The Western Market in the capital was a bustling and prosperous area.
There were many brothels and pleasure - houses in this area, and it was the only place without a curfew.
After the carriage of the Wen Mansion entered the Western Market from the outskirts, the street was filled with a hubbub of voices. The cries of peddlers and the sounds of laughter came one after another.
It was even more lively here than during the day.
Xiao Rencheng didn't expect Wen Zilong to have made such full use of the saying "The truly reclusive hide in the marketplace".
His private treasury was actually hidden in the back courtyard of the brothel, the House of Spring Welcome.
Who would have thought that Lord Wen, famous in the Great Ye for his devotion to his wife, was a special guest of the House of Spring Welcome?
Even fewer people would have guessed that Lord Wen didn't come to the House of Spring Welcome for pleasure but to store his money.
As soon as the Wen Mansion's carriage stopped outside the building, the madam came up with a beaming smile. "Oh, isn't this Lord Wen? It's been a long time since you last came! The girls have been missing you!"
The curtain of the carriage was lifted, revealing Lan Jinqin's extremely beautiful face.
The smile on the madam's face froze. "This... Lady Wen..."
Why would Lady Wen come here?
"Madam, you're not here to look for Lord Wen, are you?" the madam asked gingerly. "He hasn't come yet!"
Wen Zilong had never brought Lan Jinqin here before.
However, the madam recognized Lan Jinqin, who was once the most beautiful woman in the capital, so she blurted out her identity.
The madam was extremely nervous. Why was Lady Wen coming in Lord Wen's carriage?
Could she be here to cause trouble?
But Lord Wen really hadn't come!
"Madam, I brought Lady Wen here." As he spoke, a man emerged from the carriage.
The man was in plain clothes and wore a veiled hat, so his face couldn't be seen clearly in the darkness.
Just from his build, he resembled Wen Zilong a bit.
The madam blinked and asked uncertainly, "Lord Wen?"
She felt that Wen Zilong's aura was different today.
Instead of his usual gentle and refined manner, he seemed extremely stern and cold.
But when Wen Zilong came to the House of Spring Welcome in the past to avoid being noticed, he did wear a veiled hat to cover his face like this.
Noticing that the madam was secretly sizing him up, Xiao Rencheng tried to suppress his cold and fierce aura, and his voice became even deeper.
"Aren't you going to lead the way?"
After all, he had served in the same court as Wen Zilong, so he had a certain understanding of his character.
He imitated him quite well, at least sixty percent alike.
At this impatient tone, the madam was startled. She didn't dare to say anything more and immediately led the two into the inner courtyard.
Xiao Rencheng casually glanced around.
The House of Spring Welcome was really a place full of surprises.
No one would have known that behind the luxurious and decadent brothel in the front yard, there was a solemn and heavily - guarded back yard.
The madam asked gingerly, "Lord Wen, are you going to take Lady Wen in to check today?"
Xiao Rencheng coldly retorted, "Do you have any objections?"
"No, no, no. I wouldn't dare to have any objections. It's just... I'm worried that it might not be convenient for Lady Wen to go in." The madam stole another glance at Lan Jinqin and muttered to herself.
Lord Wen never brought outsiders to the House of Spring Welcome. Why did he come today without prior notice and bring his own wife?
Xiao Rencheng snorted. "This House of Spring Welcome is under my protection. No one in the capital has ever dared to cause trouble here. You are the steward I appointed. Your job is to guard my private treasury well."
"All you need to do is open the treasury when you see me. Do I need to explain to you who I'm going to take in?"
As expected of the left censor of the Censorate, a few words hit the nail on the head.
As a result, the madam didn't dare to ask any more questions after being scolded. She immediately led the two to the treasury.
After seeing the man take out the key and successfully unlock the door,
the madam's hanging heart relaxed a bit.
Apart from bringing an extra Lady Wen, there didn't seem to be anything different.
Maybe she was just being overly suspicious.
Wen Zilong was right. Since he was here in person, as the steward, she shouldn't meddle too much.
Xiao Rencheng and Lan Jinqin entered the silver treasury, immediately locked the door from the inside, and then looked inside.
