Bai Yujing nodded slightly and explained, "It's located right behind the latrine. That place is both hidden and smelly, which is why it's hard for people to notice."
Jiang Huaiyu suddenly realized.
No wonder in her past life, the garden next to the secret passage in her private residence always grew more lushly than other areas; it turned out that the adjacent outhouse provided abundant nutrients. This also explained why she had never discovered the secret passage in her courtyard.
After all, who would want to wander around behind the outhouse for no reason?
Bai Yujing looked worried and said in a low voice, "Huaiyu, since Deng Shen was able to escape, so can you. Princess Ziyan is unpredictable and ruthless. No one can predict what she will do. Why don't you leave through the secret passage first and find a place to hide here temporarily so I can protect you?"
"Yujing, how can I abandon you and flee alone?"
“This turmoil started because of me. If Princess Ziyan really wanted to form a marriage alliance, she might not have targeted me. But if she is against you, how can I tolerate it? Huaiyu, I do not want to drag you down with me.”
Bai Yujing's tone was resolute, "To avoid any unforeseen complications, I will try to distract those two later. You take the opportunity to sneak into the backyard and escape. In the capital, you are more familiar with the area than I am, so you should be able to find a hiding place. That's settled then."
"Shh!" Jiang Huaiyu suddenly raised a finger to signal for quiet.
She peered through the crack in the door for a moment, shook her head with a wry smile, and whispered, "The opportunity has been missed."
Zhang San and Li Si stood guard on either side of the door.
Previously, in order to cover for Deng Shen, she successfully diverted Zhang San and Li Si's attention to herself, making them overlook the fact that one person was missing from the courtyard. Now, Zhang San and Li Si will definitely be keeping a close eye on her, and escaping again will probably be harder than climbing to heaven.
Bai Yujing's heart sank, and his brows furrowed.
Jiang Huaiyu comforted him, saying, "No need to worry, let's wait for Deng Shen to return."
While waiting, she gradually felt sleepy, so she rested her head on the table for a short nap. At dawn the next day, she was awakened by the noise from the courtyard.
When Bai Yujing saw that she had woken up, he went up to her and said, "Deng Shen has returned and is being interrogated by Zhang San and Li Si."
Jiang Huaiyu instantly snapped out of her daze and quickly walked out of the room with him.
She frowned, her face full of displeasure, and scolded, "It's still early, why are you making such a racket? Don't you know it will disturb other people's sleep?"
Li Si smiled contemptuously, letting out a cold snort. "You might as well find out first why you, a servant, are sneaking around here so furtively?"
Deng Shen's face was pale, and his eyes showed terror. "Madam, I really didn't do anything. I just went to the outhouse, and they found out..."
"Going to the outhouse? I've been guarding the door the whole time, how come I didn't see you come out of that room?" Her tone was tinged with doubt.
Deng Shen appeared extremely aggrieved, "You've been keeping a close eye on my young master and mistress the whole time, how could you possibly be paying attention to me? Besides, I was terrified when I saw you carrying sharp weapons, so I tried to walk as quietly as possible, not daring to disturb you..."
What he said made some sense. Li Si was about to give up when he saw Zhang San's timid appearance. At that moment, Zhang San suddenly stared at him sharply and asked, "So you stayed in the latrine for a full half hour?"
Deng Shen couldn't help but shiver under his intense gaze.
“I’m in so much pain, I can’t possibly relieve myself outside the outhouse, can I? That place smells awful, do you think I want to stay there any longer?” Deng Shen’s voice was trembling with tears. He even pulled up his sleeve, trying to get the two of them closer so they could smell it. “If you don’t believe me, just try it.”
A strong stench hit them, and Zhang San and Li Si frowned and involuntarily took a step back.
"Alright, we'll assume for now that you have no tricks up your sleeve. Go back to your room and don't wander around!" Li Si said impatiently.
Deng Shen felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off his shoulders and nodded hurriedly, "Yes, yes, I will obey."
As he left, he cast a meaningful glance at Bai Yujing and Jiang Huaiyu, as if to tell them that everything was alright.
Jiang Huaiyu relaxed a little. "Since everything is alright, I'll go back and continue to rest."
After saying that, she pulled Bai Yujing back into the room.
...
The following afternoon.
In recent days, the people of Beijing have been discussing a shocking piece of news that has stunned the imperial court.
Marquis Jing'an, deeply favored by the Emperor, publicly impeached Prince Hao during the morning court session for failing to properly educate his daughter, Princess Ziyan, and for allowing her to force another man to divorce and remarry. This was a violation of both national law and basic human morality. The victim of this coercion was none other than the newly appointed top scholar in the imperial examinations—a student of the Emperor himself—who suffered such injustice, a truly outrageous act. Even worse, Princess Ziyan also abducted the top scholar's wife to the capital and placed her under house arrest.
Once this matter was exposed, everyone from the imperial court to the common people was shocked and indignant at Princess Ziyan's domineering behavior. Moreover, no one expected that Prince Hao, who was known as a "wise prince," would actually condone his daughter's absurd actions.
Impeachment proceedings were raging in the imperial court, and were not isolated incidents. In addition to the Marquis of Jing'an, the Jiang family also submitted a petition to the Jingzhao Prefecture, and several officials from Wanfu County jointly submitted a memorial, causing a great uproar among the people.
A group of intellectuals gathered in front of the Jingzhao Prefecture, demanding justice for the top scholar and his wife. Even more remarkably, Ling Mo, the renowned painter who had always kept to himself, bravely stepped forward to speak out for righteousness.
For a time, the entire court and the public were abuzz with discussion, as if the news was in full swing.
Within just two days, King Hao, who was known as a wise king, became the target of everyone's hatred, and everyone wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible.
Logically, with Princess Ziyan's accusations supported by solid evidence, and the Marquis of Jing'an possessing handwritten letters from the top scholar and his wife, the matter should have been resolved swiftly. However, the emperor remained unresolved, taking no action for a long time.
Jiang Huaiyu and Bai Yujing were completely unaware of all this.
The letters in the hands of the Marquis of Jing'an's mansion, the Jiang family, and Ling Mo were naturally written by Jiang Huaiyu, while the officials and students who spoke up for them were all connected to Bai Yujing.
In this life, Jiang Huaiyu had no connection with the Jing'an Marquis's mansion. The reason she dared to submit her letter was because she knew that the Jing'an Marquis was a member of Prince Rui's faction, and that Prince Rui and Prince Hao were always at odds and had differing opinions. With such a large target presented to her, she was certain that the Jing'an Marquis would not let it go easily.
To ensure the letter was delivered smoothly, she specifically instructed Deng Shen to find Cui, the maidservant of the Lady of Jing'an. From beginning to end, she never considered Jiang Shuqin.
Writing letters to Ling Mo was a given, as Jiang Huaiyu firmly believed that he would lend her a hand.
As for the letter to the Jiang family, she hesitated for a long time before finally deciding to write it. After all, "one prospers, all prosper; one suffers, all suffer." Besides, the Jing'an Marquis's mansion had already taken the first step, and it would seem unreasonable for the Jiang family not to step forward.
Although Jiang Huaiyu and Bai Yujing were not fully aware of the situation outside, they assumed that if things were going smoothly, the news would have spread far and wide. However, by the third day, the courtyard remained calm, causing the two to become somewhat anxious.
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