In the Fourth Prince's mansion.
Tang Di, who was about to relieve himself, suddenly felt someone pat his head, startling him so much that he lost the urge.
He cautiously looked up and saw Lian Ju’s face appearing out of nowhere on the wall.
Tang Di, "..."
Even more terrifying, wasn't it?
Lian Ju, with a blank expression, conveyed the young lady's words and vanished from the wall in the blink of an eye.
A utterly dejected Tang Di could only pull up his pants and knock on his master's door.
The Fourth Prince, Xie Jinglan, who was reading in his study, was not surprised by Tang Di's report, but remained seated in his grand chair without moving. "Go and send a message to Little Seven. Remember not to be too obvious."
He had been contemplating how to secure Little Seven a chance to go to Luoyi, and this opportunity presented by the eldest daughter of the Ji family was just perfect.
Following his master's orders, Tang Di could only hold back his urge to urinate and knock on the Seventh Prince's mansion door.
Of course, Tang Di dared not directly tell the Seventh Prince that their master wanted him to stay up late to witness the commotion at the Ji family's residence and then stand up for them.
After holding back for a long time, Tang Di finally said, "The Fourth Prince invites the Seventh Prince to have supper in the west street alley."
Xie Jingqi had grown up practically attached to the Fourth Prince. He had no reservations about his fourth brother. Thinking that he was also hungry, he followed Tang Di out the door.
However, there was no Fourth Prince and no supper, because before they even reached the west street, they passed by the Ji family's entrance. The presence of Fengtian Prefecture yamen runners, both inside and out, was enough to indicate that something had happened at the Ji family's residence.
Inside the Ji family mansion.
Luo Hong, remembering her master's instructions, immediately raised her voice and said, "I presume the eldest daughter of the Ji family has also heard about the Fifth Prince being attacked?"
From within the room, Ji Zizhao's voice was calm, "I hadn't heard until now. With Miss Luo Hong making such a fuss, even if I didn't know, I do now."
Luo Hong, hearing such a watertight reply, gritted her teeth in secret. "Since the eldest daughter of the Ji family has heard, then you should quickly open your door and cooperate with the Fengtian Prefecture yamen runners to conduct a search."
Ji Zizhao certainly would not agree. "Miss Luo Hong says that she can barge into my Ji family and search as she pleases? Are we to be suspected simply because Miss Luo Hong says so?"
Luo Hong sneered dismissively, "If the eldest daughter of the Ji family is truly innocent, then she should quickly allow a search to clear her name. I apologize, I forgot to mention to the eldest daughter of the Ji family earlier that I not only saw the thief enter the Ji family, but I also personally witnessed the Fifth Prince's guards sever the thief's right hand."
This thinly veiled accusation clearly indicated that Sa Meng had confessed everything to the Fifth Prince.
The Fifth Prince could no longer salvage the situation at Dali Temple, but the wound on Qing Zhu's body had become his sharpest weapon to retaliate.
Qing Zhu's wound was an established fact. Therefore, as long as Luo Hong insisted that the thief's description matched Qing Zhu's, Qing Zhu's intent to assassinate the Fifth Prince was an undeniable truth.
Attempting to harm a current prince was a capital offense!
Luo Hong had deliberately waited at the door precisely to catch Ji Zizhao off guard.
As expected, there was a long silence from the room within.
Seeing this, Luo Hong became even more certain that the injured Qing Zhu was in Ji Zizhao's room. Suzhou Novel Network
"Whether the eldest daughter of the Ji family is innocent will be revealed with a search. The Fifth Prince is still in his mansion, unconscious. If this matter is further delayed and Noble Consort Xi is alerted, it will be detrimental to everyone." Luo Hong turned and looked at the Prefect of Fengtian Prefecture behind her.
However, before the Prefect of Fengtian Prefecture could speak, the sound of something falling could be heard from Ji Zizhao's room.
At the same time, Ji Zizhao's voice, filled with panic, cried out, "How dare you! I am Princess Rong He, who dares to search without authorization!"
The panic and trembling fear in her voice were clear to everyone.
The female members of the Ji family held their breath.
Luo Hong again looked at the Prefect of Fengtian Prefecture.
The Prefect of Fengtian Prefecture beckoned to the yamen runners behind him and personally moved to surround the building in the courtyard.
Luo Hong, knowing Ji Zizhao to be extremely cunning, followed the Prefect of Fengtian Prefecture with unease. As she drew closer to the room, the smell of blood emanating from within grew stronger.
At this point, utterly convinced of victory, Luo Hong shoved aside the Prefect of Fengtian Prefecture and kicked open the door before her.
"Bang—!"
The ajar door swung wide open, and the smell of blood from the room instantly assailed them.
Luo Hong rushed in and, looking at Ji Zizhao who was sitting on a soft couch, said, "Eldest daughter of the Ji family, with such irrefutable evidence, you still..."
However, before she could finish, she was stunned.
The Prefect of Fengtian Prefecture, who rushed in shortly after, was equally speechless at the scene before him.
The Ji family women, afraid that Luo Hong would see something, rushed into the room in a hurry. But when they anxiously entered, they too were momentarily taken aback by the sight of Ji Zizhao not far away.
Inside the quiet room, a faint candlelight flickered.
Ji Zizhao, sitting on the soft couch, was indeed tending to a wound, holding a silver needle in one hand and a white cloth in the other.
However, the object being treated was not a person, but a raccoon.
The raccoon, which had been resting peacefully on Ji Zizhao's lap, seemed startled by the intruders. It hissed and bared its teeth a few times before leaping out the window and disappearing.
On Ji Zizhao's fair white skirt, a bloody paw print from the cat was clearly visible.
Luo Hong stared with disbelief, unable to accept what she had just seen.
Ji Zizhao slightly furrowed her brows and put down the white cloth and silver needle. "The Prefect of Fengtian Prefecture truly wields great authority. Even if the Fifth Prince is disturbed by a thief, what evidence does the Prefect of Fengtian Prefecture have to barge into my boudoir and frighten my cat?"
The Prefect of Fengtian Prefecture was dumbfounded. "Princess Rong He, please calm yourself. This subordinate was merely following orders."
He had naturally believed Luo Hong's confident assertion, but who knew...
More importantly, who could have imagined that the smell of blood had come from a cat?
And even more importantly, where did the cat come from?!
There were many stray cats and dogs in the imperial city, so Ji Zizhao had always instructed people to leave leftover food at the back door of Zhaoyuan since she was young.
Over time, these familiar stray cats and dogs had made it their safe haven.
Therefore, at this moment, it was not just one cat, but a whole group of cats that Ji Zizhao could summon.
The Prefect of Fengtian Prefecture waited for a long time, but Luo Hong remained silent. He quietly pleaded, "Miss Luo Hong, please say something to help this subordinate."
Luo Hong, snapping out of her shock, looked at the white cloth and silver needle placed on the low table, her teeth gnashing. "Ji Zizhao, you did this on purpose!"
Ji Zizhao's eyes softened, and she smiled serenely. "Miss Luo Hong, I don't quite understand what you mean. But coincidentally, my cat also injured its right paw. Could it be that the esteemed Fifth Prince's mansion was thrown into disarray by a cat assassin?"