The war god prince climbs the wall every night, and the princess is angry

Zhou Jinlin said this, but his heart kept sinking.

Prince Rui walked past so many courtyard gates but did not enter. He just asked the Royal Guards to go in and search, but he insisted on going into Qizhu Courtyard. Did he know something?

But then, Zhou Jinlin rejected this idea in his heart.

Only a few people know the secret of this courtyard, and these people will never betray the Yongning Marquis Mansion.

There is no way that King Rui would know.

But to be on the safe side, it is better not to let Prince Rui in, so that he doesn't notice anything.

"Since it's been uninhabited for a while, it wouldn't hurt to take a look."

Xie Nanyuan's voice was deep, and his dark eyes looked at Zhou Jinlin with a slight wariness, with a hint of sarcasm in his eyes.

He walked around the hand and was about to push the gate open, but Zhou Jinlin stepped forward and his tall body blocked the way between Prince Rui and the gate.

Zhou Jinlin said in a deep voice: "This courtyard is really too dirty and dilapidated. If the prince's robes are soiled, it will be the fault of the Yongning Marquis' Mansion."

Xie Nanyuan patted his sleeves and said calmly, "I don't mind."

Zhou Jinlin still refused to move aside. "Your Highness has come here on the Emperor's orders. Let the Imperial Guards search this dilapidated and dirty courtyard. Why go in there yourself?"

"What if I insist on going in?" Xie Nanyuan glanced at him, his lips curled slightly. "Prince Zhou seems to really not want me to enter this Qizhu Courtyard. Could it be that there's something shameful hidden inside?"

"You!" Zhou Jinlin's eyes were filled with anger.

Just when the atmosphere was at a stalemate, the fifth prince, who had been silent, spoke.

He opened his large eyes, his face full of innocence, and said, "Prince Zhou, what are you doing? My father ordered my third brother and I to search the Yongning Marquis's mansion. Of course, we must search every corner to clear the mansion of all charges."

"Although Qizhuyuan is a dilapidated compound, it is within the search area. You are obstructing us in every possible way. Could it be that you intend to disobey the imperial decree?"

The accusation of "disobeying the imperial decree" was put on Zhou Jinlin, and veins on his forehead throbbed. He gritted his teeth secretly, but did not dare to stop it.

He laughed in anger and said, "Of course I dare not disobey the imperial edict. Since His Royal Highness Prince Rui and His Royal Highness the Fifth Prince insist on going in, then it's easy."

As he spoke, Zhou Jinlin turned sideways to reveal the courtyard gate.

Xie Nanyuan ignored the Fifth Prince's look seeking praise and reached out to push open the somewhat dilapidated courtyard door.

With a "creak" sound, Qizhu Courtyard revealed its original appearance. The courtyard was overgrown with weeds, the bluestone slabs under the eaves were covered with moss, and the window paper on the window frame not far away was torn and barely attached to the window sill. No matter how you looked at it, it looked like a courtyard that could not be more broken.

Xie Nanyuan walked in without changing his expression. The fifth prince followed him in after a moment of hesitation. The two royal guards behind him looked at each other and had to suppress their reluctance and walked in.

Walking through the yard and into the house, you will find that the house in Qizhuyuan is very small and you can see the whole scene inside at a glance.

There were broken tables and chairs lying all over the place, covered in dust; there was a relatively intact wardrobe with the door wide open and nothing inside; and spider webs in the corners, each one bigger than the last, indicating that no one had been here for a long time.

Zhou Jinlin followed in and said sarcastically, "I didn't want this shabby yard to dirty the prince's clothes, but I didn't expect it to arouse his suspicion."

"Now that Your Highness has finished his inspection, let's go and look at the other courtyards. This time, I will not stop Your Highness, lest you be accused of having a guilty conscience."

Zhou Jinlin said this and walked straight to the door.

Xie Nanyuan glanced at him, but did not follow Zhou Jinlin's thoughts and leave Qizhuyuan. Instead, he walked towards the wardrobe.

