Ye Qingxue said, "The way the adults searched my family tonight has severely frightened my entire family, that's one thing;
"The adults even searched the women's clothes in the backyard, which is really disrespectful to my family. That's the second point."
"This secret chamber has been destroyed by fire, but the lord still won't let it go, clearly suspecting that my Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion is harboring a deposed crown prince."
"I don't know what evidence you have on which you have such suspicions. But if you cannot find the person you want in the secret room, would you be willing to kneel down and apologize to my manor?"
Shen Jiefeng stared at her for a moment, then looked at the person beside her and suddenly smiled.
"Of course you can kneel down. Consider it a way of paying respects to your fiancée's family in advance. It is only right that I, Shen, wish to marry Miss Ye."
As soon as he finished speaking, he bent down and walked down from the secret room.
The guards held torches, one in front and one behind, to light his way.
The atmosphere froze for a moment. Without looking at anyone around her, Ye Qingxue simply lifted her foot and followed.
After seeing Yun Zhuo off, Dong Bai had already returned to Ye Qingxue's side. Now, she followed Qiu Shen, Xiao Bao, and the others, immediately catching up with Ye Qingxue.
The Guanju Courtyard had previously caught fire and was also flooded in addition to rain, making it very damp.
Because no one had cleaned up yet, water was still accumulating in some places above the secret room, causing water to drip from the lower secret room.
Tick-tock, tick-tock.
The faint sound was particularly clear in the absolute silence, as if it were right next to my ear.
The secret room was not large, only about two zhang in length and width, and it seemed a bit cramped when so many people came in at once.
When the fire started, some rats were burned to death and fell into the sealed room. The rotting corpses, mixed with the damp smell, were very unpleasant.
Madam Wan followed her in and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that there were no suspicious people in the secret room.
Shen Jiefeng glanced at her, then looked away.
Despite the secret room being so obvious that its end was visible at a glance, Shen Jiefeng still led his guards to search it thoroughly, even looking for any hidden mechanisms in various places.
But he found nothing, and he frowned slightly.
Madam Wan said with a fawning smile, "Although Qingxue's actions after returning to the manor have been somewhat outrageous, she certainly wouldn't dare to harbor the deposed crown prince."
As if trying to clear Ye Qingxue's name, Shen Jiefeng's gaze fell on the murky water in the corner.
"Why is there a small pit here? What is it used for?" Shen Jiefeng asked.
Dong Bai's hand, which was hanging by her side, suddenly dug into her palm.
Ye Qingxue answered calmly and without looking to the side, "I don't know. When I lived in the Jingzhou Manor and moved into the Guanju Courtyard, this secret room was just like this, with nothing in it."
The small pit looked big enough to fit a person; it was filled with murky water, and several dead rats were floating on the surface, already rotting and stinking.
Shen Jiefeng said, "Take out the filth inside."
The guards immediately took action, using a shovel from the secret room to scoop out the dead rat and throw it aside.
Shen Jiefeng immediately walked towards the puddle.
Ye Qingxue almost stopped breathing. She heard herself ask sarcastically, "What, does Lord Shen think the deposed crown prince would hide in this puddle?"
Shen Jiefeng's smile didn't reach his eyes: "Since we're already here, we might as well investigate more thoroughly."
As he was speaking, he actually stepped into the water.
The water gradually deepened, reaching his calves, then his knees, and finally his thighs.
Further ahead, there were damp walls.
There was no one hiding in the water, and he found nothing.
But then he suddenly bent down and started groping around on the wall with his hands, as if searching for a mechanism.
On several occasions, his head even went underwater.
At this moment, Ye Qingxue felt that Shen Jiefeng in front of her was a ruthless person. As a deputy commander, he could have let the guards go into the water—after all, dead rats had drowned in the water.
He could also send his guards in to check for any traps or mechanisms.
But he didn't do that; instead, he went to check it out himself.
No wonder he could become Empress Shen's confidant and right-hand man.
Ye Qingxue raised her chin slightly, her face showing an arrogant and unashamed expression. After an unknown amount of time, Shen Jiefeng finally emerged from the water.
He walked up to Ye Qingxue and said with a smile, "I apologize for my rudeness tonight, Miss Ye."
He said very seriously, "From today onwards, no one will doubt that the Marquis of Zhongyong's mansion is harboring the deposed crown prince. We can now focus on preparing for the wedding."
After saying that, he took a step back: "I have never forgotten what I promised you, Miss. Now I will kneel down and apologize to you."
He cupped his hands in greeting and prepared to kneel down to apologize.
Madam Wan, who was standing nearby, gasped in shock.
Ji Mingwei's eyes widened as well.
Everyone thought to themselves, even if Shen Jiefeng were willing to kneel down and apologize, Ye Qingxue probably wouldn't dare to actually make Shen Jiefeng kneel down, right?
After all, this person is the Empress's nephew. Even if he makes a mistake, the Empress should be given some face and his mistake should not be pursued.
Moreover, this person is Ye Qingxue's fiancé. Now she is making Shen Jiefeng kneel down and apologize. Isn't that putting her in a terrible position after marriage?
What should be done if an engaged couple turns against each other before even getting married?
Even the guards looked at Ye Qingxue with warning, hoping she would stop and not make their deputy commander actually kneel down!
But, but!
Ye Qingxue made no attempt to stop her.
She watched as Shen Jiefeng knelt down before her, apologizing and offering his apologies.
Ye Qingxue said, "A man's knees are worth gold. Lord Shen is a man of his word, which is truly admirable."
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