His informant relayed the details of what had happened.

A faint smile touched the Emperor’s lips when he heard about the wolf pack standing guard.

"That must be the little girl from the Shen Family in Xiangyun Village, right?"

She always managed to do the most extraordinary things. It was no wonder his son enjoyed her company so much.

"Yes," the guard said, bowing with his hands clasped. "However, I’ve heard that this was not Miss Shen’s own doing. She was helping to fulfill someone else’s last wish."

The Emperor’s smile vanished. He asked quizzically, "Whose last wish?"

The guard quickly explained the situation with the Wu family and presented his investigation findings.

"I initially believed it was an ordinary fire, but I personally went to Xitai Village to make inquiries and also visited several government offices. I discovered some oddities. The deaths of the three members of the Wu family might not have been an accident."

The Emperor took the report and read for a moment. His brow furrowed tighter and tighter, and a storm of displeasure gathered in his eyes.

The guard reported in a low voice, "The villagers of Xitai Village can indeed confirm that the Wu couple died in the fire. Furthermore, some villagers saw men in black entering and leaving their house that night."

"Coincidentally, Miss Shen was also staying with the Wu family that night. And their son, Wu Zuchang, who went up the mountain with her, died of a stab wound."

"However, the government office’s case files only state that the three members of the Wu family died by accident, not homicide."

After reading the report, the various clues allowed the Emperor to deduce what had truly transpired.

"Scoundrels!" He slammed the report onto the table, making the pen holder rock back and forth. His anger was palpable.

The Chief Eunuch at the door heard this and flinched in fear.

’Why is the Emperor in such a rage?’

"This was clearly aimed at Shen Ningning!" The Emperor paced back and forth like a furious lion, the storm in his eyes intensifying until they were deep and dangerous.

The guard nodded. "I believe so as well. However, Your Majesty, ever since you began to take notice of Miss Shen, you’ve had me observing her."

"Miss Shen is a kind person, as her reputation in and around Xiangyun Village attests. Her relationships are simple, and she has never made an enemy of anyone. Why would someone want to murder a child so viciously?"

The Emperor slowly sank back into his chair, his expression turning even colder, radiating a thick, murderous intent.

"Ling Wei... They know Ling Wei and Shen Ningning are close." ’So they intend to eliminate his friend?’

The guard remained silent, his silence a clear sign of agreement.

The Emperor suddenly let out a laugh—a bone-chilling, cold sound laced with terrifying fury.

"No wonder, no wonder! And here I was, wondering why Ling Wei was reluctant to let Shen Ningning enter the palace. He must have guessed long ago. He’s surrounded by jackals and wolves, with everyone watching his every move."

"The slightest misstep, and even the friend he most wants to make would become a target for retaliation!"

His laughter gradually turned bitter.

"Ling Wei saw through this long ago, and I was still completely in the dark."

"No wonder he isn’t close to me!" 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

The guard didn’t dare respond to the Emperor’s words.

"No... that’s not right..." He suddenly thought of something else, his eyes flickering with the candlelight. "If the goal was to kill Shen Ningning, they wouldn’t have needed to silence the entire Wu family."

’What on earth are they trying to hide?’ the Emperor wondered, his expression darkening.

Suddenly, he ordered the guard, "Go and investigate in secret. Find out if the Wu family had any contact with suspicious individuals recently. I want everything investigated, down to the last detail!"

"Yes, Your Majesty." The guard clasped his hands, bowed, and departed into the night.

Meanwhile, in Consort Li’s palace, the doors and windows were shut tight.

"Useless! That useless oaf of a brother!" she shrieked, livid.

The nanny who had brought the news knelt at her feet, scared out of her wits.

She had just told Consort Li how Minister Wei had helped Landlord Du arrange for assassins to kill Shen Ningning, but had instead accidentally killed the fake family Consort Li had found for her.

Now Shen Ningning was determined to avenge the Wu family and refused to let the matter drop, causing a huge stir outside the city.

’The Emperor must know by now.’

Consort Li was livid.

