Chapter 177 The Secret of Chengming Garden
"My lord, come and see!" Xie Yunyu called out.
Xiao Ling quickly stepped forward.
Xie Yunyu pointed to the Bagua diagram on the ground and said, "Look, there's a Bagua diagram here. I accidentally stepped on the Xun trigram just now, and the floor tile moved a little."
After hearing this, Xiao Ling stepped on the Xun trigram and found that it was indeed active.
Then he stepped on all the hexagrams one by one. Five of them were movable, while three seemed to be immovable.
Xiao Ling looked up and asked, "If there are mechanisms down here, what is the correct order to open them?"
Xie Yunyu thought for a moment and said, "Do you remember when we passed that winding covered bridge on the way here?"
Xiao Ling nodded.
"Are there hexagrams engraved on the floor tiles of that winding covered bridge?" Xie Yunyu suddenly asked.
"It seems to be a lotus flower and a divination symbol, arranged separately."
As she spoke, Xie Yunyu strode towards the winding covered bridge.
Everyone followed from behind.
The covered bridge was covered in dust, and the patterns on many of the floor tiles were almost illegible.
The Imperial Guards drew a lot of water from the lotus pond and washed the paving stones of the covered bridge clean.
Xie Yunyu and Xiao Ling started looking at the divination from the beginning, taking notes as they went.
"Bring me paper and pen," Xiao Ling said.
Qingfeng was initially elsewhere, but seeing everyone on the covered bridge, he rushed over as well.
Hearing that Xiao Ling wanted paper and pen, he took them out of his pocket and handed them to him.
Xiao Ling wrote down the patterns that were handed to him in order.
The two arrived at the backyard, where Xiao Ling instructed Qingfeng to step on the Bagua-shaped floor tiles in sequence.
But there was no sound at all?
Xie Yunyu had no choice but to squat down again and continue studying the floor tiles.
Finally, she discovered that it wasn't that the three floor tiles were stationary, but rather that the height of these floor tiles above the ground was arranged in a specific order.
Xie Yunyu asked Qingfeng to step on the ground again in order of height.
The result was still no response.
Xie Yunyu scratched her head upon seeing this.
Xiao Ling thought for a moment and then called over a few people:
"Come on, step on them in the order shown on the paper."
A group of people stepped on it one by one in order.
There was still no response.
Just as the two were wondering what was going on, someone suddenly shouted:
"The artificial hill, Your Highness, the artificial hill has moved."
Everyone looked up at the artificial hill, and sure enough, a rock on the hill had sunk in, revealing a dark hole.
Upon seeing this, the Imperial Guards shouted loudly:
"Someone, bring me a torch."
Soon, the Imperial Guards brought torches and led the way, with Xiao Ling and Xie Yunyu following behind as they entered the cave.
The cave is winding and twisting, first going downhill, then flat for a while, and then starting to go uphill again.
Then a hole appeared above everyone's heads.
Looking at the broken pieces of the water bucket before them, which resembled rotten wood, the Imperial Guards reported:
“Your Highness, it should be a well.”
After saying that, he cupped his hands towards Xiao Ling and said, "Your Highness, please wait a moment. I will go up and scout ahead first."
Xiao Ling nodded.
The captain of the Imperial Guard took out two daggers, stuck them into the well wall, and climbed up.
They soon emerged from the well.
Then another Imperial Guard followed suit and went after him.
Xiao Ling glanced at Qingfeng, who followed from behind.
After a while, Qingfeng appeared at the well and said:
“My lord, this seems to be a villa, but we can’t tell whose villa it is yet.”
Captain Li of the Imperial Guards had already gone around to the front yard, preparing to check whose residence it was.
Xiao Ling nodded and said, "Yes. Do you have any signal fireworks on you?"
"Yes," Qingfeng replied.
"We will return along the same route. Once you have located the exact location, come and meet us at Fenghe Garden."
If something unexpected happens and they can't get back, send a signal.
“Yes,” Qingfeng replied.
Two Imperial Guards were left to guard the well, and Xiao Ling returned with Xie Yunyu.
Soon, Captain Li of the Imperial Guard returned with his men.
"The Prince's place is a villa of the Duke of Xing's mansion, called Chengming Garden."
The Duke of Xing and his heir are not currently in the capital, and the Duchess of Xing is at the Dali Temple, so that courtyard is almost never visited.
