Chapter 5

Framing!

Han Yunong immediately knew what was going on behind the scenes. WatermarkGG test WatermarkGG test

The Zhen Hou Mansion has always regarded the Duwei Mansion as a rival, but the Duwei Mansion is directly under the imperial court and has always acted cautiously, not giving the Zhen Hou Mansion any opportunity to attack. However, this time, Meng Zimo kicked a dog from the Zhen Hou Mansion, and to avoid the situation escalating, he went to apologize, which gave the Zhen Hou Mansion the perfect opportunity.

Stealing the treasures bestowed by the sage is, of course, a capital offense.

Once Meng Zimo's crime of stealing the imperial treasure is confirmed, Han Yunong, as his superior, will inevitably be implicated. If they can take this opportunity to bring down Han Yunong, it would be equivalent to dismantling the Duwei Mansion.

The Duwei Mansion, which was once a lapdog, has now become a thorn in the side of the Zhen Hou Mansion. The Zhen family naturally views it as a thorn in their flesh and a bone in their throat, and they will take this opportunity to properly deal with the Duwei Mansion, making it clear who the true master of Guicheng is.

There was indeed a delicate box made of shells on the antique shelf, but it was empty inside.

Qin Xiao walked to the antique shelf, leaned his head close to the box, closed his eyes, and sniffed with his nose. He quickly turned back and said, "Sir, the shell box is empty."

Han Yunong glanced at him, thinking that even a blind person could see it was empty, so there was no need for him to point it out.

"Did you find the Buddha statue on Meng Zimo?" Han Yunong's expression was solemn as he stared at Mr. Lang and asked.

Mr. Lang had not yet spoken when Zhen Yujian already said, "The Buddha statue was lost while he was waiting in the Linghe轩. It must have been stolen by him."

"Does that mean you didn't find the Buddha statue on him?"

"Who knows where he hid it?" Zhen Yujian said impatiently, "The apology is a pretense, and the theft is the truth. Duwei, your people are really bold."

Qin Xiao was startled. He knew that the Zhen Hou Mansion was always domineering, but he didn't expect them to be so ruthless. It seemed that today was indeed dangerous, no wonder Han Yunong had given instructions before they arrived.

He knew Meng Zimo very well. Given Meng Zimo's character, he would never steal from the Zhen Hou Mansion, but the other party was tyrannical and forced the theft charge on him.

If they want to frame someone, they will find a way.

"Meng Zimo is a member of the Duwei Mansion. Whether he really stole the imperial Buddha statue needs to be thoroughly investigated," Han Yunong said firmly, "If the Buddha statue was indeed stolen by him, the Duwei Mansion will certainly punish him severely."

Mr. Lang laughed strangely, "That's not necessary. The sage gave the old marquis an edict, stating that in Zhen County, if there are bandits, the Zhen Hou Mansion has the responsibility to suppress them. Meng Zimo is a thief, and the Zhen Hou Mansion has the right to punish him."

"Enough talk." Zhen Yujian waved his hand, "Mr. Lang, have someone drag Meng Zimo to the main gate of the mansion and execute him, so everyone knows that the law in Guicheng is strict, and even if someone from the Duwei Mansion steals, they will not be spared."

Han Yunong's face darkened, and he glanced around, his hands already clenched into fists. He signaled Qin Xiao to leave quickly with his eyes.

However, Qin Xiao smiled and looked at Zhen Yujian, not meeting his gaze, and said calmly, "Young Master, I know where the Buddha statue is."

His sudden words made everyone look at him. Qin Xiao had an innocent smile on his face as he looked at Zhen Yujian.

Zhen Yujian sized up Qin Xiao and asked, "What did you say?"

Qin Xiao bowed and said, "Young Master, what you care about now is not how to punish Meng Zimo, but to find the imperial Buddha statue. It was bestowed by the sage, and if it is lost, the mansion will have a hard time explaining to the court."

Zhen Yujian snorted, and Qin Xiao continued, "Whether Meng Zimo stole the Buddha statue or not, the statue must still be in the mansion."

"The inside and outside of the Linghe轩 have been searched thoroughly, and there is no trace of the Buddha statue," Mr. Lang said.

Qin Xiao smiled, "It might be in another part of the mansion." He bowed to Zhen Yujian, "Young Master, is it possible that someone else took the Buddha statue, and it has nothing to do with Meng Zimo?"

"Rubbish." Zhen Yujian cursed, "Everyone in the mansion is loyal, and the rules are strict. You saying someone else took it is nonsense."

Han Yunong's face turned grim, and he said sternly, "Qin Xiao, be quiet." He turned to Zhen Yujian, "Young Master, Qin Xiao is young and doesn't know his place. Please don't take it to heart."

Mr. Lang laughed coldly, "Don't take it to heart? Duwei, your subordinate dares to say the mansion has a thief, which tarnishes the mansion's reputation. This is unacceptable."

"Enough talk. Bring this boy out and beat him to death," Zhen Yujian shouted.

Gui Shou San and two others appeared at the door. Before they entered, Qin Xiao said, "Young Master, we must find the Buddha statue to determine who took it. If I can't find it, you can punish me later."

Han Yunong was anxious, thinking that they came to save Meng Zimo, but now, not only has Meng Zimo not been saved, but Qin Xiao's reckless words might cost him his life.

"Really?" Zhen Yujian sneered, "Find the Buddha statue? Fine, can you find it?"

