As she spoke, her eyes welled up with tears.
The car was soon enveloped in a sorrowful atmosphere.
Although they said they'd figure something out, it wasn't that easy to come up with a solution right away.
Both of them fell silent for a while.
After an unknown amount of time, Yun Qi suddenly asked,
"Has the Prince of Yu'an already led his men to Qirizhuang?"
Yun Xi was stunned for a moment and replied,
"Yes. According to the news Shen Zhou sent earlier, another batch of goods would be secretly transported from Shuozhou tonight. A Yuan took Xie Huaiyue and the others there first to deploy men."
Yun Qi gave a soft grunt.
After a brief silence, he said again,
"After this mission, the Shen family will surely be in trouble. The truth about the death of the late Prince of Chixuan will also come to light."
"The Prince of Yu'an will have half of his concerns resolved. As for the rest... We'll take it one step at a time. Things will eventually be sorted out."
Yun Xi forced a smile. The siblings chatted casually and soon returned to the mansion.
It suddenly started to rain at night.
The rain was pattering down. It wasn't heavy, but it was quite disturbing.
Yun Xi tossed and turned in bed.
She woke up and fell asleep, woke up again. For some reason, she felt an inexplicable sense of panic in her heart.
It was finally dawn when she managed to doze off. She felt extremely tired all over.
Just as she was about to call Sai Xing in to help her wash up, she heard Sai Xing's voice, deliberately lowered but still unable to hide her anxiety,
"How insidious! I never thought he was such a person! If Miss knew about this, she'd probably be so angry that she'd spit blood!"
Then came Ling Yan's "Shh—", warning Sai Xing,
"Keep your voice down. Don't let Miss hear."
"Anyway, let's keep it a secret for as long as we can. The general and the eldest young master are both trying to figure out a way. Before this matter is resolved, you must be very careful. When you serve Miss for washing up every day, make sure she doesn't find out."
"You know Miss's temper. If she finds out, we won't be able to keep it a secret."
"I know, I know. You can rest assured."
Even without seeing, Yun Xi could imagine Sai Xing nodding vigorously. Her eyebrows must have wrinkled into a small knot.
Yun Xi's heart started pounding wildly.
The matter that Sai Xing and Ling Yan were trying to hide from her must be related to someone very important to her.
Half sitting up, Yun Xi called out,
"Sai Xing, Ling Yan. Come in."
The low conversation outside suddenly stopped. Then came Sai Xing's slightly panicked reply,
"Coming right away, Miss."
The door creaked open, and the two of them came to her bedside one after another.
Sai Xing still tried to act as if nothing had happened and forced a smile,
"Why did Miss wake up so early today? The hot water from the kitchen hasn't been delivered yet. How about..."
"Sai Xing,"
With her long black hair loosely draped over her shoulders, Yun Xi reached out and pushed it aside. Her clear eyes stared directly into Sai Xing's eyes that were unconsciously darting around. She didn't bother to beat around the bush and interrupted her directly,
"I heard you."
"You don't need to hide it anymore. You know better than anyone how I've come this far. I'm not that fragile. If I find out about this from someone else, I'll be even more upset."
"Tell me. What on earth happened?"
They had planned so well, but they still couldn't keep it a secret. Sai Xing and Ling Yan glanced at each other and both knelt down with a thud.
Sai Xing was the least able to keep things to herself. Her anxiety was immediately evident on her face,
"Miss, the Prince... the Prince is in trouble!"
Yun Xi's heart skipped a beat. She tightened her fingers instantly and asked urgently,
"What happened!?"
Ling Yan took over and said,
"Last night, the Prince led Lord Xie and others to Qirizhuang to capture the goods transported from Shuozhou. Everything was going well at first. But when the group escorted the goods into the manor, the Prince led his men in to catch the thieves and seize the stolen goods. But to their surprise, there was no one inside!"
"Only the goods were scattered on the ground."
"The Prince thought the other side had discovered their tracks and just ordered his men to chase after them when a bunch of officers and soldiers rushed in from outside, shouting that they were going to arrest the rebels. The leader of them..."
Ling Yan carefully glanced at Yun Xi and gritted her teeth before continuing,
"Was none other than Shen Zhou."
"What!?"
Yun Xi's body trembled. She leaned forward and grabbed the edge of the bed tightly,
"Shen Zhou?"
"Yes."
Ling Yan's eyes were filled with hatred and anger,
"It was Shen Zhou. Among the people he brought, there was also Eunuch Zhang, who is by the Emperor's side."
"Eunuch Zhang said that Shen Zhou had long discovered that the Prince had evil intentions. He had secretly stored grains and silver and secretly forged weapons. He had reported this to the Emperor long ago. Last night, they were specifically sent to arrest the Prince."
"The Prince and his soldiers were surrounded. When they rummaged through the goods on the ground, there were not only silver ingots and grains but also weapons with the mark of the late Prince of Chixuan on them."
"The Prince couldn't defend himself. All of them were arrested and imprisoned. The Emperor was furious. He has sent troops to surround the Prince's mansion and handed this case over to the Ministry of Justice for investigation. But it's obvious that the Shen family came prepared. The Prince is afraid... afraid..."
Ling Yan didn't finish her sentence.
But the meaning was quite clear.
Yun Xi's face turned deathly pale. She threw off the quilt and rushed out.
She was stopped by Sai Xing and Ling Yan.
"Miss, Miss..."
Sai Xing hugged Yun Xi's leg tightly and said anxiously,
"Where are you going, Miss?"
Ling Yan also turned around and blocked Yun Xi's way, persuading her,
"Miss, don't be impulsive. The general and the young master have already gone to the palace. The madam is also looking for people everywhere to prove the Prince's innocence."
"The Holy Masters have been eyeing you covetously. Now that the Prince is in prison, there are fewer people to protect you. At this critical moment, Miss, you mustn't lose your composure and put yourself in danger."
Sai Xing seemed to have found some unknown strength. Yun Xi couldn't move at all with her tight embrace. She was so anxious that her voice became cold and stern,
"Let go!"
"Sai Xing, don't make me say it a second time! Otherwise, don't blame me for hurting you."
"No!"
Sai Xing was even more determined. She tightened her grip and hugged Yun Xi even more tightly.
"Even if Miss punishes me, I'll accept it. I can't let Miss take risks!"
They were in a chaotic dispute. Just as they were at a stalemate, a maid came to report from outside:
Shen Zhou was here.
All three of them stopped.
Ling Yan immediately drew out her long sword and rushed out with a murderous look.
"Ling Yan!"
Afraid that Ling Yan might do something to Shen Zhou in her anger, Yun Xi quickly called her back.
"Let's go together."
The three of them quickly tidied themselves up and rushed directly to the door. They didn't even let Shen Zhou in. As soon as the door opened, they splashed a basin of water at him.
"Shen... Zhou."
Yun Xi's eyes were cold,
"How dare you come!"
Shen Zhou's expression remained unchanged. He stood upright, smiling.
He casually brushed off the water droplets on his clothes, and his voice was still gentle,
"Yingying, the Prince of Yu'an is doomed. Will you marry me? Be my wife?"
"Spit on you!"
Before Yun Xi could say anything, Sai Xing spat at him angrily.
"You're daydreaming! You're such a despicable, shameless, and insidious villain!"
"Miss trusted you so much, yet you did such a shameless thing just to marry her!"
But Shen Zhou seemed not to hear a single word. He just looked at Yun Xi with a smile and stubbornly asked her,
"Marry me, Yingying?"