Outside the Ministry of Rites Minister's Residence.
As the carriage slowly stopped, Jiang Xiaobai lifted the curtain and jumped straight down.
Tang Ningshuang and the Elder Princess followed close behind.
"Huh?"
Once Jiang Xiaobai had steadied himself, he looked ahead, his expression tinged with surprise.
The gates of the Minister's Residence were tightly shut, and the entrance was deserted. Never mind servants coming and going-not even the officers who usually guarded the gates were anywhere to be seen.
"Is there no one left in the Minister's Residence?"
Tang Ningshuang studied the closed gates, her face full of surprise.
"That shouldn't be the case!"
Jiang Xiaobai shook his head.
True, if Chen Zhanqiu had been brought down, it would have been perfectly normal for the Minister's Residence to stand empty.
But Chen Zhanqiu was still the Minister of Rites. He hadn't been stripped of his post, so there was no way he would simply abandon his residence!
So...
Something was definitely wrong here.
Puzzled, Jiang Xiaobai walked up to the gates, raised his hand, and knocked lightly.
"Who is it?"
A low voice came from behind the gates.
"Oh, it's me, Jiang Xiaobai!"
Jiang Xiaobai smiled. "I've come to have a chat with Brother Chen Jian!"
"Go away. There's no one in our Minister's Residence right now!"
The voice inside rang out coldly.
"If there's no one there, who's talking?"
Jiang Xiaobai sounded helpless.
"Oh, I... I'm not a person!"
The person behind the gates answered hastily, sounding distinctly nervous.
"..."
At those words, Jiang Xiaobai didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
It looked as though he was being shut out.
After a moment's thought, Jiang Xiaobai simply stepped back, cleared his throat, and shouted into the Minister's Residence, "Brother Chen, I've come to see you!"
"Brother Chen Jian!"
**"Brother