Chapter 24: Pity you and be careful.
"impossible!"
Shen Xingwan's hands and feet became weak and he almost lost all his strength.
"Brother would never do such a thing. He has been the backbone of the Shen family for generations. Brother is dedicated to serving the country and has risked his life to repel the barbarians. How could he rebel?!"
She was terribly shocked and distressed, tears streaming down her cheeks uncontrollably, and she stumbled out, "I'm going to find him! I'm going to find him!"
Yan Jinghuan used his arms to hold her tightly, supporting her body which was about to fall.
"Let me go!" Shen Xingwan struggled and cried, "What kind of place is that prison? No one can come out of there alive. Let me go, I want to save him!"
"Calm down."
Yan Jinghuan said in a low voice, grabbing her struggling hands and hugging her tightly, "How are you going to save him? Are you going to break into the prison alone?"
"......"
Shen Xingwan closed her eyes dejectedly, tears streaming down her face.
Yan Jinghuan gently stroked her back, his warm palm soothing her frightened heart, and said in a serious tone, "Leave it to me."
He waved away the servant and called out to the door, "Xing Zhou."
As soon as he finished speaking, a dark figure descended from the roof like a ghost, knelt on one knee, and said respectfully: "Master!"
Yan Jinghuan's expression was stern, with murderous intent surging in his eyes. "Immediately mobilize all the secret guards to investigate the matter of Shen Yunchao being detained in the prison. Before dawn, the background, purpose, and all relevant clues of the person who reported the incident must be presented to me."
"Yes!" The secret guard took the order and disappeared into the darkness in a flash.
Yan Jinghuan bowed his head, gently stroked her shoulder, and asked her softly: "I will go to the palace immediately, you can rest first, okay?"
Shen Xingwan was at a loss, and had no mind to rest, but Yan Jinghuan was already willing to enter the palace overnight for her, so how could she disobey him again? She had to nod and agree.
Seeing Yan Jinghuan turning around to leave, she hurriedly grabbed the corner of his clothes, "Hey..."
Yan Jinghuan looked back.
She bit her lip and looked at him with wet eyes for a long time, and finally loosened her fingers, "You, be careful."
Yan Jinghuan's eyes moved slightly, he said "hmm" softly, turned around and strode out of the room.
Watching Yan Jinghuan's figure gradually disappearing into the night, Shen Xingwan slumped down on the couch. She clutched the quilt tightly and took a deep breath to calm herself.
She knew very well that she must not panic at this moment. Her brother was in prison and the Shen Mansion must be in chaos. She had to rush back to the Prime Minister's Mansion immediately.
She called Feiyun to change clothes in a hurry, almost ran all the way out of the Regent's Palace, and got on the carriage that had been prepared long ago.
"Go to the Prime Minister's Mansion, quickly!"
She hurriedly instructed the coachman as the carriage sped along the dark streets. The cold wind blew in through the gaps in the windows and blew on her face, but she didn't feel the cold at all.
She clutched the corner of her clothes tightly, her knuckles turning white from the force, her brother's face kept appearing in her mind, and she felt more and more uneasy.
Soon, the gate of the Prime Minister's Mansion, which was covered with red silk and double happiness characters, came into view.
She got out of the car anxiously, ran over and pushed open the door. The oppressive and heavy atmosphere in the mansion hit her in the face. She quickly crossed the courtyard and ran straight to the inner hall.
As soon as I stepped into the inner hall, I saw my mother slumped in the armchair. She looked as if her spine had been removed and she was lifeless. Her eyes were red and swollen like peaches, and tears kept rolling down her face, soaking her clothes.
"Mother!"
Shen Xingwan stepped forward quickly, threw herself into Madam Shen's arms, and held her cold hands tightly, "Mother, don't be too sad, brother will be fine."
Mrs. Shen raised her head woodenly and saw that it was Shen Xingwan. Her lips trembled and she wanted to say something, but her throat was choked by the surging tears and she could only utter a few sobs.
Shen Xingwan felt a bitter pain in her heart and started to cry.
She reached out and gently wiped the tears from Mrs. Shen's face, "Don't worry, mother. There will always be a way."
Just at this moment, Prime Minister Shen hurriedly walked in from outside. His face looked haggard, and his hair, which was usually neatly combed, now looked a little messy.
Shen Xingwan quickly stood up and grabbed his father's arm, "Any news about my brother?"
Prime Minister Shen shook his head and sighed.
"I have already gone to see several acquaintances in the court, but they are all afraid of the power of the person who made the report and dare not intervene easily."
As he was speaking, the lights outside the door suddenly came on, and there was a burst of anxious footsteps, "Master Shen, Xingwan!"
When they looked up, they saw that it was Princess Guang'an who had arrived late at night.
She was surrounded by servants, and the palace maids were holding glass lamps to light the way for her as they hurried towards the inner hall.
The princess was obviously in a hurry. She was only wearing a yellow dress, her hair was slightly loose, and beads of sweat were oozing from her forehead. She walked in quickly.
Shen Xingwan was surprised and quickly stood up and saluted.
"Greetings, Princess. Why are you here so late?"
Princess Guang'an didn't bother to say hello and anxiously grabbed her hand.
"When I heard that Brother Yun Chao was taken to the Heavenly Prison, I was so anxious that I couldn't sit still for a moment."
"I went to the Yangxin Palace to ask for an audience with my father, but it was late at night and my father had already been put to rest. The Imperial Concubine did not allow anyone to see her. I had no choice but to come here and take a look."
After that, she looked at Prime Minister Shen and Madam Shen, "Sir Shen, what's going on? Tell me quickly."
