What would he do if she told him?

Standing on the roof of Ningyuan Marquis’ manor storehouse, Ruyi smiled while shaking her head.

The probability of his arresting her and throwing her in prison was much greater than the probability of his helping her, Lord Shen.

No matter which identity they held, the two of them stood on opposing sides. They could sit together harmoniously purely because he had beauty, while she happened to be lustful.

The guards below changed shifts, and the accountant happened to lock the door and leave.

Ruyi came back to her senses. With a flutter of her sleeves, she dropped down, pinching something between two fingers. The tightly locked storehouse door opened silently.

What did a noble family fear most?

It wasn’t being ostracized by court officials, nor receiving the emperor’s cold looks, but having no money.

She knew how extravagantly those several households in He Zeyou’s manor spent money. Currently, with some old wealth left behind by Liu Ruyi, he could still manage, but what if all this money disappeared overnight?

Skillfully opening the cellar door, Ruyi took out a huge black cloth bag and smiled brilliantly at those gold, silver, and precious objects.

Wind arose at midnight, and He Zeyou, who had been sleeping soundly, suddenly woke with a start.

He sat up, wiped his face, and felt unlucky: “Why did I dream about this?”

In his dream, he was joking and laughing with Liu Ruyi before he was enfeoffed as marquis. Passersby all cursed him, saying he was clinging to powerful connections, wanting to become Grand Preceptor’s manor’s son-in-law.

Liu Ruyi knew nothing and still smiled while giving him a newly acquired jade disc.

That jade disc was very valuable. He pawned it the next day, using the silver to buy a small courtyard at Houchao Gate, then lied to her that the jade disc had broken.

“It doesn’t matter, I still have many good things.” She comforted him, then busily brought him chest after chest of treasures.

Every single one of those items He Zeyou had touched, sitting alone in the narrow storehouse, turning these priceless objects over and over, looking at them all night long.

His ancestors had also been prosperous once, but family decline had made him roll in the mud again from the beginning. He was different from other lowly people; he originally deserved to have these things.

Remembering his embarrassment then, He Zeyou felt very annoyed, getting annoyed with the foolishly naive Liu Ruyi of that time as well.

If she had been tactful, avoiding others’ eyes and ears when giving him things, he wouldn’t have had to bear the stain of climbing to position by stepping on a woman for his entire life.

However, the current Liu Ruyi seemed to have become somewhat cleverer, and between her beautiful glances, her charm was even greater than before.

Thinking of this, He Zeyou suddenly wanted to touch those treasures again.

He got out of bed, lit a lamp, draped on outer clothing, and walked leisurely toward the storehouse.

The guards patrolled as usual, and the storehouse was as secure as ever. He Zeyou walked in with satisfaction, but when the candlelight flickered, it illuminated an open black doorway.

He froze in place.

Although these past few days of traveling hadn’t involved heavy labor, it was still tiring, so Shen Qiyuan had changed clothes and gone to bed as soon as he returned to his separate courtyard.

However, before he had slept for even an hour, he heard the great drum outside beating dong dong dong.

His temple twitching, Shen Qiyuan suddenly understood Ruyi’s feelings when she wanted to sleep in.

“My lord.” Zhou Tingchuan ran to his window while gathering his clothes and shouted, “It seems to be people from Ningyuan Marquis’ manor beating the drum.”

Shen Qiyuan hummed: “Is it about the Grand Preceptor’s manor again?”

“No, this time they say there was a theft in the manor.”

For theft, they should go to Lin’an’s government office – how could every trivial matter require the Imperial Clan Court to step forward?

Shen Qiyuan asked unhappily: “What important items were lost?”

Zhou Tingchuan replied: “Over two hundred pieces of precious treasures, jade artifacts, and silver items, with a total value of about one hundred thousand taels.”

“…”

Shen Qiyuan opened his door, wrapped himself in his cloak, and walked out with Zhou Tingchuan.

He Zeyou sat in the front hall of the marquis’ manor, his face deathly pale, while Lady He beside him cried heartbrokenly: “How are we supposed to live? Lin’an is at the feet of the Son of Heaven – surely someone must govern it!”

“Everything’s gone, but what about the bank notes? What about the silver?” He’er unwillingly grabbed the accountant and asked.

The accountant trembled and shook his head: “Not a single thing remains. The entire accountant’s courtyard has nothing left – even this old man’s brush washer is gone.”

He’er slumped back into his chair, muttering and shaking his head: “It’s over, it’s over.”

Without sufficient silver, what could he use to play with those distinguished young masters? They already looked down on him, and now they would surely avoid him like a snake or scorpion.

He Zeyou was annoyed by Lady He’s crying and stood up with a flick of his sleeve, asking the servants: “Where are the government office people?”

“People from Lin’an’s government office have already sealed the city gates, and Lord Shen from the Imperial Clan Court is heading to the back courtyard.”

Hearing that Shen Qiyuan had come, He Zeyou hurriedly stepped forward: “Let’s go.”

The storehouse was completely clean – forget footprints, there weren’t even traces of lock-picking. The doors and windows were intact, the shelves holding treasures were also intact. When they questioned the guards, except for one shift change at the end of the Hai hour lasting about half an incense stick’s time, they had been there the rest of the time and hadn’t heard any disturbance.

In half an incense stick’s time, how could someone silently steal over a hundred treasures from such a large marquis’ manor without any sound or collision?

Shen Qiyuan only glanced once before withdrawing. The remaining people searched carefully inside but found nothing.

“Lord Shen.” He Zeyou came over and, rarely, knelt on one knee to pay respects to him.

“The courtesy is too heavy.” Shen Qiyuan made a gesture of support.

He refused to rise, saying with undiminished anger: “Previously, when He encountered assassination, the Imperial Clan Court said there was no evidence and couldn’t close the case. Now He’s family storehouse has been completely emptied by someone – surely my lord won’t ignore this too?”

Zhou Tingchuan frowned upon hearing this: “Marquis, please calm down. How can this be our lord not caring? Everything must follow evidence.”

It’s just that this evidence – there was none last time, and there’s none this time either.

He Zeyou’s eyes were red, and his breathing was rough: “He’s trying to force my entire family to death!”

Shen Qiyuan said calmly, “The marquis receives court support – how could you be forced to death?”

Everyone officially lived only on monthly salaries, and this month’s salary would be distributed tomorrow – saying they couldn’t survive was going too far.

He Zeyou also realized his slip of tongue, but he still trembled with anger: “He truly doesn’t know where he offended Grand Preceptor Liu for him to treat me this way. Please, my lord, take people to the Grand Preceptor’s manor to demand an explanation for me.”

If the stolen goods were found at Grand Preceptor Liu’s manor, that could count as catching the thief with the goods.

Shen Qiyuan hummed and casually pointed to an Imperial Clan Court assistant: “If the marquis is certain that Grand Preceptor Liu did this, please follow this official to the Grand Preceptor’s manor.”

He Zeyou rose without thinking and walked toward that Imperial Clan Court assistant.

A greedy person who had lost all his family wealth would go mad without reason, completely ignoring what would happen if the stolen goods weren’t found at the Grand Preceptor’s manor.

The quiet streets were broken by hoofbeats, and many households were awakened by this sudden midnight incident, poking their heads out to look.

Ruyi wrapped herself in bedding, yawned, and sweetly nuzzled her pillow as she fell asleep. On her spacious bed, brilliant gems, hollow jade bottles, heavy gold bricks, and such were scattered about. Under the moonlight, they shimmered with floating emerald and flowing cinnabar.