C10

Meng and Du could see the freedom in their eyes. Their faces were filled with joy. Meng Chun Lou said, "Let's leave this place quickly so that we won't be wronged by that foolish Prefect!"

"You can't!" Du Jiangsheng's face was calm. "If we leave now, how can we be clear? Furthermore, we are not the ones who stole the pearl, so what do we have to fear? "

"You mean wait here?" Meng Chun Lou asked.

Du Jiangsheng lightly smiled and looked towards the entrance as he shouted, "Hero, I'll trouble you to do me a favor. Put down this iron gate!"

With these words, there was a loud noise from above his head and the two iron fences fell down again. Du Jiangsheng immediately smiled and said, "Thank you, Hero!"

When Meng Chunlou heard this, he couldn't help but be startled. He turned to look at Du Jiangsheng and asked, "Who are you talking to?"

Du Jiangsheng slightly smiled and said, "Of course we're talking to those who want to save us. Could it be that we're talking to the subordinates of Prefect Chen?"

Meng Chun Lou thought about it and said with a wry smile, "That's true. How could someone who could help us open the traps be someone from the Chen Prefecture?" Right, could he be that pearl thief? "

"It's possible, but it's also impossible!" Du Jiangsheng said.

"Why are your words so contradictory?" Meng Chun Lou asked.

"He said it's possible, but since he was able to enter and leave the Chen Mansion so easily, it means that he has the ability to do so. As for the impossible, it's probably because he stole both the maidservant and Cha Zi along with the pearl!" Du Jiangsheng frowned.

"Perhaps, the reason why he did this was to frame that maidservant!" Meng Chun said.

When Meng Chun Lou heard this, he could not help but not know whether to laugh or cry. He asked, "Lord, where did you come from?"

"You cunning thief, obviously, you were worried that I would capture you two while you were here to drink tea, so you informed your accomplices in advance. That's why they took advantage of the time when I was out of skills, kidnapped my maidservants and stole my wife's hairpin, and wanted to use a method to lure the tiger out of the mountain to rescue you. Unfortunately, I had ingeniously designed this mechanism so that your accomplices couldn't succeed, wasn't it?" Chief Eunuch Chen scolded in anger.

Meng Chun Lou's face showed a bitter smile. Just as she was about to use some words to ridicule this Prefect Chen, she heard Du Jiangsheng shout, "Prefect, we are innocent! As soon as we left the top scholar's office, your steward immediately brought us here. How could we have the chance to contact our companions on the way? Furthermore, if we had known beforehand that you had set a trap to lure us in, would we still have come to your house? "

These words caused Prefect Chen to be tongue-tied and speechless for a long time. He could not help but blush and be angered, but he heard Chen Lu whisper in his ear: "Master, what he said makes sense! "From what I see, they don't look like thieves, nor do they look like accomplices. They look more like they were wronged!"

"This, this..." Prefect Chen was both embarrassed and angry, he was embarrassed for a long time, and then he angrily shouted: "Someone come! Let them both go! "

When the messenger heard this, he hurriedly went outside to switch on the mechanism and released Meng and Du. Du Jiangsheng quickly smiled and said, "Master is still the most wise! Even though the old master made a mistake in his judgement previously due to his impatience, he is still well-versed in the matter! "

Upon hearing these words, Master Chen felt relieved in his heart. He cupped his hands together and said: "Sir, as your disciple has said, I have wronged you two because of my impatience. Now, I sincerely apologize to the two of you, and I hope you two will let bygones be bygones!"

"How dare you! How dare you!" Meng Chun Lou hastily returned the greeting.

"Sir, first, we lost our jewel, then we lost our lives, and then we lost our hairpin. Now that Sir has arrived, why not use your powers and ask the heavens for your divination, and also help my Master to resolve this case earlier, I wonder how Sir would like to go? " Chen Lu asked.

Meng Chunlou was deep in thought when he heard this. He heard Prefect Chen say, "Could it be that you are unwilling to help because of my earlier offense?"

"Master, you're being too serious!" I dare not to comply? " As Meng Chunlou spoke, he immediately took out three bronze coins from the backpack on Du Jiangsheng's shoulder and placed it in his hand as he silently prayed. He then threw them to the ground and saw that the three bronze coins were all facing up.

"Huh?" Chief Steward Chen was shocked, "Sir, what do you mean by this?"

