Chapter 672 - 675: Surrender and Be Captured

Chapter 672: Chapter 675: Surrender and Be Captured

When Hua Manman neared the palace gates, she found the area completely silent.

Other than the two guards standing by the gate, there was no one else in sight.

She lowered her head and walked over with a calm and unhurried pace.

When she reached the gate, the two guards stopped her.

One of them asked, "Which palace are you from? What are you doing here?"

Hua Manman presented her waist token.

"The Saint has just passed away, and the palace needs to prepare for the funeral. We’ve run short on supplies, so I’ve been ordered to leave the palace and purchase more."

The guard took the waist token, looked at it, then eyed her suspiciously.

"Isn’t procurement always handled by the Imperial Secretariat? Why would they send a little palace maid like you? I don’t think I’ve seen you before. Raise your head and let us have a look."

Hua Manman slowly raised her head.

At the same time, she suddenly threw a handful of dust!

The dust flew right into the guards’ faces. Caught off guard, they were blinded and thrown into confusion, and they began to shout frantically.

"Assassin!"

Hua Manman used the chaos to make a run for it.

In the next moment, however, two Yulin Guards leaped down from the palace wall, landing in front of Hua Manman and blocking her path.

Hua Manman immediately backed away, only to find that her escape route behind her had been blocked by several more Yulin Guards at some point.

Trapped from both front and back, she had no way to escape.

The Commander of the Feather Forest Guard barked sharply.

"Don’t put up a pointless struggle. Surrender peacefully!"

Hua Manman pressed her lips together, her expression ugly. "I work for Princess Consort Zhen! If you dare to touch me, she will not let you get away with it!"

The Commander of the Feather Forest Guard was skeptical of her words.

"If you really are one of Princess Consort Zhen’s people, why would you be here all by yourself?"

Hua Manman followed the voice and saw a middle-aged man step out from the crowd.

He wore a navy blue long robe, had a three-inch beard, and wore a silk headdress, looking quite refined and scholarly.

The Commander of the Feather Forest Guard immediately spoke to him.

"Mr. Zhu, we’ve caught her. What should we do next?"

Mr. Zhu said, "Take her to the Judicial Department for now. We’ll await the Crown Prince’s decision."

"Yes, sir."

The Yulin Guards swarmed forward and tied Hua Manman up tightly.

Hua Manman struggled desperately, her face red with anger. "I really am one of Princess Consort Zhen’s people! If you don’t believe me, you can go ask her!"

Mr. Zhu casually took out a silk handkerchief, crumpled it into a ball, and stuffed it into Hua Manman’s mouth, completely silencing her.

He reminded them nonchalantly,

"The Saint has just passed, so the nobles above are not in a good mood. Be careful and don’t let her disturb them."

The Yulin Guards acknowledged the order and departed.

The Judicial Department was where palace staff were punished for their mistakes.

Hua Manman had only ever heard of this place, never been here. Today was her first time.

The cells in the Judicial Department rarely saw sunlight. They looked dark and damp, and the air was filled with a musty, rotting stench. The sanitary conditions were, to put it mildly, deeply concerning.

The narrow corridor was lined with cells on both sides, many of which held prisoners.

Because of Mr. Zhu’s instructions, the Yulin Guards had specially arranged a private cell for Hua Manman.

Once the cell door was locked, the Yulin Guards left.

The look of terror and rage on Hua Manman’s face quickly faded.

She sat down on the floor, leaning against the wall, and silently began to calculate in her mind.

’At the palace gate just now, everyone’s attention was on me. No one noticed a Three-colored Cat darting out.’

’Judging by the time, the system should be on its way to the Regent Prince Mansion by now.’

She then recalled the moment she saw Mr. Zhu.

The instant she saw him, Hua Manman felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

That feeling of familiarity immediately made her think of the Main God.

’That Mr. Zhu must be the incarnation of the Main God.’

Hua Manman lifted her skirt, then rolled up her pant leg, revealing a dagger strapped to her calf.

She unstrapped the dagger and unsheathed the blade.

The sharp edge glinted with a cold, bright light.

’Now that the target is confirmed, the next step is to find an opportunity to get close to him.’

...

After returning to Yufu Palace, Princess Consort Zhen wanted to check on her second sister.

Her own survival was now precarious.

Before she died, she had to find a way to send her second sister away.

However, the nanny frantically told her,

"That Miss Hong Dou is gone!"

Princess Consort Zhen was shocked and questioned her sharply, "Didn’t I tell you to watch her closely? How could she have disappeared?"

The nanny knelt on the ground, trembling. "I-I don’t know what happened either. I always kept the key on me, but it suddenly vanished. By the time I noticed, it was too late."

Princess Consort Zhen hurried to the room where Hua Manman had been locked up to see for herself.

There were no signs of a struggle in the room, and the lock was undamaged.

Evidently, Hua Manman had somehow stolen the key, opened the door, and left quietly.

At this, Princess Consort Zhen actually breathed a sigh of relief.

’As long as she wasn’t abducted, it’s fine.’

’In a situation like this, it’s a good thing she was able to leave safely.’

Just then, Xi Xiang rushed in.

"Your Highness the Crown Prince, a message has arrived from the Yulin Guards. They say they’ve captured the person as you instructed."

Li Qiong was in a terrible mood and simply grunted in acknowledgment, saying no more.

Xi Xiang tactfully withdrew.

Princess Consort Zhen had a bad feeling.

’My second sister just left, and the Yulin Guards have already arrested someone.’

’This is too much of a coincidence.’

Princess Consort Zhen looked at Li Qiong and asked sternly, "Who did you have arrested?"

Li Qiong’s mind was currently consumed with the matter of his mother consort’s impending sacrificial death. He was so distraught that he had no mind for anything else.

His eyes were red-rimmed as he said, "Mother Consort, don’t worry about other people right now. Please think about what to do. Your son absolutely cannot stand by and watch you die."

Princess Consort Zhen frowned. "No one can alter the Saint’s final edict. First, tell me, who did you have arrested?"

Li Qiong said sullenly, "Your son does not know."

Princess Consort Zhen didn’t believe him. "How could you not know? You were the one who ordered the arrest."

Li Qiong explained, "It was Mr. Zhu who discovered a suspicious person. Worried that an assassin had snuck into the palace, your son had the Yulin Guards arrest them. Your son has never seen this person, so I truly don’t know who it is."

Princess Consort Zhen knew about Mr. Zhu.

No one knew where this Mr. Zhu came from. He was incredibly learned; one could say he knew everything from the astronomy of the heavens to the geography of the earth. There was seemingly nothing in this world he didn’t know.

Li Qiong had never met anyone as erudite and multi-talented, and he held Mr. Zhu in high esteem.

Recently, Mr. Zhu had been constantly by Li Qiong’s side. Not only did he tutor Li Qiong in his studies, but he also helped him strategize when issues arose. He was considered the person Li Qiong trusted most.

Princess Consort Zhen had once sent people to test Mr. Zhu, but the investigation revealed nothing amiss.

He appeared to be truly and utterly loyal to the Crown Prince.

As Li Qiong spoke of Mr. Zhu, an idea sparked in his mind.

"I almost forgot about Mr. Zhu! He’s so brilliant, he’s sure to have a way to save you, Mother Consort!"

With that, he immediately summoned someone and ordered them to bring Mr. Zhu over at once.