Chapter 161 [Father-in-law’s Story 35] Secret Room

Inside the study room, Senior Officer Zhang Feng retracted the amiable and delighted expression he displayed during the banquet and exchanged it with a solemn look instead.

The other people sitting in the room did the same as well, and after exchanging a few glances with each other, they all waited for the senior officer to start this serious discussion.

Zhang Feng lifted the palace report from the table and threw it in front of them.

Shen Zhen knew the contents of that report and quietly explained it in Chu Jiao’s ear.

It was an imperial edict detailing that Emperor Xie Yu had sacked Yang Zhou’s provincial governor while replacing him with a new provincial governor. 

Wu County belonged to Yangzhou, and as a foreign official, many were late to obtain the big news that struck the imperial court. However, the sensitive and keen Zhang Feng was able to detect the Emperor Xie Yu’s rage towards Yangzhou’s mishandling of the relief funds from just a few words in this palace report.

“Even though our Wu County hasn’t encountered any disasters yet, but under the current government of the Son of Heaven, we also ought to give something to the common people….” Zhang Feng said faintly, “Thanks to the Emperor’s compassion as well as the silver provided, everyone needs to help each other and provide grains and asylum for the disaster victims…”

“While this Official is still taking office, I would not forget everyone’s contribution…However, in areas that are still lacking, I also hope that everyone can properly reflect on these…”

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“Tl’p nwaaldvzu oyadkdt yde alxkdekdt vblpl rlsrzl vs elyz okvb vbl alryayvksdp…”

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“Ebyv y okzu sze qsm,” Ubw Kkys rwqqle swv kd ydtla, “R osdela bso xydu xkpellep bl byp nsxxkvvle wdela bkp clzv!”

“Slzym. El’al nwaaldvzu zwakdt vbl pdyjl swv sq kvp bszl,” Fbld Hbld nyalqwzzu alxlxclale vbl qynlp sq vbl rlsrzl kdpkel vbl assx, “El’al fwpv oykvkdt qsa vblx vs tkhl vblxplzhlp yoyu.”

Fssd, lhlausdl bye zlqv.

Hbydt Wldt nywvkswpzu nzsple vbl okdesop yde oyzjle vsoyaep vbl cssjpblzq kd bkp pvweu assx. Slynbkdt vsoyaep vbl nldpla sd vbl vbkae zlhlz yde vwadkdt psxlvbkdt zlqv vbld aktbv, vbl xwayz sd vbl oyzz pvyvksdle yv vbl pkel bye pzsozu cltwd vs nwaz wr, alhlyzkdt y pxyzz bkeeld essa! Uyaaukdt y zkv nydezl, bl iwklvzu pvlrrle kdpkel.

Ubw Kkys lmnbydtle yd lmnkvle tzydnl okvb Fbld Hbld. “G plnalv assx!” Fbld Hbld dseele. “Mblal’p elqkdkvlzu psxlvbkdt kxrsavydv kdpkel.”

Zhang Feng stayed inside the hidden room for approximately five minutes before coming out empty-handed and leaving the study room.

Shen Zhen carried Chu Jiao while leaving and discovered that the room had already been locked shut. However, how could such a trivial thing stop him from knowing what was inside? Taking the hairpin from Chu Jiao’s head, he fiddled it inside the keyhole and was able to open the door.

After replicating the methods that they had seen earlier to open the secret room and upon seeing what the room contained, Chu Jiao felt as though she was about to turn blind from sheer shock.

Shen Zhen had only lit a small kindle, but it was enough for this dark room. Large chests of gold that stacked upon each other occupied their whole view. Pieces of gold and silver jewelry, antique calligraphy and paintings, and countless other valuable treasures filled the room to the brim, and apart from where they stood, only the niche of a statue in the middle was rather empty.

“He’s just an insignificant senior provincial officer… to have actually embezzled this much!” Shen Zhen also did not imagine that Zhang Feng’s guts were this big. He had raked in so much money as if he were a madman.

“Working as an honest prefectural magistrate for three years yet earning ten thousand snowflake silver¹Working as an honest prefectural magistrate for three years yet earning ten thousand snowflake silver (三年清知府，十萬雪花銀): This is a proverb that is used to describe corruption back in ancient times, where officials pretended to be honest on the surface but were in truth, squeezing the wealth out of the common people. Source: https://kknews.cc/zh-hk/history/vepp2j2.html….This saying really does hold true.” Chu Jiao walked around the small room in a circle and stopped at the feet of the niche statue. 

This niche looked normal. It was of a Maitreya that was lying on the side and had three incense sticks stuck on the burner, probably from when Zhang Feng entered.

However, Chu Jiao discovered something odd.

TOC for advanced chapter – ICD [Completed]