People in the Qin Dynasty, entertained during the Warring States period

"Don't worry, brother, I've got an idea!"

Liu Yi's eyes widened. "Brother, speak quickly!"

……

Chapter 238 Wearing a Green Hat

Liu Yi looked at Cao Ze with great anticipation.

The reason he exposed his family's dirty laundry was...

Firstly, he wanted to cultivate a closer relationship with Cao Ze. After all, once Cao Ze joined the General's ranks, his future would be limitless, and he might even need Cao Ze's help in the future.

Secondly, I also wanted to see if Cao Ze had any ideas.

I can't believe it actually exists!

Cao Ze chuckled and said, "Brother, women are like that. Since you can't hit or scold them, just coax them for now. Who knows, one day they'll realize how good you are to me and change their minds."

Having never experienced the rampant sycophancy or the endless sea of ​​unworthy men, Liu Yi found this very reasonable upon hearing it.

"So, what do you think I should do, brother?"

"Just cater to their preferences."

Liu Yi frowned and said, "She likes to go to the theater with Consort Hu to watch a play."

Cao Ze clapped his hands, "That settles it!"

Liu Yi asked, "What do you say, brother?"

Cao Ze coughed lightly and smiled inexplicably, "Brother, I've noticed that Madam always wears green. Is she particularly fond of green?"

"Yes, that's right, I wear green every day."

"Then you could try wearing all green, with a tall green hat, and try singing a few lines like an opera singer. Maybe your wife will be happy. When people are happy, everything is easier to talk about."

Liu Yi suddenly slammed his hand on the table, startling Cao Ze, who thought Liu Yi had discovered something.

"My suggestion is good, I'll give it a try these next couple of days!"

Cao Ze suppressed a laugh: "Then we'll wait for your good news, brother."

Liu Yi was reminded of painful memories, and despite Cao Ze's advice, he remained depressed.

In addition, Cao Ze deliberately got Liu Yi drunk, and soon Liu Yi was so drunk that he was unconscious and was taken to his room to rest by his servants.

Cao Ze was seated in a guest room.

Around midnight, Cao Ze leisurely dressed, quietly pushed open the door, avoided several patrolling servants, and began to wander aimlessly around Liu Yi's residence.

He only remembered that the secret room where Liu Yi hid the Baiyue treasure chest was a room with many books and scrolls, which he guessed was a study or a library.

Following this lead, Cao Ze began to investigate one by one.

In the dead of night, almost all the lights in the Liu residence were turned off.

The only room with lights on was Mrs. Hu's.

The night was cold and clear, the moon was bright and spotless.

As Cao Ze passed by, he glimpsed through the crack in the wooden window that Madam Hu was quietly turning the pages of a book under the lamplight with her delicate hands, her nails painted pink.

I don't know what I'm watching, I'm completely engrossed.

He, who was practically walking right by, was completely unaware of it.

Madam Hu wasn't exactly a stunning beauty, but her gentle and vulnerable demeanor, and the way she quietly read her books, briefly captivated Cao Ze.

After pausing for a moment to admire it, the corners of his mouth slowly turned up.

Then he walked away without looking back.

He didn't deny that he wanted to do something with Madam Hu in the middle of the night, but it wouldn't be good to be abrupt with her at this moment and frighten her.

"Don't worry, my lady, I, Cao Cao, will definitely help you get out of this misery as soon as possible..." Cao Ze continued to explore the houses in the mansion with light steps.

It must be said that Zuo Sima's family was quite large.

After a stick of incense had burned, Cao Ze carefully searched the room and found two rooms, one large and one small, filled with books and scrolls.

The small study has been ruled out; it must be a place where Liu Yi held secret meetings or a private study.

Cao Ze waited until the three patrolling guards left in front of the large study, then opened a crack in the door and slipped inside.

By the faint moonlight, Cao Ze focused his gaze on the two large bookshelves against the wall.

Was it the one on the left or the one on the right?

Cao Ze smacked his lips for a moment, then quickly moved the books on the shelf one by one.

When he touched a slip of paper that wouldn't budge, Cao Ze chuckled softly.

He didn't immediately turn the switch, but instead walked to the surrounding doors and windows and observed for a while. Only after confirming that no patrolling guards would come over for the time being did he slowly turn the scroll and open the secret room.

Feeling the slight tremor of the ground and hearing the sound of the secret room door slowly opening, Cao Ze smiled faintly. Sure enough, caution is never a bad thing.

He walked in casually, took out a tinderbox from his pocket, and lit it.

The faint light of the fire illuminated the dark room.

Cao Ze's gaze fell on a treasure chest on a wooden table at the far end of the dark room.

He approached step by step, getting close to the treasure chest.

