Zhong Li rushed out of the rockery and hurried back the way she came.
Suddenly, a pair of hands grabbed her waist firmly.
Zhong Li looked back and saw Granny Dou had also run out after her, muttering, "Don't think you can leave, don't think you can leave."
"Let go!" Zhong Li scoffed.
Granny Dou shook her head, her sallow eyes staring straight at her. "Zhong Li, don't you dare ruin the Empress's plan."
Zhong Li frowned, unwilling to get into a further entanglement with Granny Dou. She raised her hand and struck at her neck.
Granny Dou's eyes rolled back, and she slumped to the ground.
Zhong Li pulled her trouser leg from Granny Dou's grasp and hurried towards the main hall.
"Help! Help!"
Inside the hall, Nangong Xiaodie, seeing the insects flying directly towards her, scrambled to her feet in panic, her bowl and plates scattering to the ground with a crisp crash.
At the same time, many palace maids, ministers, and noble ladies, seeing the swarm of unknown insects flying towards Nangong Xiaodie like a horde, were startled and retreated, some quick-eyed ones already bolting from the hall.
"Golden Armored Guards, protect His Majesty's safety!" Eunuch Hua, seeing the commotion, looked visibly nervous and called out anxiously to the imperial guards who were waving their swords at the scurrying insects within the hall.
As soon as he spoke, someone among the Golden Armored Guards had a sudden idea. They rushed in from outside carrying torches, intending to burn the flying insects.
"Impossible!" Lu Wuxie, who was trying to control the chaos, shouted.
In a flash, several flying insects, attracted by the heat, flew into the fire. Instead of being burned, they carried small sparks and flew towards the hall's hangings.
For a moment, the hall was filled with the crisp sound of burning wood, screams, and the clang of weapons, throwing the hall into utter disarray.
"Lin Jin!" Lu Wuxie roared at the hidden guards behind him, "Protect His Majesty out of the hall, quickly!"
Lin Jin obeyed, lunging towards Lu Jing'an amidst the flying insects, scooping him up onto his back and rushing outside.
Nangong Xiaodie got up from the ground, seeing Lu Yuan Chen being chased by the insects in a panicked scramble. She quickly turned to Wan Rong, who was closest to him, and said, "Wan Rong, protect Chen'er, leave quickly."
Wan Rong obeyed and quickly ran behind Lu Yuan Chen. As her hand barely touched his body, a heart-wrenching howl was heard, and in the next instant, all the flying insects converged on Lu Yuan Chen.
"Run!" Seeing this, Lu Wuxie grabbed a scroll from the table and flung it at the swarm.
It was like trying to quench a fire with a cup of water, he thought. The scroll only managed to knock down a few straggling insects, as most had already passed the kneeling Wan Rong in front of Lu Yuan Chen and burrowed into his body.
"Ah!!" A soul-piercing scream echoed through the hall. For a moment, everyone who had been fleeing in terror was stunned by this sound and instinctively turned to look at its source.
Lu Yuan Chen fell to the ground like a fireball, rolling down the steps and writhing in the hall.
Zhong Li arrived to witness this scene.
"No! No!" She shook her head and rushed towards Lu Yuan Chen, but thankfully, Lu Wuxie, with quick reflexes, intercepted her and held her back.
Nangong Xiaodie stared blankly, her eyes reddened, her body trembling uncontrollably. In the next moment, she fainted.
"Dirt! Use dirt! A Wu, go get dirt!" Lu Wuxie remembered Zhong Li extinguishing the fire on Princess Xian's body and yelled behind him.
Soon, all the palace servants brought dirt. After extinguishing the fire on Lu Yuan Chen's body, only his limbs and half of his blackened head remained.
Lu Jing'an stood at the entrance, watching the scene before him. He shook off Eunuch Hua, who was holding him, and lunged towards the hall.
Zhong Li broke free from her emotional state, quickly blocking his path, and knelt on one knee. "Your Majesty, it's dangerous!"
Lu Jing'an stumbled back a few steps, his eyes stinging with tears. "Who is this? Who is responsible? I want her ground to dust."
Zhong Li looked up at the ministers and ladies standing timidly at the entrance, her gaze finally settling on Consort Rong. She said, "Your Majesty, the culprit is among us. I implore Your Majesty to apprehend the perpetrator, lest they escape again."
Lu Jing'an took a deep breath, slowly closed his eyes, and nodded.
Half an hour later.
Zhong Li stood outside the hall, watching the ministers and noble ladies gathered in the open space. She roughly counted them, ensuring no one was left behind, before turning to Eunuch Hua beside her. "Eunuch, did you find the person I asked you to look for near the rockery in the Imperial Garden?"
Eunuch Hua nodded and, with a gesture, had the bound Granny Dou unceremoniously thrown before Zhong Li.
Zhong Li looked up and met Consort Rong's gaze. "Your Highness, this is one of your people, isn't it?"
Consort Rong took a deep breath and nodded. "What? I merely asked Granny Dou to take a stroll in the Imperial Garden, and now I am a suspect?"
Zhong Li smiled. "Does Your Highness truly believe she can escape unscathed?"
Consort Rong raised her eyebrows slightly. "Very well, let me see how Zhong Temple Administrator intends to catch this culprit."
Zhong Li ignored her and turned to the Dali Temple constables who had entered the palace with her. "Come, search them!"
As she spoke, all the constables began their work. As for the ladies and concubines, Hua Yao led a group of maids from the Hua Manor to conduct the searches.
Lu Jing'an sat high above, watching Zhong Li's actions, his brow furrowed. He asked, "Zhong Li, do you have any certainty?"
"Replying to Your Majesty, yes!" Zhong Li cupped her hands and answered.
"But if you do not find what you seek, what then? You must understand that your actions offend not only the people of the harem but also the various ministers. If you err, I must give them an explanation." Lu Jing'an asked again.
Zhong Li pursed her lips and thought for a moment. "Your subject is willing to guarantee it with her head."
As soon as she spoke, everyone gasped.
Lu Wuxie, standing below, looked at the woman with unwavering resolve not far away, a slight smile gracing his lips.
Not long after, the searches were completed. Eunuch Hua circled around and approached the Emperor. "Your Majesty, the items Zhong Temple Administrator spoke of were not found."
Lu Jing'an narrowed his eyes at Zhong Li, just about to speak, when Zhong Li preempted him. "That is precisely right. Eunuch Hua's result is exactly what Zhong Li wanted."
Eunuch Hua turned, looking at her with confusion. Just as he was about to call her out for toying with the Emperor and his ministers, A Wu ran out from the hall. Upon seeing Zhong Li, he exclaimed, "Zhong Temple Administrator, all have been counted. There are a total of one hundred and fifty-eight glazed lamps at this banquet."
Zhong Li nodded and looked at a young eunuch who had been standing aside. "You are Xiao Chai Zi, aren't you?"
The young eunuch quickly nodded.
"Nangong Mistress held the birthday banquet for the young prince, and you were involved, correct?"
Xiao Chai Zi nodded again.
"Good, now tell me, how many glazed lamps did you take from the Si Pin Ku?"
"Replying to Zhong Temple Administrator, one hundred and fifty-six."
As soon as he spoke, everyone exclaimed, "Two are missing! That's right! How are there two missing?"
Zhong Li smiled and walked up to Consort Rong. "Your Highness, I advise you to confess and be treated leniently, or resist and face severe punishment."