Chapter 142 Sincerity
Gao Huan's words were resounding and hit Yuan Chizheng squarely on the head.
Yuan Chi suddenly realized that what this guy said made sense. He was so smart, no wonder he was favored!
As it turns out, being easily swayed is not suitable for doing anything. Even if the person is your enemy, you can easily be led astray.
Gao Huan said disdainfully, "You clearly have an advantage, but you don't take advantage of it. You're incredibly stupid."
"It's all your fault! You stole all my work!"
Yuan Chi was feeling incredibly frustrated.
Both of them had their fathers killed, yet they still tried to win favor through subtle means—their character traits are identical!
Gao Huan was jumping and dancing around, fawning to the extreme, so Gao Huan didn't even get a chance to show his face.
His career advancement opportunities were blocked by this shrewd scholar!
Gao Huan sneered, "Are you stupid? Is that the only trick you know? I have no bottom line here, so why don't you do the exact opposite? You cry for your father every day, acting very filial and principled! Wouldn't that ignite His Majesty's desire to conquer?"
Yuan Chi was shocked; he hadn't expected this to happen.
Gao Huan continued to mock, "To put it bluntly, Your Majesty's harem is just a collection of all sorts of people. You have to be interesting for her to even look at you! You don't even understand this simple principle, and all you do is complain about me. You'll never be favored in this lifetime! I'll teach you slowly after I become Empress! You're such a fool, even if I tell you how, you still won't learn it."
He flicked his sleeves and left arrogantly, his chin held high, pointing towards the sky.
Yuan Chi was furious just looking at him, but in broad daylight and in front of everyone, he couldn't just go and beat him up until he died.
He got angrier and angrier as he thought about it, but once he calmed down, he realized that what the person said made sense.
The same character setup, but completely opposite behaviors—that's what makes it interesting.
So when Guan Zhiwei came to him to look through the account books, he unusually didn't serve her like a servant. Instead, he sat there dressed in plain clothes, looking sickly with slightly red eyes.
Guan Zhiwei, holding the ledger, glanced at him briefly: "What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Yuan Chi thought to himself, "His Majesty cares about me; this is progress." He gritted his teeth and said coldly, "The nobility of a true man lies solely in his moral character and integrity. The ostentation of a base man is merely sought in his clothing and daily life."
Guan Zhiwei narrowed her eyes. What kind of bewitching potion did Gao Huan give this child?
"Ah Zheng, I want to stay here with you tonight."
“My mourning period is not over yet. His Majesty said there is no rush.”
Guan Zhiwei thought to herself, "You only just realized that the mourning period isn't over yet?"
She sighed and said, "I won't make things difficult for you. I'll come to see you again in a while."
Yuan Chi was forcing himself to push Guan Zhiwei away, feeling quite uneasy. But the next day, His Majesty sent people to deliver many rewards, and he was overjoyed.
This trick really works!
He began to act as if he deeply missed his father, painting a portrait of him and hanging it on the wall. He refused to eat meat and ate only vegetarian food every day to observe mourning for his father.
This went on for about three months, until one day he hanged himself.
The eunuch rushed to the imperial study to report that this was a very important matter.
Once he entered the harem, he became His Majesty's person, and suicide was a grave crime that could implicate his entire clan. Even though His Majesty had already slaughtered his entire clan.
“Your Majesty, Consort Yuan dares to defy and rebel against you. Your selection of her into the palace was an act of kindness, and her suicide is a denial of that kindness.” Gao Huan frowned and said, “She should be torn apart by five horses as a warning to others!”
"I don't really mind."
“Your Majesty, this man has committed a grave error. His death will only fuel malicious speculation within the court and among the common people. They will doubt Your Majesty’s benevolence, wondering if even the women of the inner palace can survive.”
Guan Zhiwei responded with an "Oh".
At this moment, Liu Liu entered and said, "Your Majesty, all the noble ladies and beauties of the harem have gathered outside the door, requesting Your Majesty to find the true culprit who murdered Consort Yuan."
The others in the palace trembled with fear. They all knew that Yuan Chi was merely using tricks to seduce His Majesty and would never actually hang himself.
But he died.
It was only natural for them to die.
If this matter is easily dismissed, their lives will naturally disappear as well.
So this group of people blocked the entrance to the Imperial Study, helping Yuan Chizheng to seek justice:
"Your Majesty, Consort Yuan could not have committed suicide!"
This guy was really trying his best to win favor, how could he suddenly commit suicide?
This is clearly someone who was murdered.
The murderer stood there, pulling out a handkerchief to cover his mouth, coughing softly.
He said slowly and deliberately, "Why can't it be suicide? Yuan Chizheng missed his father day and night and was a filial son. He had many grievances against His Majesty and couldn't think straight for a moment, so he hanged himself. This is only reasonable."
The women in the harem looked at Gao Huan with apprehension.
They conspired to injure someone, and the other party will definitely retaliate. If they don't catch the murderer quickly, they may all follow in Yuan Chizheng's footsteps.
"Your Majesty is wise; it seems someone is taking advantage of the situation."
"Your Majesty, I think some people are trying to take this opportunity to cause trouble!"
The two sides kept arguing, and my head was throbbing.
Guan Zhiwei rubbed her temples. "Shut up."
Silence fell instantly, but everyone's eyes were fixed on her.
She stood up and said, "I'll go see Consort Yuan."
Gao Huan suddenly felt a sense of foreboding. "Does His Majesty also know how to identify corpses?"
Guan Zhiwei smiled brightly and said, "You understand me best. I'm the expert."
In one of her past lives, she was a coroner and saw many corpses.
Gao Huan: "..." It's over! I never considered this possibility!
There is a significant difference between being hanged before death and being hung up after death.
The physiological characteristics of "hanging" only occur when a person is still alive when they are hanged.
For example, a rope compressing the neck can compress the blood vessels and airway in the neck, while also stimulating the carotid sinus, causing respiratory arrest, interruption of blood supply to the brain, and reflex cardiac arrest leading to death.
This process leaves specific signs of life on the body.
Guan Zhiwei could tell at a glance that Yuan Chizheng's body was suspended after death.
She sighed deeply: "It was suicide. Well then, I will grant him his filial duty and not allow him to enter my harem. Let him be buried outside the palace. As for Yanyang City, I will bestow titles and rewards upon a few more people as a gesture of appeasement."
"Your Majesty is wise." Gao Huan bowed. He breathed a sigh of relief; he hadn't been caught out.
Guan Zhiwei helped him up, took his hand, and said sincerely, "I don't understand those people's scheming, you have to solve it for me."
Gao Huan: "..."
She knows the truth, but she's willing to play along with your act.
That's blatant cheating.
Given such a high status, even the slightest movement she makes is so alluring.
When Gao Huan mocked Zhi Junyuan, he always thought: It's foolish to still have expectations when you know there will be no good outcome.
But when it was his turn, he thought: to do something knowing it's impossible is a sign of sincerity.
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