He brought the tinderbox close to the treasure chest, and what came into view was the mechanism lock on the lid of the treasure chest.

Cao Ze clicked his tongue and muttered to himself, "It's this thing again."

He was an expert in mechanical arts, mastering nine out of ten techniques.

Jingni and Liwu can only open common locks and mechanisms.

The wooden box with the mechanism in Lian Po's mansion was opened by sawing it open with a wood saw.

Judging from the mechanism lock on this treasure chest, it is clearly a high-end product, far superior to Lian Po's mechanical wooden box.

No wonder in the original story, Han Fei went to find his second uncle after discovering the treasure chest.

Even my second uncle, a lock-picking expert, spent nearly half an hour opening it.

Cao Ze tapped the treasure chest and tried to lift it.

Judging from the weight and feel of the box, as well as the sound it makes, it should be empty inside.

Cao Ze frowned slightly. He hadn't expected that the secret room, which he had arrived three or four months early, would still be empty. His speculation that it might contain clues about the Baiyue treasure or the Seven Constellations of the Azure Dragon was dashed.

But what exactly was placed inside before?

If it were just gold coins, Liu Yi wouldn't have bothered to hide the treasure chest in a secret room after spending all the money.

He vaguely remembered that in the original story, after his second uncle opened the box, there was only one symbol inside.

According to Zhang Liang, it is a symbol of the Baiyue people, representing a vow of life and death, that is, the blood oath of the Baiyue people.

After thinking it over, Cao Ze confirmed that nothing had been missed, and was slightly disappointed.

Could it be that the Baiyue treasure is a fake? Or is it merely the wealth of Huoyu Gong?

Cao Ze was somewhat unable to accept this result.

But that seems to be the case now.

As Cao Ze was about to leave, he suddenly noticed that the treasure chest had runes unique to the Baiyue people on all four sides, just like the ones on his "Seven Mansions" scroll. These runes were exclusive to the Baiyue royal family.

He suddenly recalled the fragments of memory that the hidden sorcerer obtained from the head of the dead vulture in the original work—the Seven Constellations of the Azure Dragon, the treasure of Baiyue, and the ghost soldiers robbing the money.

Considering the importance that Marquis Xueyi placed on the Baiyue treasure, Cao Ze was certain that there must be a connection between the Baiyue treasure, the Seven Constellations of the Azure Dragon, and the Ghost Soldiers' robbery of supplies.

But he had no clue what the specific connection was.

It seems the only option is to take some time to visit the cold palace of the Zheng Kingdom and see if we can find the "Azure Dragon" scroll and get some clues from it.

If all else fails, go ask your brother-in-law to get you drunk. He's smart, might as well use him.

Cao Ze did not choose to take the treasure chest to avoid alerting the enemy. Instead, he carefully memorized all the runes on the chest, hoping to find some surprises.

He extinguished the tinderbox and slowly walked out of the secret room.

If nothing unexpected happens, after the ghost soldiers robbed the supplies, Tianze will be released by the Nightfall like a dog to bite people, probably sometime after March or April next year.

And it's only November now.

Phew...that's been a long time.

As soon as Cao Ze stepped out of the secret room, before he could even check the situation outside, he heard a creak. The door to the study, which had been closed, was pushed open, revealing a frail and slender figure holding a candle.

Madam Hu stood blankly at the door, staring at the wide-open door to the secret room and the man who had suddenly appeared at the door. She was somewhat at a loss, and the bronze lamp slipped from her hand and fell to the ground.

Cao Ze had no time to think and instantly flashed to Madam Hu's side.

He grabbed the bronze lamp that was about to fall with one hand, shook it off, and quickly closed the door after glancing around to make sure no one was outside.

"Ugh, ugh..." Madam Hu's mouth was covered by Cao Ze's hand, and she tried to scream but couldn't make a sound.

She was so terrified that her originally delicate and fragile appearance became somewhat tragic.

Cao Ze placed the bronze lamp back in Madam Hu's hand and threatened, "Madam, you don't want to be silenced, do you?"

Madam Hu seemed to have her throat choked; her sobs vanished instantly.

She looked at Cao Ze, who was standing right next to her, in horror. She never expected that this petty thief would be the distinguished guest that Liu Yi was entertaining tonight.

Cao Ze felt a little like scratching his head.

Tonight I only planned to check the treasure chest, and I didn't intend to do anything to Madam Hu.

But to everyone's surprise, Mrs. Hu came to the bookstore in the middle of the night.

What are you doing here?

Cao Ze lowered his voice and whispered in Madam Hu's ear.

Madam Hu noticed that the large hand covering her mouth loosened slightly, but she dared not cry out for help, lest she provoke Cao Ze and have him kill her to silence her.

"I...I came to find a book."