Chapter 677 - 680: Cooperation

Chapter 677: Chapter 680: Cooperation

「Outside the room.」

The Crown Prince, Li Qiong, was pressing his ear to the door, listening to the conversation inside.

This was the method Mr. Zhu had proposed.

He would lead the conversation and lure Hua Manman into revealing the truth.

As long as she personally admitted to being Hua Manman, Li Qiong could believe everything Mr. Zhu had said.

「Inside the room.」

Mr. Zhu watched the changes in her expression as he continued to coax her.

"Why do you think we know you’re Hua Manman?

It’s because someone told us your true identity.

You are Princess Consort Zhen’s younger sister. She values you greatly, but she is also a mother.

In a mother’s heart, nothing is more important than her own child.

Princess Consort Zhen is doing all this to help the Crown Prince secure his throne. I hope you can understand her."

Hua Manman pressed her lips together, her expression stubborn.

"I don’t know what you’re talking about."

Mr. Zhu sighed, looking helpless.

"At this point, there’s no use playing dumb. Why don’t you sit down and have a proper talk with us?

If you can just do us a small favor, we’ll let you go.

A win-win situation for both of us. How about it?"

Hua Manman turned her head away, closed her eyes, and pretended to be asleep.

She was making it clear she had no intention of cooperating.

Mr. Zhu didn’t give up. "I have the latest news about your Regent King. Don’t you want to know?"

Hua Manman’s eyelashes fluttered slightly.

Of course, she desperately wanted to know about Li Ji’s current situation.

But reason told her the man before her was a devil.

’I can’t believe a single word this devil says!’

Seeing that she remained unmoved, Mr. Zhu had to change his approach, his tone hardening.

"Don’t forget, the people of the Regent Prince Mansion are still locked up in the Ministry of Justice’s prison. If you refuse to cooperate, the Crown Prince will order them to be killed, one by one. He’ll even have their heads sent to you for your personal inspection."

Hua Manman’s eyes snapped open.

She stared daggers at Mr. Zhu. ’This bastard is actually threatening me with the people from the Regent Prince Mansion!’

Faced with her fury, Mr. Zhu just smiled faintly.

"I recall you have a manor, don’t you? With quite a few people living on it. If the people from the Regent Prince Mansion aren’t enough to kill, we can kill the people from your manor one by one, until you agree to cooperate. What do you think?"

Hua Manman’s eyes turned red with anger. She wished she could kill this shameless villain right now!

The angrier she got, the calmer Mr. Zhu became.

He asked with perfect composure.

"Why don’t we start with the steward of the Regent Prince Mansion? I believe his name is Gao Shan."

Hua Manman could no longer bear it. She propped herself up on the bed with her hands, struggling to sit up, and said in a hoarse voice.

"Gao Shan is an old-timer from the Imperial Palace. He once served the late Emperor. He’s not just some nobody. You can’t act so recklessly!"

Mr. Zhu retorted, "How would you know Gao Shan’s history? Do you know him?"

Hua Manman immediately shut her mouth and fell silent again.

Mr. Zhu chuckled, his tone casual.

"So what if he served the late Emperor? He’s just a servant, hardly worth mentioning.

Now that the Regent King has committed treason and rebelled, Gao Shan, as his trusted confidant, is naturally an accomplice.

Is there a problem with the Crown Prince wanting to execute a criminal servant?"

Hua Manman gritted her teeth. "Treason and rebellion? That’s just a trumped-up charge! You can always find an excuse to condemn someone!"

Because of the intense emotional fluctuation, combined with her extreme physical weakness,

the moment she finished speaking, she couldn’t help but gasp for breath. Her face grew even paler, and an unnatural flush appeared at the corners of her eyes.

Mr. Zhu’s smile vanished. He spoke, enunciating each word clearly.

"This isn’t some trumped-up charge. The Regent King has already raised an army in Lingnan and is marching on Tianjing. This is blatant treason, an attempt to usurp the throne!

On this charge alone, we can execute everyone in your Regent Prince Mansion!"

Hua Manman froze for a moment, then a look of understanding dawned on her face.

"So that’s how it is."

She glanced toward the door out of the corner of her eye, and the corners of her pale lips curled up into a cold, mocking smirk.

"So it’s because the Regent King raised an army that the little Crown Prince is in a panic, forced to come groveling to me to negotiate. Truly worthy of someone raised in the Imperial Palace. You haven’t learned a single thing about serving the country and its people, but you’ve mastered the art of scheming and backstabbing."

Outside the door, Li Qiong bit his lip.

Although he was mentally far more mature than his peers, he was still just a half-grown boy who had yet to see the world.

Hearing someone mock him so coldly,

he couldn’t help but feel humiliated, and his expression turned ugly.

Mr. Zhu, in contrast, was far more experienced.

He paid no mind to Hua Manman’s mockery, maintaining his usual calm and composed demeanor.

"The Crown Prince is Princess Consort Zhen’s son, which makes him your nephew. You even saved his life when he was sick as a child. You can’t have no feelings for him at all. As long as you can help him resolve this current crisis, he will surely repay you handsomely in the future. He won’t let you have helped for nothing."

Hua Manman let out a self-deprecating laugh. "I must have been blind to have saved such an ungrateful wretch."

Mr. Zhu said, "You can’t say that. The Crown Prince is exceptionally intelligent and destined for greatness. He won’t disappoint you."

Hua Manman laughed out loud as if she had just heard the most ridiculous joke in the world.

"Destined for greatness?

Is it knowing the Regent King was framed and still refusing to help clear his name, content to watch from the sidelines and reap the rewards?

Or is it using the life of a weak woman like me to threaten the Regent King into retreating and surrendering?

In him, I see none of the tolerance, reason, or justice that an enlightened ruler should possess.

All I see is selfishness, shamelessness, and contemptibility!

Even if a person like him becomes Emperor, he will just be like his father—willing to use any means necessary and disregard all morality for the sake of power!"

Every word she spoke was like a slap, striking Li Qiong across the face one after another.

He could take it no longer. He threw the door open and strode inside.

"You have some nerve, daring to insult my father, the Emperor!"

Hua Manman looked toward the sound and saw Li Qiong barge in, fuming.

Mr. Zhu stood and bowed to Li Qiong with his hands clasped.

"Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince."

A normal person would have panicked after being caught bad-mouthing someone behind their back.

But Hua Manman was exceptionally calm.

"Your Highness must have been standing outside the door for quite some time. To think that the dignified Crown Prince has a habit of eavesdropping. It’s truly been an eye-opening experience for me."

Li Qiong had been raised as the Crown Prince since birth, always the center of attention. When had he ever been so humiliated?

He was so angry his face turned red, and he gritted his teeth.

"Insolent! Believe it or not, I could have you killed right now!"

Hua Manman smiled fearlessly. "Then you’d better think carefully. If I die, you’ll have to figure out how to deal with the Regent King on your own. Are you sure you can defeat him on the battlefield?"

Li Qiong was thoroughly enraged.

Worried he might do something impulsive in his anger, Mr. Zhu had to step in and try to placate him.

"Your Highness, please calm down. Don’t stoop to her level."