The news that Shen Yuheng had been imprisoned quickly reached Wanwan's ears.

Having just returned to the Wan family home and not even had a chance to have a reunion dinner with them, Wanwan was once again gripped by anxiety.

Grandpa was already in his twilight years, and Wanwan couldn't bear to ask him for advice anymore, so she had to bring her second brother, who was also looking worried.

The brother and sister looked increasingly sorrowful in the lamplight.

"Hey Wanwan," Wan Yuechi broke the silence, "Where have you been all this time? Didn't you go back to the Mermaid Clan? How come you're back with Shen Yuheng again?"

Wanwan rested her chin on her hand, pouted, and looked at her second brother, "I'll discuss this matter with you in detail later. The most urgent thing is to rescue Lord Shen."

"The matter of Lord Shen and Prince Sui'an has caused quite a stir in the capital. Perhaps the Emperor's decision to imprison Lord Shen is an attempt to quell the situation." Wan Yuechi got straight to the point, resting his chin on his hand as he looked at the flickering candlelight.

"Why don't we go directly to the Emperor to plead for Lord Shen?" Wanwan slammed her hand on the table, startling Wan Yuechi halfway awake from his slumber. "Let's not wait until tomorrow, let's do it tonight!"

"At night?" Wan Yuechi was taken aback. His face turned pale under the orange light. His younger sister had always been a worry since she was little. Now that she had grown into a sixteen-year-old girl, she was even more unsettling.

"You'll be mistaken for an assassin... Hey, don't pull your brother!" Before Wan Yuechi could finish speaking, he was dragged out of the house by Wanwan.

The night was deep, and a crescent moon hung in the dark blue sky, not very bright, but it was enough for the mermaid.

Wanwan peered out the door for a while, and after confirming that the elders were all asleep, she grabbed Wan Yuechi and ran out of the Wan residence.

The two ran towards the palace, and Wan Yuechi kept groaning in his heart as he ran.

Wanwan was fast on her feet and had excellent stamina. Before the moon had even risen halfway up the sky, she pulled Wan Yuechi and secretly slipped into the palace.

Wan Yuechi was in great pain, wondering what his younger sister had gone through during the months she was away dealing with the floods, that she had acquired the skills of a notorious bandit.

The two sneaked their way to the Imperial Study.

The Emperor is indeed the Emperor; the lights in his study are much brighter than those in ordinary homes. Under the bright lights, the Emperor's tall, slender figure, as he reviews memorials, is cast on the door.

Once inside, it's unclear whether one will have a chance to plead for mercy first, or be arrested as an assassin and imprisoned with Shen Yuheng.

Wan Yuechi clung to the door frame, his heart filled with hesitation.

"Come in. You'll be mistaken for an assassin if you stay outside." The Emperor's voice suddenly came from inside the room, his tone steady, as if he had already expected someone to come and that the person who came was not an enemy.

Wanwan paused for a moment, grabbed her brother's sleeve, and asked with a mixture of confusion and surprise, "Is the Emperor speaking to us?"

"Come in and say what you have to say. When the patrolling soldiers come, I'll have to lie for you two." The Emperor's figure didn't even waver as he flipped through the memorials.

The two exchanged a bewildered look, then, like elementary school students caught red-handed by their teacher, they pushed open the door and stood obediently in a row in front of the Emperor.

Wanwan stood there for a while, and seeing that the Emperor was still engrossed in reading the memorials and had no intention of paying attention to the two of them, she thought for a moment, then went back and closed the door tightly.

The Emperor then slowly rose and stood in front of the two men.

He was tall and young, yet his brows furrowed with composure and calmness, his gaze sharp, but unlike the sharpness in Xiao Qi's eyes. Xiao Qi's sharpness was a resolute and ruthless coldness honed through experience, capable of sweeping away thousands of troops, while the emperor's sharpness carried a touch of gentleness, a demeanor of an emperor.

"You two are being so abrupt, it's really hard for me to entrust you with such an important task." The Emperor's tone carried a helpless smile, without any anger, and even a hint of teasing.

The two instinctively lowered their heads, then suddenly realized what was happening and looked at the Emperor with delight in their eyes. "What does Your Majesty mean?"

The brother and sister were on the same page for once, and both of their eyes were full of anticipation.

"Indeed." The Emperor calmly placed his hands behind his back. "I also have my doubts about the case of Prince Sui'an. This time, Shen Yuheng has been caught up in the rumors. I think the instigator from back then will not let him go. I detained him for his safety. Don't worry, Wanwan, your fiancé has not suffered any physical pain. I expected you two to come, so I have important matters to entrust to you for investigation."

Wan Yuechi missed the point and said with some disdain, "He's not my sister's fiancé..."

Wanwan ignored her brother's words and looked at the Emperor with even more fervent eyes, "What matter does Your Majesty want to entrust to us?"

Her rudeness did not offend the Emperor. His eyes softened slightly. "Regarding the case of Prince Sui'an, although I have my suspicions, I am unable to spare the energy to investigate it. I will entrust this heavy responsibility to the two of you to investigate. What do you say?"

Meeting the Emperor's gaze, Wan Yuechi quickly accepted the order, "Your humble servant will do his utmost."

That very night, the two immediately began to peruse the royal archives. With the emperor's permission, they felt more confident in their investigation.

However, due to the passage of time, Prince Sui'an's files were covered in dust, and the important files were torn to pieces and scattered everywhere. The two had to carefully take out all the old files, clean off the dust, and then carefully paste the torn pages back together.

This area was full of old cases, dimly lit. Wanwan held a candle and examined them one by one, accidentally burning off a section of her hair.

Wan Yuechi carefully organized the relevant evidence and labeled them one by one.

After two days of work, the two discovered that the case was indeed full of suspicious points.

Not only are the pieces of evidence scarce and broken, but most of them are also fabricated. Some of them cannot be verified even after searching through the entire case file. The witness statements are also inconsistent and contradictory. Even the handwriting of the people who took the statements is very different, indicating that they were handled by multiple people.

Even more outrageous is that the crucial evidence of Prince Sui'an's treason and rebellion was actually the words of Marquis Xining.

From beginning to end, all the evidence was more or less related to Marquis Xining. In the end, it was Marquis Xining who made the final decision to convict Prince Sui'an of treason. The late emperor did not conduct a thorough investigation and directly ordered the execution of Prince Sui'an's entire family.

Isn't this a blatant attempt to frame someone?

The brother and sister were filled with righteous indignation as they tidied up.

Now that all the suspicious points have been exposed, the brother and sister plan to start with Marquis Xining.

However, this old fox was as impenetrable as a fortress. He had seen too many intrigues in officialdom and was extremely cunning. The two had no experience in dealing with treacherous officials, so they had no choice but to start by targeting the people around him.

After several days of surveillance and investigation, the brother and sister finally determined that the person most likely to provide information about Marquis Xining was his wife.

Although Marquis Xining was a notorious traitor, he treated his wife extremely well.