Looking at the situation (Part 5)
The weather in Huijing City is simply unpredictable. Just a few days ago, the sky was clear and the sun was shining brightly; you could take off two or three layers of clothing without feeling cold. But today, dark clouds are gathering, and it's starting to snow lightly.
Chen Zhuangmu had gotten up very early, and even wrapped in several layers of clothing, she couldn't keep out the cold. Looking at the busy figures of everyone in front of her, she couldn't help but think of the bouncy and lively Li Chulai.
She quickly ate something to tide her over, then rode in the carriage under the gloomy sky. Just like her mood at that moment, it was only a matter of time before it snowed.
She is now going to visit Xiao Zhong in prison.
Perhaps due to the urgent need for an imperial edict, Xiao Zhong was placed in the outermost cell. Therefore, anyone passing by could see the once-glorious Prime Minister Xiao.
Chen Zhuangmu's mood was as heavy as water, without the slightest bit of joy. Ever since she finished offering incense to her mother yesterday, she had been brooding over something, as if something even more dangerous was about to happen.
Now that the overall situation is settled, what could be more worrying than this?
The roof wasn't sealed properly, and cold wind and snowmelt kept seeping in, making him shiver to the bone. His cell wasn't too messy; a simple bed and a table were in the center. At this moment, Xiao Zhong had removed his hair ornament and was wearing prison clothes, standing against the wall with a furrowed brow.
Even the harsh winds and frost could not break his spirit; instead, they gave him an air of unyielding defiance. When Chen Zhuangmu saw this, she was completely baffled as to why this man was putting on such an act.
The footsteps grew closer, and Xiao Zhong opened his eyes, glancing sideways at the ground. Upon seeing who it was, he straightened his nose, exuding arrogance.
"Xiao Zhong." Chen Zhuangmu was already standing in front of him when he turned around. She had no mood to argue with him and asked directly, "Why did you kill my mother? Why did you poison me?"
Seeing that Xiao Zhong remained silent, he asked again, "How did you do it?"
But a fleeting look of surprise crossed his eyes, which quickly faded into a faint hint of doubt as he asked, "Do you have evidence?"
A blood-red jade flute was pulled from Chen Zhuangmu's sleeve. "This is my mother's personal possession; she never parted with it. You must have stolen it when you harmed her!"
The jade flute was held forward, stopping right in front of Xiao Zhong. He stared incredulously, his voice filled with doubt, "You took this from the study?"
"Yes." How ridiculous that the murderer would openly display the victim's belongings.
"Where is Hanfeng?" Xiao Zhong's expression changed.
"Answer my question and I'll tell you." She had intended to use this to threaten Xiao Zhong, but he only smiled faintly, glanced at Chen Zhuangmu twice, and then remained silent.
With each passing moment of tranquility, the torment in Chen Zhuangmu's heart intensified. "Speak up! Xiao Zhong! Speak up!"
She shouted desperately, as if Xiao Zhong were far away. She didn't care whether the people around her heard her or not; she only cared about the answer from the person in front of her.
He ignored Chen Zhuangmu's angry roar, instead lowering his head in deep thought as if no one else was there. Suddenly, a long smile appeared on his face. "Princess, if I were to tell you, I would be losing my bargaining chip. As for Hanfeng, you would never allow her to be in danger."
"You can go now. There will be someone else who comes to see me."
After saying this, he stood up and faced the wall again, remaining silent.
Chen Zhuangmu then regretted that she had sent away all the useful people around her too early. Seeing that he was unwilling to say another word, she could only go outside, take money and give it to the jailers, hoping they could tell her if anyone had come to see him in the past few days.
The jailer was initially reluctant, but eventually accepted it.
Her mind was in turmoil. What did it mean that telling her these things meant she had truly lost her leverage? Did it mean that once she knew, she would definitely tell others? And the people she would definitely tell were the very people he didn't want to know?
