Huo Yun simply didn't believe it was a fire.
Fire is just an excuse.
The Seventh Prince must have discovered something and wanted to use this opportunity to search.
The Seventh Prince personally led a search party, thoroughly searching the Huo family's residence inside and out, until they found a courtyard with its doors locked.
"Open!"
The servant hesitated.
Without saying a word, the Seventh Prince kicked the door open and entered the courtyard, where the fragrance of pear blossoms wafted in.
He frowned.
The guards lit lanterns in the courtyard.
As the view gradually cleared, the courtyard was filled with pear trees, and snowflakes were falling everywhere.
After entering the room and looking around, I had a vague feeling that something was wrong.
Then I went to the study.
He glanced at the inkstone on the desk, which was still wet with ink, and even the wolf-hair brush was soaked in ink. He clearly heard the servant say when he entered that no one had lived here for a long time.
Whose yard is this?
The housekeeper was brought in, and he stammered and felt guilty, so he didn't dare to speak for a long time.
The Imperial Guards drew their swords.
The butler, startled, immediately said, "Yes, it is the eldest young master's study. The eldest young master lives in this courtyard."
"Huo Xi?"
The Seventh Prince frowned deeply: "Besides Huo Xi, who else has come?"
"No one has ever dared to come."
This is strange. The writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone all prove that someone has been here. The table is clean and tidy, and even the bedroom has an undeniable smell of someone who has lived there.
There were two quilts on the tatami that hadn't been put away yet.
"Your Highness, the old lady often comes to this courtyard. She misses the eldest young master while he is away and often thinks of him when she sees these things," the steward explained.
The seventh prince glanced at the man's belt, which was still hanging in the corner of the bedside, and was decorated with cloud patterns embroidered in gold thread.
Madam Huo has no need for a man's belt.
Moreover, this belt is clearly not one used by ordinary servants or guards.
"search!"
The Imperial Guards understood and searched the courtyard inside and out, but found nothing.
Just as they were about to give up, General Zuo came to report something. He turned his gaze to the wall next to a pear tree and said, "Your Highness, don't you think this place is a bit strange?"
The Seventh Prince's attention was drawn to it.
Sure enough, a protruding wall was seen, with intricate carvings of the Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea. A tree blocked the view, making it difficult to discern the details without careful observation.
General Zuo groped around, muttering to himself, "Why does this look like a trap?"
They reached into Lan Caihe's flower basket.
Snap!
A crisp sound.
General Zuo was so frightened that he retreated repeatedly.
The wall that had just been there was slowly opened, revealing a bottomless abyss that stretched as far as the eye could see.
"Go in and search!" The Seventh Prince took a deep breath.
What he discovered tonight was truly unbelievable.
"Your Highness!"
When Huo Yun heard that someone had entered the Pear Blossom Courtyard, he was so frightened that he almost lost his soul. He kept reassuring himself that he definitely couldn't find the mechanism.
But I was still worried, so I came to check on it anyway.
Just then, I saw General Zuo accidentally detonate the mechanism.
The Seventh Prince turned around and looked at Huo Yun with an increasingly cold gaze. Before he could speak, the Left General said, "Your Highness, this humble general has long suspected that the Huo family harbors resentment and is colluding with vassal states with ulterior motives."
"No, no." Huo Yun hurriedly explained, "Your Highness has misunderstood. The Huo family is loyal and righteous. How could we possibly collude with a vassal state? It's a misunderstanding."
"Is General Huo unaware of this place?" the Seventh Prince asked, pointing to the ground.
How could Huo Yun dare to say he was unaware of it?
The exit is blocked.
It's only a matter of time before Huo Xi is caught.
Huo Yun's legs went weak and he knelt on the ground: "Your Highness, please have mercy. This old minister knows about this tunnel. I dug it because I missed my son, thinking that he could hide here."
"You mean Huo Xi is hiding inside?" The Seventh Prince was stunned.
Wasn't Huo Xi expelled?
Faced with irrefutable evidence, Huo Yun dared not deny it: "Yes."
Soon, the guards brought Huo Xi out. Huo Xi, looking disheveled, knelt before the Seventh Prince, his face full of stubbornness and resentment.
General Zuo always remembered Princess Jia Hua's words: this person is the Second Prince's man, extremely intelligent, and will surely become a major threat to the Seventh Prince in the future.
If you encounter this person, you must do everything in your power to kill him to prevent future trouble.
“Your Highness, Huo Xi entered the city without imperial decree, a capital offense,” said the Left General.
Huo Xi frowned.
"Your Highness, please have mercy." Huo Yun kowtowed, tears streaming down his face. "The Huo family has worked hard all these years, even if we haven't made any great contributions. Huo Xi has been wandering outside for several years, but he only missed his family and came back to visit. He has done nothing wrong."
"Easy for you to say. Who knows if you set the fire next door? The Seventh Prince's Consort only came to the manor a few times and she was already targeted. If His Highness hadn't discovered it in time, she would have been dead by now!" General Zuo reminded her.
The Seventh Prince's eyes suddenly darkened: "Tell me, who else is in the secret passage?"
Jia Hua had personally witnessed the Second Prince, which means that the Second Prince was also hiding in the Huo family.
"Continue the search!" the Seventh Prince ordered.
General Zuo immediately sent men in, reminding them, "You must find the exit."
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