Chapter 94 - To Catch Sheng Li
Ying Lili again went to the mini library and checked if any secret door was there. She checked behind the shelves while touching the wall and tapping on it. As she reached the end shelf, she touched the wall there as well and tapped on it. She heard a sound as if the wall had space behind it.
But the construction of the wall was so refined that she could find nothing suspicious in that. She scrutinized the end wall, but nothing was there. The Crown Princess looked inside the shelves to find if there could be any secret door lock made. She kept checking inside the shelves when she found a lever, which was hidden at the bottommost shelf behind some old books, and moved it down.
The shelf moved back, which astonished Ying Lili. "So, the wall had no secret door, but this bookshelf is itself a secret door to the other room," Ying Lili muttered. She quickly went in and the thing that she saw not only shocked her but also, at the same time baffled her.
"There was nothing inside the secret room except a wooden cupboard. She checked inside the cupboard, but there was nothing except a few scrolls.
"Did he put bait to catch Sheng Li?" Ying Lili wondered as she closed the cupboard. Ying Lili turned to leave when she found something strange on the wall attached to the wall cupboard. She quickly touched it and kept moving her hand over it when she found a round depression on the wall.
The depression was so minute that it was difficult to detect it unless one keenly observed it. She pushed it in and heard the lever and pulley system sound. The wall had a door that opened up.
"How many doors has he made?" Ying Lili complained and walked in. Her eyes gleamed seeing the gold there and many other precious valuables as well- 'The True Treasure of the Prime Minister.' But Ying Lili's main aim was not to look at the gold and other precious valuables but something that could be used against the Prime Minister.
She checked the wooden cupboards, which were a total of ten there. Two cupboards had some maps of the residence and the neighboring kingdom which Han had occupied to this date.
The Crown Princess then checked the other cupboards and found a ledger book in which it was shown how the taxes were manipulated for those cities which were far from Han. "Will it be okay to take this ledger?" Ying Lili thought. She checked the other cupboards as well when she found something which astounded her.
A diary she found, which was about Sheng Li's mother. Ying Lili realized that day in the study room, she had seen a diary in Sheng Li's hands which was also of Sheng Li's mother. But then, what was this? And what was this doing there? She quickly flipped the pages and saw how Sheng Li's mother had written every single moment with Sheng Li, since the day of his birth.
Ying Lili realized she did not have enough time, so she quickly put the account ledger book and Sheng Li's mother's diary inside her upper jacket. Tying the knot on her upper jacket, she ran outside the room, closed it, and then came out from there.
She pulled the lever up behind the cupboard, and it closed the wall behind it. Ying Lili took a breath of relief and went to the door when she found Eunuch Cai had a bewildered expression on his face.
"What did you mix inside the master's tea?" Eunuch Cai questioned Ying Lili and marched towards her to remove the white silk fabric that was covering her face. He extended his hand when Ying Lili caught it. Before Eunuch Cai could call for help, Ying Lili swirled him and placed her palm on his mouth, thus preventing him from speaking.
"I can't let him live but if I will kill him, then suspicion will be on Sheng Li," Ying Lili thought and hit Eunuch Cai's head who lost consciousness. Ying Lili put him aside, hid the dagger inside her waistband, and then walked out from there. Before leaving, she made sure that she left nothing as evidence against her.
As she came out, she saw Inspector Hong coming from the front. She lowered her head and left the manor before she would be doubted by him. Ying Lili walked past him when he stopped her.
"Who are you? And, why is your face covered?" Inspector Hong demanded the answers. He was wearing a maroon-colored Hanfu dress with black stripes on the sleeves and a black hat with a long white feather hanging on it at the top and on the edges, beaded threads were hanging.
"Master, I am Ah-Lin. I serve tea to the respected Prime minister. Last night I got an allergy and pimples near my mouth, so the physician recommended covering my face as it can spread to others as well. If the master wants to see, then I can…"
"Leave it. Go home. Why did you even come here?" Inspector Hong asked, annoyingly. Ying Lili apologized for troubling him. The Inspector told her to go away from his sight. Ying Lili gave a ninety-degree bow and left from there as fast as she could.
Inspector Hong, on the other hand, checked the identities of the maids there. He did not find Eunuch Cai there and asked about him from the maid. "Master is inside with the Lord," the maid replied, lowering her eyes. Inspector Hong opened the door and walked in.
He had a scroll in his hand when he was bewildered to see Eunuch Cai lying unconscious on the floor. He panicked to see the Prime Minister who was lying unconscious with his head resting on the table and ran to him. Inspector Hong checked if the Prime Minister was breathing, and was relieved to see that he was fine.
The Inspector came running out of the room and looked for Ying Lili, but she was not there. He swiftly came out of the manor and saw Ying Lili was at the last stair.
"Catch that maid," Inspector Hong shouted from the top of the stairs. He was descending the stairs as fast as he could. Ying Lili looked at the soldiers who marched towards her. Ying Lili swiftly took the dagger out and fought with them. She kicked the soldier who was left to her; dodged the attack of the soldier to her right and slit his throat.
The soldiers from the other side came running to her. Ying Lili ran from there, crossing from beneath the stairs, but could not go to the path which Wang Hao had told her as she didn't want the soldiers who were chasing her to catch Wang Hao if he was waiting for her on the same route. Instead, she turned to the right from the central region of the residence.
She had the map in her mind, so it was not difficult for her to get on the same path later. She slowed her steps as she saw some ten soldiers going to the eastern gate. As she walked past them, she increased her step when she heard a soldier, "Catch that maid. She is a spy."
Ying Lili started running as fast as she could because if she would be caught then Sheng Li would come in danger as well. She should have hidden Eunuch Cai in the mini library, she realized and cursed herself internally for making such a mistake.
Inspector Hong had come there with a bow in his hand. He was a hundred meters away from Ying Lili. Taking the arrow from the soldier standing beside him, he put it on the string and then pulled it.
Ying Lili was going to turn to the left of the central library of the residence when Inspector Hong released the arrow from the string towards Ying Lili.
Contrarily, Sheng Li, Wang Hao, and Xiao Zhan were waiting for Ying Lili. "Did you tell her to come from this route only?" Sheng Li questioned Wang Hao who gave a nod. Sheng Li was anxious because Ying Lili was taking more time than she should have taken.
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