Chapter 10: The grandmother's vigilance against concealing evidence of treason!
Chapter 10
"Didn't succeed?" A voice devoid of any emotion rang out in the room, neither sad nor happy.
The person at the head of the table, who was flipping through the policy documents, looked up and asked expressionlessly, "Only you and I know about this matter, so how did the Ye family get wind of it? Who told you? Me?"
Still no emotion, and no doubt.
Lu Qian turned pale with fright.
His knees buckled, and he knelt on the ground, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. His eyes were filled with fear as he desperately stammered, "I absolutely didn't tell anyone! The news couldn't have leaked! I...I..."
He stammered at this point because the matter was so unusual that Lu Qian couldn't guess who had leaked the information.
The other party not only knew the problem inside the Buddha statue, but also knew when he would break in, prepared in advance, and even used this incident to fish for him. Not only did he gain nothing, but he also exposed himself.
"Go investigate." The man put down his pen and looked at him with cold eyes. "Find out exactly how Ye Pei received the message. If you can't find out, then the only person who leaked the message is you."
Lu Qian trembled. "Yes."
After agreeing, he respectfully withdrew, a fire burning in his heart. He pressed down on the knife, stepped into the darkness, and walked into the alley, turning and twisting until he entered a secluded courtyard by the river.
Upon entering and seeing the people inside, Lu Qian suppressed his anger and gritted his teeth: "Your Highness leaked the news of the plan to take action against the Ye family?! No wonder Ye Changming didn't go to the imperial examination yesterday; he had already received the news. But why did Your Highness do this?"
He carried a knife and spoke with a fiery tone, which inevitably made him seem disrespectful. Everyone in the room stood up at the same time, their wolf-like eyes fixed on him, all raising their knives, ready to draw them and start a fight at any moment.
"Insolence!" Möller shouted.
Lu Qian paused.
Upon realizing the identity of the person before him, his anger subsided instantly, though it still lingered with reproach and a hint of displeasure in his eyes. "Your Highness, only three people knew about the attack on the Ye family. Now that the magistrate wants to hold me accountable, what exactly does Your Highness mean?"
Since the cause cannot be found, he must bear the responsibility for the mistake of leaking the information!
Moreover, Ye Pei already knows what he did and is now staring at him like a mad dog. He has probably already reported it to the Emperor... If the Emperor gets angry, no one will be able to protect him.
Chi Zhanlan Ce, who was lazily leaning against the chaise longue, opened his eyes. The flickering candlelight made his complexion appear even paler, and his white robes accentuated his ethereal elegance. He reached out and stirred the chestnuts roasting on the stove, surprised:
"So your actions were leaked, and the Ye family found out?"
"Your Highness didn't reveal any information?" Lu Qian asked in surprise.
Lan Ce peeled off a sweet chestnut, picked it up, and ate one. Just as he was about to take a second one, a maidservant reached out to stop him, scolding him, "Your Highness, eating too many chestnuts will cause indigestion."
Lan Ce smiled, tossed the chestnut shells into the stove, and didn't touch them again.
He looked at Lu Qian and calmly said, "Why would I reveal information to the Ye family? Ye Pei went to great lengths to save that person; I wouldn't even have time to kill him."
Lu Qian also found it strange.
Chi Zhanlan Ce had no reason to leak the information. If he wanted to save people, he wouldn't have helped. And since only the three of them knew the information, who leaked it?
"That's really strange. How did the Ye family find out?" Lu Qian couldn't understand.
Lan Ce leaned back on the soft footsteps, his black hair hanging down at an angle, his eyes filled with curiosity, and murmured, "Yes, those who know the news won't say it out loud, but the Ye family knows everything... It's really strange."
He extended an invitation to Lu Qian: "Commander, would you like some chestnuts?"
How could Lu Qian possibly eat that much?
He shook his head, about to refuse, when he heard the Crown Prince of Northern Yan say again, "Lord Lu, do not worry. Since we are cooperating with you, I will naturally protect your life."
