Disguised as a man, she became the biggest villain in the book.

After seeing the guard accept the gift, Yueji smiled with satisfaction. Then she took out some loose silver from her pocket and gently placed it in the guard's hand.

Yueji smiled brightly and said sweetly, "Then thank you, Brother Guard!"

After saying that, Yueji turned and left.

The guard watched quietly as Yueji's figure receded into the distance, the smile on his face gradually fading, replaced by a calm expression.

The hairpin then ended up in Zheng Luoqi's hands.

At this moment, the guard who was in charge of purchasing supplies for the people in the backyard was kneeling respectfully in front of Zheng Luoqi and reporting with his head bowed: "Young Master, these are the things that Miss Yueji usually asks me to deliver to her mother's house."

Zheng Luoqi nodded slightly and replied expressionlessly, "I understand, you can go now!"

The guards quickly withdrew.

Zheng Luoqi casually picked up the hairpin and examined it from all sides, but found nothing unusual.

Zheng Luoqi frowned slightly and took the hairpin out into the sunlight to examine it carefully.

Sunlight filtered through the hairpin, casting dappled shadows. Zheng Luoqi stared intently at the hairpin, and finally, she noticed something unusual.

The once smooth and round surface of the bead now had several fine scratches. These scratches would have been extremely difficult to notice unless it were in sunlight.

Zheng Luoqi chuckled softly, ordered someone to bring cinnabar, and carefully removed the beads from the hairpin.

Zheng Luoqi rolled the bead in cinnabar a few times, picked it up and was surprised to find that it was covered with densely engraved words.

"So that's how the message was sent out!" Zheng Luoqi said with a sneer.

The bead was engraved with the information that Zheng Luoqi had pretended to release last night. He hadn't expected the rose to be so impatient, which made things much easier.

In no time, Yueji was brought in front of Zheng Luoqi.

Yueji was thrown to the ground by the guard. Yueji looked at Zheng Luoqi in horror: "Young...Young Master, did Yueji do something wrong?"

Zheng Luoqi approached Yueji, pinched Yueji's chin tightly with her hand, and forced Yueji to look at her. At this moment, Yueji's beautiful face lost its usual luster, and her face was full of fear.

Zheng Luoqi showed the bead in her hand to Yueji. When Yueji saw the bead, she was horrified.

Zheng Luoqi coldly said, "I think the eyes of a rose are much cuter than this bead."

"No... Young Master... Young Master, I have an elderly mother at home, as you know. If I don't do that, my mother will not be able to survive." Yueji cried with tears streaming down her face, her eyes filled with helplessness and fear. She tightly gripped Zheng Luoqi's clothes, hoping he could understand her predicament.

"It was them, it was they who threatened my mother that made me do this. You must believe me, young master!" Yueji's voice trembled, tears streaming down her face.

Her face was as pale as paper, and her lips trembled slightly, as if she might collapse at any moment.

The rose looked so pitiful that it evoked feelings of sympathy. If it were any other man, he might have already softened and wanted to comfort her.

But Zheng Luoqi remained unmoved, looking at Yueji indifferently as if she were a complete stranger.

Zheng Luoqi frowned, waved his hand impatiently, and signaled the guards to take Yueji away. As the guards dragged Yueji away, she kept looking back at Zheng Luoqi and shouted, "Young Master! Young Master, please!" Her eyes were filled with despair and sorrow.

Zheng Luoqi rubbed his temples and said coldly, "So noisy!" His voice revealed a hint of annoyance and exhaustion.

Zheng Luoqi waved, signaling the guards to come in.

"Young master, what are your orders?" the guard said respectfully, bowing.

"Go check, find out if she really has an elderly mother at home!" Zheng Luoqi ordered.

"Yes, young master!" The guard acknowledged the order and withdrew.

After the guards withdrew, Zheng Luoqi picked up the bead and continued to examine it. There was nothing special about the bead; it was just a common style that the Prime Minister's mansion usually gave to the concubines.

Zheng Luoqi couldn't find any other clues by looking at the beads, so she stopped paying attention and continued reading her book.

Soon after, the guard returned and respectfully reported, "Young master, there is indeed an elderly mother at home, but the person is mute. I went to check, and... her tongue has been pulled out."

Zheng Luoqi frowned: "Anything else?"

"I also asked the neighbors around here. At first, they all stammered and said they didn't know. In the end, when we mentioned the name of the Prime Minister's residence, they obediently confessed," the guard continued to report.

"That old mother did have a daughter before, but she died of illness. Yueji was sent there last year and lived with that old mother for a few months before being brought to the mansion. That old mother used to be able to talk, but after Yueji left, she was afraid of exposing Yueji's identity, so she pulled her up. That old mother is already fifty years old." The guard felt sorry for her as he said this.

"Moreover, that old mother isn't doing well. Every time Yueji delivers jewelry, it's taken away by a specific person. The money for the family income is just a pretext," the guard continued.

"Those pieces of jewelry should all contain messages conveyed by the roses," the guard reported in one breath.

At this moment, Zheng Luoqi's face was as black as hell, as if she was about to explode at any moment.

"Go to the dungeon!" Zheng Luoqi said coldly.

In the dungeon

Rose was tied to the rack, but the torture had not yet begun, because Zheng Luoqi had not given the order.

Zheng Luoqi arrived at the dungeon with a gloomy face. Yueji was still calling out happily, "Young Master, Young Master, you've come! Have you come to release me?" Yueji had a smile on her face, but her eyes revealed a hint of cunning and smugness.

Zheng Luoqi did not respond to her words. He simply stood quietly in front of Yueji, staring at her with cold eyes.

"I'm giving you one last chance. Tell me who's behind this, and I'll make your suffering less." Zheng Luoqi's voice was icy, filled with authority and oppression.

His gaze was sharp as a knife.

Yueji's face turned deathly pale instantly. She looked at Zheng Luoqi in horror, a hint of panic flashing in her eyes.

She knew she might have been exposed, but she still tried to remain calm and refused to give up easily.

Zheng Luoqi didn't say anything more. He turned around and gestured to the guards behind him.

Immediately, two guards stepped forward, each holding a red-hot iron block. The iron block emitted a scorching heat that sent chills down one's spine.

Yueji watched in horror as the guard approached with a red-hot iron block. Her previous cheerful demeanor vanished, and she pleaded, "Young Master... Young Master... No, no, ah!!!" Her voice was filled with terror.

The guard placed the iron block against Yueji's chest, and a pungent, burning smell immediately filled the air. Yueji's skin quickly turned red, and wisps of smoke rose from it. She screamed in agony, tears streaming down her face.

Zheng Luoqi watched all of this coldly, her heart completely unmoved.