"Mother, don't say that," Xiao Feng pouted, looking as if he were about to cry.
Sheng Lengshuang said, "Okay," and added, "It's my fault, Mother won't say such things anymore."
"Little Aunt, it's my fault for not managing the Imperial Palace well. Such incidents have happened one after another," Zi Cheng said apologetically.
Sheng Lengshuang didn't blame him. "This Imperial Palace is so vast, one can hide anywhere. Besides, someone is helping Sima Min, so it's not difficult for her to do anything."
"However, I find one thing rather strange."
Zi Cheng understood her meaning. "Yes, we all thought Sima Min was burned to death. So, she could have hidden herself and done something significant at a necessary moment. Why did she show up now?"
Sheng Lengshuang was indeed pondering this question. "Also, Sima Min might not escape this time. Or perhaps, Sima Min is no longer useful, and the mastermind wants to use her one last time?"
Zi Cheng couldn't say. Seeing Sheng Lengshuang was very weak, he said, "Little Aunt, you should rest well. I will take care of Xiao Feng."
He then added, half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Perhaps by the time Little Aunt wakes up, Sima Min will have been captured."
Sheng Lengshuang was indeed exhausted. She gave Xiao Feng a few instructions and then fell asleep.
Xiao Feng followed Zi Cheng out of the side hall, looking dejected. "Imperial Brother, why are these people so wicked?"
Zi Cheng could empathize with him. "Xiao Feng, human nature is like this. No matter how high or low your status, there will always be people who dislike you."
"So, you must learn to not care about these things. How others see or think is their business; it cannot affect you. What you need to do is live your own life well."
Xiao Feng sighed like a little adult. "After so many things, I suddenly feel that life in Shili Slope Village was actually quite good. Although there were many troubles and not such good living conditions, at least I didn't have to constantly worry about my own life."
Zi Cheng patiently said, "Everything has its pros and cons, do you understand?"
Xiao Feng, with a half-understanding look, asked, "Imperial Brother, will my mother get better?"
Zi Cheng assured him, "Don't worry. Later, your cousin will accompany you to see your mother, okay?"
Xiao Feng obediently hummed. Although he really wanted to stay with his mother, he knew he couldn't disturb her rest.
...
After Sheng Lengshuang had rested, she indeed learned that Sima Min had been captured.
Assisted by a palace maid, she came outside the hall and saw Sima Min kneeling below, bound.
"Little Aunt, please sit down." Zi Cheng, noticing her appearance, signaled her not to bow. "Sima Min has just been captured. I suppose even heaven can't stand her anymore."
Sheng Lengshuang sat in the chair as requested. She stroked Xiao Feng's head. "Mother is fine. See, Mother is alright now, isn't she?"
Xiao Feng held her hand tightly, standing obediently by her side.
Sheng Lengshuang knew the child was worried and scared, and felt very sorry for him. "Mother will accompany you to eat later, okay?"
Xiao Feng nodded heavily.
Sheng Lengshuang then turned to Zi Cheng and asked, "Your Majesty, where was Sima Min captured?"
Zi Cheng replied, "In a very remote and desolate palace. There are many disused palaces in the Imperial Palace, especially those far from the Hall of Mental Cultivation and my sleeping quarters, they are basically abandoned."
"If someone hid there, they wouldn't be easily discovered. Normally, the Imperial Guards don't patrol those areas, and no palace staff go there."
Now Sheng Lengshuang understood why Sima Min could hide. The Imperial Palace was truly vast, with many places rarely visited or never visited. Such places were ideal for hiding people.
"It must have been difficult for Sima Min to hide in such a place."
She cast a cold glance at Sima Min. "Don't you think so, Sima Min?"
Unable to break free, Sima Min stared at her with bloodshot eyes. "Sheng Lengshuang, I escaped last time, and I can escape this time too."
Her arrogant demeanor made Sheng Lengshuang laugh, but it also aggravated her wound. "Last time, it was because the Southern Jin Dynasty suddenly went to war that you had a chance to escape. This time, surrounded by so many Imperial Guards, how can you escape?"
"Are you dreaming?"
Sima Min glanced fearfully at the heavily armed Imperial Guards surrounding her, her confidence faltering. "I have my own ways to escape. Sheng Lengshuang, I only regret that I couldn't get rid of that little bastard of yours this time!"
Sheng Lengshuang's eyes gradually turned icy. "Miss Sima's mouth is so foul, it needs a good wash."
A nearby Imperial Guard removed his sock and forcefully stuffed it into Sima Min's mouth, giving her a thorough wash. "If Miss Sima's mouth is still this foul, our entire Imperial Guard can help you wash your mouth properly."
The sock, stinking and sweaty, mixed together to create an unbearable stench, causing Sima Min to retch uncontrollably, almost spitting out her bile. "You... *gag*..."
Sheng Lengshuang looked approvingly at the Imperial Guard and said to Sima Min, "Now, can Miss Sima speak properly? If you still can't speak, I can ask the Imperial Guard to help you again."
Sima Min, still vomiting, dared not say anything more. Sheng Lengshuang, that venomous woman, had such a cruel heart.
After she had finished vomiting, Sheng Lengshuang continued, "Who told you to assassinate my son? I don't want to hear any more nonsense, or the Imperial Guards will deal with you."
The Imperial Guards were all flexing their muscles, eagerly waiting to use their smelly socks to wash Sima Min's mouth properly.
Seeing this, Sima Min vomited for a while longer. "I... Ah Wu told me to do this. He also arranged my hiding place, and he is hiding in the Imperial Palace!"
Sheng Lengshuang and Zi Cheng exchanged a look.
After the artist drew Ah Wu's likeness based on Sima Min's description, Zi Cheng ordered a search of the entire Imperial Palace for Ah Wu and his accomplices, with severe penalties for obstruction and rewards for reporting.
As for Sima Min, after she had confessed everything, she was swiftly killed by the commander of the Imperial Guards.
As the pain surged, Sima Min's eyes widened in disbelief. She instinctively clutched her bleeding neck. "I..."
With a 'thud,' she fell to the ground, her eyes wide open in unwillingness and resentment until her last breath.
Subsequently, some Imperial Guards dragged her body away for disposal.
Sheng Lengshuang let out a long sigh. Solving Sima Min's case did not mean the entire matter was resolved; the mastermind and their subordinates were still at large.
"Your Majesty, don't you find this matter increasingly strange?"
Zi Cheng hummed in agreement. "It is indeed becoming stranger. Whether it's Sima Min or Ah Wu, they could hide safely in the Imperial Palace without taking such risks to do these things."
"Unless, they are already discarded pawns."
Sheng Lengshuang pondered. "Your Majesty means that the mastermind, for a larger conspiracy or to avoid exposing themselves, abandoned Sima Min and the others?"
Zi Cheng was unsure if this was the case. "This is a conjecture. Little Aunt, regardless of the facts, we will continue to investigate. Moreover, what is more important is the war."