Chapter 70: Qingyue's suspicion, palace search
"Bang—"
The palace gate was locked tightly with iron chains. The iron rings banged against the door panels with a sharp sound, startling the night birds roosting on the courtyard wall. Shen Qingyue stood on the steps of the main hall, her moon-white dress gleaming coldly in the torchlight, but her eyes were filled with venom. She shouted at the guards kneeling on the ground, "I say, seal all exits! Not even a fly is allowed to fly out of the palace! Whoever lets the thief who sneaked into the secret room escape will be beheaded!"
The guards were trembling with fear and answered in unison: "Yes!"
Shen Qingyue dug her nails into her palms, her heart pounding. She'd been feeling uneasy since last night, feeling like something was about to happen. She'd stepped up her patrols, but she hadn't expected someone to be so audacious as to break into Xiao Jin's study! She knew better than anyone what lay hidden within—not only Xiao Jin's private documents, but also the half-written draft of a secret letter that Prime Minister Shen had accidentally left with Xiao Jin when he framed the Yun family!
The draft had Prime Minister Shen's handwriting and her signature on it! Once it was found, not only would the Shen family be doomed, but her painstakingly cultivated image of "the gentle white moonlight" would also completely collapse!
"Search! Search thoroughly! Focus on the woodshed, the rockery, and the abandoned courtyard! Especially near the study, don't leave a single inch of land untouched!" Shen Qingyue gritted her teeth and ordered, personally holding up her skirt as she followed a group of guards towards the study. She had to personally watch and ensure that the thief was caught and the evidence was destroyed!
At that moment, in the woodshed, Xie Heng was holding his breath, curled up deep in the firewood, tightly tucked in his arms the stack of secret letters he had just found in the secret room. The sounds of searching outside were getting closer and closer. The sounds of kicking on the door, shouting, and the rustling of firewood being turned mixed together, like the beating of a death drum, making his heart almost burst out of his chest.
He had just escaped from the back window of the study and had intended to go out through the dog hole in the northwest corner of the palace, but he hadn't expected Shen Qingyue to act so quickly and had already blocked all the exits. In desperation, he could only hide in the most inconspicuous woodshed, hoping to avoid the search temporarily.
"Have you searched this place?" A guard's voice sounded at the door of the woodshed.
"Not yet. This woodshed is dirty and messy. No one should hide here, right?" Another guard's voice was filled with impatience.
"Stop talking nonsense! Miss Shen said not a single inch can be spared! Go in and search!"
The footsteps grew closer, and the light from the torches shone through the dilapidated windows of the woodshed, casting flickering shadows on the ground. Xie Heng clutched the secret letter tightly, his fingertips turning white from the strain. He could even hear his own heartbeat, remarkably clear in the silent woodshed.
At this moment, the door of the woodshed was pushed open with a creaky sound, and two guards walked in holding torches. The light of the torches swept across the piles of firewood, getting closer and closer to where Xie Heng was hiding.
Xie Heng's hand quietly reached for the dagger at his waist - if he was discovered, he would have no choice but to fight to the death. Even if he died, he had to hide the secret letter so that Yun Zhi's revenge plan could continue.
"Wait, look what this is?" A guard suddenly pointed to the pile of firewood where Xie Heng was hiding, and a corner of his black nightgown was exposed there - it was something he accidentally rubbed off when he hid in just now!
Another guard immediately raised a torch and approached, shouting, "Who's in there? Come out!"
Xie Heng's heart sank instantly. Just as he was about to draw his dagger, he heard Uncle Fu's voice coming from outside the woodshed: "Two young men, this woodshed is under the charge of this old servant. There's nothing in it except firewood. Perhaps you saw it wrongly. That black thing is just a piece of tattered oilcloth."
Xie Heng was stunned for a moment—it was Uncle Fu! Yun Zhi had said before that Uncle Fu was the father of Yun Xiao's old subordinate and would help them. Unexpectedly, he actually showed up at the critical moment!
The guard frowned and looked at Uncle Fu: "Uncle Fu, please don't lie to us. If Miss Shen blames us, we can't afford it."
"How dare this old servant lie to me, young man?" Uncle Fu hunched over with a flattering smile on his face, holding a pot of freshly warmed wine in his hand. "I clean this woodshed every day, and I know exactly what's inside. You two young men have worked hard. Have a drink of wine to warm yourself up. I'll help you search it carefully. I guarantee there will be no problems."
The guards exchanged a glance, took the wine flask and took a few sips, then softened their tone: "Alright, go ahead and search, we'll go somewhere else. If there's really a problem, you can't escape!"
"Yes, yes, I understand." Uncle Fu smiled and sent the guard away. He closed the door and immediately walked to the pile of firewood. He lowered his voice and said, "Thank you, doctor. Come with me quickly!"
Xie Heng crawled out of the firewood pile, his body covered with wood chips, but he didn't bother to clean it up. He bowed to Uncle Fu and said, "Thank you, Uncle Fu, for saving me!"
