Chapter 35
Measuring the dimensions of the room and its surroundings with my feet, the measurements were almost identical, indicating that there were no secret rooms within the hall.
Pei Lingjun held the tinderbox in his mouth while groping along the wall with both hands. The wall was smooth and without any marks, and the sound of tapping was dull and without hollow echo.
Could Wen Tao really be an honest and good official who brought benefits to the people of the region?
The thought only existed in his mind for a moment before he dismissed it.
Anyang Prefecture is within the jurisdiction of Tongqing Road. The Transport Commissioner of Tongqing Road, who is in charge of finance, is that person's son-in-law. How could the son-in-law not present a gift when his father-in-law is celebrating his birthday?
Pei Lingjun continued walking, his hands caressing the main chair in the government office. His hands smoothly ran over the chair, but suddenly a seemingly inconspicuous roughness aroused his suspicion.
This chair is extremely valuable. The backrest is carved with exquisite and intricate patterns, and to make the surface smooth, it is even coated with a layer of varnish, so that it can still reflect a lustrous sheen in the dim night.
Therefore, that rough texture seems particularly suspicious.
Pei Lingjun immediately became alert, touched the edge with his index finger, and pressed it lightly.
The faint sound of a mechanism turning rang out, and Pei Lingjun subconsciously held his breath, listening intently as he heard the mechanism stop with a "click" from beneath a painting on the wall.
...
Cui Pei walked around the west wing, which was probably where officials rested. All three rooms were furnished with small couches, and there was a small kitchen next door. The middle room was spacious and had a lot of things.
I skimmed through it, but it wasn't very useful.
Several sheets of draft paper were scattered haphazardly on the table in the main room. Cui Pei glanced at them several times by the moonlight and noticed that they were written with gold lettering on red paper, and mentioned gold jewelry, satin skirts, etc.
Cui Pei hissed and muttered, "Isn't this the betrothal gift list?"
He looked down further and saw that the red betrothal gift list was signed in the lower left corner: Qi Family of Anyang Prefecture.
Suddenly, as if struck by a flash of inspiration, Cui Pei finally realized that the Qi family was the same family that had been engaged to Wen Si Niangzi.
I saw him at the medicine shop before. He was indeed handsome and refined, but compared to their boss, he was far inferior.
Seeing that he had searched around without finding any clues, Cui Pei casually picked up a betrothal gift list, rolled it up, and put it in his pocket.
Before two incense sticks had even burned, Cui Peiyuan returned to the agreed location and waited, cautiously observing his surroundings while calculating the time.
However, Pei Lingjun's situation was not optimistic at the moment. A gap had suddenly appeared under the painting, which was easily overlooked in the dim environment.
The fingers, clad in black half-finger gloves, were slightly curled, and the eyes peeking out from behind the black face mask were intently staring at the half-open hidden compartment.
Several fine silver threads, as thin as silkworm silk, run across the surface of the grid. If someone were to discover this grid and become excited, and reach out to grab it, they would be lucky enough to lose both hands on the spot, or if they were unlucky, they would lose their life.
It is a deadly weapon.
However, there was no time to solve the puzzle.
Just as Pei Lingjun was about to leave, a gust of wind blew by outside, and the grass made a slight rustling sound. Pei Lingjun's ears twitched slightly, and he quietly closed the secret compartment, covered the tinderbox, and hid behind the bookshelf.
The next moment, the wooden door was gently pushed open, and someone sneaked in from the outside. However, the other person's skills were obviously not as good as his. Although he tried his best to control the sound of his footsteps, they could still be heard clearly in the empty hall.
Almost immediately, Pei Lingjun knew that the person who came was not Cui Pei.
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