Once outside the courtyard, Meng Wan walked very quickly, whispering an instruction to Mu Ci, who was waiting at the door.
Mu Ci was clearly taken aback. "At this hour, Miss is going to the palace?"
Meng Wan then realized that it was already late at night, and the palace gates were already locked, making it impossible to enter the palace.
"In that case, remember to instruct people to prepare early tomorrow morning, as I will be going to the palace first thing in the morning."
Mu Ci agreed, and then he and Meng Wan returned to their room together. Huangfu Mi had not yet returned. He lay on the bed, clutching the button tightly, staring out with his eyes open. Meng Wan's eyes were filled with a shimmering light.
The next morning, just as dawn broke, Meng Wan hurriedly entered the palace.
As she was leaving, she ran into Huangfu Mi, who had just returned to the palace. After hearing Meng Wan's story, he intended to go with her to the Imperial Household Department to investigate, but seeing how tired he looked, Meng Wan couldn't bear it and told him to rest well. She went by herself.
Without a second thought, he went straight to the Imperial Household Department. Everything needed for the Prince of Heng's residence was provided by the Imperial Household Department, including everyone's clothes and shoes.
Some people had already heard the news and were waiting there. When they saw Meng Wan, they all knelt down. Meng Wan then raised her hand and waited for everyone to stand up before asking, "Who is in charge of the affairs of my Hengwang Mansion?"
A middle-aged eunuch stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting to Meng Wan, and said respectfully, "Your Highness, it is this servant."
"Which garment did that frog button come from, and who was it made for? You should have a record of that, right?"
"yes."
"In that case, could you look this up for me?"
Meng Wan reached out and handed the knotted button to the man, then stared at it intently. The man examined it carefully before lowering his head and saying, "Please wait a moment, Your Highness. This servant will go and check and return."
Meng Wan nodded slightly. Someone had offered her a seat, so she sat down in the hall of the Imperial Household Department and stared straight at the room the person had just gone into, her expression slightly serious.
She thought that as long as she found out who the dress was made for, she would definitely be able to find the murderer!
Thinking this, his heart was filled with hope, but just then, a questioning voice came from inside the room, followed by the sound of rummaging through chests and cabinets.
"Huh? How come the files from the Prince Heng's residence have disappeared? I clearly remember putting them here. Has any of you seen them?"
Meng Wan froze, then abruptly stood up and strode into the room. Watching the man rummaging around, she frowned: "Documents? The ones that record the internal affairs of the Prince Heng's residence?"
The man nodded repeatedly, and Meng Wan's brows furrowed even more. The file was gone, and of all times at this moment. It was absolutely impossible to call it a coincidence. Could it be that someone came to destroy it?
V61 A Series of Intrigues (Part 1)
Confused, Meng Wan frowned deeply the entire way back.
According to the people from the Imperial Household Department, all the files were placed together, and except for those from the Prince Heng's residence, none of the others were missing. It was deliberately targeting the Prince Heng's residence. She would never believe it was a coincidence.
Therefore, after returning home, she did not go back to her room, but instead went to the general store in charge of miscellaneous tasks.
Normally, items sent from the Imperial Household Department would first pass through the Miscellaneous Affairs Department. Although I had given up hope at this moment, I still had to go and inquire.
Sure enough, after reviewing the records, the tidier said to Meng Wan, "Your Highness, I have looked through the records but there is no record of this garment. The buttons are also small, so I really can't remember which garment it belongs to. Please forgive me, Your Highness."
Having learned her lesson from the Imperial Household Department, Meng Wan had already anticipated this outcome on her way to the Miscellaneous Affairs Department. She thought that if someone could steal the files from the Imperial Household Department, then the records of the Prince Heng's residence would be even easier to obtain. But who would do such a thing?
She had the ability to enter and leave the palace, and also the skill to run rampant in the Prince Heng's residence.
After much deliberation, she still couldn't come up with a solution and returned to her room with a heavy heart. Huangfu Mi was lying there fully clothed. Upon seeing her return, he immediately got up to greet her: "Why do you look so troubled? Did something not go well?"
