After Changshun Gonggong’s voice faded, the courtyard fell into complete silence.
Yet the Mingze Emperor’s ears were anything but quiet.
007 was seizing the moment to give Jiang Yingcheng a rundown of the book’s background.
【The Mingze Emperor, the youngest sovereign in Da Rui’s history, also the one who left the most profound impact on future generations.】
【During his sixteen-year reign, he successfully tripled Da Rui’s territory, but his methods were severe, and his treatment of prisoners of war was particularly ruthless and cruel. Thus, despite his territorial expansions, his legacy remained controversial throughout his life.】
To her, the System’s words were like a passing breeze—lightly swirling before dissipating without leaving a trace.
Jiang Yingcheng whispered to 007, 【But he’s so good-looking.】
007 couldn’t grasp how the topic had shifted so abruptly. 【What?】
Jiang Yingcheng tried to reason with 007: 【We systems can’t have our cake and eat it too! Since my Father Emperor is already this handsome, what does it matter if his methods are a bit harsh!】
007 was left speechless and vanished for a long while. It only reappeared after Jiang Yingcheng called out to it several times in her mind: 【Let’s get to the main point.】
【The person who pushed you today accidentally dropped a cufflink caught by your hair accessory in their haste. It’s in the snow behind the stone steps. Find a chance later to retrieve it and clear Seventh Brother’s name… Are you even listening?】
Only after finishing did 007 realize Jiang Yingcheng’s attention was elsewhere. Her little head kept swiveling between the Mingze Emperor and the Seventh Prince until 007’s inquiry prompted her to nod repeatedly.
Jiang Yingcheng responded perfunctorily: “Mhmm, mhmm, got it.”】
【The person who pushed me dropped a cufflink in the snow. Finding it will prove Seventh Brother’s innocence.】
Originally, she had planned to tell the Mingze Emperor that she had slipped and fallen accidentally. But now that there was a better solution, she felt much more at ease.
The only remaining challenge was that the Fourth Prince’s maternal family held a prestigious status, far surpassing that of her own “mother consort.” Offending them recklessly would bring trouble for both of them in the palace hereafter.
She needed to find a way to subtly reveal this matter to her Father Emperor.
As she pondered, the voice of the Mingze Emperor, who had been silent for a long time, came from above her head.
“Changshun,” his clear, cold voice spoke unhurriedly, “send people to carefully search the surrounding snow for any clues.”
Changshun Gonggong was taken aback for a moment but quickly recovered: “As you command.”
With that, he dispatched attendants to fan out and meticulously search every inch around the stone steps.
Jiang Yingcheng was ecstatic inwardly, showering compliments like they were free.
【Ahhh! My Father Emperor is amazing!】
【So handsome and so wise, truly worthy of being an emperor celebrated for millennia!】
【Father Emperor is the best! Chengcheng will cheer for Father Emperor!】
The Mingze Emperor’s half-lowered eyes concealed his emotions. His fingers subtly rubbed together beneath his wide sleeves as he temporarily set aside the questions in his heart.
The ability to hear a child’s inner thoughts was absurd enough; believing it rashly before verifying its truth was utterly inadvisable.
Yet…
The Mingze Emperor’s gaze bypassed this peculiarly enigmatic daughter of his, landing directly on Jiang Huaian and Jiang Xingran kneeling behind her.
Jiang Xingran’s expression remained composed, as if the events unfolding around him couldn’t stir the slightest reaction, though his gaze occasionally lingered on Jiang Yingcheng with a hint of hesitation.
It was unclear whether he too could hear Jiang Yingcheng’s inner thoughts.
Jiang Huaian’s expression was far more transparent.
His face was ashen, his demeanor tense, and beads of fine sweat inopportunely dotted his temples.
He might as well have written “I did it” across his forehead.
While the eunuchs searched through the snow, Jiang Yingcheng’s mind continued voicing thoughts that weren’t entirely coherent.
[Waaah, my Father Emperor is so beautiful! Oh no—I mean, my Father Emperor is so dashingly handsome, graceful as jade, peerless in appearance like Pan An! I’m just too lucky!]
[But speaking of which, why did my Father Emperor pass away so young?]
The Mingze Emperor unconsciously focused his hearing.
His daughter seemed to be conversing with someone, though he couldn’t hear the other party’s voice.
[What?!]
Jiang Yingcheng appeared greatly startled by what she heard.
[Overthinking and overworking, accumulating illness until… he was already living on borrowed time, and then… then someone poisoned him?!]
The Mingze Emperor’s heart grew heavy.
The first two conditions she mentioned aligned perfectly with the Imperial Physician’s diagnosis. If the cufflink were indeed found in the snow later, he would truly need to carefully consider how to approach this daughter of his.
Jiang Yingcheng, completely unaware, continued her mental conversation with 007: [But my Father Emperor is so formidable! Who would dare target my gorgeous Father Emperor!]
The Mingze Emperor’s gaze, which had been fixed on Jiang Huaian, faltered. He mentally noted to find an opportunity to teach this youngest daughter proper respect for her Father Emperor, even as he redoubled his efforts to eavesdrop.
He too wanted to know who possessed such far-reaching influence.
007 replied: [The poison was administered by an enemy general, but the Fourth Prince helped smuggle the person into the palace.]
Suddenly enraged, Jiang Yingcheng stamped her foot hard, instantly drawing everyone’s attention, though she herself remained oblivious.
To the onlookers, it appeared as if the adorable little dumpling had suddenly taken offense at some unknown person, venting her anger by kicking at the snow. The scattered flakes dusted her shoes—a childish, charming gesture that made her all the more endearing.
Only the Mingze Emperor understood the reason for her outburst.
[How could that person be so evil!] Jiang Yingcheng’s soft, sticky voice made even her anger sound like coquetry, [No! I must become my daddy’s little padded jacket that shields him from the storm!]
Her terms of address for him changed several times within moments, yet strangely, he felt no irritation.
This was the Mingze Emperor’s first direct exposure to the inner thoughts of a daughter this age, and he found it rather novel.
Listening to Jiang Yingcheng’s indignant mental voice—though it didn’t explicitly name the culprit—somewhat lifted his spirits.
Never mind.
If her inner revelations proved true, he would eventually find ways to extract the answers he needed.
No sooner had this thought crossed his mind than the searchers in the snow finally made a discovery.
The one who found the evidence hurried over with quick, light steps to place the item in Changshun’s hands, who then presented it respectfully with both hands to the Mingze Emperor.
Changshun announced reverently, “Your Majesty, this was just discovered in the snow.”
The Mingze Emperor did not withdraw his hand from within his cloak, merely lowering his gaze to glance at the object twice as it rested in Changshun’s palm.
It was indeed a cufflink, and of the standardized design used on the attire of palace eunuchs—identical to what he had heard described in the inner voice.
The Mingze Emperor lifted his head, but before he could utter a word, one of the kneeling figures on the ground began trembling uncontrollably.
His eyes abruptly darkened.
It seemed what this snowball had said was all true.