Reborn, I am doing involution on Jinshan

The maid tried to calm herself down: "My lord, according to a young eunuch in the palace, he saw Liu Shuiling and Concubine Shu's personal maid secretly meeting at the corner of the palace wall. I can help find this young eunuch."

Dongfang Hao stared at the maid meaningfully: "You betrayed the mistress. Aren't you afraid of being caned? Or maybe even beaten to death?"

The maid's neck stiffened, and she said with a cold look in her eyes, "Even if I die, I will drag her to hell."

Dongfang Hao raised his eyebrows slightly, feeling somewhat surprised by the palace maid's resolute attitude. It seemed that there must be some unknown deep hatred behind this.

The voice was very soft, revealing unspeakable hatred.

He continued to ask: "What's your name?"

"The maid's name is Yin Taodi."

Dongfang Hao couldn't help but look at the little palace maid again. She looked like an older sister. She was quite tall, but as thin as a paper figure. Her skin was dark yellow, and her maid's clothes were washed white. She must be an old woman.

Her hair was yellow from malnutrition, and she must have had a rough life in the palace. Her face was freckled with a few spots, and she had a fresh, fresh look. She was quite pretty, with surprisingly bright eyes. "What deep hatred could you have that would make you risk your own life to drag Concubine Shu into this? Tell me in detail. If it's true, this prince will definitely give you justice."

The maid trembled slightly, took a deep breath, as if mustering up her courage, and then slowly said, "Your Highness, you may not know that I am an ordinary woman. My parents are honest farmers. Before Concubine Shu entered the palace, her father took a fancy to my family's land and wanted to seize it. My parents refused, so her father ordered the servants to beat my parents to death on the spot. My mother also fell ill and passed away not long after."

Pang Zhengxiang interrupted: "Land is the lifeblood of farmers, how can it be robbed? Who is Shufei's maiden family?" However, no one responded to him.

Yin Taodi remained kneeling. "I was young at the time and powerless to resist. I could only watch my family being torn apart. Later, when Consort Shu was selected to enter the palace, I, out of revenge, found a way to enter the palace and became her personal maid, hoping that one day I would make her pay for her evil deeds."

Dongfang Hao couldn't help but feel a surge of pity and anger after hearing this. He felt pity for the maid's tragic life, and anger at the evil deeds of Concubine Shu's father. But he knew that the maid's one-sided statement alone was not enough to convict Concubine Shu; more evidence was needed.

Chai Lingyun: "The story is well told, but it has nothing to do with this case. It's just another murder case."

Dongfang Hao pondered for a moment and said, "Your experience is indeed sympathetic, but the laws in the palace are strict, and conviction requires solid evidence. Since you have been with Concubine Shu for many years, do you have any concrete evidence that can prove her involvement in the assassination of the Queen Mother? For example, letters, keepsakes, etc. Words are not enough!"

The maid bit her lip and said, "Your Highness, a few days ago, I saw Concubine Shu having a secret meeting with a mysterious person in the garden. After she returned, she looked flustered and secretly burned a letter. Although I don't know the content of the letter, I suspect it is related to the assassination of the Queen Mother. However, I didn't dare to make it public at the time, for fear that Concubine Shu and her close confidants would find out."

"What are your main responsibilities in Concubine Shu's Mansion?" Pang Zhengxiang was also looking at her, thinking about the credibility of her words.

Yin Taodi whispered, "Indoor hygiene."

Dongfang Hao's eyes glared. It seemed the clues this maid had provided were crucial. "Your information is very useful. If I let you go back to the palace to look for evidence, would you be afraid?"

Captain Cao said, "Prince, I'm afraid that's not a good idea. If she goes back, her life will be in jeopardy. We were acting in a high-profile manner at the time. If Concubine Shu is suspicious by nature, she wouldn't let a suspected maid go. This would only alert the enemy and hinder our continued investigation."

