Chapter 399 Discovering the Dark Room
The next morning.
Meng Jinyao was sleeping soundly and had no intention of waking up, but she was woken up by the person next to her. She opened her eyes groggily and saw the man holding her and making a fuss.
Before she could react, she asked blankly, "Husband, what are you doing?"
Seeing that she was awake, Gu Jingxi kissed her cheek, reached out to loosen her sash, and asked, "What do you think, A-Yao?"
Meng Jinyao instantly snapped out of her daze and reached out to press her hand against his chest in refusal: "Husband, someone who has just recovered from an illness should rest properly. You don't look like someone who has just recovered from an illness at all."
"Because your husband is restless."
After saying that, Gu Jingxi continued to fuss over.
Meng Jinyao had no choice but to let him do whatever he wanted, since he wasn't really sick and his antics wouldn't affect his health.
However, at the crucial moment, there was a rapid knocking at the door, followed by Qingqiu's voice: "My lord, Yu Chuan has urgent business to discuss with you."
The conversation was abruptly interrupted, and Gu Jingxi's face suddenly darkened. He had always been very calm, and this sudden urge to beat someone up was something he hadn't experienced in over a decade. Yu Chuan was truly something else.
Seeing his dark face and unsatisfied expression, Meng Jinyao didn't know whether to laugh or feel sorry for him. She gently coaxed him, "Husband, Yu Chuan came to see you so early. That matter must be urgent. Go and see what's going on first, and we'll continue tonight."
Gu Jingxi reluctantly nodded and hummed in agreement. She took a deep breath to suppress her resentment, got up, dressed, and went out into the outer room, where she saw Yu Chuan already waiting for her.
He said in a deep voice, "Yu Chuan, you'd better really have something urgent to do, otherwise I'll just randomly match you up and give you a dowry to marry off."
Just as Yu Chuan was about to speak, he heard this sentence and was stunned. He saw that his master's face was gloomy and he was looking at him unhappily. Anyone who didn't know better would think that he had committed a heinous crime and had dug up his master's ancestral grave.
He quickly replied, "My lord, I did not mean to disturb your peaceful sleep, but I really have something urgent to report, which is why I had the maid announce it."
Gu Jingxi said succinctly, "Speak."
Yu Chuan: "..."
The master doesn't actually have a bad temper when he wakes up. It's just that he came at the wrong time, choosing a time when the master is in a bad mood. But the master was fine last night. Did he eat gunpowder this morning?
Yu Chuan said, "My lord, please dismiss everyone else."
As soon as he finished speaking, Qingqiu and the maid beside him curtsied to Gu Jingxi, then tactfully withdrew and closed the door.
Yu Chuan stepped forward and whispered, "My lord, I went to Lord Wei's study again last night and carefully examined every corner of it."
Gu Jingxi asked calmly, "And then?"
"Then, just as dawn broke, I... I discovered a secret hidden in the study." Yu Chuan stammered, feeling guilty for having confidently declared last night that there was nothing in the study, only to be proven wrong this morning. He figured if the Marquis were to investigate and find it today, he would probably be forced to marry the Marquis off.
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi narrowed her eyes and said in a low voice, "Yu Chuan, it seems you really want to get married."
Yu Chuan's forehead was covered in cold sweat, and he hurriedly explained, "My lord, I didn't observe carefully enough before, it was my fault, but you can't blame me for that. I really didn't notice anything amiss before, and only now do I realize that there's more to it than meets the eye."
As he spoke, he glanced at his master's face. Seeing that his master's expression had softened slightly, he continued, "My lord, this is something I discovered and was able to remedy in time. You don't need to come in person, so you mustn't marry me off."
Gu Jingxi glanced at him and said calmly, "Then tell me first, what secret have you discovered? If you have made a great contribution, I will have my wife play matchmaker for you after we return to the capital."
Yu Chuan's face lit up with joy, and he said in a light tone, "My lord, there should be a secret room in Lord Wei's study."
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi's expression instantly turned serious, and he asked in a deep voice, "What do you mean? Is it true or not?"
“I think there is a hidden room.” Yu Chuan nodded confidently and continued, “I found a keyhole on the bookshelf against the wall. The bookshelf couldn’t be pushed, so it probably has a mechanism that requires a key to open. That’s why I didn’t forcibly destroy the bookshelf. The key should be the one that Lord Wei is wearing around his neck. If I hadn’t seen the key around Lord Wei’s neck before, I wouldn’t have noticed this inconspicuous keyhole.”
Upon hearing this, Gu Jingxi's frustration vanished instantly, his brows relaxed, and even his gaze towards Yu Chuan softened. He revealed a long-lost smile and said gently, "Very good, you did well this time. When we return to the capital, I will have Madam act as matchmaker for you and Chan'er."
Yu Chuan humbly replied, "Thank you, Your Excellency, but it is my honor to serve you."
Gu Jingxi glanced at him and said, "Stop flattering me and hurry up and make the key, or go and take the key from Lord Wei's neck to open the mechanism."
Yu Chuan said, "I'll go find someone to make a key right away. It should be ready today, and we can go to the study tonight to find out what's going on."
Gu Jingxi nodded and said, "Go, get things done as soon as possible, and return to the capital soon. If Chan'er agrees, you can get married sooner."
Yu Chuan bowed respectfully, then left as quickly as possible to find someone to make the key. Despite not having slept all night, he felt no sleepiness whatsoever.
Chan'er watched him leave with a silly grin on his face and wondered what was wrong. She said to Qingqiu, "Qingqiu, do you think he found some money? He's smiling so happily."
Qingqiu shook her head with a smile: "I don't know if he picked up the money or not, but when he came to see the Marquis, the Marquis was in a bad mood. Now that he can leave with a smile, it must have made the Marquis feel better."
Meanwhile, Meng Jinyao had just seen her husband reluctantly go out to see Yu Chuan with a dark face not long ago. Now, seeing her husband smiling and in a good mood, she couldn't help but ask curiously, "Husband, you seem to be in a good mood. What's making you so happy?"
Gu Jingxi replied, "Ayao, if nothing unexpected happens, we can return to the capital the day after tomorrow."
Meng Jinyao was quite surprised: "Why so suddenly? Did you find the ledger?"
Gu Jingxi didn't hide anything from her and said gently, "We haven't found it yet, but it should be soon. Yu Chuan discovered a secret room. We'll go open the mechanism tonight to find out what's going on. The private account is such an important thing, Lord Wei should have kept it in the secret room."
Hearing this, Meng Jinyao smiled and was happy for him: "That's great. Otherwise, dragging it out would really alert the enemy. Now we can take the account book without anyone noticing and then return to the capital, while Lord Wei will be completely unaware. This way we can save a lot of trouble."
Gu Jingxi nodded slightly and said, "If we really find the account book, we can have someone pack our bags tomorrow, and we'll set off back to the capital the day after tomorrow morning."
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