Exile with Storage Space: Family Fortunes in the Barren Lands-Chapter 794 - 745: Treasures Hidden in the Old Residence

Chapter 794: Chapter 745: Treasures Hidden in the Old Residence

Mrs. Wei, thrilled, shouted for others to go invite all the masters and madams of the Wei Family to come here.

When Prince Luling and the three brothers arrived at the main hall of the inner residence, the Wei Family was all present.

The old madam bowed in salute, "Greetings to the Prince and the Princely Heir."

Prince Luling stepped forward quickly, helping the old madam up, "There’s no need for formalities, old madam. Alas, the few of us have been stripped of our noble titles. Such salutes, we cannot afford."

He personally helped the old madam to sit down.

The three brothers of the Li Family stepped forward together, paying deep respects to the old madam, "Grandmother." Then, they saluted the masters and madams of the Wei Family, "Uncle, Aunt."

Mrs. Wei was overwhelmed, "Good, good, good children! It’s been almost three years since we last met, and they’ve all grown strong."

The masters and madams of the Wei Family displayed varied expressions.

Some were full of joy, hoping the Li Family father and sons would regain their honor, so they might share in some benefits.

Others wore faces of complaint, worried that the Li Family would still implicate them.

The Li Family father and sons observed without saying anything.

Mrs. Wei inquired about Princess Consort Luling and how Li Yu En’s couple were doing.

"They are all well. Once the Capital is stable, they will come to pay respects to you." Prince Luling replied.

"That’s good, now I can rest easy." The old madam let out a long sigh of relief.

Mr. Wei said, "Did the Prince receive the letter and return to the Capital immediately?"

Prince Luling nodded, "Indeed."

"A major event occurred in the Capital, and we urgently sent the letter over." Mr. Wei continued, "Someone is trying to seize the mansion of the Prince; we cannot let villains have their way!"

The Wei Family didn’t have much ability, all hoping for assistance from the Prince’s mansion.

Second Master Wei said, "Did the Empress Dowager allow the Prince’s family to come to the Capital? Will it cause trouble?"

Mr. Wei glared at him, "To achieve great things, risks must be taken. Being honest will only make you poor forever."

Second Madam Wei added, "What if the Empress Dowager gets angry and blames our Wei Family? Can our family, in its current state, endure more turmoil?"

"Can’t you say less?" Mrs. Wei’s face turned stern.

Second Madam Wei muttered softly, ceasing to speak.

Thinking of how the family had been somewhat implicated by the Prince’s mansion, Prince Luling felt guilty, "Rest assured, this time, we will not act rashly, and certainly won’t implicate the Wei Family,"

Second Master Wei said, "Let’s hope so, we’re truly afraid."

.

Prince Luling and his four sons had no other place to go.

Because they learned that Pei Shenyan and Mu Yuanxiu, along with Li Yuwen and Li Yuzhu, were still retained in the palace, furthermore, Prince Luling did not know where Pei Shenyan’s mansion was.

The four father and sons thus stayed at the Wei Mansion.

Seeing the Wei Mansion, which had become more dilapidated over the past three years, Prince Luling felt remorseful and gave Mrs. Wei two thousand taels of silver, saying it was for their disturbance over the past few days.

When Second Master Wei learned that the Prince only gave two thousand taels, he couldn’t help complaining to the old madam, "It’s not enough, there are four of them."

Not missing being scolded by Mrs. Wei, "You haven’t even looked at their current situation. When they went to Zhen An Prefecture, they were dressed like beggars. Now they’ve returned to the Capital; giving you two thousand taels is already good! You still want more? Don’t forget, if it weren’t for Yu Zhu’s assistance, your Seventh Lady would have been tricked into marriage by the Yu Wen Family, costing you a fortune in silver."

Second Master Pei muttered, "Where is the ten thousand silver? Five thousand taels were taken away by Seventh Lady."

"That’s her compensation silver; she deserves it!" Mrs. Wei raised her cane, waving it at her second son’s leg several times. "The Lu Ling Royal Mansion is still struggling; if you ask them for silver again, I’ll break your legs!"

She chased Second Master Wei away.

.

Prince Luling and his sons settled down at the Wei Mansion.

However, Li Xingsheng couldn’t sleep.

He took advantage of the quiet night, when the streets were empty, to secretly arrive at the old mansion of the Lu Ling Royal Mansion.

On the big doors of the mansion, two large copper locks hung.

But the seals were already gone.

Li Xingsheng retrieved the rope he had brought from his coat, tossing it over the wall, and using its strength, he climbed over.

At the moment his feet touched the ground, Li Xingsheng cursed quietly at the heavens.

He had stepped on a wild cat.

The wild cat immediately shrieked miserably.

Li Xingsheng let go of his foot, freeing the wild cat.

Using the moonlight, Li Xingsheng looked around and sighed deeply in his heart.

Under the moonlit night, the once splendid mansion was overgrown with weeds and trees.

