousin is feigning his condition, and with just a little skill, he could be forced to stand up and confess." Zhan Lan's fingers lightly tapped on the table, continuing to hint, "And why is the County Magistrate so eager to close the case? There must be some hidden reasons that Granny Qi can figure out." Granny Qi suddenly realized - Miss Wang's cousin must have conspired with the County Magistrate. Zhan Lan felt a bit tired and leaned back in her chair, saying, "Granny, I'll take a nap first. Wake me up when Alchemist Qi is rescued." Having said that, she closed her eyes, crossed her fingers on her chest, and fell asleep. Granny Qi grew even more curious; this girl had asked them to inquire about the General Mansion's affairs, could she be the adopted daughter? Considering what she asked them to investigate, could it be that she is actually the legitimate daughter of the General Mansion! Looking at the girl opposite, her demeanor and style of speaking and doing things, it wasn't implausible! After the midnight hour, they would know whether what this girl had said was true or false!

Chapter 27: Earning Ten Thousand Taels of Silver

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