The shadow lurking in the darkness was itching to act upon hearing such words. His master had never been so humiliated since childhood.
Moreover, a mere gatekeeper dared to be so bold. This was truly unbearable.
Just as the shadow was about to rush out, he received a look from his master. Obviously, the man didn't want him to show up at this moment.
The shadow didn't understand, but finally retreated reluctantly under his master's gaze.
Just then, the gatekeeper saw the man looking grim, whistled, and walked back into the mansion.
The main gate banged shut. The shadow guard couldn't help but show himself and said unwillingly,
"Master, why don't I go and kill that blind fool? He's just a lowly gatekeeper, yet he dared to speak such disrespectful words to you. It's simply detestable."
"No! We didn't bring many people here this time. If we waste our manpower in vain, it will all be in vain. It doesn't matter. A dog only barks wildly because it has a master. Right now, the most important thing for us is to find out why Ji Huang suddenly changed his mind."
Having said this much, the shadow guard had no choice but to mutter, "I'll go in and investigate myself."
"Okay, come back as soon as possible."
When he returned to the inn, he met a pair of hopeful eyes.
He rubbed his head and still told Ziyi the truth.
The little girl slapped the table hard after hearing this, attracting the attention of those around.
But at this moment, she didn't care.
"I knew he wasn't a good person. I didn't expect him to deceive the Empress Dowager and now the National Teacher."
"Forget it. It's only natural for him to turn against us. Now that we're on different sides, and he didn't make things too difficult for us, it shows that he still remembers the old friendship."
Ziyi couldn't refute this. There was worry in her eyes.
"Then, Master, are we just going to stop looking for her?"
"No. I've already sent someone to find out the situation. First, we need to figure out why he went back on his word."
Just as they were talking, the shadow guard had already returned.
The shadow guard was trembling, as if enraged by someone.
And that was indeed the case.
"Master, the people in the mansion said that the Prince and the Princess had a quarrel last night. Early this morning, the Princess tried to commit suicide but was saved. However, the Prince seems very guilty."
With this, the origin of all things became clear.
He Hui knew how important Shi Muyuan was in this fight for the throne. Since she wanted to support Ji Huang, she had to seize the Emperor's weakness. Coincidentally, the weakness had presented itself.
Everything was explained. Ziyi gritted her teeth and ignored her wounds.
"I'll break into the mansion right now and arrest that treacherous bitch. Let's see if Ji Huang still cares about this little bitch's life."
The man didn't stop her. The shadow guard beside him looked at her like she was a fool.
"Do you think you can rescue the Empress Dowager just by going there now? You'll only cause more trouble and let everyone in the world know about this fight for the throne. He Hui can also use you to complain to Ji Huang and speed up Ji Huang's plan."
Hearing this, Ziyi wilted like an eggplant beaten by frost.
"What does the National Teacher plan to do next? I'll follow your lead."
"It's simple. Although Ji Huang won't agree to release the Empress Dowager because of her, he will definitely go to see the Empress Dowager in person. The safety of the Empress Dowager is his last bottom line. She's not a fool. We just need to follow Ji Huang, and we'll surely find out where the Empress Dowager is."
Finally, there was a solution. Ziyi promised that she would fully cooperate.
The man didn't refuse. Right now, he might not have enough people on his side. An extra person meant an extra chance of success.
"The reinforcements sent by the Emperor will arrive soon. It would be even better if we could capture all of them here."
...
Shi Muyuan knew that there must be someone looking for her outside. She wondered how Ziyi was doing. She hadn't seen her since she woke up.
Could it be true, as that woman said, that she was already dead?
Alas, even if she didn't die at that time, she probably wasn't in good condition. That woman wouldn't let the people around her go easily.
The little girl had suffered a lot following her.
Her gaze involuntarily fell on the window. Although the people outside had been taking good care of her recently, the guards were even stricter. She had tried several times but couldn't get out.
Forget it. Since she was here, she might as well make the best of it. She would just annoy the people here when she was bored.
Every time she annoyed the servants, He Hui would surely show up.
For example, right now.
She lazily glanced at the person standing at the door. "Come in. The Princess might as well consider this place her home. Oh, no. This seems to be your home. I'm getting old, and my memory is not so good. After getting used to staying here, I've almost forgotten."
He Hui's face turned as black as ink.
She walked forward gracefully, almost wringing her handkerchief to pieces.
"Mother, are you really looking for trouble? You used to care so much about the people around you. Why are you tormenting these servants?"
God knows how annoyed she was when the servants came to complain to her every day.
Moreover, all the people she had arranged here were her confidants, and she couldn't scold any of them.
Hearing this, Shi Muyuan let out a sneer, as if mocking her ignorance.
"It's true that I care about the people around me. But these people seem to have nothing to do with me, right? Aren't they all the people you arranged here? They're all yours."
"Anyway, they've served you. Even if they don't have any merits, they've at least suffered hard work. You don't have to take your anger out on them. Besides, I remember that you were willing to stay here at first."
"So what? When a person doesn't like something, they'll torment it severely, including other things related to it. If you really don't want me to torment them, then let me go out for a walk. I'm so bored of seeing them every day."
She was clearly insinuating, scolding both the servants and He Hui.
He Hui's personal maid couldn't stand it and stepped forward to scold her.
"Empress Dowager, don't forget that you're just a fish on the chopping block that we can kill at any time. Our mistress has kept you alive until now and treated you well because she thinks you're still a bit useful. If you keep pushing your luck, don't blame us for being rude."
The girl never took the maid's words to heart. Her expression was calm, but there was a hidden danger in her eyes.
The maid met her gaze and took two steps back in fear.
He Hui of course didn't miss the killing intent in the girl's eyes. Fortunately, she had seen the world. Her thoughts returned to normal because of the maid's scolding just now.
The first thing she said when she came to her senses was unexpectedly to the maid.
"You're so bold. Since when has the Empress Dowager been someone you can scold? Don't forget that our Empress Dowager is of noble birth. How could she have endured such hardships? It's understandable."