Now that the prince is gone, there is only one adult male master in this manor, Mu Yunhe. But can Mu Yunhe be considered a master? He is just a sickly man. And she has made up her mind not to let Mu Yunhe live any longer!
As for who will be buried with you, then Luo Zhiheng will do. Mu Yunhe, look how good I am to you, I've even chosen someone to be buried with you. But after you die, don't choose me as your burial companion. If you must resent someone, then only resent your mother and that damned Luo Zhiheng!
"Mother, let's go see Yunhe. You don't know how amazing that doctor is! Yunhe has only been treated by him for a few days, and he has already miraculously improved. I think that after a while, Yunhe might be able to lead troops into battle like the Prince." Luo Zhiheng led the Princess back home affectionately. Her words seemed unintentional, but they were actually meant for the women to hear.
Her profile held the most docile smile, but out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of Consort Li's incredulous expression. She laughed mockingly. Shocked? Unbelievable? This was just the beginning. Don't rush, we'll take it slow!
Even after the princess sat down in Mu Yunhe's room, she was still in a daze, and even Madam Hu was still in shock and numbness.
Seeing his mother's expression, Mu Yunhe gathered his hands, his handsome brows standing out against his pale skin like ink stains on rice paper, a softness tinged with the fragrance of ink, exuding an aloofness: "Mother, what's wrong? Did someone bully Luo Zhiheng?"
Luo Zhiheng certainly didn't know what to say. Should she tell Mu Yunhe that her mother was actually terrified by her?
Suddenly, Mrs. Hu burst into laughter, but as she laughed, a huge cry of sorrow broke out in her voice. The laughter and crying were almost comical, but Mrs. Hu's indescribable feelings were a mixture of grief and indignation, and a sense of cathartic relief, as if the pent-up anger that had been suppressed for a long time had finally been released.
Suddenly, Madam Hu burst into tears, saying, "My lady, my lady, it's been so hard! It feels so good! Today is truly wonderful! I've wanted to say these things to Consort Li for a long time, but I didn't dare. I've always been afraid of getting you and the young master into trouble. I feel so aggrieved. For so many years, we've been living at the mercy of that vixen. Even the money for the young master's life-saving medicine was claimed to be paid by her."
"Bah! She has no shame at all. With her wicked heart, how could she spend so much money on medicine for our young master? That's clearly the prince's money! She even tries to embellish it herself! She's shameless; she's almost completely disgraced our manor! This old servant has been afraid to tell you, because I don't believe the prince doesn't know about this. The prince doesn't care about us; he still resents us because of what happened back then. But our young master is the prince's own flesh and blood, and he was also a victim in that incident. How can the prince be so biased? Only favoring that vixen? Master, what the young princess said today really resonated with me! It was so satisfying! We should have scolded her to her face!"
Mrs. Hu rambled on incoherently, but every word seemed to carry a deep-seated hatred. Her words were clearly words that had been hidden in her heart for a long time. Each sentence she uttered carried a strong sense of resentment and decay, making everyone who heard it feel a deep sense of sorrow.
The princess gradually came to her senses and murmured, "Yes, I never knew that you could insult someone like that. You know it's directed at you, but you can still shut them down with the next sentence, leaving them speechless even if they know they're being insulted. It's like a mute eating bitter melon—you can't express your suffering, right? Yes, it's quite satisfying. At least I don't have to see that person pretending to be a benevolent hypocrite when they're clearly a villain."
"That makes sense, Your Highness. Let's not keep putting up with everything from now on. It's exhausting. When the Prince was alive, we were always being squeezed out. Now that he's gone, they'll definitely become even more aggressive. If we continue to endure it, it'll be our young prince who suffers the most." Madam Hu had truly seen something amazing today. She was thoroughly entertained by Luo Zhiheng's eloquent and scathing insults. Madam Hu vowed to learn how to use them to deal with those shameless women.
"Yes, there's no need to continue to endure this. Today they actually dared to ride roughshod over me. They may not take me seriously, but Yunhe is the young prince, the proper master of this palace. How dare those lowly people criticize and gossip about him?" The princess also had a fierce anger in her chest that she couldn't vent, and she breathed a sigh of relief at this moment.
Mu Yunhe was completely confused. Seeing Luo Zhiheng watching with a smile on her face, he couldn't stand being treated like background noise any longer, so he tugged at Luo Zhiheng and asked, "What's going on?"
