Tang Dynasty Hidden Guards

Xue Wei slowly unrolled the thin silk scroll. Dozens of characters were densely written on the two-finger-width scroll; it turned out to be a letter.

"Min'er, if you can see this letter, your father can rest in peace in the afterlife."

Your father has worked hard for nearly thirty years, opening more than two hundred shops and accumulating hundreds of thousands of dollars in wealth. Your father wants to leave it all to you, but there are many people eyeing the shops, especially your closest relatives. You are a daughter and have already married, so you may not be able to get the shops. However, your father will leave the money to you as your true dowry.

The money is hidden in the secret room of my father's old house in the south of the city. Under the bed, the third brick from the south and the seventh from the west, there is a small compartment with a pull ring. Pull the ring and the secret room will open, and all the wealth inside will be yours.

Finally, your father wishes you a happy marriage and many children.

Yuan Min and Xue Wei looked at each other, not excited or moved, but with a hint of fear. The layout of this secret room was exactly the same as that of Li Chongrun's secret room before, even the position of the pull ring was the same, the third from the south and the seventh from the west.

"Old Xue, could it be that both secret rooms were built by the same craftsman, which is why they look the same?"

Yuan Min's voice trembled slightly, and a nameless unease welled up from the bottom of her heart.

Xue Wei gently hugged her. "Don't be afraid. It was probably made by the same craftsman. This is quite normal. Amin, is the old house in the south of the city still there?"

Xue Wei's explanation calmed Yuan Min down a bit. She nodded, "Of course it is. It's in Jiashanfang, south of Nanshi. I'm even planning to have my mother move there."

"You made Mother move out of the Yuan residence? Why?"

"My grandfather is paralyzed, and my eldest uncle is in charge of all the affairs of the Yuan family. He treats my mother badly and always hints that she should move out. My mother can't stand it. The day before yesterday, she told me that she wants to move out of the Yuan family."

"Yuan Yao is after your mother's courtyard, isn't he!"

"yes!"

Yuan Min did not deny it, "They've wanted us, mother and daughter, to get out of here for a long time."

"But once your mother leaves, the three brothers will start arguing over that courtyard again."

"That's their business, it has nothing to do with me!"

Xue Wei thought for a moment and said, "If the study is a secret room, then we can simply hide the money there and not take it out."

Yuan Min thought for a moment and smiled, "Okay, but at least we should go and take a look."

"Going today?"

They both smiled knowingly.

...........

The small house is located in a quiet part of Jiashanfang. It is a five-acre house with two courtyards in the front and back, and two courtyards at the back, one main and one annex. The study is in the annex courtyard.

The annex has five rooms, which are Yuanmin's father's secret place, and no one is ever allowed to enter.

"My father was very mysterious. In my memory, he was very busy and rarely at home. He had a cold relationship with my grandfather and never interacted with his brothers."

After my father's stepmother, Zheng, passed away, he moved out of the Yuan family mansion and lived here for over twenty years. He eventually died here.

"So you grew up here too?"

"Yes, we call it the old house."

Yuan Min had the key, so she led Xue Wei directly to the affiliated hospital. There were only the two of them in the house.

The four female warriors remained at Mingyue Tower. Since they intended to leave their wealth in the old house, they must not be allowed to know of its existence.

"Amin, tell your mother later that this courtyard belongs to us, and we usually keep the door locked."

Yuan Min winked mischievously. "Uncle Xue, what are you thinking? We've been divorced for a year, and you still want to live with me?"

Xue Wei almost spat out a mouthful of blood. He grabbed Yuan Min, staring at her intently. "Based on my understanding of you, I have a bad feeling that you might change your mind about what you promised me today."

"I haven't changed my mind, it's just not possible tonight."

Why?

"I'm not feeling well, my period is coming."

"I'm not going to do *that* with you, what does it have to do with me?"

"When I'm not feeling well, I just want to sleep alone and don't want to bother with anything. Mr. Xue, do you even understand women?"

Xue Wei sighed, "I knew it, 'If women are reliable, pigs will fly.' Oh well, you always have an excuse."

Yuan Min leaned forward and kissed him, then said with a grin, "Honey, don't be angry. Whenever I miss you, I'll definitely come and hug you while we sleep."

Xue Wei imagined that one night, he would be fast asleep, and she would come and hug him in the middle of the night so they could sleep together. When he woke up, it would be broad daylight, and her promise would be fulfilled, while all the wonderful games he had envisioned would fall through.

Thinking about it made life seem boring, and Xue Wei's steps became listless.

"Let's go to the study."

"Let's go! Let's go treasure hunting in the study."

Yuan Min, however, was in high spirits. The two were of one mind, and she also thought of a way to fulfill her promise.

After taking a couple of steps, Yuan Min suddenly tilted her head and asked, "If women are reliable, pigs will fly. I think that saying should be applied to you men, right?"

"Cough! Cough! If you stay behind me, I'm worried there might be snakes!"

