Soon, Li Ji had an audience with the Emperor.

In just two short days, Li Ji had lost a great deal of weight. His eyes were bloodshot, and it was clear he hadn’t rested in a long time.

In fact, from the moment he learned Hua Manman had been kidnapped, Li Ji hadn’t closed his eyes.

For the past two days, he had been rushing about, trying to find her as quickly as possible.

If the search didn’t require physical strength, he probably wouldn’t have even had the mind to eat a single bite.

The Emperor was naturally aware of all this.

He reminded him, "Finding her is important, of course, but you can’t neglect your own health."

Li Ji replied, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty. I understand."

One look at him told the Emperor that Li Ji hadn’t taken his words to heart.

The Emperor knew his personality well. Until Hua Manman was found, he wouldn’t listen to a word anyone said.

So the Emperor changed the subject and asked about Lady Liang.

"What did Lady Liang say?"

Li Ji answered succinctly, "It was Consort Liu who incited her to take revenge on Manman."

The Emperor frowned, clearly not expecting Consort Liu to have a hand in this.

"Why would she do such a thing out of the blue?"

Li Ji said, "You’ll have to ask her that yourself."

The Emperor asked, "Do you have any proof?"

Li Ji, of course, had no proof.

But he knew what mattered most to the Emperor.

"I learned from Lady Liang that the one who kidnapped Manman was Xiao Hong.

You should have heard of him.

He is Xiliang’s Young General and also Lady Liang’s cousin.

Ever since the truce between Xiliang and Great Zhou, Xiao Hong has been looking for a chance to restart the war.

He kidnapped Manman for the sole purpose of provoking a war between our two nations."

Just as Li Ji expected.

Upon hearing this, the Emperor immediately sat up straight, his expression turning serious.

"How did Xiao Hong sneak into Great Zhou?"

Xiao Hong was no nobody. His status in Xiliang was quite high.

For him to have infiltrated Great Zhou so silently...

That alone spoke volumes.

Li Ji said slowly.

"Lady Liang said that Consort Liu helped pass letters, which is how she was able to contact her cousin.

This suggests that Consort Liu must have known about Xiao Hong’s presence long ago."

The Emperor’s brows furrowed even tighter, and a harsh glint appeared in his eyes.

How could a mere concubine in the rear palace possibly make contact with the Young General of the Western Liang Country?

Someone outside the Imperial Palace must have been helping her.

There was only one person who could help Xiao Hong infiltrate Great Zhou undetected and also have close ties to Consort Liu.

The Emperor slowly uttered the name.

"Liu Ze."

Li Ji said in a low voice, "Actually, I have long suspected that there is a Xiliang spy hidden in the court."

The Emperor watched him with dark eyes.

Li Ji continued, "Back then, when I was ambushed by enemy forces, I was unfortunately struck by a poisoned arrow.

That arrow came from behind.

At that time, the men standing behind me were all soldiers of our Great Zhou."

The Emperor’s expression grew even uglier. "Why have you never told me about this?"

Li Ji lowered his eyes and didn’t answer.

The Emperor stared at him intently.

"Did you ever suspect that I was the one who ordered someone to shoot that poisoned arrow?"

Li Ji still said nothing.

The Emperor gave a bitter laugh. "Even a vicious tiger won’t eat its own cub. In your eyes, am I worse than a beast?"

Li Ji lowered his head. "I am the son of Duke Zhen. Your Majesty, please do not speak carelessly."

The Emperor opened his mouth, as if to say something.

But in the end, he couldn’t bring himself to say the words, "I am your father."

This was not the time for such personal matters.

The Emperor took a deep breath, suppressed the chaotic emotions in his heart, and returned to business.

"You suspect Liu Ze is the spy Xiliang planted in the Great Zhou Court? And that he was the one who had you ambushed?"

Li Ji nodded. "Yes. Based on the clues we have so far, he is highly suspicious."

The Emperor said, "But you have no evidence."

Liu Ze currently holds an important position and is at the height of his influence. Yet he has a gentle disposition and never tries to outshine others, so he is extremely popular among the court officials.

If you accuse him of treason and consorting with the enemy without solid proof, it will likely provoke protests from the other officials.

Li Ji said, "I request permission to search the Liu Family residence. If Liu Ze did it, he must have left a trace."

The Emperor was still hesitant.

Li Ji continued, "If I fail to find evidence, I will bear all the blame alone."

The Emperor sighed in resignation. "Don’t make it sound as if I’m trying to shirk responsibility. I’m worried the officials will use this to impeach you again."

There was already a natural barrier between the civil servants and the military generals at court.

On top of that, Prince Zhao was known for being extreme and perverse in his actions. He had always done as he pleased, paying no mind to the rules.

The officials at court all considered him a thorn in their side.

Normally, even if he did nothing wrong, those officials would still find fault with him.

Let alone him taking troops to swaggeringly search a civil servant’s residence.

That would be like poking the civil servants right where it hurts!

The slightest misstep, and Li Ji would be condemned by a thousand accusers.

However, Li Ji was completely unconcerned.

"Let them impeach me all they want. All they can do is run their mouths anyway. If they’ve got the guts, they can come have a fight with me."

The Emperor didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at his roguish attitude.

In the end, the Emperor agreed to Prince Zhao’s request.

"Searching Liu Ze’s residence is fine, but try not to harm anyone before you find any clues."

"I understand."

Time was short. Li Ji did not delay and left the Imperial Palace at once.

At that moment, Hua Qingqing was still in labor, her screams growing more and more piercing.

The Emperor glanced at the closed delivery room door and gave a low command to Zuo Ji, who was beside him.

"Send men to seal off Lingxue Hall. Without my permission, no one is to enter or leave."

A chill went down Zuo Ji’s spine. "Yes, Your Majesty!"

...

[Inside Lingxue Hall.]

Consort Liu had just hastily finished a letter. She was about to order someone to deliver it out of the Imperial Palace into her brother’s hands, to warn him that their plot might have been exposed and that he needed to prepare.

Just then, however, Quan Fu ran in, flustered and panicking.

"This is terrible! The Flying Dragon Cavalry have surrounded Lingxue Hall! They say it’s by the Saint’s decree and that no one is allowed in or out.

Your Highness, what are we going to do?"

Consort Liu trembled, and the letter in her hand fluttered to the ground.

’It’s over.

The Emperor must know everything!’

Zijuan bent down and picked up the letter from the floor.

Consort Liu collapsed onto the soft couch, the color draining completely from her face. Her eyes were filled with terror and panic.

Zijuan held the letter to a candle flame.

The orange flame quickly burned the letter to ash.

She spoke unhurriedly.

"Inciting Lady Liang to take revenge on Princess Consort Zhao is not a major crime, but treason is.

Once it’s confirmed, your entire clan could be exterminated."

Consort Liu lifted her pale face and stared blankly at Zijuan.

A moment later, she shot to her feet and screamed.

"It’s all your fault!

It’s because of your instigation and schemes that I’ve ended up like this!

Even if I die, I’ll drag you down to hell with me!

And your master behind the scenes shouldn’t even think about getting away unscathed!

If I’m going down, everyone is going down with me!"