The daughter of the Marquis is too delicate, the abstinent prince pinches her waist and loves her

Chapter 166 Things Won't Go As You Wish
Sheng Yunqing's chest heaved violently when he suddenly heard the sound of rapid hoofbeats coming from outside the mansion.

"Sister!"

Sheng Qiuyao's carriage was stopped at the street corner. She lifted her skirt and tried to rush over, but was pushed aside by the imperial guards and stumbled to the ground.

"Qiu Yao!" Sheng Yunqing's pupils suddenly contracted, and he took a step forward, but was forced back by the spear.

"Get back!" the Imperial Guard shouted sternly.

Sheng Yunqing gritted her teeth and said, "How dare you disrespect the daughter of the Marquis's mansion? How many heads do you have?!"

"Whoever dares to take another step near the Marquis's residence, don't blame the swords for being merciless!"

Sheng Qiuyao stood up awkwardly, her skirt covered in dust, but she still stubbornly shouted, "Yunqing! I've already sent the eunuch to request an audience with the Emperor! Don't worry, there will definitely be a turning point!"

Sheng Yunqing clenched her fist and said loudly, "Qiu Yao, go back first, don't get involved."

Her eyes were cold as she turned and walked into the mansion.

The rain was drizzling down, and people on the street who didn't have umbrellas hurriedly ran home.

Li Zhiwan had just visited the Marquis's residence, and without exception, she was kicked out.

She walked along the road, preoccupied and oblivious to the sounds around her.

"Miss, I heard that the Xie family has broken off the engagement with Prince Xian, and the betrothal gifts have been returned intact." The maid Cai Die covered her face with her sleeve and called her softly.

Li Zhiwan frowned slightly. Now that her friend was in danger, she couldn't care less about the Prince Xian.

"Miss, we didn't bring an umbrella, let's go back quickly."

She was walking aimlessly when she bumped into a blue figure.

"Miss Li?"

The cool voice made her look up abruptly, meeting Ye Jinlan's slightly furrowed brows.

He stood holding an umbrella, tilting it slightly to shield her from the cold rain.

"Your Highness..." Her throat tightened, tears streaming down her face. She grabbed Ye Jinlan's collar and pleaded, "Please... save the Sheng family... save Yunqing!"

Ye Jinlan's eyes flickered slightly as he glanced at her swollen eyes and the mud-stained hem of her skirt. Suddenly, he took off his cloak and draped it over her shoulders.

"Get in the car first."

Inside the carriage, the heater burned incense, yet Li Zhiwan still couldn't stop trembling. She sniffed and sobbed, saying, "Yunqing is trapped in the manor, Uncle Sheng is imprisoned, and my father went to plead for him but was reprimanded by His Majesty..."

She clenched her sleeves, saying resentfully, "Duke Bai is clearly framing me! Those weapons..."

“I know.” Ye Jinlan interrupted her, took out a booklet from his sleeve, and said, “Three days ago, a soldier escorting military equipment in the northern border died suddenly, leaving this behind before he died.”

Li Zhiwan took the booklet and unfolded it; it was a genuine transfer order, stamped with the official seal of the Bai State.

Li Zhiwan's pupils suddenly contracted, and she said, "This, this is..."

"Duke Bai embezzled military equipment and framed the Sheng family instead." Ye Jinlan sneered, "Unfortunately, he forgot that the grain transport officer Chen Bing was a former subordinate of Sheng Yukun, and he risked his life to deliver the evidence to Prince Ye's mansion before he died."

"The Prince Ye's residence?" Li Zhiwan raised an eyebrow in confusion and said, "Then Prince Ye..."

“These were all entrusted to me by my seventh brother.” He suddenly frowned and said, “The Empress Dowager has always had a good relationship with the Sheng family, but for some reason, seeing the Sheng family in trouble, she forced the Emperor to deal with the Sheng family before the evidence was clear. My seventh brother is usually the Empress Dowager’s favorite, and he has now entered the palace to talk to her in detail.”

Li Zhiwan's thoughts gradually became tense, and she said, "Then... what does the Emperor mean..."

