Since there is space, it is naturally the best to buy it for 0 yuan

Chapter 661 Hidden secrets

Shen Ruyi watched as the study lights went out before climbing in through the window.

He turned on the small light and started searching everywhere.

After she had thoroughly searched the entire study, she finally found a secret room that led down into the ground behind a bookshelf.

I carefully walked down and then saw a basement of about 30 square meters.

It was filled with all sorts of boxes and shelves, and the shelves were also piled high with all sorts of boxes and caskets.

Shen Ruyi flipped through the items one by one, finding many well-preserved paintings and calligraphy by famous artists, as well as gold, silver, and jade artifacts.

She hadn't originally planned to steal anything here, but when she saw a blood-red coral that was over three feet tall, she was tempted.

Having taken a liking to it, Shen Ruyi naturally moved it into her own space.

She then saw two pieces of warm, lustrous jade and a jade Buddha with a bluish-green, watery appearance, which she secretly put away.

The green hue seemed to flow under the light, clear and bright, falling directly onto Shen Ruyi's heart.

As for the other treasures and valuables, Shen Ruyi didn't touch them, nor did she touch the silver and banknotes she found.

Finally, she saw a large box that smelled particularly good, so she put it away as well.

What she was certain of was the presence of agarwood, fruitwood, pear blossom, jasmine, and osmanthus fragrances.

The key is that this fragrance smells sweet but not cloying or pungent.

There are also a few other fragrances that Shen Ruyi couldn't distinguish, but that doesn't affect how pleasant they smell.

Take it home and ask Granny Yang and the others if they can figure it out themselves.

Shen Ruyi searched for a while longer and found two boxes of letters, documents, and account books in a locked cabinet.

He put it in his pocket, left the secret room, and restored the study to its original state.

Seeing that she had not yet returned, he then toured the mansion's main storeroom and the prefect's wife's private treasury.

She mainly wanted to see if Prefect Qiu's family was wealthy.

As expected, it did not disappoint; the family was extremely wealthy.

When she left the prefect's mansion and climbed over the wall, she came face to face with Yiren.

The two then visited the homes of Magistrate Huang and Magistrate Lü. By the time they finished visiting these three homes, it was almost dawn.

The two made their way back to the inn before dawn and fell fast asleep.

When they woke up again, the news of the King of the East Sea entering the city had already spread like wildfire.

They said they had to ask around at several guesthouses before they could settle in, because the guesthouses ahead of them were already full.

Shen Ruyi guessed that the owners of these inns must have received prior notice from the prefect and did this on purpose.

It's very likely that this was done in advance to facilitate the killing.

Fortunately, they knew about the other party's plan in advance and took precautions, otherwise they might have really been caught here.

Of course, some were frightened by the arrival of the King of the East Sea, while others were overjoyed and danced with excitement.

Those who are afraid are mostly large families with problems that cannot withstand any investigation.

The people who welcomed the King of the East Sea were ordinary folks.

Thanks to the propaganda of some people, the previous actions of the King of the East Sea have already spread throughout the country.

He was indeed a ruthless killer who loved to raid homes, but he only raided the homes of corrupt officials; he never arrested ordinary people.

According to popular legend, he was also particularly fond of upholding justice for ordinary people and was very fair and honest.

For ordinary people, what could make them happier than the arrival of a just and upright official?

Because they did not deliberately conceal their identities when they entered the city this time.

So local officials rushed to the city gate to greet them as soon as they heard the news.

I heard that the prefect had specially arranged a magnificent villa for the Prince of Donghai, but the Prince of Donghai's people refused it.

Finally, after both guesthouses were full, all the guests were accommodated.

After waking up, Shen Ruyi began to look at the various letters and documents she had found the day before.

Based on the evidence she currently possesses, all three businesses will be shut down, and without exception, they will all collapse.

For the crimes they committed, the most serious offenses resulted in beheading, while the least serious offenses resulted in exile; it was difficult for them to have a good end.

However, two letters mentioned the same thing, and they were written very cryptically. Shen Ruyi had a feeling that there must be something very important involved.

Shen Ruyi read it three times but still couldn't understand it, remaining completely confused.

I went through all the information she had in my mind, but I still couldn't find any relevant clues.

It seems I'll have to ask around to find out what exactly happened four years ago.

In the afternoon, Shen Ruyi and Yiren split up. Yiren continued to keep an eye on the prefectural government office to see if they had any other tricks up their sleeves.

Shen Ruyi went to a teahouse on the street to drink tea and asked the waiter for information.

After giving away a piece of silver as a reward, Shen Ruyi asked if anything major had happened here four years ago.

The waiter happily stuffed the silver into his pocket and began to think back.

He began by talking about several major events he had heard about.

The first major event was that the prefect died in office that year.

He had just been caught embezzling funds intended for river management and committed suicide at home out of fear of punishment.

"When Lord Pei first came here, he was actually quite good. He was willing to stand up for us common people. It's a pity that he changed after serving as an official for a while. I heard that he embezzled a lot of money back then."

In the end, he committed suicide, and afterwards, his entire family, young and old, were all exiled.

"Alas, if only he had known then what he knows now, he wouldn't have done it in the first place. His greed led him astray."

Shen Ruyi nodded and tapped the table with her hand bone, saying, "Then a lot of silver must have been found in his mansion, right?"

How much? Two hundred thousand taels or more than three hundred thousand taels?

Xiao Er racked his brains, then shook his head. "I don't think I remember anything. I haven't heard anything about how much money was confiscated. That incident was handled extremely quickly, and nobody knows what happened."

Shen Ruyi started to ponder, while the waiter leaned closer, glanced around, and whispered:

There are also rumors that Prefect Pei was framed and set up, but it's unclear whether it's true or not.

It's a pity he committed suicide before he could be interrogated.

Have you met Prefect Pei?

"I've never seen him up close, but I've seen him from afar. He's very thin and somewhat reserved."

I've never heard of him or his family doing anything like bullying men or women.

Shen Ruyi asked, "Hmm, what's the second important thing?"

"The second major event was that the dike upstream of Huaishan Town broke, drowning many people."

Some say thousands drowned, others say dozens.

"Do you know why?"

"I heard about this from a guest, but I don't know if it's true or not."

He said the upstream dikes collapsed because they should have been built with rice water and stones, but instead, they were filled with knotted grass, which caused them to break when the water rushed in.