Hua Manman walked to the door and spoke to Chen Wangbei, who was standing guard outside.

"Take this token and leave the Imperial Palace. Go to the Seven Stars Temple in the south of the city and find Feihua Zhenren. Once you find him, bring him into the palace. I need his help with something."

Hua Manman handed over a White Jade Token.

That was a token the Emperor had bestowed upon Prince Zhao. With it, one could enter and leave the Imperial Palace at will.

Chen Wangbei took the token with both hands.

Hua Manman had originally thought Chen Wangbei would ask who Feihua Zhenren was, or why she was looking for him.

She was already prepared to be evasive.

However, Chen Wangbei didn’t ask a single question. After securing the token, he turned and left.

Hua Manman couldn’t help but sigh with admiration. ’Fewer words, more action. Chen Guard is truly a great employee!’

By now, Prince Zhao had already returned to his coffin.

Hua Manman helped him close the coffin lid.

To cooperate with Prince Zhao’s plan, Hua Manman specifically requested three Truth Elixirs from the system.

The system still owed her a special lucky bag, which she could now exchange for the Truth Elixirs.

...

Wu Wang truthfully reported what he had seen in the mourning hall to the Emperor.

The Emperor looked at the Empress and said.

"Jie’er is really dead. Now you can finally rest easy, right?"

The Empress was still skeptical. "None of you opened the coffin to look. How can you be sure whether Prince Zhao is dead or alive?"

The Emperor frowned. "Stop being unreasonable. Jie’er is already dead. Can’t you just let him go in peace?"

The Empress said no more, but in her heart, she had already made up her mind.

Tomorrow morning, she would go to the mourning hall to see for herself.

「The next day dawned bright.」

The Empress, ignoring everyone’s attempts to dissuade her, insisted on leaving Fengyi Palace.

Seeing her stubbornness, the Emperor had no choice but to accompany her to the mourning hall.

As they approached the mourning hall, they saw that its main doors were wide open. A figure seemed to be moving about inside, and they could faintly hear the CLING-CLANG of a bell.

When the Emperor and Empress entered the mourning hall, they discovered a middle-aged Daoist inside.

The Daoist was tall and thin. He was dressed in a cyan Daoist robe with cranes embroidered on the hem and sleeves, and he wore a Daoist hat. His skin was fair, and he had a beard, giving him the very air of a transcendent immortal.

He held a Peach Wood Sword in one hand and a bell in the other, circling Prince Zhao’s coffin while muttering incantations.

The bell clanged with every shake.

Hua Manman had already changed out of her bright red wedding dress.

She was now dressed in a simple white dress, kneeling respectfully on a prayer cushion. She held Prince Zhao’s memorial tablet in her arms, and her eyes were red and swollen, as if she had just been crying.

Seeing the Emperor and Empress arrive, Hua Manman hurriedly greeted them.

The Emperor asked, "What are you all doing? Where did that Daoist come from?"

Hua Manman wiped a tear from the corner of her eye and explained in a voice thick with tears.

"Your Majesty, I had a dream last night. I dreamt that Prince Zhao was shedding tears of blood.

He said he died unjustly and could not be reincarnated, and he hoped that I could help him.

I had someone summon a great master from outside the palace. His Daoist name is Feihua Zhenren.

I heard he is very skilled at exorcising evil spirits and communicating with the dead.

I wanted to ask for his help in finding out who murdered Prince Zhao.

As long as we can catch the real culprit who poisoned the Prince and bring her to justice, Prince Zhao can finally rest in peace."

The Empress sneered disdainfully. "And you’re still playing these supernatural tricks at a time like this?!"

Hua Manman didn’t retaliate against the jab. She just wept silently, putting on a pitiful look that seemed to say, ’I’m so aggrieved, but I can’t say anything.’

The Emperor looked at the middle-aged Daoist, who was still waving his arms and dancing about, and his brow furrowed in deep displeasure.

"This is the Imperial Palace! How can we allow such superstitious nonsense here? Someone, throw this Daoist out for Us."

But just as the Flying Dragon Cavalry approached Feihua Zhenren, he suddenly shuddered. His Peach Wood Sword flickered, its tip pointing directly at the Empress, and a sharp cry escaped his throat.

"It was you who killed Prince Zhao! You are steeped in sin, and you will face retribution!"

The Empress was startled by this sudden accusation. Her face immediately darkened, and she rebuked him coldly.

"More supernatural tricks! You’re spouting lies to bewitch the crowd!"

The Emperor also thought Feihua Zhenren was spouting nonsense.

Verdicts must be based on concrete evidence. How could someone be convicted based on a few words from a Daoist?

Moreover, the accused was the Empress, the dignified mother of the nation.

The Emperor’s displeasure was written all over his face.

Just as he was about to voice his reprimand, he saw Feihua Zhenren pull out a yellow talisman as if by magic.

With a flick of his fingertips, the yellow talisman burst into flames without any fire!

This trick was quite something.

Even the Emperor was stunned for a moment.

Everyone else stared intently, wondering what other tricks this Daoist had up his sleeve.

Just as the yellow talisman was about to burn out, Feihua Zhenren stuffed it into a cup of tea. He then lifted the teacup, gulped down a large mouthful, and violently spat the mixture of tea and talisman ash onto the coffin.

Seeing this, the Emperor instantly flew into a rage.

"Insolence!"

That was Li Ji’s coffin! How dare this damned Daoist spit on it!

Feihua Zhenren, however, acted as if he hadn’t heard the Emperor’s rebuke. After spitting the water, he began muttering incantations again.

Then, a terrifying scene unfolded—

Bright red blood seeped out from the cracks in the coffin lid, slowly trickling down the side of the coffin and onto the floor.

Feihua Zhenren shrieked.

"This is Prince Zhao weeping blood for the injustice done to him!"

The Emperor stared blankly at the blood-seeping coffin, a sliver of doubt stirring in his heart.

The true culprit behind the poisoning had yet to be found; Li Ji had indeed died unjustly.

The haunting of Fengyi Palace and Hua Manman’s spirit-dream were just their one-sided accounts, which the Emperor could choose not to believe. But the blood seeping from the coffin was something he had seen with his own eyes. It couldn’t be faked.

’Could it really be that Li Ji cannot rest in peace and wants to find his murderer to clear his name?’

At that moment, the Empress’s expression turned extremely grim.

She said through gritted teeth.

"Prince Zhao must be hiding in the coffin and playing tricks! He can’t be dead!"

With that, she ordered her people to open the coffin, intending to see with her own eyes whether Prince Zhao was dead or alive inside.

However, the coffin was still seeping blood, looking utterly terrifying.

No one present dared to touch the coffin.

Many among them began to waver, suspecting that it really was Prince Zhao’s ghost at work.

Even the few who didn’t believe in ghosts and gods felt that the coffin was unnervingly strange and didn’t dare to invite bad luck.

Seeing this, the Empress’s expression grew even darker.

"Fine. If you won’t do it, then I will do it myself."

After speaking, she flicked her sleeves and strode over to the coffin, intending to push the lid open with her own hands.

Hua Manman rushed forward to shield the coffin, crying and pleading.

"Your Majesty, please don’t! You’ll disturb the Prince!"

The Empress, finding her to be in the way, was just about to order someone to drag her aside.

But the moment she opened her mouth, Hua Manman flicked the Truth Elixir she had been clutching in her palm, sending it flying accurately into the Empress’s mouth.

...

Another Chapter coming up~