Chapter 102 Evidence

Chapter 102: Evidence

However, Yun Xunyu had anticipated this and swiftly caught Cheng Ge's punch.

Using the momentum, he flipped over in a fluid motion, pinning Cheng Ge beneath him in the blink of an eye.

Cheng Ge's gaze sharpened instantly. Without hesitation, he raised his hand and clamped it around Yun Xunyu's throat.

At the same time, his legs coiled around Yun Xunyu like agile snakes, twisting with force and flipping their positions.

Cheng Ge's eyes locked onto Yun Xunyu like a hawk.

His fingers slowly tightened, as if he intended to snap Yun Xunyu's neck.

Despite Cheng Ge's attack, Yun Xunyu's expression remained unchanged. He even brushed aside the stray hair by Cheng Ge's cheek.

A smile curling at his lips, he suddenly struck out, aiming for the hollow of Cheng Ge's elbow.

Cheng Ge's hand instantly lost its strength, and his body lurched forward, crashing straight into the crook of Yun Xunyu's neck.

Yun Xunyu, with quick reflexes, sidestepped and pulled Cheng Ge tightly into his embrace, their bodies entwined like pythons.

Yun Xunyu suddenly leaned in and, without warning, gently kissed Cheng Ge twice on the lips.

A smile played at the corners of his mouth, a hint of mischief glinting in his eyes.

Cheng Ge: "I've been tainted by something filthy—I've got no strength or moves left."

Just as the two were locked in a standoff, the sound of Zhang Hong leaving and closing the door came from outside.

Yun Xunyu released Cheng Ge and said in a low voice, "He's gone."

Only then did Cheng Ge breathe a sigh of relief and quickly extricate himself from Yun Xunyu's arms.

He rolled out from under the bed in a few quick moves, frantically wiping his lips.

Glaring at Yun Xunyu with fury, he snarled, "You fucking pervert, just you wait—I'm not done with you!"

Yun Xunyu held up his hands, a nonchalant smile on his face. "Anytime."

Cheng Ge took a deep breath, suppressing his rage, knowing it wasn't the time to start a fight.

He turned and felt around the edge of the couch. Earlier, Liu Xianyue had stood here for a moment, and then the door had opened—there must be some mechanism.

As he searched, Cheng Ge mentally cursed Yun Xunyu to a childless death.

"What are you looking for, dear? Need a hand?" Yun Xunyu came up behind Cheng Ge.

Cheng Ge immediately kicked out at Yun Xunyu, who lightly dodged, evading the attack.

At the same time, he grabbed Cheng Ge's ankle and yanked him down.

Cheng Ge fell onto the couch without warning. Before he could react, he was pinned down by a mountain of a man.

"Don't move," Yun Xunyu whispered in his ear, his palm over Cheng Ge's hand, their fingers laced together.

"Go to hell..." Cheng Ge started to curse, but Yun Xunyu guided his hand to a small hidden compartment on the edge of the couch.

Suddenly, Cheng Ge's fingers touched a raised knob.

Yun Xunyu guided Cheng Ge's index finger to press lightly, and the door that had just closed slowly began to open again.

Cheng Ge's expression was unreadable. He quickly got up.

He didn't have time to think about that now. The priority was to find evidence. He turned and ran straight into the hidden room.

The room was dimly lit. Cheng Ge looked around warily, his eyes scanning the surroundings.

Yun Xunyu followed him in, his gaze scanning the surroundings. He lit the candle near the entrance with a fire lighter.

As the light brightened, the full view of the room emerged. Before them was a stone staircase leading downward.

Cheng Ge frowned, picked up a candlestick from beside him, and took the lead down the stairs.

Yun Xunyu followed closely behind, both descending carefully.

At the bottom of the stairs was a secret chamber about three zhang square, its floor paved entirely with black jade, carved with the Big Dipper pattern. Each star position had a Western Regions gold coin embedded in it.

Several fist-sized luminous pearls lay in the corners of the chamber, all covered in dust.

