"You'd better be right about what you said. There's no one you're looking for here. Moreover, I've never had any grudges against Miss He. Why would I make trouble for myself? If there's nothing else, you can all leave. I'm tired."
After saying that, she turned around and was about to walk into the house. But the moment she turned, He Hui caught a glimpse of the slightly panicked look in her eyes.
Ji Huang didn't notice it and wouldn't think too much about it. He knew his mother's temper well.
"Then, Mother, I'll go back first. You should have a good rest. If you're still not feeling well, call the doctor."
As he finished speaking, he was about to leave.
Just then, something unexpected happened.
Ignoring the maids' obstruction at the door, He Hui directly led her people into the house.
She quickly scanned the room and waved her hand. "Since the Empress Dowager doesn't want outside men to search, my maids and I are not men. You shouldn't have any objections, right? I'm doing this for the Empress Dowager's own good. If this place isn't searched, it won't sound good if word gets out."
As she spoke, several maids started rummaging through the room quickly.
The young girl stopped in her tracks because of this. Her face turned ashen.
Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the man not far away.
"Huang'er, is this how you manage the women in your backyard? When did a concubine have the audacity to search my house so openly? She sounds so high - minded. If this goes on, I'm afraid everyone will be able to bully me in the future!"
Shi Muyuan never flaunted her status in front of him, except when she was extremely angry.
Ji Huang could understand what was on her mind. Just as he was about to call out the people inside, he was interrupted the next moment.
"Your Highness, you'd better think carefully about whether you want me to leave or not. You only have this one chance. If the Empress Dowager really did nothing, why has she been resisting and not allowing me to search? It's just that she's not feeling well. What does that have to do with searching the house?"
It had to be said that her words really hit the nail on the head with Ji Huang's thoughts. At first, he also thought there was something very wrong with this.
After all, his mother never used to be so particular. Now that she said no outside men were allowed in, could there really be some hidden secret he didn't know about?
While thinking, before he could answer, the people inside had already noticed something was wrong.
A maid squatted on the ground with a strange look on her face, looking at the obviously wiped - clean area.
"Strange. Why did the servants in the Empress Dowager's yard only clean this area?"
Her voice was neither too loud nor too soft, just loud enough for everyone inside and outside to hear clearly.
At this moment, Ji Huang could no longer hold back his suspicion and rushed into the house.
Just then, the young girl showed a panic she had never shown before.
In a flurry, she rushed over and stepped on the very spot the maid had just mentioned.
"How dare you, you lowly maid! You're trying to frame me! I accidentally knocked over a teacup this morning, so I had someone clean this area specifically."
Seeing her flustered appearance, He Hui knew that things couldn't be that simple.
She strode forward and stood between Shi Muyuan and the maid.
"We can easily find out if what the Empress Dowager said is true. There should be someone by the Prince's side who can recognize what this mark is, right?"
As soon as she finished speaking, a guard behind Ji Huang stepped forward.
"Let this subordinate take a look."
This time, the man didn't say a word but stared directly at his mother.
Obviously, he was waiting for her to answer.
Shi Muyuan frowned slightly. Just as she was about to stop him, the guard had already been led in by He Hui's maid.
"The Empress Dowager surely won't object. Besides, this is for the Empress Dowager's own good. Quickly, see what's on the ground."
The guard responded and lay on the ground to observe carefully.
After a while, he finally stood up with a strange look on his face.
"It's indeed the mark of a broken teacup. There are still some scratches on it."
He Hui was extremely disappointed. This was not the result she wanted at all.
She had thought there would be He Rou's blood on the ground, but unexpectedly, it was just a broken teacup.
But she wasn't willing to give up just like that. Her eyes were filled with hope.
"Are you sure you didn't make a mistake? Isn't there anything else? Could there have been something else on it before it was broken and then covered up?"
Hearing this, the young girl didn't hesitate to sneer.
"Humph. Is it me or you who has a guilty conscience? If I'm questioned just for breaking a teacup, then people will start to wonder if I should still stay here. It's still more comfortable to be in my own place when living under someone else's roof."
Her tone gradually turned cold, as if it could freeze people.
Her words also changed Ji Huang's expression.
"I failed to discipline the women in my backyard well. Please forgive me, Mother. It's just that she's too worried about her younger sister, so she lost her composure. Mother, don't worry. I'll take her back right away."
With a gloomy face, he stepped forward to take He Hui away.
However, He Hui hadn't achieved her goal today. How could she leave so easily?
"I was indeed too hasty. The Empress Dowager isn't that petty, right? It's just that my younger sister's disappearance is so strange that I'm suspicious of everyone. Doesn't the Empress Dowager understand me?"
"So you publicly suspect me and conduct a large - scale search. Should I thank you for that?"
"The Empress Dowager is overreacting. I didn't mean that."
Just as the two were at a stalemate, a shrill scream suddenly came from another direction.
Then, a maid beside He Hui stumbled over.
"Something terrible has happened! Something terrible has happened! Second Miss is dead! Her body is behind the wardrobe!"
Hearing what the maid said, everyone's faces changed.
Before anyone else could react, Ji Huang had already rushed to the wardrobe. What he saw was a disheveled and miserable body.
If it weren't for the jewelry he had just given her around her neck, he wouldn't have recognized that this was the girl who had been by his side recently.
He couldn't believe that the girl who had been smiling at him just a short while ago was now cold - bodied.
With a gloomy face, he ordered the guards to carry the body out and lay it on the ground.
Obviously, he was extremely angry.
"Mother, you kept saying you've never seen Rou'er. Why is she here now? Don't you think you should explain this to me?"
Seeing the unprecedented coldness on his face, Shi Muyuan knew that today's matter wouldn't be easily resolved. But this was exactly the result she wanted.
The young girl wasn't flustered because of his words. Instead, she looked quite happy.