Chapter 301 He called him Your Majesty
But in Shen Qingci's heart, that feeling of unease grew wildly like weeds.
If the secret passage that Huo Yunting was going in and out of was really in the dry well in that courtyard, wouldn't that be too poorly concealed?
People walk around the courtyard day and night. If someone were to see him climbing in and out of the well, wouldn't his secret be exposed to the world? With Huo Yunting's cautious nature, he would never make such a basic mistake.
Unless... that's a cover-up!
"Master," the guard couldn't help but whisper when he saw her silence, "Should we have our men jump into that dry well and investigate thoroughly?"
Shen Qingci hesitated.
When she first received the news, she was indeed extremely anxious and wished she could immediately arrange for someone to turn the dry well upside down.
But upon closer reflection, a vague unease lingered in my heart.
If there really is a secret passage in that dry well, that would be good.
Although there may be traps in the secret passage, even if you dig three feet into the ground, you can still dig through it.
But what if... it wasn't a secret passage, but a trap?
Wouldn't they have fallen into a trap and alerted the enemy?
Shen Qingci pondered for a long time, but finally shook his head: "Never mind, let's wait a bit longer."
She always felt that the secret passage Huo Yunting used to enter and exit the palace should not be in a place like the courtyard.
Shen Qingci pursed her lips and after a long while, she instructed again: "Just continue to arrange for our undercover agents to keep watch, and remember not to make any rash moves."
"That butler might be a bait planted by Huo Yunting. We can't let a bait mislead us. We must always remember that our target is Huo Yunting himself."
"Just wait, wait until Huo Yunting can't hold back anymore and shows up."
"Before Huo Yunting appears, do not be tempted by anything and expose your whereabouts."
The guard quickly agreed and left to carry out the order.
Shen Qingci lay back down on the bed, and the more she thought about it, the more she felt that her judgment was probably correct.
The butler's flaws were far too obvious.
The informant they planted was newly replaced and wasn't actually very familiar with the Huo family's steward. Yet, they could spot relatively obvious signs of disguise on the steward's face, which was rather suspicious.
Moreover, that steward spent such a long time with Madam Huo in her bedroom during broad daylight, as if he was afraid no one would see it.
They entered Madam Huo's bedroom at night, turned off the lights, and then jumped into a dry well.
This is clearly an act for those in the shadows to see!
If you're not careful, you might fall for it.
This was probably bait, used to test whether there were any spies sent by other forces in the courtyard.
If they fall for it, it will surely alert the enemy.
If they don't make any move...
Perhaps, Huo Yunting really will... take some action.
Thinking of this, Shen Qingci was completely unable to sleep.
She tossed and turned until dawn broke and she heard the night watchman's drum outside.
"Thump—thump—thump—"
It's past midnight.
She narrowed her eyes, her brows furrowing involuntarily.
Judging from this watchman's call, it must be almost dawn.
If it's already past dawn, Huo Yunting should be heading to the palace for court. If there's still no movement by then, it's unlikely anything will happen tonight.
Shen Qingci sighed softly. It seemed that another night had been wasted.
She was about to turn over and force herself to sleep when she heard hurried footsteps outside, breaking the tranquility of the early morning.
"Master! We've caught them!"
Upon hearing this, Shen Qingci scrambled to her feet, quickly threw on a cloak, and strode open the door: "What happened?"
"Was the butler a bait they sent out to test if there were any spies? Was it because our message was sent back and we told our people to hold back, that there was movement on the other side not long after? Was it Huo Yunting?" She blurted out a series of questions, her voice filled with urgency.
The guard nodded, his eyes filled with admiration: "Master is incredibly insightful!"
"After our message reached the Huo residence, almost an hour later, just as dawn was about to break, there was finally some movement from over there!"
"Our men have been hiding in the banana tree behind Madam Huo's bedroom, holding their breath and not daring to be careless in the slightest."
"We thought we'd be leaving empty-handed tonight, but then we suddenly heard voices coming from inside the house. Judging from the voices, it must be Old Madam Huo and Huo Yunting!"
"And besides the mother and child, there was another voice."
"It sounds a bit like the fake butler's voice, a bit old."
"But... most importantly, I heard Huo Yunting actually address that person as... 'Your Majesty'!"
"His Majesty?!"
Shen Qingci's eyes widened instantly, as if struck by lightning.
Huo Yunting called that person "Your Majesty"?
Surely His Majesty couldn't possibly be named Chu Jichen?
If it's not Chu Jichen, then who is this so-called Emperor?
Was it Emperor Yongming?
That shouldn't be the case. Emperor Yongming was killed by her own hands, and the body was repeatedly examined by Chu Jichen's men, confirming the fact without a doubt.
But if it weren't for Emperor Yongming, who else would Huo Yunting call Your Majesty?
Could it be... Liu Wenyuan? Liu Wenyuan secretly declared himself emperor and made Huo Yunting address him as His Majesty?
But that shouldn't be the case.
Given Liu Wenyuan's current situation, all his trump cards have been exposed. Even if some of his supporters haven't been completely eliminated, things are no longer what they used to be. How could Huo Yunting possibly acknowledge Liu Wenyuan as his emperor?
Shen Qingci's mind was in turmoil, her thoughts tangled like a jumbled mess.
The guard continued to report: "Our people immediately used special channels to relay the message to the Shen family's secret agents stationed in other parts of the Huo residence, as well as the guards stationed outside the Huo residence."
"Furthermore, following our master's instructions, we thought that since Huo Yunting had already appeared, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and we could not hesitate. So we acted decisively!"
Shen Qingci's eyes widened slightly, and she immediately made a move?
She immediately asked in a low voice, her voice filled with anxiety, "How is the situation?"
Her heart immediately clenched.
After all, Huo Yunting, as the former emperor's secret guard commander, possessed unfathomable martial arts skills.
And most importantly...
Since Huo Yunting suddenly appeared in that bedroom, it means that her previous prediction was correct; there must be a secret passage in that bedroom!
Since there is a secret passage in the bedroom, even if their people are numerous and surround them, Huo Yunting and the other person could still escape through the secret passage immediately, or even activate the mechanism to fight back!
"Don't worry, my lady, we're not entirely unprepared either," the guard quickly explained, noticing her worry.
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