bestfiction Chapter 444 The Dark Mansion
Chapter 444 The Dark Mansion
After Yun Shang left, he quickly mobilized manpower to focus on investigating the residences of officials closely associated with Li Chongyi.
He personally led the team, carefully surveying each place they visited, leaving no corner unchecked that might contain hidden mechanisms or secret passages.
For several days, the entire city of Shengjing was in a state of panic. Officials whose residences were being investigated were already on edge because they were trapped in their homes, and now they felt as if a knife was held to their throats.
They knew perfectly well what Yun Shang was looking for.
If they were to find Li Chongyi in their own residence, they would face certain death; even exile would be a luxury.
They searched three mansions in a row without finding anything, until they finally found Li Guan's mansion.
Li Guan's son, Li Zhuoyue, was detained in the palace. On the night of the Prince of Qi's rebellion, Li Guan knew the plot had failed because he hadn't seen his son.
That night, realizing something was wrong, he told his family to pack their things, planning to leave the city early the next morning. However, he did not expect that Yun Shang would have the Imperial Guards surround them overnight.
Unable to escape, Li Guan and his family remained trapped in their residence.
As Yun Shang led the Imperial Guards into the mansion, Li Guanqiang suppressed his composure and raised his eyes coldly: "Lord Yun, what a show of power you have! Not only have you surrounded my residence without cause, but you've also broken in without permission!"
Although news of the Prince of Qi's rebellion had not yet leaked out, apart from those involved, most others were completely unaware of the changes that had taken place in Shengjing City in the past few days.
But everyone here is a seasoned veteran of officialdom; they know the truth perfectly well, they just don't say it.
Yun Shang's lips curled up slightly, and he chuckled softly, but the smile did not reach his eyes, and the chill remained: "Whether it is without reason or not, Lord Li must know better than anyone else."
After saying this, he raised his hand to signal the Imperial Guards, his eyes revealing an icy chill: "The items in the Minister's residence are all rare and precious. You must be very careful when you search them, and do not damage them."
The Imperial Guards responded in unison, then dispersed and went to various corners to conduct a search.
In an instant, terrified screams came from the backyard from the women of the Li family.
Supported by Madam Li, Old Madam Li walked unsteadily to the front yard. Her face was full of anger, and her expression was extremely ugly. Pointing at Yun Shang, she shouted angrily, "Yun Shang, are you trying to turn the world upside down? My Li family has been loyal to the court for generations, yet you come to harass us without cause. Do you have any respect for seniority or age? Is there no law anymore?"
Madam Li's voice was sharp and shrill, carrying a hint of arrogance and haughtiness stemming from her pampered upbringing.
Yun Shang glanced at her indifferently, his tone calm yet sharp: "Madam Li, I am acting under orders. If you feel it is unfair, you may go to the palace yourself to plead with the Emperor."
Upon hearing this, Madam Li's face turned pale and then red, and she was choked and speechless.
She had originally planned to use her seniority and the Li family's past power to put pressure on Yun Shang and make him back down, but she didn't expect Yun Shang to be so unyielding and shut her down directly.
"You...you're committing insubordination!"
Madam Li was so angry that she trembled all over, and she slammed her cane heavily on the ground with a dull thud.
Seeing this, Madam Li quickly patted Old Madam Li's back gently, comforting her while glaring at Yun Shang with resentful eyes.
“Lord Yun, my mother-in-law is old, please don’t upset her. You said you were acting on orders, but what exactly were those orders? You have to give us a clear answer. My Li family has always been law-abiding, and we really can’t understand why we have suffered such a calamity.”
Madam Li's voice was trembling with tears as she tried to coax some information out of Yun Shang.
Yun Shang remained indifferent and unmoved, only coldly saying, "Madam, you don't need to ask any more questions. Once the search is completed, we will naturally give you an explanation."
After saying that, he ignored the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law and turned to continue directing the Imperial Guards to search.
Old Madam Li and Madam Li wanted to say something more, but Li Guan stopped them sternly: "That's enough, no need to say anything more, go back to the backyard!"
Madam Li looked at her husband with trepidation and asked, "My lord, why hasn't Zhuoyue come home yet? What has he been doing?"
Li Guan slowly raised his eyes to look at Madam Li. His brown eyes seemed to be stained with ink, deep and terrifyingly black: "Don't ask so many questions, or you'll end up with a miserable death, torn apart from your body..."
Madam Li was so frightened by these words that she trembled all over, felt a chill run down her spine, and broke out in a cold sweat.
Her lips trembled slightly, and she hesitated a few times, but in the end she didn't dare to make a sound. She could only help Old Madam Li walk towards the backyard, looking back every few steps.
Throughout the journey, Madam Li was filled with worry, concerned not only for the safety of her son, Li Zhuoyue, but also for the precarious situation of the Li family.
She always had a strong premonition that disaster was imminent, as if a catastrophe was quietly approaching...
As Li Guan watched their departing figures, his face grew even more gloomy.
We absolutely mustn't let Yun Shang uncover anything, or the entire Li family will be doomed...
However, Yun Shang made a discovery.
They discovered something amiss in the woodshed where the servants' quarters were located.
This place was originally the courtyard where servants lived, and it was messy and chaotic.
The woodshed was filled with all sorts of odds and ends, emitting a pungent, strange smell.
Judging from the thick layer of dust, it's clear that no one has set foot here for a long time.
But Yun Shang, being very observant, noticed something amiss.
He ordered some debris to be moved aside, and after carefully examining the ground, he discovered that the color of the soil was clearly off.
It looked like it had been turned over and then deliberately pressed down.
Yun Shang had his men dig into the unusually colored soil, and after a few digs, a hard wooden board was revealed.
Yun Shang narrowed his eyes slightly, a sharp glint in them, and ordered the Imperial Guards, "Pry open the wooden planks."
The Imperial Guards, armed with sharp blades, struggled to pry open the wooden planks.
Before long, a wooden plank about three fingers thick was successfully dug out, revealing a dark tunnel entrance underneath.
"This secret passage is really well hidden."
A soldier, sweating profusely and panting, said, "I don't know where this secret passage leads, Lord Yun. Let me go in and scout ahead."
Yun Shang nodded.
Several imperial guards lit torches and went down into the secret passage. Yun Shang and the others waited on the ground for a quarter of an hour before they saw the light of fire appear at the entrance of the secret passage.
A soldier crawled out, his face and clothes covered in dust. He took a deep breath and said excitedly, "Lord Yun, there's a hidden house underground!"
A dark house?
A residence that can be called a mansion must naturally occupy a large area. And this hidden mansion beneath the Li residence is almost identical in size and structure to the Li residence above ground.
Yun Shang led everyone into the dark house, where they found two cups of tea that had not yet cooled down completely in the room below Li Guan's study.
This is also a study, and it is obvious that not long ago, at least two people were drinking and discussing things in this study.