All they could see was a dazzling display of gold. Gold ingots were packed in iron boxes one by one, along with countless rare treasures and fine products from foreign lands...
It was a dazzling sight.
Lan Jinqin was momentarily stunned.
She had underestimated her husband's greed.
The value of these things was more than a million taels...
Seeing so many treasures, Lan Jinqin's heart couldn't help but flutter. "Warrior..."
She turned to talk to Xiao Rencheng but saw that the bandit remained completely unmoved after seeing these treasures. His eagle - like eyes just slowly scanned the room.
Lan Jinqin closed her mouth, and her eyes narrowed slightly. She sized up Xiao Rencheng thoughtfully.
This bandit really didn't seem like a bandit.
Xiao Rencheng's gaze fell on the bookshelf in the corner.
He strode forward and stopped in front of the bookshelf.
The shelves were empty and covered with dust, except for a statue of the God of Wealth.
The statue wore an official hat, held a gold ingot, was dressed in gorgeous official robes, and had a beaming smile.
Lan Jinqin walked up to him and looked up at the amiable statue. Suddenly, she said, "Is there a hidden compartment behind this bookshelf?"
Xiao Rencheng immediately looked at her sideways, with surprise in his eyes. "Madam, why do you say so?"
Lan Jinqin pointed at the statue. "The rest of the bookshelf is covered in dust, but there's no dust on this God of Wealth. It shows that someone touches it from time to time."
Xiao Rencheng nodded appreciatively and then asked, "So what? Maybe Lord Wen pays homage to the God of Wealth every time he comes in here, hoping that he'll bless him with wealth?"
"This is my husband's private treasury, so the only one who touches this God of Wealth is him..." Lan Jinqin stroked the statue. "My husband loves power more than wealth. He worships the God of Literature. He never pays homage to this God of Wealth. So why would he touch it as soon as he comes in?"
Although Wen Zilong was ruthless, he had the pedantic and lofty airs of a scholar in his bones.
Although he was corrupt, he paradoxically looked down on these vulgar things.
He just used these vulgar things to subdue the vulgar people in the world and step on them to climb to the peak of power.
Xiao Rencheng silently looked at her, and his eyes became obscure.
Although Lan Jinqin and Wen Zilong seemed to have had a fierce conflict, it had to be said that Lan Jinqin still knew Wen Zilong's character best.
Lan Jinqin reached out her hand towards the God of Wealth, ready to try to open the mechanism. "So, I think this God of Wealth is a key to the mechanism. I wonder what's hidden inside?"
A big hand promptly grabbed Lan Jinqin's hand.
The palm was warm and strong. The bronze - colored skin formed a sharp contrast with the woman's milky - white complexion.
Lan Jinqin looked at Xiao Rencheng's eyes in confusion. "What's wrong?"
Xiao Rencheng said gravely, "Madam, if you open the mechanism wrongly, there might be hidden weapons shooting out."
Lan Jinqin withdrew her hand as if she had been electrocuted and looked at the statue of the God of Wealth in surprise.
"I'm sorry. I didn't know about this..." Lan Jinqin said with lingering fear.
Looking at her frightened face, Xiao Rencheng felt his heart soften. "There's no need to apologize, Madam. You're a noble woman raised in a deep boudoir. Naturally, you don't understand the underworld of the jianghu. The fact that you could analyze that this is a mechanism just now already makes you better than most women in the world."
Being praised so gently by a bandit, Lan Jinqin felt even more strange.
She nervously wrung her fingers. "Then... maybe we shouldn't look anymore... Warrior, aren't the gold and silver outside enough for you?"
Xiao Rencheng let out a low laugh, and his laughter became even more intense. "Madam, these outside are all gold, silver, and jewels. How much can we carry out?"
"Only what's hidden in this hidden compartment might be banknotes, which will be more convenient for you to carry."
Of course, he was certain that there were account books and records of dirty money transactions in this hidden compartment. He had to open it and take a look.
Lan Jinqin was even more stunned.
She had forgotten about this...
Xiao Rencheng had already stretched out his finger and reached towards the statue of the God of Wealth.
Lan Jinqin's heart skipped a beat.
If he opened it wrongly, wouldn't there really be hidden weapons shooting out...