Chapter 676 - 679: Gentle Persuasion

Chapter 676: Chapter 679: Gentle Persuasion

When Li Qiong returned to his residence, he found Mr. Zhu standing in the corridor, looking as if he were waiting for him.

He couldn’t help but ask.

"It’s so late. Why aren’t you in bed, Mr. Zhu?"

Mr. Zhu cupped his hands in a salute. "Your Highness must have just returned from Yufu Palace. What did the Noble Consort have to say?"

Li Qiong pressed his lips together. "My mother denied my suspicions. She said the dead cannot be brought back to life and told me to get some rest and stop letting my imagination run wild."

Mr. Zhu asked, "Does Your Highness believe what the Noble Consort said?"

Li Qiong answered without hesitation.

"She is my mother. Of course I believe what she says."

Mr. Zhu smiled faintly. "In that case, Your Highness should simply pretend nothing has happened. Please get some rest. I will take my leave."

Seeing him turn to leave without a hint of argument, Li Qiong couldn’t help but call out to him.

"Wait."

Mr. Zhu said with the utmost respect, "Does Your Highness have any further instructions?"

Emotionally, Li Qiong wanted to believe his mother.

But his rational mind told him he couldn’t completely trust her words.

For all these years, his mother had been wracked with guilt over the death of the Regent Queen. If the Regent Queen had truly returned from the dead, his mother would undoubtedly do everything in her power to protect her.

Li Qiong said, "Tomorrow, take me to see that woman."

Seeing is believing.

He had to see the woman for himself before he could make a decision.

Mr. Zhu was not at all surprised by this outcome and replied calmly.

"As you wish."

「The next morning.」

Li Qiong went to the Judicial Department in person, accompanied by Mr. Zhu.

Through the small window in the cell door, the two of them saw Hua Manman locked inside.

She was sitting on the ice-cold ground, her back against the wall. Her head was bowed and she was completely still, as if asleep.

The food that had been placed by the door was stone cold.

It looked as though it hadn’t been touched.

Mr. Zhu looked at the prison guard standing nearby and asked.

"Why isn’t she eating?"

The prison guard didn’t dare hide anything and answered truthfully, "The young lady hasn’t eaten or drunk anything since she was brought in. You instructed us not to torture her, so we can’t force her. We can only leave her be."

Mr. Zhu frowned.

Counting the days, it had been three days since Hua Manman was locked up.

She hadn’t eaten a thing for three whole days.

’No wonder she’s so still. She’s probably fainted from hunger.’

Mr. Zhu immediately ordered someone to open the cell door and check on Hua Manman.

The prison guard went to her side and called her name twice. When she didn’t respond, he reached out and gave her a push.

She simply slid down and collapsed on the ground.

The prison guard hurriedly said to Mr. Zhu and the Crown Prince.

"She’s fainted!"

Hua Manman was of great use to Mr. Zhu, so he certainly couldn’t stand by and watch her starve to death. He immediately said to the Crown Prince,

"We must summon an Imperial Physician to see her at once. If she dies, no one will be able to control Li Ji."

Li Qiong looked at the woman on the ground.

His mother had once told him that his aunt had held him when he was just a baby.

But he had still been in swaddling clothes back then, and his memory of that time was a blur. He couldn’t remember his aunt’s face at all.

Therefore, he couldn’t tell if the woman before him was really the Regent Queen.

He saw Mr. Zhu’s solemn expression and knew he wasn’t joking. In the end, he chose to trust him and ordered someone to fetch an Imperial Physician.

When Hua Manman woke up, she found she was no longer in a prison cell.

She was lying on a bed, and her surroundings were completely unfamiliar.

"You’re awake?"

Hua Manman looked toward the source of the voice and saw Mr. Zhu sitting at a desk.

She instinctively tensed up, her body going on high alert.

"Who are you?"

Mr. Zhu held a cup of hot tea, a gentle smile on his face. He looked at Hua Manman with a gaze full of tolerance and loving kindness.

He looked like an elder gazing upon a junior member of his own family.

It made Hua Manman’s skin crawl.

Mr. Zhu said, "My surname is Zhu. You may call me Mr. Zhu."

Hua Manman asked, "Where am I? Why did you kidnap me?"

As she spoke, she slipped a hand under the covers, secretly reaching for her calf.

She felt the familiar, hard object of her dagger and breathed a silent sigh of relief.

Mr. Zhu said, "You can ask me anything you want. As long as it’s something I know, I will tell you. But before that, you must drink this bowl of porridge."

He tapped his finger on the desk.

A bowl of millet porridge sat on the desk.

Hua Manman said warily, "How do I know you haven’t drugged the food?"

Mr. Zhu replied, "You are very important to us. We would never harm you."

Doubt was written all over Hua Manman’s face.

Mr. Zhu sounded helpless. "If I wanted to harm you, you’d already be dead. Why would I go to all this trouble?"

Hua Manman pursed her lips. "I’ve heard some people are just sick in the head. They think simply killing someone is too boring, so they set traps and play games to enjoy the thrill of having someone in the palm of their hand. Who’s to say you aren’t one of those sickos?"

Mr. Zhu was speechless.

Since words were failing, he had no choice but to prove it with his actions.

He picked up the bowl of millet porridge and took a drink.

"I’ve drunk some of the porridge now. If it’s poisoned, I’ll be the first to suffer. Surely you can trust me now?"

Hua Manman countered, "What if you took an antidote beforehand?"

Mr. Zhu set the bowl down. "What will it take to get you to eat?"

Hua Manman said, "It’s simple. Set me free."

Mr. Zhu slowly and deliberately replied with a single word.

"Impossible."

Hua Manman lay back down, crossing her hands over her chest like a corpse.

"Then you can just watch me starve to death."

Mr. Zhu said, "If you die, you’ll never see your husband and son again. Can you bear to leave them behind?"

Hua Manman closed her eyes, pretending she hadn’t heard a thing.

Mr. Zhu continued his patient persuasion.

"Knowing how much Li Ji cares for you, he’ll surely go mad if he learns of your death. Can you bear to watch him suffer because of you?"

Hua Manman’s eyelashes fluttered, but she still didn’t respond.

"And then there’s Li Xun. He grew up without a mother and has always yearned for your affection. Now that you’ve finally come back, you’re going to leave him again. Have you ever considered how much that would hurt him?"

Even though Hua Manman knew he was deliberately trying to manipulate her, she couldn’t stop the ache in her heart.

She remembered the anguished expressions on Li Ji and Li Xun’s faces when she disappeared.

She didn’t want to put them through that kind of pain ever again.

Mr. Zhu spoke like a senior instructing a junior, his tone filled with concern.

"Whatever you plan to do, you must first ensure your own survival. Only by staying alive can you spare your husband and son the pain of being separated from you by death once more."

Hua Manman opened her eyes, turned her head to look at Mr. Zhu, and replied expressionlessly.

"I don’t know any Li Ji or Li Xun. I have no idea what you’re talking about."

Mr. Zhu said calmly, "There’s no need to play dumb. Princess Consort Zhen has already told us everything. You are Hua Manman, her younger sister."

Hua Manman’s heart sank.