The Side Character Wants to Lie Flat-Chapter 111: Do Your Best and Leave the Rest to Fate

Chapter 111: Chapter 111: Do Your Best and Leave the Rest to Fate

The Truth Elixir melted the moment it entered her mouth.

By the time Jin Zhi realized what had happened, she had already swallowed the elixir.

She looked at Chen Wangbei, her face full of terror. "What did you make me eat?"

But Chen Wangbei said, "I don’t know what you’re talking about."

Then he retreated behind Prince Zhao.

Jin Zhi was about to press the matter, but Wu Wang cut her off.

"How audacious! You dare not bow to the Saint!"

Only then did Jin Zhi notice that the Emperor and Empress were present. She hurriedly knelt to pay her respects.

The Emperor looked down at her and asked in a deep voice,

"Just now, a Fake Jade Seal was found in Prince Zhao’s residence. I wonder if this matter has anything to do with you?"

Jin Zhi’s heart lurched.

’She had been extremely careful when she hid the Jade Seal, certain no one could have seen her.’

’How did the Emperor come to suspect her?’

’But no matter what, she could not admit that the Fake Jade Seal had anything to do with her.’

’Besides, she had done a clean job, leaving absolutely no evidence. As long as she denied it to her death, Prince Zhao could do nothing to her.’

So she opened her mouth, intending to flatly deny it.

But the words that came out were—

"I was the one who hid the Fake Jade Seal in Prince Zhao’s residence!"

The moment the words left her mouth, Jin Zhi was stunned.

’Holy shit, how did I just blurt out the truth?!’

Everyone else present was also shocked.

They never expected Jin Zhi to be so forthcoming, confessing her crime the moment she opened her mouth.

The Emperor’s expression immediately darkened.

"Why did you hide the Fake Jade Seal in Prince Zhao’s residence? What was your intention?"

Jin Zhi wanted to defend herself. She wanted to say she had been talking nonsense just now, that the matter of the Fake Jade Seal had nothing to do with her.

But her mouth was out of her control, and once again, she spoke astonishing words.

"Because someone bribed me to frame Prince Zhao."

The Emperor demanded harshly, "Who bribed you?"

’Jin Zhi knew that if she told the truth, not only would she die, but her family would die as well.’

’The only thing she could do now was take all the blame herself.’

’That way, she could at least save her family’s lives.’

Jin Zhi clamped her hands tightly over her mouth, trying to stop herself from speaking again.

The Emperor ordered his men to pull her hands away, forcing her to confess everything.

Seeing this, Jin Zhi knew there was no escape. In a desperate act, she steeled herself and bit off her own tongue!

Blood poured from her mouth, and her entire face contorted in agony.

The Emperor, a mixture of shocked and furious, immediately ordered someone to fetch an Imperial Physician.

"Don’t let her die! We must find out who instructed her to frame Prince Zhao!"

Wu Wang hurried out to find the Imperial Physician.

Panic filled Mingxiu Pavilion.

Hua Manman and Hua Qingqing were still waiting outside the door.

When they saw Wu Wang leave in a rush, they guessed something must have happened inside Mingxiu Pavilion.

Hua Manman felt her heart fill with unease.

’The Truth Elixir could make Jin Zhi reveal the truth, but it couldn’t guarantee things would unfold exactly as she had planned.’

’Human nature was the most complicated thing in the world.’

’In *Palace Intrigue*, Jin Zhi was just a cannon-fodder villain, a plot device to move the story forward. But here, she was a living, breathing person with the ability to think for herself.’

’It wasn’t just her. Everyone else was the same.’

’Each of them had a complete personality; they were no longer one-dimensional characters on a page.’ 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

’Hua Manman could use the original plot to make general predictions, but she couldn’t precisely control what they would do next.’

’She could only do her best and leave the rest to fate.’

The Imperial Physician arrived quickly.

He did everything in his power to save Jin Zhi.

In the end, he was only barely able to save her life, but she had lost the ability to speak forever.

Fortunately, Jin Zhi knew how to write a little. The Emperor planned to have her write down the name of the mastermind.

But by now, the effects of the Truth Elixir had worn off.

No matter how the Emperor interrogated her, Jin Zhi stubbornly refused to confess.

In a fit of rage, the Emperor ordered her to be thrown into prison and subjected to severe torture.

She was just a weak woman. After a round of various tortures, it was unlikely she could hold out.

After Jin Zhi was taken away, everyone in Mingxiu Pavilion dispersed and went their separate ways.

Li Ji, sitting in his wheelchair, was pushed out of Mingxiu Pavilion.

Hua Manman, who had been waiting outside, saw him come out and hurried over to ask with concern,

"Prince, are you all right?"

Li Ji said leisurely, "I’m fine. Jin Zhi has already confessed. She framed me on purpose."

Beside them, Hua Qingqing heard this and her eyes widened in disbelief. "She really confessed?"

Li Ji glanced at her and asked coolly,

"So many people heard it just now. You think I would lie to you?"

Hua Qingqing said, "But there’s no reason for her to do that. What good would framing the Prince do for her?"

Li Ji replied, "It does her no good, but it benefits the person behind her."

Hua Qingqing froze.

She wasn’t a fool.

On the contrary, she was smarter than most people.

She instantly understood what Li Ji meant.

’Jin Zhi had been bought.’

’Jin Zhi’s true master wasn’t her at all.’

Li Ji said, "For Manman’s sake, I’ll give you a word of warning. Now that Jin Zhi is implicated, you will likely be dragged into this too. You should quickly find a way to protect yourself before the Saint’s suspicion falls on you."

After speaking, he withdrew his gaze and said to Hua Manman,

"Let’s go back."

"Yes."

Hua Manman pushed Prince Zhao’s wheelchair and they started back.

Leaving Hua Qingqing standing there in a daze.

’She truly hadn’t expected Jin Zhi to frame Prince Zhao, but others might not believe she was innocent.’

’For her own sake, and for the sake of the Zhong’an Bo Mansion, she could not let herself get entangled in this incident.’

She steeled her heart, turned, and quickly ran off.

Hua Manman and Prince Zhao returned to their residence.

Li Ji dismissed everyone, leaving only Hua Manman behind.

He watched Hua Manman with a deep, knowing gaze.

"Speak. What exactly was that elixir you gave to Wang Bei for?"

’When Hua Manman took out the Truth Elixir, she already knew Prince Zhao would find out. Chen Wangbei was Prince Zhao’s trusted confidant; he would never lie to the prince for her sake.’

She deliberately put on a shy expression and said coyly,

"If I said it was just a piece of candy, would you believe me?"

Li Ji let out a soft laugh. "Do I look like a fool to you?"

Hua Manman said, "The Prince is wise, mighty, handsome, and extraordinary. You have nothing to do with the word ’fool’."

Li Ji replied, "In that case, don’t try to deceive me with such foolish words."

Hua Manman’s shoulders slumped.

She sighed in resignation.

"Since the Prince insists on getting a clear answer, I can’t hide it any longer. The truth is, I’m an Immortal. And Immortals, well, we naturally have some special tricks up our sleeves. That elixir was one of my special tricks."

Li Ji sneered. "Then why don’t you tell me how you Immortals cultivate?"

Hua Manman said mysteriously,

"The secret is simple. Stay up late every night until you go bald from exhaustion. Then you’ll ascend to the heavens and become an immortal in no time."

Li Ji: "..."

Hua Manman extended a sincere invitation. "Would the Prince care to join me in some all-night cultivation?"

Li Ji smiled. "If you don’t start telling the truth, I’ll make you stay up every night doing homework—the kind you can’t finish even if you write until you go bald. Want to give it a try?"

...