Chapter 264 - Chapter 264: Chapter 272: The Color of Surprise (2/2)
Since they had agreed, Han Yu and Su Wenyue did not delay any further; they ate and then set out for Zhuangzi. Being considerate of Su Wenyue, they had no choice but to travel by horse carriage. They also needed to bring some supplies for Zhai Li and the others, as yesterday night’s rush to get people to a safe place left them neglecting other matters.
“This is it.” Su Wenyue had never been to Zhuangzi before, but seeing that the scene in front of her matched Xiao Xi’s description, she knew they had arrived. It was indeed well-concealed here, she thought, likely a lot of effort was put into building the underground Zhuangzi originally.
“Madam has arrived.” The housekeeper of Zhuangzi recognized Su Wenyue, naturally, as the affairs of Zhuangzi were secretive. When Xiao Xi had chosen people to go to Zhuangzi, he had specifically brought them to meet Su Wenyue. Seeing her arrival, the housekeeper hurriedly came over to show the way.
Su Wenyue nodded, “Were the few young masters who arrived yesterday evening settled in properly?”
“They have been settled in. Servant arranged them in the courtyard on the east side, as per Madam’s command to keep them from being discovered. That place is relatively secluded, and in case they get discovered, there is an escape route to quickly move them.”
Su Wenyue was pleased with the arrangement, which was exactly to her liking, “What are they doing now, have they requested anything?”
“Having not slept at all last night, the young masters fell sound asleep as soon as they arrived. They woke up around noon today, then ate heartily, and they are probably practicing swords in the courtyard now. Initially, they wanted to wander around Zhuangzi, but without your permission, Servant did not agree, given that this lot doesn’t seem like ordinary people, fearful they might discover our Zhuangzi’s secrets.”
“You did the right thing; it should be so. Our Zhuangzi is not yet ready,” she said.
“Servant will hasten to tidy up all the areas of Zhuangzi.” The housekeeper thought Su Wenyue was dissatisfied with his speed, but their Zhuangzi was different from other places. Because they had to maintain secrecy, there were many details to be considered, which had delayed the progress.
“I know you’ve tried your best. After all, such a big Zhuangzi has been neglected for so long; cleaning it up is indeed a lot of work. I will arrange for some reliable servants to come help you later, after all, our Zhuangzi is understaffed,” Su Wenyue said, pulling Han Yu to walk around the Zhuangzi. At first, Han Yu hadn’t noticed anything unusual, but after observing closely, especially when Su Wenyue reached a rockery and pressed a switch to open a hidden door and led him into an underground chamber, he showed a look of surprise.
“What’s this? How can there be an underground chamber in Zhuangzi, and it looks like there’s more than one?” Han Yu asked in surprise. Was this the surprise his daughter-in-law mentioned? Zhuangzi had been acquired not long ago by his wife and couldn’t have been built temporarily. The dust inside suggested it had been here for years.
“Of course, there’s more than one. I’m not sure who built this country estate, but they put in a lot of effort. The entire underground establishment is a hidden Zhuangzi, with a labyrinth of passageways that lead in every direction throughout the mountain and even to a secret valley. The valley is surrounded by mountain peaks, with that single secret passageway being the only entrance or exit. I can’t imagine how they discovered it—I even suspect this estate might have been built by some royal intent on staging a revolt.”