This shameless guy immediately distracted Yuan Min. When Yuan Min heard about the snake, she was so frightened that she grabbed Xue Wei's arm tightly and trembled with nervousness. She had long forgotten whether a sow climbing a tree should be a man or a woman.

...........

Stepping into the study, a strong sense of eeriness washed over her. It was Yuan Min's first time in her father's study, but the room felt very familiar. The furnishings, layout, and structure were exactly the same as Li Chongrun's study, and even the window lattice was the same style.

The two exchanged a glance, and finally, shock appeared in their eyes.

"There won't be any snakes here!"

At this moment, Xue Wei was no longer in the mood for jokes.

He lifted the bed frame, found the brick, and as he lifted it, his heart sank to the bottom. It was the same pull ring as before. Xue Wei took a deep breath and pulled the ring hard.

The wall creaked open, and the two pushed it open and entered the secret room. The scene before them left them speechless.

It was as if they had traveled back in time and entered the secret chamber of Prince Shao's mansion again. There were hundreds of boxes piled up, and even the style of the boxes was the same. The only difference was that there were no words on them.

There was a similar wooden frame next to it, but instead of three boxes, there was only one small box, exactly the same as the small box that had previously contained the luminous pearl.

Xue Wei felt as if he had fallen into the mirror world of Ghost Blows Out the Light, which was too eerie.

He and Yuan Min looked at each other, and Yuan Min's eyes were also filled with terror as she stared intently at the small box. Suddenly, the two understood each other. Yuan Min blew out the lantern and hugged Xue Wei tightly, trembling with nervousness, as if she was about to witness something extremely terrifying.

Xue Wei opened the box with trembling hands, and a soft white light shone out, leaving the two of them completely stunned.

…………

Back at Mingyue Tower, neither of them spoke a word. Xue Wei pieced the two halves of the luminous pearl together, fitting them perfectly.

"Old Xue, have we... have we encountered a ghost?" Yuan Min finally spoke, her voice trembling so much she could barely speak.

Xue Wei gently shook his head. "It's not a ghost, which is a very strange thing, but there must be an answer. Amin, I can confirm three things."

"What are the three things?"

Xue Wei stared at the luminous pearl and slowly said, "First, your father has a secret, and a big secret. He knew Li Chongrun. Li Chongrun died just one month before your father passed away. This is not a coincidence."

Secondly, the money your father left you was definitely clean and legal; he would never leave you anything illicit.

Third, this luminous pearl belonged to your father. He divided it in two, giving half to Li Chongrun and keeping the other half for himself.

Why did my father know Li Chongrun?

Xue Wei shook his head. "I don't know, but Li Chongrun is very likely working for the Crown Prince. It's inconvenient for the Crown Prince to be in the Eastern Palace, so he has his son Li Chongrun do it for him outside. So your father is very likely working for the Crown Prince. He is actually a royal merchant."

"If they are imperial merchants, why were all these shops passed down to me? Shouldn't they belong to the crown prince?"

"This is why Wu Zetian ordered the shop to be given to you, causing the Crown Prince to suffer a great loss."

Xue Wei suddenly had a burst of inspiration, and one incredible idea after another popped into his mind.

"Perhaps the Crown Prince wanted Li Chongrun to take over your father's shop, but the Emperor found out and the two sides fought. As a result, Li Chongrun was imprisoned and died tragically, your father died of illness, the Crown Prince's outstretched hand was broken, and he had to withdraw it. The shop then became yours."

"You mean, all two hundred of my shops actually belong to the Crown Prince?" Yuan Min frowned deeply.

"It's not that the shops belong to the Crown Prince. These shops are the result of your father's hard work. I mean, the initial capital may have belonged to the Crown Prince. Didn't your father serve as a guard in the palace? He suddenly resigned to go into business. It's possible that the Crown Prince gave him the capital, and he went into business on behalf of the Crown Prince. That explains why your grandfather eventually gave you the shops and didn't dare to take them back from the family. He knew that these shops did not belong to the Yuan family, and he dared not touch them."

"Old Xue, your conclusion makes me very uncomfortable."

Xue Wei hugged her and whispered, "I'm just guessing, it might not be true."

"But if that's not the case, how do you explain that the secret chamber in Li Chongrun's mansion is exactly the same as my father's secret chamber?"

Xue Wei was also puzzled. "Yes! Yuan Min's father's secret room is exactly the same as Li Chongrun's secret room. If not explained this way, is there any other answer?"

...........

As night fell, the two slept together in each other's arms. The strange events of the night had terrified Yuan Min, and she dared not sleep alone. She had to lie in Xue Wei's arms to feel safe.

"Old Xue, can't you sleep either?" Yuan Min asked softly.

Xue Wei put his arm around her waist, rested his chin on the top of her head, and nodded gently.

"So what are you thinking about?"

"I think this matter might be a huge mystery that has both of us shrouded in it. The wealth case of Wu Chengsi in Chang'an is just the beginning of this mystery. As we delve deeper into it, we will eventually see the whole truth."