"Report! A secret passage has been discovered inside a house in the rear courtyard!"
Upon hearing the report, Guan Fangyi, whose voice had been sealed, felt her heartstrings tighten. Her heart was practically lodged in her throat.
"A secret passage?" The Consort Yuan's tone shifted slightly. She glanced back at Guan Fangyi, then strode forward. "Lead the way. Let's take a look."
The messenger immediately led the way, while several others followed the Consort Yuan.
When the group reached the secret passage entrance, someone released Moon Butterflies for illumination. One after another, they crawled into the passage, while others swiftly darted ahead to clear the way.
After meeting up with the people who had entered earlier, the group emerged in a room at the other exit.
The Consort Yuan stepped out of the room and found that they were still within Thatched Cottage Estate. Another group that had arrived with them was searching this side as well.
This was within expectations. The secret passage was not very long. The Consort Yuan suddenly said, "Ask who lives in the rooms at both ends of the passage."
"Yes!" Someone immediately accepted the order and left.
Before long, he hurried back to report. "We asked. They are the residences of Matchmaker from Qi Capital and Yun Ji from Cloud-Crossing Mountain."
"Them?" The Consort Yuan paused, then abruptly turned and returned to the room. She stood at the secret passage entrance and stared at it. "It's such a short distance—you're there after just a few steps outside. What shameful secret could two women have that they needed to deliberately dig a tunnel? Send people in. Send more people in, and search this tunnel again. Search it carefully."
"Yes!" Someone immediately accepted the order and entered the passage again.
As she had said, the tunnel