When the two ministers encountered misfortune, Shao Bai could judge people's hearts.

On a clear, early-morning sun, the sun shone like golden threads through the clouds, weaving a vast net around the Pei residence. Gu Yanzhou, led by Lan Ci and Lan Xu, led the Jinwu Guards to surround the Pei residence. His heart burned with rage, a mixture of love and hatred. Whether it was relentless reluctance or a deep-seated vengeance, whatever the emotion, today was the day to end it all. At this point, his emotions overtook his rationality, blinding his eyes, and a surge of vengeance erupted from the depths of his heart. He pushed aside the guards, kicked open the door, and declared, "Come, arrest everyone in the Pei residence and put them in jail."

Upon hearing the noise, everyone in Pei's residence came to the front of the hall.

"May I ask what Gu Tingwei is doing? He actually led his troops to trespass into the Pei Guogong Mansion." Pei Linyan said

"I'm here on the Emperor's orders to arrest you and take you to prison," Gu Yanzhou said.

"What is the matter? We, the Pei family, are not ashamed of God and are not ashamed of others. How can we arrest him? Do you have any evidence?" Pei Linyan said.

"Someone has accused Pei Luohuan of seven sins: first, hoarding armor with the intention of treason; second, embezzling the national treasury for personal gain; third, colluding with foreign enemies and betraying the country; fourth, forming a clique for personal gain and disrupting the government; fifth, using his relatives to monopolize power and commit corruption; sixth, framing loyal officials and excluding dissidents; and seventh, amassing his own army and claiming the throne." Gu Yanzhou said

"These accusations of treason are all nonsense. Your Majesty and I are uncle and nephew. The current Queen Mother is my sister. I am the highest-ranking official in the current dynasty. Why would I do such a heinous crime as confiscating my property and punishing my crimes?" Pei Luohuan said.

"Although you are second only to one person and above ten thousand people, you are still ambitious and insatiable. You want to ascend to the supreme position. No need to say more, take me to search and we will know the answer. Lan Xu, take your men to search the Pei Mansion inside and out." Gu Yanzhou said

"I'll see who dares. If anyone dares to touch me, I'll make him bleed to death on the spot." Pei Linyan drew his sword and said

"Yan'er, your father has always been upright and honest. There is no need to say more. Sir Gu, please come in." Pei Luohuan said

The Jinwu Guards filed in, and soon someone came to report, "Master Gu, we found fifty suits of armor under the stables, stolen jewels in the storeroom, and letters with the enemy in the study."

"Captain Pei, the evidence is now irrefutable. Do you have anything to say?" Gu Yanzhou said.

"Someone must have framed me and put me in this situation." Pei Luohuan

"Then, General Pei, please tell us who went to such great lengths to frame you." Gu Yanzhou said

Everyone in the Pei Mansion lowered their heads in thought and remained silent. "Surround the Pei Mansion and imprison Pei Weiwei and his family in the same room. No one is allowed to enter or leave without my order." Gu Yanzhou said

"You..." Pei Linyan was about to step forward to argue, but was stopped by Pei Taiwei, who said, "Yan'er, you can't do that. The innocent will be innocent. We don't need to worry too much. Let's wait for the Queen Mother to find out the truth." Then the family of six entered the room.

In the room, Du Juan saw that everyone looked solemn, so she poured tea for everyone one by one in an attempt to ease the tense atmosphere. When she saw everyone drinking the tea, she suddenly felt dizzy, her vision went black, and she fell down heavily, without any consciousness.

"I have my own difficulties, you can't blame me." Du Juan said as he turned on the tinder, and suddenly a raging fire broke out in the house. Du Juan knocked the guard unconscious and escaped with the unconscious Pei Linyan.

Under the shade of a tree, a man silently watched everything, not putting out the fire, but chasing the woman away. Du Juan helped Pei Linyan to a secluded place, only to see the man flash up and say, "Du Juan, how dare you disobey orders? You said you wanted to kill everyone in the Pei Mansion and pretend they were burned to death. Why did you secretly rescue Pei Linyan?"

"Young Master, please spare us a life since we grew up together. I am also pregnant with the blood of the Pei family. Our family will stay away from Chang'an and live in seclusion in the mountains." Du Juan pleaded.