Prime Minister Shen sighed, "Thank you, Princess, for your concern. I am really terrified, but the situation is serious now. The person who made the report is not an ordinary person, and most of the ministers in the court are afraid of him. I really don't know where to start."
"What are you afraid of!"
Princess Guang'an said indignantly: "Brother Yun Chao is devoted to serving his country. How can we allow him to be wrongly accused of these unfounded crimes and dampen his heroic spirit?"
She looked at Prime Minister Shen, "Although I am a princess and do not hold real power in the court, I do have some connections, and perhaps I can help Brother Yun Chao."
Shen Xingwan's eyes became hot and she couldn't help but hold Princess Guang'an's hand tightly.
"The friendship of Her Royal Highness the Princess will never be forgotten by the Shen family. But this matter is too dangerous, I am afraid it will implicate you..."
"It's already late." Princess Guang'an stamped her feet. "Why are we still being polite? We need to think of a solution quickly."
Shen Xingwan was moved. "You are right. Yan Jinghuan has entered the palace to investigate the news. We can't just sit there and wait for death. Do you have any ideas?"
Princess Guang'an thought for a moment and said, "I have an informant in the Ministry of Internal Affairs who can help us investigate the detailed accounts of the person who made the report and the palace. Maybe we can find out the evidence of their profit transfer."
"In addition, I have a study partner. Her father is a high-ranking official in the Imperial Censorate and is a man of integrity. I want to persuade him to impeach those who framed Brother Yun Chao in the court."
Prime Minister Shen frowned, leaned forward and saluted, "How dare I trouble Your Highness like this."
"Lord Shen, you are too kind."
Princess Guang'an extended her hand to Prime Minister Shen, "Liyue is willing to run around for Brother Yunchao. There is no time to lose. I will go back and make arrangements."
Prime Minister Shen and Shen Xingwan respectfully escorted Princess Guang'an out of the mansion and into the carriage.
After Princess Guang'an left, the Shen Mansion was still shrouded in sorrow.
Shen Xingwan finally persuaded Mrs. Shen to take care of herself and rest first, while he forced himself to stay awake and discuss the next countermeasures with Prime Minister Shen.
Suddenly, Feiyun hurried into the inner hall and reported hesitantly, "Master, Miss, Miss Tang is here and is asking to see you outside the courtyard."
Shen Xingwan's expression froze, and he subconsciously looked at Prime Minister Shen.
Prime Minister Shen was just slightly startled, with a hint of relief in his eyes, "Please invite her in."
Tang Lin'er, led by Feiyun, walked gracefully into the inner hall.
Her steps were slightly unsteady, her face looked a little haggard, and one side of her cheek was red and swollen, which was the mark left by the slap from the Crown Princess.
Her eyes were red: "Father, sister, Lin'er is back."
"Lin'er, what's wrong with your face?" Prime Minister Shen frowned, stood up and walked over.
Tang Lin'er pursed her lips, her eyes misty, "It's nothing, it's just that my daughter has just entered the East Palace, and the Crown Princess taught her some rules."
"How can this be possible!"
Prime Minister Shen’s expression became increasingly ugly.
Shen Xingwan stood aside calmly, watching for a while before speaking with concern: "Sister, you have suffered. Mrs. Lu has always been difficult to deal with. But, if you come back to the mansion at this time, won't she make things difficult for you?"
Tang Lin'er lowered her eyes, a hint of resentment flashing in her eyes.
"Lin'er is now in the East Palace, just a concubine. What's the big deal if she's inferior to others? I can only swallow my anger. But I heard that my brother was detained in the Sky Prison, and I was really worried. I have to come back to see him no matter what."
Prime Minister Shen sighed, "It's hard for you to still care about Yun Chao, but this case is very difficult, and you are in a difficult situation in the East Palace now, so just don't worry about it."
"Although my ability is limited, I also want to do my best to help my brother clear his name."
Tang Lin'er spoke earnestly, "Father, please tell me, what happened to my brother? I am by the prince's side, maybe I can get some clues about my brother."
Shen Xingwan felt a chill in her heart. She didn't believe that Tang Lin'er really came to save her brother. Only she knew what she was thinking.
Shen Xingwan sat there, not saying a word.
Prime Minister Shen felt sorry for her pregnancy and didn't want to involve her, but he couldn't resist her pleading and had to explain the current situation to her.
After sending Tang Lin'er away, Shen Xingwan's expression immediately turned cold, and she had to say to Prime Minister Shen: "Tang Lin'er is now married into the East Palace and is already the prince's person. I always feel that my brother's matter is closely related to the prince and the imperial concubine. Father, don't trust her words."
Prime Minister Shen sighed, and although he still remembered the old friendship, he had to admit that Shen Xingwan's words did make some sense.
At this moment, Tang Lin'er, as soon as she stepped out of the gate of the Shen Mansion, put away the aggrieved expression on her face, and a hint of viciousness flashed in her eyes.
Ruyi helped her get on the carriage and whispered to the driver, "Go back to the East Palace."
As soon as she returned to the East Palace, Tang Lin'er went straight to Wei Zilin's study.
Night fell over the East Palace. Tang Lin'er tiptoed to the outside of Wei Zilin's study, carefully tidied up her slightly messy clothes, deliberately exposed the scar on her cheek, her eyes filled with tears of grievance, and raised her hand to knock on the door.
"Come in." A deep voice came from inside the house.
Wei Zilin was marking memorials under the lamp when he saw her walk in, covering her red and swollen cheek with her hands, her brows slightly furrowed.
"How did it become like this?"
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