It wasn't an apple that hit Newton.

On stage, they were still performing "Domination," a play that has recently become practically Shakespeare's signature work. Incidentally, the lead actor today was Anne.

Inside the private room.

A small table was placed between two soft chairs, on which were simple drinks and snacks.

"I've inquired about it in many places over the past few days."

Veronique sat on the soft stool, her brows furrowed and her eyes deep-set: "But we didn't find any useful information. Nothing major happened when my brother was 14. Or rather, nothing major happened at all."

Nothing gained...? Li Cheng paused for a moment, then asked, "What are your plans next?"

Veronique said, "Although there is no way to figure out why my brother poisoned our father, and it is difficult to explain his motives, the coronation is getting closer and closer, and I must act immediately."

"The bishop has almost finished preparations, and at my brother's urging, this coronation ceremony is much earlier than ever before."

Li Cheng nodded: "I also saw it in the newspaper, and it's clear that Edward is very eager about this matter."

"Yes, so I've contacted the Duke of Scotton, who was quite shocked upon hearing the news and initially didn't believe me. But the evidence you provided, along with some of the evidence I gathered, convinced him. Although he's still somewhat skeptical, he's at least agreed to give me a chance to prove it."

Veronique's expression was resolute: "He promised me that he would stand by my side once the truth is revealed. He will also contact several trustworthy ministers and nobles to stand with me then."

"They are all very cautious about such a significant matter. It is difficult for me to persuade them to take the risk, since in a sense it has almost no impact on them."

Veronica talked a lot in one breath. Originally, she did not plan to come to Li Cheng at such an urgent moment, but in the end, considering that Li Cheng was the one who provided the clues and might have some better ideas, she took the time to come.

After listening quietly to Veronica's words, Li Cheng's expression remained largely unchanged: "What exactly are your plans to reveal this? What are your intentions?"

"Exhume and examine the body."

Veronique said firmly, "The relevant witnesses and evidence have been mostly dealt with, leaving only my father's body as evidence. I will exhume the body and conduct an autopsy in front of everyone. By comparing it with the relevant medical records you provided, it will be proven that my father was poisoned."

"Once the Duke of Scotton sees the evidence, he will join forces with the others to control the scene and prevent my brother from doing anything else, and then a formal investigation can begin."

Li Cheng thought for a moment: "Are you sure you don't want to wait any longer?"

Veronica shook her head, her face grave: "There is no other way now. It will be too late once my brother is officially crowned. Although it is winter and the temperature is low, so much time has passed. If we delay any longer, my father's body will completely decompose, and we will not be able to find any evidence."

Li Cheng didn't say anything more after hearing this, but nodded slightly: "I understand."

Veronica was a little disappointed to find that Li Cheng had offered almost no constructive ideas, but then she asked in confusion, "Why is your reaction a little strange? Isn't this a good thing for you?"

"It's nothing. I just think it's better to be happy after everything has settled down."

After thinking for a moment, Li Cheng said, "Actually, I think you should consider getting your father's body back as soon as possible. If you're too slow, it will be too late. Edward may be monitoring your every move."

Veronica smiled wryly: "I've thought about it too, but the investigation found that the church's defenses are too tight, unless we use a lot of force to break through."

The conversation ended, and Veronica hurriedly left to continue preparing her plans.

Li Cheng didn't leave. He waited outside the theater for about 20 minutes before Annie came out, having changed out of her costume into more casual clothes.

"Ha, you were waiting for me here." Annie waved to Li Cheng, a smug look on her face. "Was my last performance here great?"

"Absolutely fantastic."

Li Cheng nodded, then asked, "Are you really decided?"

"I've made up my mind. Anyway, I've learned enough from Sister Therese, and there's no point in staying any longer, so I've already decided to go with her."

Anne shook her head: "London will only limit my development. It's too dangerous around my dad's place. I feel like he could catch me at any moment—by the way, you're not going to stop me from staying here, are you?"

Li Cheng smiled and said, "No, you're welcome anytime. You can come and go as you please."

......

A luxurious mansion.

Edward sat in his designated seat, looking at the message passed to him by his subordinate.

"Princess Veronica has been very active lately, frequently contacting many nobles."

"Queen Catherine conveyed that Princess Veronica had gone to see her, and that the other party may have become suspicious."

Looking at the series of news reports about Veronica's frequent activities, Edward shook his head helplessly: "My foolish sister, why did you do this? I didn't want it to be like this."

"Your mother gave you the wrong information last time, so why are you still so persistent?"

------

Just as Veronica and Li Cheng had made their own preparations for the upcoming coronation ceremony.

In the early morning of December 31, 1666.

A fire of unknown cause broke out in London, starting in a residential area and eventually affecting a large area of ​​the church district, including Westminster Abbey.

The fire lasted for a full day, destroying hundreds of houses, and was not extinguished until the early hours of the following day.

Thousands of people lost their homes, but fortunately almost no one died.

The fire caused enormous damage, but one particularly tragic thing was that the king's remains were destroyed.

Upon hearing the news, Veronica was stunned for a full 20 minutes before Holly reminded her to come to her senses, but she was still deeply confused.