"Pregnant? Hahahahahaha, that's ridiculous. The missions you took years ago injured your body and you've been unable to have children for a long time. Your morning sickness is because I had someone put pomegranate seeds in your food every day." The man said

"You lied to me, you actually lied to me, we are friends who share life and death, you are even family to me." Du Juan shouted in disbelief

"Dujuan, remember, we live like a knife. Once a knife develops feelings, it's time to break." With that, the man drew his sword with his left hand and cut Dujuan's neck. Dujuan fell straight down, his eyes still open, staring intently ahead. The man was about to strike Pei Linyan again, but before he could, he saw black smoke rising from the direction of the Prime Minister's residence. After a moment's thought, he exclaimed, "Not good!" and left Pei Linyan behind as he headed back towards the residence.

At the same time, the Pei residence was engulfed in flames. Gu Yanzhou's eyes grew panicked, and he shouted, "Hurry up, put out the fire! Hurry up, put out the fire!" His heart pounded as the flames burned. A man's silhouette, standing tall and distinct in the thick smoke, stood out against the flames. "Is it him? Is it him?" Gu Yanzhou asked himself, rushing forward only to see Pei San running out, holding Pei Linyu.

Gu Yanzhou lost his mind immediately when he saw who was coming. He stared at Pei San and asked, "Where is Pei Linyan? Where is Pei Linyan?"

Pei San said with a dark face, "I saw the young master and the others were locked in a room, so I wanted to take a look. As a result, I saw Du Juan knock out the guard and ran out with the young master. I felt strange, so I ran to the room to take a look. I saw a huge fire in the room, so I rescued the young lady who was closest to the door first, and wanted to go back to save the master and the mistress, but the beam collapsed and crushed the master, the mistress, and the old lady to death. They...they couldn't be saved." After that, Pei San started to cry.

Gu Yanzhou shouted, "Leave Pei Linyu to Lan Ci's care first. You and I will go find Lin Yan quickly to prevent him from getting hurt."

Before he had searched for a moment, he looked up and saw a big fire in the direction of the Prime Minister's Mansion. Gu Yanzhou's heart suddenly became alarmed and he began to worry that Shen Shaobai was coming, but he was unable to deal with it and was hesitant and entangled.

Lan Xu said, "Master Gu, Pei San and I will continue to look for Pei Weiwei, and my brother will take care of Pei Linyu. You should go to the Prime Minister's Mansion quickly to check on him. Don't let anything unforeseen happen again."

Gu Yanzhou hurriedly ran to the prime minister's residence, with a bad premonition in his heart.

At the Prime Minister's residence, Shen Kuo heard servants come early in the morning to report that "the Prime Minister's residence has been surrounded by the army." The leader walked over quickly and said, "Shen Kuo, after not seeing you for several years, you look haggard, your hair and beard are graying, and you look like an old man. Although you are the Prime Minister and hold great power, you can't resist the passage of time and the gradual aging of the body."

"You are the King of Qi, so you are not as surrounded by mountains and rivers, and are always accompanied by the beauty of nature. At first glance, you look like a hermit. Why do you come to this secular place instead of chanting scriptures and cultivating yourself in the Taoist temple?" Shen Kuo said with a smile.

"We eat muddy valleys and drink underground springs. We are all ordinary people. How can we talk about the secular world? But you are not surprised to see me at all," Liu Shulin said.

"I am surprised, but where does the joy come from?" Shen Kuo asked.

"So you didn't know that the person who loves and appreciates your son is none other than Feng Liunian, my son." Liu Shulin said

"I see. I was wondering why he resembled you 50% but had no connection with your family background. It turns out you had already made sufficient preparations. Ever since the three governors were murdered, I suspected you were the one behind it. The three governors were all arranged by the late emperor to monitor you. Their untimely deaths are a good thing for you. You have been freed from surveillance and eliminated your political enemies. What a good move! I just didn't expect you to be so bold as to bring the Xuanwu Army into Chang'an with such fanfare. Aren't you afraid of punishment from the emperor and the empress dowager?" Shen Kuo said.

"I have thought of a foolproof plan. I have already negotiated with the emperor's nephew. He will lift the ban and invite me to the capital. I will help him clean up the noble families." Liu Shulin said

"Then the Pei Mansion must also be liquidated, but how can the Queen Mother agree to this?" Shen Kuo said

"It's because the emperor's nephew gave her some medicine, which made her weak in her limbs and mentally exhausted." Liu Shulin said

"Then you are willing to give it up?" Shen Shi said

"Stop talking nonsense and get on your way. Everyone in your Shen Mansion is doomed today." Liu Shulin said

"No hurry, you and I have known each other for many years. Why don't you wait for me to rest and freshen up before setting off again?" Shen Shi said

"Your last request in this life, I will naturally fulfill it. Come, please clean up and dress up Prime Minister Chen. Don't let him lose the demeanor of the Prime Minister of the Han Dynasty." Liu Shulin said

Shen Kuo came to the study, fumbled with the mechanism on the bookshelf, and escaped into the secret passage when no one was paying attention. He came to Shen Shaobai's room and saw Shen Er taking care of Shen Shaobai. Shen Shaobai seemed to be in better condition.

