In the martial arts world, he threatens Yin Susu from the start.

Gu Hanyuan's statement is actually somewhat far-fetched.

There was a hierarchy among the maids and servants.

Some are simply responsible for daily living, while others help warm the bed.

Some even serve as a substitute when the female homeowner is physically unwell.

Such women would typically be taken as concubines.

Logically speaking, Tao Hongying should not be included in this list.

However, she couldn't refute Gu Hanyuan's excuse.

After a slight hesitation, he stepped forward slowly and gradually got into the swing of things under Shuang'er's guidance.

Gu Hanyuan looked at Tao Hongying, who, despite her age, still possessed considerable beauty, with a calm and unwavering gaze.

This little bit of beauty was certainly not enough to tempt him.

They simply chose the most efficient way to lower Tao Hongying's guard.

Otherwise, endless probing would be a waste of time.

Chapter 644: Tao Hongying, despite her advanced age, is surprisingly innocent.

Tao Hongying took the tea that Shuang'er kindly offered and drank it all in one gulp.

Gu Hanyuan was very satisfied with this good attitude.

But Tao Hongying's gaze towards Gu Hanyuan was completely different at this moment.

It's important to know that undercover agents are most prone to feeling emotionally empty.

Without a spiritual pillar, it is easy to lose sight of one's own identity.

What's more, it's Tao Hongying, who lost contact with the Ming Dynasty and went undercover alone in the Qing Dynasty palace.

Previously, Tao Hongying's emotional support was the deceased Empress Zhou.

However, Empress Zhou has been gone for many years, so such a spiritual pillar is inevitably somewhat unreal.

Even in the dead of night, Tao Hongying couldn't help but feel lost.

Gu Hanyuan's forceful intervention actually made her feel the reality of his actions.

If you were to deliberately ask her now whether she would choose to be loyal to Zhu Meichu or Gu Hanyuan, she would probably hesitate a lot.

Fortunately, Gu Hanyuan wasn't so bored as to ask such a question.

Instead, he inquired about the secrets Tao Hongying had learned in the palace.

Tao Hongying had already infiltrated the palace when Li Zicheng captured Yanjing.

Neither Li Zicheng's nor the secrets of the Qing imperial family escaped her notice.

Gu Hanyuan did indeed obtain quite a bit of interesting information.

There are articles about Huang Taiji, about Empress Dowager Xiaozhuang and Dorgon, and about Emperor Shunzhi.

These are either already dead or barely clinging to life; just listen to them as stories.

What's particularly interesting is the story of Li Zicheng and Prince Bao.

This brought Gu Hanyuan quite a few unexpected gains.

The most important thing, of course, is the secret of the Forty-Two Chapters Sutra.

Tao Hongying is one of the few people who know the true secrets of the Forty-Two Chapters Sutra.

He also witnessed firsthand how Huang Taiji moved the dragon vein of the Qing Dynasty.

Tao Hongying collected the "Forty-Two Chapters Sutra" not so much for the treasure itself, but more importantly to sever the Qing dynasty's imperial lineage.

Although she did not obtain any copy of the Forty-Two Chapters Sutra, she investigated its whereabouts very thoroughly.

The whereabouts of the Forty-Two Chapters Sutra are similar to those in The Deer and the Cauldron, though there are some slight changes.

The Forty-Two Chapters Sutra was originally kept by the banner chiefs of the Eight Banners of Manchuria.

Times have changed.

The Forty-Two Chapters Sutra of the Plain Yellow Banner was once owned by the emperor of a country, and is now in the hands of Emperor Shunzhi, who is a monk at Qingliang Temple.

Both the Forty-Two Chapters Sutra of the Bordered Red Banner and the Bordered Blue Banner were in the possession of Prince Bao.

Jia Kun, the banner chief of the Plain Blue Banner, died in battle while attacking Yunnan and Guizhou. The Forty-Two Chapters Sutra fell into the hands of Wu Sangui, who was in charge of his funeral arrangements.

The banner lord of the Plain White Banner was Sukesaha, who was killed by Aobai, while Aobai himself was the banner lord of the Bordered Yellow Banner.

