Scheme of the Official Descendant

In the afternoon of this day, Ren Yaoqi had just returned from the Nine Sun Palace of the princess, but found Xiao Jingxi who had gone out in the morning was in the room.

"Didn't you just come back at night?" Ren Yaoqi asked in surprise.

Xiao Jingxi smiled slightly, got up and said, "Are you busy this afternoon?"

Ren Yaoqi thought for a while: "I'm going to go to the Empress Dowager of Lanxi Hall to copy Buddhist scriptures later."

Xiao Jingxi stepped forward and pinched Ren Yaoqi's nose lightly: "I'll ask someone to go to the concubine and say that I won't be going today, you go and change into lighter clothes that you can go out with."

Ren Yaoqi patted Xiao Jingxi's hand away and asked doubtfully, "Going out?"

Xiao Jingxi blinked: "Take you somewhere."

Ren Yaoqi was very curious: "Where is it?" The two of them seldom went out together since they got married, and it didn't look like there was anything important about Xiao Jingxi.

Xiao Jingxi gently pushed Ren Yaoqi's shoulder, pushed her into the inner room, and said with a smile, "Go and change your clothes first, and I'll talk about it later."

Ren Yaoqi had no choice but to call the servant girl in to help her wash and change her clothes.

Xiao Jingxi sat on the side and waited for Ren Yaoqi to get dressed before coming forward, bent over to look at Ren Yaoqi from the mirror, but frowned after looking for a long time.

Ren Yaoqi was a little inexplicable: "What's wrong?"

Xiao Jingxi turned his head to look at herself, and then said, "There seems to be something wrong."

Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but laugh, squinting at him and jokingly said: "What's wrong? Could it be that you just saw that I was wearing a painted skin today? Mr. Xiao, you should read less messy books in the future."

Ren Yaoqi's words started with the fact that she accidentally found a novel that was basically popular among young girls in the boudoir on Xiao Jingxi's bookshelf.

Hearing this, Xiao Jingxi coughed lightly, and the roots of his ears turned red, which surprised Ren Yaoqi.

In fact, since the two got married, someone's skin has grown thicker, Ren Yaoqi has not seen Xiao Jingxi's red ears for a long time.

Ren Yaoqi didn't know that Xiao Jingxi worked very hard in pursuit of beauty. As reserved and arrogant as the Second Young Master Xiao, naturally he can't let go of his figure to ask others how to pursue the girl he likes, but Second Young Master Xiao believes in a word, as long as he wants to learn any knowledge, he can't learn it.

So for a while, the Second Young Master Xiao would light up the lamp and read in the study at night when the people were quiet. No one knew that the noble and glamorous Second Young Master Xiao was reading novels secretly in the study at that time.

Everyone has secrets, and Second Young Master Xiao is no exception. He did not expect that these books would be read by Ren Yaoqi in the end, and would be made fun of by Ren Yaoqi from time to time in the next few decades.

If only he had known...

Xiao Jingxi avoided Ren Yaoqi's playful gaze as if nothing had happened, took out a piece of Luozidai from her dressing box, dipped it in water, and said solemnly: "The eyebrow on the right is faded, I will draw it for you." He raised Ren Yaoqi's chin with his hand, and drew her eyebrows intently.

Ren Yaoqi stared at Xiao Jingxi with a smile for a while, suppressed the smile and let him go.

The Second Young Master Xiao still frowned dissatisfied: "Don't laugh, don't blame me if the painting gets messed up after a while."

Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but burst out laughing, and then Xiao Jingxi shook his hand, his eyebrows were indeed blurred.

After the two of them packed up and came out, Xiao Jingxi finally recovered his usual noble and glamorous in front of outsiders, only Ren Yaoqi couldn't restrain the smile on his face.

After getting into the carriage, the Second Young Master Xiao finally couldn't take it anymore: "Madam, if you smile at me again, do you want to waste your lips?"

Ren Yaoqi froze for a moment before realizing what it meant, and couldn't help but glared at him fiercely, turning her head and ignoring him.

Originally, Ren Yaoqi thought that Xiao Jingxi was just taking her somewhere in Yunyang City, but she didn't expect the carriage to go out of the city gate and go to the official road. Ren Yaoqi was a little surprised to find that the carriage was going in the direction of Baihe Town.