Lu Qian was overjoyed upon hearing this.
The matter of Northern Yan is of utmost importance; peace talks are the key. With Chi Zhanlan Ce's words, he can survive.
"Thank you, Your Highness!" Lu Qian immediately brightened up, revealing a fawning smile. He reached out to take the chestnut, but hissed from the heat and withdrew his hand.
Lan Ce laughed out loud upon seeing this, raising his eyebrows.
Lu Qian glanced at him out of the corner of his eye. This Crown Prince of Northern Yan was leaning lazily against the couch, the plain brocade quilt draped over his lap making him look like a painting. A man, more handsome than a woman...
Lu Qian mentally complained a couple of times, but outwardly bowed respectfully: "Thank you, Your Highness. I'll take my leave now. I apologize for disturbing you."
Lan Ce waved his hand dismissively.
After Lu Qian left, he slowly sat up, the smile on his face gradually fading, and he murmured, "So, who exactly leaked the news so that even I didn't notice?"
Ye Xiren, who had "leaked the news," had just lain down.
Xuechan pulled the blanket up for her, blew out the candle, and quietly left. The room fell into complete silence. After a moment, Ye Xiren suddenly sat up and asked, "What time is it?"
Xuechan came in, lit the candles, and replied softly, "It's the second day of the third month, at the hour of Xu (7-9 PM)."
"Nothing happened, right?" Ye Xiren asked again.
Although Xuechan was puzzled, she still shook her head and said, "No."
"Oh." Ye Xiren breathed a sigh of relief and lay down.
Xuechan blew out the candle and went back to sleep. The room fell silent again, with the faint sounds of insects and birds outside. It was March, and all things were reviving.
Ye Xiren sat up abruptly. "What time is it?"
Xuechan lit the candles, carefully entered, and answered again, "The second day of the third month, at 9:00 PM."
"Nothing happened, right?"
"No."
"oh."
Ye Xiren lay back down. Xuechan blew out the candle, quite worried. What's wrong with the young lady? She's taken the calming soup, but she still can't sleep well. I'll have to tell Madam tomorrow; we need to get a doctor to come and see her…
A short while later, Ye Xiren sat up again.
Xuechan: "Midnight, the third day of the third month."
She paused, then added, "Nothing happened, girl, go to sleep peacefully."
Upon hearing this, Ye Xiren let out a long breath, and a smile appeared on her face.
It's March 3rd!
Having survived the first and second days of the third lunar month, and successfully arrived at the third day, the ordeal should be over, right? May the Bodhisattva protect her; she couldn't bear it any longer…
She relaxed and lay back down. "Xuechan, you should go back to sleep. Xuejuan can take over watching over you. You haven't had a good night's sleep in a long time..." As she spoke, her voice gradually faded away, and she couldn't stay awake any longer and fell into a deep sleep.
Xuechan didn't leave. The girl hadn't been sleeping well these past few days, and she felt more at ease having to stay by her side.
-
March 3rd.
Ye Changming was still sleeping, but the noise outside was deafening. He kept turning the blanket over and over, but the noise still kept him awake.
"What are you doing so early in the morning?" Ye Changming sat up angrily and questioned loudly.
Fat Jin jumped up with a start, yawning as he replied:
"The second young lady is organizing a thorough search of the entire mansion. She started making a fuss before dawn. The mansion has issued an order today to close all doors and windows and not allow anyone to enter or leave. Even when the master went to court this morning, the young lady searched him before letting him out."
No one is allowed to enter or leave the Ye family today.
"Is she crazy?" Ye Changming scratched his head and asked, "Didn't anyone stop her, Father, Mother, or Grandmother?"
Fat Kim remained silent.
Ye Changming: "..."
I understand.
The whole family goes along with Ye Xiren, and given what happened yesterday, no one will stop her from doing whatever she wants.
Unable to sleep, Ye Changming, with sleepy eyes, one arm in a sling and a limp, walked outside. Outside the door, everyone in the Ye family was in motion, their steps hurried.
