When Hou Balai was imprisoned in the prison, he was still very arrogant. Even when he learned from his mother that Jian Ning was the eldest daughter of the Pingnan Palace, he was not afraid. The palace was run by Concubine Min. As long as Concubine Min did not fall, who could do anything to him?
He fully believed that Concubine Min could get him out, until he was transferred to the Ministry of Justice prison and saw Wang Min'an there. He suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck and suddenly felt the fear of being shrouded by death.
When the jailer dragged him to the torture room, he saw King Pingnan standing in front of a bronze tripod with boiling water with an angry face. His legs went weak and he fell to his knees, wailing and shouting for mercy!
Prince Pingnan slowly turned sideways, his eyes piercing him. "Tell me the truth. Why did she seek the position of admiral for you? If you lie, or if you know something but don't report it, I will throw you into boiling water and boil you alive."
"Hurry up and tell me!" Duan Hong, the eldest son of Concubine Li, stepped forward, kicked him on the head, and shouted angrily.
When things came to this point, Hou Ba Lai knew that there was no way to escape. Whether he confessed or not, he would die. Confessing was the only way to get away with it. So he made up his mind and told the whole story in detail.
His mother, Mrs. Peng, and the Min siblings were not related at all, but it was true that there was some connection. When Mrs. Peng was young, she worked in the mansion of the prince consort of Qing State and helped in the kitchen with the mother of the Min siblings.
Princess Minhui of Qing, who had lost her appetite after becoming pregnant, accidentally ate some pickled vegetables made by Min's mother, which stimulated her appetite. Later, upon learning that her husband had died of illness and she was struggling to raise two children, she summoned her daughter to the prince consort's residence, first as a fire-making maid in the kitchen, and later as a maid to learn embroidery.
Nine years ago, Mrs. Peng accidentally ran into Min and her two daughters visiting a lantern festival during the Lantern Festival. She also saw Wang Min'an accompanying them. After asking around, she learned that Min had married the Prince of Pingnan and was the concubine. All the affairs of the prince's palace were handled by her as the concubine.
Mrs. Peng was no ordinary person. She had been squatting outside the palace for several days and had learned that the two concubines in the palace had high social status. So how high could the social status of an embroiderer like Min be? She immediately realized that something was fishy.
Hou Balai was a notorious rogue in Xicheng District, so what was she afraid of? She took Hou Balai to Wang Min'an first. Because she had evidence that Min was impersonating the royal family, and her goal was nothing more than to find a job and make money, Min was forced to help her.
"What a bitch! Is she hiding in your house right now?"
"This, my humble servant, I don't know."
King Pingnan did not expect that Min would be so bold. He just asked about this casually. He originally wanted to ask him to explain whether Min had hidden in his house, so he came to the Ministry of Justice prison. He did not expect that his casual question would reveal such a big secret.
He was sure that Hou Balai would not dare to lie to him, so he asked for his home address. He took Duan Hong and others out of the Ministry of Justice prison and was about to go to Xicheng District to look for Hou Balai's home when Jian Ning and Duan Yu arrived.
The group went to Hou Balai's house according to the address he gave. The gate of his yard was ajar. It was already dark. Duan Hong pushed open the gate. Jian Ning was still in the yard, and it felt like no one was home. She took a few quick steps and pushed open the main door first. She saw Mrs. Peng hanging on the beam.
Jian Ning looked up before asking the servants to take Mrs. Peng's body down. She examined her neck and the strangulation marks. "She didn't die by hanging herself. There are deep red bruises on her neck. This is from someone strangling her to death and then hanging her there."
She pressed on Aunt Peng's face and neck again. "She's been dead for less than an hour. How could this big, strong woman kill her alone? Could she have had help besides Wang Min'an?"
Jane Ning carefully surveyed the surroundings again and finally saw some purple-red powder in the kitchen. She pinched some with her hand, but before she put it close to her nose, she felt dizzy and hurriedly wiped her fingers with a handkerchief.
"She used a drug to knock the old woman unconscious before she attacked. Before Huichuntang, there had been people secretly guarding the Dingzihao. I'm afraid Huo Jincheng withdrew the people after he returned with Ah Man. Did Dad send anyone to Huichuntang to look for them before? She most likely got the drug from Huichuntang."
"Father knows about Huichun Hall, but he hasn't been there yet because he thinks she wouldn't dare hide there."
"This person is incredibly bold. She even dared to impersonate the princess. What else could she not dare to do? If she hasn't left the city, she might really be hiding there. Why don't we go to Huichun Hall and take a look?"
"Wow, elder sister, you know so much, so amazing!" Duan Yu raised his thumbs with both hands, and admired her very much.
Duan Hong also looked admiring.
Prince Pingnan was even more relieved. "As long as she is still in the capital, she can't escape even if she has wings. There is no need to rush there." As he said that, he ordered Duan Hong to take people to the Ministry of Justice again. After the coroner came and examined the body, his conclusion was the same as Jian Ning's.
Jian Ning saw that it was getting late, and thought that Prince Pingnan had come a long way from the north to return to the capital, so she asked him to take Duan Yu back home to rest first. She and Duan Hong followed the people from the Ministry of Justice to Huichun Hall to arrest Min.
How could the Prince of Pingnan agree to this? He insisted on going with him. His beloved daughter, who had been missing for many years, had returned, and she was so capable that he wished he could stay with her for a moment longer. Moreover, he couldn't suppress the anger in his heart, and he wouldn't be able to calm down even if he returned.
Min was not in Huichun Hall. After searching inside and outside, she was nowhere to be found. However, the medicine cabinet was turned upside down, which showed that she had been there before.
That night, the streets and alleys of the capital were full of soldiers and horses. When the governor heard that Prince Pingnan had led his men to search for criminals from house to house, and that the emperor was furious about the incident of Hou Balai, he also heard the news. In order to redeem himself for his crime, he mobilized his troops to actively assist while the emperor's decision was still undecided, causing a panic.
Just when they found nothing, Ma Fuquan sent a message to Jian Ning.
Concubine Min was nowhere to be found. When Ma Fuquan, Ding Youtian and Huo Jincheng were discussing this matter at home, Shaoyao went in to add tea and water and overheard something. She came out and told Ah Man and the others to wash up and go back to their rooms to rest. Ah Man was still having fun and didn't want to go to bed. She wanted to go to Huo Jincheng to ask if she could go to bed half an hour later.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