"Where are we going?" Ren Yaoqi lowered the curtain and asked.

Xiao Jingxi offered Ren Yaoqi a cup of tea, smiled slightly: "Guess?"

Ren Yaoqi: "..."

After entering Baihe Town, when the buildings along the way became more and more familiar, Ren Yaoqi became calm instead. When the carriage stopped in front of the gate she was familiar with, Ren Yaoqi was silently helped out of the carriage by Xiao Jingxi, looked up at the dusty door plaque and was speechless for a while.

Xiao Jingxi took Ren Yaoqi's hand and led her up the steps. When she entered the door, no one greeted her. The gatehouse was empty and there was no one there.

Standing in front of the screen wall in the front yard, Ren Yaoqi looked at the empty house, and suddenly felt as if she had passed away.

"This house is already in the hands of the Han family, right?" Ren Yaoqi turned to look at Xiao Jingxi.

Even though she didn't leave the gate, she still knew the affairs of the Ren family clearly.

Xiao Jingxi nodded, and led him into the Hanging Flower Gate, and walked along the corridor to the inner courtyard.

Ren Yaoqi had walked this road countless times, but this was the first time she walked here side by side with Xiao Jingxi. The emptiness and silence around her made her feel very strange. I don't know if it has something to do with the presence of this person beside her, this house that she hates very much on weekdays doesn't look so depressing today, she adjusted her mood a little and then followed Xiao Jingxi, He even had time to discuss with Xiao Jingxi the feng shui pattern in this mansion.

Xiao Jingxi smiled and said, "The Feng Shui pattern here is surprising."

Ren Yaoqi sighed: "It is said in the book that fate and feng shui complement each other, but unfortunately no matter how good feng shui here is, ordinary people like the Zhai family and the Ren family will still be unable to suppress it."

The two owners of this house did not end well.

Xiao Jingxi didn't know what he thought of, and couldn't help thinking.

"What did you bring me here for?" Ren Yaoqi sighed and asked.

Xiao Jingxi looked down at her, but was about to speak but was interrupted by Ren Yaoqi: "I don't guess!"

Xiao Jingxi couldn't help but chuckled, squeezed her hand and said, "Han Yunqian said he would send a small gift to Yanbei Palace, so I'll take you to have a look."

Ren Yaoqi was taken aback when she heard the words, and couldn't help guessing what the gift Han Yunqian was talking about, she had some guesses in her heart.

Xiao Jingxi looked familiar, and didn't need Ren Yaoqi to lead the way at all. Ren Yaoqi couldn't help raising his eyebrows and glanced at him: "Have you been here before?"

Xiao Jingxi blinked innocently: "No, I want to come with you. But Han Yunqian drew a picture for me before."

Ren Yaoqi stopped talking.

Xiao Jingxi took Ren Yaoqi to the garden. Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but frowned seeing the newly dug deep holes around the garden. Although these holes were not too big, they were dug extremely deep. Bazhang, the beautiful garden flowers have been damaged by these messy holes and lost the beauty of the past. If you come here at night, you may accidentally fall down.

But because of these holes, if there is a secret room underground, it will be easy to find.

Xiao Jingxi led Ren Yaoqi to avoid those dark holes and came to the pond.

There is a lotus pond in the middle of Ren's garden, Yanbei in May is still a little cool, the lotus in the lotus pond has not bloomed, and even the lotus leaves are a little listless. Xiao Jingxi led Ren Yaoqi around the rockery beside the lotus pond, and then gestured behind him.

Xiao Hua, dressed in gray, appeared out of nowhere, saluted Xiao Jingxi and Ren Yaoqi, then turned around and got into the rockery.

Ren Yaoqi raised her eyebrows in surprise: "Here?"

Xiao Jingxi smiled back at Ren Yaoqi.

Ren Yaoqi couldn't help being very different. This garden is not a hidden place. The daughters and children of the Ren family like to visit the yard when they have nothing to do. Maids and women sometimes come in, especially the rockery because there is a lotus flower The pool is a good place to enjoy the cool in summer. Ren Yaoqi did not expect that the secret way of the Han family would be here.

