The deepest part of the night is when humans are most exhausted, a time when the mind is muddled and an opportune moment for a surprise attack.
Gu Yan Chen had always been dedicated to promoting his wife as a lucky charm who brought prosperity.
But it wasn't until tonight that he truly believed this saying himself.
He never expected that a casual comforting remark from her would actually become a self-fulfilling prophecy. At the third watch of the night, he, having rested well, prepared to conduct an interrogation. Before he even arrived, a clamor of shouts and clashes erupted from the direction of the prison.
Someone was attempting a jailbreak.
Gu Yan Chen flew over swiftly.
Dozens of men in black were already locked in combat with his men. Fortunately, he had discreetly stationed his own people for covert guard duty, otherwise, the prisoners would have been spirited away by now.
Perhaps the other party had not anticipated so many skilled fighters in the prison besides the guards, and for a time, they were unable to succeed. By the time Gu Yan Chen arrived, they were being pushed back steadily.
Before long, a long whistle sounded, and the group quickly retreated.
Under the cover of the dark and windy night, coupled with their formidable martial arts, these individuals soon melted into the darkness. A man of small stature, with a hairstyle similar to the fourth concubine's, ran over to claim credit: "Boss, as soon as these people entered the prison, they asked me where the silver was hidden. That batch of silver for casting the coins, Fourth Concubine must know about it."
The man before him was named Gao Biao, but unfortunately, his appearance bore no resemblance to his name. He was thin and small, and from a distance, he looked precisely like a woman. However, he was extremely agile. When he was in Yangzhou, he commanded the scout team and was quite influential.
Alas, he didn't have the same treatment in the capital. Not only was he sidelined for several outward missions, but he was also caught dressing as a woman.
When Gu Yan Chen detected suspicious activity from the fourth concubine, he had her confined separately and then set a trap. He hoped to lure out her accomplices, and it turned out to be effective.
Gu Yan Chen's interrogation strategy that night opened up a new avenue. All questions posed to the fourth concubine revolved around the whereabouts of the silver for casting. Gu Yan Chen continued to torment her from the fourth watch until dawn before letting her go.
Song Ming emerged from the prison, stretching and sighing deeply, "Alas, another fruitless night."
"Who said that?"
"Boss." Song Ming's spirits immediately lifted. "Did you find something out?"
"Dig three feet down."
"Hmm? When you said that, her eyes flickered."
Song Ming: ...
"That...doesn't prove anything, does it?"
"It's worth a try. Let's go, we'll check her old lair."
Song Ming lost his enthusiasm even further. "We've searched that place inside and out so many times, we've dug up the floor tiles multiple times, where could there be any silver?"
However, Gu Yan Chen felt it was highly probable.
After handling so many cases, one develops a strong intuition. He waved his hand, "If you don't want to go, go back to sleep. I'll go myself."
"I want to go, I want to go! I slept enough last night before coming, how can I sleep now?" He also wanted to tag along for a free breakfast. The beef noodles at the street corner were quite good.
He wasn't short of money, but the feeling of getting money from the stingy boss was particularly satisfying.
Gu Yan Chen didn't have time to concern himself with his thoughts and took him along on horseback.
It was a two-story house, which they had already ransacked thoroughly. The soil in the courtyard had been turned over, leaving only the question of depth to match the phrase "dig three feet down."
Song Ming picked up a shovel. "Boss, should we dig a bit deeper?"
Gu Yan Chen looked at him with disdain. "Is that brain of yours just for show? If they wanted to hide the silver discreetly, would they really dig three feet into the ground?"
This was a bustling area; making such a huge commotion would be akin to shouting to everyone how it was hidden.
Song Ming felt wronged. "Didn't you say we had to dig three feet down?"
Gu Yan Chen ignored him, thinking to himself that he was fortunate he hadn't formally taken him on as a disciple, otherwise his lifelong reputation would have been ruined by this fool.
He strode into a room.
After a while, he retreated and entered another, finally going upstairs.
In a room in the middle, which was the fourth concubine's residence, Gu Yan Chen meticulously inspected for a long time, tapping the walls and floors.
Song Ming listened for a while. "Boss, it's all solid, no hidden compartments."
Gu Yan Chen, however, said, "Don't you think the floor is too solid?"
Under normal circumstances, when stepping on wooden floorboards, even with good quality wood, there would inevitably be some vibration. Even the floors at Drunken Fragrance Pavilion were like that. Yet, the floorboards in this house felt like stepping on solid ground with every step.