Chapter 303 Escape
The tunnel was not winding, forming a straight and deep corridor. The depths were dark and unfathomable, and there was endless darkness as far as the eye could see.

Although the flame of the fire lighter in Zhao Ji's hand was dim, it was enough for him to barely penetrate the darkness and staggeringly identify the path ahead.

He walked with light steps, easily controlling the sound of each step, and his movement speed was not slow, but moving forward at a rapid pace.

As we went deeper, the air in the tunnel became heavier, mixed with a damp and cold air, which seemed to be able to penetrate clothes and penetrate into the bone marrow, making us shudder. The flame of the tinder became more and more flickering, and was about to go out.

Zhao Ji couldn't help but mutter in his heart: "Will we walk to the bank of Luo River?"

After walking a few more steps forward, the tunnel suddenly became spacious and tall.

The narrow space that was originally wide enough for only one person to pass through suddenly widened to two or three feet wide, and the height exceeded ten feet, enough for a person to walk with his back straight.

This section of the tunnel is very different from the previous ones. Initially, it had walls and floors made of brick and stone, but now it has become rough earth walls, unmodified, with exposed soil, revealing signs of recent excavation.

Zhao Ji reached out and touched the wall, then dug up a piece of soil. It was wet, and it seemed that this section of the tunnel had been dug not long ago, and the soil had not dried up yet.

Comparing the old tunnel, he couldn't help but frown: "The old tunnel was built many years ago, but the new tunnel was just excavated recently?"

"I guess the new path is to bring the water of Luo River into the palace, then what is the old path used for? Is it used by the owner of the courtyard above?"

"Could it be the secret passage of the owner of the courtyard above? But since I joined the Qianniu Guard, the courtyard has been deserted and no one has been there. How could there be a tunnel of such a scale?"

Looking at the mottled bricks and stones of the old road, the traces of time were clearly visible, and Zhao Ji's doubts became even heavier: "Could it be that the Snake Spirit Organization had infiltrated the palace many years ago and made secret arrangements?"

After thinking for a long time but still not getting the point, Zhao Ji had to temporarily put aside these confusing thoughts and move on.

However, the following tunnels were all dirt roads, which were muddy and difficult to walk on, and the excavated ground was not flat in some places.

Zhao Ji could only bend down as much as possible, walk tentatively with one foot deep and one foot shallow, and then use the weak light in his hand to illuminate the ground to prevent himself from falling.

However, when he lowered his head, he inadvertently saw a series of fresh footprints.

These footprints were deeper, and the owners of the footprints walked slowly, which distinguished them from the old and messy footprints around them.

Zhao Ji immediately decided to follow these footprints. Although this was the case, there was actually no other choice.

After walking for a while, there were signs of light in front of the tunnel. Zhao Ji could not help but quicken his pace.

The light ahead grew brighter and brighter, until Zhao Ji had to squint his eyes to adapt to the sudden change between light and dark.

He took a step forward and finally saw the light of day again. Looking up, he saw only stars. Looking left and right, he saw four steep slopes on all sides and he was in a big pit.

Zhao Ji suddenly woke up: Isn’t this the lotus pond in the East Palace?
It turns out that this tunnel connects the East Palace and Wu Zetian’s palace!
The Qianniu Guards had already been mobilized, and even Huan Bin would find it difficult to abuse his power for personal gain and shelter the fugitive. The fake prince used this route to escape back to the East Palace.

It was also because of this that the fake prince's clumsy behavior in a hurry allowed Zhao Ji to accidentally discover the tunnel.

Looking forward again, Zhao Ji noticed that there was a similar passage on the opposite side, which was almost the same in width and height, and was equally deep and long.

Just as he was concentrating on thinking carefully, hesitating whether to explore another tunnel, a faint voice came from not far away.

Zhao Ji immediately became alert and without hesitation, he went back into the tunnel and quickly found a hidden place to squat. After waiting for a while, the voices of the people above gradually disappeared, and Zhao Ji slowly stood up.

The commotion he had previously caused in the East Palace had caused the guards originally guarding the lotus pond to be transferred elsewhere, which invisibly facilitated his actions at the moment.

Zhao Ji carefully stuck his head out, and after confirming that there was no one around, he stretched out his body and slid out of the pit as nimbly as a bird, preparing to leave the East Palace quietly.

Tonight's harvest was enough, and he prepared to return to Di Mansion to report to Di Renjie.

It was almost dawn, so he had to move faster.
-
Everything was still calm in the Di Mansion, and neither Li Yuanfang nor Zhao Ji had returned.

Di Renjie, Xiaomei, Kui Wenzhong, Yuan Tiangang and others all had their own thoughts and slept uneasily all night. Only Ruyan had a good dream.

Perhaps because an assassin appeared last night, Xiaomei, Kui Wenzhong and Yuan Tiangang felt guilty. After a quick breakfast, they went back to their rooms to rest, not wanting to make any more mistakes.

Di Renjie has always had a big appetite, so he eats slowly.

"Uncle, are you looking for me?" Ruyan walked over quickly with a bright look and sat down next to Di Renjie intimately.

Di Renjie slowly put down his chopsticks, took a sip of tea, and turned his eyes gently to Ruyan: "How is Xiaomei's injury? Is everything okay?"

"It's just some superficial injuries, nothing serious." Ruyan answered lightly.

Di Renjie smiled when he heard this, and said, "I still have a few questions about the assassin last night!"

Ruyan frowned slightly when she heard this and looked at Di Renjie curiously: "The assassin last night? What do you want to ask?"

Di Renjie said slowly: "Do you still remember the specific circumstances when you and Xiaomei encountered the assassin?"

Ruyan thought carefully and nodded: "I remember! I suddenly woke up in bed and found that Xiaomei was not around. I got up to check and saw a black shadow running out!"

"I was about to chase her, but Xiaomei grabbed me and told me not to alert the enemy. Then we followed her all the way to the main hall and found her eavesdropping outside the door. You know what happened next."

Upon hearing this, Di Renjie raised a meaningful smile and narrowed his eyes, as if he could see through people's minds: "In other words, when you discovered the assassin, Xiaomei had already left?"

"Yes," Ruyan heard this, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, and then she suddenly realized, "Uncle, do you doubt Xiaomei?"

Di Renjie shook his head slightly and said firmly: "I am not doubting her, I am now sure that there is something wrong with her!"

Ruyan took a breath of cold air when she heard this, somewhat incredulous.

Seeing Ruyan's expression, Di Renjie tried to remind her, "Do you remember that before you and Yuan Fang went to explore Dayang Mountain for the second time, I asked you a few questions?"

Ruyan's eyes flashed with memories, and she whispered, "I remember you asked me about Xiaomei at that time..."

Suddenly, Ruyan didn't know what she thought of. Her face changed abruptly and she turned her head to look at Di Renjie.

Di Renjie's expression froze, and he asked, "Why, what did you think of?"

(End of this chapter)