She will definitely inform him; the only people she'll speak to besides the Emperor are Zhao Yi. She won't say a word to anyone else, but these two already know what Xiao Zhong has done, don't they?
Chen Zhuangmu sighed. The carriage stopped, and Chen Zhuangmu stared at the three large characters "Privy Council" for a while before walking over.
Zhao Yi is in charge of everything here. The two of them are well-known in Huijing, whether for good or bad. When the guard saw her, he took her in without saying a word and told her where Zhao Yi was.
When Chen Zhuangmu arrived, Zhao Yi was busy. The people outside the door wanted to announce her arrival, but she refused. She only went in after Zhao Yi finished his work.
Zhao Yi had been frowning because of something, but when he saw Chen Zhuangmu, his eyes lit up with surprise.
He walked over and poured Chen Zhuangmu a cup of tea, pulled out the chair next to her, and asked, "You've come."
"I went to see Xiao Zhong in prison today." She said as she sat down, the tension from which she had been sitting for so long forcing her to lean back in her chair to rest for a while.
Zhao Yi sat down next to her. "Did you find out anything?"
Chen Zhuangmu repeated the sentence, "I asked him to tell me why he harmed my mother. He said that if he told me everything, he would lose his bargaining chip. And then, someone else would come to see him." She paused, then added, "I bribed the jailer, hoping he would do his best."
Zhao Yi nodded, seemingly not intending to continue, as if still immersed in his earlier troubles. Seeing this, Chen Zhuangmu assumed she had interrupted his business and was about to stand up and leave when she heard Zhao Yi say, "You feel this matter isn't so simple?"
His question was so earnest that Chen Zhuangmu dismissed her own thoughts and went along with him.
“I can’t figure out what he’s saying, and I always feel that this matter is not as simple as it seems on the surface, and there must be something wrong with it.” She lowered her head in frustration and said slowly, “I’ve heard my uncle say that he is extremely arrogant and aloof, but how much must he despise me to openly display my mother’s belongings in his study?”
"Would a cautious person do such a thing?" she finally couldn't help but ask.
These questions were all incidental; the root cause still needed to be found. Zhao Yi watched her, feeling like an ant on a hot pan, secretly distressed. His heart softened, and he gently raised his hand to pat her back, as if this could ease her worries.
Sensing his intention, Chen Zhuangmu felt somewhat embarrassed. "Thank you. I'm fine."
“If his placement of the flute is reasonable, then it means he doesn’t know where the flute came from,” Zhao Yi affirmed.
No sooner had she said that than Chen Zhuangmu denied it, "No, he took it from my mother after he fought with her."
Zhao Yi pondered for a moment and said, "You mean, on that night three years ago, he went out of the city, killed your mother, and took the flute, is that right?"
Chen Zhuangmu nodded; that was clearly the case.
Zhao Yi's heart skipped a beat. He didn't think the same way as Shen Zhuangmu. Based on his years of dealing with Xiao Zhong, regardless of what kind of person he was, what fool would just openly place a flute on a bookshelf?
Moreover, given his status, it's clear that there's an even bigger conspiracy at play. Since Xiao Zhong was able to endure under the former Grand Commandant for so long, there's no reason he wouldn't understand this.
But with Chen Zhuangmu currently in a daze, Zhao Yi was struggling with how to speak without upsetting her. For the first time, he was at a loss about what to say.
"Zhao Yi." Chen Zhuangmu gradually came back to her senses and called out softly. Zhao Yi quickly responded. She felt a little relieved to hear this, swallowed, and continued, "I always feel that my uncle is hiding something from me."
After saying this, she lowered her head, not pointing at Zhao Yi to answer, and became lost in her own chaotic and confused thoughts.
After an unknown amount of time, Zhao Yi peeked over and tentatively called out, "Zhuangmu? Zhuangmu?"
