Marry a powerful minister and remain a widow?I’m done with the book-wearing female role!

"Master, madam, I'm late."

It's not that I'm late, it's that I'm addicted to listening outside the door and wants to continue to dig out the secrets of Xiahe Village. These rabble-rousers don't want to talk about life or death.

Aunt Zhang panicked when she saw the person coming. She was stunned for a while and realized that the situation was over. She immediately fell to her knees and cried: "Only we know the secret of the gold mine. As long as you agree..."

Xie Zhao raised his eyelids lightly and said in a calm tone: "I won't agree."

Not to mention the massacre of a hundred or so villagers, even one blasphemous word against his wife would deserve death.

Without the master's instructions, the men removed the jaws neatly, not allowing these people to make any noise, and dragged them out silently.

"My benefactor, I know where they hid the gold!"

Ningxiang took the initiative to stand up. Before her father died, he had a premonition that these people would do something bad and transferred some of the gold in advance.

It can be said that except for her, Aunt Zhang and others did not know about it, otherwise they would not have been looking for survivors in the village.

In addition to silencing them, they also need to ask about the whereabouts of some of the gold mines.

In the small Buddhist hall, the ever-burning lamp has been burned out, and it is plunged into darkness.

Xie Zhao did not ask Ningxiang, but lit up the fire and knocked on the surrounding walls. He said to Jiang Yuzhu: "Yuzhu, from the outside of the Buddhist hall, the layout is different from the inside. There should be another one in the Buddhist hall." A hidden space."

After knocking a few times, Xie Zhao skillfully took out a brick.

There was a mechanism inside. After he pressed it with his hand, he heard a click and the entire wall moved, revealing a copper door.

The double door knockers of the bronze door are gilded, with two symmetrical ferocious beasts protruding from the left and right.

"Yuanhe, is there any danger inside?"

Jiang Yuzhu stared at the bronze door and thought of the storybook saying that the darkrooms were equipped with mechanisms, and reminded Xie Zhao not to take it lightly.

Xie Zhao pointed to the carving on the door knocker and said: "Madam, don't worry. In Daqi, there are no more than two hands who are proficient in designing darkrooms."

The ferocious beast door knocker represents the lowest level of the mechanism, which is considered a minor trick.

When he was at Duke Mao's mansion, Xie Zhao led his men to the secret room in the mansion. It was the highest level in the secret room. The door knocker was a dragon head and there were densely packed mechanisms inside.

Opening the door knocker of the beast, there is a tung oil ever-burning lamp on the blue brick wall.

The inside is small, dry and ventilated, and contains a dozen large boxes.

Xie Zhao opened it casually, and inside there was a box of nourishing medicinal materials. The quality was of the highest quality.

The rest of the boxes contained mostly jewelry, antiques, porcelain and other items, which were valuable.

Jiang Yuzhu played with the silk-wrapped golden butterfly, looked at it carefully by the firelight, and said in surprise: "Yuanhe, this is Pink Butterfly's jewelry!"

Zhao Fandie's most beloved jewelry is the silk-wrapped gold butterfly step shake, and she asked a craftsman to carve the word "pin" on the top.

After she and Ji Chengyun made peace, she once returned to Ji's house to pack her parcels. In order to find her beloved jewelry, she even had a quarrel with the Ji family.

The maid only said that she didn't see it. In the end, Zhao Fendie had no other choice and didn't want to continue arguing with the Ji family, so she had to admit it.

Xie Zhao came to Jiang Yuzhu, found several palace-made objects from the box, and said firmly: "These jewelry should have come from the black market in the capital and were transferred here through channels."

People like Aunt Zhang are ruthless bandits themselves.

After making money from gold mining, the use of gold in large quantities aroused suspicion, so he tried to find ways to launder money on the black market.

Most of the antiques, calligraphy and paintings purchased with gold were stolen and sold, and the prices on the black market are very low.

Buy it at a low price, and then send it to Jiangnan and other places to be resold through special channels among bandits. It is a hugely profitable business and you can make a lot of money.

