Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

The tea girl told Zhang Jingwei everything that had happened to "Xiaohong" in the past few days.

"The day after Sister Xiaohong had her first child, she tried to commit suicide. She was then tied up by the brothel owner. After being starved for a day and a night, she stopped making trouble. Later, she kept yelling that she wanted to kill Young Master Ma. I thought she was just being angry, so I tried to comfort her. But yesterday morning, she seemed like a completely different person. She said her family had come to pick her up, that she was going home, and asked me to take care of myself! I really don't know anything else."

Zhang Jingwei murmured suspiciously, "Come pick her up?" At first, he was filled with confusion. Suddenly, a flash of memory came to his mind, and he suddenly remembered that Xiaoying seemed to have mentioned that she had a senior who was coming to pick her up.

At this time, the madam on the side retorted with disdain: "She is just a lowly slave. How can she have any so-called family? Don't talk nonsense here!"

However, the tea girl hurriedly said, "This is absolutely true. I dare not speak carelessly. But as to why Young Master Ma suddenly disappeared, I really don't know the reason."

Zhang Jingwei stared at the other person sharply and asked, "The Ma family's servant clearly claimed that his young master disappeared in this brothel. Do you really know nothing about this?"

The madam looked embarrassed and hesitantly replied, "Well...it's true that he did visit our brothel, but he didn't stay long. It's simply because Miss Ningxiang hasn't been entertaining guests often lately, so Young Master Ma naturally hasn't been in the mood to have fun."

The tea girl quickly chimed in, explaining, "Sister Xiaohong must have been so angry that she said such outrageous things. How could a weak woman like her kidnap a grown man without anyone noticing?"

Zhang Jingwei nodded slightly, indicating that he believed them for now. Then, he turned his head and looked at the madam coldly, and said, "If the authorities come to investigate, you just need to answer truthfully. Remember, there are some things you shouldn't say. Don't say anything, understand?" Then he pulled out a few taels of silver from his pocket and handed it to the madam.

Seeing this, the madam smiled happily and nodded hurriedly in response, "I understand, I understand! Don't worry, Master Zhang, you haven't been to my place today!"

After leaving the brothel, Zhang Jingwei went home to lead his donkey.

Wang Ergou looked at Zhang Jingwei with a puzzled look on his face and asked cautiously, "Master, looking at you, do you think you have figured out the problem?"

Zhang Jingwei nodded slightly, his eyes firm and confident, and responded, "Well, it's almost confirmed. Ergou, go get Mu Tou and come with me to Yunding Temple!"

Hearing the words "Yunding Temple," Wang Ergou was stunned, then frowned and asked in confusion, "Master, Yunding Temple is where the master gave out porridge and did charity during his lifetime. I wonder what exactly you are going there for this time? Please tell me a little bit."

Zhang Jingwei's face darkened. He waved his hand and said seriously, "This matter involves the secrets of the School of Mind. Now is not the time to explain. Don't ask any more questions! Just do as I say!"

Seeing Zhang Jingwei's firm attitude, Wang Ergou didn't dare to ask any more questions and quickly responded, "Yes, Master!"

After a moment's thought, Zhang Jingwei added, "Oh, by the way, we might need some help with digging and other such tasks. Call everyone in the courtyard, and a few more servants to go along."

Wang Ergou nodded, indicating that he understood. But then he suggested, "Master, if you just need someone to do some work, why don't we go directly to the farm on the outskirts of the city to find someone? It's closer there, so it would save a lot of time."

Zhang Jingwei thought this was a good idea and immediately agreed: "Okay, let's do as you say! Get ready quickly, we'll set off immediately!"

……

Just after noon, Zhang Jingwei brought a large group of people to the Zen temple where he had met Li Zaizhi before.

Qian Ming said to the young master with a worried look on his face, "Young Master, I'm afraid it's not appropriate to start construction in this temple. In my opinion, why don't we go to the etiquette office of the government office to inquire about the situation first? What if we act rashly and cause trouble?"

Wang Ergou responded disapprovingly, "Young Master, of course, has his own considerations and reasons for doing so. We servants just need to follow his orders and work hard. Even if something does happen, we still have the Marquis in front to support us!" In fact, Wang Ergou knew very well the difficulties Zhang Jingwei was in. Not only did this operation involve important criminals of the court, but there might also be many secrets related to the Zhang family hidden behind it.

Not long after they started digging, less than a meter deep, they suddenly discovered a pile of copper pipes. Even more surprising, they could hear the hushed voices of two or three people talking from within these pipes.

Mu Tou nervously shouted to Zhang Jingwei, "Master, there seems to be someone down there!"

Zhang Jingwei nodded expressionlessly and replied, "Yes, I'm not deaf."

Perhaps because they noticed that construction was underway above, the people who were whispering in the basement suddenly quieted down and there was no more movement.

Seeing this, Zhang Jingwei immediately ordered, "Hurry up! Don't let them get away."

Upon receiving the order, Mu Tou spat fiercely into his palms twice, then gripped the hoe with both hands and swung it furiously. As everyone dug diligently, the fragile pipes were ruthlessly damaged, smashing to pieces. In an instant, dust billowed throughout the meditation room, mingling with scattered sawdust. The scene was a scene of utter chaos.

After half an hour, they finally dug through the Zen room. It was two meters thick. These copper pipes not only transmit sound, but also feel warm to the touch. One or more ends of these copper pipes can be exposed to the sun, so even if you live in the basement, you will not feel damp and cold.

At this critical moment, Liang Dahai, who usually liked to be sly and slack at work, ran over like grease on his feet. As he ran, he shouted loudly: "Master, Master, I found it! I found it!"

Zhang Jingwei, who was standing anxiously waiting nearby, turned around immediately after hearing the sound. His eyes widened as he asked suspiciously, "What did you find? Why are you yelling so loudly?"

Liang Dahai was seen panting heavily, with an excited smile on his face. He pointed behind him and said excitedly with a stutter: "Master...Master, this is the entrance to the secret room!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Jingwei flew into a rage, his face turning blue and veins bulging on his forehead. He roared, "The sea... We've been digging for a full half hour, exhausted as dogs, and finally dug through it, and now you come telling me you found the entrance! What were you doing before?"

Facing Zhang Jingwei's rage, Liang Dahai didn't back down. Instead, he confidently explained, "Master, calm down! I just discovered this, too. I've been observing the direction of those copper pipes, and following their trajectory, I discovered that the entrance to this secret room is hidden behind the cabinet! Just look!"

As he spoke, he pointed vigorously at a cabinet not far away from him.