Soon, a Jinyiwei came up with a stack of letters.
Ji Cheng casually flipped through the letters. Noticing Hao Ren nervously leaning forward, he deliberately turned the letters over and faced Hao Ren directly: "Are these all written by the Duke?"
Hao Ren quickly glanced through the contents of the letter and found that it was just some sour poems he had scribbled casually in his study. Although his literary talent was not outstanding, fortunately it did not contain any sensitive words criticizing current affairs. Only then did he quietly put down a big stone in his heart.
The descriptions he drew with his brush were nothing more than bland scenes, seemingly not enough to offend His Majesty. However, Ji Cheng, sitting across from him, nodded gently and slowly pulled a piece of paper from his sleeve. The words were written in cinnabar ink, their pattern arranged in a well-organized pattern. Although the entire text was difficult to discern at a glance, the eerie aura that filled him was chilling.
Hao Ren's heart tightened, fearing that Ji Cheng had deliberately mixed this piece of paper filled with evil spirits with his letters. He quickly protested loudly, "This is definitely not mine!"
Ji Cheng's eyes were as cold as ice, and his tone was icy: "Oh? Then, Lord Protector of the Country, how do you explain that the handwriting on it is exactly the same as yours?"
Hao Ren's heart sank. Although the spring breeze was warm, he couldn't help but feel a chill when he saw the familiar handwriting swaying in the breeze. The handwriting was indeed exactly the same as his own, and even he could hardly find any difference.
The contents of the paper were even more perverse! Although written in Jiang Dinglian's name, his handwriting would make anyone believe it was a deliberate frame-up. Furthermore, the rift between the Yongding Marquisate and the Huguogong House was well known, and the person who reported the Marquisate was none other than his own son, Liao Lingxi, making the motive for the frame-up even more obvious.
At this moment, Hao Ren felt as if he had brought it upon himself, having lifted a stone but ended up dropping it on his own foot.
However, this curse book was definitely not written by him! How could he not recognize his own handwriting?
"This is definitely not mine!"
Hao Ren, his expression agitated, declared sternly, "Commander, someone must have maliciously imitated my handwriting in an attempt to confuse the public and pin the blame on me! As for the alleged theft of national destiny, it is utterly absurd. I, Hao Ren, am a scholar, without any military power. How could I possibly betray my country? Could it be based solely on this mysterious talisman?"
At this moment, another team of Jinyiwei came hurriedly to report.
"Commander, we found this item in the residence of Madam Xu, the old lady of the Duke's Mansion."
An ominous thought suddenly flashed through Hao Ren's mind, and a bad premonition arose spontaneously.
Ji Cheng waved his hand and took the item handed to him by his subordinate. It was a string of exquisitely crafted amulets. The patterns on the amulets were exactly the same as the patterns on the amulet bag they found in the Yongding Marquis Mansion, and it even exuded a more mysterious evil spirit.
When it was opened, all he saw was the life transfer deeds of the three daughters of the Hao family, which were densely written inside. They were transferring their lifespans to Old Madam Xia, and all that was left was to be signed and stamped.
Hao Ren felt dizzy. His mother was so stubborn that even after being exposed once, she still kept this evil thing sent by Liao!
At this critical moment, another messenger came hurriedly to report:
"Reporting to the commander, we found this item in the room of Liao Qianqian, the second concubine of the Duke's Mansion."
The Jinyiwei respectfully handed a black wooden box to Ji Cheng with both hands.
Ji Cheng glanced at it lightly, then signaled his men to open it.
Inside the sealed box, a ghostly gray powder filled the air. The Imperial Guards carefully poked at it with their daggers, revealing tiny bone fragments amidst the powder.
These bone fragments were commonplace in the Imperial Prison; they were undoubtedly human skeletal fragments! However, their small size, clearly belonging to a very young child, evoked an inexplicable sense of strangeness and foreboding. Even the seasoned Jinyiwei felt a chill run down their spines.
The Jinyiwei said in a deep voice, "When we searched Liao Qianqian's house, we found that she was instructing her maid to use this powder to make a medicine to protect the pregnancy."
Ji Cheng couldn't help but frown slightly and asked doubtfully, "Pregnancy-maintaining medicine? Did she take it herself?"
"She is bedridden and shows no signs of pregnancy. The only pregnant woman in the Duke of Protector's Mansion is his wife, Xia Zhiyu. This medicine must be prepared for her."
As the Jinyiwei spoke, he glanced at Hao Ren and was secretly amazed. Although his backyard was sparsely populated, it was full of recently added people, and yet it actually hid so many inner-house conspiracies.
If this strange powder is added to pregnancy-maintaining medicine, one can tell at a glance that it is not a good thing.
Hao Ren was shocked and furious. Using baby ashes as a medicine was undoubtedly the same evil method Liao Qianqian had used to plant a ghost fetus in Jiang Shu's body! Now that Jiang Shu's ghost fetus had dissipated, Liao Qianqian was actually trying to attack Xia Zhiyu again. Could she be planning to turn the fetus in the Duke of Huguo's mansion into a ghost fetus as well?
If the Protectorate's Mansion really gave birth to a ghost baby, how would she let the emperor view the Protectorate's Mansion? The conspiracy and intrigue involved were really chilling.
He knew that Liao Qianqian was skilled in some strange and evil magic, and that in the past, those methods were only used to deal with Jiang Shu and help him. Although he felt disgusted, he always felt that such behavior was still a minor evil and not enough to shake the overall situation.
However, today, Jiang Shu has left the protection of the Duke's Mansion. Liao Qianqian, on her deathbed, still harbors ulterior motives, attempting to use those evil spells to murder his descendants!
As a man, he instinctively desires to have more offspring.
Liao Qianqian's actions aroused great anger in Hao Ren.
In his eyes, not only was this woman's appearance fading, but her mind was also becoming increasingly sinister and ugly.
Ji Cheng signaled his men to secure the evidence. He cast a stern glance at Hao Ren, "Although the Duke of Huguo's mansion has fallen on hard times, it still harbors many filthy practices. Continue the search, and be meticulous. I want to see just how many more sinister things are hidden within this mansion."
"Yes, sir." The Jinyiwei retreated as ordered.
Hao Ren was already sweating profusely. He desperately tried to clear himself of suspicion and minimize his guilt. "The favored concubine in the palace was jealous of the wife's pregnancy and harbored evil thoughts, which made the commander laugh. This is just a dispute within the inner chambers. Our country will punish Liao severely. There is no need to report these evil things to the emperor, so as not to offend him."
The matter of the ghost fetus must never be brought to the attention of His Majesty.
Otherwise, if he tried to convince everyone that this series of strange events, from the transfer of the life contract to the ghost fetus, and then to the spell suspected of stealing the country's destiny, which also had his handwriting on it, had nothing to do with him, I'm afraid no one would believe him.
Ji Cheng sat on the stone chair in the pavilion without hesitation and remained silent.
Hao Ren was restless, but helpless. He held the banknotes in his hand, but he didn't dare try to bribe Ji Cheng with money, fearing that he would end up losing both his money and his life.
Soon, a Jinyiwei came running to report, and his usually calm face now showed a trace of panic.
"Commander, there's something unusual going on at Moju Garden. It's extremely bizarre. Please go check it out immediately."
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