Zhou Jinlin caught a glimpse of this and immediately became alarmed. He quickly took two steps back and walked in front of Xie Nanyuan, "Prince Rui, what are you doing!"

The hostility in his words was evident, his hand unconsciously touched the hilt of the long sword worn at his waist, and his eyes were as sharp as a knife.

"What's the matter? Does Prince Zhou want to fight with me?" Xie Nanyuan glanced at him, and the two royal guards behind him immediately understood and stepped forward to restrain Zhou Jinlin.

The fifth prince smiled and said, "Prince Zhou, don't worry, we are just taking a look."

Xie Nanyuan walked to the wardrobe and looked at it carefully for a moment. Then, under Zhou Jinlin's bloodshot gaze, he slowly raised his hand and closed all the open doors.

The moment he withdrew his hand, a subtle mechanical sound was heard, and the entire cabinet automatically moved to the right, revealing an entrance that was wide enough for two people.

Xie Nanyuan chuckled, then strode in...

-

Tai Chi Hall.

Xie Rong sat upright on the dragon throne and rubbed his forehead with a headache.

The official was still mocking Shen Qionghua, "County Lady Jialin, you better admit it honestly. It was you who tampered with the disaster relief money. The Emperor may be able to give you a lighter punishment based on the other one million taels of silver. Otherwise, I'm afraid..."

Shen Qionghua interrupted impatiently, "Sir, you keep asking me to confess my guilt. Could it be that you witnessed me mixing silver-wrapped copper with disaster relief money?"

"If I had seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have allowed you to quibble until now..."

"Since you didn't see it and have no evidence, then just shut up and stop making a fuss. Let's wait until the search is over. Didn't you see that the emperor is getting a headache because of you making a fuss?" Shen Qionghua said.

Upon hearing this, the official suddenly glanced at Xie Rong who was sitting on the dragon throne. Sure enough, he saw the emperor rubbing his forehead. He immediately fell silent like a rooster with its neck strangled.

But when he looked away, he couldn't help but lower his voice and said, "Let's see how long you can hold on."

Everyone was anxiously waiting for the result.

Xie Qian'an felt uneasy for some reason. Seeing that the emperor's attention was not here, he looked at Yongning Hou and called out in a voice as low as a mosquito, "Uncle?"

Even though he knew that Marquis Yongning had made all the arrangements, Xie Qian'an still couldn't help but ask. After all, he had not anticipated the search of the mansion, so he had to be cautious. He didn't want to do something that would result in both the loss of his wife and his troops.

Marquis Yongning nodded soothingly and said softly, "Don't worry, Your Highness."

Marquis Yongning was quite confident about the place where he hid his silver. The secret room was specially built by his ancestors when they built the Marquis Yongning Mansion. Only a few people knew about it. Their ancestors had been servants of the Marquis Yongning Mansion for generations and it was impossible for them to betray the mansion.

Even those subordinates who submitted to him in exchange for silver placed the silver in the courtyard according to his instructions, and had no idea that the silver had already been transferred to the secret room of the marquis' mansion through the secret passage.

There is no way that Prince Rui can find that silver.

Thinking of this, Marquis Yongning looked at Shen Qionghua with a hint of contempt.

Although he is smart, he is young and hot-headed. He doesn't know that trying to hit a rock with an egg will only result in a bloody head. What does it matter if he knows that it was His Highness and he who did it? Without evidence, the blame can only be firmly pinned on the Shen family.

He wanted to see how Shen Qionghua would get away with it this time.

However, if Ru'er comes to ask me for mercy, I am not against forgiving the Shen family and pleading for them. But from now on, the Shen family will have to serve His Highness and the Marquis' Mansion obediently.

Just as Marquis Yongning was thinking this, a young eunuch hurried in and whispered in Li Shunquan's ear.

Li Shunquan was stunned at first, then quickly turned to Xie Rong and said, "Your Majesty, the disaster relief money has been found!"