"Father Emperor!"
Shen Ye Hong was slightly startled, clearly not expecting her father, the Emperor, to show up. He appeared to be coming with force, as if prepared.
"You have quite the audacity, harboring a wanted criminal of the Dynasty within the imperial palace!"
The Tai Yan Emperor proclaimed, "How am I to account for this to the Gu family?"
"Father Emperor, please do not listen to their nonsense. I have no idea what you are talking about," Shen Ye Hong stated directly. "And my palace truly does not harbor anyone else!"
"If the Princess truly does not, why would she be so nervous?" the Gu family man smiled. "Why don't you let us enter and see if the Princess's words are true!"
"This is the Princess's private chambers, how can you casually enter!" Shen Ye Hong said coldly. "Your words, do they not disregard the law? Do you not take our royal family seriously?"
"We certainly do not mean that!" the crowd spoke up, feeling a bit of apprehension. Shen Ye Hong's words were clearly an attempt to frame them, and they would not fall for such a trap.
"It is best if you do not mean that!" Shen Ye Hong said coldly, turning her gaze to the Tai Yan Emperor. "Father Emperor, I am your own daughter, do you not even trust me?"
"Say no more, hand over that person!" the Tai Yan Emperor stated directly. "I can also give the Gu family an explanation!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty!" many of the Gu family men knelt down, feeling quite excited. With the Emperor's words, they felt much more at ease. After all, the Gu family no longer had a Sage, and they lacked the confidence to speak up. It was a great kindness for the royal family to speak for them.
"Father Emperor!" Shen Ye Hong stamped her foot in anger, unsure of what to do. She had not expected her father to be so direct. If they were truly allowed to enter, wouldn't Lu Fan be in danger?
"Tie up the Princess, the rest of you follow me!" the Tai Yan Emperor said coldly, then proceeded towards the palace, showing no hesitation. With such a major incident occurring in the Dynasty, how could he, as its ruler, let it slide?
Shen Ye Hong's face was grim, but she was helpless. She could see that her father was serious, and it was unlikely she could protect Lu Fan this time.
Upon entering the palace, everyone searched. The Gu family members even burst into the backyard, but unfortunately, no one was found, leaving them instantly disappointed.
"How can this be? This should not be the case!" the Gu family man exclaimed in surprise.
"Why should it not be the case?" Shen Ye Hong said coldly. "Who told you that the wanted person was in my Princess's residence?"
The many Gu family men exchanged glances, their expressions shifting. At this point, if they were to continue being overly aggressive, it would only incur the displeasure of the royal family.
"We have misunderstood, please forgive us, Princess!" the Gu family members bowed their fists.
"Since it is a misunderstanding, you must be more careful in the future!" Shen Ye Hong said sternly. "I am, after all, a Princess of the Dynasty. You barge into my palace like this, where does that leave my dignity?"
The Tai Yan Emperor stood to the side, saying nothing, his gaze fixed on the Gu family members. He had acted this way to give the Gu family an explanation, but since the person was not apprehended, it naturally didn't matter much.
"It was our momentary recklessness that trespassed upon the Princess's residence. The Gu family will never dare to do so again!" the Gu family members bowed their fists, appearing remarkably docile, their earlier ferocity gone. They had already searched the Princess's residence and failed to capture the person they sought, so they could not afford to be too rash.
At the same time, Shen Ye Hong was filled with curiosity. Lu Fan was clearly in the backyard, so why was he nowhere to be seen now? What surprised her even more was how the Gu family knew Lu Fan was in her residence; someone must have tipped them off.
After the Gu family members departed, the Tai Yan Emperor finally spoke, "You girl, after going through some trials, you've become quite something!"
"Not at all, I am still the same Ye Hong. But Father Emperor is not!" Shen Ye Hong said playfully. "Bringing so many people into my palace, if this were to spread, wouldn't it ruin my reputation!"
"It is all Father's fault!" the Tai Yan Emperor said helplessly. "But you must be more careful in your actions, ideally leaving no trace. This is beneficial to both you and your friends. As the Emperor of the Tai Yan Dynasty, how could I have possibly blocked the Gu family members?"
Shen Ye Hong was slightly startled, especially by her father's words, which left her somewhat bewildered and even touched.
"Alright, it's getting late, I won't disturb you anymore!" the Tai Yan Emperor waved his hand. "However, many things have been happening within the Dynasty recently. It's best if you don't get involved, lest you bring trouble upon yourself."
"I understand!" Shen Ye Hong nodded slightly. She understood the implication of her father's words quite clearly.
Not long after, the First Prince arrived at the Princess's residence. "I heard the Gu family came?"
"Big Brother, I truly misjudged you. I never thought you would be the one to tip them off!" Shen Ye Hong exclaimed. "Do you know that this could implicate me?"
"I swear to heaven, it was absolutely not me!" Shen Zhanguo said repeatedly. "I only heard the news just now and came here to inquire!"
"If it wasn't you, then who else could it be? Besides you, no one else knew Lu Fan was in my residence." Shen Ye Hong said coldly. "Now, my Princess's residence does not welcome Big Brother, you should leave quickly!"
"It really wasn't me!" the First Prince said innocently. "Don't you even trust your own Big Brother?"
"My people have already come to the Princess's residence, how can you expect me to believe you, Big Brother?" Shen Ye Hong said unapologetically. "I don't know where Lu Fan and the others are hiding now. I hope Big Brother will no longer oppose me!"
After speaking, Shen Ye Hong had her maidservants close the main gate of the residence, her heart filled with displeasure. She had trusted Shen Zhanguo deeply but never expected him to deceive her.
In the backyard of the palace, as soon as Shen Ye Hong entered, she saw Lu Fan still in the room. She looked perplexed. When the Gu family members had searched, they apparently didn't find Lu Fan.
"What's going on?" Shen Ye Hong asked in surprise.
"We used an illusion technique earlier!" Liu Li spoke up. "This requires setting up a formation, something I learned in Shen Ji Mountain. I never expected it to be useful here!"
"So that's how it is. No wonder even I couldn't see you!" Shen Ye Hong's face lit up with joy. "Now that we've survived this ordeal, there shouldn't be any more problems. Thankfully, we had this formation!"
"This formation is quite powerful, but it cannot escape the eyes of a Sage!" Liu Li said meaningfully.