Yan Shiyu led his special forces team in a frantic search for clues within the palace.

Their footsteps echoed through the empty corridor, and the torches in their hands cast shadows on the ancient walls.

The palace maids and eunuchs were questioned one by one, but everyone claimed that they had never seen the assassins.

Yan Shiyu frowned; he certainly didn't believe the explanations given by the palace maids and eunuchs.

Yan Shiyu was filled with doubt. These assassins either emerged from the secret passages like ghosts or were hiding among these eunuchs.

His gaze was sharp as a knife, scrutinizing everyone and trying to catch a trace of a lie in their eyes.

"Captain Yan, we've searched the entire harem but haven't found anyone suspicious," a special forces soldier reported in a low voice, his voice tinged with fatigue.

Yan Shiyu nodded and said in a deep voice, "Continue the search. These assassins couldn't have appeared and disappeared out of thin air."

The investigation lasted all night, and just as dawn was breaking, Lin Zhi finally discovered a new clue.

He discovered a new tunnel entrance in Jiang Wenyu's bedroom near Huaming Palace.

"Captain Yan, there's a tunnel here!" Lin Zhi's voice was filled with excitement.

Yan Shiyu quickly led his team to the scene, where they discovered that the entrance to the tunnel was cleverly hidden by a stone slab.

Yan Shiyu signaled to his team members to proceed with caution. They lit torches and carefully entered the tunnel.

The air inside the tunnel was damp and cold, and the walls were covered with moss.

Yan Shiyu led his team through the tunnel and eventually found the exit in the backyard of a restaurant in the capital.

Yan Shiyu led his team out of the tunnel, only to find the restaurant empty and deserted.

The tables and chairs inside the restaurant were overturned, and broken wine pots and bowls were scattered on the floor, indicating that someone had hurriedly evacuated the place.

"Captain, there are no clues here," a special forces soldier reported, his voice tinged with disappointment.

Yan Shiyu frowned, his eyes scanning the restaurant, trying to find any possible clues. The assassins' swift departure indicated that they were well-prepared.

"Search every corner, don't overlook any clues!"

The team members sprang into action, searching every room in the restaurant thoroughly, but ultimately found nothing.

As dawn broke, Chen Zhennan stood by the window of Huaming Palace, his gaze fixed on the distance.

"Your Majesty, we have searched the entire restaurant, but found no clues." Yan Shiyu's voice sounded behind Chen Zhennan, carrying a hint of heaviness.

"Shiyu, are there any signs of a large group of people walking through the tunnel?"

Yan Shiyu was taken aback, then knelt on one knee, his voice tinged with guilt: "Your Majesty, I was negligent and did not notice."

Chen Zhennan sighed and waved his hand gently.

"It's alright, you take your men to rest first, I need to think about what to do next."

Yan Shiyu turned and left with a sense of guilt. Just then, Song Yunyang's pained voice came from behind. Chen Zhennan hurriedly turned around and saw that Song Yunyang had woken up, but her face was pale and her mental state was not good.

Chen Zhennan walked quickly to the bedside and asked with a worried expression, "Yunyang, how are you feeling?"

Song Yunyang waved her hand and said with a trembling voice, "I'm fine, it's just that the wound on my back is aching slightly."

Her voice carried a hint of strength, but the cold sweat on her forehead betrayed her pain.

Chen Zhennan could tell that Song Yunyang's back pain wasn't just a dull ache, it was a deep, agonizing pain. She had just woken up, and her forehead was covered in sweat.

A sense of powerlessness welled up in Chen Zhennan's heart. Although the anesthetic could relieve the pain, it was not a long-term solution.

"Yunyang, you should be patient. I don't trust the imperial physicians in the palace."

Song Yunyang waved his hand and said with a wry smile, "It's alright, Brother Nan. Back when I was on the battlefield, the conditions were much worse than this. Just bear with it and it will pass."

Chen Zhennan felt reluctant, but knew there was no other good solution.

Although Song Yunyang's wound had been bandaged, the pain persisted. Her brows were furrowed, but she managed to force a smile in an attempt to comfort Chen Zhennan.

"Brother Nan, I'm fine, you don't need to worry." Song Yunyang's voice was weak, but it carried a strong strength.

Chen Zhennan gave a bitter smile. Song Yunyang was seriously injured, but now she was comforting him instead.

Just as Chen Zhennan was about to say something to comfort Song Yunyang, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the door, breaking the silence of the room.

"Your Majesty, something has happened to the national treasury!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhennan's eyes widened. He looked at Song Yunyang, whose brows were furrowed, and felt extremely reluctant to leave.

Song Yunyang smiled slightly and waved her hand gently.

"Don't worry, just let the special forces brothers come and protect me." Song Yunyang's voice carried a hint of relief.

Chen Zhennan hummed in agreement, then turned and slowly walked out the door.

At the door, two special forces members knelt on the ground, their faces filled with tension and fear.

"Tell me, what's wrong with the national treasury?" Chen Zhennan asked, frowning.

The two team members exchanged a glance, and one of them slowly spoke, his voice trembling, "Your Majesty, this morning, as per regulations, we inspected the national treasury, only to discover that it had been robbed, with all thirty-three million taels of silver vanished."

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhennan instantly flew into a rage. He grabbed the team member by the collar and demanded angrily, "What exactly happened? How could 33 million taels of silver vanish overnight?"

The team member trembled slightly and hurriedly explained, "Your Majesty, we don't know what happened. We didn't hear anything last night. This morning we wanted to check according to procedure, but... but all the silver inside is gone!"

A cold glint flashed in Chen Zhennan's eyes as he suppressed his anger and released him.

"Immediately seal off the national treasury and strengthen the security of the palace. I want to go and check it out myself."

Chen Zhennan led his special forces team to the national treasury. The treasury gates were wide open, and the inside was pitch black, with an ominous atmosphere permeating the air.

Chen Zhennan walked into the national treasury, his gaze sweeping over the empty warehouse, his anger growing stronger.

The national treasury was empty; all the silver that had been neatly arranged had vanished, leaving not even a trace of silver.

Chen Zhennan stood in the center of the national treasury, his face as gloomy as the dark clouds before a storm.

His fists were clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white from the force; he was barely suppressing his anger and trying to maintain a sliver of reason.

Suddenly, Chen Zhennan noticed some unusual marks on the ground.

"Someone has cleaned this place."

Chen Zhennan's voice was low, his gaze fixed on the soil and debris that had not been cleaned up.

Following the trail of marks, Chen Zhennan slowly looked up at the innermost corner of the wall.

He already had the answer in his heart: there must be tunnels beneath the national treasury.

"The floor tiles in the corner are sticking up!"