Upon arriving at the scene, Xue Zining immediately spotted the cave entrance buried under stones and earth on the barren mountain.
The excavated prisoners lay on the ground, showing varying degrees of injury.
Shen Yunxiu watched as the Prefect of Mocheng approached and leaned down to say, "My lord, what about the rest of the people?"
The Prefect of Mocheng glanced at him and replied coldly, "They can't be dug out. They're buried too deep."
"My lord, do you know how many people were buried?" Shen Yunxiu asked.
The Prefect of Mocheng dismissively said, "Just a hundred or so."
"I implore Your Lordship to dispatch more men to quickly unearth the people."
Hearing this, the Prefect of Mocheng looked at Shen Yunxiu and said coldly, "As I said, they are buried too deep to be excavated."
"My lord, with so many people, how will you report to the court?" Shen Yunxiu asked.
The Prefect of Mocheng smiled enigmatically, "That, Master Shen, depends on how you report to His Majesty."
Shen Yunxiu's gaze paused slightly. "My lord, even if I were willing to help, with so many people, aren't you afraid His Majesty will be suspicious?"
The Prefect of Mocheng stepped forward and patted Shen Yunxiu's shoulder. "That depends on how Master Shen helps you."
Shen Yunxiu's body stiffened, his expression turning grim. "My lord, you are putting me in a difficult position."
The Prefect of Mocheng chuckled softly, his smile tinged with a hint of mockery. "Second Young Master Shen speaks too highly. For someone favored by the Empress, this is but a small matter."
"My lord..." The Prefect of Mocheng waved his hand and turned to leave.
"I wonder if Master Shen would still be willing to help you if he knew you were making things so difficult for Second Young Master Shen?" a voice with an icy edge inquired.
Upon hearing this, the Prefect of Mocheng turned to look at the speaker, only to discover a servant accompanying Shen Yunxiu. He had not noticed him earlier.
"And who is this...?" the Prefect of Mocheng asked.
Before Shen Yunxiu could explain, the servant stepped forward, neither subservient nor arrogant. "A servant of Master Shen, specifically dispatched by Master Shen to protect Second Young Master Shen."
The Prefect of Mocheng's gaze flickered. "You?" He appraised the servant from head to toe, finding nothing that suggested the capacity to protect someone.
The servant suddenly gestured behind the Prefect of Mocheng. The Prefect felt a gust of wind pass through his body, followed by a tearing sound.
The Prefect of Mocheng instinctively looked back to see the stone behind him split in two.
He was astonished.
"Does this suffice to convince Your Lordship?" the servant asked calmly.
"Yes, yes... Second Young Master Shen, Master Shen truly cares for you." The Prefect of Mocheng surreptitiously wiped the sweat from his brow. If this person had struck him, would he have been split in two like the stone? The thought made him regret his earlier words.
"My lord worries too much. It is all due to Master Shen's care for me," Shen Yunxiu said.
The Prefect of Mocheng instinctively felt there was more to Shen Yunxiu's words, as if he were implying that he, Shen Yunxiu, also had Shen Yunxuan as his backing.
"What are you standing around for? Go dig them out! If you don't dig them out, none of you are leaving this mountain." the Prefect of Mocheng roared.
"My lord, you said earlier that..." Before the soldier could finish, the Prefect of Mocheng kicked him fiercely. "If you can't dig them out, don't even think about coming back."
The soldiers did not dare to delay any further and quickly led their men up the mountain to dig.
"Second Young Master Shen, what I said earlier was just a joke. Please don't take it to heart. I've already ordered men to dig, and they'll be unearthed soon," the Prefect of Mocheng said ingratiatingly.
Shen Yunxiu nodded. "Thank you, My lord, for your concern for the populace!"
"It is my duty, it is my duty," the Prefect of Mocheng said obsequiously.
"My lord, I shall go up and take a look as well," Shen Yunxiu said, leading his servant up the barren mountain.
Watching Shen Yunxiu's retreating back, the Prefect of Mocheng's face darkened, his eyes filled with a chilling coldness.
"My lord, people have arrived from that direction and wish to see you."
"I know. Keep an eye on Shen Yunxiu. Report to me immediately if there is anything unusual."
"Rest assured, My lord, I understand." The Prefect of Mocheng turned and left.
Upon reaching the cave entrance, Shen Yunxiu grabbed the servant who was about to move forward and whispered, "Please be careful."
The servant looked up, his eyes as clear as the vast sky, extraordinarily bright.
Shen Yunxiu paused slightly, then chuckled softly. "You are the Empress, should you not be mindful of your safety?"
Xue Zining did not move further forward but stood at the cave entrance. Shen Yunxiu approached her side and said, "Even if they truly died because of this, perhaps it is a release."
She faltered slightly. Though she wanted to retort, she found she could not, for he was not wrong.
However, "We do not have the right to deprive others of their right to live."
Shen Yunxiu smiled, and for the first time, a genuine smile appeared on his handsome face. "I never understood before how someone like Shen Yunxuan, a dandy who held everyone in contempt, could be brought under your command. Now I see, it is your charm."
"Thank you for the compliment, but my fortune lies in them being willing to follow me..."
"Second Young Master Shen, they can't be dug out anymore. There might be no one left," a soldier said, approaching Shen Yunxiu.
Shen Yunxiu looked at Xue Zining. She stepped forward and called out loudly, "Is there anyone else?"
After calling out several times, there was no response.
Shen Yunxiu stepped forward and whispered, "There should be no one left."
Xue Zining nodded. Just as she was about to turn, she seemed to hear a faint sound from within.
"Someone, someone..." She turned back and ran to the cave entrance. Soon, she heard the voice from within again.
Shen Yunxiu said to the soldiers, "Please continue to dig."
The soldiers were impatient but could only step forward and continue digging.
Suddenly, Xue Zining saw a finger emerge from the earth. She ran in and grasped the finger, which seemed to hook onto her. She was overjoyed.
"Second Young Master Shen, we can't dig anymore. This place is about to collapse." The soldiers had all withdrawn.
Shen Yunxiu looked at the figure still digging the earth with her hands. That jade-like hand was meticulously picking away at the soil and stones without a hint of disgust. An inexplicable impulse surged in his heart. He snatched the digging tool from a soldier's hand and rushed into the cave.
"Use this..." Xue Zining looked at the object and then up at Shen Yunxiu, smiling. "Alright."
"Second Young Master Shen, hurry out! It's about to collapse..." the soldiers outside shouted.
At this moment, small stones began to slide down from above. "Shen Yunxiu, if you get out of here, I'll be enough."
Shen Yunxiu directly refused. "If Shen Yunxuan knew I left at this moment, abandoning you to your fate, I'm afraid I would die even more miserably. Therefore, I'd rather stay with you."
Xue Zining chuckled, amused by his words. "Don't worry, I won't die."
Having survived countless near-death experiences, she would not perish here.
"Got it!" Shen Yunxiu reached his hand in, and a small hand emerged from within. He pulled it out, and a dark object was cradled in his arms.