The backyard of Wanjiao Pavilion.
In Tuoba Ze's attic, two assassins in black knelt timidly on the cold floor before him, reporting, "Your Highness, we found Lanxiang and Yishangyun in the Dream Garden. But later... we lost them."
"Useless trash, get out!" With a deafening roar, the two assassins in black hurriedly got up and fled in panic.
Then, a very crisp sound came from behind as a cup or saucer was smashed on the ground.
At this moment, a guard walked in looking flustered and whispered something to Tuoba Ze.
As Tuoba Ze listened further, his deep eyes narrowed more and more, and the fist he had been holding on the coffee table in front of him clenched even tighter, his face filled with a chillingly fierce light.
After the guard finished speaking, Tuoba Ze hurriedly got up and walked towards the ebony tea rack next to the tea table, which was filled with a dazzling array of various tea storage jars.
When he walked to a tea storage jar that seemed very familiar and was several sizes larger than the other tea storage jars, with a pattern of northern pasture grass and sheep grass printed on it, he suddenly stopped.
He gently moved the tea storage jar from its original position, and a metal totem resembling a wolf's face appeared on the shelf.
He pressed it down gently again, and suddenly, a crack appeared in the ground next to the ebony tea shelf.
Looking through this mysterious crevice, one can see a staircase leading underground, from which faint candlelight flickers.
At this moment, Tuoba Ze quickly walked towards the gap and went down the stairs.
Just as his figure disappeared into the tea room, the gap in the ground instantly closed and vanished.
At this moment, the guards on the side hurriedly stepped forward, put the tea canister that Tuoba Ze had just moved back in its place, and carefully checked it again. Seeing that no traces had been left, they went to the other side, bent down and picked up the broken pieces of porcelain from the cups and saucers on the ground.
Just then, the madam led Cheng Liang and two accompanying guards slowly upstairs.
The madam immediately widened her eyes and winked at the guard who was picking up the broken porcelain shards. The guard then quietly retreated.
Cheng Liang glanced warily at the somewhat timid-looking man who brushed past him, and noticed the broken porcelain shards he was holding in his hand, secretly harboring suspicions.
Just as Cheng Liang was pondering, the madam, all smiles, introduced the tea storage room to him, saying, "Sir, please look, this is the tea storage room of our Wanjiao Pavilion. All the new tea we purchase is stored here. Because Wanjiao Pavilion serves high-ranking officials and nobles, the tea we use is always of the finest quality. We're afraid that if we entrust it to someone else, it might be wasted, or that they might take it and sell it for money, so no one is allowed to enter this back courtyard. When it's time to serve the tea, this old servant personally comes up to fetch it and distribute it. Therefore, there's no one specifically assigned to clean and maintain it, so it's inevitably a bit dirty and messy. Please feel free to look around, sir."
"Is there really no one else who can come here besides you?" Cheng Liang looked at the departing man's figure with suspicion, then at the pot of water boiling on the coffee table in front of him, and asked the madam.
The madam then glanced sideways at the direction Cheng Liang was looking, seemingly realizing that she was genuinely nervous and momentarily lost her tongue.
After a slight hesitation, she glanced at the pot of water bubbling away on the coffee table, and the small tin of tea beside it. She hurried over, muttering, "That little brat! How dare he sneak off here to steal tea and even break the teaware! I'll teach him a lesson later. I'll skin him alive today!"
The madam's words and actions were convincing, but she couldn't escape Cheng Liang's sharp eyes in the end.
From the moment he entered the courtyard, he realized that this seemingly inconspicuous backyard was not so simple.
The courtyard is not large, but it is elegant and unique, with pavilions and towers, all of which are spotless and clean.
Upon reaching the top of the stairs, he was even more astonished, which further confirmed his earlier suspicions.
This attic has everything you need for living, sitting, sitting, tea room, and warm pavilion. The decorations are all made of the finest materials, making it an incredibly luxurious and comfortable home, far from just a simple tea storage room.
Looking at everything before him, Cheng Liang suddenly recalled what had happened in Lanxiang's room earlier. If the woman named Lanxiang was truly knowledgeable about tea and highly regarded, why was her usual premium rose black tea caddy already empty, and why hadn't she been given any new teaware? Furthermore, if she understood and loved tea, why did she only have an empty tea caddy and not even any other teaware?
Inside the room, however, a tea ceremony and tea set were fully prepared. The madam said that no one was specifically responsible for cleaning and tidying up the place, yet everything was spotless and gleaming like a mirror.
Clearly, someone has lived here for a long time, and it must be someone of high status and taste. This person is the one who truly understands the art of tea.
Judging from the cold and austere style of the entire attic, it must be a man.
And here, besides the master of Wanjiao Pavilion, who else has the right to live in a courtyard by themselves?
Furthermore, the servant they bumped into when they entered was very likely the attendant of the master of Wanjiao Pavilion.
Looking down at the mess on the ground, it was easy to see that the servant had picked up the broken teacup shards from a distance from the tea table; the porcelain shards and water stains were still clearly visible on the ground.