"Shen Er, you go to the door and guard it. Don't let anyone in. Shao Bai, let me cut to the chase. Feng Liunian is the son of the King of Qi. If he gets close to you, he might have something to hide. You must be very careful. The King of Qi wants to get rid of our Shen family and has surrounded the Prime Minister's Mansion. You and I are in imminent danger and we may not be able to escape. I will surrender and burn down the Prime Minister's Mansion. You and Shen Er may be able to escape by hiding in the secret room. My child, I will give you the White Tiger Order. Remember, if one day a treacherous minister comes to power and the royal family is in danger, you must lead the army to eliminate the treacherous ministers and restore peace to the world." Shen Kuo said

"Father, since we have the White Tiger, why don't we kill it?" Shen Shaobai said

"Silly child, if the King of Qi had brought ordinary soldiers, we might have fought to the death with the servants and there might have been a chance of turning the situation around. But today, it is the Xuanwu Army that has come. Even if the Shen family is completely wiped out, I am afraid we cannot hurt them at all. Dad's suggestion is the safest way, just do it. My son, I am sorry for you. I am usually too busy with official duties to take care of you, but now I have let you fall into such a situation. If there is an afterlife, I will put you first in everything. Even if I have to give up wealth and glory, I will make sure you live a safe and smooth life." Shen Kuo said

"Dad, there must be other ways. You can't take the risk." Shen Shaobai said

"Chen Er, you must remember to protect the young master and go find Gu Yanzhou. He has his own way to help you out of this predicament." After Shen Kuo said this, he knocked Shen Shaobai unconscious, and then placed the two of them in a secret passage and started a fire.

Shen Kuo came out of the study, ready to die heroically. Liu Shulin raised his knife and was about to chop him, but in a flash, the knife was stopped before it fell. Looking in the direction of the knife, the man was none other than Feng Liunian.

"Your Majesty, if you want to achieve your goal, why do you have to kill them all?" Feng Liunian said

"My goal is to annihilate the entire Shen family. No one will be left alive. As the clan leader, Shen Kuo is someone I must kill." Liu Shulin said

Everyone was in a stalemate when suddenly a section of the mansion collapsed. Feng Liunian looked closely and saw that it was indeed the direction of Shen Shaobai's room. He ran towards it, shaking as if struck by lightning. The house had already been destroyed in the sea of ​​fire. The scattered charred wood gave off a pungent smell. Feng Liunian rushed into the ruins, searching like a beast out of control. "Brother Shaobai, Brother Shaobai!" He roared at the top of his lungs, kneeling in a daze, his soul lost like a ghost. "I don't believe it, I don't believe it, he must be alive." He didn't care about the burns on his hands, his face was covered in filth, his eyes were full of madness, and he began to search foolishly again.

Seeing Feng Liunian like this, Shen Kuo didn't know what he was thinking for a moment. Did he really love Shaobai or was he just pretending?

"Why don't you look for him anymore? Even if you dig three feet deep, I think it will be difficult to find him. Shen Kuo is very cunning. I think he must have hidden Shen Shaobai and others again while he was washing up." Liu Shulin said

Feng Liunian looked at Shen Kuo eagerly, with a questioning look in his eyes. Shen Kuo avoided looking at him and looked up and said, "To kill me or to chop me up, it's all up to you." He looked like he was ready to die bravely.

"It's easy for you to meet him. Just leave a letter and tell him that you want to save your father and come to the Merchant Alliance alone." Liu Shulin said

Feng Liunian calmed down and thought, "If he comes there, he will fall into a trap, and I am not sure I can get him out safely; if he doesn't come, I will be worried." He didn't know what to do for a moment.

"Don't you want to know who is more important to him, you or Shen Kuo?" Liu Shulin asked

For a moment, my mind was electrocuted, recalling the constant yearning I'd felt for him over the years. I lived on a fleeting memory. He was the most important person to me, but was I also the most important person to him? Feng Liunian was plunged into darkness, a boy on a leash, trapped in a cage. He didn't know why he was still alive. Every day, for food, he had to fight wild beasts and his companions. If he didn't perform well, he would be deprived of food and water at best, or scolded and whipped at worst. I could only recall his appearance over and over again. Every time I felt pain, I thought of him again, like falling into hell; every time I felt thirsty, I drank from him, like finding sweet spring water.

