Yes, it is a jade slip; at a glance, it is all made of lustrous white jade.
Su Wanyan was utterly shocked. She stepped forward and picked up a roll, its heavy weight making her wary.
"That's not right," Su Wanyan said, puzzled.
Did the Empress Dowager not know the value of this mansion?
If she had known, how could she have bestowed this mansion upon Yu Nanqing?
What about Emperor Yuanhe?
I wonder if these jade slips contain any records of these things.
Each jade slip in each compartment and layer was categorized, but many of the records in the jade slips were not major events. Some of them contained the author's observations and experiences, while others were scattered collections describing the local customs and traditions of other places.
There are also descriptions of the scenery in places he has visited, similar to the landscape chronicles that Su Wanyan had read.
Of all these, the only one that Su Wanyan felt was truly valuable was the complete set of fine medicinal herb scrolls. As the name suggests, it contained knowledge about medicinal herbs and included illustrations of the herbs.
However, the herbs engraved on the scroll do not seem to have been engraved because the author understood medicine; they appear to have been copied from other books.
The people who collected the jade slips... or rather, the people who made them, seemed to do so simply because they enjoyed engraving things on jade slips, rather than because the information was particularly valuable.
There are no historical records from any dynasty here, and no historical books about the Jin Dynasty or other countries can be found at all. Su Wanyan speculated that this person probably didn't like politics.
Time was too short, and Su Wanyan couldn't find any interesting jade slips; no matter how many she flipped through, none of them interested her.
She couldn't help but feel a little regretful. Jade slips could preserve information for a long time, but those who advocated recording things on jade slips were actually recording some trivial matters.
However, Su Wanyan still managed to find something worth reading. She collected several travelogues, intending to take them back to the main courtyard to read at her leisure.
Suddenly, when she moved the jade slip aside, she discovered a small ornament on the bookshelf.
The small ornament wasn't particularly hidden; it was placed inside the jade slip. It was a human-shaped ornament, holding a long sword, dressed in green with black hair, wearing a bamboo hat, and resembling a scholar.
Su Wanyan found it strange; who would put an ornament in a corner? She reached out to pick it up but didn't.
Is it stuck together?
"Your Majesty, what's wrong?"
"There's a decorative bottle here that I can't pick up."
Qiu Ye held the jade slip that Su Wanyan had chosen, and stood on the stairs two steps down. Upon hearing this, she took two steps forward, peeked into the bookshelf, and found that there really was a vase-shaped ornament.
“The library is cleaned every day, but I’ve never heard anyone mention it,” Qiu Ye said.
Su Wanyan was observing the ornament, which didn't seem to be attached to the bookshelf. Hearing this, she smiled and said, "Even if it's discovered during cleaning, it won't seem like a big deal, so naturally no one will report it."
Moreover, this mansion is so large, and there are so many servants in it, that they can't possibly report on everything.
As soon as she finished speaking, Su Wanyan reached out and grabbed the ornament, trying to bend it. Unexpectedly, with a "click," the ornament suddenly tilted to one side, followed by a loud "boom."
A dull thud suddenly came from the floor of the library, and a huge square hole appeared in front of the two of them.
Qiu Ye was startled: "Your Majesty!"
Su Wanyan was also startled. She lifted her skirt and carefully walked down the stairs. She bent down and looked into the cave. There were stone steps extending down, and the stone steps were luxuriously carved with dragons.
Except for a little light shining in through the doorway, the rest of the room was pitch black.
Su Wanyan moved closer, and a cool breeze blew out of the cave entrance, carrying a musty smell.
The wind meant the cave was open, so Su Wanyan straightened up and stopped exploring. She went up the stairs and straightened the ornament.
As soon as it was turned back, the hole closed immediately without a trace, as if everything that had just happened was an illusion.
"Don't tell anyone about this secret room," Su Wanyan instructed.
Qiu Ye nodded repeatedly: "Yes, this servant understands."
"Let's go back first."
This mansion is so large that it's common to find one or two secret passages and chambers. Even the Miaosheng Hall that Yu Nanqing prepared for her has a secret chamber. But where does such a large opening lead? And what's inside?
This piqued Su Wanyan's curiosity.
Su Wanyan dared not go in rashly. Although there was wind blowing out of the cave entrance, it was still unknown whether there were any traps or poisonous gas inside.
Su Wanyan lost all interest in staying any longer. She stopped looking for the jade slip and hurriedly left the library with Qiuye.
She wanted to wait for Yu Nanqing to return so she could ask him directly. Since he had taken the mansion, he must know the story behind it.
However, Yu Nanqing was truly unaware of this aspect.
When Su Wanyan returned to the main courtyard from the library, she happened to run into Yu Nanqing, who was returning from outside.
"Yan'er!" Upon seeing Su Wanyan, Yu Nanqing called out excitedly.
Su Wanyan looked up and saw his tall and handsome figure through the curtain. He seemed to shake off his fatigue, his eyes shining, and he walked towards her in a few quick steps.
For a moment, Su Wanyan was in a daze. He seemed to be the same as before, with that gentle and refreshing smile that seemed to captivate the soul.
"Did Yan'er come to the manor for a visit?" The question was asked before she even arrived.
Su Wanyan smiled, suppressing her thoughts: "I went to the library to take a look."
Yu Nanqing looked at the jade slip in Qiu Ye's hands: "It seems to be a good place."
"It seems?" Su Wanyan asked curiously, "You've never been to the library?"
Otherwise, they wouldn't have said that.
Yu Nanqing instantly sensed the hidden meaning in Su Wanyan's words and raised an eyebrow: "Why would Yan'er ask such a question?"
Su Wanyan took Yu Nanqing's hand: "Come on, let's go inside and talk."
Qiuye hurriedly followed.
After Qiu Ye put down all the jade slips and closed the door to the main house, Su Wanyan said mysteriously, "I found a secret room in the library. I wanted to go in and take a look, but you weren't here, so I didn't dare to go in."
The main reason is fear of death. If Yu Nanqing were here, they could handle any unexpected situations.
Yu Nanqing was taken aback for a moment, then said, "It's quite normal for a mansion like this to have one or two secret rooms."
Perhaps not only the library, but also the individual courtyards in the backyard may have many secret rooms.
Hmm...
After thinking for a moment, Yu Nanqing added, "Or, the main courtyard where we live may also have a secret room."
This is standard practice for wealthy families, especially since this mansion was originally the residence of kings, nobles, and generals.
“When are you free? Let’s find some time to go in and take a look.” Su Wanyan said in a low voice, “Since it’s a secret room, it’s not good to let too many people know about it. Who knows, it might come in handy someday.”
After saying that, she sat a little closer to Yu Nanqing: "When I came back just now, I made a special observation. The library is located on the mountain, which is a place that is easy to defend and difficult to attack. If anything happens, we will definitely have enough time to hide or escape."
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