have no idea?

Chen Zhennan could tell from her expression that she was lying.

A cold glint flashed in Chen Zhennan's eyes as he said in a deep voice, "I am hunting down an assassin. The assassin ran to the Xiang residence through the underground passage in the palace. This matter still needs to be investigated, and the Minister's wife must cooperate."

Xia Kexin was a little stunned, as if she hadn't heard Chen Zhennan's words clearly.

"What is the Minister's wife thinking?"

Chen Zhennan's voice rang out again, his gaze fixed on Xia Kexin's face, trying to catch a trace of her true emotions from her reaction.

Xia Kexin's body trembled slightly, and she explained in a flustered manner, "Your Majesty, I really didn't know there was a secret passage in the back garden."

Chen Zhennan frowned slightly and said coldly, "I hope you can think this over carefully. This concerns the safety of the Xiang family. I will be staying at the Xiang family residence for the next few days. If you remember anything, Madam, you can come to me at any time."

After speaking, Chen Zhennan slowly stood up and walked towards the front hall.

Xia Kexin stood in the shadows of the hall, her gaze fixed on Chen Zhennan's back until he disappeared into the night outside the door.

"Chen Zhennan, if you want to know secrets that no one else knows, you'll have to pay a price."

The gates of the Xiang residence were tightly shut, with Imperial Guards and Special Forces patrolling outside. Their eyes were alert, and everyone who wanted to enter or leave was strictly checked.

Xia Kexin stood by the window, her gaze passing through the window and landing on the Imperial Guards.

A sense of powerlessness welled up in Xia Kexin's heart. Chen Zhennan was clearly putting her under house arrest, and her every move was being monitored by him.

...

As night deepened, the lights in the Xiang residence gradually went out, leaving only Yan Shiyu's lonely figure wandering in the courtyard.

His gaze was sharp, he gripped his long knife tightly, and his footsteps made a crisp sound on the stone slabs.

Although Chen Zhennan didn't say anything about Xiang Hao's death, it was a silent humiliation for him.

He walked through every corner, checking every possible hiding place.

Yan Shiyu walked to the back door and his gaze fell on the team member standing by the door.

This team member discovered the poisoned needle in the prison, saving his life and also discovering the secret passage in the cell.

He walked over slowly and patted him on the shoulder.

"Lin Zhi, you saved my life, I owe you a favor."

Lin Zhi turned his head and quickly put on a smile: "Captain, you don't need to be so polite. I failed in my mission and let Xiang Hao die right under my nose. It was really a dereliction of duty."

Yan Shiyu sighed, then comforted him, "Lin Zhi, don't take this to heart. The existence of a secret passage in the prison was completely unexpected, and it's not your fault."

Upon hearing this, a hint of guilt flashed in Lin Zhi's eyes. He then asked, "Captain, what should we do next? Xiang Hao can't have died in vain, can he?"

Yan Shiyu shook his head slightly and said in a deep voice, "I don't know what to do next, but His Majesty wants to deal with the current troubles first. The border war will have to wait until we deal with this mysterious organization."

As the two were talking, Lin Zhi suddenly opened his eyes slightly wider.

"Captain, I think we should conduct a thorough investigation of the Xiang family." Lin Zhi's voice was low, his gaze fixed on Yan Shiyu's face.

Yan Shiyu frowned slightly, a hint of doubt in his eyes, and asked, "Investigate? The Xiang residence has already been sealed off, what is there to investigate?"

Lin Zhi shook his head and then explained, "There is a tunnel from the palace prison to the Xiang residence, but how could the exit of such a large tunnel be here? There may be another secret passage in the Xiang residence leading out of the city."

Lin Zhi's words reminded Yan Shiyu that he also found it strange. Even if Xiang Hao was the Minister of Works, if people frequently came and went from his residence, it would inevitably be discovered.

Yan Shiyu nodded, a hint of determination in his eyes.

"Alright, let's search the Xiang residence thoroughly one more time. Lin Zhi, come with me. Leave the back door to someone else to guard."

Lin Zhi nodded, and the two quickly got to work. Yan Shiyu gathered the special forces team members and rushed to the back garden.

"Everyone, listen up! Carefully inspect every corner of the back garden, pry up all the floor tiles, and see if there are any hidden passages underneath."

Upon hearing this, the team members sprang into action, their movements swift and orderly, prying up the paving stones one by one to reveal the soil beneath.

However, after investigating for a long time, they found nothing except for the secret passage leading from the prison to this place.

The team members in the back garden were all panting heavily, their faces covered in sweat, but Yan Shiyu still firmly believed that there were other tunnels.

He surveyed the surroundings with his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Don't give up. There must be other tunnels. Keep searching. I don't believe Xiang Hao would dare to be so bold."

At this moment, Lin Zhi suddenly walked to the well, reached in and pulled up a bucket of water, then drank it in large gulps.

As he was drinking, Lin Zhi suddenly widened his eyes and turned to look into the well.

"Captain, come and see!"

Lin Zhi's voice carried a hint of urgency, his gaze fixed intently on the well.

Yan Shiyu quickly walked over and followed Lin Zhi's gaze downwards.

"Lin Zhi, what did you discover?"

Lin Zhi pointed to the water in the well and said excitedly, "Captain, the well water should be clear, but look at this water, it's a bit murky."

The water in the well was indeed murky, which is extremely unusual for calm well water.

"The well water doesn't flow, so how can it be so murky?" Yan Shiyu frowned, quite puzzled.

Lin Zhi frowned slightly and said with certainty, "Captain, there must be something fishy about this well!"

"Someone, bring me a rope!"

His subordinates fetched a rope, tied it to the winch, and then casually sent one of their men down to check.

The well was very deep, and the team members who went down were filled with worry, their eyes revealing a fear of the darkness.

Just as they were about to touch the water, the team member who went down suddenly widened his eyes. Right at his feet, there was indeed a hole, and the well water was flowing into this hole.

"Captain, I've found one..."

The team member's voice was tinged with excitement, but before he could finish speaking, a black needle suddenly flew out of the cave and pierced his chest.

The team member hurriedly reached out to pull out the black needle, but his eyes instantly lost consciousness, his left hand gripping the rope suddenly lost strength, and he instantly fainted, falling into the water with a "plop".

Yan Shiyu's eyes widened immediately. Before he could react, another flying needle shot out of the well.

Seeing this, Lin Zhi suddenly pulled Yan Shiyu's shoulder, dodging the flying needles and using his cloak to catch them in the instant.

Yan Shiyu broke out in a cold sweat. After thanking Lin Zhi, he went back to the well and looked down.

"There really is a secret passage in this well." Yan Shiyu gritted his teeth, frowned, and took two steps back.

"Hold the well, I'm going to see the Emperor!"