Shen Yuan hurriedly ran back into the house and said to Xiao Ling, "The soldiers are here, you should hide quickly!"
As she spoke, she lifted the bed sheet hanging on the floor, intending for Xiao Ling to hide under the bed.
But then she felt it wasn't safe under the bed, so she quickly opened the wardrobe. However, the wardrobe in the room was only as tall as her neck, and there were two shelves in the middle, so it couldn't fit Xiao Ling at all.
Seeing Shen Yuan looking as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, Xiao Ling coughed lightly: "Go open the door, I have my own way of dealing with this!"
Shen Yuan paused, turned to look at Xiao Ling, and Xiao Ling gave her a reassuring look.
Hiding is definitely not a good idea. Even Lü Jimin knows there is a man in her house. When the soldiers come to search, they will definitely question the neighbors. If Xiao Ling is not there, it will probably arouse the suspicion of the soldiers.
So Shen Yuan changed her mind and turned to walk out of the house.
She stood in the courtyard, tugged at her clothes and hair, then took a deep breath to make herself look less flustered before stepping forward to open the courtyard gate.
The person ordered to search the city was Wang Shaoyin of the Jingzhao Division, who was also the son of Wang Ming, the Minister of Revenue.
Wang Shaoyin stood outside the door and, seeing that Shen Yuan was only now opening it, impatiently shouted, "What are you dawdling about!"
"Sir, it's already dark, and I've already gone to bed. I was worried when I heard you knocking, but I had to get dressed before I could come out!" Shen Yuan said, her head drooping, looking like she hadn't woken up yet.
The firelight was dim and indistinct, falling on her face which was covered by her hair, making it difficult to see her features.
But for some reason, Wang Shaoyin felt as if he had seen her somewhere before.
Perhaps we've bumped into each other a few times in the city!
Without giving it any further thought, Wang Shaoyin waved his hand, and the soldiers behind him filed in and searched the courtyard.
The clothes in the stove had long been burned clean, and the room was filled with incense, so there was no smell of blood. Therefore, Shen Yuan was not afraid of them searching the room.
She pretended to be startled and took a few steps back, then leaned against the door and coldly observed the soldiers searching the courtyard.
The noise woke up several neighboring houses in the alley where she was, and they all put on their robes and carried candlesticks outside.
Shen Yuan frowned upon seeing this grand scene. The Jingzhao Division was the agency that managed all affairs in the capital city, and they did indeed have the right to search the city's residents.
But a city search of this scale is unprecedented.
The long-time residents next door hadn't seen anything like this either, and kept asking the soldiers, "What happened, sir? Whose house was burgled? We don't have any thieves around here, we're all honest, law-abiding people!"
The officers glared at the person who spoke and warned, "Stand here quietly and don't ask questions you shouldn't!"
Shen Yuan poured a pot of tea and took it to the courtyard. Just then, the soldiers who had been searching found nothing unusual and returned to the courtyard to report back.
"Sir, no!"
They searched very quickly, probably because they had to search hundreds of households in one night.
Shen Yuan smiled and handed over several bowls of tea, "Gentlemen, you've worked hard. Have some water to quench your thirst!"
Wang Shaoyin ignored Shen Yuan, and the other officers and soldiers dared not make any rash moves.
So Shen Yuan put down her teacup, stepped forward, and asked, "Sir, is there anything else that needs to be checked?"
If not, she'll close the door and go to sleep.
Wang Shaoyin gave Shen Yuan a cold glance, looked around the courtyard, and then went into the kitchen. Seeing that the stove was still warm, he asked, "Didn't you say you were asleep? Why is the stove still warm?"
Shen Yuan answered fluently: "I just boiled two pots of water to take a bath, so the stove is naturally hot."
Wang Shaoyin walked around the kitchen again, then picked up the kitchen knife from the cutting board.
Shen Yuan was standing by the stove when she suddenly noticed a small piece of cloth that hadn't been completely burned under the stove. She quickly squatted down, picked up the piece of cloth, and stuffed it into her sleeve.
After inspecting the knives, Wang Shaoyin left the kitchen and went into other rooms. Finally, he strolled into Xiao Ling's bedroom.
Xiao Ling had already been questioned by officers and soldiers once.
Upon seeing Wang Shaoyin enter, he merely raised his eyebrows slightly, casually lying on the bed with his undergarment half-draped over his shoulders, revealing half of his firm chest muscles.
Seeing Xiao Ling's expression, Wang Shaoyin turned to look at Shen Yuan: "Who is he to you?"
"Yes, sir. He is my elder brother, named Shen Duan."
The name Shen Duan was the identity she forged for Xiao Ling when they went to the capital. It had been verified by the government, so Shen Yuan said the name without any hesitation.
Wang Shaoyin then asked, "Why didn't he come out just now? Did he ask you to come out and open the door?"
"My brother..."
Shen Yuan pursed her lips. The more she tried to think of a solution, the more her mind felt like it was crawling with a million ants. In her anxiety, she blurted out, "I told him not to come out. He... he's gay. He'll get excited if he sees so many men!"
"..." Xiao Ling stared wide-eyed at Shen Yuan in disbelief.
Despite the immense pressure, Shen Yuan continued, "My brother likes to bump into men whenever he sees them, and sometimes he even takes off his clothes. I was afraid of disturbing the officials, so I didn't let him come out."
"I thought that as long as he stayed in the house and slept, there should be no problem."
After saying that, Shen Yuan winked at Xiao Ling.
Wang Shaoyin turned his head to look at Xiao Ling with some skepticism. Xiao Ling's clothes had been pulled down to his waist, revealing his uninjured shoulder. He propped himself up on the edge of the bed with his elbow, then puffed out his chest and gave Wang Shaoyin a flirtatious wink: "Sir~~~"
"puff--"
Shen Yuan almost burst out laughing. She clenched her fists tightly and tried her best to hold it in, but the corners of her mouth still twitched uncontrollably.
Help! Help! I really want to laugh!
Wang Shaoyin originally wanted to go to the bedside to check if Xiao Ling had any knife wounds, but when he saw Xiao Ling puffing out his chest and looking like he couldn't wait for him to take off his clothes, he immediately got goosebumps all over his body.
Hearing Shen Yuan's voice, Wang Shaoyin turned around unhappily and glared at her.
Shen Yuan quickly explained, "I'm sorry, I ate two raw sweet potatoes tonight, and my stomach was bloated. I couldn't hold it in and I farted!"
"..."
Wang Shaoyin gritted his teeth; these two siblings were truly disgusting!
Just then, an urgent report came from outside the door.
"Sir, we found the thief's clothing in the south of the city!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Shaoyin no longer cared whether Xiao Ling was injured or not. He flicked his sleeves and hurriedly followed his men away from Shen Yuan's residence.
Seeing these people leave, Shen Yuan locked the courtyard gate and returned to Xiao Ling's room.
Xiao Ling sat on the edge of the bed with a gloomy expression, his clothes already neatly put back on.
Shen Yuan chuckled and stepped forward, giving Xiao Ling a thumbs-up: "A true man can bend and stretch; you're destined for great things!"
Xiao Ling: "..."
Even if he does achieve great things in the future, when posterity mentions him, they will likely only write about how, in the early days of the late emperor's reign, he had a penchant for homosexuality and a fondness for men with male lovers...
But Shen Yuan didn't give Xiao Ling any time to feel frustrated, and continued to ask, "But where exactly did you put that blood-stained outer robe?"
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