Ning Shu was now an ancient-era woman living in a rear courtyard. Some matters'd be better handled by Marquis Xuanping instead of herself.

Regardless of who wielded it, they needed the power to strike back against Zhuo Cheran.

Ning Shu headed toward Marquis Xuanping's study, pondering how to broach the topic with him.

"Cousin," Gu Fanlu called out to her. Then, he came to stand in front of her.

"Cousin," Ning Shu greeted. Rabbit Gu.

She curtsied towards him, then said, "Cousin, you shouldn't be here. This is the rear courtyard."

The rear courtyard was a space reserved for women. What was a man like him wandering around here for?

Gu Fanlu replied to her by saying, "I got lost."

While looking around, he asked, "I need to find Uncle. How do I get out of here?"

"Head east, and when you reach the corner, turn west," Ning Shu said lightly. She was clearly making it up as she went.

Gu Fanlu looked utterly baffled. He glanced left and right like he couldn't tell east from west.

"Is there anything I could use as landmarks? And I find it easier to navigate front, back, left, or right compared to cardinal directions," Gu Fanlu said in an earnest tone.

Ning Shu: …

What was he? An angel with broken wings? Should they hug each other and fly together so that they could reach their destination?

"I'm also on my way to Father's study. Let's go together," Ning Shu said while taking small, measured steps.

"Let's go to the ancestral hall first," Gu Fanlu suddenly suggested. His clear, honest eyes were fixed on Ning Shu.

Ning Shu's heart skipped a beat as she asked, "Why do you need to go to our family's ancestral hall?"

How odd. Why would he come to someone else's house and then ask to see their ancestral hall?

Gu Fanlu replied, "I'm a younger generation, after all. It'd be nice for me to offer some incense there."

Ning Shu's thoughts raced like lightning. Her mind immediately went to the golden bricks in the ancestral hall.

The first Marquis Xuanping was a wealthy merchant who provided financial assistance to the Zhuo family's ancestors and followed them until they became the imperial family.

As a result, he'd been granted a hereditary noble title—Marquis Xuanping.

The Marquis Xuanping's household remained extraordinarily wealthy, even until now.

This was why some people speculated that Zhuo Cheran, the current emperor, was an illegitimate son of the emperor. After all, the emperor allowed him to have such an affluent in-law, which was like giving him access to a whole treasure vault.

The floor of their ancestral hall was paved entirely with golden bricks, and the walls were coated with a layer of mud to conceal the gold beneath. Without it, the hall would look like a golden palace.

Ning Shu kept a composed expression and said, "The ancestral hall is currently closed. It's only open during the New Year, ancestor worship ceremonies, or the birth or death anniversaries of our forebears."

Gu Fanlu clasped his hands and saluted her in apology. He said, "I've been too forward."

Ning Shu took Gu Fanlu toward Marquis Xuanping's study after that. Neither of them spoke to each other along the way.

Ning Shu had become exceptionally wary of Gu Fanlu, this cousin of hers.

This person might be one of Zhuo Cheran's people.

In the original storyline, Zhuo Cheran had accused Marquis Xuanping of treason and claimed to have a letter as evidence. The handwriting matched that of the marquis, and the marquis' official seal was also embossed on the letter.

The accusation included claims that Marquis Xuanping had provided financial support to an enemy nation.

No one in the officialdom had a perfectly clean slate. However, Marquis Xuanping wasn't foolish enough to commit such outright treason.

However, the Zhuo family's ancestors had relied on the Su family's financial support to successfully rebel and seize the throne. The current emperor likely feared that the Su family would repeat history and fund someone else's rebellion.

Then, a shocking fact was revealed. The Su family's ancestral hall was constructed entirely of gold.

What the hell? Even the imperial family didn't have a golden ancestral hall, yet a mere subject dared to build something so extravagant? Outrageous!

The empire's treasury was also currently empty.

The false evidence mixed with real facts painted a damning picture.

Marquis Xuanping was accused of exploiting the people and funding an enemy state.

This brought a catastrophic disaster to Marquis Xuanping's household.

The household was a pig that had been fattened, and it had come time for it to be slaughtered.

MTL Editor: Ran

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