Hua Manman was crouched by the window.

She heard footsteps outside drawing nearer and nearer. It sounded like there were quite a few of them.

If she and Prince Zhao didn’t leave soon, they were going to be discovered.

Once discovered, not only would their plan to frighten the Empress by acting as a ghost fall through, but Prince Zhao’s faked death would be exposed as well.

Hua Manman was burning with anxiety. She whipped her head around to look back into the room and saw Prince Zhao still standing by the bed.

The Empress was terrified, but she still put on a brave face and refused to back down.

"I didn’t harm anyone! Your death has nothing to do with me!"

Li Ji shot out a pale yet powerful hand and seized the Empress by the throat.

He said sinisterly.

"A life for a life."

The Empress was petrified, her mind in a complete turmoil. She was so frightened she didn’t even notice that the hand wrapped around her throat was warm.

Someone knocked on the door from outside.

A female official’s voice drifted in through the door.

"Your Majesty, are you awake? Was that you calling for someone just now?"

Hearing that help had arrived, the Empress’s spirits lifted. She opened her mouth to scream.

But her throat was held in a death grip, and she couldn’t make a sound.

When they received no response, the people outside began to pound on the door with even more force.

The door thudded and rattled under the assault.

It looked like the door was about to be forced open.

Li Ji finally released the Empress’s throat.

He waved a hand, extinguishing the candle flame, and darted to the window.

Hua Manman had already opened the window.

Li Ji swept her into his arms and leapt out the window.

They even remembered to shut the window before disappearing into the boundless night.

By the time the female official led the palace attendants and guards bursting through the door, the Empress was the only one left in the room.

They scrambled to light the candles.

In the dim, yellow glow of the candlelight, they saw the Empress slumped at the foot of her bed. Her face was terrifyingly pale, her body trembled uncontrollably, and she kept repeating the same phrase over and over.

"It wasn’t me, it wasn’t me..."

The female official immediately ordered someone to fetch the Imperial Physician.

Word of the "haunting" at Fengyi Palace soon reached the Emperor’s ears.

Although the Emperor and the Empress had grown distant, they had been married for many years, and some affection remained.

When he learned of the Empress’s incident, he hastily dressed and took the Dragon Carriage to Fengyi Palace.

When he arrived at Fengyi Palace, the Imperial Physician was in the middle of examining the Empress.

The Imperial Physician reported that the Empress had suffered a great shock, but it was not serious. She would be fine after a period of rest.

Seeing the startling red marks on the Empress’s neck, the Emperor frowned and asked.

"How did the Empress get those marks on her neck?"

’Who would have the gall to choke the Empress?!’

Everyone shook their heads, indicating they did not know.

The Emperor had no choice but to ask the Empress herself.

Perhaps it was the presence of so many living people in the room that gave the Empress some courage.

She gradually calmed down and finally realized something was amiss.

"Prince Zhao was the one who hurt me! He’s not dead at all! He was deliberately pretending to be a ghost to scare me!"

The Emperor thought she had been frightened out of her wits and was starting to spout nonsense.

"Calm down. Prince Zhao is already dead. How could he possibly pretend to be a ghost to scare you?!"

But the Empress was insistent. "It was definitely him! I saw him with my own eyes. If you don’t believe me, you can ask Chuxia."

Chuxia had already been woken.

She was brought before the Emperor, where she knelt and said in a trembling voice.

"I... I did see Prince Zhao’s ghost..."

The Empress cut her off. "Not a ghost! There are no such things as ghosts in this world! Prince Zhao must not be dead!"

Chuxia’s heart trembled under the Empress’s sharp glare. She sullenly shut her mouth, not daring to utter another word.

The Emperor didn’t believe in ghosts either.

Yet Chuxia claimed to have seen Prince Zhao’s ghost, and there were indeed two bright red, bloody handprints on the window.

’Could Prince Zhao really not be dead?’

To uncover the truth, the Emperor gave an immediate order.

"Wu Wang, take some men and inspect Prince Zhao’s mourning hall."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

When Wu Wang and his men rushed to the mourning hall, Chen Wangbei was still standing guard outside the door.

He was quite surprised to see so many people arrive.

Wu Wang immediately asked, "Have you seen anyone enter or leave the mourning hall?"

Chen Wangbei answered truthfully, "No. I’ve been standing guard here the entire time and haven’t seen anyone enter or leave." 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"What about the window?" Wu Wang asked.

Chen Wangbei shook his head.

Wu Wang pushed open the main door of the mourning hall and led his men inside.

The white candles on the altar table were still burning quietly, their flames casting a faint, eerie glow.

Lifting aside the white gauze drapery, they saw the jet-black coffin still in its place. The lid was shut tight, with nothing out of the ordinary.

Wu Wang scanned the room. "Where is Princess Consort Zhao?"

"Are you looking for me?" Hua Manman poked her head out from behind the coffin.

Wu Wang turned to her and immediately bowed.

Hua Manman walked toward them, pulling on her outer coat. Her eyes were half-open, and she let out a soft yawn, looking as if she had just woken up.

Wu Wang asked casually.

"A moment ago, I noticed some of the offerings on the altar were missing. Was it perhaps a mouse?"

Hua Manman said sheepishly, "I’m the mouse."

Wu Wang: "..."

He was silent for a moment before forcing a change of topic.

"Princess Consort, have you remained in the mourning hall all night?"

Hua Manman nodded. "Yes. I was sitting vigil for half the night and couldn’t bear it any longer, so I leaned back there and dozed off."

As she said this, she pointed behind the coffin.

Wu Wang discreetly sized up Hua Manman but found nothing out of the ordinary.

Hua Manman asked, "Why did you all come here so suddenly? Did something happen?"

Wu Wang replied, "It is nothing. The Saint was concerned and sent me to check on things. Since everything here is in order, I will take my leave."

Hua Manman stood where she was, watching them until they were out of sight.

Once they were gone, Hua Manman closed the door and quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

She returned to the coffin, knocked on the lid, and leaned in to whisper.

"They’re gone."

The coffin lid slowly slid open, and Li Ji sat up.

He hadn’t eaten all day, and with all the running around he’d done that night, he had used up a lot of energy. He was starting to feel hungry.

He walked over to the altar table, picked up a plate of pastries, and began to eat leisurely.

Hua Manman watched him anxiously.

"Do you think the Empress will be suspicious of us?"

Li Ji said, "She’ll definitely be suspicious."

Hua Manman asked, fraught with worry, "Then what do we do?"

Li Ji replied, "The Empress will likely come in person tomorrow to confirm whether I’m really dead. Before she arrives, I need you to do something for me."

Hua Manman quickly asked, "What is it?"

Li Ji leaned in close, whispering a few instructions in her ear.

When he finished, he didn’t forget to press a kiss to her ear.

Like a startled rabbit, Hua Manman scrambled back, clapping a hand over her ear.

Her eyes went wide as she glared at Prince Zhao.

’That bastard! Taking advantage of me again!’

Seeing her reaction, Li Ji let out a low chuckle.

"If you feel you’ve been wronged, you can kiss me back."

With that, he even deliberately leaned in, presenting his lips to Hua Manman.

Looking as if he were hers for the taking.