The Side Character Wants to Lie Flat

Chapter 567: Chapter 570: Two Hypotheses

From Li Ji’s tone, it sounded as though he knew this person.

Hua Manman couldn’t help but look at him.

"How do you know it’s a pseudonym?"

Li Ji tapped his finger on the name Wu Zimu. "The characters ’zi’ and ’mu’ combine to form the character ’Li.’ And the current Saint is the fifth-born."

Hua Manman was stunned.

Her eyes slowly widened, and she asked in disbelief.

"Are you saying that this Wu Zimu is the current Saint?"

Li Ji gave a soft "Mm."

Hua Manman still felt it was too much of a coincidence.

"Leaving aside why the Saint would order my assassination, the name itself is far too obvious.

The Saint isn’t a fool. How could he possibly leave such a blatant clue?

Could someone be deliberately misleading us?"

Li Ji had thought the same thing at first, which was why he had asked Princess Anshun if anyone had switched the contract.

But the answer he received was no.

More importantly, the handwriting of the signature, Wu Zimu, was very familiar, reminding Li Ji of someone.

Someone buried in his memory for many years.

He looked at the signature on the contract and said slowly.

"This handwriting... it’s very much like my father’s."

Hua Manman looked bewildered.

Li Ji remembered her amnesia and took the initiative to explain.

"My father was Duke Zhen. He died in battle at Ghost Wind Castle eleven years ago."

A dead man cannot be resurrected, much less sign a contract.

Unless Duke Zhen never died, or someone was deliberately imitating his handwriting.

Hua Manman looked at him. "Can you be certain that the Lord Duke wrote this himself?"

Li Ji sighed softly. "No."

The handwriting only had a hint of Duke Zhen’s style; the details were slightly different.

The possibility that someone was deliberately imitating it couldn’t be ruled out.

Hua Manman said, "There’s still too little evidence."

Li Ji nodded. "I agree."

A single signature was not enough to make an accurate judgment.

Now, the matter involved not only the current Saint but also Duke Zhen, who had been dead for many years.

Li Ji had intricate ties to both of them.

This prevented him from thinking about the matter from a completely objective standpoint.

That was why he had brought the portrait and the contract to Manman, wanting to hear her thoughts on the matter.

Hua Manman pondered for a moment before offering a serious analysis.

"There are two hypotheses right now."

She casually picked up a roasted peanut from the fruit platter and placed it gently on the table.

"Hypothesis one: the signature on the contract was written by Duke Zhen himself.

Duke Zhen is your father. He would have no reason to deliberately mislead you.

In that case, it’s very likely Duke Zhen is using this to give you a hint.

The true culprit who ordered Li Qi to send assassins after me and the Heir of Prince Qing is the current Saint."

Hua Manman picked up a second roasted peanut and placed it to the side.

"Hypothesis two: the signature on the contract was not written by Duke Zhen.

That means someone is deliberately imitating Duke Zhen’s handwriting.

Their goal is simply to attract your attention and point the blame toward the current Saint."

At this, Hua Manman pushed the two peanuts together, raised her eyes to the man sitting before her, and said softly.

"No matter which is true, the current Saint is involved either way."

Li Ji plucked a peanut from her hand.

With a little pressure, the shell CRACKED open, revealing the red-skinned kernel inside.

"It seems I must make a trip to the palace."

When he said "the palace," he didn’t mean the New Imperial Palace in the Celestial Capital, but the Old Imperial Palace in Shangjing City.

That afternoon, Li Ji rode back to Shangjing.

He went straight into the Imperial Palace.

Most of the people had already been moved to the New Imperial Palace.

Those who remained in the Old Imperial Palace were either people who had made mistakes in the past or those who loyally followed the Emperor.

In any case, their numbers were few. The handful of scattered people made the place look utterly desolate.

The areas once destroyed by fire had never been repaired and were now overgrown with weeds, adding to the bleak atmosphere.

Li Ji rode all the way to the entrance of Hanzhang Hall.

He casually tossed the reins to a nearby eunuch, then strode into the hall with his long legs.

The Emperor had been paralyzed and bedridden for six years.

His physical condition was far worse than before, and he had aged considerably. Strands of white had even appeared at his temples, his cheeks were slightly sunken, and the laugh lines around his mouth were deep.

The hall was filled with the bitter smell of medicine.

The palace attendants moved with extreme caution, not daring to make a single sound.

This made the whole of Hanzhang Hall feel lifeless and deeply oppressive.

Hearing the people outside paying their respects to the Regent King, the Emperor turned his head to look toward the entrance.

A moment later, the door was pushed open, and sunlight streamed in.

Li Ji stepped over the threshold, his feet landing on the sunlit floor, and appeared before the Emperor.

"This subject greets Your Majesty."

The Emperor looked at his tall, upright figure and his vibrant, youthful face, a bitter feeling welling up inside him.

The junior who once could only look up to him had now grown into a man, while he himself had become a paralyzed invalid.

Now it was his turn to look up at someone else.

The Emperor spoke in a hoarse voice.

"What brings you here? I thought you all had moved to the New Imperial Palace and would never come back."

Without waiting for an invitation, Li Ji calmly sat down on the low couch opposite the bed.

A moderate distance separated them.

Li Ji looked into the other man’s eyes and spoke slowly.

"This subject has recently been investigating a case.

Someone poisoned the Heir of Prince Qing’s food and also sent assassins to kill the Heir of Prince Yu.

This subject followed the clues to the Heir of Prince Zheng, and through him, to the Jucai Gambling House."

The Emperor’s expression was indifferent. "Why are you telling me all this?"

Li Ji said, "This prince has discovered that the owner behind the Jucai Gambling House is a man named Wu Zimu. I wonder if Your Majesty has ever heard of this person?"

Upon hearing the name Wu Zimu, the Emperor’s expression shifted subtly.

Then, Li Ji heard the Emperor’s inner thoughts—

’When I sent someone to rent a residence and open the gambling house, the name they used was Zhang Juchai. How did it become Wu Zimu?

Wait, that name, Wu Zimu, sounds very familiar. I feel like I’ve heard someone mention it before...’

The Emperor fell into deep thought.

His memory used to be excellent; he could recall even trivial matters from many years ago with perfect clarity.

But now, trapped on this bed, not only had his physical condition deteriorated, but his mind was also not as sharp as it once was.

After a long while, he vaguely began to remember.

More than thirty years ago, he was just a young child, and he went on an excursion outside the palace with his older brother, who was then the Crown Prince.

They were in disguise, and to make it easier to hide their identities, his Crown Prince brother suggested they use pseudonyms.

Because the Emperor was the fifth among his brothers, the Crown Prince brother gave him the name Wu Zimu.

The images he had deliberately forgotten resurfaced in the Emperor’s mind.

His gaze lost focus, and he murmured softly under his breath.

"Wu Zimu, Wu Zimu..."

Time flies, and the years rush by.

It had been many years since he’d heard anyone mention this name.

So many that he had almost forgotten.

He was Wu Zimu.

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