Among them, there must be Shi An, who was extremely protective of his younger sister.
He stood up and blocked the girl's view, his tone tinged with a bit of dissatisfaction.
"Little sister, you just woke up. You should rest more instead of dwelling on those mundane matters. It'll only make you more worried."
Hearing his admonition, the girl awkwardly averted her gaze.
"Got it, big brother. But I still have a question."
"Just ask."
"When can we arrest those two?"
She had just heard them say that there was actually a mastermind lurking behind all this. For some reason, she always shivered involuntarily when thinking of that person. Moreover, her sixth sense told her that this person was probably related to the death of the original owner.
Shi An looked at his little sister with heartache.
"Don't worry, big brother will arrest those two as soon as possible and make them pay for what they've done."
With Shi An's words, the girl finally fell asleep peacefully.
The three of them stood at the door, speaking in hushed tones.
"Master, we might have tipped off the enemy. If we go now, we might come back empty - handed."
Shi An pursed his lips and replied calmly, "I've already arranged people around there. Once there's any sign of trouble, my men will come and report. But as you've seen, no one has come to me since I got back, which means everything is fine over there. Concubine Rui won't be able to escape our grasp. I just don't know where Qiao Meng is hiding. Could she be with Concubine Rui?"
"Why don't we just go and find out?"
The three of them discussed and decided to go and check. If Concubine Rui hadn't escaped, they might be able to find Qiao Meng. After all, the two of them were in the same boat.
...
When Concubine Rui saw the three of them burst into the room with their men, she was caught off guard.
It wasn't until her hands were tightly tied that she tried to struggle, but it was all in vain.
Xiao Xiao tightly grabbed her neck, her eyes blood - red.
One of the men who had just come with them reported that they hadn't found Qiao Meng in the mansion. Where on earth was Qiao Meng?
"Tell me! Where's Qiao Meng? Aren't you two in this together? You should know where she is, right?"
Concubine Rui came to her senses and realized that that little bitch had run away without even notifying her. She gritted her teeth and said, "I should have known that little bitch was unreliable. She even dared to double - cross me at the last moment. If I ever catch her, I won't let her off easily."
As she spoke harsh words, she also tried to defend herself.
"You three can see that I haven't done anything immoral recently."
"Concubine Rui can't be that forgetful. Have you already forgotten about trying to scheme against us before? It doesn't matter. Even if you've forgotten, we haven't. So please come with us."
After saying that, they didn't give her any chance to struggle and directly had her taken back.
Since they didn't know who was backing Concubine Rui, for safety's sake, they locked her up in the dungeon of the Huang Mansion.
After she was locked up, they tried all kinds of means, but they still couldn't get this delicate - looking concubine to talk. She always insisted, "Unless you let me see the Empress Dowager, you won't get a single word from me."
There was no other way. After several days of bargaining and after consulting Shi Muyuan's opinion, they let the two meet.
When Shi Muyuan appeared, the mastermind was so shocked that she couldn't close her mouth.
A proud woman like Concubine Rui had never suffered like this before. She had been protected by the late emperor when he was alive, and even after his death, he had left her many things to protect her life.
Even when she was forced into a corner in the end, there had always been a mysterious person protecting her.
But now, she was like a dying fish, barely holding on to her last breath. She would probably pass away after doing what she wanted to do.
When she saw Shi Muyuan's figure, her eyes immediately lit up.
"You're finally here."
Hearing this, the girl sat down beside her.
"You've endured so much to wait until now. You called me here. It shouldn't just be to say this, right?"
"Heh, from childhood to adulthood, you've always been so smart and have been protected by everyone. I was as insignificant as dust. Even my father and mother often praised your talents in front of me. They used to dote on me so much, but everything changed after that dance you performed."
Hearing the last sentence, memories flooded into the girl's mind, almost suffocating her.
"Dance?"
Come to think of it, Shi Muyuan was naturally proud and would never do something just to please others. She only learned that dance to gain the attention of that heartless man on the late emperor's birthday.
It was the first and last time she did something so absurd for a heartless man.
That dance did gain her everyone's attention, except for one person - the protagonist of the birthday banquet, whose eyes were fixed on Concubine Rui.
The original owner was never one to be outdone. Naturally, she wasn't willing to let her limelight be stolen.
So after that, she frequently showed off and gathered everyone around her.
The feud between the two had been brewing from the very beginning.
Shi Muyuan sighed. It was all the original owner's fault. What did it have to do with her, the time - traveler?
However, she didn't come here just to listen to Concubine Rui's rambling. She had something very important to ask.
"Just because you didn't get the late emperor's favor, you tried to kill me before, right?"
After hearing this, Concubine Rui's eyes first showed panic, and then returned to normal.
"I don't understand a single word you're saying. By the way, I've said everything I wanted to say. Do whatever you want with me."
After saying that, she closed her eyes and refused to say another word.
Fortunately, the girl had achieved her goal today. She already knew the answer she wanted.
Although Concubine Rui didn't directly admit it, she already understood that the death of the original owner must be closely related to the person behind Concubine Rui.
The next step was to expose that person from the shadows.
Deep in thought, the girl had already returned to her room. Seeing the others anxiously waiting inside, she told them everything that had just happened. This reason puzzled everyone.
"Just because she didn't get the limelight back then, she's been targeting you, my lady?"