Looking at the location where the teacup was smashed and the skid marks, it didn't scatter in all directions, but rather fell from the direction of the tea table and slid to the opposite side.
This was clearly caused by someone throwing something at the tea table, rather than by the servant accidentally doing so.
The one who dares to get angry and smash things here must be the master of Wanjiao Pavilion, Cheng Liang immediately realized.
Clearly, not a single word spoken by the madam was true.
"Who was in charge of checking this courtyard the last few times?" With this thought in mind, Cheng Liang asked the guard beside him in a low voice.
"General, our men have searched this courtyard three times in total, all by someone transferred from the Chengnan Prefecture. They've consistently reported that it's just a simple warehouse and they haven't found anything unusual. Before coming here today, I wanted to find someone to find out the specifics of this place, but for some reason, that person... suddenly disappeared." The guard's voice trailed off.
Upon hearing this, Cheng Liang frowned and asked urgently, "Oh? Did you ask if the others went back to the Chengnan Prefectural Government Office to carry out their duties?"
The guard hesitated for a moment before replying, "I asked the other people sent by the government office, and they all said... they had never seen this person in the government office before. They thought he was someone brought by our royal family."
Upon hearing the guard's words, Cheng Liang immediately glared at him fiercely, causing the guard to shrink his head back in fright.
Cheng Liang waved his hand, and the guards hurriedly went to check the other rooms inside.
Despite being extremely careful and cautious, Cheng Liang was still careless and allowed the enemy to take advantage of the situation. A look of worry flashed across his face.
After a moment, Cheng Liang stood quietly to the side, watching the madam carefully remove a pot of boiling water that was still steaming hot and a small tin of tea leaves from the coffee table.
Suddenly, they remembered that the servant had just brushed past them as they entered and was going downstairs.
Over the course of several days, they had already figured out and become familiar with the layout of Wanjiao Pavilion.
There was no other way to get to this backyard except through the path they had taken earlier. So where did the master of Wanjiao Pavilion go in such a short time?
He had carefully boiled the water and taken out the tea leaves, but before he could even brew them, he had already hurriedly left and disappeared without a trace.
If it's a legitimate business transaction, and if he has nothing to hide, why does he always act so evasively and refuse to show himself to the public?
Suddenly, Cheng Liang's deep, sharp, and thoughtful eyes fell on the ebony tea rack behind the madam, next to the tea table, which was filled with a dazzling array of tea storage jars.
Almost simultaneously, his eyes casually swept across the tea shelf and noticed a tea storage jar on it that seemed somewhat familiar, printed with a pattern of northern pasture grass and sheep grass.
Cheng Liang was stunned and stood there for a long time before slowly moving his feet toward it and carefully examining it.
After a moment, he finally remembered that the pattern on the tea canister in front of him was exactly the same as the pattern on the tea canister he had just seen in the Lanxiang Room, except that this canister was much larger than the one in the Lanxiang Room.
Then, a doubt immediately began to creep into his mind...
Before he could think any further, Cheng Liang tentatively asked, "By the way, I just heard you say that the finest rose black tea is exclusively for Miss Lanxiang. I wonder if Miss Lanxiang's tea is also stored in this tea storage room? When you leave later, please remember to take some with you, since her tea caddy is empty."
The madam was still reeling from her slip of the tongue and was preoccupied with cleaning up the mess on the tea table and floor. She didn't even glance at Cheng Liang, nor did she realize that he had already passed by her and was now standing in a place that was extremely dangerous for Wan Jiao Pavilion.
She blurted out, "Oh, sir, this rose tea is so precious. Only our master knows where to find it. I always have to ask our master for it. How could it possibly be here?"
"Oh, really?" Cheng Liang answered casually as he reached out and gently lifted the lid of the tea jar with a sheep grass pattern.
Instantly, a rich fragrance of roses and tea wafted out.
Cheng Liang looked into the tea canister and saw that it was more than half full!
The aroma was exactly the same as the tea in the tea canister in the Lanxiang Room, without any difference.
The tea leaves were exactly the same, and the tea storage jars were exactly the same, but the madam seemed to know nothing about it. The tea leaves here were not under her responsibility at all, but belonged to the master of Wanjiao Pavilion.
Just as Cheng Liang had made up his mind and was about to put the lid of the tea storage jar back on, the madam suddenly looked up and was instantly stunned. She stood by the tea table as if she had been nailed to the spot.
After a while, she came to her senses and hurriedly dropped the rag in her hand. She ran over to take the jar lid from Cheng Liang's hand and said, "I'll do it, I'll do it. How could I dare to trouble you, sir, with such a matter?"
Just as Cheng Liang was wondering why the madam was in such a hurry and her expression seemed rather strange, two guards came out from the inner room. "General, we found nothing."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Liang felt somewhat surprised, yet it also seemed to be entirely expected. For a moment, he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
So he stopped in the middle of the tea room, looked around carefully again, and then ordered his two subordinates, "Withdraw!"
Seeing that she had finally dealt with this troublesome pest, the madam breathed a long sigh of relief.
Just then, Cheng Liang suddenly turned around and caught a glimpse of the madam's relieved expression, a faint smile appearing on his lips...
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