"All he knows is how to cause me trouble! Only after disaster strikes does he remember that I warned him not to mess with anyone close to the Crown Prince. Why won’t he ever listen?"

"If he hadn’t interfered, Shen Ningning might have actually believed the Wu family was her real family! I could have used them to control her, effectively planting a spy right next to the Crown Prince."

"And now look! Shen Ningning is out of my control, the Wu Family is dead, and the Emperor is about to launch an investigation. Let’s just see how he cleans up this mess!"

As Consort Li finished speaking, her head throbbed with anger. A wave of dizziness washed over her, and she collapsed onto her chaise lounge.

The nanny hurriedly urged her, "Your Highness, calm your anger! Please take care of your health!"

But how could Consort Li possibly calm down?

The Emperor had always favored the Crown Prince. For all these years, she had only dared to resort to petty, harmless tricks.

But the moment she provoked the Crown Prince, that mad dog, Mo Lingwei, had not only crippled her son but had also gotten away with it completely.

If Mo Lingwei were to find out that Minister Wei had hired assassins to target Shen Ningning...

Consort Li shuddered.

Her beautiful face went deathly pale, as if she had just seen a ghost.

"You!" She grabbed the nanny’s collar, her voice frantic. "Leave the palace at once! Tell my brother to kill all those assassins! Don’t leave a single one alive!"

The nanny was slow to react, and Consort Li shrieked, "Go now!"

"Y-yes!" The nanny scrambled out of the room.

However, by the time the message reached the Wei Shangshu Mansion, he was already breaking out in an anxious sweat.

"Kill them all? Those assassins haven’t even returned yet."

Not only that, but he’d heard Shen Ningning had captured one of them alive and hidden him away.

’She’s definitely waiting for Mo Lingwei to return to the Capital City to have him investigate.’

Once the Crown Prince got involved, the matter would become a huge problem.

He hurriedly asked the housekeeper, "Has my third brother returned?"

The housekeeper, drenched in sweat after searching for ages, reported back, "N-no... Third Master Wei hasn’t been back for two days. We have no idea where he is."

"That scoundrel, always out carousing! He has no idea disaster is looming," Minister Wei fumed.

It had been Third Master Wei who handled Consort Li’s bribery of the Wu Family.

He was worried that something given to the Wu family could be used as leverage, so he needed to get his story straight with his third brother beforehand.

But he never expected that Third Master Wei would have already been missing for two days.

Minister Wei immediately ordered, "Send more men to find him! Go to the brothels and his mistress’s houses he usually frequents! I don’t care if you have to tear the places apart, drag him back to me!"

The housekeeper and the guards scrambled to carry out the order.

Still, Minister Wei felt this wasn’t enough. He summoned a trusted subordinate and ordered him to go to Xiangyun Village the next day and bring Shen Ningning to the Capital City.

They could sit down and negotiate nicely. If Shen Ningning wanted justice for the Wu family, he would just find her a scapegoat.

In any case, the matter had to be settled before the Crown Prince returned.

The Crown Prince absolutely could not be allowed to discover that the Wei Family was behind it all.

It wasn’t just the Wei Family. When other high-ranking officials and nobles heard the news of the Wu family’s gruesome deaths, they all feared that one of their own delinquent sons might be responsible.

Consequently, every prominent household launched overnight investigations to ensure they had no connection to the incident. Families with particularly unruly sons were even forbidden from leaving the house for a few days to avoid attracting trouble.

That night, Shen Ningning slept soundly.

She had no idea that her actions had sent tremors throughout the entire Capital City.

「The next morning.」

The guards dispatched by Minister Wei rushed to Xiangyun Village, intending to take Shen Ningning away.

However, before they could even enter the village, they saw the Crown Prince’s carriage parked at the village entrance.

Minister Wei’s men nearly wet themselves in terror.

How could they have known? The Crown Prince had come straight to Xiangyun Village upon his return, not even going back to the palace first!

The guard’s face went pale, his legs turning to jelly. "Quick, we have to go back and tell the minister! This is bad."

’The Crown Prince met with Shen Ningning first, which means he’s bound to find out about the Wu family.’

’It’s over. We’re completely finished!’