Normally, anyone who got wind of such a thing in advance would want to distance themselves as far as possible and wash their hands clean of it. Yet, unexpectedly, the Empress Dowager actually wanted to put the body back intact.
"Your Highness, they'll probably come up with an excuse to search soon. If they find the body here, even a prince won't be able to protect you. Please think twice," said a servant.
Shi Muyuan's gaze swept over the body's face indifferently.
"Peony, is there any chance of saving this girl?"
If the maid could be saved, she would become a trump card. Shi Muyuan believed that the maid must know the secret behind He Rou's death.
Peony had already checked the maid's injuries. By now, she was almost a hundred percent certain.
"Your subordinate only needs three hours, and the Empress Dowager will see a safe and sound person."
"Good. I'll stall for you for these three hours."
Plum blinked her eyes. She knew that her mistress must have a plan now. Helplessly, she could only follow up with a question.
"So, what does Your Highness plan to do?"
"Wait. If they don't search later, we'll wait until the maid recovers. Then we'll ask her the whole story and take the initiative."
"Then your subordinate will lead the men to make preparations first."
"Go."
Soon, all the servants in the mansion got busy. Before long, it was time for breakfast.
Ji Huang followed his usual routine and went straight to He Rou's courtyard.
But after knocking on the door for a long time, he didn't see the familiar figure.
This was all too strange. He casually waved over a servant.
"Has your young lady not gotten up yet?"
It shouldn't be like this. These days, he had come around this time, and he knew that He Rou wasn't someone who would sleep in.
Everything was really out of the ordinary.
The servant shook her head and told the truth.
"I don't know what's going on. I've been waiting here for a long time today, but I haven't seen the young lady or Sister Lin'er."
Lin'er was He Rou's personal maid. They were always inseparable.
Ji Huang had a premonition that something bad was going to happen. His right eyelid twitched. He didn't wait any longer and kicked open the door.
The first thing that greeted his eyes was the furnishings in the room. But even though he made such a loud noise, there was no response from inside.
He was in a daze. He strode in and ransacked the room from top to bottom, but he didn't see the person he wanted to see.
Now, he panicked. He gave an order to the guards.
"Go and find Miss He right away. She mustn't be in any danger."
The person suddenly disappeared in the huge mansion. Almost no one had seen He Rou. At first, they thought she had sneaked out, but the gatekeeper and the guards at the door said she hadn't left at all.
So, the only possibility was that she was still in the mansion, but no one knew if she was safe or alive.
With this thought in mind, Ji Huang first suspected the person he detested so much in the side courtyard.
The man rushed to the side courtyard with his men. Seeing the servant blocking his way, he kicked her over.
"Get out of the way! Go and call your mistress out for me."
He Hui had already composed herself. At this moment, she calmly opened the door and walked out.
"What's going on, Your Highness, to come so early in the morning?"
The man's sinister gaze swept over. It made her heart skip a beat. She almost couldn't hold back and said something she shouldn't have.
"Tell me! Where's Rou'er?"
Although on the surface, she had no feelings for him, after all, she had done so many things for him. It was impossible to say that she had no affection at all.
Now, seeing him come to question her because of a woman he had only known for a few days, He Hui felt a sharp pain in her heart like a needle pricking. Tears welled up in her eyes in an instant.
"Your Highness is looking for someone and comes to me? You know very well that my sister and I have never gotten along. How would I know where my sister has gone? Or is it that something has happened to my sister?"
"Don't act innocent with me. It's precisely because you two sisters don't get along that I'm coming to you. The whole mansion has been searched thoroughly. She must have been hidden by you. There's nowhere else for her to go."
"Doesn't Your Highness find it funny to say such things? I'm not the only master in this mansion. If my sister was really hidden by someone, perhaps only you and the Empress Dowager have such great means. It seems that something really has happened to my sister. Then I'd better write a letter to let my father know."
After she finished speaking, she almost without hesitation wrote a letter and sent someone to deliver it.
Such a big thing had happened. After all, He Rou was now the legitimate eldest daughter of the He family. Ji Huang didn't intend to stop her.
He looked at the person opposite him dejectedly.
"Do you really not know where your sister has gone?"
"Heh, what are you talking about, Your Highness? Although my sister and I don't get along on weekdays, it's not to the point where I would want to harm her. If I really had harmed my sister, why would I let someone send a letter to my father?"
Everything she said seemed reasonable. The man was depressed. He really had no clue. In the end, he could only order people to search the whole mansion.
Just as he turned around, He Hui suddenly said something out of the blue: "I've already said that I'm not the only master in this mansion. The Empress Dowager seemed to enjoy watching the show so much that day. If there's anyone in this mansion who can't stand to see others happy, perhaps it's only the Empress Dowager."
Hearing her words, the man always felt that she was hinting at something. While thinking, he lifted his leg and walked in a certain direction.
By the time he came to his senses, he was already standing in front of Shi Muyuan's courtyard.
Seeing the person inside teaching Ji Junlin to read, he suddenly felt a little remorseful.
How could he have listened to that woman and suspected his mother? Although his mother had indeed neglected him in the past, she had never treated him badly. She had even made sure that his food, clothing, and daily necessities were the same as those of his elder brother and younger sister. He must have been deceived by that woman.
Just as he was thinking, the person inside also noticed his figure.
Shi Muyuan knew what he had come for today. On the surface, she pretended to be surprised.
"Huang'er, shouldn't you have already left the mansion to handle affairs at this time? Why did you suddenly come to me?"
Since he had already come here, Ji Huang could only bite the bullet and go in to go through the motions. After all, all the places in the mansion had been searched. Now, only his mother's courtyard was left. If he didn't treat it the same way, he would be criticized in the future.
"Mother, Rou'er has disappeared in the mansion. I have no choice but to search all the courtyards, but I haven't found her. She didn't leave the mansion either. I think she must have been hidden by someone, or perhaps something has already happened to her. I'm here to..."
The rest of his words suddenly stopped. He really couldn't bear to continue. Shi Muyuan wasn't angry because of his words.