"With the Heir of Prince Jing as the top prodigy of the Heavenly Saint Dynasty, what could possibly hold him back? I think he simply doesn't want to come out." Ye Tianyu glanced at Ye Tianqing, then turned his gaze to the tightly closed stone door.
Ye Tianqing's expression shifted slightly, his mind evidently following Ye Tianyu's line of thought.
"The Fourth Prince is mistaken," Master Lingyin interjected, countering Ye Tianyu's remark. "Even the most gifted are not masters of every art. The Heir of Prince Jing is still a mere mortal. It's not unusual that he might lack expertise in mechanical devices."
Ye Tianqing's grim face relaxed a bit, and he calmly replied, "True, the Heir of Prince Jing is, after all, just a man."
"Ah, poor Sister Lan! I wonder how hungry she must be in there by now? She must be light-headed and dizzy," Ye Tianyu continued, his expression filled with feigned concern for Yun Qianyue.
"Can you shut up? Or would you like me to help close your mouth for you?" Yun Muhan, who had been silent this whole time, suddenly spoke.
"Mu Han, I care about Sister Lan just as much as you do!" Ye Tianyu replied, stepping back when he saw Yun Muhan glaring at him. "Alright, alright, I won't say anything more!"
Yun Muhan turned his attention back to Qian Yan, his normally stoic face now showing a profound intensity.
The Fourth Prince inwardly grumbled. This man had always ignored his sister, giving the impression that he didn't care at all. Who would've thought he actually cared this much? This behavior didn't seem like him at all.
Qian Yan, feeling the pressure of all the stares, resumed his efforts to open the door.
The voices outside reached Yun Qianyue clearly. She scoffed dismissively, ignoring them, and continued her search.
Rongjing silently followed, watching her continue her examination.
After inspecting each Buddha statue, Yun Qianyue frowned and looked at Rongjing. "It seems that your idea isn't working. There's no mechanism at all."
"Then how did these Buddha statues get in here?" Rongjing asked thoughtfully. "They certainly weren't carried in by hand. The opening Qian Yan is working on is too small for statues this size to fit through. And although this door is wide enough, we encountered narrow spaces on our way here. There's no way these statues could have passed through those. So, these statues likely didn't come through this entrance either."
"Yes, how did they get in here?" Yun Qianyue murmured, her curiosity piqued again as she began inspecting the walls for another entrance. "Could there be a third door?"
"Possibly," Rongjing nodded. "That's a reasonable guess."
"If there's a third door, it won't escape my notice." Yun Qianyue left the statues and started to examine the surrounding walls.
Rongjing trailed behind her, moving at a steady pace.
After a full round of inspection along the walls, she still found no concealed locks that could reveal a third door. Yun Qianyue then examined the floor, kicking away the thick dust with her foot, but even after a complete inspection, she came up empty. Frustrated, she looked up at the ceiling. "Could it be up there?"
"Perhaps," Rongjing replied, looking up as well.
"There it is!" Yun Qianyue's gaze locked onto a faintly recessed line along the ridge above the statues. She sighed. "But how do we get up there? We're out of inner strength; there's no way we can use our light-footwork techniques."
Rongjing shrugged. "Looks like we have no way around it. Seems like you're truly destined to have no fate with these Buddhas! They refuse to welcome you. That treasure within reach won't be yours."
"You and that venomous mouth! Can you never say anything pleasant?" Yun Qianyue glared at him and then demanded, "I don't care how you do it—figure out a way to open that door for me! Otherwise, I'll leave that fool Qian Yan out there to struggle with the mechanisms, and we'll just stay here locked up. We'll leave when our martial strength is restored."
Yun Qianyue was determined. Only a fool would leave all this wealth behind!
"Restoring our martial strength in a short time is impossible. We've exhausted our energy to the core, affecting even our fundamental essence. It's a relief we're still alive at all. It will take at least a year or two to recover our strength," Rongjing reminded her. Noting her angry glare, he gently added, "If we stay here without an exit, we'll eventually starve."
"Then let us starve! There's no way I'm letting Ye Tianqing and his emperor father take these riches." Yun Qianyue replied without hesitation.
"Ah, then we'll starve." Rongjing sighed and then added, "Even if we don't open the door ourselves, Ye Tianqing won't be able to move these Buddha statues either. So, it's not as if there won't be another chance to claim them in the future."
"But what if Qian Yan finds the third door? Won't that allow him to get these statues out? And who's to say Ye Tianqing wouldn't immediately take these statues to his father? I don't like uncertainties like that. If they're not in my hands, I'll never feel at ease." Yun Qianyue shook her head firmly.
"I hadn't realized that, besides your fondness for food, sleep, and amusement, you also have a near-obsessive love for wealth," Rongjing remarked, patting his pockets. "With this disposition, don't be surprised if you struggle to find a husband."
"If I can't get married, so be it! If someone wants to marry me, it's still up to me to decide whether I want to marry them," Yun Qianyue replied casually.
In this world, she had become acutely aware of how hard life would be without wealth or power. She had no money to her name here. Even if she were to take over the management of the Yun Prince's residence, those funds weren't hers to spend freely. Having her own resources would be far more convenient. Besides, she had no intention of laboring to earn money. She only wanted a life of indulgence and ease. With these statues, she wouldn't have to worry about money ever again.
"When you come of age, the emperor will likely arrange a marriage for you. Whether you marry or not may not be in your control," Rongjing pointed out.
"Isn't the emperor already so old he's on his last legs? Who's to say he won't be dead by then? And no one can force me," Yun Qianyue replied with a shrug, dismissing the topic. She urged Rongjing, "Hey, come on, have you figured out a way to open that door yet?"
"I'm empty-handed. How can I have something to open that door with?" Rongjing's gaze fell on the two hairpins loosely tucked into Yun Qianyue's hair. "Take those pins out of your hair. I'll try using them to open it."
YOU ARE READING
The Dandy's Duchess
Chick-Lit"The Dandy's Duchess" tells the story of the youngest and most talented general of the National Security Bureau, who sacrifices his life for his country and finds his soul transported to another world, where he is reborn as Yun Qianyue, the only leg...
