An eight-year-old kid emptied his scumbag father's warehouse and followed his grandparents into

"Look more carefully, knock carefully on the walls and the ground to see if there are any hidden mechanisms or mezzanines." Xu Zize said in a deep voice.

Although the ground buildings of the princess's mansion are not extremely magnificent, according to common sense, its underground secret place should not be just a simple cellar like the grain storage of ordinary wealthy families.

The two men split up, carefully tapping every inch of the suspicious-looking wall and floor with their knuckles, listening carefully for any unusual echoes. However, over and over again, all they received were solid, dull responses, and nothing was found.

They had no choice but to retreat back to the damp secret passage leading to the lake and continue their exploration. The deeper they went, the more humid it became, and the denser the water droplets on the stone walls.

At the end of the tunnel, there was no water channel or mooring space for boats, as one might have imagined. Instead, just above the very end, one could see a massive iron plate, its edge tightly fitting into the rock mass at the top of the tunnel. Beneath the plate, several stout iron pillars dug deep into the ground provided steady support.

Embedded in the dark wall on one side of the iron plate is a complex bronze mechanism covered with levers and latches, which looks heavy and ancient.

"Do you want to try this?" Seeing that Xu Zize was just concentrating on observing the structure of the mechanism carefully and had no intention of taking action, Jing Chunxi asked in a low voice, with a bit of curiosity and caution in his tone.

"No need." Xu Zize shook his head slowly, his eyes still fixed on the mechanism. "I speculate that once this mechanism is activated, the iron pillars supporting it from above may shift, and the huge iron plate will collapse, which may also cause a large amount of sand and soil from above to pour down.

This should be a one-way passage designed for emergency escape. Once activated, it would be difficult to repair. "Right now, the country is peaceful and the people are safe, so there's no need to risk triggering it." His analysis was calm and clear. Most importantly, they couldn't cause any major disturbance before they knew the secrets within the passage.

The two retreated back to the two connected stone chambers, and with a final tinge of reluctance, they searched thoroughly, examining every rusted tool, every inch of mottled wall, even the cracks in every floor tile. However, in the end, they came up empty-handed, with no new discoveries.

A faint feeling of loss and frustration filled the air. Both of them were silent as they returned along the same route.

Suddenly, Jing Chunxi seemed to have thought of something. He stopped and whispered soothingly, "Brother Xiaokang, perhaps we're too impatient. We'll have to move in someday anyway, so then... maybe we can find an opportunity to indirectly ask Madam Zhou for information? She's an old friend, so perhaps she knows some clues that we don't."

"Well," Xu Zize took a deep breath, nodded, and shook her hand, "For now, this is the only way."

Despite comforting each other, when the two walked out of the secret passage and bathed in the setting sun again, they still couldn't help feeling a little disappointed about the result of this exploration that started well but ended badly.

Regardless, they all felt that the truth behind this place couldn't be limited to this, and it couldn't possibly be empty. Otherwise, the Empress Dowager wouldn't have repeatedly warned them about this.

Just after noon on August 27th, Prince Jing's mansion suddenly became busy - the Princess of the County had started the movement ahead of time.

The palace, which had been well prepared, immediately sent a carriage to pick up Dr. Duan from the Imperial Medical Bureau. Four experienced female doctors and two groups of midwives had been waiting in the palace for many days.

Upon hearing the news, Princess Jing rushed over in a sedan chair and personally took command outside the delivery room. "Coincidentally," that day, Old Lady Jing was visiting her niece, and the two were chatting in the next courtyard. Upon hearing the news, they waited together in the side hall for further information.

Although the production process had some twists and turns, it was ultimately smooth.

The Princess was a woman of unwavering will. Even during her labor pains, she ate her meals regularly. Even half an hour before giving birth, she managed to devour a large bowl of delicately cooked egg noodles. The aroma of the noodles, mingled with the stench of blood, wafted from her bedroom, filling the two elderly men guarding the outer room with both heartache and relief.

At the beginning of the 11am hour, a loud cry finally broke the tense atmosphere. When the six-pound and seven-ounce prince was wrapped in a bright red swaddling cloth, everyone was surprised to realize that the princess's belly, which was not very obvious during her pregnancy, had actually produced such a sturdy child.

The midwife came out and congratulated repeatedly: "Congratulations, Princess, congratulations to Princess Xidelin's grandson. The Princess Consort has given all her nutrients to the young prince!"

Even more astonishing was that although the princess looked pale after giving birth, she was in good spirits and managed to hold the baby in her arms for a full quarter of an hour. Only after the doctor repeatedly persuaded her did she reluctantly lie down to rest.

There was a sudden buzz outside the delivery room, with congratulations ringing out one after another.

The old princess was so happy that she gave orders repeatedly: "Everyone will be rewarded! The servants in the mansion will be rewarded with three months' wages, and the female doctors and midwives will be rewarded with an additional twenty taels of silver each!" The whole yard was filled with lanterns reflecting smiling faces, and congratulations and laughter were heard one after another.

In the front yard, Prince Jing was personally escorting Doctor Duan to his sedan chair, not missing a single dumpling. The old doctor, accustomed to the hustle and bustle of the imperial court, was now somewhat bewildered. The prince not only bowed repeatedly in thanks, but also slipped a hundred-liang silver note into his sleeve.

When the curtain of the sedan chair fell, Doctor Duan was wiping the sweat from his forehead and shaking his head repeatedly. Such a grand thank-you ceremony forced him to rush back to the palace immediately to report the good news to the emperor.

After everyone had left, the old lady accompanied Princess Jing to drink a cup of soothing tea and each ate half a bowl of porridge. Then she took Jing Chunxi and slowly walked back to the Rong'en Marquis's Mansion from the Moon Gate.

Moonlight streamed down the bluestone path, and the old lady sighed softly, "If only your mother's delivery had been this smooth." She remembered her two nephews' comments about her daughter's now frighteningly large belly. "I haven't slept well these past two nights. Every thought of your mother has left me trembling with fear."

When Jing Chunxi was helping his grandmother wash up, he saw that the old woman still had a worried look in her eyes, so he simply decided not to go up to the attic.

Someone brought a brocade quilt and said, "Xi'er, stay with your grandmother on the first floor tonight." Under the candlelight, the old lady held her hand and repeatedly urged her, "Would you please go back early tomorrow morning to look after your mother?"

"Don't worry, grandma," Jing Chunxi tucked the corner of the quilt for the old woman. "Xi'er came here to help Auntie give birth. Now both mother and child are safe. I'll go back at dawn tomorrow."

Her voice was soft and gentle, "With the protection of the Fairy Aunt and the magical medicine in the space, mother will definitely not be in any danger."

The old man felt a little relieved after hearing this, and he kept on muttering a lot more instructions. His voice gradually became weaker, and he finally fell asleep.

A steady snoring could be heard beside him, but Jing Chunxi lay awake with his eyes wide open, completely unaware of sleep. The more he thought about it, the more he longed to return home, wishing he could just take off and fly back to Qingshan Villa.

I tossed and turned, and even broke out in a sweat on this slightly cool autumn night.