Tan Yue reminded them daily, and those people were used to it, so they didn't find anything amiss.
Then Tan Yue led Mu Changxi and the others further into the cave.
The torches in the cave were not very bright, but they were enough to see the path ahead.
As Tan Yue led them forward, she explained in a low voice, "This cave has been here for a long time. However, in recent years, Mr. Zhu specifically hired people to expand this cave considerably. They also cleaned it up. Since there are no underground rivers, this cave is very dry, making it suitable for storing valuables."
The further they went, the fewer people they encountered.
Ahead, there were several thick doors made of ironwood.
Each door corresponded to a mechanism, indicating the importance of the items within.
Tan Yue led them, opening the first mechanism effortlessly. "I don't actually know how large this cave is, because I can only open the first three doors. There should be several more doors behind, but Mr. Tan never allowed me to enter them. So... I can only show you what's inside the first three doors."
Upon opening the first door, they found it filled mostly with armor.
Piles of armor almost filled half of the vast cave space, and the armor appeared to be newly made.
A bad feeling arose in Song Chaoyu's heart: Mu Hansu's abilities truly exceeded her imagination! To be able to produce so much armor without anyone knowing. It seemed his recent docility and detachment from worldly affairs were all an act.
His wolfish ambition could never be hidden.
After a brief look around this area, Tan Yue moved towards the next door. "This is the second door. Once you enter, this outer door will close. Anyone who doesn't understand the mechanism and enters by mistake will not be able to come out."
Song Chaoyu dared not imagine how many people had died when this cave was built.
The second thick door was opened, and Song Chaoyu felt that the space inside was even larger, but also darker and more sinister.
What was stored behind this door made Song Chaoyu's pupils constrict sharply—
Within this vast area, there were countless weapons!
The space behind the second door was much larger than the space behind the first.
Swords, spears, sabers, halberds, arrows, and firecrackers—everything was there.
The purpose of so many weapons was self-evident.
Seeing this, Song Chaoyu snorted, "It seems this Mu Hansu is quite audacious! He must have the support of many people behind him to be able to hide so many things here without anyone noticing, right?"
Even Mu Changxi's brow furrowed deeply. "I didn't expect him to have such wolfish ambitions! He must have been planning these things for many years."
Mu Changxi looked at the third door. "What is behind that door?"
However, Tan Yue shook her head. "The mechanism for the third door requires two people to open it together. Usually, Mr. Zhu and I open it. If Mr. Zhu wants to enter the area beyond, he has his own methods and has never told me. Therefore, I cannot take you inside. However, I can tell you that behind the third door are many gold ingots."
Indeed, to support so many things, a lot of money would be needed.
By hiding the money in this place, the imperial court would never discover it.
Since they could not proceed further, Song Chaoyu and Mu Changxi did not press Tan Yue.
Mu Changxi's gaze remained exceptionally heavy. "I see you have been transporting these things out. When did this start?"
Tan Yue thought for a moment before replying, "It's been within the last three months. All the previous items were stored here and no one could touch them. But three months ago, Mr. Zhu suddenly ordered that all these things be sent out."
Mu Changxi pressed further, "Sent where?"
Tan Yue shook her head. "Mr. Zhu would naturally not tell me something so important. Moreover, the people delivering these things were divided into many groups. Apart from Mr. Zhu, I have not seen anyone repeatedly come here. I think... perhaps those who knew the inside story are all dead!"
With things having reached this point, Song Chaoyu could almost be certain of what Mu Hansu was planning.
Moreover, he had likely already begun to act.
Perhaps it was since the last time the Emperor directly stripped him of his title that he began to consider a "fight to the death."
Then now...
Song Chaoyu frowned and suddenly looked at Mu Changxi. "I fear there is danger in the capital!"
"Yes, we must resolve matters here quickly and return to the capital!"
Mu Changxi involuntarily held Song Chaoyu's hand and murmured, "But... why were we completely unaware for so many years? If it were just Mu Hansu alone, he would never have had such immense capability to create this place like this. Someone must be supporting him!"
Song Chaoyu nodded and suddenly thought of Cong Fei. "Could it be people from the Southern Kingdom? That's why Cong Fei refused to cooperate with Mu Hansu and was poisoned."
People from the Southern Kingdom... Tiele was still in the capital now, and it was likely she could not escape the blame.
Mu Changxi's brow seemed to knit together.
He looked at Tan Yue again. "There are four more doors behind. Do you know what is stored inside?"
Tan Yue shook her head, then nodded. "I don't know. I rarely even go into the third door. However, once, I came with Mr. Zhu. He went into the doors behind, and in the brief moment the doors opened and closed, I seemed to hear someone crying out. But I couldn't be sure, as the time was too short and the sound was too faint. I don't know what the situation was."
It seemed that this was all Tan Yue knew.
But for Mu Changxi and the others, it was enough.
Mu Changxi cast a deep glance at the third large door, then turned to leave. "Let's go. If we stay here too long, we might be discovered."
Fortunately, Tan Yue's status was high enough in this Taoyuan territory.
Therefore, no one noticed Tan Yue bringing them into the cave. Even Zhu Xuri trusted Tan Yue implicitly and harbored no suspicions.
They had ample time to follow Tan Yue and learn about this Taoyuan territory.
They discovered that after Zhu Xuri's return, Taoyuan territory had entered a state of extreme busyness.
Zhu Xuri was arranging for all the items to be transported out of the cave, and then he ordered Tan Yue to gradually destroy everything stored there.
In Zhu Xuri's words, after all the items were transported out, he would turn the entire Taoyuan territory into ruins.