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Hua Lingteng returned to the courtyard cursing. Madam Sun Qing came out to greet him upon hearing the noise. Seeing his disheveled appearance, she quickly dismissed the maids and followed him into the room to help him take off his clothes.

Hua Lingteng said angrily, "That damned Gu Jinning, I'll make her pay sooner or later."

Sun Qing brought him a new robe to wear, meticulously adjusted his belt, and gently advised, "After all, he is a guest. You should put aside your reservations and be more tolerant."

Hua Lingteng said, "When have I ever not let her have her way? It's just that she always goes against me."

Sun Qing didn't try to persuade her further, saying, "It's time to start the banquet. You go and greet the guests. I'll tidy up a bit, and when Lin'er wakes up, I'll bring him over to show his face."

Hua Lingteng was eager to catch Gu Jinning in the act, so he didn't linger and quickly returned to the ancestral hall.

Sun Qing saw him off from the hospital and then went to the young master's room.

Inside the room, the young master was fast asleep, nestled in Sun Qing's arms. Li Ranyi sat by the bed, smiling and nodding at her.

In this ancestral hall, Gu Jinning circled around the offering table for the third time, her hand hovering around the square box. Finally, she picked up the offering fruit from the back and asked Hua Lingchen, "Brother Hua, I'm hungry. Can I eat some of the fruit here to fill my stomach?"

After Hua Lingchen finished writing the eulogy, he stood up and said, "The food here may not be fresh, so it's better not to eat it."

"All right."

Frustrated, Gu Jinning tossed the fruit back. The fruit veered off course and hit the square box with a "bang." The box slid off the altar and crashed to the ground with a "thud," cracking open.

Suddenly, a cracking sound was heard, and the cave entrance on three sides of the stone wall opened, releasing hundreds of arrows and crossbow bolts in unison.

"Brother Hua, be careful."

Gu Jinning cried out urgently, overturned the altar with both hands, used the table to protect Hua Lingchen, and hurriedly retreated to a corner to hide.

Upon hearing the commotion, at least a dozen guards who had been lying in ambush outside entered.

They each drew their swords, remaining vigilant, and cautiously searched the surroundings.

"Hey, what are you looking for?"

As the arrows stopped, Gu Jinning pushed aside the offering table, helped Hua Lingchen up, and complained, "Why did you have to come all of a sudden? You only came after all the arrows were shot. At this rate, if there were really bad guys, your young master would be dead by now."

The guards exchanged bewildered glances. They had been ordered to hide in the courtyard and come in to arrest anyone who was triggered by the mechanisms inside the ancestral hall.

Hua Lingteng only mentioned the person who opened the square box, but now neither of them had the square box in their hands, and they didn't know what to do.

At this moment, Hua Lingteng and Xiao Liao arrived. Hua Lingteng angrily questioned, "Why did you trigger the mechanism?"

The guards shook their heads, unable to answer.

Xiao Liao had already seen the shattered box on the ground, and his expression was not good.

Gu Jinning shrugged and pointed to the stone beam above her head, saying, "You might not believe what I'm saying, so let's ask the two brothers on the beam to answer."

"Hey, you upstairs, your master has arrived, aren't you going to come down?" Gu Jinning tilted her head and said, "I saw the hem of your clothes. If I'm not mistaken, you're soldiers from the Prince of Qin's mansion."

Xiao Liao's face darkened upon hearing this.

Two people jumped down from the stone beam; they were the guards Xiao Liao had sent to keep watch: Wu San and Wu Si.

Gu Jinning and Hua Lingchen never touched the box, so even if they wanted to frame someone, they would have no way to do so.

Wu San had no choice but to tell the truth: "It was the fruit on the offering table that hit the square box on the offering table, and the box fell to the ground and accidentally triggered the mechanism."

Hua Lingteng picked up the box; the mine map lay safely inside.

Gu Jinning feigned surprise, "Oh dear, is there some treasure hidden there? I'm so sorry, I was so hungry that I threw fruit around carelessly and accidentally hit it."

She shook her head repeatedly with regret, "These mechanisms are exquisitely crafted, and they cost a lot of money to use each time, which is a pity. However, it is not appropriate to place such valuable items in such an conspicuous place. Master Hua, you must hide them well."

Hua Lingteng took out the blueprints and deliberately asked, "Do you know what this is?"

Gu Jinning blinked and replied, "I don't know."

"This is a map of the Hua family's mine. I heard that some thieves intend to steal it, so I asked Your Highness Prince Qin for help in setting a trap, just waiting for the thieves to take the bait."

