After receiving the reminder from Prince Zhao, Chen Wangbei searched the study with extra care this time, repeatedly checking any spots that might conceal secret compartments or hidden rooms.

And in the end, he truly did find a clue.

After pushing aside a curio shelf, he tapped on the floor tiles with his fingers and discovered that two of them were actually hollow.

Chen Wangbei couldn’t find a mechanism to open the tiles, and he couldn’t be bothered to waste time looking for one. He simply resorted to brute force, prying up the two tiles, which were made of polished bluestone.

And just like that, the entrance to an underground secret chamber was revealed.

Chen Wangbei immediately sent someone to report this discovery to Prince Zhao.

Li Ji looked at Liu Ze, a faint, unreadable smile on his lips as he asked.

"I never would have guessed Mr. Liu had a penchant for building secret chambers in his study."

Though Liu Ze tried his best to control himself, his body still trembled slightly, and beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down his temples.

The contents of the underground chamber were brought out.

There were three hundred full chests of gold ingots.

A quick glance suggested it was at least one million taels of gold.

This was an absolutely astronomical sum. Even with generations of accumulated wealth, it would be impossible for the Liu Family to have amassed such a fortune.

Li Ji casually picked up a gold ingot and turned it over to inspect it.

He immediately saw the Xiliang script engraved on the bottom.

Any gold ingot manufactured by the Western Liang Country would be engraved with Xiliang script on the bottom. It was their custom.

It was for this very reason that Liu Ze, fearing discovery, had never dared to use any of these gold ingots.

He had originally planned to wait until he needed them, at which point he would melt them down and recast them as gold bars.

But he never expected that Prince Zhao would unearth them.

With the evidence as solid as a mountain, Liu Ze knew there was no escape.

His legs gave out, and he collapsed onto the ground, muttering dejectedly.

"It’s over... It’s all over..."

Li Ji casually tossed the heavy gold ingot back into the chest.

He walked over to Liu Ze, stared him in the eye, and asked.

"Do you know the penalty for colluding with the enemy and committing treason?"

Liu Ze’s lips trembled violently. He didn’t dare to answer.

Li Ji said, "I’ll give you a chance to redeem yourself. Tell me, where is Xiao Hong now?"

Liu Ze was shocked that he even knew about Xiao Hong. But he quickly realized this was an opportunity he could exploit.

So, Liu Ze spoke quickly.

"I can tell you where Xiao Hong is, Your Highness, but you must forget everything that has happened today."

Li Ji narrowed his eyes. "Are you asking me to abuse my authority to protect you?"

Liu Ze replied, "The Princess Consort’s fate is currently unknown. Your Highness must be very worried. The sooner you find her, the less danger she will be in."

Li Ji: "Is that a threat?"

Liu Ze: "No, it’s a trade. You help me out of this trouble, and I’ll help you rescue Princess Consort Zhao. It’s mutually beneficial—a perfect solution for us both." 𝒇𝓻𝓮𝓮𝙬𝙚𝒃𝒏𝓸𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝓬𝓸𝒎

Li Ji stared at him for a moment, then suddenly broke into a smile.

"Even without you, I can find where Xiao Hong is."

Liu Ze didn’t believe him for a second.

’Xiao Hong is hiding in a small, nameless village in Jingbao Mountain.’

’That rundown village is cut off from the rest of the world. It’s not even mentioned in the local county records.’

’It’s impossible for anyone to find it.’

’Prince Zhao must be bluffing. I won’t fall for it.’

Li Ji heard his thoughts loud and clear.

"Jingbao Mountain, is it?" Li Ji had the answer he wanted most. The corners of his mouth curled up, and a bright glint appeared in his dark eyes.

Liu Ze froze on the spot.

His eyes widened slowly, his face filled with utter disbelief.

He had never mentioned Jingbao Mountain to anyone—not to his own sister, not to his wife and children. He had never uttered a single word about it.

’How could Prince Zhao possibly know?’

Seeing Prince Zhao turn to leave, Liu Ze snapped back to his senses and began shouting frantically.

"No! It’s not Jingbao Mountain! You’re all mistaken!"

But no matter how he yelled, Prince Zhao didn’t look back.

Li Ji swung himself onto his horse and gave an order to Bian Ziming.

"Take Liu Ze and his entire family to the Ministry of Justice. As for the gold, send it all to the palace for the Saint to handle."

Bian Ziming hurriedly asked, "Where are you going, Your Highness?"

Li Ji replied, "To Jingbao Mountain, to rescue someone."

With that, he flicked the reins and galloped straight for the city gates.

Chen Wangbei and the Royal Guards followed close behind.

...

Meanwhile, Xiao Hong received a report from one of his men, saying that Hua Manman had been getting very close to Ah Qi lately.

It seemed Ah Qi was smitten with Hua Manman.

The subordinate was very worried. "That Ah Qi is a fool. What if that woman turns him against us? Should we separate the two of them now?"

Xiao Hong replied coolly, "No need. Just keep an eye on them."

’Let’s see what kind of tricks that woman can pull.’

That evening, Hua Manman brought Ah Qi a wool blanket as usual.

Ah Qi immediately noticed that her eyes were a little red. It was clear she had just been crying.

After spending this much time together, Ah Qi felt he had become quite familiar with Hua Manman, so he asked without much hesitation.

"What’s wrong? Did someone bully you?"

Hua Manman replied, "It’s nothing. I just got some sand in my eye."

After speaking, she gave a small smile, deliberately acting as if nothing was wrong.

’The room is enclosed by four walls. Where would sand come from?’

Ah Qi knew she was just putting on a brave face, which made him even more worried.

He stammered.

"I-if you’re in any trouble, just tell me. I’ll find a way to help you."

Hua Manman shook her head. "You can’t help me."

With that, she turned, went back into her room, and gently closed the door.

Because of this small incident, Ah Qi couldn’t sleep all night.

The next day, when he saw Hua Manman again, she seemed to be back to normal, as if nothing had happened.

But that very evening, Si Yun placed a bowl of hot noodle soup in front of Hua Manman.

"Princess Consort, today is your birthday. We don’t have much here to celebrate with, so I could only make you a bowl of longevity noodles. I hope that by eating them, you’ll have a long, healthy life filled with good fortune."

Only then did Ah Qi realize that today was Hua Manman’s birthday.

He hadn’t even prepared a gift.

Just as he was racking his brain trying to think of what to give her, he saw Hua Manman burst into tears over the bowl of hot noodle soup.

Large tears, like pearls from a broken string, rolled down her cheeks.

She covered her eyes with her hands, but the tears kept streaming down, impossible to stop.

At this, both Si Yun and Ah Qi panicked.

"Princess Consort, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?"

Hua Manman sobbed, "Every year on my birthday, my mother would make me longevity noodles... I miss my mother so much... Will I never see her again? WAAAAH!"

Ah Qi had no idea how to comfort someone.

He could only say awkwardly, "You will. You’ll see her again."