Chapter 313 Hold onto my clothes!
Zhou Ruyuan was instantly annoyed when he heard that the water had been called three times in one night.
"Shen Lanxi, I was wrong to you back then, but it was you who asked my father for the divorce papers. I never intended to divorce you!"
Shen Lanxi smiled sarcastically: "Does Your Highness really want me to recount what happened back then?"
Looking at Shen Lanxi's cold and stern expression, Zhou Ruyuan had no doubt that Shen Lanxi would do that.
The scene from six years ago reappeared in Zhou Ruyuan's mind. That marriage, which everyone talked about and used as gossip, made him experience the greatest humiliation of his life.
He has already humbled himself so much, why is Shen Lanxi still fixated on this point?
"Lanxi, do you really have no feelings at all?" Zhou Ruyuan looked at Shen Lanxi with a hurt expression.
Wei Dongzhu frowned and reminded him, "Your Highness, we are currently investigating a case, and His Majesty is urging us to proceed."
Discussing this matter in front of others while she is in prison is disrespectful to her.
Zhou Ruyuan looked at Wei Dongzhu with icy eyes. Although he didn't like Wei Dongzhu, he was right.
It's really not the right time to talk about his relationship with Shen Lanxi!
"Lanxi, I hope I can sit down with you and have a proper talk about what's between us."
Shen Lanxi frowned: "I don't think we were anything special before."
Zhou Ruyuan: "Don't rush to reject me. I think you don't want the people to always talk about us."
Shen Lanxi said coldly, "Are you threatening me?"
Zhou Ruyuan: "No, I just want us to sit down and talk calmly to clear up the misunderstanding from back then."
Shen Lanxi gave him a deep look: "Okay."
After saying that, she and Wei Dong entered the secret passage one after the other.
The secret passage was quiet, with torches lit by those who had gone in beforehand, crackling occasionally.
"I never imagined there was such a secret passage beneath the Dali Temple." Shen Lanxi looked at the passage built of blue bricks; this project was definitely not something that could be accomplished in a day.
Wei Dongzhu was still thinking about what Zhou Ruyuan had just said when he heard her say that, and his gaze fell on the surrounding walls.
"This place has been built for at least ten years."
Shen Lanxi replied decisively, "More than thirty years."
Wei Dongzhu didn't ask her how she knew so accurately; he was just slightly surprised and his gaze returned to the wall.
He couldn't tell the difference.
"Then it must have existed before His Majesty ascended the throne," Wei Dongzhu asked doubtfully.
This is also what puzzled Shen Lanxi.
"I believe His Majesty will provide us with the answer to this question."
Wei Dongzhu was puzzled and did not ask, but waited to see what would happen.
The passage was long and had several forks. When they reached a fork in the road, Shen Lanxi suggested they split up.
Wei Dongzhu worriedly denied it: "Neither of the two groups that went before came back. Let's not separate."
Shen Lanxi didn't dwell on it much; the outcome would probably be the same anyway.
"good!"
Wei Dongzhu looked at the person in front of him and quietly quickened his pace.
“It’s a bit dark here,” Wei Dongzhu said dryly.
Shen Lanxi asked in confusion, "Can't you see clearly at night?"
Wei Dongzhu: "A little."
Shen Lanxi raised an eyebrow: "Then grab the hem of my clothes!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Wei Dongzhu replied with a single word: "Okay!"
Shen Lanxi silently raised the corners of her lips.
The two walked for about half an hour before finally coming across a door.
"I'll drive it!" Wei Dongzhu stepped forward.
"Step back a bit," he instructed before starting.
Shen Lanxi stepped to the side and reminded her, "Stand to the side."
If someone is hiding behind the door, standing in the middle is the most dangerous position.
Wei Dongzhu walked to the other side and opened the door.
A light appeared, and after waiting a moment until no one was around, Wei Dongzhu went out first.
"This is an abandoned courtyard."
Shen Lanxi thought to herself: As expected!
"The secret passages here are the same as those discovered in the Northwest."
Wei Dongzhu had already suspected something when he discovered the secret passage, and now it has been confirmed.
"From the Northwest to the capital, they wield immense power!"
Shen Lanxi corrected: "It started in Dongchuan."
Wei Dongzhu glanced sideways, and after a moment said, "Shall we go check the other passages?"
Shen Lanxi shook her head: "No need, the other passages should be the same as this one, let's go back!"
Undeterred, Wei Dongzhu searched the abandoned courtyard again, but found nothing useful, and left in disappointment.
The guards stared at Shen Lanxi and Wei Dongzhu as if they'd seen a ghost. Weren't these two inside? How did they get out?
They've clearly surrounded this place like an iron barrel!
Despite the astonished looks from the guards, Shen Lanxi and Wei Dongzhu entered the Dali Temple.
The two groups that went earlier have already returned. They weren't slow; they went to other passages to investigate.
Zhou Ruyuan sat up straight, staring intently at the person returning from outside.
Why was he holding onto her sash?
Did Shen Lanxi really have to embarrass him in front of so many people?
"We found nothing in the secret passage; it ended at an abandoned courtyard in the city," Wei Dongzhu said.
Zhou Ruyuan said with a dark face, "I have already ordered people to investigate the owners of these courtyards."
When Che Mingyuan saw that Shen Lanxi was coming, he immediately stepped forward to await instructions.
Shen Lanxi: "His Majesty is waiting for news. Is it appropriate for us to send a fruitless message to the palace?"
She looked at Zhou Ruyuan when she asked this question.
"Then how should it be written?"
Shen Lanxi: "Where are the blueprints for the construction of the Dali Temple?"
Che Mingyuan had already found it and was just waiting to present it to them.
"Send the blueprints to the palace along with the blueprints, and write that the secret passage was built more than thirty years ago, and it is uncertain whether it is related to the previous dynasty."
After a moment of silence, Zhou Ruyuan nodded: "Write it like this, and I will personally deliver it to the palace!"
Shen Lanxi: "Whether the secret passage should be sealed or not is up to Your Majesty to decide."
Zhou Ruyuan got up and left. When he passed Wei Dongzhu, his eyes were as sharp as knives.
"Let's go and rest too, tomorrow will probably be even busier!"
Shen Lanxi did not go to the Shen residence, but returned to the Zhenbei Marquis's residence to rest.
Shen Congwen waited until midnight but his daughter did not arrive. He was so angry that he developed blisters on his lips when he went to court the next day.
Emperor Renxiao suppressed the news of the Dali Temple's discovery of the secret passage. During court sessions, no one mentioned the Dali Temple, let alone the secret passage.
After the court session, Emperor Renxiao kept Shen Lanxi and Zhou Ruyuan behind.
"What I am about to tell you is a palace secret. Anyone who leaks it will be punished for treason!"
Shen Lanxi: "I will keep this a secret and will absolutely not let a fourth person know."
Zhou Ruyuan: "Your subject will not let a fourth person know."
Emperor Renxiao sighed softly, as if reminiscing about the past.
"That secret passage must have been built by one of the emperors of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Only the emperors throughout history knew about this secret passage!"
Emperor Renxiao's expression turned somber as he spoke.
"When I was entrusted with this mission in a time of crisis, the late emperor had already passed away before he could tell me about the secret passage. Therefore, I have no way of knowing about the secret passage!"
That's strange. Even His Majesty doesn't know, so how do others know?
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