Hua Lingteng walked over and pointed at Hua Lingchen, scolding, "Why did you come here to offer incense? You ruined my plans."

Gu Jinning slapped his finger away, "I'm the one who asked him to come and pay respects to the ancestors, what are you pointing at for?"

Hua Lingteng said, "He has already severed ties with the Hua family, so why pretend?"

Gu Jinning argued, "Then he should come and tell the ancestors."

"How can he face his ancestors? Or are you harboring ulterior motives?"

"You invited him, so who is the one with ulterior motives?"

“Princess,” Hua Lingchen stopped her, “Let’s not argue anymore. I will leave after I finish this eulogy. Please help me set up the altar.”

Gu Jinning was reluctant, but seeing Hua Lingchen struggling to pick up the offerings, she softened and quickly restored the altar and set up the incense burner.

Hua Lingchen took out a tinderbox from his sleeve, lit the written eulogy, and placed it in the incense burner until it burned out.

Gu Jinning suddenly snatched the mining map from Hua Lingteng's hand and threw it into the fire.

"Gu Jinning, what are you doing!"

Hua Lingteng was caught off guard and stunned for a moment. By the time he came to his senses, the mining map had already been destroyed by the fire.

Gu Jinning said, "Burn it for your ancestors. The Hua family ancestors in heaven will surely be very pleased that you have managed the Hua family's mines so well."

"you……"

Her confident demeanor left Hua Lingteng speechless.

Hua Lingteng glanced helplessly at Xiao Liao. Xiao Liao remained silent, his expression growing increasingly somber.

Gu Jinning pretended not to notice and feigned surprise, saying, "You don't only have one mine map, do you? It's okay, just draw another one. The mine isn't going anywhere."

"A drawing? Do you know how much effort it takes to draw a picture?"

Hua Lingteng was about to argue when Li Ranyi, Sun Qing, and a group of others arrived.

Arrows were scattered all over the ancestral hall, and guards surrounded it, creating the impression that a great battle was about to break out.

Sun Qing hurriedly stepped forward to persuade Hua Lingteng, "Master, all the guests are here and waiting for you to start the banquet. Please invite all the distinguished guests to take their seats first."

Li Ranyi also came over to advise Gu Jinning, "Princess, you are a guest today, you should be more reserved and not trouble the Hua family head."

He then pulled her away first.

Sun Qing then invited Hua Lingchen and Xiao Liao to take their seats. Only then did the crowd disperse in twos and threes.

The banquet was rather dull as everyone ate with their own thoughts on the food.

After a few rounds of drinks, Gu Jinning said she was full and, using the excuse that Hua Lingchen needed to take a nap, left the residence first.

When Xiao Liao saw Hua Lingchen leave, he was about to chase after her, but Xiao Liao stopped him, saying, "You were too reckless today."

Xiao Lan was in a bad mood because he couldn't speak to Hua Lingchen, and said sarcastically, "Likewise. You must be very disappointed that you didn't catch Gu Jinning doing anything wrong."

Xiao Liao's pent-up resentment finally erupted, and he roared, "Get out!"

Xiao Liao snorted and haughtily lifted her skirt to leave. Sun Xianzhu, fearing Xiao Liao's wrath, quickly ran away as well.

Hua Lingteng asked Xiao Liao, "What do we do next?"

Gu Jinning not only didn't take the bait, but she also smashed it, which was really infuriating.

Xiao Liao said, "What's the rush? If it doesn't work the first time, we can try again."

He had initially been 80% skeptical, but Gu Jinning's erratic behavior today made him quite certain.

Gu Jinning is the ever-changing young man!

Outside Huajiabao, various horse-drawn carriages lined both sides of the road, stretching as far as the eye could see.

Gu Jinning asked Hua Lingchen, "What are your thoughts at this moment today?"

Hua Lingchen shook his head and smiled calmly, "It's just a dream in this mortal world, nothing to hold me back."

Old Master Hua's eyes reddened, and he said reluctantly, "Young Master, you will always be the eldest son of the Hua family, and you will come back."

Hua Lingteng's actions were radical, and everyone in the Hua family complained about it behind his back. They respected Hua Lingchen more and hoped that he could come back to take charge of the family.

Hua Lingchen handed Old Man Hua a red jade pendant, saying, "This is a gift I gave to the young master. Please pass it on." He then bowed to Old Man Hua, saying, "Thank you for your trouble. Farewell."

He turned and descended, his clothes fluttering, his steps light and quick.

After that, he no longer owed the Hua family any favors.