"Yes, all doors must be closed tightly, no one is allowed to enter or exit. Li Wu, check even the dog holes and block them all up. Absolutely no entrances or exits should be left open."
"Aunt Zhou, how's the warehouse inspection going? Any unusual items must be reported to me. Remember, it's better to be wrong than to miss something."
"Wang Mama, go check the kitchen, and even take a look inside the stove. Make sure there's nothing hidden there."
...
She was busy giving instructions one by one, working feverishly.
Ye Changming scratched his head: "Ye Xiren, what are you doing? What are you doing?"
Upon seeing him emerge, Ye Xiren immediately recognized him as a "dangerous individual" and promptly gave the following instructions:
"Young Master is awake. Xuechan, Xuejuan, you two go with Fatty Jin and Thin Silver to check Young Master's room. Remember, the storeroom, the study, the quilts... don't miss anything!"
Everyone could guess what he was going to say. "You can't expect anything good to come out of a dog's mouth," Ye Xiren slapped him and yelled, "You dare say that word and let's see!"
Ye Changming: "..." He subconsciously shut up.
Okay.
He can't afford to offend the second young lady.
Ye Xiren continued to dig deep and check, one time was not enough, she had to do it two or three times. She was afraid that someone in the mansion would be threatened again, so she had them take turns checking, not even sparing the servants' quarters, and observing everyone's expression.
"Were you frightened by what happened yesterday?" Ye Changming leaned closer and shook his head. "Don't worry, Dad knows who the murderer is. Nothing else will happen."
That's hard to say!
Ye Xiren has been attacked four times already, so it's impossible for her to be completely at ease.
"We still have to be careful. No one in the manor will go out today, and no one will have any contact with us. We've thoroughly checked everything inside and out. I don't believe anything can still happen like this," Ye Xiren said through gritted teeth.
As if she had just thought of something, she immediately raised her voice:
"By the way, don't overlook the stables and dog kennels. Check them carefully one by one. Have someone use a pole to knock down the trees too, to make sure there's nothing that shouldn't be there."
Ye Changming: "..."
From morning till evening, Ye Xiren would even go over and take a look at the water drawn from the well before she could feel at ease.
Ye Changming had nothing to say.
He missed the imperial examination and had nothing to do while recovering from his injury, so he simply followed Ye Xiren. Of course, it was also because the second young lady was extremely imposing today and wouldn't let him out of her sight, as if he were in great danger.
Watching her check over and over again, the person doing the checking wasn't tired, but he, the one watching, was exhausted...
"It's almost done." Ye Changming sat on the veranda, watching Ye Xiren go in and out. "You've searched three times already. You've checked all the little white and little black dogs in the front yard and the little yellow dog in the back yard. There's no one who slipped through the net. There won't be any problems."
Little White is a horse, Little Black is a donkey, and Little Yellow is a dog.
"It's time for a shift change. Team Two, rest. Team Three, re-inspect. Team One, continue your defense and keep a close watch on every corner of the Ye family compound. Don't miss a single one," Ye Xiren was still giving instructions.
At that moment, as if she had seen something, her pupils contracted:
"Quick, there!"
Ye Changming was startled and sat up abruptly. Had she really noticed something amiss?!
Ye Xiren pointed to the side of the courtyard wall and urgently instructed, "A bird flew in from over there. Quickly catch it, check it from head to toe, and only release it after you've made sure it's okay. Don't let it stay in the Ye family's house!"
Ye Changming: "..."
He lay back down, squinted, and his handsome face was full of speechlessness. "So, to what extent are you going to guard against this?"
Ye Xiren turned around upon hearing this and smiled slightly: "Today, I will keep a close eye on anything that enters the Ye family, even if it's just a fly!"
She just didn't believe it.
How could something like this still cause an accident!
A note from the author:
----------------------
Ye Changming: The Second Miss has gone mad!!
Ye Xiren smiled slightly: Yes, I've gone mad.
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