Dongfang Hao looked slightly disappointed. He then turned to the palace maid and said, "Captain Cao is right. Your Highness cannot let you take this risk. However, we need more evidence to convict Concubine Shu. Ideally, physical evidence."

"Yeah, okay." Yin Taodi responded positively.

"Get up. It's cold on the ground. Don't kneel anymore." Pang Zhengxiang, who was standing next to her, helped pull her up.

"Thank you for your kindness, sir!" This was the first time she had met such a kind-hearted little sir. She pursed her lips tightly, trying not to cry, but her red eyes betrayed the bitterness in her heart.

"Yin Taodi, then you will stay in the Ministry of Justice. We will protect your safety. When you have time, think carefully about it. If you find anything suspicious about Concubine Shu, feel free to tell Lord Chai or Captain Cao."

Dongfang Hao comforted him again, "Rest assured for now. This prince will investigate this matter thoroughly. But you must also understand that before the truth is revealed, you must not act impulsively. If the clues you provided are true, this prince will seek justice for your parents. If it is found that you fabricated and deceived me, don't blame me for being ruthless."

A flicker of gratitude flashed in Yin Taodi's eyes. She sank to her knees with a plop and said, "Thank you, Your Highness. I am willing to guarantee with my life that everything I said is true. If I can avenge my parents, I will die without regrets."

"Well, you'd better know what you said." The maid immediately swore an oath and made a poisonous remark.

Dongfang Hao said calmly, "Alright, take Yin Tao down first, and send Liu Shuiling and the dancer up."

Dongfang Hao looked at the sky. The sun was setting in the west. He saw a colorful bird standing on the roof tiles. Their eyes met. The bird chirped a few times. The corners of his mouth curled up. He was in a good mood. He just wanted to end the interrogation quickly so that he could go and accompany the little princess earlier.

The captain of the police quickly brought Liu Shuiling and Lu Guxin up. Although Chai Lingyun was dissatisfied and reluctant, the position of presiding judge had been replaced. The emperor's power was above everything else and no one dared to disobey. Everyone kept their mouths shut, waiting for the prince to try the prisoners.

Dongfang Hao glanced at the faces of the two people. Their faces were clear and clean, while Lu Guxin had a bit of a broken look and looked like she had just reached the age of 15.

Liu Shuiling changed drastically. Her hair was neatly combed. She looked more blessed than a rough maid, and her skin became more than one degree whiter.

"Stretch out your hands and open them for me to see." His voice was not loud, but it sounded like thunder to someone.

Lu Guxin's hands were long, slender, and white, like the hands of a dancer. Liu Shuiling reluctantly spread out her hands. Captain Cao gave her a slap in the face, and he and his partner impatiently controlled her arms and hands. The scene was a bit funny.

Everyone gathered around and took a closer look. They saw that there was a thin layer of calluses on the palms of Liu Shuiling's hands. People who practiced martial arts knew that this was caused by holding weapons. The skin of her hands was rosy and white, without the wrinkles and calluses of time. There were ten big and white crescents on her nails. She was strong, like an old woman who did odd jobs.

Everyone suddenly understood why the prince asked them to wash their faces, as hands were the hardest part to disguise.

Dongfang Hao looked at Liu Shuiling's hands, a cold glint in his eyes, and he said slowly: "Liu Shuiling, you dare to act so pretentiously in front of me. Judging from your hands, you don't look like a maid doing odd jobs, you are clearly a martial artist. Tell me, who are you? Who is behind this?

Liu Shuiling's face turned pale instantly. She gritted her teeth and tried to argue, "Your Highness, this... this is just some basic martial arts I learned in the past, for self-defense. It has nothing to do with the Queen Mother's assassination."

Captain Cao snorted coldly, "You're still being stubborn! If you had nothing to do with this case, why did you hide the fact that you knew martial arts? And why did you pretend to be a maid?"

"This is the case of trying to cover up one's own guilt without being asked." A captain of the police sneered.