The weak princess is super fierce

Chapter 914 has evidence.

Huang Jing took the cold rice noodle cake with a smile, took another big bite, chewed it a couple of times, and exclaimed, "It's not hot anymore!"

Lan Zhijin sat back in his seat. At this moment, he finally understood why Huang Jing was becoming more and more devoted to Meng Shisan.

Meng Shisan's kindness towards Qingmei was deeply ingrained in their daily lives. Even an observer like him could sense that Meng Shisan's kindness towards Huang Jing was not deliberate, but rather a natural expression of his true nature.

Qingmei is also a person of genuine character, so it's not surprising that she and Meng Shisan, who share the same traits, hit it off immediately.

Meng Shisan glanced at Blue Ashes first, then looked at Ma Ji and asked, "Didn't find it?"

All the irrelevant people in the room retreated outside, leaving only four people inside. There was no need to spell out what she was asking; all four of them knew perfectly well.

"We found the trail, but the pursuit ended halfway through," Ma Ji replied.

Huang Jing glared at Lan Zhijin and said to Meng Shisan, "It's all his fault. If he hadn't suddenly appeared and caused trouble when Ma Lao and I found the trail, and attacked Ma Lao without any explanation, we wouldn't have wasted so much time. By the time we got to the bottom of things, it was too late!"

"How can this be blamed on me?" Lan Zhijin retorted. "The tracks were already intermittent, sometimes there and sometimes there, and they disappeared halfway through the chase. That's a problem with the tracks themselves. But now, you're saying it's my fault? Old Ma, be the judge. How can this be blamed on me?"

Ma Ji kept his eyes straight ahead and remained silent, refusing to speak up for Lan Zhijin.

"Look, look, even Old Ma doesn't want to talk to you!" Huang Jing yelled. "If I hadn't stopped him in time, Old Ma would have punished you. Right, Old Ma?"

On the surface, Huang Jing was speaking on his behalf, but in reality, she was testing whether Lan Zhijin would hold a grudge, so that she could find an opportunity to scheme against Lan Zhijin later. Ma Ji knew this. He could ignore Lan Zhijin's words, but he had to give Huang Jing some face: "What's past is past, Miss Huang, there's no need to bring it up again."

Huang Jing knew that this was Ma Ji's clear message, and that he would not hold a grudge against Lan Zhijin. Relieved, she quickly thanked him, saying, "Old Ma is magnanimous and truly kind!"

Lan Zhijin remained silent. He was somewhat unconvinced, but he knew even better that Ma Ji was a demon horse, and in a real fight, he was not someone he could handle.

The levels of spiritual attainment are not the same.

“That means we’ve gained nothing…” Meng Shisan asked Ma Ji again, “Is there any way to continue the tracking?”

Ma said quickly, "The timing and location of those two demons' appearance were very coincidental. There must be something behind them that they are being instructed to do. Miss has always wanted to know who the mastermind is, so we cannot give up tracking their movements. I will find a way to find them."

He spoke his last sentence with such certainty that both Huang Jing and Lan Zhijin turned to look at him.

Huang Jing watched with longing eyes, while Lan Zhijin watched with a different mind.

"Their appearance, occurring at the same time as the assassination attempt on His Highness and Magistrate Shi, served to deliberately distract and disperse the guards," Meng Shisan said. "Go ahead and investigate. If you need anything, just let me know. I can support you with manpower, resources, and funds. As for the matter I entrusted to you before, investigate it together if it's relevant, otherwise put it aside for now and find out who the mastermind is first."

"Yes," Ma Ji replied.

Lan Zhijin rarely visited the Meng residence, and he had heard about the rivalry between Li Shou and Li Heng, but he didn't know much about it.

Therefore, at this moment, he could tell that Meng Shisan was talking to Ma Ji about the recent bloody conflict between the Crown Prince and the Second Prince, but he didn't understand whether it was a case of underhanded tactics or not.

He didn't understand, and he didn't ask.

This was mainly Meng Shisan's turf; if he and Huang Jing hadn't just saved Meng Shisan's life, he wouldn't be sitting here listening to this. So he turned his gaze to Huang Jing.

Huang Jing didn't actually need Lan Zhijin to prompt her with his eyes; she herself really wanted to ask the mastermind: "From what you're saying, the mastermind isn't the Second Prince, but someone else?"

Blue Ashes eagerly awaits.

“I’m not sure, but based on the Second Prince’s past behavior, it doesn’t seem like him,” Meng Shisan analyzed. “If the Second Prince had a demonic chess piece, then his two trusted guards wouldn’t have died. The fact that he lost people one after another shows that although he has demonic assistance, it is definitely not his own.”

Li Heng didn't have the ability herself; instead, she relied on someone else's help. This "someone else" was the mastermind she wanted to expose.

Huang Jing listened, seemingly understanding but not quite, becoming increasingly confused: "Then who could it be?"

Lan Zhijin then asked, "The Second Prince is a member of the royal family and lives in the palace. Could it be that the Black Hand is also a member of the palace?"

His keen insight led Meng Shisan to glance at him again.

This second glance was different from the first. Her first glance wasn't a direct look at him, just a casual glance. This second glance was when she truly looked at him.

He understood that even though he had saved her and she remembered his kindness, she was a noble lady of high status. Even though he was one of the few magicians, she only intended to find an opportunity to repay his kindness and did not treat him with the same sincerity she had shown to her childhood sweetheart.

But upon closer inspection, for some unknown reason, he immediately straightened his back.

There's a feeling of finally being valued.

"Master Lan has dealt with the Second Prince before. Does your statement indicate that you had foreseen this and have some basis for it?" Meng Shisan asked.

"Really?" Huang Jing asked, her questioning growing increasingly accusatory, "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"No, it's just speculation," Lan Zhijin said frankly. "After all, as Miss Meng said, the mastermind is also in the palace, so the possibility is not small."

Meng Shisan also leans towards the idea that the mastermind is in the palace, and her speculation is not without basis.

The well in the Taiyong Hall of the Eastern Palace where Li Shou resided, and the well in the side hall of the Wenhua Hall where strange things had happened in the past, both made her feel that there was no peace in the palace.

After confirming that the demon she had destroyed and scattered was raised by a human, she became more inclined to believe that the unrest was caused by human intervention.

Since it was man-made, it was naturally someone from the palace who made it easier to create these evil spirits and monsters.

Meng Shisan remained silent and did not press the matter. Huang Jing, however, raised his eyebrows and asked twice more. Only after confirming that Lan Zhijin had not concealed anything and that what he said was true did he let him go and stop asking.

Ma Ji said quickly, "If it really is in the palace, then... tracing the origin might be a bit troublesome."

After all, this is the residence of a mortal emperor. When he enters and exits the palace for inspection, he can no longer do so as freely as he would when entering other places.

"If you see anyone in my courtyard who can help, then let them help you." Meng Shisan frowned, and after speaking, she realized that there didn't seem to be more than two people in her courtyard who could help Ma Ji.

Chang'an is gone, but the water snake is still helping Huang Jing find old artifacts. Camellia can help, but her cultivation is a bit shallow. The little earthworm can only burrow into the soil to deliver messages; it can't do anything else...