The hour past Xu had passed its halfway mark, and the eunuchs on duty at the Imperial Household Department had long since clocked off. The palace hall was shrouded in darkness, with only a few Imperial Guards keeping watch outside.
Ye Tinglan nodded and stepped directly inside.
Since the emissaries from the Northern Kingdom had presented their tribute to the palace, the Hundred Wood Lingxi had been stored here. The one previously stolen from Mo Wangfu's treasury was merely a fake; the genuine article was now in Ye Tinglan's possession.
He glanced up at the empty spot on the shelf and reached into his sleeve, silently placing something back.
It was the iron box that had held the Hundred Wood Lingxi.
Feng Yinwan raised an eyebrow, a hint of understanding in her eyes.
As expected.
She didn't know why the villain's men wanted to steal the Hundred Wood Lingxi, but after discovering they had taken a fake, they would surely not give up.
Using it as bait to lure the enemy in, this was tonight's plan.
"Pass down the order: everyone remains motionless. Anyone who dares to disobey on their own initiative will be killed."
His tone was decisive and ruthless.
His military discipline had always been strict, and tonight's matter could not afford any mistakes.
Qi Xuan's heart tightened, and he immediately nodded, "Yes!"
The commotion in the hall quickly subsided. Ye Tinglan glanced back, his thin lips curling coldly.
"Follow me."
The Imperial Household Department's storerooms were layered and intricate. They stopped behind a screen, from where they could observe the situation within the hall and also the goings-on outside.
Feng Yinwan and Xi Wen exchanged a glance and nodded.
The next moment, Xi Wen understood and leaped onto the roof beam.
His martial arts skills were no less than Qi Xuan's. Ye Tinglan's brow twitched almost imperceptibly at the sight.
After the sound of the third watch passed, Qi Xuan quietly crept in from outside.
"Your Highness, they've arrived."
Through the gaps in the window lattice, several shadowy figures could be vaguely discerned.
Their movements were incredibly light, as if a gust of wind had silently blown through, and in an instant, the Imperial Guards on patrol outside had fallen.
They must have used poison gas. The Imperial Guards had not noticed anything at all and thus were unable to resist.
With a "click," the lock on the hall door quietly fell to the ground. Several figures crept in, their target clear, heading straight for the tribute area presented by the other nations.
Their movements were surprisingly skilled.
Feng Yinwan had been Mo Wangfei, but she had entered the palace only a handful of times. This was her first time in the Imperial Household Department tonight.
Even she, a Wangfei, was not very familiar with this place, so how could the villain's men know it so well?
It was more like... they had known this all along.
Her heart tightened slightly, and she turned to look at Ye Tinglan's expression. He, however, had a stern profile, and no emotion was visible on his face.
The hall was filled with faint rustling sounds. As the intruders reached the shelf where the Hundred Wood Lingxi was kept, Ye Tinglan still remained silent, showing no intention of intervening.
Feng Yinwan frowned.
That was the real Hundred Wood Lingxi! He was so confident and bold as to use it as bait?
She silently tugged at his sleeve, but he remained unmoved.
Meanwhile, the man in black had already reached out and picked up the iron box.
"It is indeed here."
A very faint sound, impossible to discern if it was male or female. After confirming, the man tucked the iron box into his embrace.
This scene made Feng Yinwan and Qi Xuan increasingly anxious. Xi Wen, on the beam, had also signaled several times.
But without Ye Tinglan's command, none of them dared to act rashly.
The intruders did not linger. After obtaining the item, they turned to leave. Seeing them about to exit the hall, Feng Yinwan's heart clenched, and a silver needle shot from her hand.
The person in hand had poison, and was not someone to be trifled with. No matter what forces Ye Tinglan had arranged outside, once they left this door, everything would become uncertain.
She couldn't care anymore.
She could not let the villain's men escape, and she certainly could not hand over the Hundred Wood Lingxi!