"It's not decided yet, but..." Ye Jinlan's eyes darkened, and he said in a deep voice, "The Duke of Bai has already requested permission to exile the entire Sheng family in three days."

With a "thud," Li Zhiwan's fingers loosened, and the warm tea in her hand fell to the ground. Inside the hall of the Marquis's mansion, Sheng Yueying sat on a chair, head bowed, weeping. Sheng Yi beside her raised his hand to wipe away her tears: "Third sister, don't cry."

Sheng Yunqing walked to Sheng Yueying's side, gently patted the back of her hand to comfort her, and then turned and went to the ancestral hall.

She knelt in the ancestral hall, her fingertips lightly tracing the third indentation on the edge of the incense burner. She nodded slightly and placed a clump of mugwort into the burner.

As wisps of smoke rose, a strange fragrance suddenly wafted in—the scent of cedar mixed with agarwood.

Sheng Yunqing's eyes flickered slightly as she brushed aside the incense ash, revealing a corner of a thin silk that had not yet burned out.

Tiny holes were pricked into the silk with a needle. When unfolded in the candlelight, a line of small characters appeared:
"The Bai family's private treasury, seven cabinets of the 'Jia' type, with rhinoceros ash as proof."

Her fingertips trembled.

This is a secret code used exclusively by the Ministry of War, known only to successive Ministers.

Ye Jinchen even found out this, so he must have already seen the real transfer order!
The old housekeeper handed her a cup of tea. She dipped the silk cloth in it, and the writing, upon contact with the water, revealed a second layer of information:
[Tomorrow at 3 AM, the third brick on the west wall]

Sheng Yunqing's lips curled slightly as she said, "Duke Bai, I will not let you have your way."

Shoukang Palace.

The hall was filled with the fragrance of sandalwood. The Empress Dowager leaned against a soft couch, her fingertips idly playing with a string of jade prayer beads, her expression indifferent.

Ye Jinchen, dressed in a dark black python robe, stood in the hall, his posture as upright as a pine tree, yet his eyes held a hint of coldness.

"Mother." He waved his cloak and slowly knelt down, his voice low and firm, "Your subject begs you to postpone the exile of the Sheng family."

The Empress Dowager raised her eyes, a hint of displeasure flashing across them.

"I thought you came here specifically to pay your respects to me, but it turns out it's for this?"

"Yes." Ye Jinchen raised his eyes, his gaze sharp as a blade, and said, "There are still some unclear points in the case of the Marquis of Zhenbei. If we hastily convict him, there may be a miscarriage of justice."

The Empress Dowager gave a cold laugh and flicked a Buddhist rosary with her fingertips.

"The evidence is conclusive, how can you claim to be wronged? Have you been bewitched by that girl from the Sheng family? Don't forget, your engagement has been cancelled. If you dare to have any further entanglement with Sheng Yunqing, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

Ye Jinchen's eyes darkened slightly, but he remained calm and composed.

"Your Majesty, the Sheng family has been loyal and righteous for generations, and the Marquis of Zhenbei is a pillar of the court. If the entire family is exiled because of the framing of treacherous people, wouldn't that chill the hearts of the court officials?"

The Empress Dowager narrowed her eyes, her tone harsh and cold, unlike her usual gentle manner: "Are you trying to teach me how to do things?"

The atmosphere inside the hall froze, becoming so oppressive it was suffocating.

Ye Jinchen remained silent for a moment, then suddenly raised his eyes, his gaze sharp and piercing.

"If Mother insists on doing so..."

"What are you going to do?" The Empress Dowager noticed the cold smile on his lips and felt a strange unease. She frowned with a complicated expression.

A dagger slipped from Ye Jinchen's sleeve, its cold light flashing at his fingertips, the blade already pressed against his throat.

"Today, I will spill my blood in Shou Kang Palace!"

The Empress Dowager's face turned deathly pale in an instant. She gasped and stood up, wanting to take a step forward, but he took a step back.

"Chen'er! Are you crazy?!" She frantically waved to the people around her, "What are you all standing there for! Bring the dagger over here!"

The father-in-law took only one step forward, and the dagger pressed against Ye Jinchen's neck. A drop of blood seeped out, rolled off the blade, and dripped onto the pure white carpet.