The guards reacted extremely quickly. When the man turned his head and tried to run away, they leaped forward and grabbed him back.
However, after seeing someone die, the commoners had gone crazy. Their current perception was that the prince would rather kill them than let his mother be wronged.
The captured man obviously had a good grasp of these people's thoughts and shouted at the top of his voice.
"Come and see! Not only did the prince kill someone in the street, but now he also wants to harm an innocent person like me."
All the commoners' gazes fixed on Ji Huang's face. At this moment, they believed whatever they heard and sided with the weaker party.
"The prince is simply too presumptuous! You don't take our lives seriously. You'll surely regret it. Release our comrade quickly!"
"Look clearly. This man has been sowing discord from the very beginning. His words can't be trusted."
"It was this man who told us about what you and the empress dowager did. We'll never believe you again. The prince had better release our comrade quickly."
Hearing what these commoners said, a glint appeared in Ji Huang's eyes.
He waved his hand and ordered his men to take the man inside.
The spy never expected that his act of fanning the flames would land him in this situation. He was unwilling to accept it.
"What do you want to do? We're all commoners. Everyone, take a look. If I don't come out of the mansion, I'll surely die in the prince's hands."
As the man's voice faded around the corner, the commoners became even more furious.
Ji Huang could no longer tolerate these people.
He stared at them coldly. His patience had been worn out, and he casually said,
"If you can even trust a rebel, then you deserve to live a mediocre life. After this incident is settled, all of you will be charged with treason, and your nine generations of kin will be executed."
As the last three words fell, all the commoners fell silent. Some even slunk away.
Come on, this was the crime of treason. They, as commoners, couldn't bear such a heavy punishment.
The commoners standing in the front looked at each other. After a long while, one of them managed to say,
"Then can you guarantee that we'll be safe, Your Highness?"
The man's answer was almost in a definite tone.
"As long as you stop causing trouble, I'll act as if today's incident never happened and guarantee your safety. Moreover, do you think the rebels will spare your lives?"
After getting his definite reply, these people lost interest in continuing to make trouble. After venting their emotions, they regained their senses and knew that they and the prince were now in the same boat.
Soon, all the people in front of the mansion disappeared.
Back in the study, Ji Huang was as if he had been fished out of water.
He slumped tiredly into the chair.
The general on duty also sat down beside him with a look of embarrassment on his face.
"The commoners know about it. What should we do next?"
"Huang'er, why don't we interrogate that spy first? Maybe he knows some useful information."
Shi Muyuan walked in calmly, seemingly unaware of what had happened at the mansion gate.
Ji Huang quietly let out a sigh of relief and replied, "Mother, would you like to come with me?"
"Sure."
The mother and son came to the detention area. Before their arrival, someone had been ordered to interrogate the spy, but no matter how they beat him, he just refused to confess.
"I've said that I know nothing. Even if you beat me to death here today, I still won't know anything. I never thought that the great empress dowager and the prince would use such despicable means to extract a confession."
The young girl patted the person beside her on the shoulder, signaling him to calm down.
"Are you sure you know nothing? You think I'm extracting a confession? Is this what you call extracting a confession? It seems you have some misunderstanding about it. But I won't blame you. I'll let you broaden your horizons today."
She waved her hand, and Mei brought over a whip with barbs. It was worth mentioning that all the barbs on the whip were made of iron sheets. Even a light scratch on a person's body would leave a long mark.
The man couldn't help but shiver.
"What do you want to do? I tell you, I'm a spy with principles. No matter how you torture me, I won't say a word."
Hearing this, the young girl was in no hurry. With a gentle wave of her hand, the whip landed on his body, and the spy let out a pig-like scream.
"You! You're just a woman. How can you be so cruel?"
"Humph. Your master has already threatened me. Do you think I should just turn a blind eye?"
"I! I'm just a spy. How could I know about my master's affairs? Even if the empress dowager kills me today, I still won't know anything."
Seeing that he still remained stubborn, Ji Huang began to have some doubts.
"Mother, could it be that he really doesn't know anything?"
Shi Muyuan rubbed her forehead. Whose intelligence did this stepson inherit? After staying by the original owner's side for so long, he still hadn't learned not to be soft-hearted.
"He can be trusted by his master, which shows that he must know a lot. Don't be fooled by this man's words."
It seemed to make sense. Ji Huang had no choice but to withdraw his hand, but he still felt a bit reluctant.
"If you're afraid of pain, you'd better confess quickly. No one can save you here."
The spy shrank his neck. His eyes fell on Ji Huang, and he rolled his eyes, as if he had thought of something.
"Your Highness, our master said that you've always wanted to prove yourself, and you can only do so by getting that position. Otherwise, how can the empress dowager look at you with admiration? Don't be coaxed by the empress dowager's words so easily. Our master has high hopes for you."
The young girl rolled her eyes. Did this spy have any brains? He actually tried to sow discord in front of her.
She whipped him again.
"Do you think I'm air? I'm still here. You're using your old tricks again. Doesn't your master feel tired of it?"
The spy gritted his teeth. After being beaten several times, his body was covered in lacerated wounds.
Soon, the spy fainted due to excessive blood loss. Only then did the young girl have a chance to turn her head and look at her stepson, who was deep in thought.
"You're not really shaken by what that spy said, are you?"
"Mother, don't worry. I'm not that stupid. I'm just thinking about how to deal with the current situation."
Shi Muyuan knew that he was proud. If he knew that he had to ask his elder brother for help, he would surely be unhappy. So she could only comfort him in another way.
"Let's drag this out for a few more days. If it really doesn't work, we can relocate the commoners in the city. As long as we can protect these commoners, we can always get back the rest."
"You're right, Mother. Then what should we do with this spy?"