Chapter 175 The Lu Family's Storeroom
"You mean the Emperor?!"
Everyone was shocked, especially Aunt Zhou. She had always thought that the Lu family's affairs were due to the Wu family framing them, but she never expected that it was actually arranged by the Emperor!
Zhou Ruiyuan frowned and said sternly to Steward Sun, "You'd better tell me the truth."
Steward Sun, his voice trembling, lowered his head and cried, “Your Highness, it really is the Emperor. He’s using my family to blackmail me. I really have no choice. It’s true that Lord Wu did send someone to see me, but I told Lord Lu about it. Lord Lu told the Emperor, but the Emperor didn’t blame Lord Wu. A few days later, the Emperor secretly found me and forced me to put the evidence of treason in the Lu residence.”
"My master probably guessed it was the Emperor. He found me before he died, and I told him the truth. He then told me where the Lu family kept the gold. I secretly ran away with the gold before the soldiers arrived. I am grateful to Lord Lu. If he hadn't told me to take the gold quickly, I probably would have been silenced by the Emperor by now."
He cried harder and harder as he spoke, “I’ve never used this gold because I’m grateful to Lord Lu for saving my life. I was forced to harm the Lu family back then, and if I use this gold now, I’d be a beast!”
Upon hearing his words, Du Wanchun suddenly realized that when Lord Lu asked Steward Sun to take the gold away, it wasn't actually to save him, but mainly to leave a way out for his descendants and not to let the emperor benefit from it.
Or perhaps something special was left inside the gold.
Thinking it over, she immediately asked Zhou Ruiyuan, "Husband, where is the gold?"
Zhou Ruiyuan understood her meaning and turned around to take out all the gold from the room.
They had melted down those pieces in the mountains before, but there was nothing inside them. It's probably in these remaining pieces of gold.
At this moment, Aunt Zhou seemed to have thought of something, and hurriedly searched for the gold, finally finding a piece of gold with a crooked "Lu" character engraved on the back.
Holding the gold piece in her hand, she said, "I have to carve the words on all the gold pieces in our house myself. When I was a child, I thought it was interesting, so I carved one myself, and this is the one."
Du Wanchun took the gold piece in her hand, examined it carefully, then made a gap in the base, and pried it open along the gap, whereupon a key fell out.
"The key?" Butler Sun was startled.
Zhou Ruiyuan took the key and asked Butler Sun, "Do you know what you want to do with the key?"
Butler Sun nodded. "I know, I know."
Zhou Ruiyuan's face lit up with joy, but he sternly said to him, "Speak!"
Steward Sun knelt down in the direction of Granny Zhou and said, "Your Highness, Your Majesty, this key is for the Lu family's storeroom."
"Wasn't the Lu family's storeroom confiscated by the Emperor long ago?" the Third Prince said coldly.
Steward Sun looked up at him and quickly said, "Your Highness, the master had concerns about the Emperor and Lord Wu a year ago. Just in case, he found a secluded place outside the capital and hid half of the contents of the family storeroom inside. This key is the key to that storeroom door."
Everyone sighed upon hearing this.
Zhou Ruiyuan's eyes remained calm, and he did not completely believe his words. He squatted down, took the dagger, and slapped his face, saying, "How do I know what you're saying is true? If we had such a warehouse all along, wouldn't you have told the emperor already?"
Steward Sun replied in a hoarse voice, "It was out of necessity to frame you, sir. The Emperor is unaware of this matter, so naturally he won't press me about where the storeroom is, and I certainly wouldn't tell him on my own initiative."
Zhou Ruiyuan listened thoughtfully.
Aunt Zhou slowly got up and came to him. "Where is the storeroom?"
Steward Sun quickly replied, "It's in Yanyun Mountain in the western suburbs of the capital."
Aunt Zhou nodded slightly, "Alright, we can't believe what you say for now, so we can't let you leave. You have to stay here with us for the time being."
Steward Sun stopped struggling and sighed, "So be it. It's my own fault, I'll pay for it myself. If you want to kill me, then kill me."
Zhou Ruiyuan stood up, sheathed his dagger, and said coldly, "Don't worry, letting you die would be too easy for you."
As he spoke, he turned to look at Aunt Zhou, “Mother, send someone to the Zhu family to tell them that Steward Sun is an old friend of ours and that he wants to stay at our house for a while longer.”
Aunt Zhou replied, "Okay, I'll go tell Aunt Zhu right away."
After she finished speaking, she walked out of the courtyard.
Zhou Ruiyuan grabbed Steward Sun and locked him in the woodshed in the backyard, locking it with three or four locks.
Returning from the backyard, Du Wanchun came to him and asked, "Husband, is what he said believable?"
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