As he walked, wild cats and hares occasionally dashed across his path.

From time to time, he also heard the calls of nightingales and owls.

The surroundings were shrouded in an eerie atmosphere.

Fortunately, the estate was only overgrown with weeds and wild trees; the buildings and paths remained unchanged.

Relying on his memory, he found his old courtyard and groped around in the dark until he found a broken-handled spade in the storeroom.

Li Xingsheng stood at the entrance of the main house, took ten steps forward, ten to the left, and then another ten steps forward.

He stopped at the spot and began digging into the ground.

At three feet deep, Li Xingsheng’s spade hit something hard with a sharp clang and even sparked a bit.

He chuckled, digging with renewed vigor.

After digging a pit, he uncovered a slab of stone.

Li Xingsheng threw aside the spade and pulled the slab out.

With the slab gone, a green-molded bronze chest was revealed.

Li Xingsheng jumped into the pit and dragged the two-foot-square bronze chest out from the earth.

The chest was heavy, and Li Xingsheng panted heavily a few times.

After setting the chest flat, he took the spade and pried open the rusty lock.

Moonlight poured down from the sky, illuminating the contents of the box, which gleamed with a crystalline luster.

Li Xingsheng took out a spark stick, lit it, and rummaged through the box’s contents with his hand.

After a casual inspection, Li Xingsheng closed the box, extinguished the flame, and refilled the pit.

To avoid arousing suspicion, Li Xingsheng pulled some wild grass from behind the courtyard to cover the freshly dug ground.

He relit the spark stick to check the surroundings, confirmed that everything was in order, put back the spade, and carried the box to the mansion gate, where he used a rope to climb over the wall.

Li Xingsheng hefted the box in his arms, smiled contentedly, and retraced his steps back to the Wei Family.

The bedroom door was half-open; Li Xingsheng gently nudged it open with his foot and walked in.

Just as he hooked the door shut, he heard Li Xing’an yawning, "Damn second brother, where have you been? We’ve been searching with Eldest Brother!"

"We thought you’d gone to the latrine, but we waited a long time, and you didn’t return. Where did you go?" Li Xingmao’s voice chimed in.

The room suddenly lit up as Li Xing’an kindled a candle, "You damn second brother, huh, what’s this?"

He walked toward Li Xingsheng.

Li Xingmao also looked curiously at what Li Xingsheng was holding.

Li Xingsheng placed the box on the ground — it was too muddy to set on the table.

"I took it from the old estate of the Prince Mansion; these valuables should help us in a pinch." Li Xingsheng removed his outer garment, shaking off the dirt.

"All rusted... sigh..." Li Xing’an found a rag, wiped some dirt off the box, opened it, and fished through the gold, pearls, and jade inside, "Couldn’t you have brought more?"

Li Xingsheng snorted, "You want me dead from exhaustion?"

Li Xing’an muttered, "Take me along; I can help carry some."

Li Xingsheng said, "Forget it, with your skills, can you even climb over the courtyard wall? What if you alert the patrolling soldiers?"

Li Xing’an fell silent; his martial prowess indeed did not compare to Li Xingsheng’s.

"This chest, there’s at least ten thousand worth of valuables, not a small amount." Li Xingmao remarked.

Li Xing’an roughly counted the treasures: about a hundred large pearls, twenty fine jade pendants, and around thirty gold ingots weighing about two thousand taels.

Li Xingmao estimated, "They must be worth about thirty to forty thousand taels of silver."

"Sigh, if only we’d taken the silver to Zhen An Prefecture back then, we wouldn’t have suffered in the village for so long! It’s all because of you, second brother, you wouldn’t let me take it." Li Xing’an grumbled.

Li Xingsheng gave him a sidelong glance, "Could we have taken any silver back then? Was there even time?"

Li Xing’an was at a loss for words, unable to retort.

Indeed, at that time Li Can conducted strict inspections, having the Prince Mansion thoroughly searched inside and out. If they had taken the silver, who knows how they’d press them for hidden wealth.

Before leaving the Capital, the Imperial Clan Court’s people confiscated everything of value on them, even stripping off their fine outer garments. Moreover, they secretly monitored the whole family.

Later, the entire family stayed quietly in the village, and those who were monitoring stopped appearing.

Now that the Capital is in chaos, they could sneak back into the city.

Li Xingsheng dragged a chair over and sat in front of Li Xingmao, "Eldest Brother, I’ve thought it over. If we want to rescue Eldest Sister and Third Sister and our family wants to return to the Capital, we need to find someone to assist us! That means we’ll have to spend silver! This silver is enough for us to make the arrangements."

Li Xingmao nodded, "Second Brother is right. I’ve thought of a few people to approach first thing in the morning."

Li Xing’an said, "I’ll also go find some people."

Prince Luling couldn’t sleep and came to knock on their door, "Open up, I need to discuss something with you all."