She looked up at him in confusion, only to see a slight smile on his lips and a reassuring smile in his eyes. He reached out and pressed his hand against her brow, saying, "You're almost as wrinkled as an old lady."
Chen Zhuangmu, feeling frustrated again, blurted out for no apparent reason, "So what if I'm old!"
After she finished speaking, she paused for a moment, and just as she was about to explain, she felt Zhao Yi's hand, which had been resting on her brow, slide down her cheek to her chin, while his other hand gently cupped her.
He gently placed his hands on her face, looked at her for a long while, and finally lightly pressed his lips to her cheek below her eyes.
Chen Zhuangmu's eyes widened suddenly as warm, soft lips tentatively caressed her face, pressing against it again and again.
Hearing the pounding of Shen Zhuangmu's heart, Zhao Yi gently pulled his face away from hers, placing his hand on her cheek and softly rubbing it. "Don't rush, okay?"
His response was a big smile.
She won't listen to him.
The scorching heat in the air gradually dissipated, and Chen Zhuangmu suddenly remembered the emperor's words: "Xiao Zhong has always been arrogant."
She stood up and said, "I need to go to the palace."
"I'll go with you." Zhao Yi wanted to follow as well.
"No need." Chen Zhuangmu turned around and pushed his hand in front of her. "I'll be back soon."
After saying that, she didn't look back. She quickly left the Privy Council, got into a carriage, and headed straight for the palace gate.
Something gently stirred in her mind, covering thoughts that were usually hard to notice; when she tried to grasp it, it vanished without a trace.
Chen Zhuangmu had no choice but to give up. A deep sense of defeat enveloped her, and she almost hated herself. What was standing in her way?
The light snow had just stopped, and the snow that had fallen to the ground had melted into water, mixing with the mud and weeds. Every time a horse-drawn carriage drove over it, it would create a considerable curtain of water.
It gets dark early at this time, and by the time Chen Zhuangmu stepped down from the carriage, the decorations on her carriage were no longer clearly visible.
She should have gone straight to the palace without hesitation, as before, but after taking only one step, she froze. What was she going to ask this time? Could she have misunderstood her uncle?
All the excitement from before turned into icy water, pouring over Chen Zhuangmu's head, as if all her previous courage was a joke.
Shen Zhuangmu now understands herself. She believes her uncle is hiding something from her, and what he hasn't revealed must be crucial to the case. But why would her uncle hide it from her? At this point, is there still any need for him to protect her?
She suddenly realized that her hesitation wasn't just about this, but also about fearing she might ruin their family relationship. She found this hard to believe; how could she think this?
How could she have thought of this?
She involuntarily pulled back her steps, her figure appearing exceptionally helpless; she had never felt so alone before.
At times like these, Chen Zhuang needs to keep herself occupied, otherwise letting her overthink will drive her crazy.
Just as I turned around, I saw a very familiar figure.
This person, who had just comforted her while holding her face, was now looking at her with concern, and Chen Zhuangmu suddenly felt a sense of unreality.
She suddenly remembered that on the night before her birthday three years ago, the maid who had followed her from the military camp to the palace had smiled and personally fed her a sleeping potion, then put her into a vegetable bucket.
That night, the maid's face looked exceptionally terrifying.
Even though this matter had nothing to do with Zhao Yi, the shadow of three years ago still lingered over Chen Zhuangmu. She stared at Zhao Yi for a while and said, "Don't you have anything to do? You're always following me around."
Zhao Yi clearly sensed something was wrong with the aura around her. She had been perfectly fine just a moment ago, but had suddenly become so cold and sinister.
At this moment, he couldn't even tell his own expression, but Chen Zhuangmu was surprised by the heartache in his eyes.
"I wanted to come and see you." Zhao Yi approached her, took her hand, and instead of asking what she wanted to do there, asked her about her next steps.
Both sides tacitly ignored the little incident that had just occurred and calmly accepted it.