At each position stood a seven-tiered cabinet decorated with taotie, each shelf stacked with various treasures.

Porcelain, jewelry, jade, famous artworks, and calligraphy—truly a mountain of gold and jewels.

The floor was piled high with rosewood chests, leaving barely room to stand.

Cheng Ge bent down to open a chest, finding it packed with silver ingots. A few others held large-denomination banknotes.

Cheng Ge's eyes gleamed and his fingers itched to grab something. Liu Xianyue was truly insatiably greedy.

He must have bled the people dry and fattened on their suffering to amass such wealth.

Cheng Ge's eyes lingered on the treasures for a moment before he continued searching for possible evidence.

Yun Xunyu, on the other hand, was in no hurry. He took his time admiring the various treasures, as if he were window-shopping.

Cheng Ge walked to a bookshelf in the southwest corner, which held some rare editions.

He flipped through the items on it but still didn't find what he was looking for. Still, something about the placement of the bookshelf felt off.

Before he knew it, Yun Xunyu had come up behind Cheng Ge, his fingers trailing over the spines of the books.

Casually, he pulled out one volume and flipped through a few pages with a leisurely air.

"This one seems quite good—worth studying in depth."

Cheng Ge, hearing this, instinctively glanced at the page.

Noticing his gaze, Yun Xunyu even obligingly tilted the book down.

But when Cheng Ge caught sight of the *Spring Palace Secrets* illustration on the page, he couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"Go to hell..."

Deciding to ignore this shameless lecher, Cheng Ge continued groping along the shelf.

Suddenly, he noticed a book that was arranged with unusual neatness and showed obvious signs of wear.

Curious, Cheng Ge reached out and pulled it. The bookshelf slowly rotated, revealing a hidden compartment behind it.

Cheng Ge halted mid-step, then moved forward two paces.

In the hidden compartment was a wooden box, its lacquer almost completely worn off.

Cheng Ge’s heart raced as he rushed over and retrieved the box.

He opened it to find four or five ledger books, each about as thick as a finger.

He picked one up and flipped through it; his expression grew increasingly grim as he read.

He knew Liu Xianyue was corrupt, but he never imagined the man could be so insatiably greedy, and had even taken so many innocent lives!

A true scourge on the nation, a parasite of the state—he deserves to die.

The books contained records of his bribery and corruption, lists of officials he had bought and sold off, and other shady dealings.

Yun Xunyu leaned in as well, clicking his tongue in disbelief at the list. "Your Great Zhou officials are truly something else."

Cheng Ge paid him no mind, quickly stuffing the list into his robe.

This was the evidence to bring down Liu Xianyue—this time, that bastard had to have his head roll at the Meridian Gate.

...

Cheng Ge grabbed the candle holder and made his way out. They had been inside for quite a while, but luckily the room was empty.

He poked his head out to take a look, saw no one, and jumped out the window.

The moment he landed, someone yanked him into a corner.

"Shh!" Yun Xunyu signaled for silence.

Soon, footsteps echoed in the distance—the mansion guards on patrol.

They were getting closer, and this spot was way too exposed to hide in.

Cheng Ge glanced around, then flattened himself against the wall and quickly darted behind a bamboo grove.

A dozen or so guards were patrolling the courtyard in orderly fashion.

We can't stay here...

The two of them crept back, using cover as they went, sneaking around like a couple of petty thieves.

Just then, a cat jumped off the eaves and raked its claws across Cheng Ge's back.

Cheng Ge jumped in fright, lurching forward several steps.

"Who's there?" The guards heard the noise and instantly closed in from all sides.

"Shit..." Cheng Ge cursed under his breath, ditched Yun Xunyu, and bolted.

The crevice in the rock garden wasn't far off. Cheng Ge scrambled like a mad rabbit and twisted sideways to squeeze through.

"Dear, give me a hand." It was Yun Xunyu's voice.

Cheng Ge instinctively glanced back and found Yun Xunyu wedged tight in the crevice.

"Please support this novel~"