Chapter 7 is about to be discovered!

"Don't go." Huo Yunzhan said without the slightest hesitation.

The person lying in that mourning hall wasn't him at all. He didn't want to see Shen Qingci heartbroken over another man.

"Take care of the baby in your belly first. Yun... Yun Zhan doesn't want you to be too sad and hurt your health."

"Okay, sure." Shen Qingci had only made up an excuse, and upon hearing his words, she nodded without hesitation. Then her gaze fell on the kraft paper in Huo Yunzhan's hand. The packaging... seemed very familiar: "Did you just come from Mother's place, brother?"

She watched them leave; Huo Yunzhan should have walked ahead of her.

Huo Yunzhan shook his head: "Ruolan likes to eat Wensuzhai's peach shortbread. I asked someone to buy some and I was just about to send them to Ruolan."

So it was Wen Su Zhai. Shen Qingci lowered her eyes. No wonder the kraft paper looked so familiar. She used to like eating Wen Su Zhai's pastries, but what she liked was Ruyi Cake. Huo Yunzhan used to buy it for her often.

Shen Qingci felt a pang in her heart, but quickly gathered her thoughts. Recalling what she had heard before, she still wanted to... test the waters.

“Perfect timing, I have something I’d like to ask you, Lord Marquis.” Shen Qingci considered carefully: “After the entire Shen family was executed and sealed off by His Majesty, if I want to go back to retrieve something, will I be able to get in?”

Huo Yunzhan's expression changed: "It's all been sealed off, so of course you can't get in. What are you looking for? Why did you suddenly decide to go back to the Shen residence to look for something?"

Shen Qingci noticed his wary expression, and her eyes grew even darker: "It's not entirely sudden. I believe Father would never betray the country, so after the incident at the Shen family, I've actually been investigating the Shen family's affairs. Yun Zhan was helping me before, but now that Yun Zhan is gone, I can only rely on myself."

“I already had no relatives, and with Yun Zhan gone, I'm even more alone. I've wanted to go with them several times. What keeps me alive, besides the child in my womb, is the matter of clearing the name of the Shen family! That's why I wanted to ask…”

She paused for a moment: "My father received a tip-off and started investigating who was behind it all. I deduced from the few words he left behind that he must have found something, but I'm not sure, and I don't know where he's hiding, so I want to go back and look for him."

"If you can't get in through the door, what about climbing over the wall?"

A dark glint flashed in Huo Yunzhan's eyes: "You'd better not think about it for now. Although the entire Shen family has been executed, His Majesty suspects that there are accomplices in the Shen family and has been sending people to keep an eye on them. If you go to the Shen family rashly, you will definitely be discovered."

"Your most important task right now is to focus on your pregnancy and give birth to the child. I can keep an eye on the Shen family's affairs on behalf of Yun Zhan. If I find any leads, I will let you know immediately!"

"Alright, thank you, Lord Marquis." Shen Qingci frowned, his face full of worry, and only responded in a low voice.

The bait has been cast; she'll go to the Shen residence that night to wait and see if Huo Yunzhan takes the bait!

As Shen Qingci was thinking, she was about to say goodbye to Huo Yunzhan when she heard Huo Yunzhan change the subject: "By the way, I heard from the steward that a matchmaker came to your place today."

Shen Qingci was slightly taken aback, her mind racing, but she nodded calmly: "Yes, Yun Zhan has been dead for two months. The matchmaker was asked by someone to come and ask me if I am willing to remarry."

Huo Yunzhan's face turned cold almost immediately: "Who sent a matchmaker to ask?"

"I don't know." Shen Qingci shook her head, a hint of sorrow between her brows. "I haven't yet recovered from the grief of Yun Zhan's death in battle, and besides, I'm pregnant and have no intention of remarrying. No one can influence the outcome, so I didn't ask."

Hearing Shen Qingci say this, Huo Yunzhan's expression improved slightly.

"In that case, I'll give the instructions later. If any more matchmakers come, just send them away to avoid troubling you. Don't worry, sister-in-law, I will take good care of you and the child."

Shen Qingci felt disgusted. He wanted to fake his death to deceive her, enjoy marital bliss with his sister-in-law every night, yet he was afraid she would leave the mansion, afraid she would remarry, and even wanted to inherit two households and enjoy the bliss of having two wives.

Where in the world is there such a good thing?

She didn't say much, just nodded. Anyway, in forty days, she would remarry the Regent and leave this Marquis's mansion forever, and then he would no longer be able to control her.

As night deepened, Shen Qingci, under Wan Qing's cover, left the Marquis's residence and headed straight for the Shen residence.

Although the Shen residence was sealed off, she had lived there for over ten years and knew every plant and tree in the mansion intimately. She quickly slipped through a small hole hidden by flowerbeds and trees outside the Shen residence's wall and headed straight for the Green Pine Courtyard where her father had previously lived.

She hid herself completely among the flowers in the yard, remaining motionless.

After waiting for an unknown amount of time, a rustling sound came from the courtyard wall. After a while, a figure jumped down from the wall and quickly slipped into her father's study.

Today is the full moon, and under the moonlight, Shen Qingci can see that person's figure clearly!

It really is Huo Yunzhan!

She knew everything about Huo Yunzhan too well; there was no way she could mistake him!

Her heart felt as if it had been soaked in ice water. She quickly suppressed her surprise and suspicion, and quietly approached the study. She carefully poked a hole in the window paper and looked inside.

This was likely because the Shen residence had been sealed off for over half a year, and no one was inside. Huo Yunzhan became bolder once he entered the study, lighting a kerosene lamp and quickly searching through the room.

Shen Qingci knew perfectly well that what he was looking for was probably something she had made up during the day—something her father had found out!

Shen Qingci closed her eyes. Everything she had heard and guessed during the day was true!

Huo Yunzhan, or rather, the Huo family, is inextricably linked to the framing of her father!

It's ridiculous that she knew nothing about this until her death in her previous life!

She was reborn and glimpsed it by chance.

What a formidable family the Huo family is!

She was determined to find out the truth! If the Shen family's affairs were related to the Huo family, she would make the Huo family pay tenfold or a hundredfold!

"Where did that old scoundrel hide it?" Huo Yunzhan asked, somewhat annoyed after searching for a long time. "Could there be a secret room in this study?"

Huo Yunzhan muttered to himself, his gaze sweeping around the room before settling on the bookshelf.

Shen Qingci's eyes widened. There really was a secret room in this study!

She instinctively took a step back, but stepped on some dry leaves that hadn't been swept up in a long time, making a soft crunching sound.

Upon hearing the sound, Shen Qingci froze instantly!

We're about to be discovered!

Huo Yunzhan... will kill her!

"Who?" Huo Yunzhan was alert and immediately rushed out.

In a flash, Shen Qingci quickly analyzed her situation. The closest room to her was a side room, and the door to that side room was open...

Just as she was about to make a move, she suddenly felt two hands reach out from behind her. One hand covered her mouth, and the other hand wrapped around her waist. Before she could react, she was thrown into the air. After a few leaps and bounds, when she came to a stop, she was already in another courtyard.