"The divination says that the lord has lost all of his merits. The little devil entered the house, and at first he broke his fortune. After a long time, he broke someone. This is a sign of great destruction!" After Meng Chunlou finished speaking, he lowered his head and quietly waited for the magistrate Chen to scold him.

However, when the Prefect heard Meng Chunlou's words, he did not curse out loud. Instead, he calmed down and asked, "Sir, if we follow this divination, will there be a solution?"

"Yes!" Meng Chunlou made some calculations and walked around for a few times. Then, he looked at Chief Steward Chen and said seriously, "If you want to break through this disaster, you have to do good deeds and diligently cultivate the merits to be safe. Please enlighten me, my lord!"

When Prefect Chen heard this, he could not help but furrow his brows. After thinking hard for a while, he said: "Ai! Since taking office, this official has always been diligent in his work and doting on his people. He has never done many heinous things, and now he says that my morals have been completely destroyed. This is truly puzzling! Sir, can you give me some pointers? "

Meng Chunlou made another calculation and immediately said, "According to what the rumours say, if a lord wants to do good deeds, he must do so because of the water and stop because of the water."

"For the water? Stopping because of the water? What does that mean? " Chief Steward Chen couldn't figure it out for a long time.

Seeing that Prefect Chen was in a difficult position, Chen Lu lowered his voice and whispered in Prefect Chen's ear, "Master, could it be that this water is referring to the floods in Jiangxi and Hunan?"

Prefect Chen's eyes immediately lit up. He turned around to look at the servants behind him and waved his arm. "You may all leave!"

Chen Prefect looked at Chen Lu again, and then tactfully backed out. Only then did Chen Prefect feel at ease as he walked towards Meng Chunlou, asking, "Sir, do you mean that I should put my mind at ease while you are giving out the relief and not be greedy of the silver taels?"

Meng Chonglou's eyes rolled and he immediately laughed, "That will depend on your comprehension!"

"Sigh!" Don't I know that greedy for money for disaster relief is a disgrace, that you don't have the patience to live with a limited salary for a year, that you cannot afford to use it to support your livelihood, and that other people are greedy, if I don't covet it, how can others feel at ease? " Prefect Chen sighed.

"My lord may have his own difficulties, but if my lord does not repent soon, the day of his downfall may not be long!" Although Meng Chunlou said it calmly, each word was filled with blood. It could not help but cause fear in people's hearts!

Prefect Chen hesitated for a while and finally sighed: "Fine! In order to escape this calamity, I am willing to return all my money to the common people. In addition, I will also mobilize the local rich and gentry to donate money and give my all to the refugees who have been affected.

"If the lord can do this, then his merits will be immeasurable, and everyone will be extremely fortunate!" Meng Chun said.

"It's just that, Sir, if I were to do this, will my precious pearl and hairpin be able to return?" Prefect Chen asked doubtfully.

"Leave this to me!" If the wall cannot be completed, then this lowly one will be willing to pay with my life! " Meng Chun Lou said solemnly.

"Good!" I believe in you! " Chief Steward Chen was delighted.

"Of course! Please follow me! " He only felt that the air in the room had a hint of the fragrance of orchids. Du Jiangsheng could not help but sneeze, but he did not pay attention to it, so he followed the two of them to a study room. He smiled and asked, "Guests, where should we find the treasure pearl?"

Meng Chunlou looked around and saw that the study's layout was very simple and unadorned. The thick bookshelves were filled with famous books and ancient books, giving off a rather heavy feeling. Then she looked at the surrounding walls, which were filled with famous people's calligraphy and paintings.

"Sir, have you seen through any mysteries?" Prefect Chen asked with a smile.

"Sir, could the location of the hidden beads be behind the bookshelves?" Du Jiangsheng asked with a smile.

Prefect Chen was slightly surprised. He looked at Du Jiangsheng in the blink of an eye and asked, "How did you know?"

Du Jiangsheng immediately pointed to the vase beside the bookshelf, and laughed: "Look at this vase, it should be placed in pairs, but there is only one vase here, which seems very out of place, so I guess this vase is not just for decoration, but actually a method to set up the mechanism!"

"I didn't expect a child like you to be so knowledgeable! That's right! This vase is the way to unlock the mechanism! " At this point, Chief Steward Chen walked up to the vase and spun it around three times. With a creaking sound, the bookshelf unexpectedly moved to the right, revealing a large secret room!

