The Emperor's spirits lifted, and he reached his entire palm past the raised piece of wood.
He pulled down, it didn't budge, so he pushed up instead, and with a "click", the secret compartment opened up before his eyes.
He suddenly realized, no wonder he couldn't find it before. The mechanism for opening this hidden compartment was located right below the compartment itself. Indeed, his Little Concubine was to be commended for discovering such a secluded spot.
In fact, Lian Hua's discovery of the secret compartment was a fluke within a fluke.
It happened a very long time ago, just a few months after she and Xiao Qing moved into Canglan Court.
Back then, Canglan Court was nearly a deserted garden. It was called half a garden because, thanks to Lian Hua and Xiao Qing's efforts, they had cleaned up half the area near the Side Hall. They pulled weeds, chopped trees for firewood, tilled the soil, and self-sufficiently grew melons, beans, and vegetables.
