Xu Yuehuai's words made their faces darken even more.
They were so afraid of arousing Xu Yuehuai's suspicion that they didn't utter a single word.
Xu Yuehuai stopped pursuing the matter and turned to leave.
...
Meanwhile, things were still in complete chaos on Ningyuan Hou's side.
"Yes." The servant agreed to Zheng Bo's words and rushed in. However, he was dumbfounded when he entered. There were more than twice as many people inside as when he left.
Jiang Shichen was just a child, and once inside, he could only see a few figures. Since the place was full of high-ranking officials and nobles, he couldn't shout or make a fuss. He had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow them, afraid of getting lost.
Jiang Shichen found the entrance to the dungeon based on his memory, but there were guards at the door. They did not relax their vigilance at all because of the young master's birthday. It seemed that Marquis Ningyuan had given instructions in secret.
He dared not approach without permission and was looking around to see if there was another place he could go in when the servant behind him caught up and patted him hard on the shoulder.
"Kid, you run so... so fast," the servant said breathlessly.
"Big brother, is that ugly hut in front of us the outhouse?" Jiang Shichen asked, pointing to the dungeon ahead.
The servant stared intently, and his lips twitched. The dungeon was a forbidden area in the mansion. How did this kid end up here?
"No, no!" he mumbled in response.
"No, I can't hold it in anymore. I'll do it here. Big brother, please keep an eye on people for me." Jiang Shichen couldn't hold it in any longer and jumped into the bushes to say this. He had indeed been faking it before, but he was startled by the servant earlier, which made him pee.
"No way here! Don't do it here... It's so lewd!" The servant hurriedly stopped him, but then covered his nose and muttered something.
"I've been feeling a bit feverish lately," Jiang Shichen said with an embarrassed smile after finishing his business.
"Hurry back!" Seeing that the die was cast, the servant had no choice but to take Jiang Shichen back to Third Sister's side with a look of disgust.
"Hey kid, did you step on something? Why does it smell so strong?" the servant asked suspiciously on the way back.
“Absolutely not,” Jiang Shichen patted his chest to assure him. “The strong smell must be from urine on my hand just now. You can see for yourself!” As he spoke, he stretched his hand out in front of the servant.
"Stay away from me!" the servant shouted suddenly.
After the two returned, Zheng Bo asked, "Did that little devil see anything he shouldn't have seen?"
"Uncle Zheng, that brat slipped away to the vicinity of the dungeon and relieved himself in the bushes near the dungeon entrance," the servant replied truthfully.
"The dungeon is so well hidden, how could a child be found so easily?" Zheng Bo said with a sneer. "You keep a close eye on them, I'll go report to the Marquis."
"yes."
Zheng Bo immediately went to report to Marquis Ningyuan.
When they found him, Marquis Ningyuan was drinking with powerful officials in the court. Zheng Bo quickly approached him and whispered something in his ear.
Marquis Ningyuan listened without changing his expression, and then replied with four words: "Strengthen the defenses."
They continued drinking and chatting as if nothing had happened.
Zheng Bo nodded and left.
On the other side, Zhou Wan called Jiang Shichen to her side and asked, "Is there any progress?"
Jiang Shichen shook his head slightly, but looking at the roaring fire in the stove, he had an idea.
When Third Sister brought up the whole roasted lamb, Zhou Wan handed a plate of mutton to the servant, who immediately lowered his guard, and Jiang Shichen took the opportunity to run away.
While everyone's attention was drawn to the roasted whole lamb, Jiang Shichen secretly set fire to the grass. Although the grass looked lush and green, it burned very quickly and soon became a sea of fire.
"It's terrible! There's a fire! Help!" A frantic voice rang out instantly, and all the guards rushed to put out the fire, while Jiang Shichen took the opportunity to go down and find people.
The dungeon was drafty and filled with smoke, so Jiang Shichen had to rely on his memory to walk in. However, there was only one path in all directions, so there was no need to worry about getting lost.
After walking a while, Jiang Shichen saw Anan lying on the verge of death in the dungeon. His heart skipped a beat. Had the events in his dream actually happened?
He took two steps forward and called out Anan's name several times, but there was no response. Jiang Shichen thought Anan was really dead and burst into tears.
After crying for a while, Jiang Shichen realized that this was not a place to stay for long, so he prepared to take Anan out. After carrying him on his back, Jiang Shichen's heart was moved. Anan used to weigh about the same as him, but now he had lost a lot of weight. It seemed that Anan must be suffering every day here. Jiang Shichen's tears inevitably flowed again.
After walking a short distance, they found that the place where he had just entered had been sealed off, presumably because the fire outside had been brought under control. Jiang Shichen had no choice but to take Anan back to the original spot.
Zhou Wan had been restless ever since Jiang Shichen left. Half an hour had passed, but she hadn't seen a trace of him. She was very anxious and was about to go to San Niang for advice, but San Niang was too busy to come.
She hesitated for a moment before preparing to seek help from the Duke of Zhenguo. She searched through the crowd but couldn't find him anywhere.
She asked the servant next to her and learned that people of Zhenguo Gong's status were placed in the main hall, but maids like her could not enter.
Upon hearing this, Zhou Wan knew that the other party mistook her for a maid. However, even if she wasn't a maid, she wouldn't be able to enter given her status. So, she could only walk to the front of the main hall and linger there, hoping that the Duke of Zhenguo inside would notice her.
"Lord Zhenguo, I'd like to offer you a toast."
People would come to toast the Duke of Zhenguo from time to time, but he always turned them away on the grounds that he was not feeling well. However, he still had to show some courtesy. This time, when he raised his wine cup to drink, he immediately saw Zhou Wan lingering outside.
The Duke of Zhenguo's heart stirred, and he noticed the anxiety on Zhou Wan's face, so he made an excuse to go out.
"I'm really getting old. I get dizzy after just a couple of sips of wine. I'm going out for some fresh air," he said with a chuckle.
Those around him smiled obsequiously upon hearing this, but even if the Duke of Zhenguo hadn't said anything, no one dared to ask him what he was doing outside.
"What's wrong?" Duke Zhenguo asked, moving closer to Zhou Wan.
“Duke Zhenguo,” Zhou Wan called out immediately, knowing this was not the time for greetings, and hurriedly told him the whole story, “Just now, Jiang Shichen…”
"It's alright, just wait patiently for a while, and I'll find a way to resolve this," the Duke of Zhenguo replied after a moment's thought.
Although the Duke of Zhenguo said so, Zhou Wan was still uneasy.
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