Gu Jinning skipped along, when a black carriage slowly approached, blocking their path. The driver was Song Hui.

Gu Jinning apologized to Hua Lingchen, "It seems Brother Hua will have to go back by himself."

Hua Lingchen understood and bowed towards the carriage. Gu Jinning hurriedly called Qinglian to see her off, while she herself climbed into the Prince Jin's carriage.

Xiao Heng'an was indeed there.

"Why are you here?" Gu Jinning sat down by the window without ceremony and instructed outside, "Qinglian, make sure to get Brother Hua back to the tea garden safely."

Xiao Hengan said, "I'll be quiet. I'm sure you'll get into some trouble today."

"No, it was just talk." Gu Jinning waved her hand modestly, lowered the curtain, and gestured for Song Hui to set off.

After dinner, Li Ranyi and Sun Qing sat idly until Hua Lingteng returned to the courtyard to change his clothes. Then Li Ranyi took her leave of the mansion.

The Hua and Li families rarely interacted, so Hua Lingteng wasn't very familiar with his cousin Li.

"You've only been in the household for two years, how did you become so close to her?" he asked Sun Qing.

Sun Qing took his outer robe and smiled, "I've only heard of her name before, but never seen her in person. Today, I've finally met her. Firstly, she's your cousin, so I'm naturally being polite to her. Secondly, she's a kind person, so I'll chat with her a bit more to facilitate resuming our family ties. When she becomes the Crown Princess, the Hua family will also benefit from it."

Hua Lingteng nodded. Sun Qing reached for his waist to undo his belt, but Hua Lingteng instinctively pushed her away, then reached inside his waist and took out the blueprints.

Sun Qing laughed, "You're a blank sheet of paper, look how nervous you are."

Blank paper? Hua Lingteng held it up to take a look. Under the light, the folded paper appeared white and colorless, without a speck of ink. When he unfolded it, it was indeed completely blank.

Hua Lingteng's mind exploded. No outsiders had come near him all day. When were the blueprints switched?

If it can't be Gu Jinning, then who could it be?

Hua Lingteng suddenly grabbed Sun Qing's wrist, his face contorted with anger, "It was you?"

Sun Qing's face paled. "What?"

Hua Lingteng said, "Today, only you changed my robe, and you changed the pattern."

Sun Qing shook her head repeatedly, "That's impossible. When did I change your outer robe?"

Beneath the window, a brocade robe was neatly folded.

Hua Lingteng lifted it up, revealing the one with ink on it.

"You're the one who changed it."

"No, no, no, no, no." Sun Qing hurriedly recalled, "At noon, my cousin and I were talking in Lin'er's room. Lin'er was hungry, so I lay on the bed to feed him and accidentally dozed off for a while. When I woke up, I heard a commotion at the ancestral hall, so my cousin and I rushed over. I didn't see you come back at all, let alone change your clothes."

Seeing that Hua Lingteng was getting anxious, Sun Qing quickly added, "If you don't believe me, you can ask my cousin. I've been with her the whole time."

Upon hearing this, Hua Lingteng released her, murmuring, "Li Ranyi?"

Hua Lingteng suddenly realized something and hurriedly chased after Li Ranyi.

Hua Lingteng rushed to the main gate and urgently asked Old Man Hua, "Where is Li Ranyi?"

Old Man Hua pointed to the carriage moving in the distance and replied, "It's gone."

Hua Lingteng hurriedly pulled a horse and chased after them, stopping the Li family's carriage. "Cousin, please wait!"

Li Ranyi lifted the curtain and asked, "What is it, cousin?"

Hua Lingteng thought to himself, "The road is clear from both sides. If I expose the thief now, he will surely be frightened and flee. It would be better to invite him back to the mansion first and then verify his identity." So he said:

"My wife suddenly felt abdominal pain. I heard that you know a little about medicine, so please take a look and treat her."

Li Ranyi readily agreed and immediately turned back.

She only brought a maid named Xiaoyue and a coachman with her today.

After Li Ranyi brought Xiaoyue into the fortress, Hua Lingteng secretly ordered Old Man Hua to investigate the coachman.

Inside the fortress, Xiao Liao had not yet left. Upon learning that the mine map had been stolen, his first thought was of Li Ranyi and her servant.

Li Ranyi stepped into the courtyard and saw Xiao Liao, Xiao Liu, and Sun Xianzhu there, while Sun Qing waited by the door with a pale face.

Li Ranyi hurried over to help her up, saying with concern, "Why are you still standing outside if you're sick? Come inside quickly, let me take a look at you."