"Good" Fengliuniandao

"How dare you put Bai'er in danger, Feng Liunian, you are not worthy of being a human being..." Shen Kuo said, but before he could finish his words, he was knocked unconscious by Liu Shulin. He left a letter to save his father to Shen Shaobai, and left with Feng Liunian and the army.

When Gu Yanzhou arrived at the Shen Mansion, he saw that the original carved beams and painted buildings had turned into broken walls and ruins. He felt inexplicably sad, and a wave of sorrow crept up his spine, making his neck feel cold. The scenes of the past flashed through his mind like a kaleidoscope, making the scene before him seem even more desolate.

There was a creaking sound in the ruins, and two figures crawled out like evil spirits. Upon closer inspection, they turned out to be Shen Shaobai and Shen Er. Gu Yanzhou rushed forward quickly and saw that their faces were pale and their lips were chapped.

"Shaobai, are you okay? What happened? Why is the Prime Minister's Mansion like this?" Gu Yanzhou asked

"It was the King of Qi who led the Xuanwu Army to surround the Shen Mansion and wanted to massacre all the people in the clan. To protect my safety, my father hid Shen Er and I in a secret room and then set fire to the Shen Mansion." Shen Shaobai said

"He planned to attack the Pei Mansion. I know he has a long-standing grudge against General Pei. So why did he attack the Prime Minister's Mansion?" Gu Yanzhou muttered softly.

"Yan Zhou, Yuan Fengliunian is the son of the King of Qi. From the very beginning of the Lantern Festival, your assassination, the Salt and Iron Case, the death of the Qi County Magistrate, the Five Elements Case, the Changsheng Religion Case, the Tax and Silver Case, every single one of them was his handiwork. Even my assassination and coma are inseparable from him." Shen Shaobai said

"If that's the case, I think the King of Qi is the real mastermind behind this, and Feng Liunian is just a knife in his hand. No wonder the King of Qi started planning this twenty years ago." Gu Yanzhou said

"Then why did he kill innocent people and even treat his own children as tools?" Shen Shaobai asked

"It must have been twenty years ago when the Queen Mother and the King of Qi were in love with each other, but were blocked by General Pei and others. The King of Qi misunderstood the Queen Mother and began to plot. The late Emperor, considering the country and the people, sent three governors to Qi to monitor the King of Qi. The King of Qi then began to eliminate dissidents through conspiracy and trickery, which is why the Prime Minister's Mansion is suffering this disaster today." Gu Yanzhou analyzed.

"Then do you think Feng Liunian has anything to do with my assassination and coma?" Shen Shaobai asked

"You asked me, so you have doubts. Aren't you sure about the answer?" Gu Yanzhou said

"I..." Shen Shaobai hesitated

While the two were thinking, Shen Er picked up a letter and looked at it with a look of surprise and joy, saying, "Master, there is news from the master."

Shen Shaobai snatched the letter and saw "Chen Shaobai wants to save your father, so he needs to come to the business alliance alone, otherwise if he is late, Shen Kuo will be dead." After reading it, he felt angry and his stomach ached.

"Shaobai, you must not fall into the trap. You and I can discuss a foolproof plan that will definitely save Chen Xiang." Gu Yanzhou hurriedly comforted

"Yanzhou, come here and let me hug you. It is God's blessing that we become close friends in this life. We will see each other in the next life." After Shen Shaobai said this, he knocked Gu Yanzhou unconscious.

"Shaobai, you..." Gu Yanzhou looked at Shen Shaobai's smiling and blurry figure with blurred eyes, and fell into a deep dream.

"Chen Er, you must send Yanzhou back to Qingju safely." He then took out the White Tiger Order from his sleeve and said, "When Yanzhou wakes up, you can give this White Tiger Order to him directly. With his intelligence, he will know its use. Remember, before Yanzhou wakes up, you must stay with him at all times."

"Master, please let me go with you. At least I can take care of you." Shen Er pleaded.

"Chen Er, if we are both trapped by the King of Qi, who will notify Yan Zhou to come and rescue us? I will keep you here so that you two can come and rescue me once Yan Zhou wakes up." Shen Shaobai lied.

"Master, you can't lie to me. I will send Gu Tingwei back to Qingju right now. You wait for us to rescue you." He hugged Gu Yanzhou and cried reluctantly.

Shen Shaobai limped towards the Chamber of Commerce without even looking back. What was waiting for him?

A light rain began to fall, bringing with it the bleakness of autumn, hitting the unburned charcoal, making a sizzling sound. Wisps of choking black smoke rose slowly and spread, and the black ash floated like magma from hell, devouring vitality and hope.