Chapter 709: Resignation

Hua Manman bent down to help Si Yun up, comforting her in a gentle voice.

“Don’t cry. Get up first, and then we can talk.”

After Si Yun stood up, she took out a handkerchief to wipe away her tears.

She looked at her Princess Consort with red, swollen eyes and pleaded mournfully.

“Princess Consort, please take me with you. In the afterlife, I’ll continue to serve you just like before, alright?”

Hua Manman didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

‘So this girl thinks I’m a ghost who’s returned to the mortal world.’

Hua Manman said she wasn’t dead.

Si Yun didn’t believe her.

Hua Manman had no choice but to take her hand and place it on her own wrist.

“Feel this. Do I have a pulse?”

The moment Si Yun touched her skin, she froze.

The Princess Consort’s skin was soft, smooth, and warm.

‘This is clearly a living person!’

Then, she felt the beat of the Princess Consort’s pulse, one thump after another, perfectly clear.

Si Yun’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“You… you’re really alive?”

Hua Manman said helplessly, “It’s broad daylight, and the sun is so bright. If I were really a wandering spirit, wouldn’t I have been burned to a cinder long ago?”

Her reminder made the others suddenly realize—that was true!

Qing Huan pointed to the ground by the Princess Consort’s feet.

“A shadow!”

Everyone looked over and saw the shadow at the Princess Consort’s feet, confirming once again that she was not a ghost, but a living person.

Si Yun cried tears of joy. “This is wonderful! The Princess Consort is alive, this is truly wonderful!”

Gao Shan was, of course, overjoyed to learn the Princess Consort was not dead.

But his reason still held, and he couldn’t help but ask.

“But didn’t the Princess Consort already die in the fire? How could she be alive again?”

Just as Hua Manman was racking her brain for how to spin this lie, she heard Li Ji speak in a calm and composed voice.

“Actually, the Princess Consort never died in the first place.”

Everyone was utterly astonished.

Even Hua Manman, the person in question, was dumbfounded. ‘What is this bastard trying to pull now?’

Li Ji said slowly, “Feihua Zhenren once read the Princess Consort’s fortune. He foresaw that she would face a bloody calamity during childbirth and would likely lose her life. The only way to avert this disaster was for her to face certain death and then be reborn. Therefore, I had Hua Manman feign death to overcome this great tribulation.”

Everyone’s faces lit up with sudden understanding.

So that’s how it was!

Gao Shan even declared that he would personally deliver a grand gift to Feihua Zhenren to thank him for saving the Princess Consort’s life.

Seeing everyone completely taken in, Hua Manman couldn’t help but sigh. ‘As expected of that bastard. He can lie without even blinking.’

Soon, news of the Princess Consort’s return spread throughout the entire Regent Prince Mansion.

At first, everyone was terrified, thinking the Princess Consort had returned from the dead. It wasn’t until Gao Shan explained everything clearly, and they all saw for themselves the Princess Consort walking freely in the sunlight, that they gradually accepted the “risen from the dead” explanation.

This body of Hua Manman’s had been asleep for several years. Even though she looked no different from an ordinary person on the surface, her constitution was much weaker.

She began to feel tired not long after returning to the Prince Mansion.

Si Yun and Qing Huan quickly helped her lie down.

Just as Hua Manman fell asleep, Gao Shan’s voice came from the doorway.

“Your Highness, Princess Ningyang has arrived.”

Li Ji frowned.

If it were anyone else, he couldn’t be bothered to see them, but Princess Ningyang was different. She was his elder and had just helped him. He had to show her some respect.

He had no choice but to stand up and instruct them in a low voice.

“Take good care of the Princess Consort.”

Si Yun and Qing Huan curtsied. “Yes, Your Highness.”

Li Ji glanced one more time at the sleeping Manman before reluctantly walking out of the bedroom.

It wasn’t just Princess Ningyang who had come this time, but also the Prime Ministers of the Left and Right.

As soon as Li Ji appeared, Princess Ningyang immediately smiled, while the two Prime Ministers stood up and bowed in greeting.

“We pay our respects to the Regent Prince.”

Li Ji walked to the main seat and sat down.

He first exchanged a few pleasantries with Princess Ningyang, thanking her for her support and assistance. Only then did he turn his gaze to the two Prime Ministers, his attitude instantly growing much colder.

“What brings the two of you here?”

In truth, he could hear the two old foxes’ thoughts with just a glance, but he saw through their plans and said nothing.

Facing the Regent Prince’s piercing gaze, the two Prime Ministers, both seasoned veterans of the court, couldn’t help but feel nervous.

This was a level of pressure they would never feel when facing the Little Emperor.

The two Prime Ministers had originally intended to speak in bureaucratic platitudes, but they now dismissed the thought. They didn’t dare play tricks with this Evil God before them and honestly stated their purpose.

Their purpose was simple—

To resign.

As important ministers of the court, they had failed to uncover the truth when Crown Prince Li Shu was wrongly accused. They felt ashamed and could not face the Regent Prince or the deceased Crown Prince Li Shu. Thus, they requested the Regent Prince’s permission to resign and return to their hometowns.

They had both placed in the top three of the imperial examinations. Their literary talent was beyond question, and they were extremely silver-tongued.

Their tearful performance was truly moving.

Even Princess Ningyang was somewhat touched.

“As the saying goes, ignorance is no crime. You were unaware of what happened back then, so the blame cannot be placed on you. You need not be so hard on yourselves.”

The two Prime Ministers remained kneeling, refusing to get up, proclaiming their guilt with extreme humility.

Li Ji watched their performance without a word.

Only when the two old Prime Ministers had been kneeling for so long they were dizzy and about to collapse did Li Ji finally speak, unhurried.

“My great-aunt is right. Since you two were unaware, what crime could you have committed?”

Hearing this, the two Prime Ministers couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief.

But before they could relax for long, Li Ji spoke again.

“This Prince has a matter that requires your counsel. You are both veteran ministers who have served the court for many years and are highly experienced in handling state affairs. I’m sure you can offer this Prince some good advice.”

The two Prime Ministers hurriedly said, “Please speak, Your Highness.”

Li Ji: “The Empress Dowager plotted to poison this Prince’s imperial grandfather. How should this matter be handled? And how should the matter of the Little Emperor be resolved?”

The two Prime Ministers’ hearts skipped a beat upon hearing this, their nerves stretching taut once more.

Both matters concerned dark secrets of the inner palace. They absolutely could not be leaked and had to be handled discreetly.

However, the Empress Dowager was also involved in the case of Crown Prince Li Shu. To overturn the verdict for Crown Prince Li Shu would inevitably implicate the Empress Dowager, and the affair would surely become public knowledge.

It was a difficult dilemma with no easy solution.

The two Prime Ministers didn’t want to touch this hot potato, but the Regent Prince had already spoken, leaving them no room to refuse.

They could only resort to stalling tactics.

“This matter is of grave importance. We ask Your Highness to grant us two days to return and consider it carefully.”

Li Ji was unexpectedly agreeable. “Fine.”

After the two Prime Ministers had left, Princess Ningyang finally voiced her true thoughts.

“They were feigning retreat in order to advance, hoping you would take the initiative to ask them to stay.”

She wasn’t naive enough to think those two old foxes actually wanted to resign. They would never be willing to give up the immense power they held.

Li Ji said faintly, “I know.”

He didn’t care about the little tricks those two old foxes were playing. The most important thing now was to stabilize the overall situation.

Once the situation at court stabilized, these two old foxes would be perfect for Gou Dan to practice on.