Chapter 130 - The Wolf And The Fox Go Through A Dead Man's Things

The renovations on the estate had finally come to an end. The next morning Chu Yun and Xiao Zai took a tour of one of the last courtyards to be finished while the foreman pointed out how they had followed all of Chu Yun's instructions for the design.

"We've installed the swing among the bamboo grove for some privacy," the man said, following the path between the tall bamboo until they reached a small clearing with a wooden swing and  fountain, which trickled water peacefully back into a stone basin. 

The sounds of nature were stronger among the evergreen clouds of lush bamboo foliage, rustling peacefully in the wind, tiny leaves sprinkled with the thin powder that had fallen overnight.

The foreman rested his hands on his hips and looked on proudly at the product of his and his men's labour. "His Grace mentioned only that he wanted a bamboo grove in this courtyard and a swing, but we thought it would be more charming for the swing to be hidden among the bamboo."

Chu Yun ran the tips of his fingers over the smooth wood. "It's perfect."

Xiao Zai came up to his side, and traced the same path Chu Yun's fingers just had. "I think a child would have a lot of fun playing here. Children have vivid imaginations."

Chu Yun shot him a meaningful glance, but Xiao Zai just grinned.

The foreman didn't understand the reason for their charged looks and was merely grateful they had liked it.

"Oh, since we're finishing up today, I think his Grace should know that some of the men found a few documents and ledgers during the renovation work in some of the rooms. Everything was stored in wooden crates and kept out of the way in a storage room."

Chu Yun thanked the foreman for his time and gave him a fat pouch of gold taels as gratuity, on top of the amount that would be paid to all the workers the next day for finishing up the project.

Xiao Zai followed him as he left the courtyard, headed straight for the storage room the foreman mentioned.

"You're very generous with money, I've always noticed that."

Chu Yun shot him a look from the corner of the eye. "I'm generous with your money, my money is the dowry."

"It's my father's money, seeing as I have no official post to earn my own." He opened the door of the storage room for Chu Yun who ducked under his arm unceremoniously. "I say we spend as much of it as we can."

Chu Yun was inclined to agree, but he was distracted by the sheer amount of overstuffed chests and crates in the small storage room.

"A few documents, uh?" 

Xiao Zai knelt in front of the nearest open chest and started rifling through its contents. "These seem to be account books from my uncle's estate," he flicked through the coarsely bound books, "records of money spent on food, servant wages, upkeep in general."

Chu Yun sat down next to Xiao Zai and took out a book at random from inside the box. Technically the duty of keeping the books of the Second Prince's estate was supposed to fall to him, as the Main (and only) Spouse, but he found it a dull task so he delegated it onto Hua Nanyi who had always had a fondness for numbers.

The records of Xiao Zai's disgraced uncle's estate were predictable, nothing jumped out as suspicious or as an indication of possible treason.

"What was your uncle like?" Chu Yun asked, after a moment where the two of them sat in silence each examining their own book. 

"I don't have many memories of him, I don't think we met often."

"But your dam was close with him," Chu Yun said, remembering the King's pointed words for Gu Wei.

Xiao Zai hummed. "He could have been, yes. He hasn't talked about him in the years since his death."

It seemed that everyone Gu Wei got close to met with an unfortunate end. It was not surprising he had gone to such lengths to keep that guard of his hidden. They were risking a lot by seeing each other inside the royal palace as it was.

Chu Yun hadn't given much thought to the late Prince's execution for treason. Regardless of whether the charges against him were fabricated or not, the result was the same.

"Did the King have any other siblings?" Chu Yun asked, wondering if they had all met equally gruesome ends.

"Two sisters, a beta and an omega, married off to some Lords in some far away province. I haven't seen either of them in years. A few that were stillborns, or died as toddlers, according to what my grandmother says."

"This uncle wasn't her son?" The answer seemed obvious to him, but he wanted to make sure either way. The Queen Dowager was an unusual woman after all.

Xiao Zai shook his head. "No, my grandmother only had my father, and with great reluctance."

Chu Yun chuckled. He could tell.

"My uncle was the son of my father's favourite concubine, her only surviving child, all others were stillborns." He paused. "He and my father were the late King's only alpha sons."

Ah, that explained the treason. 

"He never married? Never had any children of his own?"

Xiao Zai sighed. "Not that I know of, my grandfather died before I was born, afterwards I assume plans were made to guarantee there were no threats to my father's claim to the throne. Maybe my uncle knew that getting married would put him at risk."

Chu Yun closed the account book with a soft rustle and ran his fingers over the faded characters written on the thin cover. "For all the good it did him."

They rummaged through the storage room a while longer, hoping to find something useful. Chu Yun didn't know what exactly he was looking for, but anything that helped them make a stronger case against the King would be useful. Part of him doubted that any ministers would afford that much importance to a concubine's miscarriage.

It was another thing if the King was involved in the death of the Crown Princess, but Chu Yun doubted it. Her death had come as a blow to him as well.

Suddenly, Xiao Zai went very still and called out to him, "You need to see this."