Royal treasurer

"Another befuddling mystery of the cave construction lies in the markings on the walls. Every wall is covered in uniform parallel chisel marks. This particular form of excavation would've been much more labor-intensive than raw excavation. Apart from the unknown and confusing means of construction, other weirder mysteries surround the Longyou caves. The local area is known for having deep naturally occurring caverns that are filled with water. When these caverns are explored, they teem with life and fish. When the Longyou caverns were first pumped dry, no evidence of life and absolutely no fish were found inside their walls. This mystery could be purely coincidence, but it still raises questions as to what might have made the man-made caverns different. The caves show no signs of damage. The inside of the caves is so well preserved that it is as though they were built very recently."

"Myths about the local ponds 'bottomless' properties were the talk of local lore for as long as anyone could remember. One man decided that this myth finally had to be put to the test, so he diverted the flow of water and emptied the river only to find out a huge man-made cave. The cave is still under observation and is one of the prestigious researches of the eastern province. It's famous all over the continent. I am not sure how did you people possibly copied the designs when it is confidential, but we will figure it out that later."

"You see, here the design is just a poor replica of that cave. I could tell it from one glance. The cave is made at a place where the water is shallow."

"Do you hail from the east?" Feng Ye Isey caught the details in her speech.

Qin Ru became uncomfortable. She gave a stiff smile, her excitement slipped the details about her. "No". I studied in the eastern province, so I'm familiar with it. It's a well-known work of human art."

Feng Ye Isey was no fool. He noticed the subtle change in her voice when she answered about her place, but he didn't expose her. If she willing to hide it then there must have been some reason for it?

He let go of it and gave a nod.

TAP! Tap! Tap!

Sound of hooves resonated.

Qin Ru instantly pulled Ye Isey and hid beside one of the bushes. Feng Ye Isey who was grabbed frowned but before he could say anything she had placed her hands on his lips as she shushed him by placing a finger on her lips. She signaled him about approaching horses. Feng Ye Isey then heard sounds of hooves.

Someone seemed to be here, but why?

Isn't this a deserted palace?

Doubts flitted through his mind.

A massive chariot came to a halt where they had been standing. It was accompanied by three other guards. Ye Isey's first impression was that it might be a wealthy merchant, but when he examined their uniform more closely, he was taken aback.

It was a royal guard uniform.

What brought them here?

As he pondered the situation, he noticed a man in his forties leaving the chariot. He was dressed in fine orange robes and adorned with a large number of jewels. Owing to a lack of melanin in his body, his hair and beard turned white. His blemish-free skin was complemented by an unsightly scar. He stood there, haughtily.

It was Bai Yan.

The royal treasurer of the Guangxi kingdom.

It was a position that many envied but only the most loyal candidates were selected as royal treasures. His father, Feng Zhen was also chosen for this position, but he had denied it saying he wasn't to help people and king instead of managing money.

Despite the fact that Feng Ye Isey had only met Bai Yan once, his obsession with jewelry and the large scar on his face made him memorable.

But why was he here in the first place?

"Quickly, increase the water level of the river so the cave gets submerged in water. We don't want that Feng Zhen bastard son, to find out about our deeds or else, the secret that I had buried deep will be excavated by him."

The man in the orange robe gave the order.

"However, Feng Ye Isey is a complete moron. Do you really believe he'll be able to solve the case? " One of the royal guards made a snide remark about Ye Isey.

Bai Yan sighed heavily as he continued stroking his beard.

"I understand your point, but the emperor ordered us to get rid of any evidence. I want to be safer than sorry. After all, prevention is better than cure."

The three guards nodded their heads in understanding.

"Lord, it's been so many years since the incident. What clues can Feng Ye Isey even find? Given his intelligence, I am sure he will be kicked out of the courtroom in the next hearing."

"I wonder what sin he committed to anger Holy lady" The other guard piped in.

"Yea. Even I wonder too. I heard a rumor that the current Holy Lady and that bastard Feng Ye Isey were supposedly in love. He even personally visited the emperor a few days before the ceremony to request his majesty to not choose her as Holy Lady. Can you believe it?" The other guard remarked.

Even Bai Yan was shocked by this piece of information.

"Not going to lie but I pity that poor soul. Not only is he an orphan but now he is on the wrong side of the Holy lady. Then there are those cunning old foxes in the courtroom, Zhang and Zheng elders. They hate him to his core because of Feng Zhen. In their prime time, it was Feng Zhen who caused many troubles for them, but they failed to do anything to him because of his wits."

Bai Yan shook his head with disappointment.

"Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine Feng Zhen's son to be such a moron."

As Bai Yan insulted Ye Isey, the other three guards burst out laughing.

As they proceeded to ridicule Feng Ye Isey, Qin Ru felt a surge of rage course through her veins. She was so enraged that she almost forgot about their situation and was about to jump out of the bushes, but Ye Isey was quick enough to stop her before she did something regrettable.

"Stop struggling Qin Ru" He whispered as slow as he can however Qin Ru was full of energy.