Alas, Huang Yuanxiang sighed, he had ultimately underestimated Shen Yun.
He had thought that by having Liu Yuanming find such a skilled thief for him, the matter would surely be settled.
He wouldn't have to do anything, just watch the excitement from the sidelines.
This way, he could deal a blow to Shen Yun while also distancing himself, preventing Shen Yun from holding a grudge.
In the end, that so-called skilled thief turned out to be so inept, failing even at what he did best.
What use was he?
And he still dared to charge such a high price.
Huang Yuanxiang was furious, cursing at the thief who had followed him upstairs, his anger blazing.
Liu Yuanming was also angry; Huang Yuanxiang's words made it seem as if he had intentionally orchestrated the failure.
But didn't he also want to deal with Shen Yun?
After all, the matter of him buying the estate hadn't been resolved yet.
He too had a grievance with Shen Yun. He dismissed the thief, telling him to get lost quickly, and took the opportunity to vent his anger.
Zhao Xiaohua, standing by, felt a pang in her heart.
By rights, as the adopted daughter of the Yong'an Marquis's mansion, she should be helping them.
But her heart belonged only to Shen Yun. All her efforts were aimed at one day having the right to stand beside him.
Even if she couldn't refuse Liu Yuanming's request to tarnish Shen Yun's reputation, it wasn't out of a genuine desire to oppose Shen Yun.
Instead, it was to ruin Su Xiaoqi's reputation and make Shen Yun despise her.
But now, with these two cousins plotting against Shen Yun, how could she stand by?
Zhao Xiaohua thought to herself, a hint of ruthlessness showing on her face.
But then she considered that they hadn't succeeded, and she felt relieved.
It made sense, after all. Shen Yun in her past life had become such a formidable figure.
What were these two now, merely obscure pawns, not worth worrying about.
The two who were plotting against someone else did not realize that someone else was also plotting against them.
Su Xiaoqi, listening to the two people plotting next door, felt quite depressed.
It was truly like a centipede, dead but not stiff, and the more despicable the person, the harder they were to get rid of.
Su Xiaoqi tilted her head, listening as the voices next door grew louder, as if they were completely unrestrained.
She listened, her brow furrowed, thinking that if she didn't do something, it would be a disservice to Shen Yun's kind intentions towards her.
Having realized this, she no longer hesitated. She beckoned Zhang Yu and said, "Go and do something for me."
"Your wish is my command, Master," Zhang Yu replied. Zhang Yu had been listening with Su Xiaoqi. Although her hearing was not as good as Su Xiaoqi's, because the other party had no defenses, she had heard everything.
Knowing that their master had gotten into trouble because of these people, she was glad that both the master and mistress were sufficiently alert, otherwise, it would have been a big problem.
According to her nature, even if the master hadn't given instructions, she would have wanted to do something.
Hearing that her master had a plan now, she immediately became happy and straightened her posture.
"Those few people are of noble birth, and it might be difficult to investigate them immediately. So, why not investigate the easiest person to find?"
Zhang Yu looked at Su Xiaoqi with wide eyes, full of curiosity.
"Go and investigate that thief. He often operates in this area, so it should be easy to find him."
Zhang Yu immediately understood Su Xiaoqi's idea and nodded in agreement. As soon as she went out, she found Zhang Lei, who was guarding in a secluded spot outside.
When the master left, he had given instructions that in his absence, the four of them were to obey Su Xiaoqi's orders unconditionally.
Therefore, besides Zhang Lei, the other two were also nearby, but they operated in a two-visible-two-hidden formation, not appearing simultaneously unless necessary.
Zhang Yu then conveyed Su Xiaoqi's instructions to Zhang Lei, telling him to investigate, as she had to return to guard the mistress.
Zhang Lei nodded continuously, rubbing his hands with an expression of eagerness to get to work.
"Master said to handle things cleanly. Last time, you all said you handled it well, but it still left loose ends."
Although the other party didn't have direct evidence, they had still managed to make people suspect their master.
Otherwise, Liu Yuanming probably wouldn't have wanted to deal with him, but now it was uncertain.
This matter had not been handled well.
Zhang Lei agreed and returned very quickly.
Su Xiaoqi had lost interest in listening to the schemes next door.
It was mostly the two of them talking about the latest news in the capital.
These were things that Su Xiaoqi could easily find out if she wanted to, so she wasn't particularly interested.
It wasn't until they started discussing some court matters that Su Xiaoqi began to listen attentively again.
The matter they were discussing was related to the current Crown Prince and Prince Duan.
"I heard that after Prince Duan returned, the position of Crown Prince became somewhat precarious," Huang Yuanxiang said, speaking with a distinct accent from Bashu.
"Who said that? As long as the current Consort Huang is favored for one more day, the Crown Prince's position will be as stable as a mountain," Liu Yuanming retorted.
Huang Yuanxiang dared not speak further.
In fact, Consort Huang in the palace was also from the Huang family.
However, she was from the main branch of the Huang family, one of the four great families of the capital, while their family was merely a collateral branch that had been banished to their hometown.
But he understood the principle of sharing glory and sharing damage.
So, after Liu Yuanming mentioned that matter, he didn't bring up the Crown Prince's mansion again.
However, he was very interested in Prince Duan, a rising star in the capital, and tentatively asked, "I heard that Prince Duan's mansion recently found a prince?"
"Of course. It is said that the prince was found in Mianzhou City in the Bashu region."
Liu Yuanming spoke cautiously, looking around. He even had a servant open the door to check before saying, "It's hard to say if it's someone you know."
Huang Yuanxiang dared not agree with this statement.
The friends and associates he knew in the Bashu region were all prominent figures in Mianzhou City. If even one of them left, he would surely receive news.
But he had not received any news so far, so it was likely unrelated to anyone he knew.
"Regardless of how this newly returned royal descendant fares, I have made an enemy of Prince Duan's mansion," Liu Yuanming said angrily.
Huang Yuanxiang raised his eyebrows and asked, "Could it be that you have a grudge against them?"
"Heh, originally I didn't, but recently they suddenly made a move against me. Hmph, I'm not to be trifled with either. Next time I see His Highness the Crown Prince, I will surely whisper some poison into his ear."
Liu Yuanming had found out that the incident where he was bullied at the street corner had originally been suppressed, with few people knowing about it.
But it had later been deliberately publicized.
As a result, he had now become famous.
If it were any other name, that would be fine, but it was such a bad reputation. Who the heck would want that?
Liu Yuanming cursed incessantly. When he saw Zhao Xiaohua's gaze, he felt a bit awkward and lowered his head, falling silent.
Although Zhao Xiaohua wasn't exceptionally beautiful, she was, after all, a woman.
In the presence of the opposite sex, he would unconsciously want to maintain his image.
Su Xiaoqi waited, bored, and was about to suggest returning. After all, the matter had been investigated, and if Zhang Lei couldn't find them here, he would return to the estate.
Before she could get up, she saw Zhang Yu nod at her and whisper, "Master, Zhang Lei is back."
Su Xiaoqi signaled her to go out and speak to Zhang Lei, lest they be overheard by the people in the adjacent room.
Zhang Yu returned after a while.
She whispered something into Su Xiaoqi's ear. Su Xiaoqi's heart was struck by what she heard, and her spirits immediately lifted.