Chapter 66 Fake Mulan
Li Yuanfang will probably remember this unusual night, it was so weird.

He fled from Li Qingxia's residence with a red face and a pounding heart, his heart was turbulent and he could not calm down.

Li Yuanfang thought of Hu Jinghui's unexpected appearance again, and decided to go to the main hall to discuss with Di Renjie.

As soon as he walked to the main hall door, he happened to run into Zhao Ji who was looking for Di Renjie.

Zhao Ji saw that Li Yuanfang's face looked a little abnormal, and asked curiously: "Yuanfang, why is your face so red?"

Li Yuanfang touched his hot cheek and said with a little embarrassment: "Don't mention it. It's all because of that Princess Yiyang. I don't know what disease she has. She suddenly got into a tantrum."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ji could not help but laugh out loud. He had already guessed about 70% in his mind that Li Yuanfang was probably teased by Li Qingxia.

"Alright, alright, stop laughing and let's get down to business." Li Yuanfang said seriously, "Hu Jinghui came to see me."

Zhao Ji raised his eyebrows: "Hu Jinghui? He came to see you too?"

"Come too? Could it be that Hu Jinghui has also looked for Cheng Yuan?" Li Yuanfang said with blinking eyes.

Zhao Ji nodded and said, "Yes, Hu Jinghui came to see me when he was in Ghost Town and reminded me to protect the safety of adults."

Li Yuanfang became more and more confused and said, "He told me the same thing, so I came to discuss it with you, sir."

Zhao Ji seemed to realize something and suddenly asked, "Yuan Fang, where did you meet Hu Jinghui?"

Li Yuanfang told the truth: "When I was guarding the princess in the outer wing of the East Flower Hall, Hu Jinghui found my room, knocked on the window, and led me to the garden."

"East Flower Hall?"

A look of realization flashed in Zhao Ji's eyes. He was afraid that Hu Jinghui had met Li Qingxia before meeting Li Yuanfang.

At this time, the door of the main hall slowly opened, and Di Renjie walked out. Seeing the two whispering, he asked, "What are you two whispering about here? Come in and tell me."

Zhao Ji and Li Yuanfang looked at each other and followed Di Renjie into the main hall.

"What's the matter between you two? Tell us." Di Renjie asked after he sat down.

"Sir, I just met Hu Jinghui." Li Yuanfang bowed.

"What is he here for?" Di Renjie asked with a frown.

"He only said one thing, asking me to protect the adults' safety. Moreover, Hu Jinghui looked for Cheng Yuan once in Ghost Town and said the same thing." Li Yuanfang said seriously.

Zhao Ji nodded slightly, confirming that what Li Yuanfang said was true.

"My safety?" Di Renjie pondered for a moment, and suddenly thought of the small note he had received before, "It seems that he must have known something."

A gleam of light flashed in Zhao Ji's eyes: "Sir, I guess Hu Jinghui came here not just to remind us."

Li Yuanfang was puzzled: "What do you mean?"

Zhao did not answer directly, but asked Li Yuanfang: "Yuanfang, do you remember the female corpse found in the cave?"

"Remember, isn't she Jin Mulan?" Li Yuanfang didn't understand why Zhao Ji mentioned this.

Zhao Ji asked again: "Did you find anything wrong with the body?"

Li Yuanfang shook his head: "I don't think there is anything wrong."

Di Renjie told Li Yuanfang the answer: "The female corpse in the cave is thin and frail, and the armor looks ill-fitting on her. I'm afraid she is not Jin Mulan."

Zhao Ji smiled slightly when he heard this: "Your Excellency is right. According to our deduction, the rebels' main force and weapons have already been moved."

"Then their main force was able to move in time, and even Princess Yiyang was not silenced. As the leader of the rebels, what reason did Jin Mulan have to commit suicide by taking poison?"

Li Yuanfang suddenly realized and became excited: "So Jin Mulan is not dead? This is their plan to escape!"

Di Renjie was not startled, but when he heard Zhao Ji mention Li Qingxia again, his heart was beating fast and he muttered to himself: "No, it's impossible, it's impossible..."

Zhao Ji observed Di Renjie's reaction and said with a smile: "Sir, you have also realized that something is wrong now, right? The appearance of Princess Yiyang is so abrupt and unreasonable."

Di Renjie knew what Zhao Ji had not said, but he still chose to question: "Where is the evidence? We can't suspect Princess Yiyang, a member of the Li Tang royal family, without any evidence." Upon hearing this, Zhao Ji took out the unfinished embroidered shoes and a bag of needle and thread from his arms.

