Mo Lingxi knew why Prince Rui was looking for him and went to the palace gate to meet him.
Prince Rui looked haggard and tired. He bowed and said, "Prince Ming Rui, may I ask if you can release my daughter?"
Mo Lingxi stood with his hands behind his back, his voice revealing no emotion, "Prince Rui knows what Sima Min has done."
Prince Rui was not entirely clear about what his daughter had done. He vaguely knew it was related to the kidnapping of Sheng Lengshuang, but he could never have imagined that Sima Min would do such a thing.
"Prince Ming Rui, is there some misunderstanding? My daughter has done some bad things, but she wouldn't have the guts to do something like this."
Mo Lingxi: "You should ask Sima Min."
Prince Rui knew at once that there was no room for negotiation unless concrete evidence proved Sima Min was not involved.
He also blamed himself for not educating his daughter properly, otherwise, such a thing would not have happened.
"Prince Ming Rui, if my daughter confesses, can you spare her life?"
Mo Lingxi said ruthlessly, "Impossible."
Prince Rui gave a wry smile and did not blame Mo Lingxi. If he were in such a situation, he would not let the other party off either.
"Prince Ming Rui!" At this moment, a eunuch hurried over, "Prince Ming Rui, news just came from the Ministry of Justice prison that Miss Sima's maid has been murdered. It is not known who killed her maid, and the Ministry of Justice is investigating this matter."
Mo Lingxi's eyes darkened slightly, "When was the maid murdered?"
The eunuch replied, "About an hour ago. The maid had just finished her interrogation and was sent back to the prison. Not long after, she died of poisoning. The coroner examined her body and confirmed that she was poisoned with a mixed toxin that takes effect after an hour."
"The Ministry of Justice found no tools or people involved in the poisoning. The Ministry of Justice asks Prince Ming Rui how this matter should be handled."
Mo Lingxi pondered for a moment and said to Prince Rui, "I trouble Prince Rui to go to the Ministry of Justice prison to see Sima Min."
Prince Rui knew his intention and nodded solemnly, "Please rest assured, Prince Ming Rui, I will find out about the maid's matter."
Mo Lingxi suddenly said, "Even if Prince Rui doesn't think for himself, he must think for the entire Prince Rui's mansion."
These words were like a sharp blade hanging over Prince Rui's head, "Yes."
After leaving the palace, he went directly to the Ministry of Justice prison to visit Sima Min.
When he saw Sima Min's injured body, he couldn't help but shed tears, "Child, why did you have to do these things?"
Sima Min lay weakly on the ground, lacking the strength to even stand up, "Father, it really wasn't me. I don't deny that I had some selfish thoughts, but I really didn't kidnap Sheng Lengshuang."
Prince Rui believed his daughter, "Min'er, my believing you is useless. We need concrete evidence. You know Prince Ming Rui's methods and character, and this matter just happened at our mansion."
Sima Min laboriously raised her head, her voice choked with tears, "Father, save me, save me. If this continues, I will die."
Prince Rui knelt before her and looked at her seriously, "Min'er, tell me honestly, have you ever done anything to harm Sheng Lengshuang?"
Sima Min bit her lip, "Father, I wanted to bring Sheng Lengshuang down so I could marry Prince Ming Rui. But I am just a young lady from a noble family, how could I have the ability to do such things?"
Prince Rui wiped the bloodstains from her face with a handkerchief, "As long as you didn't do it, I will save you even if it costs me my life."
A hint of calculation flashed in Sima Min's eyes. She said tearfully, "Father, I really didn't do it. I admit, I ruined Sheng Lengshuang's reputation so she couldn't get back with Prince Ming Rui. Other than that, I did nothing."
Prince Rui nodded, "Stay here for a few more days, and I will save you."
Sima Min tearfully agreed.
After watching Prince Rui leave, Sima Min lowered her eyes, concealing the venom and cruelty within them. Father, please don't blame your daughter.
The conversation between father and daughter was relayed word for word to Mo Lingxi by the secret guards.
Mo Lingxi ordered the secret guards to continue watching Sima Min and returned to the palace to take care of Sheng Lengshuang.
Coincidentally, Sheng Lengshuang had woken up.
The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Mo Lingxi up close and frowned displeasedly, "Why are you still here?"
Mo Lingxi's heart sank, but he knew that Sheng Lengshuang couldn't be blamed; it was due to the poison she had taken.
"I came to see you, and I also have something to tell you."
Sheng Lengshuang's attitude was cold, "If you have something to say, say it quickly."
Mo Lingxi, understanding the subtext, sat in a chair, "Do you still remember what happened to Old Master Tao and the others?"
Sheng Lengshuang looked at him as if he were an idiot, "Please, Prince Ming Rui, don't speak nonsense."
Mo Lingxi: "...I have been investigating the clues regarding Old Master Tao and the others, and I have also discovered a problem."
Sheng Lengshuang instinctively felt that the problem was serious, "What problem?"
Mo Lingxi lowered his voice, "The abilities of Old Master Tao and the others seem to have improved."
Sheng Lengshuang's eyes narrowed, "Have you found out if Old Master Tao and the others were controlled by gu or corpse manipulation techniques?"
Mo Lingxi heard this and asked an unrelated question, "How much do you remember about us?"
Sheng Lengshuang said, "We have nothing. You have been pestering me and forcing me to have Little Feng with you."
"If Little Feng wasn't so cute, I would have been enemies with you long ago."
Mo Lingxi was somewhat confused, could the poison Sheng Lengshuang had taken affect her memory?
He signaled Sheng Lengshuang to wait a moment and went to find the head physician.
The head physician, upon learning the purpose of Mo Lingxi's visit, mused, "Theoretically, yes. Some poisons can harm the brain, and some poisons... it's not really poison, but a combination of poisoning and certain methods to alter a person's memory."
"As far as I know, there are such methods in the martial arts world. Prince Ming Rui might want to investigate in this direction."
Mo Lingxi also inquired about the antidote.
The head physician replied, "From the current situation, it is not easy to detoxify... or rather, it's not that it can't be detoxified. If a more aggressive method is used, it can be detoxified, but it will cause some harm to Miss Sheng's body."
Mo Lingxi was unwilling to do that. He asked the head physician to research a method of detoxification as soon as possible, then arranged for people to investigate whether there were any martial arts in the jianghu that could control others, and then returned to the palace to continue discussing matters with Sheng Lengshuang.
"We were talking about Old Master Tao and the others. I have investigated, and there are indeed people in the martial arts world who have mastered corpse manipulation techniques. It is not yet certain whether this person is related to the matter of Old Master Tao and the others."
Sheng Lengshuang pondered for a moment, "Meaning, someone might have used corpse manipulation techniques to control Old Master Tao and the others? What kind of martial art is this corpse manipulation technique?"
Mo Lingxi explained, "Simply put, corpse manipulation technique is equivalent to controlling corpses with internal energy. This requires a high level of internal energy."
Sheng Lengshuang roughly understood, "Does the person who knows this martial art need to be nearby to control the corpse?"