Xiao Hua stayed in the rockery for about a quarter of an hour, if Ren Yaoqi hadn't heard the slight knocking sound coming from the rockery, he thought Xiao Hua had already gone out from another exit.

Fortunately, both Xiao Jingxi and Ren Yaoqi were extremely patient and did not appear impatient at all. Xiao Jingxi was thinking of asking Ren Yaoqi if he wanted to walk around, but suddenly there was a click in the rockery The sound of the machine bracket, and then a slight vibration of "Boom Boom Boom" did not know what was turned on.

Ren Yaoqi and Xiao Jingxi could not help but look at each other.

Xiao Hua quickly got out of the rockery, bowed his head and reported: "Master, there is indeed a secret passage inside, and it has been opened according to the method you said. For the sake of safety, this subordinate will go down to investigate first, you and the young master Go down, ma'am."

Xiao Jingxi thought for a while, then nodded. If he was on his own, he wouldn't be afraid of any traps, but if he went in with Ren Yaoqi, he'd better be careful.

Xiao Hua got into the rockery again without saying a word, this time it took him another half a quarter of an hour to come out.

"Master, there is no mechanism."

Xiao Jingxi nodded, and led Ren Yaoqi into the rockery.

Ren Yaoqi is no stranger to this rockery. When she was young, she and her sisters often came to play. The center of the rockery is hollow and the place is not small. Because there is a light opening on the top of the rockery, it is quite bright inside during the day. .

But when Ren Yaoqi went in, he found that even this rockery had been dug into a hole about six or seven feet deep, so he couldn't help laughing.

"The secret path has not been discovered?"

Xiao Jingxi glanced at Ren Yaoqi, then gently held her face with his hands and made her turn her head. Ren Yaoqi saw behind her that the stone wall near the pond on the rockery was actually opened, and was captured by Xiao Jingxi. Jingxi pulled it over and took a look. Under the stone wall was a staircase that only allowed one person to pass, and it actually led to the bottom of the lotus pond at a slant.

Ren Yaoqi was surprised and said: "How could this happen? This lotus pond is very deep, and the bottom is full of soft mud."

Xiao Jingxi smiled, blinked and said, "Go down and have a look."

Xiao Jingxi walked down the secret path, Ren Yaoqi hurriedly followed, since the secret path only allowed one person to pass, Xiao Jingxi put his right hand behind his back and carefully led her, while reminding her to be careful not to Meeting, because he was prepared, he still held a lighted torch in his left hand.

This secret passage was very narrow, and Xiao Jingxi had to bend slightly to pass through.

Ren Yaoqi discovered that the secret passage was not only narrow but also very long, the surrounding air was very humid and cold, and there was a smell of rotten mud piercing into the tip of his nose. If Xiao Jingxi hadn't been there, Ren Yaoqi would have discovered such a secret passage. Dao would not even think about going down to have a look.

Xiao Jingxi reminded Ren Yaoqi to be careful, and said with a smile: "Do you know why it took Xiao Hua nearly a quarter of an hour just to open this secret passage?" The elegant voice sounded in the narrow and long confined space, seeming to echo.

Ren Yaoqi thought for a while: "Is this secret way difficult to open?"

Xiao Jingxi said: "Well, mechanism techniques are actually used. If someone tries to use violence to dig this passage, the stone steps of this secret passage will collapse, blocking the entrance to the secret room inside."

Ren Yaoqi couldn't help frowning: "It is reasonable to say that the Zhai family is just an ordinary wealthy family, why would they spend so much effort to build such a secret room? Could it be that there are some rare treasures hidden?"

Xiao Jingxi smiled and said, "If there are any rare treasures, just go down and have a look."

Because they had to take care of Ren Yaoqi, the two went down slowly, but they finally stepped on the flat ground, and Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. This is already the bottom of the pond, and because the underground air does not circulate all the year round, she is a little uncomfortable.

Xiao Jingxi looked back at her and frowned: "Uncomfortable? Why don't you go up? It's my fault."

Ren Yaoqi held Xiao Jingxi back, and said with a smile, "I've already come down, I'm not reconciled if I don't go in to see the rare treasures. I'm fine, just get used to it."

