Stone Chamber
The pattering rain continued in his ears. After staring at the hazy rain and mist in front of him for a long time, Zhou Yanzhi turned slightly and looked at Xie Xiangsi on the other side, his eyes filled with an inscrutable expression.
After their unpleasant parting that day, he secretly had someone investigate her past, and unexpectedly discovered something extraordinary.
According to an elderly resident of the Danzhou Prefectural Governor's residence, his cousin was gentle, low-key, and reserved from a young age, preferring quiet solitude.
But these days, she has clearly shown a strong and resilient nature, a free spirit in her heart, and a yearning for the vast world.
What puzzled him even more was that the messenger said she had never learned to ride a horse since childhood because of her weak health, but she clearly knew how to ride during the few days she went to Yangqu.
She also said that she started riding horses when she was a child.
Watching Xie Xiangsi's retreating figure, Zhou Yanzhi lowered his eyes slightly, and his hands, hanging at his sides, unconsciously curled up.
Cousin, are you really my cousin?
...
Although the rain came down hard and fast, it stopped quickly. The clouds and mist dispersed, and the warm sunshine shone on the ground, seemingly dispelling much of the chill in the air.
Now that the rain has stopped, it's time to get down to business.
So the crowd that had been huddled under the eaves pushed and shoved each other as they waded through the water.
The atmosphere on the other side was a little awkward. Xie Xiangsi knew that Zhou Yanzhi had been secretly looking at her, but she just felt a little confused.
To get rid of this feeling, she quickly lifted her skirt and stepped down the stairs before Zhou Yan, jogging a few steps to create a small distance between herself and the person behind her.
Sensing the approaching footsteps behind her, Jie Xiangsi subtly shifted to the side, only to bump right into Zhou Yanzhi, who happened to be walking up to her.
A refreshing scent of pine wafted into my nostrils, and Zhou Yanzhi's voice came through the air.
Why are you avoiding me?
Upon hearing this, Jie Xiangsi's long eyelashes trembled slightly, and she whispered, "I wasn't avoiding you."
“Lying.” Zhou Yanzhi gently grabbed Jie Xiangsi, who was trying to move aside, and met her gaze, saying, “Cousin, I told you, you can trust me.”
So, stop trying to shoulder everything alone.
Try to believe him.
She tried to pull her hand away, but couldn't. Jie Xiangsi sighed helplessly and looked at him, saying, "Cousin, it's not that I don't believe you."
After several days of stalemate, Jie Xiangsi calmed down and thought things through. She realized that her remarks that day were indeed inappropriate. Saying those things would only make Zhou Yanzhi pay more attention to her, which would be detrimental to her future actions.
It's better to back down; she'll just keep doing what she always has to do.
With her fingers gently touching Zhou Yanzhi's hand, Jie Xiangsi looked up and said softly, "My cousin said he would protect me, and I believe him."
"Aren't you seeking death?"
Jie Xiangsi shook her head, "I won't ask anymore."
Zhou Yanzhi's brow relaxed slightly. "Really?"
"My cousin doesn't believe me?"
Xie Xiangsi smiled and joked, then changed the subject, "Aren't we going to the Money Bureau? Let's go." With that, she pulled Zhou Yanzhi toward the Money Bureau.
The two people's overlapping shadows were reflected in the puddles on the ground, causing ripples.
...
Zhou Yanzhi came to the Qianjian (money bureau) this time as an official in charge of the bureau, so the guards at the door only glanced at the token he handed over and let the two of them in.
Looking at the few people in the prison, Xie Xiangsi couldn't help but whisper to the person next to her, "Cousin, where did everyone go in the prison? Why are there only a few of them?"
Zhou Yanzhi said, "I have people in Danzhou. It won't be too difficult to find a way to send Qian Jiansi's people away for a while."
Jie Xiangsi nodded. "I see."
As the two approached the furnace room, they were immediately enveloped by a wave of heat that gave them the illusion that it was summer.
Although it's called a furnace room, it's not a closed space. Instead, it's quite spacious, with hundreds of furnaces of various sizes. The molten metal inside is boiling and bubbling continuously.
The two walked to the template that had already been marked and carefully examined the color of the silver ingots. After a long while, Xie Xiangsi frowned and said, "Why is the color of the silver ingots here so strange?"
Ordinary silver ingots, when fired, usually have a bright color because they are newly made. However, the silver ingots here have a dark luster, as if they have been fired for some time rather than being freshly made.
Catching a glimpse of a speck of dust on the ground, Zhou Yanzhi squatted down, reached out, and pressed his fingertips firmly against it for a moment. Looking at the black stain on his fingertips, he said in a deep voice, "They added lead."
Looking at the lead powder on Zhou Yanzhi's fingertips, and then turning to look at the dull silver ingot on the table, Jie Xiangsi understood.
Although silver is required for the firing of silver ingots, throughout history, many people have added some cheap metals during the firing process to reduce the amount of silver used, in order to profit from it.
Looking at the visibly dull color of the silver ingots on the table, Xie Xiangsi couldn't help but mutter to herself, "How much profit must they have made from this!"
Thinking of something, she couldn't help but look at Zhou Yanzhi, "Then... can you still tell whether this silver is disaster relief money or not?"
Zhou Yanzhi: "..."
