The Side Character Wants to Lie Flat

Mrs. He returned soon after.

She shoved a prescription into Hua Manman’s hand and whispered mysteriously.

"This is a secret formula I had someone find especially for you. When you get back, have someone fill this prescription. Drink a bowl every day, and you’ll surely get pregnant soon!"

The moment Hua Manman heard this, the prescription in her hand felt like a hot potato.

"That’s not necessary. I’m still young; I don’t need this sort of thing."

Mrs. He glared at her.

"What do you know? It’s because you’re young that you should start early. It’ll make it easier to conceive.

My dear child, Mother won’t harm you. You can’t go wrong listening to me!"

Helpless, Hua Manman could only bite the bullet and accept the prescription.

Mrs. He reminded her again and again, "Remember, you must take the medicine on time when you get back."

Hua Manman mumbled vaguely, "Mm, I’ll remember."

’When I get back,’ she thought, ’I have to hide this prescription. I can’t let Prince Zhao find out about it.’

Then, Mrs. He had a huge pile of food, supplies, and clothes packed up for Hua Manman to take back with her.

Seeing this, Hua Dingzong couldn’t help but grumble.

"Is there anything the Prince Zhao Mansion lacks? Why are you so painstakingly sending all this stuff? Isn’t it a bother?"

Ever since Hua Dingzong had hit Hua Manman, Mrs. He had held a great deal of resentment toward him.

Even though they had reconciled, their relationship could not return to how it was before.

Mrs. He didn’t even spare Hua Dingzong a glance, focusing solely on reminding her daughter to take good care of herself and to send a messenger back if she ran into any trouble.

Of course Mrs. He knew the Prince Zhao Mansion had everything it needed.

She just couldn’t help but worry.

Among her three children, Manman had the most willful personality and had caused no shortage of trouble since she was little.

Furthermore, she was Mrs. He’s first child, so Mrs. He naturally doted on her.

The more thought she put in, the deeper her affection grew.

Hua Manman could feel her mother’s deep love, and it would be a lie to say she wasn’t touched.

She took Mrs. He’s hand and said.

"The Prince Zhao Mansion isn’t that far from here. I’ll come back to visit you when I have time."

At first, Mrs. He nodded in agreement, but then she quickly shook her head no.

"What kind of married daughter is always running back to her parents’ home?

People will gossip if they find out. You just stay put in the Prince Zhao Mansion. I have everything I need here; you don’t need to worry about me."

Hua Manman whined playfully, "But I just want to come back and see you."

Mrs. He pretended to push her out the door.

"Go, go. You’re a grown woman now, still acting like a child with me."

...

The Crown Prince’s death cast a shadow over the entire Imperial Palace.

Everything looked gloomy and oppressive.

Li Ji and Bian Ziming waited for a moment outside Taizhang Hall.

Wu Wang came out and announced that the Saint had summoned them inside.

The two entered Hanzhang Hall one after the other.

Hanzhang Hall was the Emperor’s bedchamber. He rarely summoned officials here, but since he had been feeling unwell for the past two days, he couldn’t be bothered to move.

At this moment, the Emperor had already been helped into a sitting position.

He wore a loose black robe without a sash, its collar slightly open. His dark hair was held in place by a single jade hairpin, and his brows were furrowed, revealing a hint of weariness.

Li Ji and Bian Ziming bowed to the Emperor.

"Your humble servants greet Your Majesty."

When the Emperor saw Li Ji standing there perfectly fine, he was stunned.

"Your leg injury... it has healed?"

Li Ji replied, "Yes."

Ordinarily, the Emperor would have been delighted to hear this good news.

But he was still mired in grief over the Crown Prince’s death and simply couldn’t muster any happiness.

He nodded. "That’s good."

Zuo Ji offered him a cup of warm tea, but the Emperor pushed it away, waving it off.

The Emperor asked, "What exactly happened with the Crown Prince’s death?"

Bian Ziming recounted the entire incident in detail.

Only after he had finished did Li Ji speak.

"When the Crown Prince was killed, I was in the valley, still dealing with those bandits.

By the time I escaped the valley and saw the Crown Prince, he was already dead."

The Emperor stared at them intently.

His sharp gaze seemed to pierce through their skin and see into their very souls.

Bian Ziming’s scalp tingled under the stare, and a cold sweat broke out on his brow.

Li Ji lowered his head, assuming a posture of deference.

The Emperor said, "I heard you captured three of them alive. What was the result of the interrogation?"

After he spoke, he noticed Bian Ziming’s expression turn very strange.

The Emperor frowned. "Is there a problem?"

Bian Ziming did not dare to conceal anything. He took a stack of written confessions from his robes.

"The three bandits have all confessed. These are their statements. Please review them, Your Majesty."

Zuo Ji took the confessions from his hand and passed them to the Emperor.

After reading the contents of the confessions, the Emperor’s brow twitched.

It turned out the three were not real bandits, but marauders in disguise.

They had set up the ambush in the valley because they had been bought by the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince had promised them one thousand taels of silver each if they could kill Prince Zhao!

It was a sum that could sway any heart.

They couldn’t resist the temptation and accepted the deal.

The Emperor looked up at Li Ji and asked in a low voice.

"Why would the Crown Prince suddenly try to kill you? Did something happen between you two?"

Li Ji replied, calm and composed.

"That is what I would also like to know. Why did the Crown Prince try to assassinate me time and again?

What could I have possibly done to offend him?"

The Emperor’s frown deepened.

"What do you mean, ’time and again’? Did the Crown Prince try to harm you more than once?"

Li Ji recounted the incident where he fell into the river and nearly drowned, concluding with,

"I have already determined that the suspension bridge’s sudden collapse was no accident. It was sabotage.

The culprit was one of the Crown Prince’s own attendants, a man named Sang Zhong.

I have already had him taken into custody. If Your Majesty has any doubts, you may interrogate him at any time."

The Emperor fell silent and did not speak for a long time.

He had sent Li Ji to escort the Crown Prince south for disaster relief in the hopes that Li Ji would protect him, and that the two of them might deepen their bond.

He had it all planned out. In the future, after he was gone, the Crown Prince would inherit the throne, and Li Ji could serve as his right-hand man, assisting him in ruling the empire.

But the outcome was the complete opposite of what he had envisioned.

Not only had the Crown Prince failed to get along with Li Ji, but he had even developed a desire to kill him.

After a long while, the Emperor finally spoke again, his voice somewhat low.

"Since you knew long ago that the Crown Prince wanted you dead, you surely wouldn’t have just let it happen. Did you... also want to kill him?"

Hearing this, Bian Ziming felt his heart pound in his chest.

He wished he could just vanish into thin air on the spot.

’This isn’t a conversation an outsider like me should be hearing!’

Li Ji met the Emperor’s profound gaze and answered calmly.

"I did."

The Emperor was furious at his honesty.

"You actually dare to admit it?"

Li Ji said, "Someone wanted to kill me. If I didn’t want to die, my only choice was to strike first.

If it were Your Majesty in my position, would you not have made the same choice?"