One good thing about meeting people around you during adversity is that they've already seen you looking lost and brooding, and are more likely to be honest with you sooner.
Chen Zhuangmu followed him, saying, "I'm going to the Xiao residence."
Zhao Yi nodded.
The two arrived at the Xiao residence without stopping, which was now sealed off. Xiao Hanfeng was no longer in the courtyard. Chen Zhuangmu greeted the people in charge and asked them to take good care of Xiao Hanfeng.
The imposing plaque above the gate remained standing there. Zhao Yi, who was quite skilled at scaling walls, had already climbed over with Chen Zhuangmu.
They carried a ram's horn lantern, which stood out prominently in the empty mansion. The few trees along the path were withered, and the grass on the ground was bare.
That makes sense, after all, winter is here.
The soft glow added a touch of mystery to the surroundings, its brilliance amplified in the darkness of the night. For some reason, Chen Zhuangmu felt a surge of emotion.
She grabbed Zhao Yi's arm, "Come with me, let's go to the study."
There weren't many winding roads in the mansion, and the two arrived at the study without any trouble. The study wasn't large, with a square layout and a roof with many deep ravines that extended into several corners.
"Go check on the roof," Chen Zhuangmu said, urging Zhao Yi to step forward.
"No, I'll stay with you."
"It's okay, I'm not afraid."
"I'm scared."
These words made Shen Zhuangmu glance at Zhao Yi several times. She didn't believe it, but she didn't let him go again.
In the dim light of the horn lamp, Zhao Yi pushed open the tightly closed door. The door wasn't made of any good material, and the carving was even worse.
He remembered that Xiao Zhong had embezzled a lot of money; where did all the money go?
The first thing you see is a set of ordinary tables and chairs, which look a bit messy at the moment. There are ordinary books on the tables and bookshelves, but quite a few books for cultivating one's mind.
Chen Zhuangmu came this time for the wall. She had spent the previous night studying the intricate mechanisms of the previous dynasty; while she couldn't say she could solve them all, she could certainly do many with brute force. Now that Zhao Yi was by her side, it was perfect to do the job.
Anyone who does this kind of thing needs a secret room, and judging by the size of the room, it's quite small.
She shared her idea with Zhao Yi, who nodded in agreement. The two then divided the work: Zhao Yi checked the ground for any holes, while she studied the walls.
The two peered through the cracks at the surface, scrutinizing every speck of dust, not even noticing the dust inhaled through their noses.
Suddenly, she heard Zhao Yi shout, "Zhuang Mu, come quick!"
She ran over in a few quick steps and saw Zhao Yi squatting on the ground, tapping his fingers on the ground, listening quietly to the sound.
“Listen.” He knocked, and a loud, thumping sound came from the other side. He turned and knocked on the other side, and the sound was much duller.
The two exchanged a glance, and then...
Zhao Yi and Shen Zhuangmu found a shovel outside and inserted it into the crack between the bricks, scraping it up, down, left, and right. When they heard a "thud," they knew they could lift it.
Zhao Yi carefully removed the brick, revealing a slightly concave area underneath. He reached inside and suddenly heard a stabbing sound. He instinctively stood up to protect Chen Zhuangmu, but felt Chen Zhuangmu pull him up and drag him towards the door.
Just then, a large rock came crashing down in front of the door. Seeing that he was about to hit it, Zhao Yi put his left arm around Shen Zhuangmu's shoulder, pulled her into his arms, and dodged to the side. Suddenly, several small holes appeared by the door. Zhao Yi was startled and pushed Shen Zhuangmu out the door. At that moment, seven or eight arrows shot at Zhao Yi at very close range. He took the opportunity to pull out a dagger from his ankle, accurately dodged the arrows, and ran out of the study.
Seeing him staring at the unfinished hidden weapons in the room, Chen Zhuangmu ran over and asked, "What's wrong?"
"This kind of concealed weapon arrangement is useless. When the arrows came just now, you could clearly feel that they were moving very slowly, like they were just for show." Zhao Yi patted the dust off his hands.
