558 He’s Here (5)
However, even after turning the capital upside down, they still could not find Shen Miao.
It was as if she had disappeared into thin air. The houses of the commoners had all been checked. Next, they could only start searching the houses of the officials. However, the relationship between the officials was complicated. If it wasn’t done right, it would cause a huge chaos. Emperor Wen Hui was unwilling.
Therefore, there was an awkward period. The soldiers patrolled the streets all day long, and the security in the capital was much better. However, to the Shen family, it was no different from a torture.
In the study of the Marquis of Lin’an, Xie Changwu and Xie Changchao were chatting.
Xie Changwu said, “The Shen family is watching the capital too closely. We can’t transport Shen Miao out at all. If this continues, I’m afraid Princess Ming An will blame us.”
In fact, Princess Ming An was already angry. Although the Xie brothers had successfully kidnapped Shen Miao, Princess Ming An hated Shen Miao to the core and wished she could see Shen Miao end up in a brothel as soon as possible. Because the capital was under watch, Xie Changwu and Xie Changchao did not dare to act rashly. Shen Miao had been locked in a secret room for quite some days. How could an impatient person like Princess Ming An tolerate it? This morning, she sent someone over to warn Xie Changwu that if he did not send Shen Miao out, the previous deal would be invalid.
In front of him was the Shen army patrolling the streets and searching from door to door. Behind him was Princess Ming An who pressed on unreasonably. No matter how smart Xie Changwu was, he felt a headache coming on at this moment.
“Second Brother, don’t be anxious. Shen Xin is very good at interrogating and spotting suspects. We have to ensure that we won’t be caught,” Xie Changchao said.
“I’m not in a hurry, but Princess is rushing me.” At this point, Xie Changwu couldn’t help but complain, “Doesn’t she have a brain? If anything goes wrong, she will be implicated too.”
“That’s enough.” Xie Changchao said, “Princess just wants to see Shen Miao being humiliated. Although we can’t send Shen Miao out, we can bring people in. It’s not illegal for the Marquis of Lin’an to hire some rough servants, right? There’s nothing suspicious about that, right?”
Xie Changwu was stunned. That’s right. What Princess Ming An wanted to see was someone humiliating Shen Miao. They couldn’t send Shen Miao away because the Shen army was everywhere, but if they could make Shen Miao a sex slave, wouldn’t it also satisfy Princess Ming An?
“Third Brother, you…” Xie Changwu said,” You’ve already thought of it?”
“There is a social engagement today. The two of us can’t be absent at the same time, or people will suspect us.” Xie Changchao said, “Second Brother, you can attend it while I go and get the butler to buy a few servants… After the matter is done, I’ll inform the princess.”
Over the past few days, because they had to keep an eye on Shen Miao, the two of them declined a few social engagements. If this continued, it would arouse suspicion. Xie Changwu said, “I understand. Third Brother, be careful. Don’t let anyone catch you red-handed.”
After Xie Changwu left, Xie Changchao took out the key to the secret room from his sleeve, and a strange glint flashed across his eyes.
…
Shen Miao stayed in the secret room for two days. Although she did not know the exact time, she could guess from the number of times the food was delivered. It had been two days and she was still safe, which meant that Shen Xin had deployed lots of soldiers around the capital. However, they still couldn’t find this place. It showed how well-hidden the secret room was. It was very difficult for anyone to think that the Xie brothers were the culprits.
Just as she was thinking, she heard footsteps outside and the door was pushed open.
In the dim light, the person looked straight into Shen Miao’s eyes and was stunned for a moment. Then, he smiled. “You’ve been pretending to be asleep every time I come over these few days. Why aren’t you pretending today?”