Chapter 766: Showdown

"Why?" A hint of curiosity appeared on Baifei's face.

"Actually, if you just think about it…" Zu'an originally intended to say "I," but immediately realized it would expose his identity, so he smoothly changed his words. "If you think about the actions of the Embroidered Uniform Guards after the incident, you can deduce a thing or two. If Xinrui had died, they would definitely focus on investigating her interactions within the palace: who she met before her death, who had the motive and opportunity to kill her. In that scenario, even Imperial Consort Baifei herself could have been suspected."

Baifei smiled faintly, "Precisely. Xinrui was my personal maid. If she had died, I would have been the primary suspect. And even if she had left the palace, I would still be a major suspect, given how close we were."

Zu'an continued, "The mastermind is very clever. She exploited a human weakness: by initially putting herself in the most suspicious position, people would instinctively react by thinking it was too simple, probably a trap set by someone else. With this mindset, combined with some other clues that immediately emerged, everyone naturally had an 'I knew it!' reaction and went to investigate other suspects. Little did they know, they were being led by the nose by the mastermind all along."

Baifei frowned, "From what you're saying, it sounds as if you're implying I'm the mastermind?"

Zu'an didn't answer but continued, "What I just described was the scenario if Xinrui had died. But the reality is that Xinrui didn't die; she left the palace. In that case, the Embroidered Uniform Guards would certainly first check the palace gates for entry and exit records. If they couldn't find any relevant records, they would naturally suspect Ouwu, the officer in charge of the Xuanwu Gate."

"And just when the Embroidered Uniform Guards were about to investigate Ouwu, he fled with his family. Coincidentally, the gate was guarded by Young Master Murong. Both Ouwu and Murong Luo are known associates of Prince Qi. Prince Qi has both the motive and the power to target the Crown Princess, so everyone would assume Prince Qi is the mastermind. Even other officials aligned with Prince Qi would probably think so."

"This way, the Emperor would inevitably target Prince Qi. Prince Qi, feeling it's a trumped-up charge and a frame-up by the Emperor's side, would naturally retaliate. At that point, the two major power factions would completely shatter the delicate balance and tacit understanding they've maintained for years. The entire nation would descend into chaos, making it even easier for the person hidden in the shadows to fish in troubled waters."

Just then, the Imperial Grandson suddenly woke up and cried loudly. Baifei, while hurriedly comforting him, said to Zu'an, "I don't know what you mean by telling me all this. Do you think I'm the mastermind? I am the Crown Prince's consort and the Imperial Grandson's mother. What good would national chaos do me?"

By then, the maid had finished brewing the floral tea and brought it over. Meanwhile, the nannies from a distance, hearing the Imperial Grandson's cries, also rushed over in a flurry. The two of them, understanding the situation, ceased talking. Zu'an quietly sipped the floral tea; its fragrant aroma was truly refreshing.

Baifei instructed the maid and nannies to take the Imperial Grandson away. Once they were alone again, she said coldly, "What, aren't you afraid the tea is poisoned today?"

Zu'an smiled slightly, "I imagine Imperial Consort Baifei is not such a despicable person. Besides, the Crown Princess isn't here this time. If you were to drug me, would Your Ladyship personally step in to frame me?"

Baifei's breathing suddenly quickened. "Do you know that with just that one sentence, I could have you beaten to death?"

Zu'an set down his teacup. "Your Ladyship is a clever person; you wouldn't do something so unwise."

"Do you truly believe you have something on me?" Baifei sat back on the swing. "I'd like to hear your brilliant insights on why I'm the mastermind."

"Let's go back to Your Ladyship's previous question. This plot frames Prince Qi as the culprit. Although Prince Qi has more partisans, the Emperor is, after all, the strongest person in the world today. His chances of dealing with Prince Qi are greater. In that scenario, no one would contend with the Crown Prince for the throne. At the same time, the Crown Princess's reputation would be tarnished, allowing you to seize the opportunity to ascend. As the Imperial Grandson's birth mother, which other concubine could compare to you?"

He sighed and said, "In solving cases, there's a principle: the person with the strongest motive and the greatest beneficiary after the incident is often the culprit. Unfortunately, we were all misled by the red herrings you cleverly laid out, and thus overlooked you, the biggest beneficiary."

Zu'an said with admiration, "That's Your Ladyship's brilliance. If the Crown Princess had been discovered in that state from the start, she would have been ruined, but your emergence as the biggest beneficiary would have been too sudden; everyone would have suspected you. Instead, you gave her a way out, allowing the Crown Princess to attract everyone's attention, and you could safely remain in the background."

"Of course, there's another reason. Compared to Prince Qi, the Crown Prince's faction was already at a disadvantage. If the Crown Princess, their leader, had suffered an incident at the beginning, the Crown Prince's faction would likely not have been able to contend with Prince Qi's faction. In that case, you would have ended up doing all the work for Prince Qi's benefit instead."

Baifei scoffed, "Then wouldn't this current situation just be doing all the work for the Crown Princess? Helping her eliminate Prince Qi would make her the legitimate Empress in the future. Why would I take such a great risk for that?"

Zu'an stared into her usually gentle and delicate eyes, sighing, "That's why I said you're brilliant. It's precisely because of these things you mentioned that no one suspected you. However, I've more or less guessed your plan now. You most likely have evidence of the Crown Princess's 'unchastity' in your hands. You're still using her influence to deal with Prince Qi, and once the situation is set, you can at any time arrange for that evidence to be spread. This way, the Crown Princess will naturally have no face to remain, and might not even keep her life."

"The Crown Princess may be clever, but from beginning to end, she was merely a pawn in your hands. She was the one doing all the work for you."

Zu'an couldn't help but marvel at Bi Linglong's shrewdness. Initially, when she asked him to find an opportunity to secretly kill Baifei, he thought she was too cruel, executing a woman who had always seemed gentle and kind based on a groundless reason.

Now he realized that she possessed great wisdom. She might not have known Baifei was the mastermind, but her political astuteness immediately made her realize that Baifei's existence would eventually be a huge threat to her, so she didn't hesitate to eliminate her.

Alas, these two women appeared to have deep sisterly affection and loved each other, but in reality, they were ruthless when stabbing each other in the back.

Are women truly more deceitful the more beautiful they are?

The faces of his various confidantes kept appearing in his mind, and for a moment, he fell into deep doubt.

"Hmph, that's because the Crown Prince is too weak and can't control the women in his harem. My situation will definitely be different," Zu'an finally consoled himself.

At this moment, Baifei gently clapped her hands. "A very good deduction, but unfortunately, these are just your wishful conjectures, without any evidence."

"Actually, finding evidence isn't difficult. We just need to find Ouwu," Zu'an said.

"Then wait until you find him," Baifei chuckled softly. Her face, which had been as pure and delicate as a white flower, now seemed to hold a hint of captivating danger.

Zu'an sighed, "Hearing Your Ladyship's tone, it seems Ouwu is already in great peril. In fact, I've always suspected that Ouwu didn't flee voluntarily; he was 'made to flee.' Your people killed him and simultaneously fabricated the illusion of him absconding in fear of his crime, using it to frame Prince Qi."

"Your words would probably sound quite ridiculous to others," Baifei said, gracefully pointing around her with a slender, jade-like finger. "It's well known that I have no power or background. I've lived alone in the deep palace for years, barely stepping outside its gates. How could I possibly have the ability to kill an officer of the Imperial Palace gates and take his family away too?"

"While you yourself are indeed weak in power, you have allies," Zu'an chuckled, "such as Prince Wu?"