"I can try."

Zhen Yujian said, "If you really find the Buddha statue and prove that Meng Zimo didn't steal it, I will let you leave immediately and reward you heavily. But if you can't find it, Meng Zimo will be executed, and you will be beaten to death for defaming the mansion's reputation. Han Yunong will also receive thirty lashes."

Han Yunong was alarmed.

He knew that the punishment of lashes could be fatal, depending on whether the person administering the punishment was ruthless and whether the person receiving the punishment could endure it.

The Zhen Hou Mansion would certainly not hold back.

It seemed that Zhen Yujian never intended to let them leave alive.

"Step back, you have no right to speak in the mansion," Han Yunong sternly ordered, not wanting to watch Qin Xiao die.

Zhen Yujian ignored Han Yunong and stared at Qin Xiao, "I give you one night."

Han Yunong's face turned even grimmer.

The Zhen Hou Mansion has hundreds of rooms. Even if given three days, it would be impossible for Qin Xiao to search them all.

Moreover, since they set a trap, even if you search the entire mansion, they wouldn't let you find the Buddha statue.

"By dawn, if you don't hand over the Buddha statue, you and Meng Zimo will be punished at the main gate of the mansion," Zhen Yujian glanced at Han Yunong, a cold smile on his lips.

If not in the Zhen Hou Mansion, Han Yunong would have beaten Qin Xiao to a pulp. This boy was digging his own grave, completely disrupting his plans.

"It won't take a whole night, just two hours," Qin Xiao said without hesitation.

Han Yunong almost spat out a mouthful of blood.

Before he could get angry, Qin Xiao continued, "Two hours is too long, one hour, no, forget it, I haven't eaten dinner yet, and the Young Master won't keep us for dinner. We need to hurry back, so give me half an hour."

Han Yunong's mind was in a daze, and he almost blurted out two words.

Idiot!

He thought this boy was clever, but it turned out he was a fool.

Finding the Buddha statue in half an hour was a pipe dream.

Zhen Yujian and Mr. Lang were also stunned.

They had seen people seek death, but such a way of seeking death was rare.

Seeing Han Yunong's lips move, Zhen Yujian preempted him, "Fine, I'll give you half an hour, Qin Xiao. This is your own request."

Qin Xiao nodded, "Young Master, I have one more request, please grant it."

"Speak!"

"I humbly request that within half an hour, I can search any place in the mansion," Qin Xiao said.

Zhen Yujian didn't hesitate, "Agreed."

"May I ask, Young Master, is there only one imperial Buddha statue?"

"Of course," Mr. Lang said, "The imperial Buddha statue is made of ghost spirit wood, extremely precious. Not only in Guicheng, but even in all of Xiling, it is unique."

"That's good, that's good," Qin Xiao said with a relaxed smile, "Let's go find the Buddha statue now." He suddenly thought of something and turned to look at Han Yunong, who was standing like a statue, his eyes fixed on him.

Qin Xiao touched his face, puzzled, "Sir, what's wrong?"

Han Yunong took a deep breath and turned away.

He had no patience to deal with this fool and was thinking of how to salvage the situation tonight.

The court set up the Duwei Mansion in Zhen County to plant a stake to check the power of the Zhen Hou Mansion. However, the Zhen family's power in Zhen County was too strong, and the Duwei Mansion initially became a lapdog of the Zhen Hou Mansion. The court sent Han Yunong to take charge, and the Duwei Mansion finally began to function.

Han Yunong spent several years building the Duwei Mansion's authority.

But if the Zhen Hou Mansion succeeds in this incident and executes Meng Zimo for theft, Han Yunong's years of hard work will be destroyed, and the Duwei Mansion will surely decline.

While he was thinking of a strategy, Qin Xiao had already left. Zhen Yujian immediately gave Mr. Lang a look, and Mr. Lang quickly followed.

Han Yunong, though angry at Qin Xiao's actions, was also worried that he might encounter other problems alone in the mansion, so he followed. Zhen Yujian, with his hands behind his back, slowly followed as well.

Qin Xiao left the Linghe轩, didn't look back, and walked through the halls and courtyards as if he was familiar with the Zhen Hou Mansion. Mr. Lang was surprised, thinking this was the first time the boy entered the mansion, so why was he so familiar?

Qin Xiao didn't enter any room to search but took out a wine flask from his waist and drank. Mr. Lang sneered, thinking the boy was still drinking at such a critical moment, truly overconfident.

A moment later, Qin Xiao stopped at the door of a small courtyard. Mr. Lang's face changed, and he quickly stepped forward, blocking the door. Qin Xiao smiled and asked, "Sir, whose residence is this?"

"I live here," Mr. Lang's eyes twitched, and his brows furrowed, "Do you want to search my residence?"

Mr. Lang was not an ordinary servant but an important advisor to the Zhen Hou Mansion, with a high status, so he had his own independent courtyard.

"Young Master said I can search any corner of the mansion within half an hour," Qin Xiao's smile disappeared, and he stared at Mr. Lang's eyes, "Since Young Master allowed me to search the mansion, I can enter and leave here freely." He pointed to the iron lock on the door, "Please open the door, sir."

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PS: Thank you for your support. To clarify, the book title should be read as "Ri Yue - Feng Hua," not "Ri - Yue Feng Hua." There is no character named Yue Feng Hua in the book. During the new book period, please recommend and don't forget to add to your collection. Thank you!