Mo Lingxi directly refused, his expression as cold as frost, "I have nothing to discuss with Miss Sima."
He needed to avoid suspicion. If his wife found out, she would surely misunderstand, and he didn't want that.
Sima Min was surprised by Mo Lingxi's direct refusal. She paused, "Your Highness Prince Mingrui, don't you want to know Zhou Wenxing's whereabouts?"
Mo Lingxi replied indifferently, "I do, but not from you."
Sima Min didn't understand his meaning, "Is Your Highness Prince Mingrui worried about something?"
Mo Lingxi didn't answer her and rode away.
Sima Min tried to follow but was stopped by hidden guards. She could only watch helplessly as Mo Lingxi disappeared from her sight.
She pondered for a long time, still unable to understand why Mo Lingxi treated her this way. Unless Sheng Lengshuang had said something bad about her to Prince Mingrui, he wouldn't have treated her like this.
She needed to find a way to change Prince Mingrui's perception of her and reveal Sheng Lengshuang's true nature.
At this moment, Sheng Lengshuang was conversing with someone.
It was the charming woman who had appeared before. She said her name was A Mei but didn't reveal her past. She claimed to be looking for Sheng Lengshuang for a medicinal prescription.
Sheng Lengshuang poured her a cup of tea, "Will there be any unexpected incidents today? Last time you wanted to make a deal with me, a group of masked men appeared."
A Mei drank some tea, "Don't worry, no one will disturb us today. I've made all the arrangements."
Sheng Lengshuang felt reassured, "Do you know who your master is?"
A Mei shook her head, indicating she didn't know. "I'm afraid none of us know who the master is, not even if they are male or female."
Sheng Lengshuang was very puzzled. She narrowed her eyes, "Then how do you receive orders?"
"Let me tell you slowly..." A Mei began to explain.
People like A Mei were recruited by their master with great benefits. For example, A Mei was recruited with beauty and youth formulas and pills. Others were recruited with beauties or wealth.
The person who recruited them might be one of the recruited individuals or a subordinate of the master, but never the master themselves. The master never appeared in public, and no one knew their identity.
For any task, instructions were conveyed by different stewards, who were themselves ranked.
"Small tasks are issued by minor stewards, and major tasks are issued by major stewards. For very important or secret tasks, they are issued by even higher-ranking stewards."
Sheng Lengshuang understood, "This way, not only does it prevent one steward from becoming too powerful and causing trouble, but it also minimizes the chances of being discovered. I must say, this person is very clever."
A Mei smiled, "Whether the master is clever or good or bad, I don't care. All I care about is my appearance."
Sheng Lengshuang shrugged, saying nothing. Everyone had different preferences, and she wouldn't offer any opinions.
A Mei continued, the master's original main task was to target some noble ladies, to eliminate this person or that person. But at some point, it shifted to targeting Sheng Lengshuang, instigating conflict between several countries, and focusing on Prince Mingrui.
Sheng Lengshuang tapped the armrest of her chair with her fingers, "Can you recall roughly when it changed?"
A Mei replied, "I've forgotten. Why would I remember these things? If you ask me to remember about beauty, I will remember very clearly."
Sheng Lengshuang wasn't annoyed. She thought for a moment, "Continue, I'll write the prescription."
As A Mei spoke, she watched Sheng Lengshuang write the prescription and asked her to give her the pills.
After Sheng Lengshuang finished listening, she gave all the prescriptions and pills to A Mei, "Looking at you, you're not planning to serve your master anymore."
A Mei carefully put away the prescription and pills, "Given the master's nature, he definitely won't let me go after all I've done. For the sake of my life, how could I still work for him?"
Sheng Lengshuang asked, "One last question, do you know where Zhou Wenxing and Tao Li are?"
A Mei replied, "I really don't know about this. After Zhou Wenxing was taken away last time, he hasn't reappeared. Given the master's nature, he would temporarily hide Zhou Wenxing and Tao Li, and let these two cause trouble again when the time is right."
Just as Sheng Lengshuang was about to say it was fine, she remembered something, "Last time you said you wanted to turn me into a puppet. Was Old Ghost the puppet you made?"
A Mei spread her hands, "I don't make puppets. All puppet matters are handled by Old Ghost. When I said I wanted to turn you into a puppet, it was also entrusted to him."
Before Sheng Lengshuang could ask who Old Ghost was, she began talking about him.
A Mei didn't actually know who Old Ghost was, only that he was an old man who always wore a black cloak. This man's favorite pastime was researching puppets, like a madman. Everyone disliked interacting with him, but the master liked him very much.
It was said that Old Ghost had been with the master for many years. He had researched puppets for many years and only recently succeeded. Old Master Tao and others were among his successful creations. He cherished Old Master Tao and the others dearly.
"It is said that Old Ghost was the one who poisoned Old Master Tao and the others. He used many people to research puppets and failed, finally setting his sights on Old Master Tao and the others."
Sheng Lengshuang understood after a moment of thought how the case of Old Master Tao and the others had happened. At that time, Old Master Tao and the others had little remaining value. The mastermind sent them to Old Ghost and then used their poisoning to frame her.
Whether she could be framed was secondary. The most important thing was to allow Old Ghost to successfully research puppets.
With puppets as a powerful weapon, it would be much easier for the mastermind to accomplish many things. More importantly, their life-saving trump card would be greatly increased.
Therefore, the mastermind did not let go of the case of Old Master Tao and the others.
After sending A Mei away, Sheng Lengshuang sat in her chair, pondering the entire matter. From A Mei's words, it seemed that the mastermind had a great enmity towards her.
There were only a few people who held a grudge against her, but those individuals did not possess such great capabilities.
Sheng Lengshuang thought through all the people who had grievances with her again, but still couldn't figure out who the mastermind was. It was truly strange. Among those who had grievances with her, who had such great power to do these things?
Unable to figure this out, she decided to go to Mo Lingxi tomorrow to discuss it. Perhaps Mo Lingxi would know something.
...
The next day.
Sheng Lengshuang arrived at Prince Mingrui's mansion but saw Sima Min at the main entrance. She raised an eyebrow in surprise, "Miss Sima, are you here to see Prince Mingrui?"
Sima Min was surprised to see Sheng Lengshuang there. She curtsied and said, "Greetings, Miss Sheng. I am here to see His Highness Prince Mingrui, but it seems His Highness is occupied."
Could it be that Sheng Lengshuang knew she was here and had rushed over specifically?