The Side Character Wants to Lie Flat

The assassins kept verbally threatening Chen Wangbei, trying to scare him off.

Everyone in Prince Zheng Mansion was scared to death by Chen Wangbei’s bold actions.

Afraid their Princely Heir would be killed by the assassins, they tried to stop Chen Wangbei, only to be blocked by the Regent Prince Mansion’s Royal Guards.

As they watched Chen Wangbei get closer and closer, completely unfazed by their threats and intimidation, the two assassins started to panic.

’This isn’t how it was supposed to go at all!’

Li Qi secretly gritted his teeth.

He knew the self-inflicted injury ploy was probably not going to work.

’Now I have no choice but to risk it all!’

Li Qi suddenly grabbed the arm of the assassin behind him and bit down hard.

The assassin cried out in pain and instinctively tried to shake Li Qi off.

Taking advantage of the momentum, Li Qi fell to the ground, then scrambled on all fours toward Chen Wangbei.

He threw his arms around Chen Wangbei’s leg like a dying man grasping at a lifeline, wailing loudly.

"Help! Save me!"

Seeing that things had gone south, the two assassins turned to flee but were swarmed and pinned to the ground by the Royal Guards.

With the crisis averted, the servants of Prince Zheng Mansion rushed forward and hastily helped Li Qi to his feet.

Li Qi, seemingly scared out of his wits, was a blubbering mess.

He gripped Chen Wangbei’s hand tightly, choking back sobs.

"Chen Guard, thank you so much! If it weren’t for you, I would have died here today!"

Chen Wangbei looked at him with a half-smile. "Don’t be so quick to thank me. I still need your cooperation with a certain matter."

Li Qi’s heart skipped a beat with a bad premonition, but he feigned a look of gratitude.

"You’re my savior! Just tell me what you need, and I’ll cooperate completely!"

Chen Wangbei flashed the Regent Prince Mansion Token in his hand. "By order of the Regent Prince, I am investigating a group of assassins. Two of them fled into Prince Zheng Mansion, and we now suspect that the mansion is colluding with them."

As if dealt a massive blow, Li Qi’s eyes widened in disbelief.

"How is that possible? I was just held hostage by assassins and nearly lost my life! How could I possibly be colluding with them?!"

But no matter how he argued, it was useless.

The Regent King’s command was practically a Holy Decree.

If he said Prince Zheng Mansion was to be thoroughly investigated, it would be thoroughly investigated.

All the servants and guards within Prince Zheng Mansion were gathered and placed under watch. Even the Heir of Prince Zheng, Li Qi, was temporarily put under house arrest.

As for the two assassins, they were sent to the Ministry of Justice Prison.

What awaited them was brutal interrogation, a fate worse than death.

That night, many were destined for a sleepless night.

「At the crack of dawn the next day」 Li Ji was already fully dressed.

Although he had been forced to sleep in the study last night, the thought of Manman wearing his clothes and sleeping in the bed he usually slept in filled him with a deep sense of contentment.

He had even forgotten all about the unpleasantness from the previous night.

Jin Shu stood at the door to report that Chen Guard had returned and was requesting an audience with the Prince.

Li Ji said, "Let him in."

Chen Wangbei had been busy all night. He had rushed to see the Prince the moment he returned to the mansion, not even having had time to change his clothes. He looked travel-worn.

But he was long accustomed to this state and didn’t feel particularly tired.

"Reporting, Your Highness. As you instructed, I tracked the assassins to Prince Zheng Mansion."

He then recounted everything that had happened at Prince Zheng Mansion from beginning to end.

After placing the Heir of Prince Zheng under house arrest, Chen Wangbei ordered a complete search of the entire Prince Zheng Mansion. No corner was left unchecked. They even dug up the soil in the garden, truly tearing the place apart.

And their efforts did indeed turn up some clues.

Chen Wangbei presented a strangely shaped whistle with both hands.

"I found this in the bedchamber of the Heir of Prince Zheng. I’ve already tested it. When you blow this whistle, a carrier pigeon flies to you."

Li Ji reached out, took the whistle, and asked, "Have you traced the pigeon’s origin?"

Chen Wangbei reported truthfully.

"I followed the direction the pigeon came from to the Juci Gambling House.

There’s a wooden shed in the gambling house’s backyard used for raising pigeons. That’s where the carrier pigeon flew from.

But I was a step too late. The person who raised the pigeons was gone, and even the owner of the gambling house had disappeared.

The remaining handymen and the steward all pleaded complete ignorance."

The trail went cold there.

Li Ji lowered his gaze to the whistle in his hand.

The surface of the brass whistle was polished smooth. It was cast with a lifelike eagle, its wings spread as if ready to take flight at any moment.

He said slowly, "The people may have fled, but the gambling house’s registration with the government should still exist. Go and check whose name the gambling house is registered under."

"Yes, sir."

Li Ji casually tucked the whistle into his sleeve. "Remember to have someone keep a close eye on Li Qi. Don’t let him die."

"I will have him watched closely."

After finishing his official business, Li Ji left the study and went to the bedchamber.

Hua Manman had just woken up and was about to change her clothes and wash up.

But given her situation, she couldn’t allow anyone to attend to her personally.

However, she was still injured, which made moving her arms and legs difficult.

Just as she was in a bind, the Regent King appeared right on cue.

"Let me help you."

Hua Manman remembered that he already had a family and that she should keep her distance.

So she shook her head. "It’s fine. I can manage on my own."

Li Ji hated this feeling of being rejected by her.

He said in a low voice, "If you tear open your wounds, you’ll be the one suffering later."

Hua Manman said quietly, "I’ll be careful. I’ll try not to pull on my wounds."

Li Ji’s brow furrowed even deeper.

"Do you detest me that much? You don’t even want me to touch you?"

"I don’t," Hua Manman protested.

’I’m just afraid I’ll fall for him.’

’It would be one thing if they were both single, but the Regent King already has a family.’

’I could never be a homewrecker in the name of love.’

Seeing his grim expression, Hua Manman quickly reminded him.

"You already have a Princess Consort. I heard you love her very much. You wouldn’t betray your Princess Consort, would you?"

Her words made him laugh in anger.

He deliberately spoke in a nasty tone.

"Who said I love her? That’s just baseless gossip!

I can’t stand her.

She’s a blockhead, dumb as a rock. All she does is eat, and she’s useless at everything else.

She does nothing but make me angry all day long!"

Hua Manman was dumbfounded.

She asked, half-doubtingly.

"The Princess Consort can’t be that worthless, can she?

There are so many women in the world. Some have good personalities, some are beautiful, some are good-tempered...

You can always find one or two good qualities.

I’m sure your Princess Consort must be the same, right?"

Li Ji let out a heavy, cold laugh. "Her? She has a good appetite!"

Hua Manman: "..."