Fu Mingzheng smiled, “Of course I wouldn’t. Do I look that foolish?”
Zhang Huan chuckled honestly, “Wangfei, would you?”
Fu Mingzheng laughed heartily, “You rascal, what you really want to ask is about your own Wangfei, isn’t it?”
Mingzhu, now feeling confident and in a good mood, also laughed, “Of course not.”
Ji Hui’s face grew increasingly pale. Wetnurse Xiao wanted to retort but was scared back by a fierce wave of Fu Mingzheng’s hand. Fu Mingzheng continued, “His Highness is a cautious man. Unless it’s deliberate, he wouldn’t make such a foolish mistake, especially in the dark, where a mistake could mean encountering an assassin.” He shot a malicious glance at Mr. Meng, “Old Meng, weren’t you sick and unable to follow His Highness earlier? If I’m not mistaken, you only saw His Highness in Guixian, correct?”
Mr. Meng had no choice but to answer his question, “Yes.”
“That’s right, so you didn’t know that His Highness had been targeted multiple times and was very cautious, hardly ever staying in places everyone knew. Right?” Fu Mingzheng mocked him, squinting with a malicious look.
Mr. Meng, who already had a long face, now looked even longer, “Yes.”
Fu Mingzheng continued to ask, “Another question, did Mr. Meng stay outside the whole time?”
Mr. Meng angrily replied, “No! I don’t have that habit!”
“Afterwards, did Mr. Meng see His Highness coming out of that room?” Fu Mingzheng asked this question seriously, then turned apologetically to Yuwen Guang, “Please forgive me, Your Majesty, although my questions are not very polite, this is the only way to ask.”
“Continue, you’re forgiven.” Yuwen Guang looked quietly at Ji Hui, seeing her sitting there lifelessly, with no anger, he couldn’t help but sigh silently. At this point, he could no longer help her.
Fu Mingzheng stared at Mr. Meng, “Old Meng, please answer my question.”
Mr. Meng’s face grew even redder, “I already said, I don’t have that habit! Isn’t it enough that it turned out fine?”
“Ahem, let’s continue with the letter,” Fu Mingzheng smiled mysteriously, “Now, let’s talk about the purse. This purse was hand-sewn by the Wangfei herself, containing several emergency pills and other items prepared by Wangfei’s physician, Jiang Zhouzi. His Highness always cherished it, but it was lost during the Battle of Ganzhou and couldn’t be found afterwards. His Highness stopped carrying such items after that.”
Zhang Huan continued his explanation, “During the Battle of Ganzhou, His Highness personally charged into battle to boost morale, killing more than ten rebels and shooting the rebel commander with arrows. The first arrow hit his flag, the second hit his helmet crest, and the third hit his horse’s head…” He became more and more excited as he spoke, pounding his thigh, “Previously, we only thought His Highness was skilled in strategy, but we didn’t know he was also a rare fierce warrior on the battlefield! Strong in martial arts and unafraid of death! When the brothers saw His Highness so brave, they naturally followed suit and fought desperately with the thieves! It was more invigorating than taking an elixir!”
“Zhang Huan, you’re getting off track. How can you be so presumptuous in front of His Majesty?” Mingzhu was both proud and heartbroken, lightly raising her eyebrows. Even her scolding tone had a visible softness.
Zhang Huan always admired Mingzhu the most, even more than he admired Fu Mingzheng. He immediately bowed to Yuwen Guang, loudly knocking his head on the ground, “I’m a crude person, unintentionally offending Your Majesty, please forgive me.”
“You’re forgiven.” Yuwen Guang’s expression was calm and cold, with a faint smile on his lips, “Sixth Uncle is good, I have always admired him but cannot emulate him.”
Zhang Huan respectfully performed another bow before daring to rise, “His Highness found the purse missing as soon as he returned. He ordered us to search privately, and many people knew about it.”
Fu Mingzheng glanced at Ji Hui and said, “Well, the matter of the purse is clear now. Miss Ji, as the party involved, you must be heard. You insist it was the Regent, but I’ve asked you before, besides the scent of agarwood and the purse, were there any other distinct features about His Highness? You didn’t answer then, do you remember now?”
Ji Hui shook her pale face heavily, “No, I don’t.”
Zhang Huan earnestly added, “Miss Ji, you were truly deceived. The Wangfei once had a delicate sleeve arrow made for His Highness, and His Highness was instructed not to be without it. Besides bathing, he never parted with it, and it was meticulously maintained daily. I lived with His Highness and often found that thing poking me… How could you not have noticed?”
Fu Mingzheng signaled him to be quiet and continued, “The last point of suspicion, Miss Ji Hui never lies, and she is indeed pregnant now. So if this person is not the Regent, then who is he? He can’t be a god, appearing and disappearing at will, right? Since he took His Highness’s purse and used His Highness’s fragrance, he must have had malicious intentions. If he’s not a traitor, he’s a villain. Such an unforgivable villain deserves to die. His Highness abhors him deeply and specially sent someone to investigate and capture him. Now, does Miss Ji Hui want to see this person?”
Wetnurse Xiao was not convinced, “You’re all in cahoots, of course you can say whatever you want. Just grab a few people to testify, turn black into white, and white into black… Causing harm to my lady, do you think it’s okay to just leave it like this? People are watching, aren’t you afraid of retribution?”
Fu Mingzheng smiled, “Don’t worry, not seeing the villain is also an option. Miss Ji can give birth to her child first since she’s about to go into labor, right? Once the child is born, we’ll know.” He looked at Ji Hui with a meaningful glance, “Actually, this whole thing was originally a trap. The person who planned it couldn’t wait for this moment and couldn’t grasp many changes and make corresponding adjustments in time. They could only rely on the person who executed it to make up for it. Only those who can handle it have distinctions. Even if they try their best, they can’t make it perfect. It’s all a matter of chance.”
Ji Hui understood the implicit meaning in his words. The person who planned it was the Great Empress Dowager, and at that time, the Great Empress Dowager was seriously ill and facing death, unable to control the situation. The person who received the instructions could only rely on their own instincts to complete the task. How unlucky was she to fall into this trap and ruin her entire life?
A slight hesitation, and everything is irretrievable.
Ji Hui trembled and stopped Wetnurse Xiao, “There’s no need to say any more.”
Wetnurse Xiao wanted to speak again, but she trembled and cried out, “Please don’t say any more!”
Wetnurse Xiao covered her mouth in horror, and Ji Hui covered her face, trembling like a leaf in the wind. Yuwen Guang quickly signaled for Jiang Youyuan to help her, “Are you okay? This isn’t your fault. You just had bad luck.”
Ji Hui looked at him with a bitter smile, “Your Majesty, it’s a commoner woman’s greed.”