Before Luo Zhiheng could even speak, Madam Hu rushed forward, supported Mu Yunhe, and excitedly recounted Luo Zhiheng's valiant battle. Of course, her account was exaggerated, portraying her as invincible.
After hearing this, Mu Yunhe just kept glancing at Luo Zhiheng, his expression completely unconvinced that she was surprised by how well Luo Zhiheng could curse. Xiao Xizi, on the other hand, had a very complex expression, shifting between admiration, surprise, and resentment, making Luo Zhiheng quite tired of watching.
The wet nurse served tea to the princess, who then took Luo Zhiheng's hand and said earnestly, "Heng'er, I know you stood up for me today because you couldn't stand by and watch. I stopped you before because I was afraid you would suffer. After all, they outnumbered you, and the palace is in Consort Li's hands. The prince trusts her, and no one else can compare to her. I will remember what happened today, but you must never act so impulsively again, understand?"
Luo Zhiheng obediently said, "I remember, Mother. But I really can't bear to see you suffer and do nothing. Yunhe would be sad too, wouldn't he? I don't want Yunhe to think that I didn't protect you well."
The princess's eyes were red. What words could be more heartwarming and comforting than these? Every word Luo Zhiheng spoke mentioned Mu Yunhe, which meant that she cared about Mu Yunhe. Luo Zhiheng's words also directly told her that she cared about the princess because she cared about Mu Yunhe.
The princess didn't care about being behind Mu Yunhe in line, because the one in front of her was her son.
"Good child, Mother understands. But you must also protect yourself. You must be extremely careful with Consort Li." The princess always seemed to have something to say but couldn't.
Although Luo Zhiheng didn't know what abilities Consort Li possessed that made the people in the Prince's mansion so afraid of her, she wasn't afraid at all. She would use her bandit-like methods on these delicate women, and she didn't believe they could withstand it. Even if they could, didn't she still have a finishing move? What was there to be afraid of! 129.
Several days passed at a leisurely pace. During these days, there seemed to be no mysterious impact from Luo Zhiheng's outburst that day. Everyone in the Prince's mansion continued with their daily activities without any gossip. However, yesterday morning, a female corpse was discovered in the backyard of the mansion, and the body was confirmed to be that of Wang Shi.
It is said that he committed suicide by jumping into a well, and that it was a suicide out of fear of punishment!
The Prince's Mansion praised Consort Li's wisdom and prowess, saying that Consort Li had caught Wang Shi in a compromising situation. This Wang Shi dared to use the little power Consort Li gave her to enrich herself, and the amount of money she embezzled was enormous. Consort Li was prepared to publicly try Wang Shi in front of everyone in the Prince's Mansion today.
Then, coincidentally, Wang died the day before the public trial. She committed suicide out of fear of punishment.
What a ridiculous reason, so absurd that no one would believe it! But who dares to say it's not true? If it's not true, then find something true. Who dares to say that this was Consort Li's way of making an example of someone in a fit of rage? In fact, everyone knows in their hearts that Consort Li made her move, and that move ended in bloodshed and death!
This is also a warning to Luo Zhiheng. You think you're so dramatic and troublesome? You want a result? Well, I'll give you one: will death extinguish the fire in your heart?
As a result, rumors spread throughout the Prince's mansion, implying that Luo Zhiheng had driven Wang Shi to her death. They claimed that if Luo Zhiheng hadn't been pressing Consort Li for an explanation, Wang Shi wouldn't have died, and the Prince's youngest daughter wouldn't have become a motherless child.
When Luo Zhiheng heard that Wang Shi had died, her first reaction was that it was a conspiracy. But when she heard the messages, she laughed.
Consort Li is quite cunning. Is she so ruthless that she's willing to sacrifice her own personal guards to put Luo Zhiheng to death? It's just a pity that her trick is nothing new. Luo Zhiheng smiled sweetly and quietly poured the bowl of medicine that the fraudulent doctor had obtained into a flowerpot next to her, then covered it with soil to keep the surface moist.
Mu Yunhe hasn't taken this medicine for many days. Although his condition is worse than before, he feels more comfortable. Recently, Luo Zhiheng has been deliberately eating in the room every day, leaving a lot of food for Mu Yunhe. Even if he can't eat much, he should at least eat a little, and most of it is liquid food.
In the past, Mu Yunhe had to take medicine, which made him lose his appetite. Over the years, this irregular eating habits caused his health to deteriorate. Even under these circumstances, his family and he himself insisted on following the doctor's orders and never considered changing them.
