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

"Quick announcement."

Then, Beitang Yi held the wooden Dongzhu, and Yingfeng escorted an old woman with disheveled hair, a dusty face, and dressed like a farmer.

"Your Majesty, I have fulfilled my mission and found another wooden bead at the city gate."

As soon as Beitang Yi presented it, the emperor saw the obvious overlong repair mark without Mu Lianzhi's verification. Although it almost blended into the wood texture, it was still visible upon closer inspection. The emperor smiled immediately:

"It's Mu Dongzhu, it's real, she's finally back. How did you find her, my dear?"

After glancing at Mu Lianzhi on the side, Beitang Yi reported the previous events to the emperor. The emperor turned his puzzled gaze to Mu Lianzhi, who then said in a neither humble nor arrogant manner:

"Your Majesty, I am just guessing, but I dare to suggest that you should be on the safe side."

"Oh? How did you guess that the Mu Dongzhu in the palace was fake and would really leave the city at this time?"

The emperor was really curious.

The city gate has been under strict search for more than a month without any results, so how come there was a precise catch today? If she said she didn't know something, even a fool would believe it.

The emperor narrowed his shrewd eyes, but Mu Lianzhi was not at all flustered:

"Your Majesty, I am a woman, but I was recently awarded a phoenix hairpin by the Queen Mother, which I treasure very much. I just think that such a rare item should be cherished, especially this relic of the fallen dynasty, which is hard to buy no matter how much money you have."

"They were willing to expose themselves to danger and suffer heavy losses to obtain it. No matter what they did it for, they shouldn't have destroyed it so hastily. Shouldn't they have waited until everything was absolutely safe before taking any action? I wonder if this is a fake."

"If it's fake, then the best time to move the real thing is when we have just found it and everyone is relaxing. We should choose this time to leave the city."

"After all, the city gates were sealed and strictly inspected before, and I also heard from you that there is a special method to detect the wooden beads. I don't know whether it is useful or not, but the thieves will definitely not dare to take the risk with the real ones."

"At this time, the emperor has found the real thing and captured the traitor throughout the city. The commotion is so great that rumors will spread. The city gates will definitely hear the news. Then, regardless of whether the emperor lifts the seal immediately or not, their search will be relaxed, and there will be more room for maneuver."

"So, I reminded you, sir, to move the gate to fifty meters outside the gate. This way, we won't waste our troops, and it would be best if no one slipped through the net, but if there was, we wouldn't miss it."

After Mu Lianzhi finished speaking, the emperor couldn't help but applaud her in public:

"Okay, okay, thank goodness you're smart."

"Reward! Defu, go to the storehouse and pick out two sets of phoenix hairpins for Madam Beitang. You have done a great job this time, so I will allow you to dress without being restricted by the rules in the future, and you can also wear the phoenix hairpin with seven tails."

Although the Chiyan Kingdom was very tolerant, the class rules were actually still very clear. For example, except for the empress dowager and the queen, women were not allowed to wear straight-headed phoenix hairpins. The phoenix hairpins worn by the empress dowager and the queen could be straight or sideways, and generally had nine tails. The four concubines could wear seven tails, the imperial concubines could wear five tails, and so on. The rest mostly had three-tailed phoenix hairpins, and they were all sideways and had specific specifications.

The wives of officials in the civilian world were also allowed to wear some phoenix hairpins according to their ranks, but there were more requirements on the size and details. Even when it came to the hairpin worn by Mu Lianzhi, a third-rank lady, it could only be said to be similar in shape.

Therefore, this is definitely a great honor for women.

The privilege granted to her by the emperor this time can be regarded as a disguised symbol of status, which is quite valuable. Her freedom in clothing and treatment are comparable to those of a royal concubine.

"Thank you, Lord, for your grace."

After finding the real Mu Dongzhu, the emperor's mood was visibly different. After the little episode, his attention turned back to the culprit on the scene.

When the old woman's head and face were pulled up, everyone was shocked, because after running all the way, the cloth on the old woman's head was torn off along with half of her wig, and the wrinkles on her face were peeling. Finally, when the face was torn up, a man's face was revealed.

"Prime Minister?"

The emperor was so shocked that his eyes almost popped out of his head. Yu Hua also screamed in despair:

"Dad, why is it you? How could it be you?"

When the Prince's Mansion was sealed off, she had made special preparations and passed the news with great difficulty, waiting for her father to lend a helping hand and give them a hand. Why would the loss of the national treasure be related to the Prince and the Prime Minister's Mansion?

Finished!

Completely finished.

Hope was completely shattered, and the Crown Princess collapsed to the ground. There was a suppressed silence in the field. Staring at the embarrassed man on the ground, Mu Lianzhi suddenly noticed something strange in the Prime Minister's ear:

"You are not from Chiyan country, right?"

Her question was in a positive tone. Her words were like a thunderbolt, and the imperial study room was in an uproar again. Several people said in unison:

"What did you say?"

Without looking away, Mu Lianzhi pointed at the Prime Minister's left ear:

"Your Majesty, he has holes in his ears. I don't think Chiyan men have this custom, do they? I just noticed it accidentally. If the Prime Minister just wanted to disguise himself and go out of the city, he could just wear a fake one. There's no need to pierce the ears for real. Also, there's a difference between a newly pierced ear and one that's been pierced for more than ten years. The Prime Minister's holes are real, they don't look like they were just pierced."

"I think the Prime Minister may not be from our Chiyan country at all. This can also explain why the wooden beads are in his hands and why he is leaving the city. He may have replaced the Prime Minister a long time ago or has been impersonating this identity from the beginning."

Beitang Yi bent over and pulled his ear to check it, and replied:

"Your Majesty, it is a real ear eye. Judging from the healing process, it has indeed taken some time. If I remember correctly, he originally had a black mole on his left ear. He should have used this method to hide it before. There is only one real ear eye. As far as I know, this is the custom of men in the Jinyue Kingdom."

Although the prime minister remained silent, after combining all the evidence, everyone soon understood what was going on.

The assassination in the Hanlin Academy on Qixi was arranged by the Prime Minister. Although the Crown Prince also wanted Mu Dongzhu, he had always wanted to use the method of stealing, so he gave orders to his people. Originally, he wanted to get a glimpse of the real thing first, then create a fake one and replace it without anyone noticing.

It was just a coincidence that Feng Rong accidentally discovered the emperor's secret and took action directly. Of course, he would never have dreamed that many of his secret agents were known to the prime minister. As a result, the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. Even some of the assassinations arranged by the prime minister involved his people.

The prime minister had always known that he wanted the Mu Dongzhu, and had taken advantage of his psychology to intentionally or unintentionally guide and interfere with his actions. Feng Rong did get the real Mu Dongzhu, but unfortunately it was replaced by the prime minister's men, who then killed him.

The prince didn't know and thought what he got was real. He had been taking the blame and shielding the prime minister. This time, he was used by the prime minister to be the final sacrifice.

Although the prime minister didn't say anything, his expression changed when several people combined the evidence to guess the whole process.