Seeing that Ren Yaoqi was fine, Xiao Jingxi was relieved.

There was a stone gate in front of them that had been opened, and it still only allowed one person to pass through.

Xiao Jingxi lit a grease lamp hanging on the stone wall with a torch, and then led Ren Yaoqi into the secret room with the lamp.

Arriving here, Ren Yaoqi was really curious and looking forward to it.

She has known this secret room for a long time, the Ren family has been trying to find the entrance to the secret way since her great-grandfather, and part of the reason why the Zhai family's murder was because of the crime of pregnant. It's a pity that it didn't work until the Ren family moved out of this house. She never thought that she would see this day with her own eyes.

After walking in, Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. This is just a very ordinary stone house. Although it is not as narrow as the passage outside, it is only as big as her bedroom when she was in her mother's house. There are several large wooden boxes, the red paint on the boxes is peeling off badly, it looks like it has been a few years old.

Facing the door, there was an altar with an incense table and a fruit plate, and the incense ash was covered with the incense table. The fruit plate was dark and I don’t know what it was. Ren Yaoqi took Xiao Jingxi to take a closer look, and found the altar table The jade statue enshrined in the back couldn't help being stunned,

"This is..." Ren Yaoqi tilted his head and looked carefully at the jade statue, which was only one foot high.

"It's Nine Heavens Xuannv." Xiao Jingxi said.

Ren Yaoqi frowned: "Nine Heavens Profound Girl? Few people enshrine this at home..."

Xiao Jingxi pondered and continued: "Except for the general's family."

Ren Yaoqi raised her eyebrows and looked at Xiao Jingxi.

Xiao Jingxi said with a smile: "It is said that Nine Heavens Xuannv is the military advisor of the Yellow Emperor, a goddess of war in ancient times, who is well versed in military strategy, so some generals will enshrine this in their homes."

Ren Yaoqi nodded, and asked doubtfully, "Is the ancestor of the Zhai family a general?"

Xiao Jingxi pulled Ren Yaoqi closer to the statue, looked down at the wooden box under the statue. The box was placed on the altar, it seemed to be made of sandalwood, it was smaller than the dozens of alleys piled up next to it, and there was a lock on it.

Ren Yaoqi looked around, trying to find a key to open the box, but found nothing.

Xiao Jingxi held her back, and said with a smile, "What are you looking for? This is not an ordinary lock, but a lock that cannot be opened by the key."

Ren Yaoqi took the oil lamp in Xiao Jingxi's hand and looked over it, and found that it was a very ordinary-looking brass lock with double tiger heads, because the air here was humid, and green copper rust had formed on it. If you look closely, you will find that there are five gears that mesh together, and each gear is engraved with densely packed small characters.

Ren Yaoqi had seen this kind of mechanical lock in a book before, as long as the five gears were rotated to align the correct characters to the correct position, the lock could be opened.

Ren Yaoqi looked at it with interest for a while, and then asked Xiao Jingxi, "Since Han Yunqian told you about the mechanism of the secret way, he should have also told you the secret of this lock, right?"

Who knew Xiao Jingxi shook his head: "No."

Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but feel a little disappointed when he heard the words: "So you can't see it as a rare treasure?"

Xiao Jingxi thought for a while, then frowned and said, "You really want to see it?"

Ren Yaoqi deliberately made things difficult for Xiao Jingxi and said, "Yes, it's a pity you can't open it, so forget it."

Hearing this, Xiao Jingxi just raised his eyebrows and smiled, without making any excuses, he just pulled Ren Yaoqi away, and said in a gentle voice, "Let's see what's in the other boxes first."

Except for the one on the confession case, none of the other dozen or so large boxes in the house were locked. Xiao Jingxi opened one casually, and found a box of porcelain inside, ranging from square pastel general statues to small ones. Small snuff bottles are of different types and sizes. After carefully identifying the pastel general statue, Xiao Jingxi nodded and concluded, "It's a treasure." Then he closed the box and went to open another one.

A large box next to it contained jade pieces, which were also peerless treasures. Ren Yaoqi even recognized that a pair of luminous cups were crafted from a small country in the south.