Since the previous methods didn't work, they were proven wrong. Luo Zhiheng, bold as ever, decided to do the opposite. Since there was no medicine available now, she'd eat first; and even when medicine became available later, she'd eat first. 15384257
After eating a little bit of food at every meal for so many days, Mu Yunhe gradually regained his strength, and his whole spirit changed. It was as if a withered and dying tree had sprouted new buds before it died, tender and green, full of vitality.
Both of them were happy with the situation. Now their biggest worry was not knowing where to find a doctor to examine Mu Yunhe and see if he was getting better. However, they could not easily find a doctor because it would easily expose Mu Yunhe's true condition and attract malicious attention.
The two chose to endure it for the time being, but they couldn't keep groping in the dark like this forever. Luo Zhiheng thought for a moment and found her wet nurse, asking her to go out of the manor to get her some medical knowledge. She didn't expect her to learn medicine, but at least she should understand some of the principles involved.
Luo Zhiheng paid for the books, but she didn't seem to care at all. Mu Yunhe was even a little touched, but he coldly asked, "You miser, don't you care about your money?"
Books were very expensive in this era, so Mu Yunhe didn't believe that Luo Zhiheng's generosity was due to concern for his illness.
As a result, Luo Zhiheng said with a smile, "This money was given to me by your father, who told me to be responsible for spending it on you."
Mu Yunhe fell silent, realizing he shouldn't think highly of this woman, as she was practically the source of all evil, capable of destroying anyone who dared to speak kind words to him.
The wet nurse went out in the morning and didn't return until noon. She brought back not only a box of medical books, but also some bad news.
“Miss, there are rumors about you everywhere. They say you are domineering and tyrannical in the Prince’s mansion, and that you even forced the Prince’s beloved concubine to her death. It’s outrageous! Tell me… tell me…” The wet nurse’s eyes reddened with anxiety, but she still found it difficult to say those words.
"What are you saying? Are you saying I should die? That someone like me doesn't deserve to live? How could we have such a vicious woman like me? Is that it?" Luo Zhiheng said slowly.
"More or less." The wet nurse was anxious and agitated; these words were going to ruin her young mistress's life.
"They've all said that, aren't you afraid?" Mu Yunhe had a new understanding of Luo Zhiheng's calmness. At this moment, this woman seemed unfathomable and confident. She seemed to have calculated something.
"What's there to be afraid of? Will being afraid solve anything?" Luo Zhiheng calmly sat there wiping the box. The bottom line inside was what the prince had given her before he left. He said it could suppress everything in the palace, including any prominent person outside. But Luo Zhiheng couldn't be sure if this thing was really that powerful.
Mu Yunhe was a little out of breath from her tough answer. Actually, the person in front of him wasn't a woman, was she? She should be a man. Such a manly answer was even tougher than his own.
"Hey, are you waiting for something?" As his health gradually improved, Mu Yunhe's voice was no longer so weak.
"Hmph!" Luo Zhiheng snorted and ignored Mu Yunhe. She needed to focus on saving her life.
Should she use this secret weapon or not? Logically, it's not a critical moment yet, and she's worried that using it now would be a waste of its potential. But if she doesn't use it, can she escape this calamity?
From the moment that woman died, she began to think things through. It must be that Lady Wang had some important leverage over Consort Li, and Consort Li, fearing that Lady Wang would be driven to desperation and reveal her secret, also knew that Lady Wang was a sweet-talking but malicious person—eloquent on the surface but ruthless behind the scenes. Such a person was absolutely impossible to guard against, so Consort Li, fearing that Lady Wang would expose her secrets, killed her.
However, this wasn't the end; it was clearly a multi-pronged scheme. Before committing the murder, Consort Li released information that made Wang's suicide believable, convincing everyone that she had a motive for suicide. Then, Wang died naturally, and Luo Zhiheng, having had an argument with her, could be seen as the trigger for her suicide. In other words, framing someone was the follow-up to this plan.
Because Luo Zhiheng and Wang Shi had an argument, Luo Zhiheng is a suspect in Wang Shi's death.
Luo Zhiheng had already anticipated this. Then, rumors began to circulate, once again confirming Luo Zhiheng's suspicions. So what's next? To kill her, they need a legitimate reason. Since Consort Li dared to do this, she must have sufficient evidence to 'prove' that Luo Zhiheng was the murderer.