Zhou Yanzhi: "I can't tell."
"That's true." Xie Xiangsi sighed, not too disappointed. If Zhou Yanzhi could still distinguish the silver by its color, he would truly have discerning eyes.
While wandering around casually, Jie Xiangsi suddenly felt her foot kick something. Looking down, she tentatively stepped on it again.
A muffled sound came from behind.
She looked up at Zhou Yanzhi and said, "Cousin, something is wrong here."
...
It took the two of them some effort to move the stone slab, revealing a bottomless dark passage.
Zhou Yanzhi lit a tinderbox and stretched it downwards. The fire didn't go out, which meant there was at least one other exit inside.
They exchanged a glance, and Zhou Yanzhi jumped in first. Just as he turned around to catch Jie Xiangsi, he felt a gust of air pass in front of him, and the person he was about to catch landed steadily beside him.
"Let's go." Jie Xiangsi raised her eyebrows and smiled at him.
In the dimly lit tunnel, Zhou Yanzhi concealed his true feelings well, his eyes slightly curved as he said, "Okay."
...
The tunnel was very long. The two walked for a long time, and the faint light behind them could no longer be seen. In front of them, it was still pitch black, as if there was no end in sight.
She seemed to hear the sound of metal clanging, and Xie Xiangsi couldn't help but lean closer to Zhou Yanzhi. He seemed to sense her presence and gently patted her back to comfort her.
The tinder in his hand silently illuminated the way ahead.
After an unknown amount of time, the two finally reached the end, where a stone door stood. They must have bumped into something, because with a soft sound, the stone door slowly opened.
As the stone gate was removed, the two were able to see the scene in front of them and their eyes widened in surprise.
Inside the small stone chamber, several small mountains of silver ingots almost filled the entire chamber. Under the firelight, the silver ingot mountains shone brightly, making the entire stone chamber exceptionally bright.
Jie Xiangsi picked up a silver ingot, glanced at it, and with a heavy heart, turned it over. Sure enough, she saw a small line of words on it.
My heart started pounding wildly.
This line of text was also found on the silver ingots that were previously seized from the Xiao family.
This is the same batch of silver!
Looking at the mountain of silver in the stone chamber, Zhou Yanzhi's voice was extremely cold, "Disaster relief silver."
After scanning the silver ingots in the room, Xie Xiangsi estimated that there were probably more than 300,000 taels of silver in there. Normally, it would take a year and a half to mint 500,000 taels of silver, but the silver that Yang Hui brought was as much as one million taels...
Xie Xiangsi lowered her eyes, which meant that her father must have transported 500,000 taels of silver to the capital.
Zhou Yanzhi naturally thought of this as well, and his expression instantly turned extremely ugly.
The reason why the Xiao family was so quickly convicted of treason was that the Imperial Guards found a large amount of silver in the Marquis's mansion, which shocked the court and the public.
The emperor was furious, and public opinion was overwhelming, so he hastily ordered the Xiao family to come to the capital to await trial, but they were attacked and killed on the way.
The Xiao family has guarded the northern frontier for generations. Now that their commander has died, the already restless northern tribes are even more eager to make trouble.
A cold glint flashed in his eyes.
Regardless of the motives of the person behind this, his actions have already placed Da Zhao in grave danger.
"Snap—"
A soft sound suddenly rang out in the quiet stone chamber.
Zhou Yanzhi suddenly looked up and saw that Jie Xiangsi had already walked to another exit of the stone chamber, with one hand pressed on a small protrusion on the stone wall.
Seeing him look at her, Jie Xiangsi pressed her index finger to her lips and gently shook her head at him.
Slowly opening was an antique display shelf, behind which was an exquisitely decorated room that looked like a woman's residence.
After seeing the scene inside, a picture suddenly flashed into Jie Xiangsi's mind.
The woman was holding a book and quietly flipping through it by the window when suddenly a maidservant came in, bowed, and said to the woman by the window, "Miss, the master wants us to prepare to go to the capital."
The capital city?
Could this be...?
Jie Xiangsi had a guess in her mind.
The next second, the woman turned around, revealing a face she recognized.
"The capital?"
As soon as she finished speaking, the images in my mind came to an abrupt end.
Xie Xiangsi swayed slightly and said to Zhou Yanzhi behind her, "This is Xie Xiangsi's room."
"Cousin." Hearing her say that, Zhou Yanzhi was puzzled and said, "Aren't you the one who relieves lovesickness?"
Upon hearing this, Xie Xiangsi's lips stiffened. After a moment of silence, she smiled faintly and patted her head. "Yes...yes, look at my memory."
Recalling her previous claim of "amnesia," she explained before Zhou Yanzhi could ask again, "Just now, as soon as I entered this room, images of my past life here suddenly flooded my mind. But since I had amnesia before, I couldn't quite process them for a moment."
Zhou Yanzhi nodded, and after a moment asked, "Did my cousin remember anything else?"
Jie Xiangsi shook her head. "No."
The scene just now didn't last long; it was only a fleeting moment.
Looking down at her hand, Jie Xiangsi guessed that her body probably still retained the memories of the original owner.
The two walked around the room but found nothing special. Apart from the antique shelf that had served as a hidden door, the room was no different from any other room.
Suddenly, a voice came from outside the door.
"Please, sir."
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