However, the slight curl of her lips made He Hui start to panic.
Something seemed off about all this.
He Hui couldn't figure it out. Logically, the corpse was found behind the cabinet, and this was still in Shi Muyuan's room.
Shouldn't she be more scared than herself? Why was she smiling instead? Could it be that she knew this was all her doing?
No, that couldn't be right. Even if she knew it was her who did it, she had no evidence. In that case, Ji Huang would still take action against her.
After sorting out the pros and cons, she just had to sit back and watch the show.
Shi Muyuan's reaction also left Ji Huang puzzled.
"Mother, aren't you going to explain this to me?"
At this moment, Shi Muyuan suddenly had an idea she wanted to verify, although it was rather inappropriate.
She stared intently into Ji Huang's eyes, hoping to find an answer there.
"Do you think this was done by me?"
Ji Huang was taken aback for a moment. After a brief silence, before he could speak, He Hui on the other side took over the conversation.
"Of course it was the Empress Dowager. Who else but the Empress Dowager would have the ability to build a secret chamber behind the cabinet?"
The man opened his mouth, but swallowed back the rest of his words. It seemed that he had also believed He Hui's words.
Disappointment flashed in the young girl's eyes. She never thought that the child she had raised with her own hands would not trust her at this moment.
As she thought about it, the curve of her lips took on a hint of mockery.
"If you don't believe me, then why did you let me stay in the backyard in the first place? Isn't that just asking for trouble?"
"I... I didn't mean not to believe you, Mother. It's just that you really should explain this. That way, I can give an explanation to Rou'er's father."
"But what I'm asking you now is whether you believe me or not. I've raised you for decades. If even you don't believe me, what's the point of my explanation?"
"Aren't we trying to find out the truth now? Why do you have to dwell on this question, Mother? Is this question really that important?"
"Of course it's important. It concerns whether you have me as your mother in your heart."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone fell silent, as if waiting for his answer.
Ji Huang thought for a while and finally gave an ambiguous answer.
"Whether I believe you or not is one thing, and the truth of this matter is another. If you want others to believe you in the future, you first have to prove your innocence."
Sure enough, the result was still disappointing?
The young girl concealed the hint of disappointment in her eyes. After a long while, she continued,
"Justice lies in people's hearts. I've never harmed an innocent person."
"You sound so high - minded, Empress Dowager. Words alone are not enough. You have to produce evidence to prove your innocence."
He Hui clung to her relentlessly, clearly trying to shift the blame onto her.
Hearing her words, the young girl suddenly pointed out a crucial point based on what she had just said.
"You've been here all along and never went near the cabinet. I have a question for you. How did you know there was a secret chamber behind the cabinet?"
This simple question startled He Hui.
She never expected that Shi Muyuan could remain so calm in the face of a human life.
She gritted her teeth and her mind raced. Finally, she managed to come up with an excuse for herself.
"Of course I guessed it. My sister went missing. Every place in the mansion has been searched, except for the Empress Dowager's room. Now that she's a corpse, she surely couldn't be found in obvious places. So the only possibility left was a secret chamber."
"Very well said. But as I understand it, you used to live in this courtyard, right?"
Cold sweat broke out on He Hui's back, but on the surface, she still pretended not to know anything.
"Yes, I did live here, but I never knew there was such a secret chamber in the room."
"Really? Then how did your maid happen to find it?"
Seeing that she suddenly turned the spearhead towards her maid, He Hui quickly said, "Maybe it's because my maid is smart. I've always had many intelligent people around me. It's not a big deal for her to know about a secret chamber."
"That's strange. Such a hidden place. I'm afraid only the person who designed it would know about it, right?"
"Empress Dowager, don't make unfounded accusations. I... I only moved here with the Prince later. Do you think there's something wrong with the Prince?"
She immediately turned the spearhead towards the man beside her. The man raised his eyebrows.
"Previously, I lived here with Lady Hui. We both didn't know there was such a secret chamber behind."
"Really? But someone came to tell me today that he was one of the people who designed the secret chamber."
As she spoke, Ju led a man in from outside right in front of everyone.
Seeing the suddenly - appeared scholar, He Hui's face changed. She quickly turned her face away.
This abnormal behavior was clearly seen by everyone. They were all curious about the relationship between the scholar and He Hui.
For a moment, the servants began to discuss.
"This scholar looks so familiar. Have I seen him somewhere? I feel like I must have met him before."
"Yes, I also think he looks familiar. Did he come to our mansion some time ago?"
"Couldn't be?"
"Why not? Look at Lady Hui's guilty look. She must know this scholar. Maybe it's really as the Empress Dowager said."
For a moment, there were all kinds of speculations, which also aroused the man's suspicion. He turned his head and saw He Hui's appearance, then asked.
"What's going on here? What's the relationship between this scholar and you?"
Could it be what he was thinking? Surely this woman hadn't only cuckolded him once but also several times secretly?
Thinking of what happened between Qing Bai and this woman that day, he felt uneasy.
He Hui, of course, saw what was on his mind and quickly defended herself.
"Prince, it's definitely not what you're thinking. I don't know this scholar at all. It must be that the Empress Dowager can't get out of this blame, so she wants to shift the blame onto me. You mustn't believe the Empress Dowager's words, or my father won't let it go when he comes."
"What a joke. If I really wanted to shift the blame, I wouldn't have let you find this corpse. Since you still refuse to repent, I don't need to save any face for you."
After saying that, the young girl looked down at the scholar kneeling on the ground.
"I'll give you a chance to live. As long as you tell the origin of this secret chamber, I'll let bygones be bygones and will even arrange a good position for you in the future."
The scholar was a bit shaken. He secretly glanced at the person not far from him, clearly weighing the pros and cons.