Shen Jiefeng explained, "Madam, please don't worry. We are just doing our routine work. The entire capital is being searched for the deposed crown prince, not just the Marquis of Zhongyong's residence."
Upon hearing this, Madam Wan patted her chest and breathed a sigh of relief.
That's good, that's good. She thought they would only search the Marquis's residence.
However, although Shen Jiefeng said that, Ye Qingxue noticed that the torches in the guards' hands almost illuminated the night sky, and every corner of the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion was clearly visible.
Upon entering the study, Shen Jiefeng picked up a book, casually flipping through it, but his gaze wandered elsewhere.
He even touched many small objects, including the swords and weapons that Ye Qingxue's father used before his death.
Clearly, he was looking for a possible mechanism or secret passage.
He even carefully examined the smallest drawers and hidden compartments.
He didn't even spare the burned-down Guanju Courtyard.
Even the well in Guanju's backyard—the well where Ye Qingxue had Bai Qi carry Yun Zhuo to hide—was sent by Shen Jiefeng to investigate.
Ye Qingxue followed behind him and finally spoke up: "Judging from the way Lord Shen is searching, it seems that the deposed crown prince is hiding in the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion. You must dig three feet into the ground to find him."
Madam Wan was so frightened that she wanted to cover her mouth. How could she say such things carelessly?
Ye Qingxue quickly dodged and laughed, "Lord Shen, does our Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion look like the kind of family that would harbor a deposed crown prince?"
Upon hearing her words, Shen Jiefeng stopped searching and stood in front of her.
His gentle smile returned: "Of course not. It's only because you are my fiancée that I must search more thoroughly, so that everyone knows that the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion would never harbor a deposed crown prince!"
He paused for a moment, then continued, "To avoid trouble in the future, and since you have married me, others might take the opportunity to falsely accuse the Marquis's mansion of harboring the deposed crown prince. Because I did not conduct a thorough search for the sake of my fiancée, the deposed crown prince could not be arrested in time."
He looked at Ye Qingxue's face, then lowered his head, as if Ye Qingxue was the only person in his eyes.
He smiled and said, "For you, for our future happiness, I have no choice but to do my best. I hope you'll understand."
Ye Qingxue looked directly into his eyes without flinching.
She discovered that the man's smile seemed genuine, without a trace of falsehood.
"I still hope to smoothly marry the girl into the family," Shen Jiefeng added.
Ye Qingxue: "..."
If his smile and words are completely fake, then this person is truly terrifying.
Shen Jiefeng spoke politely and pleasantly, but during the search, he and his men even searched the women's trunks and made them shake out their clothes one by one.
Ye Qingxue laughed in exasperation: "Such a deposed crown prince, do you think he can be hidden in a thin piece of clothing?"
Shen Jiefeng simply looked at her without saying a word.
He seemed to be considering whether her words were reliable.
Just then, hurried footsteps broke the silence of the room.
The guard knelt before Shen Jiefeng, cupped his hands, and said urgently, "My lord, we have found the entrance to a secret room in the burned-down Guanju Courtyard, and there are footprints on it!"
Shen Jiefeng threw down the clothes in his hand, lifted his foot and walked away without even glancing at Ye Qingxue.
Madam Wan was so anxious that her legs went weak. She immediately went to see Ye Qingxue. Could she really be harboring the deposed crown prince?
She wondered why the Palace Guards would come to search the Marquis's residence so thoroughly.
They must have heard rumors before they came.
She said urgently, "Young lady, how could you commit such a heinous crime that would punish nine generations of your family? The wronged have their perpetrators, and the debtors have already been punished for those who harmed you and your father."
"But the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion was built by your father. What good will it do you to destroy it? How can you face your father if you do this?"
Ye Qingxue's face was tense, and she ignored Madam Wan.
She led Qiu Shen, closely following behind Shen Jiefeng and the others, towards Guanju Courtyard.
Madam Wan caught up with her and grabbed her arm: "If you really harbored the deposed crown prince, hand him over now. Maybe the emperor will spare your life because of your past merits!"
"If Lord Shen finds you, your life will be in danger! Your brother will also be killed because of you!"
"Don't believe everything you hear!" Ye Qingxue said coldly, then pulled away from her arm and strode forward.
The entrance to the secret passage in Guanju Courtyard had been cleared by the guards. They lit torches to illuminate the area, and Shen Jiefeng prepared to go in and search it himself.
"Lord Shen!" Ye Qingxue called out to him.
Seeing him looking over, he said, "Tonight, it seems that you are convinced that the deposed crown prince is in my Marquis of Zhongyong's residence."
"Now that you've discovered this secret room, it's like flies finding blood. But I'd like to ask Lord Shen, what will you do if this search of the secret room doesn't find the deposed crown prince?"
Shen Jiefeng pursed his lips: "What does Miss Ye want from me?"
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