"He must have done this... but how could this be? How did he know?"

She felt as if all her efforts had been in vain, and that there was no longer any possibility of revealing what Edward had done.

All the evidence has been destroyed, now it's really... there's no way to recover.

......

Meanwhile, Li Cheng, inside the hotel, also let out a long sigh.

"They actually set it on fire! I thought it would be something more sophisticated..."

"I thought I had stopped the Great Fire of London, but in the end, it still had to burn."

"In the end, my accumulation is far too little. Veronica is no match for that old sly Edward. He probably has his eye on Veronica for a long time and will make his move as soon as she contacts someone else."

"But whatever, I didn't have high hopes for Veronica in the first place anyway. This time I'll just give it a try. In the end, I still have to rely on myself."

After muttering to himself for a while, Li Cheng shook his head and then said to Susie, who was eating snacks, "Stop eating, pack your things, we should get going."

Susie wiped the food crumbs from the corner of her mouth and asked in confusion, "Where are we going?"

"Go to Lincolnshire and farm."

Li Cheng pressed his head, his eyes seemingly filled with countless words and images: "I knew it, in the end I'll still have to rely on this thing. Schemes and tricks are really not for me."

Chapter 159 Goodbye, London

Upon hearing that she was to go back to farming, Susie was terrified: "I don't want to go back to farming! Wizard, I was wrong! I'll even agree to study if you want me to!"

Li Cheng slapped his forehead: "Who said you should go back to farming? My farming is not the same as yours. My farming means accumulation and development."

"You should have said so earlier, you scared me to death."

Susie breathed a sigh of relief and got up to pack her things—but there wasn't much to pack, mainly some trinkets she had bought herself and two changes of clothes.

However, a moment later, looking at the large package on Susie's back, Li Cheng frowned: "Where did you get so much stuff? Quickly throw away the useless stuff."

Susie tried to argue, "They are all very useful."

Li Chengxin, that devil! He turned around, snatched her package, and tore it open, revealing a jumble of odds and ends: amulets, a cross, a tiny drum the size of a palm... and even a wooden carving half an arm's length long!

What is this wooden statue?

Li Cheng pointed to a disproportionately sized, distorted humanoid statue, looking at him with a "Are you kidding me?" expression: "We're going on a long journey, tell me, what's the point of this except adding to our load?"

"It was a gift from the hotel owner; I ran errands for him a few times."

Susie picked up the crooked wooden carving with both hands and solemnly held it up in front of Li Cheng: "It is said that this is his first finished product after learning carpentry. It is named Alexander and has great commemorative value!"

Snapped--

Li Cheng took it and casually tossed it aside; the wooden carving hit the wall with a dull thud.

"Waaaaah!" Susie wailed, crawling dejectedly to her knees. "My Alexander..."

Li Cheng sneered: "Heh, even if you called me Adam, I'd still throw him away."

After dealing with the obviously cumbersome wooden carvings, Li Cheng then pointed to the mountain of amulets and crosses inside: "Why did you buy so many amulets and crosses? You don't need so many for commemoration, do you?"

"This really worked this time!"

Susie quickly got up from the ground, puffing out her chest with pride: "I bought this from a roadside vendor. It's said to be an amulet and cross personally blessed by the bishop, and it has a strong repelling effect on werewolves and vampires. I thought I would need it sooner or later since I was with you, so I spent a lot of money and begged them for a long time before they sold it to me."

Upon hearing the words "street vendor," Li Cheng immediately felt it was unreliable. Hearing that it could repel werewolves and vampires made him even more terrified.

He crouched down, picked out a cross that supposedly had been blessed by a bishop, and found that it had the words "Avoid Evil" written crookedly in English, and even misspelled a letter.

So all the pocket money I gave you was wasted here?

Li Cheng said expressionlessly, "You've been fooled."

Susie was horrified: "How could that be? That man spoke so sincerely! He even swore to God he would never lie to me!"

Li Cheng chuckled: "Anyone can swear an oath. I even swear I'm the most handsome man in the world. Do you believe me or not?"

Susie looked closely at Li Cheng's face and said angrily, "You city folks are so despicable."

Li Cheng's forehead twitched: "Stop talking nonsense, I'll only keep three, you can choose yourself."

Hearing that only three could be kept, Susie said with a pained expression, "Three is too few. I spent real money to buy these. It would be such a waste to throw them away."

“To be precise, I paid for them.” Li Cheng interrupted the guy, “Five, no more than that.”

"Five also..."

Seeing Li Cheng's resolute expression, Susie gave up on continuing to haggle and sadly picked out five of her favorite amulets, crosses.

After Li Cheng finished picking, he pointed to a pile of straw clumps next to him whose purpose was unclear.

"And what is this?"

"The grass ring is something I made from grass in the city when I was bored. It has a lot of sentimental value."

"What about this one?!"

"Yesterday I saw a child playing with some pretty pebbles, and I asked him for one."

"You have the nerve to take a child's things? Throw them away... what about this?"

"A particularly beautiful seashell."

"Diu diu diu!"

......