Only an old servant was guarding it.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ling immediately said, "Let's go take a look."
The group arrived at the entrance of Chengming Garden from the main gate, and the Imperial Guards stepped forward and knocked on the door.
The old servant opened the door shakily and invited the person in.
Xiao Ling asked a few questions and learned that this was Wan's dowry courtyard, which later belonged to the Duke of Xing's mansion.
The Wan family would occasionally come for a stroll, but they never stayed overnight.
Xie Yunyu asked, "Where does she usually go when she comes here occasionally?"
“The study, or the bedroom in the main courtyard, or the back garden, these are the few places.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Ling led his men straight to the study, while Xie Yunyu took Qingfeng to the bedroom.
Xie Yunyu stopped at the door of the master bedroom.
Because the room was decorated like a wedding room, all in red.
Xie Yunyu waved her hand, signaling everyone to stop at the doorway.
She slowly walked into the strangely laid-out bedroom, touching nothing, but simply looking around.
Dragon and phoenix candles, dragon and phoenix wedding curtains, dragon and phoenix porcelain pillows, and bedding with mandarin ducks playing in the water...
Xie Yunyu looked around for a while, and finally her gaze fell on the vase by the window.
The vase was shaped like a pink and white lotus flower, and it was very elegant.
Xie Yunyu stood in front of the vase, examining it closely, and then reached out and pushed open the window.
Outside the window, everything was vibrant with life, a row of flowers swaying in the breeze in May.
Xie Yunyu stared at the flower for a long time, then turned around and came out of the house.
I stood in front of that row of flowers and studied them carefully.
It was discovered that among the Twelve Flower Fairies, there were no plum blossoms, peonies, lotuses, or chrysanthemums.
Filled with doubts, Xie Yunyu went to the study to find Xiao Ling.
Xiao Ling was looking through the books and related files in the study.
After Xie Yunyu arrived, she looked around the room, not even glancing at the books or scrolls, but simply browsing the surroundings.
Finally, I stopped in front of the antique display shelf.
He reached out and touched the candlestick hanging above, then took two steps forward.
Qingfeng was standing on a stool, reaching for a vase on the antique shelf, when Xie Yunyu suddenly appeared, startling him.
His hand slipped, and the huge vase in his hand fell down, about to hit Xie Yunyu.
In his haste, Qingfeng kicked the vase, sending it crashing onto the desk in the study, where it looked like it was about to shatter.
One of the Imperial Guards leaned forward and pounced on the desk, barely managing to catch the vase.
Xie Yunyu was startled and took a few steps back.
Xiao Ling quickly stepped forward, embraced Xie Yunyu, and led her away from the antique shelf.
Just as everyone breathed a sigh of relief, they suddenly heard the rattling sound of machinery coming from the wall behind the display shelf.
Then a door appeared in the wall.
Everyone was surprised to see the hidden door.
Xie Yunyu turned around and looked at the Imperial Guard who was slumped over the table with a vase in his arms. His right elbow was resting on the groove where the candlestick was placed at the corner of the table.
"Is that recessed area a switch?"
The Imperial Guards themselves were completely bewildered, but upon hearing Xie Yunyu's words, they quickly stood up.
Qingfeng jumped down from the antique shelf, ran to the table, and pressed the groove with his hand.
With a thud, the hidden door closed again.
Press it again, and the hidden door opens again.
Qingfeng turned to look at the Imperial Guard and smiled, "You're really lucky."
The Imperial Guard scratched his head awkwardly and chuckled sheepishly:
"By chance, hehe..."
The group then entered the dark room, which was quite large and filled with scrolls and files.
After turning on the lights, Xiao Ling and Xie Yunyu began to look at them one by one.
Xie Yunyu quickly noticed the problem because she kept looking at the scroll.
There are fifteen paintings in total, and each painting depicts a beautiful woman.
Xie Yunyu unfolded all the paintings one by one, spread them out on the ground, and lined them up in a row.
After reading the secret letter in his hand, Xiao Ling turned his head and saw Xie Yunyu's actions, then asked:
"What's wrong, my wife?"
"Come and look at these paintings."
Xiao Ling looked at it for a while and said, "I recognize this. This is the younger sister of the Duke of Chen, only she is much younger than she is now."
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