Phoenix Cries Return to Court

This painting was originally commissioned by her mother to be painted for her when she came of age.

Later, she entered the palace and became the empress dowager.

This portrait remained in the old boudoir of the Lin family mansion.

But why are they here now?

Lin Xihe frowned, puzzled, when she heard footsteps approaching from afar.

She was slightly startled, her gaze quickly sweeping around. When she saw the screen in the corner, her eyes lit up, and she quickly hid behind it.

The next second, the door to the dark room creaked open.

Shen Jueyan walked quickly to the bookshelf with a solemn expression.

He expertly pulled a scroll from the second compartment and turned to leave.

But just as he reached the door, he suddenly stopped.

Why has Shen Jueyan been acting so strangely ever since he entered the dark room?

Better safe than sorry. There are many secrets here, and not a single one can be revealed.

Thinking of this, Shen Jueyan raised his eyes and scanned every corner of the dark room. When his gaze fell on the screen, he paused.

Lin Xihe remained behind the screen, secretly observing the sounds coming from inside the room through the gaps in the screen.

Upon seeing this, his brow twitched, and he subconsciously placed his hand on the soft sword at his waist.

"Yan'er, have you found it?"

A clear, cold, and authoritative male voice came from afar.

"Found it, Father." Upon hearing this, he slowly withdrew his gaze from the screen and respectfully replied to the outside room.

"All information about the Dongzhu is recorded in this volume."

"That's good then." Shen Mo walked in, his gaze sweeping over the uncollected painting on the table, a hint of panic flashing in his eyes.

He subtly turned to the side, deliberately blocking the view of the table.

"You shall immediately send this document to the Prefectural Governor's Office and have them investigate it together."

He paused, then solemnly instructed, "This matter is of utmost importance; it must be thoroughly investigated."

"Yes, Father," Shen Jueyan replied, bowing his head.

The footsteps of the father and son gradually faded into the distance, and the dark room returned to silence.

Lin Xi's back was already covered in a thin layer of sweat. She covered her still wildly beating heart and slowly let out a sigh of relief.

It seems we won't find that answer today.

I think it's not convenient to stay here for long.

She sighed softly and walked towards the hidden door.

But just as he reached the corner of the courtyard, he bumped into a servant boy.

The two were stunned for a moment. When the servant saw her attire, his pupils dilated. Just as he was about to speak, Lin Xihe swiftly struck him with a chop to the neck, knocking him unconscious.

Despite all their careful planning, they failed to notice the stone bench standing next to the servant.

The servant fell to the ground, his shoulder slamming heavily against the stone bench with a dull thud.

"Who's there!" The guard on night duty immediately became alert and shouted.

Lin Xihe's eyes darkened, and she dodged aside. Several shouts rang out, "Assassin! Catch the assassin!"

Chaos erupted in the courtyard.

As he dodged, he was surrounded by several guards who rushed over, swords in hand, ready to pounce.

Lin Xihe didn't have time to think it through and drew the soft sword from her waist with a "whoosh".

The lead guard thrust his sword straight at her face, but she parried it with her backhand, deflecting a sharp blade that came at her. The sword vibrated and made a metallic clanging sound as it shattered.

Lin Xi and Yu Jianyu nimbly dodged the rain of swords.

Seeing that they were outnumbered and outgunned, they had to use their wits to get rid of these people as soon as possible.

She suddenly noticed the artificial hill in the courtyard and had an idea. She wanted to use the terrain to escape the relentless guards.

The rocks are jagged, and the path is winding.

She darted swiftly back and forth among these rocks.

The noise behind them grew fainter and fainter.

Just as she was about to cross the artificial hill in the courtyard, a large, well-defined hand suddenly reached out from nowhere, grabbed her wrist, and pulled her sharply.

Caught off guard, Lin Xi was pulled and stumbled, crashing heavily into a warm embrace.

The familiar scent of agarwood instantly enveloped her.

She instinctively tried to struggle, but a hoarse, deep male voice sounded in her ear, tinged with suppressed anger and surprise, "It's you!"

Lin Xi paused abruptly, slowly raised her head, and met a pair of deep eyes.

The man's brows were furrowed, and his expression was grave.

The two were very close; she could clearly hear his heartbeat and feel his warm breath, and her heartbeat slowed for a moment.

Lin Xihe's face flushed slightly, and she tried to back away, but her wrist was held tightly by him, and she couldn't move.

"Young Grand Secretary,"

She composed herself, suppressing the panic and strange feelings in her heart, and looked up at him with a hint of innocence in her eyes. "Would you believe me if I said it was all a misunderstanding?"

Shen Jueyan chuckled, his eyes turning cold. He leaned forward slightly and said, word by word, "Misunderstanding? Madam, please explain further. How is it a misunderstanding?"

Hot breath sprayed on her ear, both teasing and bewitching, making Lin Xi's ears burn.

"I'm lost."

She lowered her head pitifully and said in a muffled voice, "I came to the Grand Secretary's residence to find you and wanted to discuss the Dongzhu case with you again. However, I am just a woman and don't go out much. When I arrived at the Grand Secretary's residence, I saw that the gate was open and went straight in. Who knew that I would mistakenly enter this courtyard? The guards saw me and said that I was an assassin... I am really wronged."

The man raised an eyebrow, looking at the seemingly innocent woman before him who had spoken so casually, and said coldly, "Looking for me? What clues has Madam discovered?"

"Tiangong Pavilion." Lin Xihe's voice lowered a few decibels. "I always felt that the manager of Tiangong Pavilion was no ordinary person."

As she spoke, she subtly observed Shen Jueyan's expression. Seeing that his face remained calm, she suddenly realized, "Could it be that you are the one behind the Heavenly Craft Pavilion!"

Shen Jueyan glanced at her sideways. "I don't know anything."

"There's someone there!"

A startled cry suddenly rang out.

Upon hearing the commotion, the guards searching the courtyard swarmed around the area.

"I saw it clearly just now; there was a shadowy figure near the artificial hill!"

The footsteps grew closer.

Lin Xi was startled and instinctively shrank into the man's arms, trying to use his body to shield herself.

"Madam Wen, why should I help you?" A cold voice came from above.

"I can help you find the real culprit behind the Dongzhu case," Lin Xihe said without hesitation.

Seeing the man remain silent, she hurriedly added, "I will find the crucial clue within three days. If I fail to do so within three days, I will leave it to the young master to decide my fate."

The footsteps grew closer.

"Quick! It's behind the artificial hill!"

"Search carefully, don't let the assassin escape!"

"make a deal."

Shen Jueyan took a deep breath, and parted his thin lips slightly, "It's me."

As soon as he finished speaking, the area outside the artificial hill fell silent.

"There are no assassins here. Go search other places instead," Shen Jueyan said coldly.

The guards trembled and said respectfully, "Your subordinates pay their respects to the Young Grand Secretary! We were unaware of your presence and deserve to die!"