"Don't say anything!" Uncle Fu pulled Xie Heng and walked deeper into the woodshed, where there was an abandoned cellar entrance covered with firewood. "Shen Qingyue has personally led people to search. It's not safe here. Hide in the cellar first. When the storm has passed, I'll find a way to get you out!"
Xie Heng nodded and followed Uncle Fu into the cellar. The cellar was small, damp, and filled with a musty smell, but it could temporarily avoid being searched. He was just about to hand the secret letter to Uncle Fu, asking him to help deliver it, when he heard Shen Qingyue's voice from outside the woodshed: "Uncle Fu! Have you finished searching the woodshed? I want to check it myself!"
Uncle Fu's face suddenly changed. He made a "silence" gesture to Xie Heng, and hurried out of the cellar, covered with firewood, and went to meet him: "Miss Shen, I just finished searching, and there is nothing inside except firewood."
Shen Qingyue walked in, her skirt lifted. The light of the torch swept across every corner of the woodshed, finally landing on Uncle Fu. Her eyes were full of suspicion: "Uncle Fu, you've been in the palace for so long, you should know what happens if you harbor a thief, right?"
Uncle Fu's heart tightened, but he still had a smile on his face: "I dare not! I am loyal to the palace, how dare I hide a thief? If Miss Shen doesn't believe me, feel free to search again."
Shen Qingyue snorted coldly, walked to the pile of firewood and kicked it. The firewood rustled, revealing a corner of the cellar entrance - the firewood there was looser than other places!
"What is here?" Shen Qingyue's eyes suddenly became sharp, and she reached out to dig away the firewood.
Uncle Fu's heart was in his throat, and he quickly stepped forward to stop her: "Miss Shen, this is an abandoned cellar, it's full of mold, there's nothing to see..."
"Get out of the way!" Shen Qingyue pushed Uncle Fu away and pulled away the firewood with force. The entrance to the abandoned cellar suddenly appeared before her eyes!
A sneer appeared on her lips as she ordered the guards behind her: "Come here! Go down and search!"
The guards, holding torches, were about to enter the cellar when Shen Qingyue suddenly stopped. She remembered what Xiao Jin had said before he left, "Qingyue, the things in the secret room of the study are very important. Please keep an eye on them for me and don't let anyone touch them." Xiao Jin trusted her so much. If she really caught the thief in the palace and found evidence, would Xiao Jin trust her even more?
But if the evidence is found and there is Shen's handwriting on it, what should she do?
Shen Qingyue's heart was torn between her conscience and her desires. Her fingers tightly grasped the hem of her skirt. After hesitating for a moment, she finally waved to the guards: "Forget it, this cellar is small and damp. Even if there are thieves hiding in it, they can't escape. Let's search other places first, and send someone to guard it when it's daybreak."
She couldn't take that risk! If evidence was found in the cellar, she wouldn't even have a chance to defend herself! It would be better to wait and see, then secretly send someone to take care of the thief and destroy the evidence!
Uncle Fu breathed a sigh of relief and nodded quickly: “Yes, yes, Miss Shen is wise.”
Shen Qingyue glared at Uncle Fu fiercely, then turned and walked out of the woodshed, her heart becoming even more certain—the thief must be hiding somewhere in the palace, and Yun Zhi was definitely involved in this matter! Yun Zhi was now following Xiao Jin in the enclosure, and perhaps she was deliberately luring Xiao Jin away so that her accomplices could sneak into the palace and steal evidence!
"Come here!" Shen Qingyue stopped and ordered the maid beside her, "Prepare the horses immediately, and send a reliable person to the enclosure to deliver a letter to the prince overnight. Tell him that there's an emergency in the palace, and ask him to keep an eye on Yun Zhi and don't let her do anything tricky!"
The maid quickly responded, "Yes!"
Shen Qingyue watched the maid hurriedly leave, the murderous intent in her eyes growing stronger. Yun Zhi, do you think you can bring down the Shen family like this? How naive! This time, not only will you lose more than you gain, but I'll also make sure you die without a burial place!
Xie Heng, in the cellar, finally breathed a sigh of relief as he heard Shen Qingyue's footsteps fade away. He fished out the secret letter from his arms and, using the faint light filtering through the cracks in the cellar, confirmed that it was intact, feeling a little relieved.
But he knew this was only temporary safety. Shen Qingyue had already become suspicious and had sent someone to the enclosure to deliver a letter to Xiao Jin. Yun Zhi's situation in the enclosure might become dangerous. He had to find a way to get the secret letter out of the palace and into Yun Zhi's hands as soon as possible. Otherwise, not only would he be in danger, but Yun Zhi's revenge plan would also fail.
The sounds of searching outside continued, and the light of the torches flickered in the darkness, like a pair of prying eyes, staring at Xie Heng in the cellar and Yun Zhi in the enclosure. A greater crisis was quietly brewing.
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