Chapter 405 - 371: The Dagger is Revealed

Chapter 405: Chapter 371: The Dagger is Revealed

「Chen Li’s Study」

Cai Shangzhuo panted heavily as he, along with Chen Pi and his son, piled the last bag of copper coins in the corner of the study.

The one thousand two hundred strings of copper coins formed a small mountain, and moving them had been exhausting work.

He pounded his aching lower back while his eyes darted around, surreptitiously surveying the study.

The atmosphere in the Chen Mansion was a little unusual today.

Usually, even when Master Chen Li wasn’t present, there were at least four or five maids standing guard in this study.

But today, aside from the two maids responsible for bookkeeping, there was no one else.

Even the number of servants passing by in the corridors seemed to have dwindled.

’An opportunity!’

Cai Shangzhuo’s heart skipped a beat.

He saw that Chen Pi and Chen Dalin had already begun counting the copper coins with the four young men, all under the maids’ supervision.

The clinking of coins and the low murmur of counting had captured everyone’s full attention.

Cai Shangzhuo held his breath and quietly shuffled toward a corner in the inner part of the study.

There, between a bookshelf and the wall, was a hard-to-notice gap, lightly coated in dust.

He had noticed this perfect hiding spot on previous visits to deliver money, but with so many watchful eyes, he hadn’t dared to make a move.

’Now’s the time!’

With his back to the others, he pretended to reach back and scratch his waist, quickly pulling out a small object tightly wrapped in oil paper.

He squatted down, using his body as cover, and stuffed it into the gap.

But just then...

Three sudden, loud clangs of a bell rang out.

Cai Shangzhuo was scared witless. He shot to his feet, his heart pounding in his throat.

Startled by the bell, everyone in the study stopped what they were doing and looked out the window in confusion.

"What’s going on?"

The group stood up, their faces etched with confusion.

The two maids exchanged a glance, and one of them hurried to the door to look out.

Before long, the sound of a servant running and shouting a message grew closer: "By order of the Master! All servants, maids, and long-term workers are to assemble in the open area before the main gate immediately. No delays!"

Chen Pi said to the two maids, "The Master has summoned us so suddenly. Can we pause this and continue when we get back?"

The maids nodded in agreement. "Of course, the Master’s orders take precedence. Let’s lock the doors and windows. We can finish counting when we return."

Everyone prepared to leave the study.

Cai Shangzhuo’s nerves settled slightly. Thinking he had dodged a bullet, he subconsciously shot another quick glance at the corner.

That one glance sent a chill of dread straight through him.

The oil-paper package hadn’t been pushed all the way into the gap as he’d thought. A small corner was still sticking out in plain sight.

Anyone who paid the slightest attention to that corner would surely notice something was amiss.

Cold sweat instantly drenched Cai Shangzhuo’s back.

"Shangzhuo, what are you dawdling for? Hurry up and follow!"

Chen Pi, who had already reached the doorway, turned and snapped impatiently.

Cai Shangzhuo froze. He knew the opportunity was lost.

Insisting on staying now would be as good as confessing.

He could only suppress the panic in his heart and force a pained smile. "Coming, coming."

With that, he hurried to catch up, but his heart had sunk like a stone.

In front of the Chen Mansion, a dense crowd of several hundred people had gathered.

Nearly everyone on duty in the mansion had been summoned, packing the vast open space shoulder to shoulder.

The crowd murmured amongst themselves, speculating about the reason for the sudden assembly.

With a guilty conscience, Cai Shangzhuo didn’t dare stand near the front. He kept his head down and his neck hunched, desperately trying to squeeze into the farthest, most remote corner at the back of the crowd.

He kept wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, but it just kept beading up. His heart was pounding so loudly he was sure he could hear it.

’They won’t. They definitely won’t find it. The bell was just a coincidence; it has nothing to do with me...’

He repeated this to himself, trying to calm his nerves.

Just then, the crowd in front of him suddenly parted like the tide, clearing a path.

Cai Shangzhuo looked up in terror to see the Patriarch, Chen Li, walking toward him from the front of the crowd.

And he was heading straight for the very corner where Cai Shangzhuo stood.

’Is he coming for me?’

’Could it be... I’ve been found out?’

’Impossible! Absolutely impossible!’

Cai Shangzhuo’s mind went completely blank with a deafening BUZZ.

He watched, frozen, as Chen Li approached step by step, finding it almost impossible to breathe.

He wanted to retreat, but there was nowhere to go.

The people around him instinctively backed away, leaving him exposed and isolated.

"You. What are you panicking about?"

Chen Li’s Divine Sense swept across the entire assembly, allowing him to perceive the state of all several hundred people with perfect clarity. ℴ

He had instantly detected this man’s chaotic breathing, his darting eyes, and his constant attempts to shrink into the corner. Something was definitely wrong with him.

"No... Master, I’m not panicking. Not... not at all..."

Cai Shangzhuo was tongue-tied, his voice trembling.

Chen Li asked, "What is your name?"

Cai Shangzhuo’s lips trembled, but he couldn’t utter a single word.

Chen Pi pushed his way forward from the side and explained, "Master, please calm your anger. His name is Cai Shangzhuo, and he’s my nephew. Just last month, you agreed to let him join the mansion as a long-term worker. He doesn’t know the rules and has offended you. I will be sure to discipline him severely later."

Chen Li’s gaze swept over Chen Pi, ignoring his explanation. He stared at Cai Shangzhuo, his tone turning cold. "Are you going to speak, or must I interrogate you?"

A shiver ran through Cai Shangzhuo, and his teeth began to chatter. He kept his head down, remaining silent.

Seeing this, how could Chen Pi not understand what had happened?

He trembled with rage, lunged forward, and grabbed his nephew. "Speak!" he roared. "What terrible thing have you done? Answer the Master at once!

Cai Shangzhuo didn’t dare resist, nor did he dare to shy away.