As soon as Shangguan Wei'er stepped out of the study in the Li Mansion, she was surrounded by a group of people, led by Li Shang.
Li Shang asked in a deep voice, "Where did you go? Who did you see?"
Shangguan Wei'er glared at her and said, "Are you questioning me?"
Li Shang didn't answer, but waved his hand. Song Jue and Wei Ting then led their soldiers to kick open the study door and search inside. Li Shang stepped forward, grabbed Shangguan Wei'er's arm, and pulled her into the study. He used a bit too much force, and Shangguan Wei'er struggled violently after feeling the pain, but it was no use.
After struggling for a while, she gave up. She realized that Li Shang was doing it on purpose. The more she pulled, the tighter he held on. So she simply stopped struggling and let things be as they were.
After Li Shang entered the study, he carefully observed everything in the study, but still found nothing. Shangguan Wei'er couldn't stand it anymore, so she casually fiddled with the handle of the chair next to her, and a secret room appeared behind the wall.
The sudden appearance of the secret room startled Song Jue and Wei Ting. They looked back at Li Shang and the other two, nodded, and led their men inside.
Shangguan Wei'er didn't want to see those two people again, so she didn't want to go in, but Li Shang forcibly dragged her inside. "Hey, I don't want to go in, why are you dragging me in!" Shangguan Wei'er said angrily. It was simply outrageous that a mere adopted son of the Li family dared to treat her, the eldest daughter of the Shangguan family, like this!
"Why don't you want to go in?" Li Shang asked in return.
"Why so many questions? I said I don't want to go in, and that's it. Who are you? Why are you meddling so much?" Shangguan Wei'er said angrily. No one had ever dared to treat her like this since she was a child. This Li Shang was simply despicable!
"Who am I? Miss Shangguan has a good memory. Didn't you insist on having me go back to Lingnan with you before? Now you're denying it? Or did you do something you're ashamed of, so you're afraid to admit it?" Li Shang said sarcastically.
"You! Don't go too far! What could I possibly do that I'd be ashamed of? If you keep dragging me around, don't blame me for being impolite." Shangguan Wei'er was furious. She really wanted to spill her treasures and show Li Shang what she was capable of.
"You said you wanted to stay in Qingzhou City to look for someone, so I'll accompany you. But Miss Shangguan, could you please explain why you're out in the middle of the night looking for someone instead of sleeping?" Li Shang was actually a little angry. He thought she really wanted to find someone, and he was worried that she, a young girl unfamiliar with Qingzhou, might get into trouble, so he stayed with her. He never expected that she would sneak into the Li residence alone and even know the secret room in the Li residence's study.
It's ridiculous that someone who has lived away from home for twenty-three years didn't know there was a secret room in the study of the Li family mansion, while a young girl who had just arrived in Qingzhou knew about it.
He didn't know why, but the thought that Shangguan Wei'er might be a spy made him feel uneasy. He thought he might be sick.
"I... I just wanted to come and see, but I didn't expect to actually discover something interesting." Shangguan Wei'er's tone suddenly weakened as she spoke.
"What is it?" Li Shang asked, frowning.
"I found someone hiding in the secret room of the mansion, and that old geezer I argued with today is also there," Shangguan Wei'er said softly after looking around.
"You mean, there's someone hiding in this dark room?" Li Shang asked again in disbelief.
"Yes, he's a handsome older man, and he looks a bit like the prince you described," Shangguan Wei'er said, trying to recall the details.
Li Shang was shocked. Sure enough, Li Shu had long been colluding with Prince An. His previous confession to the Crown Prince was nothing but a feigned surrender.
Perhaps, Prince An is planning a rebellion and needs a suitable opportunity to let everyone know about his affairs and plans.
If that's the case, then Shangguan Wei'er might be a pawn they've released. Li Shang coldly stared at the unexpected arrangement in the dark room, then suddenly exclaimed in alarm, "Oh no!"
"Men, get out of here! Get out of here!" Li Shang shouted.
While Song Jue and Wei Ting were still searching, upon hearing Li Shang's words, they quickly organized the soldiers to evacuate. Li Shang also grabbed Shangguan Wei'er and hurriedly ran outside.
Just as everyone evacuated the dark room, it exploded with a bang, billowing out thick black smoke. Several rocks fell from the entrance, completely blocking the cave entrance.
"Damn it, they got away again," Li Shang said indignantly.
"Go and check if the others in the Li family have been harmed," Li Shang ordered.
"Reporting to General Li, there is no one left in the mansion," a soldier ran over and said.
"What? It seems they planned this all along. Men, seal off the city immediately! Tonight, not even a mosquito will be allowed to leave the city!" Li Shang shouted.
"yes."
"yes."
In the still of the night, only the sound of horses' hooves echoed through the empty streets.
There was no point in Li Shang and the others staying in the Li residence; it was all empty. As soon as they turned to leave, a series of explosions rang out. When Li Shang looked back, the Li residence, which had just been filled with pavilions and towers, was now nothing but ruins.
Why wait until they're all out before detonating? It doesn't seem like they wanted to hurt them; it seems more like a warning.
——
"You're really heartless. You've lived in this mansion for so long, and you just blow it up like that. Your adopted son, whom you've raised for several years, is also inside. He'll be blown up to death. Aren't you heartbroken?" Ji Mo'an asked in a good mood, as if he had discovered something interesting.
“He was just an adopted son; if he dies, he dies. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Now that I’m leaving the Li family, I will receive a better mansion in the future,” Li Shu said, bowing his head.
It's unclear which of his words pleased Ji Mo'an, but Ji Mo'an chuckled, "Hahahaha, very good, very good. As long as you follow me well, you will surely be even more honored in the future, enjoying endless riches and glory."
"Thank you, Your Highness," Li Shu said respectfully.
"Alright, alright, let's set off for Huangzhou. Everything is finally about to begin," Ji Mo'an said expectantly. He had waited so many years, even at the cost of his life...
Never mind, she's already gone, so there's no need to say anything more.
"Yes," Li Shu replied. He looked back at the Li residence, which was engulfed in flames. He and Ji Mo'an had already come out of the secret room and left the city. He had also sent away the servants of the Li residence, and as for the people of the Li residence, he had found a safe place to send them there. Now, it was time to settle things between him and Ji Mo'an.
And Ge'er, she should rest in peace now.
"What? You can't bear to part with it?" Ji Mo'an asked, looking back at Li Shu in the city.
"No, I'm just feeling a bit sentimental," Li Shu sighed.
"You can actually be indecisive? That's rare." Ji Mo'an said in surprise. Back then, when Li Shu found out that he had used Li Ge, he didn't show any emotion. But now he was feeling sentimental.
Li Shu lowered his head and said in a somewhat gloomy voice, "Your Highness, I am a human being, and humans have feelings."
“Feelings are the most useless thing in the world,” Ji Mo’an suddenly said loudly, as if he wanted to cover up his emotions and regrets with his voice.
"Let's go." Ji Mo'an quickly regained his composure and glanced back at Qingzhou City.
Besides the capital, his favorite city was Qingzhou.
Because in the city, there was a silly girl who loved him foolishly.
However, after weighing the pros and cons, he lost that girl.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com