Feng Jin tugged at Ling Mohan's sleeve, following him inside, and reminded him softly from behind to tread lightly and not be discovered.
The room was pitch black, not a single ray of light visible. Feng Jin took a step forward and tripped over something. If Ling Mohan hadn't grabbed her wrist from behind, she would have fallen straight to the ground.
"So close... so close..."
After Feng Jin straightened up, she patted her pounding heart, still shaken.
"Stand here and don't move!"
In the darkness, the man's voice was even more distinct.
Ling Mohan found a candle from somewhere and lit it, illuminating the entire room.
"There really is no one here."
The whole room was empty. Even the bedding was neatly folded, the kettle contained not a drop of water, and a layer of dust covered the desk. It seemed no one had tidied up for days.
Feng Jin reached out and wiped a hand on the desk, smearing dust everywhere. "Has Feng Yuanping met with an accident?"
Ling Mohan also found the matter peculiar. Feng Yuanping wouldn't stay away from his room for so long. Perhaps something had indeed happened.
"No... I have to find Feng Yuanping..." The more she thought about it, the more fearful she became. She had to find Feng Yuanping today to be truly at ease.
Feng Jin calmed down and thought for a long time. She still felt that Madam Sun was definitely involved.
"Let's go to Madam Sun's room to find her first!"
Ling Mohan nodded and followed Feng Jin out.
Having only been to the Feng family a few times, Feng Jin navigated by memory, searching for a long time but still unable to find Madam Sun's courtyard.
Even stranger, as they walked, they didn't see a single person. The bustling scene of before was completely gone.
Such a prosperous and thriving mansion was now desolate like an empty house. Even if it were to fall, this speed of decline was too rapid.
"There must be over a hundred people in this mansion. Even if they were dismissed, there wouldn't be no commotion. Unless... unless it's..."
Seeing Feng Jin's words stop abruptly, Ling Mohan inquired, "What else have you thought of?"
"I was just wondering if everyone in the mansion has been locked up, which is why there are no traces of them?"
Ling Mohan's eyes narrowed slightly. "That is indeed a possibility. But with hundreds of rooms in this mansion, where have the people been locked up?"
"I don't know either. Isn't that what we're trying to figure out?"
She was not familiar with the mansion. She had visited so few times that her fingers were more than enough to count them. How could she possibly know which room could hide people, or if there were any secret rooms in the mansion?
Ling Mohan eyed Feng Jin suspiciously. "This is your home. Don't you know anything at all?"
"Nonsense! When I was little, Feng Yuanping and Madam Sun conspired to send me to the countryside. I was only brought back to the mansion the day before I married you, and before I could explore the mansion, I was stuffed into a sedan chair and carried into the Ling family. I only returned for a bit recently, and even then, I just sat for a while before leaving. Do you think I can be very familiar with the Feng mansion?"
She rolled her eyes at Ling Mohan, feeling that everything he said was useless.
If he knew where people were hidden in the mansion, he would have gone there long ago instead of wandering around like a headless fly.
"Let's keep searching slowly. Maybe we'll get lucky and find them."
All they could do now was hope their luck would be better. Feng Jin searched aimlessly, peeking into every room. She had searched more than half of them with no clues.
"If we keep searching like this, we won't find anyone until dawn."
They couldn't continue searching like this. Ling Mohan increasingly felt that there must be a secret room in the mansion, otherwise, with their commotion, no one would have noticed.
Feng Jin was also tired. She sat on the steps, raised her eyes, and asked Ling Mohan, "Then how do you suggest we search?"
"There must be a secret room in this mansion. Can you guess where the secret room is?"
A secret room... If only she knew where the secret room was. Feng Jin propped her chin on her hand, lost in thought. After pondering for a long time, she couldn't come up with any useful information.
If she had known this would happen today, she would have explored the Feng mansion properly back then. Now, she was completely clueless. The only places she knew were Feng Yuanping's study and the dilapidated courtyard where He Miaoqing had lived.
"Let's go to the study and see if we can find any clues."
Given the current situation, the only thing they could do was check the study. Perhaps they might find something there.
"Let's go to the study."
When they arrived at the study, Feng Jin began rummaging through cabinets and drawers, but it didn't look like there was a secret room.
Ling Mohan walked around the study and tapped on the wall. When he tapped on the north wall, he noticed the returning sound was noticeably different. A solid wall would produce a dull thud when tapped, but this wall sounded excessively crisp.
"What's wrong? Is something amiss?"
Seeing Ling Mohan stop moving, she walked up to his side and inquired.
"This wall is hollow. The secret room should be behind it."
Feng Jin frowned slightly, mimicking his actions, and tapped the wall. The returning sound was indeed wrong, hollow and crisp. The wall behind was truly empty.
"Then where is the switch for the secret room?"
Retracting her hand from tapping the wall, Feng Jin's gaze constantly scanned the surroundings. She felt over the porcelain pieces on the cabinets, but none of them were the switch for the secret room.
The only peculiar item among the decorations in the study was a painting of a beauty chasing butterflies hanging on the wall.
Feng Yuanping was not a man who indulged in women. He married He Miaoqing back then for the He family's power, to help him rise in status. As for Madam Sun, although he chose her himself, he had doted on her.
However, Madam Sun could not compare to power. When Madam Sun's actions threatened his interests, Feng Yuanping unreservedly chose his own interests.
Therefore, seeing this painting of a beauty chasing butterflies in his room, Feng Jin found it very strange. Furthermore, the more she looked at the woman's appearance in the painting, the more familiar it seemed, as if she had seen her somewhere before.
"The switch might be behind that painting."
Ling Mohan followed the direction Feng Jin pointed, tiptoed, and took down the painting. He then saw a stone-carved button switch behind it.
After pressing the button, the cabinet behind them slowly moved aside, revealing a door as tall as a person.
"There really is a secret room in this study."
Feng Jin looked at the secret room that appeared before them in surprise. She had to admit that the secret room was hidden very well. Who would have thought that the switch for the secret room would be hidden behind a painting?