At King Xia Jie's request, Xia Chuli and Shen Yu were immediately escorted to the prison tower. The fire in the Golden Summit Temple had been extinguished, and General Tian Che, the leader of the imperial guards, was stationed there for further investigation.
Shen Qingfeng didn't try to argue with King Xia Jie anymore, for he knew it was in vain. Xia Chuli had been pushed into a dead end.
When it's a dead end in the chess game, one has to find a way out.
Shen Qingfeng stood beside Lu Yan, his face as pale as paper, watching Gu Mingde order his men to escort the two away. The chaos and mess around were being cleaned up. He stared blankly at the bustling imperial guards, lost in thought.
Lu Yan glanced at him. Due to the sacrifice, Shen Qingfeng didn't wear his black bear fur cloak today. He seemed to be shivering from the cold on the Three Holy Mountains. Lu Yan wanted to take off his outer robe and give it to Shen Qingfeng, but with so many people around, he had to pretend to ignore him and just stood firmly beside Shen Qingfeng.
Shen Qingfeng pursed his lips and walked up to Shen Shiqiu. He tugged at his father's hand. Shen Shiqiu turned to look at him, his eyes filled with a hint of gloom. "Feng'er..."
Shen Qingfeng understood what his father was thinking. During a single sacrifice, the eldest son of the Shen family and the crown prince were arrested. It was like a heavy blow to the crown prince's faction, and there was no way to evade it.
The only way now was to find evidence to prove the innocence of Xia Chuli and Shen Yu as soon as possible.
"Don't worry, Father." Shen Qingfeng paused and gave Shen Shiqiu a determined look. "I have a way."
If one wants to frame someone, there's always a pretext. But any attempt to tamper with things is bound to leave traces.
"Master!" Suddenly, Yu Shuang's voice came from not far away. Shen Qingfeng was startled and quickly turned to look.
He saw Yu Shuang running towards him in a hurry, followed by a breathless Xu Ruhui.
Before Shen Qingfeng could figure out how the two of them met, Yu Shuang rushed up to him in a few steps, looking him up and down. "Master, are you alright?"
Shen Shiqiu knew Yu Shuang's background. Seeing that Shen Qingfeng had taken Yu Shuang under his wing, he felt a bit more at ease. But Lu Yan beside him stood still, staring blankly at Yu Shuang standing beside Shen Qingfeng, a hint of confusion in his eyes.
Shen Qingfeng nodded. "Why are you here?"
Yu Shuang looked at the dilapidated Golden Summit Temple. "I saw the temple on fire and was worried about your safety, so I rushed here."
Just as he finished speaking, Xu Ruhui walked over, gasping for breath. He patted Yu Shuang's shoulder familiarly. "Kid, you're really something. You run so fast."
Yu Shuang's face stiffened. He slapped Xu Ruhui's hand away, his face as cold as ice.
Xu Ruhui's legs were so weak that he was relying on Yu Shuang to catch his breath. When his hand was slapped away, he lost his support and staggered. He couldn't help but curse. "Little brat, if it weren't for me showing you the way, could you have come up?"
Lu Yan frowned and asked Xu Ruhui in a deep voice. "Who is he?"
Xu Ruhui pouted. "Some rude guy I met on the way... Hey? Could he be Sister - in - law's man?"
Lu Yan felt a sudden shortness of breath when he heard the words "Sister - in - law's man". Just as he was about to say something, Shen Qingfeng turned to look at him, walked a few steps towards him and said. "He's one of my subordinates."
The name Yu Shuang couldn't be casually mentioned, so Shen Qingfeng just stopped there without saying more. It was worth noting that the distance between him and Lu Yan was already very ambiguous. According to their previous agreement, they shouldn't show their intimacy in front of others. But now that something unexpected had happened, from the way Xia Yonglin looked at him just now, Shen Qingfeng knew that their relationship was likely to be exposed.
Since the secret had been discovered, it was better to be more straightforward. Face the problems head - on.
Sure enough, while the two were talking, Cang Hui walked over from Xia Yonglin's carriage. He bowed to Shen Qingfeng and Lu Yan. "Young Master Shen, Marquis Dingbei, the Second Prince invites you two to his mansion for a chat."
Lu Yan paused. He had no acquaintance with Xia Yonglin. Their thin uncle - nephew relationship was almost non - existent. They rarely contacted each other on weekdays. Now that Xia Yonglin invited him, it must have something to do with Shen Qingfeng.
He didn't say a word and quietly observed Shen Qingfeng's actions.
This feeling was very strange. Lu Yan clearly felt that Shen Qingfeng seemed to be hiding something from him.
He understood that Shen Qingfeng wanted to support Xia Chuli to be the king. Although Shen Qingfeng had also told him without reservation at first, he vaguely found that Shen Qingfeng didn't seem to be as "open" as he appeared.
It felt as if he was secretly controlling something.
If he wanted to support Xia Chuli, he could do more as the crown prince's reading companion. Why did he choose such a dangerous way as to contact Xia Yonglin?
Why did he easily agree to the position in Wenshu Courtyard arranged by Xia Yonglin?
And this guard who suddenly appeared.
And...
Lu Yan's pupils trembled, and he quickly stopped his chaotic thoughts.
As if to confirm something, he grabbed Shen Qingfeng's hand in front of everyone.
Shen Qingfeng was stunned. He looked up at Lu Yan. Although his eyes were full of confusion, he didn't shake off his hand.
"Isn't he supposed to be in charge of investigating this matter?" Lu Yan preempted Shen Qingfeng and asked.
Cang Hui replied. "The Second Prince said this is also a step in the investigation and inquiry."
Shen Qingfeng had already figured out the key point. He didn't waste any more time and simply said. "In that case, let's go."
Shen Shiqiu was a bit worried, but Shen Qingfeng turned to give him a reassuring look and pointed at his chest, hinting that he should rest assured.
"Since it's the Second Prince's invitation, it should be okay to bring a few more people, right?" Xu Ruhui said with a smile. He looked at Yu Shuang standing aside, thinking that he didn't know what the Second Prince was up to. By following Lu Yan, he could provide some support in case of any trouble.
Lu Yan nodded and took the initiative. "Then let's go together."
Lu Yan was the Marquis Dingbei, a feudal lord after all. His words carried a lot of weight. Cang Hui didn't dare to be negligent, but this matter was not up to him to decide. He hesitated for a moment and said he had to ask the Second Prince for instructions. But as soon as he turned around, he saw Xia Yonglin standing not far behind him, smiling.
Xia Yonglin's eyes shifted between Shen Qingfeng and Lu Yan. He smiled knowingly. "Since Uncle Wang has said so, how can I, as a nephew, disagree?"
He pretended to be submissive and bowed slightly. "Uncle Wang, please."