Chen Zhuangmu fell silent; any one of them could kill her...
But then Zhao Yi put his hand on Shen Zhuangmu's shoulder and said with a smile, "I'm talking about someone who knows martial arts. Xiao Zhong must have had this hidden weapon made by someone else; he probably got ripped off."
Once the commotion inside had subsided, Chen Zhuangmu was about to rush inside when Zhao Yi pulled her back, saying, "Wait. Stay with me."
The two entered the room one after the other, and by then the room was in a terrible state. The bookshelves had collapsed, and the contents were scattered everywhere. The table was wrecked, and the chairs were missing arms or legs.
Only the four walls remained intact.
Chen Zhuangmu's eyes lit up. "Since we need to ensure the integrity of the items, they must be placed in the most secure location." Chen Zhuangmu looked at the uniform walls in front of her and suddenly pointed to a spot in the corner of the right wall.
"Zhao Yi, drive here!"
Zhao Yi crouched down and gently knocked, producing a not-so-crisp sound. He took out his dagger, preparing to use his internal force to stab it directly, when suddenly he turned to look at her, "Why don't you go out first? I'm worried."
Before he could finish speaking, Chen Zhuangmu walked to the door and said, "Hurry up! I'm fine!"
Zhao Yi was relieved and continued what he was doing. A muffled thud was heard, and a rock fell from where the dagger had pierced.
He pulled out his dagger and started digging down from that spot. In no time, he dug out a space that was ten centimeters long and two centimeters wide, inside which was a mahogany box.
His hand froze. "Makeup curtain."
Chen Zhuangmu rushed over in response and immediately saw the box. Then she noticed the dirt on Zhao Yi's hand, much of which was embedded in his skin.
Chen Zhuangmu frowned slightly, squatted down and gently brushed the dirt off his palm with her fingers, then reached out and pulled out the mahogany box.
The box was very ordinary, with no patterns. What was strange was that it didn't require a key; it opened with a simple tap.
What's inside is enough to cause Chen Zhuangmu a lifetime of pain.
What catches the eye are the two large characters "Su Guo" (粟国), written with great flair and a unique, elegant style, bearing a striking resemblance to her mother's.
This confirms what Chen Zhuangmu thought: the emperor said that the letter that fell from her mother's arms must have been a setup.
It must be Xiao Zhong imitating her mother's handwriting to frame her. But what others don't know is that she couldn't forget that her mother sometimes slacked off when writing, and would lift the pen before making a proper stroke in order to finish the stroke faster, leaving unsightly marks.
But the words on each of these letters are so detailed that they could be engraved into woodblocks. Who else could it be but someone who wanted to frame someone?
Her hand holding the letter trembled uncontrollably, and her eyes were as red as if they were stained with blood.
She took the gifts and left, disregarding all family ties, love, etiquette, and the law. She uncovered the truth in just over six months. I ask Your Majesty, who sits on the throne in fear every day, what are you doing?
When her mother was alive, she would often correspond with her uncle, so the fact that her handwriting could fool her uncle suggests that there was a spy in her mother's life.
As she walked, she suddenly turned around, and Zhao Yi bumped into her with a "thump." He reached out to rub her head, but she slapped his hand away. "I remember Uncle said before that someone from the Privy Council went missing. How could I have forgotten about that?"
The disappointment in her eyes caused Zhao Yi's heart to plummet. He followed closely behind her, saying urgently, "That man is dead! I've investigated all the leads, and there's nothing pointing to him going to General Xingyun's side, so..."
Seeing that Chen Zhuangmu couldn't hear anything, he simply put his arm around her, ignoring her struggles and pulling her into his embrace, saying, "Aren't we going to the palace? Why don't we take a faster route?"
Upon hearing this, Chen Zhuangmu fell silent.
The truth cannot be hidden forever.
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