FID – Chapter 927

Chapter 927: No Victory Without Solving the Mystery

Their eyes met, but the young man’s expression remained unchanged. He raised his hand and commanded, “Capture her.”

His tone was as cold and ruthless as his face. To him, she was nothing more than an insignificant ant.

“Your Majesty, killing a person is as simple as a nod. What crime have I committed?”

The young emperor glanced at her with a faint smile. “Using seductive tricks to deceive the emperor, wreaking havoc in the harem, plotting to kill the emperor’s offspring, and even attempting to harm the emperor himself. Any one of those crimes is enough to cost you your head.”

The concubines gathered outside burst into uproar.

They heard the emperor’s words but couldn’t comprehend them: ‘Wreaking havoc in the harem? Plotting to kill the emperor’s offspring? Attempting to harm the emperor?’

Each accusation was a capital crime that could destroy entire families! Yet why did they know nothing about any of it? Was it true or not?

If it was true, then what did the emperor mean by ‘wreaking havoc’ and ‘plotting to kill the heir’? If their suspicions were correct… The concubines looked toward the calm woman standing at the palace gate with eyes full of fury and hatred.

“Fabricated charges! Your Majesty, do you have evidence for these accusations? If so, I am willing to accept my punishment. If not, I would rather die than submit!” Consort Mei straightened her back, her expression resolute and unyielding, though a faint pain flickered in her watery eyes as she stared at the young emperor.

“Fabricated charges?” the emperor sneered coldly. “Then tell me—why should I, the emperor, punish a lowly medical maid with no family background, no backing, nothing to rely on, as insignificant as an ant? Why would I single you out for judgment, especially when you carry the emperor’s child?”

Shan Lai was speechless; her clear eyes gradually clouded over, flowing with a chilling coldness.

“If it weren’t true, I wouldn’t even waste a glance on you. I really don’t have the energy to play these games,” the emperor stepped forward two paces, looking down on her with disdain. “If you need evidence right before your eyes to be convinced, fine—I’ll tell you, I am the evidence!”

Shan Lai’s expression trembled as she fixed her gaze on Feng Mohan, completely shedding her usual caution and humility.

The emperor as evidence.

Who would dare doubt the emperor’s evidence?

He was the emperor, the ruler of the nation; if he served as evidence, no one dared to question him!

“Your Majesty is so eager to send me to my death, can you be so cruel as to reject even your own child?” The palace guards moved forward to capture her, dragging her away. Before being taken, she struggled and demanded an answer from him.

The emperor coldly stared at her but said nothing.

As she was pulled past him, brushing by his side, his faint voice drifted to her ear: “My child? Is it really mine?”

Shan Lai suddenly turned, glaring at the emperor’s retreating figure, her eyes flashing with sharpness. “Many say that the King of Nanling is ruthless and heartless, but to me, Your Majesty is even worse!”

“To surpass the master is only natural,” Feng Mohan’s tone remained calm and distant, even carrying a hint of satisfaction.

He actually took this as praise.

Watching the once-glorious Plum Concubine quickly reduced to her true state, the surroundings fell into silence. The other concubines, while discreetly avoiding direct mention, couldn’t help but feel a bit of schadenfreude.

Meanwhile, without its mistress, the Changle Palace descended into chaos. The palace maids and eunuchs who once served Shan Lai were all reassigned to the Palace Laundry Service.

From this day forward, the palace was to be sealed off.

On the way back to the Imperial Study, Feng Mohan’s steps were light and brisk. Getting rid of Shan Lai was like removing a huge weight from his heart.

He no longer needed to force himself to put on a show in front of that woman; both body and mind felt lighter.

“Imperial Uncle, the woman has been captured. I’ve ordered her to be thrown into the main prison for custody, and tomorrow an edict will be issued regarding her fate.” Upon entering the study, Feng Mohan plopped down opposite Feng Qingbai, waiting for praise.

He thought today’s move was clean and decisive, right?

Without solid evidence, he still managed to silence the cunning Shan Lai, leaving her dumbfounded. He felt he deserved some recognition.

Clever, indeed.

Feng Qingbai lifted his eyes and glanced coolly at the young man’s triumphant face. “What’s there to be so happy about? Shan Lai is only temporarily trapped. Have you found any connection between her and Xue Zhong? Have you confirmed her true identity? Have you uncovered her real purpose for infiltrating the palace all these years? And about the fetus in her womb—is it really yours? Do you even know?”

“……” Feng Mohan turned his head and was left speechless by his Imperial Uncle’s pointed words.

None of these things had been uncovered yet; merely detaining Shan Lai was useless. Without solving the mystery, it didn’t count as a victory.

At best, he had only used his power to temporarily suppress her.

In the end, even if she were killed, those unsolved mysteries would still remain.

He hadn’t truly won.

Shifting in his seat, Feng Mohan added some flair to his own face. “Anyway, detaining her first is important. Even if we can’t execute her right now, at least Badou and Hongdou will be safe in the palace, right? Otherwise, how can aunt be at ease treating Xue Qinglian’s injuries with such a troublesome devil lurking around?”

Pausing, he carefully watched the man’s expression, deep and inscrutable in the lamplight, then cautiously asked, “Imperial Uncle, what should we do next? Should we interrogate her?”

Xue Zhong and Shan Lai were now both in their hands.

Especially Xue Zhong — over all these years, the storms involving the Nanling royal family and even Dongyue and Beicang were all connected to this man.

Since they’d caught the person, an interrogation was in order. They had to provide some explanation for the grievances and sufferings endured all these years.

Feng Qingbai remained silent, his gaze drifting toward a faintly glowing wind-protecting lantern nearby, his eyes deep and mysterious.

Interrogation was necessary, of course, but until Xue Qinglian recovered, they probably wouldn’t get much useful information.

Xue Zhong was cunning and scheming; before coming to the Nanling capital, he probably already had a plan. Without any leverage in hand, how could he dare to show himself easily?

“First, have the two closely guarded. Before I conduct the interrogation, no one is allowed to visit them privately for any reason. Anyone who dares to violate this will be treated as an accomplice and punished accordingly.” Seeing that dawn was approaching, Feng Qingbai stood up and left instead of continuing to sit idly.

“Uncle, are we not going to chat anymore?” Feng Mohan blinked. “It’s already early morning, time for the court session soon. Where are you going?”

“Yangxin Hall.”

“I’m coming too!” Feng Mohan immediately got up to follow. “Badou and Hongdou should be asleep at this time, right? Those two little things eat and sleep all day, like pigs—”

His Uncle shot him a cold, piercing glare, rendering him silent almost immediately.

He had accidentally spoken his mind. His Uncle was known to hold grudges. Saying it was just Badou was one thing, but why did he have to drag Hongdou into it too?

Though his Uncle had only been a father for a few months, he already showed signs of being a doting father. Usually, when the two kids annoyed him, only Badou would get the silent treatment.

As for Hongdou, his uncle would let the little one trample on him; not to mention being upset by him, he would even allow the child to pull hair from his head.

It was quite enviable.

Yangxin Hall was very quiet. The commotion at Changle Palace had stirred up the entire harem, but it didn’t disturb the tranquility of the hall one bit.

The two kids were indeed asleep, sleeping deeply and soundly. In their dreams, their little mouths would pucker and make soft ‘zha-ba-zha-ba’ sounds, showing no sign of discomfort from the change in surroundings.