Secrets Within the Gazetteer

Looking at the completed painting, a flash of satisfaction appeared in Zhao Changge’s eyes. As expected, her brushwork had matured significantly compared to before.

Setting down her brush, she stretched to relax. The rest would wait until after her afternoon nap.

Looking at the tightly closed study door, Zhao Changge thought to herself that while she was in the study, no one would disturb her. Thus, she could take this opportunity to see how the seedlings and flower seeds she had planted last night were doing.

In an instant, she entered the mysterious Space.

Seeing the peach and tangerine trees that had already grown strong before her eyes, Zhao Changge couldn't help but stare in shock.

As for how she knew what trees they were? Naturally, it was thanks to the fruits already hanging from the branches!

Looking to the side, each flower bush was also growing with astonishing vitality.

This Space… was truly too miraculous!

Thinking this, she reached out to pluck a peach from the tree, washed it with the water from the vat, and took a bite.

The moment she bit down, a refreshing sweetness and succulent peach juice flooded her mouth.

Delicious!

After three bites, Zhao Changge had finished the entire peach.

As for the tangerines… she thought about it and decided to leave them for now.

These fruits could either be kept for her own consumption or brought out for her family once she found a suitable excuse.

Immediately after, Zhao Changge left the Space, returning to her calm demeanor as if nothing had happened, and stepped out of the study.

"Young Miss." Xuan Hua was waiting outside the door and hurriedly bowed upon seeing her.

"What time is it?"

"It is nearly noon. I have ordered the servants to prepare lunch. When would the Young Miss like to dine?" Xuan Hua asked softly, then noticed that Zhao Changge’s mood was clearly much better, and she secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Have them serve the meal! After eating, I will rest for a bit, then I still need to apply the colors." Zhao Changge thought for a moment and replied as she stepped into the room. The young maids serving outside hurriedly bowed.

"Yes." Xuan Hua took the order, bowed, and led another maid toward the kitchen.

Zhao Changge entered the room, poured herself a cup of tea, and casually picked up a book from the table.

Opening the book, she slowly flipped through the pages, reading one after another. But as she turned to a certain page, she accidentally knocked over the teacup beside her, and water spilled onto the book.

Zhao Changge hurriedly lifted the book and used a handkerchief to wipe it dry.

But at that moment, her gaze suddenly froze.

On the water-soaked page, tiny lines of text suddenly appeared.

What is this?

She observed carefully and discovered that those small characters were all sequences of numbers.

Just as she was about to study them further, the sound of footsteps came from outside.

Zhao Changge immediately closed the book and set it aside.

***

After lunch, as soon as she entered the inner chamber, she could not wait any longer and hurriedly picked up the book to examine it closely.

This book was the *Di Li Zhi* (The Gazetteer), and when held, it clearly felt thicker than other books.

What secret was hidden within this?

Looking at the two rows of small characters with four numbers arranged in sets, a suspicion flashed in her mind—could these be page numbers and line numbers?

"Page nine, line two, seventh character... Page eighteen, line five, third character..."

Zhao Changge cross-referenced the sequences one by one, then recorded each character on a piece of paper.

When those characters were assembled into complete sentences, her expression instantly changed.

This was clearly a list of certain officials along with their positions!

The scene she had witnessed yesterday at the Prince Xian Manor suddenly surfaced in her mind.

Could it be…

Zhao Changge suddenly felt that the object in her hand was like a hot potato.

If this was the very thing Pei Yan was searching for, and now it had fallen into her hands, and moreover, she had discovered the secret, then…