When Dou Kui heard the footsteps behind him, he turned to see Qi Ning. He immediately smiled and greeted him and bowed: "Mr. Marquis, he is still searching for his family's wealth. There are many rare treasures in the Huainan Prince's Mansion, and they are divided into various places. It is impossible to find them all. Tomorrow will be the emperor's wedding, so today I will definitely finish this job."
Qi Ning nodded and said, "Thank you all for your hard work." After walking slowly, Dou Kui waved to the side from behind, and then two people came over. Seeing Qi Ning walking to a large box, Dou Kui immediately ordered someone to open the box.
The box was opened, but it was neatly filled with various calligraphy and paintings.
Qi Ning was curious, and reached out to take a picture and slowly opened it. He saw a landscape painting. Dou Kui said, "Mr. Marquis has a good look. This is Zheng Chunqiu's shadow fallen on the mountain back then, which is priceless." At this time, an official from the Ministry of Revenue came over, took a look at the painting, raised his pen, and drew one on the list.
Qi Ning handed the painting to Dou Kui, and Dou Kui handed it to a person next to him. The man carefully rolled up the painting and placed it aside.
Qi Ning took out several paintings in succession. He had no research on calligraphy and paintings, but he could also see that these paintings were indeed valuable. Every time he took out a painting, the official holding the list next to him would queeze one. Qi Ning saw it and frowned and said, "Mr. Dou, is this?"
Dou Kui waved his hand and the people on both sides retreated. Dou Kui then approached Qi Ning and said, "Marty, the emperor ordered you to preside over the search of the house, so of course he wanted to give the Martyr a chance. There are so many rare treasures in this royal palace. If the Martyr likes anything, just touch it or wink it. The lower official will make arrangements and keep it safe."
Qi Ning immediately understood the meaning and frowned and said, "Isn't this right?"
Dou Kui looked around and raised his hand and said, "The Marquis will come in to have a cup of tea."
Qi Ning knew his intention, and walked into the central hall with his hands on his back. Dou Kui followed him into the room and closed the door with his backhand. Seeing that Qi Ning had already sat down, he approached and bowed to Qi Ning and said, "It's the first time that the Marquis searched the house. The rules inside may not be very clear. In fact, whoever can receive the imperial edict will be chasing the house will be the emperor's grace!" After a pause, he lowered his voice and said, "I'm sorry, the emperor will be the opportunity to send wealth to the emperor."
Qi Ning said "Oh" and Dou Kui continued: "As long as you are not too shady, you can almost explain to the court, no one will pursue it. The King of Huainan thanked the court for his kindness and received a large number of rewards from the court every year, and there are also people below who are filial to them. Moreover, they are even more filial to the King of Huainan. It is not an exaggeration to say that he is making a fortune every day. The subordinates roughly estimated that all the wealth in the palace should be found, and it should be no less than three or four million taels."
Qi Ning said in surprise: "So much?"
Dou Kui nodded slightly and said, "The lower official has followed the King of Huainan for many years. He has good fortune and is indeed very capable. The Marquis doesn't know that the King of Huainan liked antiques, calligraphy and paintings when he was young. At that time, he had no real power in the court and did nothing, so he focused on antiques, calligraphy and paintings. If he heard that there was a precious antique or calligraphy and painting, he would have to get it anyway. To be honest, many people died unjustly for this."
Qi Ning frowned, Dou Kui sighed lightly, and then continued: "Emperor Taizong and the former emperor thought that he was the blood of Emperor Taizu. As long as he was not involved in court affairs, he would turn a blind eye to other things." He lowered his voice and said, "The Xiaguan knew a secret place in this royal palace. Please come with me later to take a look."
“Where is it?”
Dou Kui smiled slightly, but without explaining, raised his hand and said, "Please, Marquis!" Walking towards the back door, Qi Ning hesitated and followed behind. Dou Kui led the way. After walking for a long time, he walked for nine turns and eighteen turns before he reached a yard outside. No soldiers were searched here yet. Dou Kui pushed open the yard door, and Qi Ning followed behind and walked in.
The yard looks very simple, with a smell of sandalwood floating in the air. Qi Ning vaguely understood something. Dou Kui had already led Qi Ning to the door of a house, but the door was locked by iron locks. Dou Kui frowned, and Qi Ning did not hesitate, took the cold blade and went forward to cut it open immediately.
Dou Kui was stunned for a moment, then raised his thumb and said, "Good baby, good baby." Then he pushed open the door. The door opened for a moment, and a stronger smell of sandalwood came out from it. Dou Kui had already said, "Marquis, this is the Buddhist temple of the royal palace. As far as the officials know, the King of Huainan often stays in the Buddhist temple on weekdays, and the royal palace is not allowed to approach this Buddhist temple."
"Oh?" Qi Ning looked around. Compared to the magnificent place in the Huainan Prince's Mansion, this Buddhist temple is simple and simple. Apart from the table, there is a small golden Buddha inside. There is not much debris around: "Mr. Dou brings me to this Buddhist temple, I don't know why?"
