The secret chamber in Chen's room was funnel-shaped, meaning the entrance was relatively narrow, but it widened as one went further in.
Zhong Li lit the candle and closely followed Lu Wuxie. She casually scanned the dark expanse ahead, and unsure how much further they had to go, she asked, "How did Your Highness discover there was something wrong with the cup?"
Lu Wuxie slowed his pace, looking back at the beautiful woman behind him. "Do you still remember that the remaining water levels in the two cups were the same?"
Zhong Li nodded, immediately understanding. "So, the cup was accidentally knocked over. Logically, the amount of water spilled should have been the same. However, one cup clearly had less, leading you to suspect Chen's cup?"
"Clever." Lu Wuxie took the candlestick from her hand and raised it slightly, instantly clarifying the path ahead. "Actually, it wasn't just the water; one could also sense it by the cup's weight."
Hearing this, Zhong Li's eyes widened with realization. No wonder she felt something was off when holding the two cups earlier. It turned out the weight wasn't the same. The problematic cup had an extra layer at the bottom.
And that extra layer was the key to unlocking the mechanism in Chen's room.
The bottom of the cup was rotatable. The extra layer had a hole drilled into it. As the base rotated, the cup could be used to pour water or let it drain. In simple terms, it was like a modern toothpick dispenser. As the lid rotated, the dispenser could be closed or opened to pour out toothpicks.
"However, it is quite surprising that there would be a water mechanism in Chen's room," Zhong Li remarked.
Lu Wuxie nodded, his gaze sharpening as the exit, which was gradually becoming illuminated ahead, appeared. It was an opening that could accommodate two people walking side-by-side, but it had been deliberately blocked with branches and dense leaves.
"Hold this." Lu Wuxie extinguished the candle, rolled up his sleeves, and began to remove the leaves and branches one by one.
Zhong Li, standing aside, saw the abundance of dense leaves and was about to lend a hand. However, Lu Wuxie suddenly blocked her with his arm, saying, "This is a man's work. Women only need to rest."
Zhong Li was taken aback. Looking at the man who continued his work without even turning his head, her eyes held an unreadable depth.
After about fifteen minutes, all the branches blocking the opening were finally removed. Due to the variety of branches, some leaves might have had thorns. Lu Wuxie's arms already bore small scratches.
"Let's go." He started walking, not forgetting to put down his rolled-up sleeves with one hand.
"Wait a moment." Zhong Li placed the candlestick at the entrance to conceal it and quickly stepped in front of Lu Wuxie to block his path.
Lu Wuxie, confused, watched as Zhong Li took out a small bottle from her pocket. Regardless of his willingness, she opened the bottle, grabbed his arm, and slowly poured the medicine inside onto his scratched arm.
"I added more borneol to this medicine. The scent is quite strong, and it might sting a bit. Your Highness, please bear with it," came the clear voice from the woman opposite him.
Lu Wuxie lowered his gaze to her serious face. The sunlight shone on her face, warm and inviting. The usually cold and resolute expression had gained a touch of gentleness. As his arm twitched with her movements, he could even feel her steady breathing as her chest rose and fell.
A gust of wind blew, carrying a faint medicinal fragrance from the woman that wafted towards his face. His Adam's apple bobbed slightly, and his cheeks, bathed in sunlight, appeared even more flushed.
Zhong Li finished her task and then, pulling a roll of bandage from her sleeve, began to dress Lu Wuxie's wound.
Before long, Lu Wuxie's arm was wrapped securely, and the injured part no longer hurt as much as before.
"All done," Zhong Li said, tidying up the remaining items. She looked ahead and then started walking forward.
Lu Wuxie followed behind her, looking at the arm she had just treated while rolling down his sleeve. Just as he was about to speak, Zhong Li preemptively muttered to herself, "The bandages for securing dead bodies are used up. I'll have to find some more when we get back."
Lu Wuxie's mouth twitched.
The opening led to a dense forest. Ling Shan Temple was built on a mountaintop. Based on Su Qing's topography analysis, Zhong Li believed this path should be a downhill route leading to a mountain stream and forest. However, according to Su Qing's geographical records, this path had not yet been developed.
"Someone must frequent this place," Zhong Li remarked as she walked, noticing a narrow path not far away. The wild grass on the path was flattened, revealing a splash of green sap.
Lu Wuxie quickened his steps to stand beside her. He followed the path with his gaze, seeing a small house faintly in the distance, and nodded, moving ahead.
It was said that climbing a mountain was not as difficult as descending. The small house, though seemingly not far, would take about an hour to reach.
Having been summoned by Tian Lianxue that morning, neither of them had had a drop of water to drink. Now, only halfway there, Zhong Li, being a woman, was already a little out of breath.
"Let's rest for a bit," Lu Wuxie said, finding two clean stones and gesturing for Zhong Li to take a break.
Zhong Li casually took out a small square handkerchief and wiped the surface of the stones clean. Only after Lu Wuxie sat down did she take a seat.
It was just past noon, the sun at its fiercest. After only a short while under the sun, Lu Wuxie already felt thirsty. He stood up, preparing to look for a water source, when some cabbage stems were presented before him.
"There are underground rivers around Su Qing, making it difficult to find water. Even if there were, we don't have enough time. These cabbage stems have the effect of quenching thirst and promoting urination. They'll have to do for now," Zhong Li said.
Lu Wuxie smiled, took the stems, and chewed them.
Zhong Li glanced sideways at the man, who was so unpretentious, and felt a slight surprise. In her opinion, a rich and dissolute young master like him should have looked disgusted.
"Take a look at this." After finishing the cabbage stems, Lu Wuxie felt much less thirsty. He casually took out a few sheets of Xuan paper from his pocket and handed them to Zhong Li.
Zhong Li took them. At first, she thought the Xuan paper contained some trivial writings Lu Wuxie had brought to amuse her. But when she saw the content, her expression turned grim. This...
The very thing she had asked Lu Wuxie to investigate yesterday already had an answer today?
Thinking this, Zhong Li's gaze fell on the slightly darkened circles under Lu Wuxie's eyes. A warm current suddenly flowed through her heart.
First, it detailed the first matter Zhong Li had asked Lu Wuxie to investigate, concerning Zhao Jun and his three former wives: Ms. Jiang, Ms. Liu, and Ms. Zhang.
As Jia Shi had said, Zhao Jun had indeed been providing them with financial assistance a few years ago. However, ever since Zhao Jun's child was born, these three women had not received any support from him.
"So... Zhao Jun has been deceiving Jia Shi?" Zhong Li extracted the key information from this.
Lu Wuxie took the first sheet of Xuan paper from her hand. "I really didn't know about Zhao Jun until I investigated him. He's been pretending to be poor."
"Pretending to be poor?" Zhong Li was a little confused.
Lu Wuxie placed his finger on the second sheet of Xuan paper.
Zhong Li followed his gaze and looked closely. When she saw the content, her face showed surprise.
"Zhao Jun's ancestral home has quite a bit of farmland?"
"Yes," Lu Wuxie nodded. "Not only farmland, but Zhao Jun is also involved in several businesses in Su Qing County."
Upon hearing Lu Wuxie's words, Zhong Li clearly understood the contents of the Xuan paper. According to it, the monthly income from Zhao Jun's farmland and businesses was enough to support his family comfortably. But then why, when she visited Zhao's residence yesterday, was her first impression that Zhao Jun was destitute?
"In my opinion, there are only two explanations for the behavior of someone like Zhao Jun," Lu Wuxie said, wiggling his index and middle fingers.