The cruel little princess

Upon hearing of the progress, Prince Jin and Wu Siqi immediately ordered their horses to be prepared for Chunmanlou. Arriving at Chunmanlou, they dismounted and conducted a thorough inspection. They summoned Aunt Mei and learned that Miss Mudan had been sold to Chunmanlou by her mother several months earlier, forced to do so by her family's financial woes. The room she had occupied when she first arrived was not this one. From the outset, Mudan had stunned everyone and won the title of top courtesan! She had behaved well in her early days, but soon complained that the constant noise from the room below her was keeping her awake.

After all, this was a brothel, and when a patron was in the mood, the girls had to serve him well, day or night. So Aunt Mei changed her room, but she didn't like the first two, saying the noise was still too loud. Aunt Mei had no choice but to move her to the room above the utility room. The utility room was where they kept replaced tables, chairs, and benches. It was usually locked and rarely used. This satisfied Miss Mudan, and she lived there forever. But she didn't know what the hidden panel under her bed was.

Wu Siqi called his confidant and opened the hidden panel, revealing a hole that was wide enough for one person to pass through. Below were some tables, chairs, and benches stacked in a disorderly yet orderly manner. The yamen runners went down along the place where the tables, chairs, and benches could rest, and found that it was the utility room on the first floor. However, those tables, chairs, and benches were neatly stacked to form a wall. So even if you open the door, you can only see these tables, chairs, and benches. Those randomly stacked at the back were placed like this on purpose, as if they were accidentally knocked over. You can climb to the roof and enter Mudan's room through the hidden panel! However, no one was allowed to enter the utility room originally, and no one was allowed to enter since Mudan said she wanted some quiet time. So the people in the building never discovered this secret.

After Wu Siqi heard his subordinates' report, he ordered Aunt Mei to open the utility room. He walked to the area beneath the hidden panel, ordered the yamen runners to step back, lit a candle, and carefully observed the traces on the ground. He found that other areas were dusty, but there was only one area that was almost dust-free. He ordered the yamen runners to carefully check the area.

The yamen runners walked over quietly and knocked lightly at this place. When they heard a sound that was different from the others and seemed a little empty, they found the right direction and lifted their hands lightly, revealing the secret passage below!

The yamen runners found that the secret passage was newly dug and extremely narrow. Following the secret passage, they arrived at a small house that had long been abandoned. The clues they had finally found were interrupted here.

Wu Siqi had no choice but to return to the Ministry of Justice to continue interrogating Shaoyao and the maid. However, the two refused to speak, even shouting, "You can't afford to offend the master behind us! We know nothing! Let us out quickly if you know what's good for you!"

Seeing nothing, Wu Siqi returned to his room in the Ministry of Justice. He sat quietly in the armchair with his eyes closed, his fingers drumming on the table in front of him, his mind racing. Suddenly, he opened his eyes and called out to the door, "Please ask Doctor Yang to come in."

The yamen runners quickly summoned Imperial Physician Yang. It's unclear what they discussed in the room, but a moment later, the runners escorted him back. He also returned with several packets of herbs, claiming they were remedies for the cold requested by Minister Wu. The runners didn't dare delay and quickly delivered the herbs to Lord Wu's room. Wu Siqi summoned his trusted confidant and opened the medicine package before him. Ignoring the scattered herbs, he pulled a specially packaged powder from the bottom pack. He then gave the confidant a few instructions and sent him down to prepare them.

That night, at midnight, when all was quiet and everyone was fast asleep, the prison cells of the Ministry of Justice were brightly lit, and the guards on duty were diligently guarding the prisoners. A gust of wind blew, and one by one, they collapsed to the ground. Even the prisoners inside were no exception! Their eyes could move, but they couldn't speak, their hands or feet couldn't move! There wasn't even a warning, let alone the sound of a gong to alert others!