"Marty, this is the treasure house of the King of Huainan." Dou Kui lowered his voice and said, "The Xiaguan once drank with him, and there was no one else. It was just that Sima Lan's power was getting stronger and he would sooner or later become a disaster for the court. He was in a bad mood at that time, so he would get drunk if he drank a few more cups." After a pause, he even whispered: "After drunkenness, the King of Huainan said that he had treasures hidden in the Buddhist temple, but he didn't say much. Xiaguan thought that since the King of Huainan said that, it was naturally not groundless. Moreover, Xiaguan vaguely knew that the King of Huainan had several priceless treasures in his hand, which were all things that could not be found, but this time he searched the house, he had never seen them, and those treasures would not be placed at will, so!"
Qi Ning understood and said, "So you think those treasures are hidden in the Buddhist temple?"
Dou Kui nodded and said, "That's what the officials think."
Qi Ning thought that Dou Kui was really a fence-skinned person. When he received the recommendation of Jinyi Qi's family, he had been following the Qi family. Later, he turned against the Qi family and immediately turned to the King of Huainan. Now that the King of Huainan has fallen, he is better to be humble to him quickly.
But Qi Ning also knew that such villains could still be used now, and such characters could only be used, but they could never be trusted.
"Mr. Dou, even if the treasure is here, what can we do?" Qi Ning sighed lightly: "Can we still have to fill our own pockets? If someone really pursues this matter!"
"Don't worry, the marquis, everything is covered by the lower officials." Dou Kui has been in the officialdom for many years, and naturally understands that the best way to show loyalty is to do something that satisfies the superiors. He is in a difficult situation and his only way out is to hold the thigh of the brocade-in-law, so he seems extremely humble: "Not to mention that this is a rule that has always been done, even if something really happens, the lower officials will bear it."
Qi Ning shook his head and said, "Mr. Dou has misunderstood. In fact, what I am most worried about is not someone to pursue. Now the treasury is empty, and it is time to use money. If the Huainan Prince's Mansion really does not copy a huge amount of money and include it in the treasury, then many difficult things in the court can be solved."
"The marquis is loyal to the country, and the officials admire him in all their might." Dou Kui said solemnly: "It's just that the officials are saying something, and I don't know whether it should be said or not."
"It's okay if you have something to say." Qi Ning smiled and said, "There are no outsiders here. If you come out of your mouth and into my ears, there will be no third person to know."
Dou Kui hesitated for a moment before sighing: "Mr. Marquis, Sima Lan has eliminated the King of Huainan. Next, he must gradually control the government. Whether it is military power or finance, Sima Lan cannot let it go. Today, the officials can still stay in the Ministry of Revenue, because Marquis, you are justice, but Sima Lan's old thief will never give up. If he doesn't get the Ministry of Revenue, how can he sleep well?"
Qi Ning knew very well that Sima Lan is now assisting in the government affairs, so his power in the court is naturally unmatched, but the biggest and most fatal shortcomings are also in these two places.
If we talk about military power, at least we still control the Black Knife Camp, but the Ministry of Revenue has never been under the control of the Sima family.
If you want to truly cover the sky with one hand, if you cannot control the national finances, it will only be a dream.
Before the late emperor's death, Sima Lan naturally did not dare to reveal his intention to be involved in the Ministry of Revenue. After the late emperor passed away, the Ministry of Revenue was entangled with the King of Huainan, and Sima Lan had never been able to do anything. But now that the King of Huainan has been removed, it would only be a matter of time before Sima Lan would get involved in the Ministry of Revenue.
"Maybe in a few days, the officials will be dismissed from office." Dou Kui sighed: "If you are lucky, you can save your life and go back to your hometown to farm the fields. If you are not lucky, this head will not be saved. At that time, Sima Lan will definitely place a trustee in the Ministry of Revenue, and the deposit of the Ministry of Revenue is under Sima Lan's control. This time, if all the property we seized in the royal palace is sent to the Ministry of Revenue, we will wait to send it to Sima Lan."
Qi Ning frowned slightly, and Dou Kui's words reminded him.
Although Qi Ning was not afraid of the Sima family, he was not sure whether he could prevent the Sima family from controlling the court. After all, Sima Lan was an old minister of the three dynasties, and even the King of Huainan was played by him. Even he could not tell whether he could really deal with the old fox.
If Sima Lan really takes over the Ministry of Revenue, what Dou Kui said is true.
Dou Kui observed his words and expressions, saw it in his eyes, and whispered: "Mr. Marquis, the emperor is wise and wise. The subordinate officials say something that should not be said. This time, the emperor issued an order to be conquered by the Marquis. There is probably such a meaning in it."
Qi Ning nodded slightly, but said calmly: "Since there are rules for raiding houses, it is inevitable that I will break the rules. Lord Dou, do what you should do, and do everything according to your wishes."
Dou Kui smiled and said, "Don't worry, the marquis must have done this matter properly." He looked around and frowned and said, "The marquis guessed that there must be a secret room in this Buddhist temple. If you find the mechanism, you should be able to find the treasure secret room. The marquis will look for it later." He started to search in the Buddhist temple with a light hand.
Qi Ning carried his hands on his back and his eyes swept through the Buddhist temple. He could not see any strange places. Dou Kui walked around the Buddhist temple twice, but there was no sign of the room. He was a little anxious, but Qi Ning suddenly said, "Sir Dou, look at what's special about this Golden Buddha."
Dou Kui hurried over and his eyes fell on the golden Buddha.
Chapter completed!