Chapter 67

Today, there was a widespread sense of unease throughout the Great Yong Dynasty.

Within a single day, both the Duke of Qingguo Mansion and the Minister of Rites, Xinfu, were convicted and executed along with their entire households.

The Spring Examinations, renowned for their strictness and integrity, had unexpectedly uncovered a shocking scandal of bribery, sparking intense dissatisfaction among students nationwide.

Meanwhile, Tan Hanchi’s actions as an examination candidate, knocking the Dengwen Drum, entering the Jinluan Palace, and presenting his essays to the Emperor, had also become widely known, earning him considerable renown.

Another bewildering event was the escape of the legitimate son and daughter of the Duke of Qingguo, Sheng Mingcheng and Sheng Xiuran. It was rumored that they had not been captured to this day!

Imperial Guards were ordered to post notices offering rewards for their capture, causing a stir in the capital city!

Upon hearing this news, Meng Guxue was in the midst of attempting to make her modern version of soap.

“The Duke of Qingguo Mansion is destroyed? Xinfu is gone too? Sheng Xiuran is being offered a reward?”

Meng Guxue suddenly froze in place.

This was completely different from her dream!

In her dream, Sheng Xiuran became the Crown Princess, and even when the Crown Prince died suddenly, she lived well. The Duke of Qingguo was also ennobled by Shen Lang for his meritorious service!

Could it be that was just a dream?

But could a dream be so clear? There were even many people she had never met appearing in the dream!

Maid Xiaotao was still recounting the interesting stories from outside with an amazed expression.

“Miss, a great hero has emerged in the cheating case of the Spring Examination. He’s an examinee from Zhuozhou named Tan Hanchi!”

“Everyone says that this Tan examinee has won the favor of the Emperor and is bound to rise quickly!”

Meng Guxue was stunned!

Tan Hanchi had actually achieved something? In the dream, he was just a strategist who followed Shen Lang and couldn’t stand in the limelight!

No, she had to hurry up, otherwise when reality and dreams completely diverged, she would have no support left!

Damn it, why was this soap so difficult to make!

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“Have they found the person?”

Shen Yuanbai sat in the teahouse with a gloomy face, his voice cold and stern.

Zhu Feng’s forehead was covered in sweat, and he shook his head in fear, “Replying to Your Highness, not yet…”

Shen Yuanbai clenched his fist angrily at the news, but after taking a deep breath, he gently put it down again.

He couldn’t panic, couldn’t rush.

Sheng Qishan wasn’t stupid. If he wanted to save the last trace of the Sheng family’s bloodline, he would definitely give the list to Sheng Mingcheng to find him.

Now the Imperial Guards were everywhere, searching and posting rewards for Sheng Mingcheng’s capture. It was understandable that he dared not show up yet.

He had already given orders to have people stationed at the taverns, teahouses, and brothels where Sheng Mingcheng often frequented.

Even those friends who were close to Sheng Mingcheng hadn’t been let off. They should be able to contact him before he was captured by the Imperial Guards.

Sheng Mingcheng was really a fool. After leaving the Duke of Qingguo Mansion, he didn’t know to come straight here to see him, but instead kept hiding outside. Truly incompetent!

“Go and find him again. Once he’s found, bring him here immediately.”

Shen Yuanbai’s voice was cold and decisive, and Zhu Feng immediately respectfully complied with the order.

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Eastern suburbs of the capital.

There was a villa specifically provided for young nobles to stay during poetry gatherings.

Outside of poetry gatherings, the villa would be locked and no one else could enter without permission.

When Sheng Mingcheng woke up from his daze, he found himself lying on the cold ground.

He groggily sat up and suddenly felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck.

The next moment, all his memories rushed back, draining the color from Sheng Mingcheng’s face.

“That’s right, sister! Sister!”

Thinking of his sister who had been knocked unconscious before him, Sheng Mingcheng’s face turned pale with fear.

At that moment, a faint sigh came from not far away, and Sheng Mingcheng looked up to see his sister lying on the bed.