However, when Xiao Jingxi and Ren Yaoqi saw so many good things, they just looked at them casually, and they were not surprised.

When he opened the third box and found a box of well-preserved paintings and calligraphy inside, Xiao Jingxi smiled, and said to Ren Yaoqi: "This box has to be moved back no matter what, it can please Lord Taishan." Then he took out a painting from inside and looked at it carefully, looking very satisfied.

Ren Yaoqi: "..."

The two walked around the secret room, and found that these boxes were filled with valuable and not easy to carry utensils. Although they just glanced at it casually, they could see that the Zhai family's family background was indeed not weak.

After reading the box, Xiao Jingxi took Ren Yaoqi to the confession and looked at the locked sandalwood box.

Ren Yaoqi looked at Xiao Jingxi's thoughtful expression, and asked curiously, "Why? Can it be opened?"

Xiao Jingxi returned Ren Yaoqi with a bright smile, almost dazzled Ren Yaoqi's eyes: "Since you want to see it, I have to find a way to open it."

Speaking of which, Xiao Jingxi handed over the oil lamp in his hand to Ren Yaoqi, and went over to fiddle with the lock by himself.

Ren Yaoqi didn't stop when she saw this, she just stood aside and watched.

Xiao Jingxi turned and read all the words on the gears, and then tried to guess the secret words on the lock, but it's a pity that Second Young Master Xiao is not a god after all, he guessed wrong twice.

Ren Yaoqi saw that he was frowning seriously, and couldn't help laughing: "Forget it, let someone get it up and find someone to open it. I'm afraid this kind of lock is..."

Ren Yaoqi hadn't finished speaking, but suddenly heard a "click" and then the sound of the machine running, and couldn't help but froze.

A smile slowly appeared on Xiao Jingxi's face, and he looked back at Ren Yaoqi and blinked.

Ren Yaoqi looked at the secretly smug expression on someone's face, couldn't help laughing, and boasted generously: "Young master is so powerful, I admire him!"

Second Young Master Xiao looked at Ren Yaoqi, and said seriously in a low voice, "As long as it's what you want."

Ren Yaoqi couldn't help blushing, Xiao Jingxi lowered his head and kissed Ren Yaoqi's forehead, then pulled her over and said, "Would you be disappointed if it wasn't a rare treasure?"

Ren Yaoqi was still confused by Xiao Jingxi's soft kiss just now, and said without thinking, "You opened it, how could I be disappointed."

Only when she met Xiao Jingxi's bright eyes did Ren Yaoqi realize that what she just said was so incompatible with Xiao Jingxi's nasty words.

Ren Yaoqi was a little embarrassed, but Xiao Jingxi laughed lowly, pinched Ren Yaoqi's palm lightly, and said, "That's good, because I guess there may be no surprises in this box, don't be frightened." Enough."

Ren Yaoqi was stunned when he heard the words: "You know what's inside the box before you open it?"

Xiao Jingxi sighed, looked at the statue of the Nine Heavens Profound Girl and said, "That's not true, but I have guessed the real identity of the owner of this box."

Ren Yaoqi frowned: "The real identity of the owner of the box? Isn't this the secret room of the Zhai family? Could it be that this box was not left by the Zhai family?"

Xiao Jingxi said: "That's not true, this person should have a deep relationship with the Zhai family."

Ren Yaoqi's curiosity was aroused by what Xiao Jingxi said, and she couldn't help looking at the sandalwood box: "So the reason why you were able to open this lock just now was not because of random guessing, but because of guessing. The identity of the owner of this box?"

Xiao Jingxi nodded: "Exactly." He smiled at Ren Yaoqi, "Don't you want to see it? Do you want to open it?"

Ren Yaoqi blinked, wondering what Xiao Jingxi meant by the fright.

Xiao Jingxi didn't speak, just looked at Ren Yaoqi with a smile, as if she would open it when she said it, and he would pull her away if she said she didn't want to read it.

Ren Yaoqi didn't hesitate for too long, and after all, curiosity overcame everything. And she knew in her heart that if there was any danger, Xiao Jingxi would not let her open the box, so at most she would be frightened. RS