Rong Ning was even more frustrated!
She doesn't meddle in other people's business and isn't good at persuading others, so she feels powerless in the face of Xie Xizhu's persistence.
She remained silent for a long time before finally speaking, "Are you really sure about this?"
"Yes, Your Highness!"
"If that's the case, then so be it!"
Ultimately, Xie Xizhu didn't have much of a relationship with her. The reason she had some favor towards her was simply because Xie Xizhu's situation in the Xie family was similar to her older sister's, which made her feel sorry for her and want to give her a place of refuge. That was all.
But since she herself doesn't appreciate it right now, Rong Ning doesn't force her.
Oh well, it's her personal choice after all!
Rong Ning sighed and said, "I'm going to the Prime Minister's residence tomorrow to take away Young Master Zhu's mistress. You can come with me."
"Young Master Zhu's mistress?" Xie Xizhu asked in confusion.
“Hmm…” Rong Ning didn’t look at her. “The person that the Crown Prince and I searched for for more than a month with almost all our men was hiding in your Prime Minister’s residence, in your great-grandmother’s courtyard.”
Xie Xizhu was stunned!
She was still a child, with a mother and grandmother above her, so she didn't have to worry about many things, and naturally, she didn't know about some secret matters.
All she knew was that her great-grandmother had been ill for a long time, and in principle, she should have been cared for by her younger generation at her bedside. However, her grandparents strictly forbade anyone from entering or leaving her great-grandmother's yard at will, as this would disturb her recovery.
Therefore, she never imagined that her great-grandmother had hidden the Zhu family's mistress in her courtyard.
In Xie Xizhu's eyes, her grandfather was a towering figure. Even though the current situation in the court was very unfavorable to the Prime Minister's Mansion, Xie Xizhu believed that the direct cause of this was the disagreement between her grandfather and His Majesty on political matters.
But reality seems to be different.
Seeing her in a daze, Rong Ning raised her hand and said, "Alright, go back to your courtyard. Whatever you do is your own choice. Just don't regret it later."
Xie Xizhu bit her lip, wanting to say something, but it seemed inappropriate to say anything, and she couldn't bring herself to say it. After hesitating for a while, she left Rong Ning's courtyard.
The next morning, Rong Ning took Xie Xizhu back to the Prime Minister's residence.
Perhaps because of last night's conversation, or perhaps for something else, Xie Xizhu acted very reserved, keeping her head down and refusing to look at her.
Rong Ning pretended not to notice her change and closed her eyes to rest in the carriage.
The princess's residence was not far from the prime minister's residence, and we arrived in no time.
The Imperial Guards surrounded the Prime Minister's residence in layers. Such a drastic change overnight inevitably drew the attention of passersby. They didn't know exactly what had happened, but they were certain that the Prime Minister's residence was in serious trouble this time.
When the people saw the princess's carriage stop in front of the mansion, they dispersed, but not too far apart, and watched from a distance.
He just watched as Rong Ning and Xie Xizhu got off the carriage together.
They didn't know Xie Xizhu, but Xie Xizhu was the only woman who could get close to Rong Ning and ride in the same carriage with her.
Immediately, there was much discussion.
There were all sorts of things being said, and they vaguely reached Xie Xizhu's ears. She closed her eyes and inhaled, pretending not to hear anything.
Stepping into the mansion and closing the door reveals a completely different world, much quieter and more peaceful.
Or perhaps, the Prime Minister's residence is unusually quiet!
Everyone in the Prime Minister's residence knelt in the courtyard, even the old lady who had been claiming illness and not coming out was at the front.
Everyone lowered their heads, not daring to make a sound. Xie Chong secretly raised his eyes and looked at Xie Xizhu, his eyes filled with unspeakable emotions.
Xie Xizhu stopped and looked at the lifeless Prime Minister's residence. Her heart ached. Who could have imagined that the powerful Xie family would end up like this?
She stood behind Rong Ning, looking out of place compared to the kneeling crowd from the Prime Minister's residence.
Rong Ning told everyone to stand up, and her gaze was fixed on a little boy next to the old lady.
The old lady understood her meaning, led the little boy forward, and said respectfully, "This is the person Your Highness is looking for. Yesterday, Commander Luo of the Imperial Guards said that you would personally lead the person, so I brought everyone from the manor here to apologize to Your Highness and ask Your Highness to punish the Prime Minister's mansion for harboring such a person!"
Ha...that sounds honest...but the Prime Minister's Mansion has committed far more than just harboring a criminal!
They do know how to downplay the important issues.
Rong Ning ignored the old lady and looked at the boy. He should know what was going to happen next, but he didn't cry or make a fuss when the old lady pushed him out. He was only five years old, but he had a calmness that was beyond his years.
The little boy knelt down in front of Rong Ning without saying a word, as if waiting for Rong Ning to just pick him up and take him away.
But Rong Ning isn't in a hurry to talk to this child right now. Putting aside the fact that he's so young and his knowledge is limited, even if he does know something, he might not tell Rong Ning directly. His greatest value right now is the large sum of money that the Zhu family has transferred out.
Let's leave him out for a while. After we bring him back to the Ministry of Justice prison and reunite him with his family, we can interrogate him slowly.
What she needs to do now is to take a good look around the Prime Minister's residence.
Although she stayed at the Prime Minister's residence for quite some time last time, many places were heavily guarded by the guards, and she couldn't get in at all, such as the study.
But after what happened yesterday, the Prime Minister's residence has been searched, all important documents have been taken away, and the Prime Minister's study, which was once off-limits, has been ransacked and now spotless.
Yesterday, the search party was led by Lord Chu, and they searched the mansion very thoroughly. The study was so empty that it seemed as if even the dust had been taken away.
Lord Chu was experienced; when searching the mansion, he brought along craftsmen skilled in mechanical arts. They turned the Prime Minister's residence upside down, finding three secret passages leading outside and several dark rooms.
The Xie family is a large and deeply rooted family. Such families usually have hidden rooms and secret passages for emergencies.
That's not surprising.
Strangely, they discovered these secret passages but found nothing of value, indicating that they had been cleared out beforehand.
Perhaps they had cleaned up the things after they took Xie Jia Dalang away, or even before.
This made Rong Ning feel somewhat frustrated.
She stormed in and tied up Xie's eldest son, and then detained Prime Minister Xie in the palace. On the surface, she caught them off guard, but upon closer inspection, wasn't she also stirring up trouble?
It seems I'll have to put in a lot of effort again.
If no concrete evidence can be found later, her father and elder brother will likely act swiftly and decisively, using the prefect's testimony to implicate Xie and kill him completely.
But doing so is very risky, and whether it will succeed is another matter, but the main problem is that it will be difficult to convince the public.
His father had just ascended the throne, and the people's hearts were not with him, which was very dangerous.
I've said it before, they can't afford to fail. For their own sake, for their elder sister, and to put it even more shamelessly, for the sake of the people of the Southern Dynasty, they can't afford to lose.
Therefore, her father would not take this path unless absolutely necessary.
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