The stand-in didn't take it seriously for three years, and the minister was furious when they b

Yes.

After this incident, how could those who were detained, tortured, and screened for no reason not have some emotions? They would probably have to think carefully before helping the emperor in the future. Trust is indeed the most important thing.

This move of hers was really too clever.

"Madam is very thoughtful. I am not thoughtful enough. I will learn from your mistakes."

Convinced, Si Chao bowed and gave her another great salute. Mu Lianzhi couldn't accept it, so she quickly said "I dare not" and returned the salute. After some polite exchanges, she left quickly.

Beitang Yi could see everything from behind the desk and raised the corners of his lips unconsciously.

……

In the following month, people inside and outside the palace were still busy with this matter. The interrogation and investigation of the traitor and the search for Mu Dongzhu were the top priorities. Everyone in the court was in danger, and Beitang Yi was also very busy.

Although the two still lived in the Mu Mansion, they had already discussed and were preparing to move back to the Beitang Mansion.

After Yang Tao was driven out, no one needed to talk to her again, as the old lady had completely quieted down. Beitang Yi bought a small courtyard next door for the two elders of the Mu family to live in. The interior of the Beitang Mansion was divided into three independent courtyards, each with a separate door, one for the old lady to live in, one for the two of them to live in, and another one to be reserved for receiving future relatives and friends.

The renovation has been going on for more than a month. Mu Lianzhi has been supervising the work and responsible for purchasing and preparation. The rest of the time she is busy with her own shop. Every day is like a spinning top.

That day, when she came back from inspecting the shop, she had just stepped off the carriage at the door when she heard the sound of horse hooves.

She originally thought that Beitang Yi had returned, and she wanted to wait for him, but when she looked up, she saw a group of soldiers coming quickly and surrounding the Pingyong Marquis Mansion next door in a blink of an eye.

Mu Lianzhi was stunned.

Just when he was about to send someone to inquire, he found out that there was an acquaintance among the guards following him. It was Yingfeng and a few people from Yutian Pavilion. Judging from their clothes and the fact that they were walking at the end, they seemed to be here to shadow him.

While she was distracted, Yingfeng signaled everyone to disperse and came over:

"Ma'am, you're not frightened, are you?"

"what happened?"

If someone else asked, Yingfeng would definitely not say a word. He looked around and saw that there was no one there. And since it was right at his doorstep, Yingfeng lowered his voice and told them everything without missing a word.

Upon hearing that the court had found clues and traced them back to the prince, and finally recovered Mu Dongzhu, and also discovered that the prince showed signs of treason, and that Mu Dongzhu was in danger, the emperor was furious. The prince's mansion has been sealed, and now he has begun to seal off everything related to it.

The reason why Pingyonghou Mansion was on the list was because Ling Yuchi was once the Shaoqing of the Imperial Household Department. He was suspected of helping the prince raise and change horses privately and even had close contacts with the prince after being suspended from his post, and may have been involved in treason.

They are now here to seal off the mansion and search it, preparing to take the people back for interrogation.

Listening to this, Mu Lianzhi was happy for a moment, but then she felt that it was a bit too smooth and abnormal. The Mu Dongzhu was a precious item listed as a national treasure, so how could it be damaged so quickly?

The prince is too anxious and careless. Now even Beitang Yi thinks that this is the only one in the world. The possibility that there is a backup is just her guess.

The significance of Mudongzhu is not just in itself.

"When did this happen?"

Seeing her expression suddenly change, Ying Feng's heart suddenly skipped a beat:

"Just now, Mu Dongzhu was sent back to the palace. Without any delay, all places were ordered to move at the same time. The Lord asked me to be in charge of this area because he was afraid that if there was any abnormality in the Pingyong Marquis's mansion, it would disturb or hurt the master and his wife."

"Let someone else watch over here, and go find someone to tell the adults..."

Motioning Yingfeng to come forward, Mu Lianzhi whispered a few words in his ear:

"This is just my guess, but if I'm right, the city gate is the most critical at this moment. If you are in charge, execute it now. Otherwise, something unexpected will happen and it will be too late."

"Madam, rest assured. I will do it immediately."

He saluted with his fists and turned around. Yingfeng first shot a flare into the air, then instructed the people around him, led a horse over, and climbed on it.

Mu Lianzhi did not return to her room after entering the door. She asked Leng Yun to watch outside the door and Leng Yu to look after her parents and younger brother. She stood directly under the shade of the tree inside the door and thought about everything inside and out.

Soon, she received a reply that Ling Yuchi had been taken away, Ling Shaocong had died of illness, and his body had rotted and stank. It seemed that the Pingyong Marquis' Mansion was prepared to keep the death a secret and just wrapped the body in a mat. If it weren't for the people from the palace coming to search, no one would have known that the Pingyong Marquis' Mansion had been sealed off and people were only allowed to enter but not leave.

At the same time, news came that the Prince of Fuguo's Mansion was also on the list. Even more serious, it was directly confiscated.

Just when Mu Lianzhi was feeling dazed and unreal, someone from the palace came to summon her into the palace, saying that the emperor wanted her to help verify the authenticity of Mu Dongzhu. She got into the car without even changing her clothes.

In the imperial study, she saw the recovered "Mudong Pearl", which was not much different from what she remembered, except that the pearl part should have been ground into powder, and it was obviously uneven and had scratches from friction.

After turning it over and over in his hand to check it, Mu Lianzhi put it back:

"Your Majesty, this is fake."

"what?"

He almost jumped up on the spot, the disappointment on His Majesty's face was too obvious:

"W-How can you be so sure?"

"Your Majesty, although this hairpin is made very similarly, and even the traces of repair on the crease are vaguely discernible, just as there are no two leaves in the world that are exactly the same, I am afraid that no one can fold two identical dents. I happen to have some impression of the crease. I remember that the end of my sister-in-law's hairpin that was broken was very long. No matter how it was repaired, this hairpin does not have the longest point. Therefore, I can basically conclude that it is a fake."

"Your Majesty can actually have someone break it and look inside, or have someone come check the age of the wood. A hundred-year-old piece of wood should be able to tell the difference from a newly made piece."

As soon as Mu Lianzhi finished speaking, before the emperor could react, the prince who was escorted in screamed:

"What did you say? This is fake? How could it be fake? No wonder it didn't work. No wonder it didn't work no matter how much I used it. It turned out to be fake. It turned out to be fake..."

As the prince was laughing, he collapsed to the ground with a plop.

At this time, the Crown Princess and the Queen also arrived at the door. When they saw this scene, they rushed in without any resistance:

"Your Majesty, the prince must have had his reasons. He didn't do it on purpose. Please spare his life."

Grabbing the prince's collar, the queen also burst into tears:

"Yuan'er, did you really do it? Why are you so confused? Why don't you tell the truth and ask your father to spare your life because it's your first offense? Come on, tell me."

There was a burst of crying and chaos in the room. The emperor slammed the table, but before he could say anything, a young eunuch ran in from outside the door:

"Your Majesty, Lord Beitang wants to see you. He said that he has caught the culprit and found the Mu Dongzhu—"