Therefore, the Forty-Two Chapters Sutra of the Bordered Yellow Banner and the Plain White Banner were kept in Aobai's mansion.

The banner lord of the Plain Red Banner was Prince Kang.

The banner chief of the Bordered White Banner was convicted of a crime, and the Bordered White Banner's scriptures were confiscated and given to Consort Dong'e by Emperor Shunzhi.

The fake Empress Dowager Mao Dongzhu killed Consort Dong'e, but she failed to find the "Forty-Two Chapters Sutra" of the Bordered White Banner from her.

However, it was eventually stolen from the Imperial Study by Wei Xiaobao and given to Mao Dongzhu.

At this moment, it was in Gu Hanyuan's own hands.

Apart from the Forty-Two Chapters Sutra in the hands of Prince Bao and Wu Sangui, which Gu Hanyuan needed to retrieve personally.

The rest can be handed over to Wei Xiaobao and Mao Dongzhu to help him get it.

Because Wei Xiaobao did not have the chance to meet Tao Hongying, he is currently unaware of the secrets within the Forty-Two Chapters Sutra and therefore has no possibility of betraying Gu Hanyuan for the time being.

However, even though he betrayed them, he was still poisoned with the "Three Corpse Brain God Pill".

Gu Hanyuan didn't believe that Wei Xiaobao would value the "Forty-Two Chapters Sutra" more than his own life.

As for trying to fool Gu Hanyuan with a fake scripture, that's even more impossible.

Gu Hanyuan already knew that there was a treasure map hidden in the hidden compartment of the "Forty-Two Chapters Sutra," and he could see through Wei Xiaobao's forgery at a glance.

Although Wei Xiaobao was a useful pawn, Gu Hanyuan was always wary of him.

Compared to Yuan Chengzhi, whose protagonist luck has almost completely disappeared, Wei Xiaobao's fate is more uncertain.

A dark light gleamed in Gu Hanyuan's eyes.

We should still let Wei Xiaobao suffer a bit.

Gu Hanyuan was determined to obtain the "Forty-Two Chapters Sutra," not only for the treasures within, but also to sever the Qing Dynasty's dragon vein and release it from its suppression of him.

Tao Hongying, whose mindset had already changed, suddenly said solemnly:

"Young master, that Su Quan is a member of the Divine Dragon Sect. You must be careful."

Gu Hanyuan was slightly surprised.

He had deliberately sent Su Quan to summon Tao Hongying.

Su Quan must have said or done something to Tao Hongying.

Tao Hongying betrayed Su Quan so easily.

Gu Hanyuan asked with a slight flicker in his eyes:

"Oh? How do you know?"

Tao Hongying said with a somewhat unpleasant expression:

“She gave the servant a ‘Leopard Embryo Tendon-Changing Pill,’ a poison exclusively belonging to the Divine Dragon Sect.”

Gu Hanyuan was even more surprised to hear this.

I originally thought that Su Quan had failed to restrain Tao Hongying.

She even doubted whether she had overestimated Su Quan's methods...

Unexpectedly, Su Quan managed to administer the "Leopard Fetus Tendon-Changing Pill" to Tao Hongying, who was extremely vigilant and skilled in martial arts. No wonder it took so much time.

However, this is precisely why Tao Hongying's betrayal at this time is all the more surprising.

Gu Hanyuan asked with an inscrutable look in his eyes:

"Since you were poisoned by the 'Leopard Fetus Tendon-Changing Pill' and betrayed Su Quan, aren't you afraid of exploding and dying because you can't get the antidote?"

Tao Hongying's face paled slightly upon hearing this, but she still shook her head and said:

“This servant is nothing but a forgotten maid from a previous dynasty; her death is not a pity.”

She suddenly glanced at Gu Hanyuan, her face regaining some color, and her ears turning slightly red as she said:

"But I don't want the young master to be harmed by Su Quan with ulterior motives one day."

Gu Hanyuan was somewhat taken aback upon hearing this.

I never expected Tao Hongying, who is not young, to be so innocent?

The process of serving her had such a profound impact on her.

It seems that the pressure from her years of undercover work is greater than imagined, and she urgently needs a new source of emotional support.

However the reason may be.