"What? I'm your husband, and you don't even trust me?" Xiao Yujue gently stroked Mu Jingyan's cheek and comforted him, "Don't worry, during the morning court session, I will ask my confidant to plead for your brother and rescue him from prison first. As for the rest... I'll slowly think of a way."
"good."
Mu Jingyan stopped crying. With Xiao Yujue's clear assurance, she felt much more at ease.
She turned around to get the decorative jade pendant for Xiao Yujue, when suddenly the window shook slightly and a figure flashed in.
Mu Jingyan was horrified and quickly turned around and struck out at the black shadow with his palm.
The black shadow took a few steps back, steadied himself, and then knelt down.
"Your subordinate greets His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
Mu Jingyan took a closer look and found that the man looked familiar. "Who are you?"
"I am General Mu's secret guard, and I have been ordered to investigate the whereabouts of the employer who hired the killer to silence him and his salary."
Xiao Yujue looked at Mu Jingyan and confirmed that this person was indeed Mu Jingrui's confidant, and he couldn't help but feel happy.
"What did you find out?"
"That day, General Mu had already led his employer out and had his subordinates follow him secretly, but without alerting the enemy. General Mu had also instructed that if anything happened to him during this period, all the results of the investigation should be reported to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
"Tell me quickly, what have you found out? Who is the employer behind the scenes?" Mu Jingyan asked impatiently.
The secret guard bowed and replied, "The employer behind the scenes is Zheng Binghang, the second master of Yiyong Marquis Mansion."
"No wonder..." Xiao Yujue sighed secretly. Mu Jingrui should have noticed it a long time ago, but he did not take any action. He must be concerned about Shangguan Wanning's feelings.
"Then have you found out where Zheng Binghang hid the food, money and weapons?"
The secret guard shook his head in disappointment. "Not sure. But I followed him for a few days and found that he was very close to the King of Qin. By the way, he would go to the villa on the outskirts of the city every other day."
Xiao Yujue was not surprised that Zheng Binghang and Xiao Zhenting were close. But why did Zheng Binghang go to the other courtyard so frequently?
Is there another hidden story?
"Your Highness?" Seeing that Xiao Yujue was thinking and not saying anything, Mu Jingyan called out tentatively.
Xiao Yujue came back to his senses and told the secret guard, "You continue to monitor and find a chance to sneak into the Yiyong Marquis's mansion to see if you can find some clues. After all, it is not easy to hide such a large amount of food, money and weapons. Safety comes first, be careful."
"Yes." The secret guard clasped his fists and retreated.
Xiao Yujue sighed deeply and turned to look at Mu Jingyan.
"The only way to save your brother is to find food and weapons, and expose Zheng Binghang. But... this will definitely involve the entire Yiyong Marquis Mansion. By then, I'm afraid there will be a bloody storm in the court."
"What does your highness mean?"
"Xiaoyan, you should know that your brother doesn't want to completely ruin the relationship with the Yiyong Marquis Mansion. It's best to get the food and money back first, and then... we can think about the rest later."
Xiao Yujue comforted Mu Jingyan for a few more words and then went to attend the morning court.
Mu Jingyan's thoughts could not calm down for a long time. She felt uneasy whenever she thought of her brother being imprisoned and suffering.
The night is slightly cool, the moon is bright in the sky, and the hot summer is gone, with the sound of insects.
Shangguan Wanning changed into a nightgown, avoided the patrolling guards in the mansion, and quietly entered Zheng Binghang's study.
She found the key to the secret room in the hidden compartment, and when she was about to leave, she saw another dark shadow flash in.
Shangguan Wanning was terrified. She crouched down and hid under the cabinet, then pulled the curtain to cover her body.
She tried her best to calm her heartbeat and secretly leaned out a little to take a look.
With the bright moonlight shining in from the window, she saw a man in black rummaging around in the study, apparently looking for something.
Who is he?
Shangguan Wanning hid underneath and dared not move.
She watched helplessly as the man in black found the box containing the key to the secret room.
Empty?
The man in black stiffened, as if he was a little strange. After putting down the box, he went back to looking for official documents.
Shangguan Wanning was a little dazed.
From the black-clad man's actions just now, it can be seen that he does not seem to have a clear goal.
What exactly is he looking for?
After a long time, the man in black seemed to have gained nothing and left through the window.
"There's a thief, catch him quickly..."
A loud shout from the front yard brought Shangguan Wanning back to her senses instantly.
She guessed that the thief who was discovered was the man in black. She didn't dare to stay in the study any longer and ran out in a hurry.
Shangguan Wanning had just turned the corner when she saw Zheng Binghang hurriedly walking into the study.
She returned to her room and immediately changed out of her nightgown, still feeling terrified as she recalled what had just happened. She was certain that something had changed that she was not aware of.
Shangguan Wanning did not dare to delay and immediately asked Lu Tong to send a secret signal to notify Sun Jinyao.
The matter was of great importance, so she did not dare to delegate it to others. While the Marquis of Yiyong's Mansion was catching a thief, she asked Lutong to stay in the room instead of her. She quietly took a fast horse from the stable and slipped away in the chaos.
She rode at full speed to the villa on the outskirts of the city. Sun Jinyao was waiting near the villa with a dozen strong men and several large carts.
"Brother Yao."
Sun Jinyao came forward and helped Shangguan Wanning get off the horse.
The two walked to the side, and Shangguan Wanning asked quietly: "Can these people be trusted?"
"They are all unemployed vagrants. Once they finish their work and take the money, they will leave the capital. They don't know anything."
"That's good."
Shangguan Wanning led everyone into the villa on the outskirts of the city and was about to go to the secret room when she was stopped by Sun Jinyao.
Sun Jinyao's expression became very serious.
"Brother Yao, what's wrong?"
"We are late." Sun Jinyao had heard some noise and looked down again.
Shangguan Wanning followed his gaze and saw messy and noisy footprints on the ground, extending all the way to the other side of the secret room.
She hurried over and took out the key. With a "click", the door of the secret room opened and a strong palm wind came towards her.
Sun Jinyao was quick-witted and quick-handed. He pushed Shangguan Wanning away and gently waved the folding fan in his hand, pushing the attacker back several steps.
"Miss Shangguan?"
"Your Highness?"
Shangguan Wanning and Xiao Yujue were both a little surprised.
Xiao Yujue signaled his men to retreat, walked over to look at Shangguan Wanning, and said with a smile: "It seems that we have the same goal. However... our purposes seem to be different."
Shangguan Wanning was a little panicked. She looked around and saw dozens of boxes in the secret room, all of which were sealed with government seals.
"I have checked, and it is the food and weapons that the court has lost. It seems... this time the Yiyong Marquis's Mansion may..."
Shangguan Wanning’s face turned pale.
Her mind was working rapidly, thinking about how to exonerate the Yiyonghou Mansion.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
