The Side Character Wants to Lie Flat-Chapter 113: Which One Could It Be?

Chen Wangbei returned to Prince Zhao’s residence and said respectfully,

"I have followed the Prince’s orders and given Li Zhaoyuan a stern warning. She will certainly not dare to oppose you again."

Li Ji paid no mind to a foolish woman like Li Zhaoyuan.

He asked nonchalantly,

"Did you get to the bottom of the matter?"

Chen Wangbei replied, "Yes, I did."

He then recounted the entire story of how Li Zhaoyuan had come to suspect Hua Manman of placing a curse on people.

A dark glint flashed in Li Ji’s eyes. "So you’re saying it was because of Wen Zhaorong’s and Yichongyuan’s reminders that Li Zhaoyuan grew suspicious of Lady Hua?"

Chen Wangbei nodded. "Precisely."

Li Ji murmured softly to himself.

’Wen Zhaorong, or Yichongyuan... Which one could it be?’

Zilan had claimed she happened to overhear a conversation between Wen Zhaorong and Yichongyuan, and that the topic was, coincidentally, about Li Zhaoyuan.

Li Ji didn’t believe in such a coincidence.

’That conversation must have been staged,’ he mused. ’It was meant for Zilan to "overhear" and then relay to Li Zhaoyuan. That way, Li Zhaoyuan becomes the cannon fodder, charging into the fray. Whether the plot succeeds or fails, all the blame and animosity fall on her alone, while the true mastermind remains uninvolved. So, the question is, who planned all this? Was it Wen Zhaorong, or Yichongyuan?’

Chen Wangbei stood quietly to the side, not daring to interrupt the Prince’s thoughts.

After a long while, Li Ji finally snapped out of his reverie.

He gestured for Chen Wangbei to leave, but not without a final instruction.

"Tell the trusted aides to keep their mouths shut. Don’t let my plans be revealed."

"Yes, Your Highness."

These trusted aides had been through life and death with Prince Zhao on the battlefield.

With their capabilities, had they been even slightly serious, it would have been impossible for Li Zhaoyuan to burst in with so many people.

Their apparent helplessness today was all a deliberate act.

Prince Zhao had ordered them in advance to go easy if anyone tried to force their way in.

They obeyed Prince Zhao without question and had naturally done as he asked.

As for the Fake Jade Seal that Jin Zhi had secretly hidden in Prince Zhao’s residence, he had known about it all along.

He had people watching Jin Zhi in secret; her every move was under his surveillance. He knew better than anyone what she had been doing during this time.

But he had feigned ignorance, allowing the Fake Jade Seal to remain hidden in his quarters.

He wanted to use it as bait to draw out the mastermind hidden in the shadows.

When he learned that Li Zhaoyuan had "found" the Fake Jade Seal in his residence, he knew the culprit had finally made their move.

Everything that followed unfolded exactly as he had anticipated.

The only surprise was Hua Manman.

She had forced Jin Zhi to take a Truth Elixir, making her confess everything in front of everyone.

Prince Zhao’s original plan had been to have someone search Jin Zhi’s quarters.

He had already arranged for items to be planted in her room. Finding them would have been enough to prove Jin Zhi had framed him.

But Hua Manman’s one Truth Elixir had saved him the trouble.

Unfortunately, he had still underestimated Jin Zhi’s determination.

She had chosen to bite her tongue and kill herself rather than reveal the mastermind.

But it didn’t matter.

He had now narrowed his list of suspects down to two: Wen Zhaorong and Yichongyuan.

With clear targets, the next steps would be much simpler.

In just a few moments, Li Ji had already devised a countermeasure.

...

Another person who couldn’t sleep tonight was Hua Qingqing.

She had deliberately taken a cold bath, then gone to kneel at the entrance to the Emperor’s bedchamber, begging for his forgiveness.

By now, the Emperor had recovered from his anger.

Once he calmed down, he inevitably began to suspect Hua Qingqing. ’After all, Jin Zhi was her attendant. If Jin Zhi framed Prince Zhao, could Hua Qingqing truly have been completely unaware? And if she really knew nothing, then she’s a fool, to be so easily manipulated by her own servant.’

When he heard that Hua Qingqing was kneeling outside, the Emperor frowned, displeased.

"I do not wish to see her."

Wu Wang went outside and relayed the Emperor’s message to Hua Jieyu, telling her to go back.

But Hua Qingqing stubbornly refused to leave.

She remained kneeling.

「The next day, at dawn.」

When the Emperor awoke and heard that Hua Qingqing was still kneeling outside, his heart finally softened.

He ordered for her to be brought in.

But as soon as Hua Qingqing tried to stand, her vision went black, and her body went limp as she collapsed into unconsciousness.

Wu Wang quickly had her carried inside.

The Emperor was startled by the sight.

He saw that Hua Qingqing’s eyes were closed and her lips were pale, but her cheeks were flushed with an unnatural red.

Reaching out to touch her cheek, he found it alarmingly hot.

The Emperor knew she had a fever. Such an illness could be minor, but if severe, it could be fatal.

He immediately ordered someone to summon an Imperial Physician.

After some urgent medical attention, Hua Qingqing finally regained consciousness.

The Imperial Physician stated that she had caught a severe chill, which triggered the fever. Fortunately, the treatment was timely, so she was no longer in any danger. All she needed now was a period of rest and recuperation.

Wu Wang saw the Imperial Physician out.

The Emperor held Hua Qingqing’s small hand and sighed in resignation.

"Why must you be so foolish? It’s much colder in the mountains, especially at night. How could you kneel for an entire night? Weren’t you afraid of destroying your own body?"

Lying on the bed, Hua Qingqing’s eyes were rimmed with red.

She squeezed the Emperor’s hand and said in a hoarse voice,

"I am so sorry for what happened with Jin Zhi.

"She was my servant, but I failed to discipline her properly. I let her commit such a heinous crime, one that nearly led to Prince Zhao being accused of treason.

"It is all my fault.

"I was overwhelmed with guilt and didn’t know how to atone for my transgression, so I could only kneel outside. I was hoping to appease both your anger and Prince Zhao’s."

Seeing her looking so pitiful and frail, much of the Emperor’s suspicion and displeasure vanished.

He soothed her with a few more gentle words.

Hua Qingqing looked deeply moved, her eyes brimming with profound affection.

It was as if, in that moment, he was her entire world. 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

As expected,

her reaction greatly pleased the Emperor.

’She is just a delicate woman,’ the Emperor thought. ’Why should I expect so much of her? I will just have to look after her more carefully in the future.’

...

「Meanwhile.」

Li Ji sat in his wheelchair, sword in hand. With a graceful flourish, he traced an arc in the air, the tip of his blade finally coming to rest pointing at Hua Manman.

"Make your move."

Hua Manman froze.

Helpless, she asked, "What move?"

Li Ji replied, "Didn’t you want me to be your sparring partner? We’re starting now. You go first. Let’s see how many exchanges you can last against me."

It was only then that Hua Manman understood. When Prince Zhao had offered to be her "sparring partner," he hadn’t meant a simple practice session.

’He’s playing for real!’

Hua Manman gripped the hilt of her sword and lunged at Prince Zhao with all her strength.

The two blades met with a sharp CLANG.

The next instant, Hua Manman’s sword was knocked from her hand, CLATTERING to the ground.

Li Ji looked at her with disgust. "You can’t even withstand a single move? What on earth have you been doing all this time? Wasting your life?"

Hua Manman: "..."

...

As this is a new book, I’d greatly appreciate your votes and comments for support. Good morning, and muah~