Meng Wan nodded and recounted the events of the two places to Huangfu Mi. Finally, she said, "I've been thinking about this all the way here. There are truly very few people capable of accomplishing these two things. Plus, it's as if someone knew exactly what I was going to do and blocked me from the start, leaving me with no trace. I always feel like I'm being watched, and yet I also feel like something has been overlooked..."
"You suspect there's a mole among your people?"
“Hmm.” Meng Wan nodded: “Originally, when Huan Yan was murdered in the Prince’s mansion, it could be concluded that someone in the mansion was the murderer. Now, when I went to investigate, someone beat me to it and confirmed this. But I don’t understand. Erasing the records in the Prince’s mansion might not be difficult, but how did that person get into the palace? And how did they steal the files from the Imperial Household Department without anyone noticing? You know, the palace is heavily guarded. The only people who can freely enter and leave the entire Prince’s mansion are you and me, but neither of us would do such a thing. So, who could it be?”
"Could it be that someone is working on this from the inside?" Huangfu Mi pondered for a long time before voicing his hypothesis.
Meng Wan's eyes lit up: "An inside-outside collaboration? That's not impossible, and it explains so many coincidences. But... who could it be? The palace, or our own household?"
Meng Wan was full of fighting spirit at this moment, especially after the murderer had done so many things to cover up the evidence. She was even more certain that the murderer was in the Prince's mansion, so she believed that as long as she continued to investigate, she would definitely be able to find out the truth.
What she wanted to know most was which ruthless person had done such a cruel thing to Huan Yan, even soaking her in icy water. Just thinking about it made Meng Wan's heart harden, and she became violent.
Huangfu Mi put his arm around her shoulder and said, "It doesn't matter who it is, I just want to sleep right now. Since you can't sort out your thoughts, you should get some rest too. You look so tired. I didn't come back last night, so I guess you didn't sleep well either."
As he spoke, he forcibly pressed her onto the bed, removed her shoes and socks, and pushed her onto the bed. Then he said, "You know your own body. If this continues, you won't be able to take it. Who will investigate the truth then? Who will avenge Huanyan?"
Meng Wan knew he was just trying to persuade her to rest, but she didn't refuse. Instead, she lay down beside him as he suggested, resting her head on his arm against his chest. Her voice was almost inaudible: "Huangfu Mi, do you think I can really find the murderer? You'll definitely be able to avenge Huanyan, right?"
Huangfu Mi was extremely tired, but he still forced himself to listen. Hearing her say this, he nodded, kissed her forehead, and whispered, "Of course, it will definitely happen."
He seemed extremely tired, and his voice was slightly hoarse. Meng Wan knew that in the past two days, in addition to helping her find Huan Yan's whereabouts, he also had to take care of her. Most importantly, the border was in turmoil, and the Hua Dynasty had repeatedly invaded. The emperor had summoned all the ministers for several days to discuss countermeasures, and Huangfu Mi had not slept for a day and a night.
Thinking of this, she reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist, pressing herself close to him. Inhaling the faint scent of ambergris and hearing his steady breathing, she closed her eyes, feeling a sense of peace in her heart.
--
When he woke up, Huangfu Mi was nowhere to be seen. According to Mu Ci, someone from the palace came to invite him over, as if there was something he needed to discuss.
Meng Wan guessed that it was related to the instability on the border. She was worried but powerless to do anything about it. She could only pray that everything would be peaceful and that the storm would pass as soon as possible.
After lying on the bed for a while, she got up, intending to wash up and sort out the whole story of Huanyan's incident. But as soon as she got out of bed, she saw Huangfu Mi rushing in with a gloomy expression.
It seemed that nothing good had happened these past two days, and seeing him like this now, Meng Wan's heart sank, and she felt uneasy.
"You're awake." Before he could finish speaking, Huangfu Mi strode into the room. He was walking so fast that his forehead was covered in sweat, and his voice was not as calm as usual, sounding slightly anxious.
Meng Wan nodded, feeling uneasy, but remained silent. She simply took a handkerchief and wiped his sweat before asking, "Why were you walking so fast? Did something happen?"
Huangfu Mi nodded, and led Meng Wan into the house, saying, "Let's go inside first and talk."