This Consort Li is truly a petty person. She'd kill to vent her anger over a mere verbal dispute. Even if Lady Wang was the prince's concubine, she was still just a concubine; killing her is definitely different from killing Luo Zhiheng. At the very least, Luo Zhiheng was Mu Yunhe's lawfully wedded wife, the one he formally married and acknowledged through wedding rites.
A concubine could die inexplicably in the Prince's mansion, but a Princess Consort could never die inexplicably. Luo Zhiheng could understand this, and so could Consort Li. Therefore, Consort Li couldn't kill her herself; she had to rely on external forces. But who were these external forces?
She stroked the box, its dense patterns mirroring Luo Zhiheng's complex and conflicted emotions. Something felt off. What had she overlooked? What else did Consort Li want?
"It's terrible! Officials have come to arrest someone. They say the young princess is suspected of murder and they're going to bring her to justice for trial!" A maid rushed in, panting.
Here they come! Luo Zhiheng's lowered eyes suddenly opened, a gleam in them. She hadn't expected it; they were using government officials to deal with her. Luo Zhiheng pursed her lips, a little excited. Was this what it felt like to meet a worthy opponent? Then let's have a showdown and see who's truly superior!
"Don't go in!" It was the girl's sharp voice. Like a mother hen protecting her chicks, she spread her arms and blocked the doorway, preventing those hawks and hounds from entering.
This undoubtedly angered Zhi. "Get out of the way! If you obstruct official business again, we'll arrest you and throw you in the death row," the officer said fiercely, reaching out to shove the girl.
Unexpectedly, the slightly chubby girl grabbed the officer's wrist and, with a forceful movement, threw him away. The other officers swarmed forward, but the girl possessed immense strength and was incredibly resilient, showing no fear of these frail men. She adopted a fighting stance, displaying an aura of unparalleled power, and beat the officers until they were bruised and battered.
The girl was so powerful that the courtyard was quiet. Everyone was shocked by this girl who had been doing the most work and eating the most recently, but speaking the least! Those who had bullied her before were immediately afraid. They hadn't realized that the girl was hiding her true strength.
The girl got into the swing of things, her little face flushed, and she excitedly yelled at the group of people who were lying on their backs, "You're not allowed to bully my young lady anymore! Anyone who dares to come near me, I'll kill them!"
Luo Zhiheng watched with a smile until the officers' fighting skills decreased and they could no longer pose a threat to her. Only then did Luo Zhiheng step forward with a serious expression and say, "Girl, don't be rude." The girl obediently retreated behind Luo Zhiheng.
The officer nearly vomited blood. Couldn't you have said that sooner? I was beaten half to death before you finally spoke?
Luo Zhiheng paid no attention to the resentful looks from the officials, and instead smiled and asked, "What brings you here, gentlemen?"
The officers stood up, and one of them, looking fierce, said, "You're Luo Zhiheng?"
"That's right." Luo Zhiheng replied gracefully and did not deny it.
"That's right. Come with us immediately. We suspect you're involved in a murder case." The officers took out chains and were about to lock him up.
Suddenly, the maidservant darted out and kicked the official so hard he fell flat on his back. Luo Zhiheng then scolded the maidservant to step back, and then, still with that smiling face, said, "Gentlemen, please be more civilized. It's not good to lay hands on a woman like me. Besides, you only know my name is Luo Zhiheng, but do you know who I am?"
"I'm sure you all don't know this, otherwise you wouldn't have barged in so recklessly, specifically asking to arrest Luo Zhiheng. I am the wife of Prince Mu Yunhe, the principal wife. You are not qualified to arrest me. If you want to arrest me, find someone more presentable."
Luo Zhiheng's words cut off the words the officials were about to say. Before they could even utter a proper reply, the woman's rapid-fire remarks overwhelmed them. The officials were furious, but because Luo Zhiheng had spoken out, they couldn't pretend not to know and continue arresting people.
"Princess? Even princes are subject to the same laws as commoners. Is a princess more noble than a prince? How about this, considering your special status, you will come with us. We won't chain you up anymore. As long as we find out you are not involved in this murder case, we will release you." The official changed his approach to negotiation.
"A murder case? I didn't kill anyone, you've got the wrong person." Luo Zhiheng said with a faint smile, but there was a hint of murderous intent in her smile.
She thought, she finally understood where the problem lay. She might have overlooked a very important key, and that was Mu Yunhe!
Could this plan be considered a two-birds-with-one-stone strategy? No, it should be a three-birds-with-one-stone strategy!