Meng Chunlou couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Sir, this place is really full of mystery!"

"Sir, please follow me!" Prefect Chen smiled as he led the way, leading Meng and Du into the secret room. The bookshelf returned to its original state, revealing no flaws at all.

He carefully took it and lit the candlestick, and all of a sudden, the room was filled with a dazzling brilliance. Du Jiangsheng used his hand to cover his face, and when he looked through the gaps between his fingers, he could see that this place was filled with gold and silver treasures. There were gold plates, a plate of sulfur glass, and countless pearls, agate jade and jade.

"Milord, could this be the palace's treasury?" Meng Chun Lou asked in surprise.

Prefect Chen smiled and waved his hand, saying, "Sir, please excuse me. How can my small fortune be compared to the palace's treasury? It's really not worth mentioning! "

"But in my eyes, it has broadened my horizons!" Meng Chun Lou said with a shocked expression.

Chief Steward Chen's face reddened, but he quickly smiled and said, "Sir, don't make fun of me. It's better to check the scene!"

Meng Chun Lou looked around and then fixed his eyes on a round table. There was a rack in the center of the rack, and a plate about the size of a goose egg was placed in the center of the shelf.

"That's right!" The pearl is completely transparent, and will definitely give off a huge glow at night. Even though this secret room is huge, it will not be able to stop its myriad of brilliance! " Chief Steward Chen said.

Meng Chun Lou slowly walked to the table and carefully sized it up. Then she asked, "Sir, how many people in the mansion know of such a hidden location?"

"There's only me and Madam!" Chief Steward Chen said.

"How often do the two of you come here?" Meng Chun Lou asked.

"In the past few years, my heart wasn't so dark and I didn't have much greed, so I rarely came here. But my wife has a habit of visiting the bead every fifteenth night and wiping off the dust on her body." Chief Steward Chen said.

"Isn't it just fifteen today?" Meng Chun Lou asked.

"That's right!" Today is fifteen years old! " Prefect Chen forced a smile and said, "Normally, Madame would come in the evening, but I didn't expect her to come in broad daylight today, and the pearl was actually stolen!"

"How did you know the bead was stolen?" Meng Chun Lou asked.

"She left the room after wiping the beads. Then, out of the blue, she wanted to make a silk sheath for the beads. She wanted to compare its size, but she found out that the beads were stolen!" When Prefect Chen said this, he could not help but sigh, "Sigh! I suppose she must have been possessed, or how else could it have been so unusual? "

"I heard that the lord's residence has lost a maidservant as well as a lady's hairpin. Is that true?" Meng Chun Lou asked.

"That's right!" Prefect Chen thought for a moment and then asked, "What?" "You suspect that the murderer was the same person?"

"NO!" I mean, could the murderer be that maidservant? " Meng Chun Lou asked.

Prefect Chen rolled his eyes and immediately patted his head and said: "That's right! That maidservant was Madame's personal attendant. If Madame had any secrets, she would never hide them from her. If she were to make a move, it would be the most convenient! Aiya! Why didn't I think of this? "No, I have to send someone to search her room. Maybe she stole something else!"

Chief Steward Chen was about to turn around and leave when he heard Du Jiangsheng say, "Master, there's no way that the culprit was a maidservant!"

"Oh? What makes you so sure? " Chen Prefecture asked.

"Master, please look. There are more than 100 items here that are more valuable than the pearls and hairpins. If you want to say that it was a servant girl from your house, either she's too stupid, or she doesn't know what's important and what's not! " Du Jiangsheng said.

"That makes sense!" "These maidservants will always wait by Madam's side. They should be clear about what is valuable and what is cheap. If it's for the sake of wealth, they definitely won't just take beads and hairpins!" Chief Steward Chen said.

"Then, there's only one explanation left!" Du Jiangsheng laughed.

"Oh? "What explanation?" Chen Prefecture asked.

"Although these beads and hairpins are valuable, they are nothing compared to the other things here. The murderer only took these two things, which means that he does not value the item itself, but its other value!" Du Jiangsheng said.

"You mean he wants to threaten me with this?" Chief Steward Chen said in shock.

"If it wasn't so, then why would he sacrifice himself for such a cheap price?" Du Jiangsheng asked.

"In that case, who could it be? Is he my enemy? " Chief Steward Chen asked with a puzzled expression.