Shen Simin rushed back home and repeated every word Shen Li had said to Shen Yuhang without missing a single one.
After hearing this, Shen Yuhang nodded calmly: "Okay, I see. If anyone comes to you in the near future, remember not to go out. Just pretend to be sick. I'll handle everything."
Shen Simin felt that her elder brother and Miss Shen must be secretly plotting something, but she just didn't know what it was. Since her brother didn't want her to get involved in this matter, there must be a reason.
Shen Simin also understood that she couldn't be of any help to her brother, so she could only take good care of herself and not cause any trouble to Shen Yuhang.
"Brother, I know. You can do whatever you want with confidence. I'll take good care of myself and won't hold you back."
Hearing this, Shen Yuhang lovingly stroked Shen Simin's head: "Silly girl, you're your brother's armor. How could you hold me back?"
Sure enough...
The imperial guards were very efficient. Within half a day, the Shen Mansion met the same fate as the Shen Family.
When the imperial guards found the letters with the salt merchants in Shen Zhuo's study, Shen Zhuo was extremely panicked.
He clearly remembered that he had burned all the letters that day. But why did they find such letters in his study today?
When the letters were brought to General Yu, the general let out a cold snort and sneered contemptuously. Sitting on his horse, he shouted loudly, "Take all these people away! Don't let anyone go!"
"Yes!"
All the people in the Shen Mansion were escorted out.
Shen Feng looked around but didn't see Shen Yuhang and Shen Simin. So he shouted at the imperial guards, "Sir, sir! Have you missed two people? There are also my eldest brother's two children. You haven't escorted them! They are Shen Yuhang and Shen Simin!"
The officer gave Shen Feng a disdainful look and sneered, "You can't even save yourself. Do you still want to worry about others? Just stay put! You'd better save your breath and explain it to the emperor!"
But Shen Feng didn't care. Why was he arrested while Shen Yuhang and Shen Simin were not punished?
Shen Feng simply decided to throw caution to the wind. Being escorted by the officers, he kept shouting loudly, "This is unfair! Unfair! Why are you arresting us but not those two?"
General Yu was annoyed and roared at him with his internal strength, "Shut up! This is the emperor's order! If you're not satisfied, go and tell the emperor. If you keep blabbering, I'll cut your tongue off!"
Shen Feng was frightened by General Yu's imposing manner and didn't dare to say a word.
Within just two days, the second branch of the Shen Family and the people in the Shen Mansion were all arrested. Now they were all imprisoned in the imperial prison.
The next day... The emperor himself would interrogate the people from the Shen Family and the Shen Mansion!
All the evidence was presented in front of the emperor. This matter was a foregone conclusion. The emperor's interrogation was just a formality!
"The second branch of the Shen Family colluded with the salt merchants and accepted bribes from them! The second branch of the Shen Mansion, Shen Zhuo, corresponded with the spies of the Western Yue State, which is regarded as treason! All the people from the two families will be exiled in three days! Since Shen Yuhang and Shen Simin, the brother and sister, have made meritorious service by reporting, the two in the Shen Mansion will be released without guilt! Shen Miao is extremely jealous and is no longer worthy of being the princess of the Fourth Prince. From now on, the engagement with the Fourth Prince will be annulled."
When the emperor finished saying this, everything finally came to an end.
There were many people listening in the hall, and Xiao Hanzhi was one of them.
Exile was still a minor matter. When the emperor said that Shen Miao's engagement with Xiao Hanzhi was annulled, Shen Miao was heartbroken and collapsed on the ground directly. Her once bright eyes had lost all their luster.
She looked in Xiao Hanzhi's direction with eyes full of attachment and reluctance.
Xiao Hanzhi was also a bit restless. He really wanted to plead with the emperor to spare Shen Miao's life.
After all, the Fourth Prince was the emperor's son. As a father, how could he not understand what was on his son's mind?
When the emperor walked down from the highest seat, he glanced at Xiao Hanzhi gently and said earnestly, "You're my son!"
What the emperor said was a reminder to Xiao Hanzhi that he shouldn't interfere in Shen Miao's matter anymore. But the two had been together for so long and had developed some feelings. Moreover, this matter was not Shen Miao's fault at all. It was her father who had accepted the bribes from the salt merchants.
What could a teenage girl do?
"But, Father..." Xiao Hanzhi wanted to plead with the emperor again, but before he could finish his sentence, the emperor strode away, obviously not wanting to listen to him.
As the saying goes, a couple for a day will have a hundred days of affection. Although the Fourth Prince and Shen Miao were engaged, they had already had a relationship like a husband and wife. Facing his woman's helplessness and her pleading look, but being unable to do anything, the Fourth Prince felt extremely frustrated. After all, he was a prince, but he couldn't even protect the woman he loved!
A seed of resentment was quietly sown in Xiao Hanzhi's heart.
...
Three days passed.
During these three days, Shen Yi finally started to look for the spy in the Night Shade Division.
When an extremely ordinary - looking man was escorted in front of Shen Yi, Shen Yi took a look and said, "I recognize you... The person sent in by Xiao Hanzhi. It seems I don't even need to ask to guess who the mastermind is!"
This ordinary - looking man just knelt on the ground with his head down, saying nothing, his eyes full of hatred.
"Take him away! You know what to do! If he dies, just throw him into the mass grave. After all, our Night Shade Division doesn't dare to take in such a person!" Shen Yi waved his hand, and the man was dragged away.
On the day of the exile, since there were a large number of people this time, the soldiers found that two people were missing when they were counting the numbers!
They were the elder and younger Concubine Lius!
The emperor was extremely angry about this. Such an act was undoubtedly slapping him in the face. But who could have rescued the people from the prison?
"You useless fools!" The emperor pointed at the soldiers on duty that day and shouted angrily.
Since Shen Li had been in charge of this case, she had been in close contact with the emperor recently. When such a thing happened, Shen Li naturally accompanied the emperor.
"I think I should know their identities," Shen Li thought for a while about this matter and then suddenly said.