The Side Character Wants to Lie Flat-Chapter 109: Prince Zhao Is Rebelling

At Li Zhaoyuan’s command, the palace maids and eunuchs surrounding her immediately scattered.

They began to search everywhere, attempting to find evidence of Lady Hua placing a curse.

How could Hua Manman let them rummage through the place?

She quickly ordered her trusted aides to block them.

The palace maids and eunuchs didn’t dare fight the trusted aides, and for a moment, they all hesitated.

But Li Zhaoyuan was dead set on it this time. She had to find proof that Lady Hua had placed a curse!

She had been waiting many days for this opportunity.

If she missed it, there was no telling when the next one would come.

She shouted to the people she had brought with her.

"Whoever finds the evidence for me, I’ll reward them with a thousand taels of silver! Even if Prince Zhao comes after you later, I will take responsibility. It will have nothing to do with you, so do whatever it takes!"

Upon hearing this, the palace maids and eunuchs were instantly energized.

A thousand taels of silver was no small sum!

Besides, Li Zhaoyuan had made her promise in front of so many people; they didn’t have to worry about her going back on her word.

They rolled up their sleeves and began to scuffle with the trusted aides, rushing into the house at all costs.

With Prince Zhao absent, his trusted aides were mindful of Li Zhaoyuan’s status and didn’t dare let the situation escalate, inevitably revealing many openings in their movements.

The palace maids and eunuchs seized the openings and charged into the house, where they began to frantically ransack the place.

Everything inside and outside the house was turned upside down.

Hua Manman tried to stop them.

"Don’t touch anything! Get out, all of you!"

Li Zhaoyuan entered the house, supported by her attendants, and said with a cold smile.

"Finally feeling anxious, are we? When I find the evidence of your crime, I’ll make sure you die without a burial site!"

Hua Manman was forcefully pulled away by Li Zhaoyuan’s people and thrown to the ground.

Fearing they would harm her lady, Si Yun rushed over and spread her arms protectively in front of Lady Hua.

Hua Manman scrambled up from the floor and snapped.

"This is Prince Zhao’s residence! Aren’t you afraid he’ll break your legs again for acting so recklessly?"

Her words successfully provoked Li Zhaoyuan.

Li Zhaoyuan instantly recalled being forced to kneel on thorns, and she could almost feel a dull ache in her already-healed legs.

Her heart filled with both fear and resentment, and she laughed sinisterly.

"As long as I can find proof that you cursed someone, not even Prince Zhao will be able to protect you!"

The current dynasty had once suffered a witchcraft scandal that implicated more than three thousand people and resulted in countless deaths and injuries.

With such a bloody precedent, the current Emperor despised these dark arts. Anyone caught practicing such crooked ways in the palace would be sentenced to death immediately, with no room for appeal.

This was the main reason Li Zhaoyuan dared to force her way into Prince Zhao’s residence.

As long as she could find evidence of Lady Hua’s curse, she would have a justifiable cause, and the Emperor would not blame her.

But Hua Manman was taken aback. "What curse? Who placed a curse?"

Li Zhaoyuan scoffed, "Still playing dumb? Your acting is truly superb. No wonder everyone is wrapped around your finger. Even I was almost fooled by you."

If she hadn’t heard others talking about being possessed, she would never have suspected it had happened to her.

Fortunately, the heavens were watching and gave her a chance to discover the truth.

Hua Manman had been worried that the matter of the Truth Elixir would be discovered.

But now, she actually felt much more relaxed.

’I don’t know how to place curses, and I’ve never cursed anyone.’

’My conscience is clear. Even if these people dig three feet deep, they’ll never find any evidence that I cursed someone.’

Just as Hua Manman was thinking this, she heard someone exclaim.

"Found it!"

Everyone looked toward the sound and saw a little eunuch run in from outside, clutching something to his chest.

He panted, "Zhaoyuan, this servant has found what you were looking for!"

Li Zhaoyuan’s eyes instantly lit up.

She stared intently at the object the little eunuch was holding and urged him impatiently.

"Quick, take it out!"

Hua Manman’s heart filled with shock and uncertainty.

Everyone else was also staring at the little eunuch, watching without blinking as he took out the small bundle he was carrying.

The little eunuch unwrapped the white silk covering it, revealing the object inside.

When the crowd saw the object clearly, they all gasped.

It was a Jade Seal, carved from white jade!

Li Zhaoyuan clearly hadn’t expected to find something so shocking.

Her legs went weak with fear, and her face turned deathly pale.

If someone hadn’t been supporting her, she would have collapsed to the ground.

Flustered, she stammered.

"Why... why is there a Jade Seal here?"

The Jade Seal was a personal token that only the Emperor could possess. No one was allowed to hide one privately; to do so was tantamount to treason.

But now, they had actually found a Jade Seal in Prince Zhao’s residence!

’Could it be that Prince Zhao harbors traitorous ambitions?’

’Thinking about it, it wasn’t impossible.’

Rumors had long circulated that Prince Zhao resented the Emperor for the defeat in the battle five years ago.

For the past five years, Prince Zhao had remained at the border, refusing to return even when the Emperor summoned him. It wasn’t until he was severely injured and his legs were crippled that he had no choice but to come back to Shangjing.

As soon as he returned to Shangjing, he was forced to relinquish his military authority.

The power he had built up in the army over the last five years was simply handed over.

’He must have been unwilling to accept it.’

’Resentment and bitterness were enough to make him contemplate treason.’

Hua Manman reacted quickly and shouted.

"This is a setup! Someone else must have hidden this Jade Seal here. Prince Zhao would never secretly keep a Jade Seal!"

But Li Zhaoyuan wouldn’t listen to her explanation at all. She practically scrambled out of the room, shouting as she ran.

"Quick, inform the Saint! Prince Zhao is plotting a rebellion!"

...

「Inside Mingxiu Pavilion.」

Yichongyuan was kneeling behind a writing desk.

She wore a pale purple, cinched-waist robe and skirt. Her skin was as white as snow, and with her delicate features, she exuded a gentle aura of peaceful years.

She held a calligraphy brush, her gaze shifting between the Emperor seated not far in front of her and the scroll laid out before her. The tip of her brush rose and fell, gradually outlining the Emperor’s likeness.

The Empress sat beside the Emperor. They were quite close, occasionally murmuring a few words to each other.

The Empress glanced at the princes and princesses nearby and sighed softly.

"In the blink of an eye, the children have grown so big. Time really does fly."

The Emperor smiled. "It does."

The Empress said, "I recall Yichongyuan suffered a great deal when she gave birth to the Sixth Prince."

Hearing this, Yichongyuan’s painting motions paused for a moment. She replied in a soft, quiet voice.

"I am grateful that the Empress still remembers. This servant did indeed endure some hardship.

When the Sixth Prince was born, he was not in good health.

Fortunately, thanks to the protection of Your Majesty and the Empress, the child has grown up safely."

The Empress comforted her in a gentle voice, "You and the Sixth Prince are both blessed."

Just then, Wu Wang rushed in. "Your Majesty, someone has just found a Jade Seal in Prince Zhao’s residence!"

...

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