The output of the gold mine is enough to ensure wealth for several generations. The villagers want to hand over the gold mine to the government, which is a fatal blow. Aunt Zhang and others discuss it and never stop doing it.

Ningxiang followed behind and watched silently. Suddenly her vision went dark and she fell to the ground.

Hong Jin and others entered the secret room and helped carry Ning Xiang out to feed her porridge.

When Ningxiang woke up, it was already dawn the next day.

The large group of people was delayed on their way and stopped on the official road not far ahead.

When officials from the capital came to take over, Xie Zhao watched the people in the yamen register. It wasn't until officials from the capital came to take over that the group was ready to set off on the road.

"Madam, please keep Ningxiang!"

Ningxiang chased the carriage, crying and kneeling in front of the horse's head.

Her parents are gone. Although she still has relatives in her hometown, they all despise her for being just a girl. Ningxiang has no home.

Xiahe Village will be taken over by people from the government, leaving Ningxiang alone with nowhere to go.

Hearing that her benefactor was heading to the north, Ningxiang begged shamelessly: "Madam, Ningxiang can wash and cook, and can also embroider with women's red. If you don't know how, you can learn. Please take her in and give her a bite to eat!"

Jiang Yuzhu took a sip of tea and pondered slightly.

Hong Li couldn't bear it and begged: "Madam, why don't we take Ningxiang? She is very handy, and she can also run errands and send messages."

Although she is just a maid who came halfway, she looks like Ningxiang is very smart and could be of great use if she is trained in the future.

"Alright."

Jiang Yuzhu asked Hong Li to bring Ningxiang into the carriage. Ningxiang observed her words and expressions and saw that Jiang Yuzhu was tired, so she helped her rub her forehead.

Jiang Yuzhu closed her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief: "Ningxiang, your hand strength is just right."

Ningxiang hesitated for a moment. She heard that there were some things that a maid should not say, but she kept it in her heart and felt uncomfortable. She asked: "Madam, how did you realize that something was wrong with Aunt Zhang? The slave also said that she knew where the gold was hidden. , you found the location accurately without using slaves to guide you."

"Red carp."

Jiang Yuzhu called Hongli out to solve the problem.

Jiang Yuzhu was not the only one who noticed the abnormality. Jiang Yuzhu only noticed that Aunt Zhang was lying and was weird.

Most of the details rely on Xie Zhao's keen judgment.

Hong Li was a little proud: "You want to hide gold and deceive my wife? My wife is a master of hiding money and has a very keen sense of money. My entire wealth is managed by my wife."

Jiang Yuzhu: "..."

"Red carp, let's get to the point, but you went astray again!"

Hongxiu pushed Hongli, and then said to Ningxiang, "When Madam moved the table, she found that the table was very heavy, which did not match the weight of the wood. She guessed that there was something inside."

People in Xiahe Village hide gold by hollowing out the middles of tables, chairs and benches at home and stuffing gold nuggets into them.

If you don't move the tables and chairs deliberately, you won't notice it at all.

Ningxiang looked at Jiang Yuzhu with extremely fanatical eyes and said: "Madam is really amazing, I will also become a smart person like Madam in the future!"

Especially when it comes to hiding money, Ningxiang asked her wife to teach her some tips.

Jiang Yuzhu closed her eyes, feeling tired.

Gold mines were discovered along the way, which was a great achievement.

Jiang Yuzhu witnessed the tragic death of the villagers and couldn't eat for several days. Should she make some compensation?

Thinking of the military supplies in the North, Jiang Yuzhu thought about how much money she could make.

After washing up in the evening, Jiang Yuzhu talked about what was on her mind and comforted herself: "Yuanhe, I know you think about the people and will not take a copper coin from the villagers, but..."

Just take it as a principle not to take it this time. If something similar happens again, you shouldn't be lenient.

Jiang Yuzhu is really not making money for herself.

Xie Zhao carried a purse and handed it to Jiang Yuzhu and said: "My husband will not use the things belonging to the court, but the money from the bandits may have been concealed even if it was given to the local government. It is all here." .”

In addition, Xie Zhao also thought of a good idea to make a lot of money.