HCB Chapter 458 Treasure Map
Chapter 458 Treasure Map
Su Zhengfang paused for a moment and continued, "As for the object in Mu Haoran's hand, none of us have ever seen it, let alone know what it is."
"However, based on my many years of experience and intuition, this item is definitely not as simple as the evidence of his collusion with the remnants of Daliang as King Ning said. Otherwise, King Ning would not be so angry and do such a thing that would be condemned by both humans and gods to exterminate the whole family."
"Over the years, I have privately conducted an in-depth investigation and exploration of this matter, and even planted several secret agents in Prince Ning's mansion."
"Finally, I came up with a guess that what Mu Cheng had obtained that year might be a treasure map left behind by the Daliang Dynasty, which led to his death."
"The treasure map of the previous dynasty?" Qin Hao muttered to himself.
"Exactly."
Su Zhengfang nodded and continued, "The man is innocent, but he is guilty of possessing a treasure. This is the only explanation that makes sense."
"I have already confirmed this matter. It is said that before the fall of Daliang, Emperor Yang of Liang, Xiao Wudao, ordered that the gold, silver, and jewelry treasured in the palace, as well as the countless wealth looted from the people, be secretly transported out of the capital and hidden in a secret place, intending to make a comeback one day and take back Daliang."
"And this treasure map is the only clue he left behind. Back then, when Emperor Taizu broke into the Daliang Palace, the palace was already in a mess, and the valuables had already been moved away. Emperor Taizu was furious and sent out countless spies to find out the whereabouts of the treasure. However, as time passed, the treasure remained a mystery."
"Later, I had some contact with the former prince Xiao Tianyang, and it also confirmed this. He founded the White Lotus Sect and was determined to restore his country. Those treasures were his hope for restoration, but later the treasure map was lost, which made his road to restoration even more difficult."
"But things in this world often have unpredictable turns. Various signs indicate that the lost treasure map fell into Mu Haoran's hands."
"After Prince Ning learned about all this, he arranged a killing spree. After all, if he had the treasure map, he could find the treasure of the Daliang Dynasty. With that treasure, Prince Ning would have the capital to overthrow everything. If he started a rebellion, wouldn't his chances of success be even greater?"
"I think this might be the real reason why King Ning was so furious and cooperated with us to the point of wanting to do something as infuriating as exterminating an entire family."
Qin Hao sighed after listening to this. He originally thought that the Mu family massacre was the result of factional struggles in the court, but he didn't expect that there was such a shocking secret hidden behind it.
He took a deep breath, looked at Su Zhengfang with a sharp gaze, and asked in a deep voice: "Two years ago, when my father led the army in person to fight against the Liao Dynasty, was it Prince Ning who was behind this?"
Su Zhengfang lowered his head, his face full of remorse and pain. His voice trembled, as if every word carried a heavy sin: "In that war, 300,000 soldiers of Daxia were extremely brave, but... I leaked our military intelligence to the Liao Kingdom. Because of this, our army got into trouble on the battlefield and was almost wiped out in the end. This is the biggest mistake I have made in my life."
"However, the real driving force behind this is the sinister Prince Ning. He never really hoped that Great Xia could win the Northern Expedition, because in his opinion, such a victory would only make the throne of the late emperor more stable, and he would have no chance of becoming emperor at all."
"Prince Ning's real intention is to make the late emperor die under the iron hoof of the Liao people, or be captured by the Liao people. Then, in the name of revenge for the late emperor and the soldiers of Daxia, he will lead the army into the capital to stabilize the chaotic situation, and then turn north to reach some kind of tacit agreement with the Liao people, so that they will withdraw their troops."
"In this way, his reputation will be at its peak and no one will be able to rival him. Then, he will be able to ascend to the throne and realize his ambitions."
"However, man proposes, God disposes. Although the late emperor was seriously injured, he was eventually rescued. Prince Ning's plan was also thwarted, and he has been dormant since then, waiting for a new opportunity."
Qin Hao understood the whole story, and his eyes seemed to be burning with fire. He clenched his fists, his nails dug deep into his palms, but he didn't feel any pain. His face was twisted, and his anger burst out like a volcanic eruption, making the air around him seem to become scorching.
He took a deep breath and tried to calm his anger, but his voice was still trembling with uncontrollable anger: "How dare you be so cruel! Do you know that the 300,000-strong army is the elite of Daxia and the pride of the country? They have experienced hundreds of battles and fought bloody battles to protect our country and our loved ones."
"However, for your own selfish desires, you did not hesitate to sacrifice their lives and pushed them into the abyss of death. They did not die under the enemy's horses, swords, spears, and halberds, but died in your carefully designed conspiracy. This is not only a betrayal of 300,000 soldiers, but also a betrayal of the entire Great Xia Kingdom!"
"You people are not worthy of being human beings, and you don't deserve to live in this world. You should pay the price for your crimes and atone for those innocent lives!"
At this moment, Qin Hao completely exploded. His face turned ashen and his eyes were filled with anger, as if he wanted to eat Su Zhengfang alive.
Su Zhengfang burst into tears, as if he was repenting for his past actions. With trembling hands, he fumbled for a special bronze key from his body, handed it to Qin Hao carefully, and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, I don't have much time left, please accept this key. In the Su Mansion, under an inconspicuous rockery, all the secrets of me and the Su family are hidden."
"There are evidences of crimes I have collected against officials from the imperial court and various prefectures, detailed accounts of money and grain I have embezzled from the national treasury, and some other things that may interest you."
"This is the last thing I can do for Daxia and for you."
Qin Hao looked at the key handed to him by Su Zhengfang and suddenly felt it was extremely dirty. It seemed that what was hidden in this key was a reflection of Su Zhengfang's sinful life.
However, the key itself is not guilty. It is just a cold metal object, but it has the power to reveal the truth.
As long as we master this key, we can find evidence of crimes committed by officials hiding in the dark and catch these corrupt officials in one fell swoop.
Qin Hao took a deep breath, suppressed his emotions, slowly reached out his hand to take the key, and asked in a deep voice: "Su Zhengfang, what are your intentions? Are you truly repenting and trying to atone for your sins, or do you have other plans and want to use this to achieve some ulterior motive?