Lady Wang was the first eagle; her death more or less solved some of Consort Li's troubles and also got rid of someone vying for favor.
The second target should be herself. Consort Li framed her through the death of Lady Wang. Unable to act herself, she used the government to suppress her. This is evident from the fact that the officials were able to enter the inner quarters of the Prince's residence so easily; someone must have deliberately let them in. And this person must have the ability to let others in, and Consort Li fits the bill perfectly.
Luo Zhiheng had been wondering why they hadn't tried to get rid of her after they came in, instead of causing trouble for her here. But during that instant of being cremated, she finally understood.
Consort Li's third target is Mu Yunhe!! Consort Li is trying to lure the tiger away from the mountain. Only by getting rid of her and no longer by Mu Yunhe's side can Mu Yunhe be like a tiger without claws and teeth, completely defenseless, and destined to be slaughtered at will.
Consort Li was very clever. She knew that the death of Lady Wang alone would not be enough to bring down Luo Zhiheng. So she used a feint and a diversionary tactic to make Luo Zhiheng focus on herself and neglect Mu Yunhe, who needed protection. This gave Consort Li the opportunity to take action against Mu Yunhe.
Given Consort Li's ruthlessness, her actions are bound to cause casualties. And once Mu Yunhe dies, Luo Zhiheng will be doomed as well—another example of killing without leaving a trace! In the end, looking at the whole situation, Consort Li stands alone on the high mountain, her robes fluttering, a chess piece in hand. One move she makes could be a complete wipeout!
This wasn't a meticulously planned scheme, yet it pressed forward relentlessly, each move fraught with danger; a single misstep could lead to total defeat!
Luo Zhiheng, having figured all this out, felt a chill run down her spine. What a close call! She had almost been fooled by this final step. And it seemed that this Consort Li was definitely not just a woman who relied on her beauty to win favor; her scheming and deep-seated cunning were truly terrifying.
If Luo Zhiheng hadn't learned all sorts of strange things from that newcomer who had returned from studying abroad, heard many stories, and read numerous case-solving notes and military strategies, she would surely have perished in this not-so-clever but absolutely ruthless killing trap today.
At this moment, Luo Zhiheng secretly rejoiced. Heaven was indeed kind to everyone. It brought her to this unfamiliar place, but allowed her to protect herself and those in need of protection because of some things she had learned. Wasn't this a blessing and good fortune?
Having identified the crux of the problem, Luo Zhiheng calmed down. She absolutely could not leave Mu Yunhe's side for even a moment, otherwise it would likely be a mistake she would deeply regret. Therefore, she had to get rid of this group of people as soon as possible and completely!
"Please don't make things difficult for us, Your Highness. We are just following orders," the official said with an unfriendly expression.
Luo Zhiheng suddenly said ruthlessly, "Since that's the case, then tell me if you have any evidence to prove that I killed him? Produce credible evidence, and I'll go with you. Otherwise, I'll arrest you and charge you with the serious crime of trespassing into the inner quarters of the Prince's residence, and execute you all..."
She suddenly froze, wondering what terrible punishments were being used here. Just then, Mu Yunhe's hoarse voice rang out: "Anyone who dares to slander my queen, be beaten to death on the spot!"
Mu Yunhe spoke softly, his voice weak from illness, yet his words carried the weight of a thousand pieces of gold. Though not exactly resounding, they exuded an unyielding and domineering aura.
The officials were shocked to find that the supposedly sickly man had actually spoken. Their faces changed, and they were at a loss for what to do. They were sweating profusely, regretting that they shouldn't have taken on this case. It was perfectly normal for someone to die in the Prince's mansion, but they had to make such a fuss.
Luo Zhiheng's eyes lit up: "Didn't you hear what the young prince said? Hurry up and tell me, what evidence do you have to arrest me?"
"This...this..." The official hesitated, but with the young prince backing Luo Zhiheng, even if Consort Li was powerful, they dared not offend the future master of the palace. The official then said, "It was a strip of cloth found on the deceased's body. Someone said they'd seen similar clothing on the young princess as well..."
Luo Zhiheng's eyes darted around, and after confirming her thoughts, she asked, "Did you bring the evidence?"
"I brought it!" The official didn't hide anything and took out a red cloth strip from his pocket.
Luo Zhiheng laughed. How could an official possibly keep evidence on his person so easily, especially such ordinary silk? Luo Zhiheng then devised a plan to escape.