Li Yuanfang and Di Renjie looked at each other in confusion, not understanding what Zhao Ji's intention was.

"Chengyuan, where did you get these shoes and needle and thread?" Li Yuanfang asked curiously.

Zhao Ji said with some emotion: "This is the 'surprise' I mentioned in the cave that day, and it is also the evidence that the adults want."

"What kind of surprise are these shoes and needle and thread?" Li Yuanfang still didn't understand.

Zhao Ji smiled and said slowly, "Don't worry, let me tell you slowly."

So he started from the beginning: "That day in the cave, Lu Dayou came to report that the missing villagers had been found. The Lord and Yuan Fang were overjoyed and followed Dayou to visit them."

"I didn't go with you at that time. Instead, I entered the cave that Princess Yi Yang had walked out of. I thought it was a temporary fake residence similar to Liu Jin's dungeon, and there must be no signs of habitation."

"But I was wrong. At first glance, everything in the cave was normal. Furniture, towels, bedding and other items were all complete, and everything showed signs of use. The water in the basin was also new, and I even found some hair on the bed."

"All these signs prove that someone has lived in that room recently. In fact, the room is decorated in a simple manner, which is consistent with the identity of the princess's captive."

"In that case, isn't everything fine?" Li Yuanfang became even more confused after hearing this.

Zhao Ji immediately denied it and said, "No, I found something strange. There is not even a change of clothes in the room."

"What's so strange about this?" Li Yuanfang was still puzzled.

Zhao looked at Li Yuanfang who kept asking questions, and then glanced at Di Renjie who remained silent.

He knew in his heart that Di Renjie was somewhat resistant to his reasoning and analysis, so he remained silent.

However, Zhao Ji was not discouraged and continued, "On the surface, it seems reasonable for Princess Yiyang, as a captive, to not have a change of clothes."

"But think about it from another angle. If the owner of this room is not Princess Yiyang, then the purpose of throwing away the clothes is obvious, which is to cover up the identity of the owner of the room."

At this point, Li Yuanfang was still a little confused, but Di Renjie's expression had become solemn.

Zhao Ji noticed the expressions of the two and continued, "Considering that the room is located next to the bedroom of the female bandit leader Jin Mulan, and considering the simple furnishings, as well as the rags, brooms, and other items in the room."

"So I made a bold guess: this is the residence of a servant, and this servant is most likely Jin Mulan's maid."

"After a careful search, I finally found this pair of unfinished embroidered shoes at the innermost part of the quilt."

Zhao Ji finished speaking word by word and handed the embroidered shoes in his hand to Di Renjie. Di Renjie reached out to take it, his face becoming increasingly heavy.

Di Renjie observed the two embroidered shoes in his hands. Most of the materials used for the shoes were ordinary silk and linen, with only a small amount of colorful brocade, but the patterns woven into them were very delicate, and it was obvious that the maker had put a lot of effort into them.

"Embroidered shoes? What can these embroidered shoes prove?" Li Yuanfang asked.

Zhao Ji explained: "Princess Yiyang was spoiled and brought up in a wealthy family. I'm afraid she can't make this pair of embroidered shoes. Even if she can, she doesn't have the materials and tools. Judging from the style and materials of this pair of cloud-shaped shoes, it's probably made by a maid for herself."

"This confirms my guess. The person who had been living in this room before was not Princess Yi Yang, but Jin Mulan's maid."

"And this brings up another question. If we determine that Jin Mulan is not dead, then who is the female corpse in armor in the cave?"

"I took this pair of embroidered shoes and tried them on the female corpse in the cave. The result was exactly the same. The dead person in the cave was Jin Mulan's maid!"

"It was because of their negligence that I found this pair of small embroidered shoes, which completely exposed their tricks! This can also be said to be the case that the net of heaven is vast and nothing can escape it."

"It's hateful that this bunch of treacherous and evil villains are only concerned with killing people and setting up their own tricks. How could they have thought that this woman of low status, who is used as a tool by them, also has her own vibrant life. Judging from the size of the maid, she may be only in her teens." Zhao Ji's tone was full of anger and injustice.

After this discussion, Li Yuanfang felt both the joy of having the mystery solved and an inexplicable sadness.

Di Renjie closed his eyes and sighed, revealing his deep regret and helplessness.

There was a brief silence in the room, with only the crackling of the candle flame being heard.

　The recent reading data is not very ideal, so everyone should try not to keep reading.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)