Consort Liu no longer possessed her usual pride and alluring beauty. Her pale face was filled with hatred and venom.

She was like a cornered beast, unable to escape, only capable of letting out a desperate roar.

She reached out with her hands, nails painted a vivid red, and tried to strangle Zijuan. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

But Zijuan nimbly dodged out of the way.

Still, her nails managed to scratch Zijuan’s neck, leaving two stark red marks.

Zijuan raised a hand to her neck, her brow furrowing slightly.

"Things have already reached this point. Even if you kill me, Noble Consort, it will be of no use. Why don’t you think about what you should do next?"

Consort Liu glared at her hatefully. "What I’ll do next, of course, is expose you to the Saint! You and your master will die along with me!"

Zijuan said, "Have you considered what will happen to the Fifth Prince if you die?"

At the thought of her precious son, Consort Liu was rendered speechless.

’I did everything; it has nothing to do with Li Yan. Plus, he’s the Emperor’s son. The Emperor surely won’t harm him. His life should be safe.’

’But that would be the extent of it.’

Zijuan slowly voiced the very worries on Consort Liu’s mind.

"The Emperor probably won’t do anything to the Fifth Prince.

But without the protection of his mother and his mother’s family, how can the Fifth Prince possibly survive the swirling vortex of the power struggle, surrounded by a pack of wolves?

He’s a cripple now and has completely lost any right to compete for the throne.

Those who were willing to support him before have surely scattered to the winds by now.

From now on, even if he’s truly bullied or humiliated, no one will be willing to step forward and help him."

Consort Liu collapsed onto the soft couch, her mind consumed by thoughts of her son’s future.

’Yan’er was already crushed by the blow of becoming a cripple. If I were to die as well, I’m afraid he would be driven mad.’

’What’s more tragic is that in the future, even if he really does go mad, there will be no one left to genuinely protect and watch over him.’

She lifted her bloodshot eyes and asked in a hoarse voice.

"You’ve said so much. You didn’t come here just to kill time with me out of boredom, did you? Spit it out. What do you want from me?"

’At first, she had found it quite strange. How had Quan Fu been able to find Zijuan so quickly?’

’Logically, Zijuan should have gone into hiding beforehand. It shouldn’t have been so easy to find her.’

It was only at this moment that Consort Liu began to put the pieces together.

’Quan Fu hadn’t found Zijuan. Zijuan had returned of her own accord.’

’To take such a risk and return, she must be after something.’

Indeed...

Zijuan smiled faintly. "You are truly wise, Noble Consort. I do, in fact, have a favor to ask of you."

She leaned down, placing one hand on the nearby table, looked directly into Consort Liu’s eyes, and spoke in a low, unhurried voice.

"I would like to ask you, Noble Consort, to keep my involvement a secret and not mention me to anyone."

Consort Liu scoffed. "Not much to look at, but you sure have beautiful dreams."

Unperturbed by the mockery, Zijuan continued.

"As long as you agree to this condition, Noble Consort, the Fifth Prince can be granted the opportunity to go to his fiefdom."

The sneer on Consort Liu’s face vanished instantly.

’Given Li Yan’s current situation, competing for the throne was already a pipe dream. For him, the best possible outcome was to become an idle prince, living out his days in leisure and freedom within his own fiefdom.’

’But with the Liu Family just implicated in treason and collusion with the enemy, the Emperor was in a rage.’

’He was still seething. How could he possibly be willing to grant Li Yan a title and a fief?’

Consort Liu said, "You, a lowly palace maid, dare to make such a bold claim?"

Zijuan replied, "I certainly can’t do it myself, but the person backing me can. If you don’t believe me, you can wait two days. In two days, you’ll know whether I’m telling the truth or not."

To be honest, Consort Liu was very tempted by this proposal.

’She had no hope of survival anyway. If she could secure a stable future for her son before she died, then her death would be worth it.’

...

Li Ji led his soldiers in a raid on the Liu Mansion, and the entire Liu Family, including Liu Ze, was detained.

The soldiers of the Tiger Roar Camp fanned out, beginning to search the mansion inch by inch, ransacking chests and cabinets.

Liu Ze was both shocked and enraged. "What is the meaning of this? This is my home! By what right do you barge in? Even if you are Prince Zhao, you can’t be this lawless!"

Li Ji stared into his eyes and asked, enunciating each word.

"Were you the one who planted a spy near me back then? You not only deliberately leaked military secrets, causing the army I led to fall into an enemy ambush, but you also left me gravely injured and on the brink of death."

Liu Ze’s heart lurched violently.

’He... How could he know about this?’

’Did someone let it slip?’

Regardless of what he was thinking, Liu Ze’s expression betrayed nothing. He stared at Prince Zhao in disbelief, as if he had just heard some outlandish tale.

"Has Your Highness lost your mind? How could you say something so utterly preposterous?"

Li Ji heard Liu Ze’s thoughts, clear as day.

’It seems my suspicions were correct. This man before me is indeed the traitor who colluded with Xiliang.’

Then, Liu Ze saw the corner of Prince Zhao’s mouth lift into a knowing smile.

The smile made Liu Ze’s scalp tingle, and he was filled with an instinctive, ominous premonition.

Li Ji said, "Someone in the court has colluded with Xiliang and committed treason. The Saint is already aware of this and has specially decreed that I am to investigate this matter thoroughly.

Mr. Liu, you must not panic. As long as you have a clear conscience and have done nothing wrong, you will be fine."

Hearing this, Liu Ze became even more panicked.

He forced himself to remain calm and rebuked him righteously.

"This is slander! My record has been spotless ever since I became a court official.

You have no proof, yet you accuse me of treason.

You are framing a loyal official and throwing the court into chaos! Just you wait, your name will be reviled for eternity!"

The entire Liu Mansion was turned upside down.

Yet, nothing was found.

Seeing the soldiers of the Tiger Roar Camp return empty-handed, Liu Ze was secretly overjoyed. ’Looks like the silver I hid in the secret room in the study wasn’t found.’

Li Ji had been observing Liu Ze the whole time, so he knew exactly what was on his mind.

Just as Liu Ze was about to seize the opportunity to lambaste Prince Zhao, the Prince suddenly spoke up.

"Was the study searched?"

Liu Ze’s heart skipped a beat.

Chen Wangbei answered truthfully, "We’ve already searched it."

Li Ji said, "Then search it again. Be more thorough this time. Don’t overlook any details.

I’ve heard that some scholars are quite fond of building things like secret rooms and hidden compartments in their studies.

Perhaps Mr. Liu has such a hobby as well."

As he spoke that last sentence, Li Ji shot a deliberate smile at Liu Ze.

It was a smile as cunning as a fox’s.

It made Liu Ze’s heart pound wildly as cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

’How could Prince Zhao possibly know there was a secret room in his study?’

’Was it a coincidence?’

’But how could such a perfect coincidence exist?!’

Liu Ze could only watch as Chen Wangbei made a beeline for the study. His face turned ghastly, and the back of his robe was almost completely soaked with cold sweat.