CHAPTER 337: CHAPTER 281: THE KEY_3

"Summon the guard to see me!"

She opened the door and gave the order, while slipping the key back into her sleeve.

She only had this one chance tonight, so she had to prepare early for success in one fell swoop. Tomorrow, when Prince Rong returned, this key must be quietly returned.

The guards arrived quickly, the same two from last night. She instructed, "Pass down the orders, tonight I’m going to the Buddha hall for chanting. Call more guards to guard the Buddha hall."

The Buddha hall was not far from the ancestral temple, using it as a pretext to first visit the Buddha hall would make the evening’s actions more convenient.

The guards going to the Buddha hall was the norm in the Prince Manor.

However, by dusk, Lian Rong heard the news and informed Xu Yin, who was strolling in the garden.

"You’re saying that the Prince, who hasn’t left the house for days, was invited out by Song Yi today, and even sent a message before dark that he wouldn’t be returning to the manor?

"And at this moment, the Princess, who was supposed to be watching him for the whereabouts of the fan, took advantage of his absence and suddenly wanted to go to the Buddha hall for chanting?"

Xu Yin said this as he crossed his arms, frowning at the profusion of flowers under the evening sky, "It’s not a festival or holiday, why suddenly chant? She’s not a compassionate person, since when did she become a believer?"

"It’s precisely because of this abnormal behavior that I dared not be negligent and came to report." Lian Rong caught up with his pace.

What kind of person Princess Rong was, others might not know, but how could they not?

In her life, when had she ever been truly devout to Buddha?

Every time she went to Baihe Temple to offer incense, it was said to be paying homage to the Bodhisattva, but it was always a mere formality, never once was it a heartfelt visit.

Xu Yin stopped in front of the flowering tree, pinched a flower from the branch, thought for a moment, and said, "Let someone follow and watch over at the Buddha hall first."

"Yes."

After Lian Rong withdrew, Xu Yin stood there with deeply furrowed brows for a while before decisively discarding the crushed flower from his fingertips.

There were numerous servants in Prince Rong’s Mansion, among them were the loyal and the greedy, Xu Yin, having been around the mansion for many years, found it not surprising to buy off a few informants.

Xu Yin had just finished his evening meal when Lian Rong entered again.

"News from the mansion says that the Princess has entered the Buddha hall early, only bringing Nanny Gao with her, and the rest are just guards. Zhe Yu sought an audience with the Princess at dusk, intending to accompany her to the Buddha hall to burn incense and pray for her late father, whose memorial day is approaching, but was also refused."

After hearing this, Xu Yin remained silent for a long time. After another silent pause, he suddenly stood up, "Prepare the sedan chair, we’re going to pay a visit to the manor."

Lian Rong asked, "How many men should we bring?"

Xu Yin looked deeply into his eyes, "Just have Feng Sheng and the other three go. Too many people might alert them."

Lian Rong nodded.

On a moonless night, once night had fully fallen, the sky was completely dark.

Princess Rong sat on the meditation mat, absentmindedly tapping the wooden fish. When Nanny Gao brought tea in, she was always impatient and put down her prayer beads to stand up.

"Everything is peaceful around?"

"Peaceful." Nanny Gao nodded, "Not a sound can be heard. The two servants on night duty are far away, and tonight they were even assigned the task of replacing the stone lamps at the temple front, so for at least an hour they won’t be going to the rear hall."

Princess Rong nodded, glancing at the water clock on the table, "Then pass the word, in two quarters of an hour, at the end of the hour, we proceed."

The imperial family’s nobility indeed wasn’t free, not only fearing people’s words everywhere but also being surrounded by spies.

Although so far she hadn’t caught any evidence, she knew, just as she had planted spies around Mrs. Zhang, Prince Rong, and the concubines, her own surroundings weren’t entirely clean either.

Crystal-clear water has no fish, it’s not usually an issue, but at critical times, one must be vigilant.

After hastily chanting a few more pages, the appointed time arrived.

She had Nanny Gao open the door, avoiding the light’s coverage, and walked from the side door out to the corridors.

The guards were there, exchanging a glance with each other, and proceeded easily toward the ancestral hall.

Before long, they reached the pitch-black gate of the ancestral hall, leaving a few guards outside to stand watch. She took two inside with her.

She lit the Luminous Pearl, took out the copper key, and with hands trembling with excitement, attempted several times to insert it into the keyhole.

But once inserted, the key and the lock hole fit perfectly!

Princess Rong felt her hot blood rushing to her throat, swallowing hard to steady her hands, she turned the copper key, and with a click, the copper locks of the three drawers opened in response!

Without hesitation, she pulled open the top drawer, and several items stored inside instantly appeared under the pearl’s glow.