Rui’an King’s martial arts skills were quite ordinary, and coupled with his older age, scaling the cliff was quite challenging for him. The guards of the Rui’an Wang Residence, on the other hand, were skilled, without the theatricality of the Princess Residence guards. A few guards shielded Rui’an King as they climbed up to the mid-slope where the gold was hidden.
After touching ground, Rui’an King turned around to look down. The sensation of hanging in the air made him take a deep breath. He asked Fen Ling, "How did Lady Su Qi and Second Young Master Ye discover this place?"
Fen Ling said with pride, "There is no secret tunnel in the world that can escape my sister’s eyes, whether hidden or dangerous. As soon as she sensed something was amiss with Yingzui Cliff, she would not rest until she found this hidden tunnel."
After finishing his sentence, he clicked his tongue, "This place, really unexpected. The person who set up this secret tunnel was certainly capable."
He pointed at the huge stone slab that had been pushed aside, "This stone slab is extremely heavy, not something a person could move alone. My sister must have put in a lot of effort for this."
Rui’an King nodded, "Indeed."
Fen Ling led Rui’an King further inside.
Upon reaching the gold stash, they saw two hundred boxes all opened, and dazzling gold filled their view.
Rui’an King abruptly stopped, taking another deep breath.
Fen Ling picked up a piece of gold and showed it to Rui’an King, "Your highness, do you see anything different about these gold pieces?"
Rui’an King took it and examined it carefully, then shook his head, "I see no difference."
With this, Fen Ling was relieved, "Yes, there is no difference. But according to my sister, this place can hide so much gold, it must have been privately excavated from a gold mine. How can this enormous place only contain two hundred boxes of gold? But now, there are only two hundred boxes here, which is contrary to sense. Therefore, whether the remaining gold hasn’t had time to be transported here, or has already been moved away, must be thoroughly investigated."
He looked at Rui’an King, "The person behind the scenes has huge plans! Therefore, your highness, I will leave this place in your hands."
Rui’an King’s expression turned solemn, "This matter must be reported to His Majesty immediately."
Fen Ling agreed, "That’s up to you, your highness. My sister didn’t hide even half a box of this gold. My sister is truly honest to a fault. When you report this to His Majesty, remember to credit my sister."
Rui’an King nodded, "Naturally."
After Rui’an King had inspected the gold stash, he left some people to guard the area, then, with guards protecting him, descended from the mid-slope of Yingzui Cliff.
Upon returning to Buddha Temple, Rui’an King heard that Su Rong and Ye Guixue had gone to rest. He was exhausted too, but clearly he wouldn’t be able to rest now with such pressing matters. He immediately had someone lead him to see Su Rong and Ye Guixue.
Su Rong had taken two naps the night before while keeping an eye on the monks loading their carts at Buddha Temple, so she wasn’t very tired now. She requested to rest primarily because she was worried Ye Guixue couldn’t keep up. Now in their lodging, she let Ye Guixue rest while she sat at the table, planning their next move.
So when Rui’an King arrived, Su Rong did not feel disturbed. She invited Rui’an King into the room.
Rui’an King sat down and said to Su Rong, "Sorry for the disturbance, Miss Su Qi. I wish to understand in detail the process of finding the gold stash at Yingzui Cliff, so that I may report to His Majesty."
Su Rong nodded and detailed the process of discovering the gold stash. She spoke honestly without any attempts at deception.
After listening to Su Rong, Rui’an King revealed his doubts, "Miss Su Qi, how did you learn about the gold stash at Yingzui Cliff?"
"After I left the Imperial Palace yesterday, I felt that something was amiss with Miss Lipin’s case. Unable to contain my curiosity, I went to the Eastern Palace to access the records by virtue of the Crown Prince’s authority. There, I saw Qin, the palace maid, and chatted for a bit. She mentioned that her mother, the wife of the former Vice Minister of Imperial Censorate, Qin, had visited Buddha Temple before Qin’s arrest. Qin’s case and Miss Lipin’s case strikingly resemble each other. Hence, I asked the Crown Prince to send some people from the Eastern Palace with me to Buddha Temple."
Rui’an King understood, "I too returned and pondered deeply, sensing something amiss, that’s why I returned to Buddha Temple." He asked Su Rong, "And Second Young Master Ye... "
Su Rong smiled, "He accompanied me."
Rui’an King nodded, then hesitantly said, "This matter needs to be reported to His Majesty immediately. But a case of this magnitude, I feel somewhat overwhelmed handling it alone. I have an impertinent request, I hope Miss Su Qi would accompany me to report this matter to His Majesty, it would also help respond to His Majesty’s inquiries."
Su Rong, having expected this, readily agreed, "No problem."
Rui’an King breathed a sigh of relief, "Shall we head out immediately?"
Su Rong thought that Ye Guixue had slept for an hour, it should be enough, and then nodded.
Rui’an King rose from his seat, walked two steps away, then turned back to solicit Su Rong’s opinion, "Regarding these monks from Buddha Temple, I find it a bit tricky to handle. Miss Su Qi, what do you think we should do with them?"
Su Rong, seeing Rui’an King asking her opinion on this matter, understood his intention. He likely knew what to do, but considering her affinity with the Eastern Palace and her special relationship with them, he consulted her, likely to express his allegiance to Eastern Palace. In short, Rui’an King was a master of judging the situation. She laughed, "Regarding the monks of Buddha Temple, I suggest bringing the chief monk and main hall masters to the capital, the others should be strictly watched within the temple, awaiting His Majesty’s decision. What do you think?"
Rui’an King, who was thinking along the same lines, nodded at once, "Correct, Miss Su Qi’s thoughts align with mine, let’s proceed in this manner."
Having said this, Rui’an King went ahead to give the necessary instructions.
Ye Guixue came out from the adjacent room. Seeing Rui’an King leave hastily, he asked Surong softly, "Didn’t you rest?"
Su Rong shook her head, informed Ye Guixue about Rui’an King’s arrival, and asked him, "Have you had enough rest? If so, let’s return to the capital."
"I’ve rested enough, let’s go," Ye Guixue looked outside, "The snow is getting heavier. If we don’t leave today, descending the mountain might be problematic tomorrow."
Su Rong agreed with that.
Fen Ling came over with two umbrellas, handing one to Ye Guixue and holding the other.
Su Rong glared at Fen Ling, "What about mine?"
Fen Ling chuckled, "Sister, share with Second Young Master Ye. His umbrella is bigger."
Ye Guixue smiled slightly. He had already opened his umbrella, shielding Su Rong, and said softly, "Let’s go."
Su Rong didn’t voice any objection.
By the time Su Rong and Ye Guixue arrived at the temple gate, Rui’an King had already ordered his men to tie up the abbot and several hall masters and put them in the carriage. Rui’an King had brought quite a few people to Buddha Temple, half of whom were guards from Duke Residence. Combining them with her and Ye Guixue, Su Rong figured this journey would be safe. No one would dare to make a move now. Making a move at this moment was tantamount to seeking death, and it would give them clues to reveal the person pulling the strings behind the scenes.
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