Chapter 35: A Perfect Match-Irmã Louca Rouba o Casamento? Após Trocar de Lugar com Ela e Casar com o Príncipe Herdeiro de Vida Curta, Eu Subi ao Trono como Imperatriz(Estrela e Pintura de Primavera)

Gu Zirui stood up and brushed off his clothes. His expression softened slightly, though it remained grim.

"Very well. I trust you have told me everything you know. Feng Yueyang, this is your final opportunity—I suggest you make the most of it. You and Dong Yufeng will be taken directly to see the Emperor. When you are there, you must say exactly this..."

Gu Zirui meticulously detailed the testimony Feng Yueyang was to deliver before the Emperor. Once he was certain Feng Yueyang had committed every word to memory, he sighed and exited the prison.

Stepping out, the sudden brightness stung his eyes, which had grown accustomed to the gloom. His mood remained heavy. However, upon catching sight of the figures waiting in the distance, he immediately composed himself and quickened his pace.

"Your Highness, Miss Ji."

Ji Hua and Ling Yuizhao had been waiting for some time. Both looked at Gu Zirui, awaiting an answer.

Gu Zirui bowed to Ji Hua. "My gratitude, Miss Ji. It is thanks to your early discovery of Prince Xuan’s conspiracy and your timely warning to the Crown Prince that I was also saved. I am deeply indebted to you!"

Ji Hua, not expecting such courtesy from Gu Zirui, took a step back and curtsied. "Magistrate Gu, please, you are too kind. I could not possibly accept such praise; this was merely my duty. Shall we discuss what happened inside?"

Gu Zirui’s expression remained gentle, yet grew serious as he recounted Feng Yueyang’s confession. He summarized the key points concisely and added his own assessment. "Having heard his testimony, I can confirm that it aligns almost perfectly with what you told me, Miss Ji."

He looked at her with newfound admiration. "I do not know how you came to learn of Prince Xuan’s detailed plans, but I am truly impressed."

Ling Yuizhao also gazed at Ji Hua with a look of astonishment.

Feeling the weight of their inquisitive stares, Ji Hua grew uneasy. Both men were exceptionally sharp-witted; she dared not say too much or linger longer than necessary. She quickly spoke up.

"It was only my duty. I am glad I could be of help. It is getting late, and I must take my leave. Before I go, however, I must offer the Crown Prince a word of warning."

Ji Hua looked at Ling Yuizhao, her brows furrowed in concern. "Your Highness, Prince Xuan is cunning, treacherous, and cautious, and his methods are sinister. When you meet the Emperor, if you encounter him, be wary. Take care not to be bitten back. Beyond this, there is little more I can do. I take my leave."

With that, she curtsied again to excuse herself. She knew the plan, but she lacked the power to sway the Emperor’s judgment; the rest of the battle would have to be fought by Ling Yuizhao himself.

Ling Yuizhao smiled. "You have worked hard, Miss Ji. I will have someone escort you home."

Ji Hua did not refuse; she nodded and departed. Ling Yuizhao called a guard over, whispered a few instructions, and then allowed the guard to follow her.

Watching Ji Hua’s retreating figure, the composed, gentlemanly facade Gu Zirui had maintained vanished. He nudged Ling Yuizhao with his elbow and chuckled. "Cousin, where exactly did my future cousin-in-law get her intelligence? What she told you matches the confession I just extracted from Feng Yueyang almost exactly! This future cousin-in-law of mine is no simple woman."

Ling Yuizhao withdrew his gaze, his expression turning grave. He stared at Gu Zirui and asked, "Are you certain you do not know her? Or that she does not know you?"

Gu Zirui was startled. Meeting his cousin’s gaze, he dared not remain flippant. He straightened his posture and searched his memory, but ultimately shook his head. "Cousin, you know my memory—if I have met someone, I never forget. I am certain I have never met Miss Ji before, though whether she has seen me, I cannot say."

As he spoke, Gu Zirui realized the implication of his cousin's question. He frowned. "Now that I think of it, it is strange. If she has never met me, how could she know so much about me? While my investigation into the tax silver case in Qingzhou was not exactly a state secret, it shouldn't have reached the ears of a young lady in the inner chambers."

"As a sheltered noblewoman, even if she had heard rumors, she shouldn't have such intimate knowledge of the details. Unless... did she learn of this while uncovering Prince Xuan’s plot against you? But then, how did she uncover Prince Xuan’s plot in the first place?"

The logic kept circling back. The more Gu Zirui spoke, the more troubled he felt. Finally, he stole a glance at Ling Yuizhao and couldn't help but offer a word of caution.

"Cousin, there is something not quite right about Ji Hua. Even though the Emperor has bestowed this marriage, she is far too mysterious. Perhaps you should find a way to call off the engagement?"

Gu Zirui knew she had just helped his cousin, but she had revealed nothing about her sources. For a noblewoman to possess such information was inherently suspicious. Even her father, the Grand Chancellor, might not know of these things. If they could not determine the source of her capabilities, they could not distinguish friend from foe. To leave such a person by his side was dangerous.

Ling Yuizhao understood his concern. "I know what you are worried about, and I do not trust her completely either. Night Owl!"

At Ling Yuizhao’s call, a sound of rushing wind broke the air, and a man dressed in black suddenly descended from above.

Gu Zirui jumped, looking up at the small pavilion they were standing under in surprise. "Night Owl, you weren't lying on the roof eaves listening to us the whole time, were you?"

Night Owl glanced at him coldly. "I am here to protect the Crown Prince, not to eavesdrop. And I was not lying down."

He then bowed to Ling Yuizhao. "What are your orders, Your Highness?"

Ling Yuizhao’s voice was icy. "I want you to investigate Ji Hua again, thoroughly. Not just her, but everyone around her. Their identities, their backgrounds, their pasts, and every event of note—I want to know everything!"

Night Owl acknowledged the order and vanished into the air once more.

Gu Zirui sighed inwardly. Since Ling Yuizhao had deployed Night Owl, it was clear he was taking this matter very seriously. Still, an investigation was for the best; Miss Ji was simply too extraordinary.

At the Grand Chancellor’s residence.

"Why has she not returned yet?" Ji Wenbin stood at the main gate with the steward.

The Grand Chancellor had been watching the road for a long time, but there was no sign of his daughter’s carriage. His brow was tightly furrowed with worry.

The steward tried to reassure him. "Master, do not be so anxious. Did the eldest young lady not go with the Crown Prince? With the Crown Prince protecting her, nothing will happen."

"What do you know! Lan'er said that today’s matter might involve assassins. Who knows what might have happened once they entered the Metropolitan Prefecture? Hua'er has such a mild temperament; I am worried she might be bullied!"

The steward pondered this, unable to fathom how the presence of assassins and the young lady’s personality could be linked to her being bullied. The assassins had been captured, had they not? And even if they had escaped, were the Crown Prince and his guards not there? Could they not protect one young woman?

Just as the steward was lost in his own thoughts, a carriage slowly rolled toward the entrance of the Grand Chancellor’s residence.