Jia San quickly returned with two other guards. They were unharmed, but they said that several houses in the front yard of the manor had been burned down by those people.

Hong Gu helped settle everyone in and served them hot soup and rice. Even Shen Mingwan ate a bowl of minced meat wontons.

A sliver of blue-purple light appeared on the eastern horizon. Shen Mingwan, feeling somewhat exhausted, said to Xu Zhi, "I'll rest for a while. We'll visit Mr. Wu later."

The backyard has five main rooms. The three middle rooms are used as the main hall for receiving guests, while the two small single rooms on the left and right are equipped with kang beds. It is estimated that the rooms were arranged this way so that guests would have a place to rest when they came. In the small single room opposite, Hong Gu had already heated the kang bed and laid out the bedding. Shen Mingwan went to that room and fell asleep immediately.

I'm not feeling well. This whole night was filled with fright and shock. I heard that men in black were chasing me all the way. Now that I've relaxed, I'm not only mentally exhausted, but also physically exhausted.

Xu Zhi saw that everything was settled. There were guards brought by Wu Muyue nearby. Although they couldn't compare to Jia San and his men, they were still skilled guards. Xu Zhi was no longer worried about whether the men in black could find this place, so she lay down and fell asleep.

When Xu Zhi woke up again, it was already bright outside. She stretched and Bai Ying had already prepared the clothes for her. Xu Zhi lazily dressed and asked Bai Ying, "Has Sister Mingwan gotten up yet?"

Bai Ying replied, "Not yet. I just went to check, and Miss Chen and Granny Lin are still asleep."

Xu Zhi nodded and instructed her, "In that case, please be careful not to wake them. We'll have breakfast when they're awake."

Bai Ying agreed and went downstairs to give the instructions. Xu Zhi rubbed her temples, sat down at the kang table, and carefully recalled what Shen Mingwan and Granny Lin had told her last night.

Last night, everything was fine, but after midnight, Shen Mingwan heard some noises coming from the front yard. Because Xu Zhi had repeatedly instructed before leaving that someone must be on night duty, Shen Mingwan soon heard a gong.

The clanging sound made Shen Mingwan gasp for breath. After Lin Mama and two maids helped Shen Mingwan get dressed, before they even left the house, the Third Master Jia, dressed in black, came in from outside. He nodded to Shen Mingwan and said to Lin Mama, "Change your young lady's cloak into a black one. If you don't have one, then change her into a darker color. We'll be leaving right away."

Granny Lin agreed and quickly took off the white fox fur cloak from Shen Mingwan's body, replaced it with a gray squirrel fur cloak, and Jia San carried her on his back and jumped over the wall to leave.

Another guard carried Granny Lin on his back, while Qinglian and Honglian followed with weapons. The group walked out like this.

Unexpectedly, there was another force blocking their way not far from the manor. Another guard, along with Honglian and Qinglian, fought fiercely and finally broke through the encirclement, heading towards Wu Muyue's manor.

The pursuers were close behind, but fortunately, the group was highly skilled in martial arts. After several small skirmishes, they encountered reinforcements coming from this side, and thus made it through safely.

Xu Zhi felt that the Sixth Prince's final victory was not entirely due to luck. The Sixth Prince was shrewd and decisive. Judging from the people he sent out, they were probably most of the forces he had secretly accumulated, just to put on a show. His decisiveness made him a formidable opponent.

Xu Zhi leaned against the pillow, pondering whether to go back this afternoon or tomorrow to see how badly Shen Mingwan's estate had been damaged. If the damage wasn't too bad, she could continue staying there. But if the damage was too severe, she should go to the capital. However, staying in the capital would inevitably involve contact with some people there. What if the scheme orchestrated by the Feng family was exposed?

Xu Zhi's head was throbbing from thinking, so she simply closed her eyes and stopped thinking. At this moment, Hong Gu came in from outside and said happily, "Ninth Miss, the eldest young master has arrived."

Upon hearing this, Xu Zhi was taken aback for a moment, then exclaimed with delight, "Big brother is here?"

Hong Gu smiled and nodded, saying, "Yes, our eldest son has arrived."

Xu Zhi quickly got off the kang (heated brick bed) and put on her shoes. Hong Gu helped her pick up her cloak and said, "It's cold outside, young lady, wear something warmer."

Xu Zhi finished dressing and hurried forward. Xu Di had already entered the main gate. Seeing Xu Zhi running out of the hanging flower gate, he waved to her. Xu Zhi happily ran over and said with a smile, "Big brother, what brings you here?"

Xu Di was very happy to see his sister and said, "I came to see my uncle, but I didn't expect to find you here. Come on, let me go and kowtow to my uncle first."

As Xu Di spoke, he winked at Xu Zhi. Xu Zhi naturally understood what Xu Di meant and quickly followed behind him toward Wu Muyue's study.

Wu Muyue usually ate and slept in the study in the front yard. Ah Jin had already put up a curtain at the door. Xu Di went in first, saw Wu Muyue standing behind the desk, bowed deeply, and said, "Uncle, come in and have a good time?"

Wu Muyue smiled and said, "I'm all well. I didn't expect you to come. Please sit down."

After Ah Jin served the tea, he went outside. Xu Zhi helped sift the tea, and Wu Muyue asked him, "Why did you come at this time?"

Xu Di took a sip of tea and said, "After receiving Xiao Jiu's letter, I became increasingly worried, so I came over. Did something happen at the Shen family's estate last night?"

Xu Zhi asked him in surprise, "How did you know about this?"

Xu Di sighed and said, "There are already rumors in the capital that the Shen family's estate was looted by a group of bandits last night, and one of their daughters happened to be on the estate."

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