The maidservant and Shaoyao were also anxious and frightened, not knowing what was going on. They lay on the ground and watched helplessly as a group of men in black broke into the prison. They searched everywhere as if with a purpose, and when they saw Shaoyao and her, their eyes lit up, "Don't look anymore, they're here!" The men in black quickly surrounded them, took the keys from the jailer, and tried to open Shaoyao's prison one by one.

Seeing their fearful eyes, the man in black slowed down his movements. "Don't be afraid. The master ordered us to rescue you! The master knows you didn't say anything you shouldn't have, and he's very pleased. He ordered us to rescue you as soon as possible! But time is running out, so we'll talk on the way!" With that, he ordered his men to carry the two women and quickly retreat. The entire process was as if it had been rehearsed a thousand times, without any delay. The man in black was so familiar with the prison that he moved around freely, as if he were at home. Wherever he went, people fell to the ground, speechless and unable to move.

Shaoyao and the maidservant had no idea where they were being carried to. They were jolted along the way by their shoulders like sacks, unable to see the outside in the darkness. They took many turns, jumping up and down, and finally arrived at an empty courtyard. They were separated into two rooms and placed on chairs. The man in black pulled out a packet of medicine powder from his sleeve. "I'm so sorry, young lady. We used house arrest powder to get in and rescue people, so you're feeling weak all over. But it's okay, this is the antidote. Just use a little." As he spoke, he poured a little medicine powder and the antidote for the house arrest powder into the water that had been prepared on the table, right in front of Shaoyao, his heart still throbbing with pain.

"Just drink it and you'll be able to talk and move again." The man in black handed the cup of water to Shaoyao and watched her drink it.

"Have you completed the task assigned by your master?" asked the man in black.

"It's done." Although Shaoyao could speak, her eyes had lost focus, her expression was dull, and her speech was slow.

"How did you do it?" the man in black asked again.

"Xiaohong used the drugs given by the master to knock that bitch Mudan unconscious, and then I used the drugs given by the master to knock the Fifth Prince unconscious, and then Xiaohong and I helped the Fifth Prince into Mudan's room, creating the illusion that they had already slept together. This way, Aunt Mei couldn't find Mudan at night, and everyone would find out that they were having an affair in public! The Fifth Prince's reputation would be ruined! And I would also take the drugs, creating the illusion that I was also a victim." Muyao spoke the vicious words calmly.

"Did the master give you the same kind of drugs?" the man in black asked.

"No, I used the same drug as that bitch Mudan, but the fifth prince used a different kind. The master said that the fifth prince grew up in the palace and is a smart guy. Ordinary drugs can't do anything to him! So his is a special drug." Mudan continued.

"Do you know the master's identity?" the man in black continued to interrogate.

"I haven't met the master. What is my identity? I'm not worthy of meeting the master at all! They all say that we work for the Third Prince, but I've never met the Third Prince!" Shaoyao suddenly looked dazed. "The sisters in Chunmanlou all envy me for having bewitched the Fifth Prince. They say I'm luckier than them! But what do they know? I'd rather not have such a blessing! The Fifth Prince has a special fetish! He has so many tricks every time, and I have to put on a very ecstatic expression to match him! Why me? I'm human too! I've had enough of this! People say that the Third Prince is gentle and elegant. If I had met the Third Prince, he would definitely not treat me like this!" Shaoyao became more and more excited as she spoke. "Even if my master is not the Third Prince, as long as I can divert the Fifth Prince's attention from me to that bitch Mudan, I would rather take the risk!"

"Do you know who our master is?" the man in black asked anxiously, as time was almost up.

"I don't know, I don't know! They say it's the Third Prince, but I've never seen him! My head hurts so much, it hurts so much!" Shaoyao covered her head and said in pain. "My head hurts so much, help me!"

The man in black continued to ask, "Who are they?"

But Shaoyao no longer answered or spoke, just sat there in a daze.

The man in black took off the black cloth covering his face, revealing it to be An Nineteen!