He rushed over in a frenzy and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Sheng Xiuran was dressed neatly.

Thank goodness… thank goodness his sister was safe.

Sheng Xiuran opened her eyes blankly, and after a moment of reaction, she suddenly screamed!

Sheng Mingcheng was startled and quickly jumped up to cover Sheng Xiuran’s mouth.

“Sister! Don’t scream, we’re safe for now!”

Sheng Xiuran screamed several times before finally quieting down under Sheng Mingcheng’s reassurance.

She hung her head low, tears streaming down her face.

“Brother, how could this happen… We were fine until today.”

“Let’s go find the Second Prince, okay? Beg him to save Grandfather and Mother.”

Upon hearing the Second Prince’s name, Sheng Mingcheng’s face immediately darkened.

“Sister, why are you still thinking about Shen Yuanbai! Don’t you know that the one who knocked us out was Shen Yuanbai’s person!”

“What! That’s impossible!” Sheng Xiuran screamed again, vehemently denying it.

Seeing Sheng Xiuran’s infatuation with the Second Prince, Sheng Mingcheng couldn’t help but feel angry.

“I heard it with my own ears, could it be fake! Sister, stop being foolish!”

Sheng Xiuran’s mind was in complete chaos. She tightly grabbed Sheng Mingcheng’s hand, with a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

“But the Second Prince didn’t kill us, brother. Maybe he’s actually helping us?”

Sheng Mingcheng hesitated for a moment upon hearing this.

Sheng Xiuran’s eyes suddenly lit up. “Brother, it must be like this! He knocked us out to facilitate our escape!”

“You see, we’re fine now… His Highness… His Highness must be kind-hearted!”

Sheng Mingcheng’s face was full of suspicion as he stood up. Only now did he have the mind to carefully examine the Western Week. The decorations here seemed… somewhat familiar.

With this thought in mind, Sheng Mingcheng cautiously walked to the door and listened for a while without any movement. So he plucked up his courage and pushed open the door.

Outside, it was already dimly lit. Before him was a spacious courtyard, with locked rooms on both sides.

Sheng Mingcheng suddenly trembled all over.

He recognized it, this was clearly the Eastern Suburbs Villa!

How did the Second Prince bring them here?

“Brother, how is it?”

Sheng Xiuran followed with a hopeful look.

Seeing the scene in front of him clearly, Sheng Xiuran also couldn’t help but be at a loss.

The Eastern Suburbs Villa?

Sheng Mingcheng’s mind raced. He touched his chest and suddenly seemed to realize something. His face gradually turned pale, and panic slowly crept into his heart.

Seeing his appearance, Sheng Xiuran was stunned, and asked in a trembling voice, “Brother, what… what’s wrong?”

Sheng Mingcheng twisted his face in pain, gritting his teeth. “Grandfather gave me a list. It was our only hope, and now it’s been taken by the Second Prince.”

“I originally brought a lot of silver bills, so even if we lost the list, we could at least escape to the ends of the earth without worries.”

“But now, even the silver bills are gone…”

Sheng Mingcheng looked at his sister with red eyes, only then did he realize that all the jewelry on Sheng Xiuran’s head, neck, and wrists had also been taken away.

“How ruthless, how heartless the Second Prince is!”

“Not satisfied with stealing the list, he even abandoned us siblings here in the Eastern Suburbs Villa, without leaving us a single coin!”

“He’s burning the bridge after crossing the river, he wants to force us to death!”

Sheng Xiuran was frightened by the hatred in Sheng Mingcheng’s eyes. She tightly grabbed Sheng Mingcheng’s hand, and with a hint of pleading, said, “Brother, wait a little longer, just one more night. Maybe His Highness is just inconvenient now, he will definitely come to find us tomorrow!”

Sheng Mingcheng looked at his sister, whose face was covered in tears, feeling both bitter and painful in his heart. In the end, he could only sit despondently on the door frame, muttering to himself as he looked at the courtyard gate:

“Let’s wait for him one more night. If he truly is so heartless, don’t blame me for causing chaos!”