The Reborn Princess Has Turned Evil

Chapter 174 The Real and Fake Hairpins

The next day.

The news of the assassination attempt last night has spread like wildfire, but the palace servants are not alarmed, saying that the Imperial Guards have already captured the perpetrator.

Prince Qing's Mansion.

Seeing that it was already broad daylight, Zhang Zhiji led his men to Princess Qing's room.

"Your Highness, is the Princess Consort feeling any better?" Zhang Zhiji called from the doorway, his expression both cold and mocking.

He didn't say it explicitly, but he was subtly reminding Prince Qing not to overact.

Prince Qing was extremely agitated by the noise outside. He had barely slept all night, wondering who was trying to harm him. He had previously instructed Fang Ling to find a solution, but there had been no progress.

"Your Highness, it is already dawn."

Annoyed by the urging, Prince Qing went straight to open the door. Looking at Zhang Zhiji's face, he felt a surge of anger.

"Lord Zhang has no wife, so he naturally doesn't know how serious gynecological problems in women are and how much treatment is needed."

Prince Qing was reopening old wounds again, but Zhang Zhiji was no longer angry. He simply said, "Your Highness is right. I hope the Princess Consort recovers soon."

As the two locked eyes, an undercurrent of tension simmered.

Just then, Zhang Zhiji's attendant came to report that Prince Su had arrived.

“Prince Su?” Zhang Zhiji asked, somewhat puzzled, while Prince Qing was overjoyed.

"I am currently handling a case under imperial orders. Go and tell Prince Su that we will discuss this later."

Prince Qing's face fell, and he angrily rebuked, "Zhang Zhiji! How dare you refuse a high-ranking official of the late emperor!"

"Lord Zhang." The sudden voice startled both of them.

Zhang Zhiji's face was stiff, but when he turned around, he put on a smile. He spoke respectfully, but with a forced smile, "Greetings, Prince Su."

An elderly man dressed in casual clothes was walking towards them. He had brown skin and his face showed the marks of time. Although his hair was half white, he exuded an aura of authority.

"Father-in-law!" Prince Qing's voice was filled with excitement.

Prince Su nodded, looking as if he understood.

"Your Highness, I am currently investigating a case. Please forgive me."

Prince Su coughed lightly, "I have come for this very reason." He then took out a delicate little wooden box from his sleeve.

"This is..." Everyone was puzzled.

“My dear son-in-law, you may not know this, but when your residence caught fire, Ting’er felt that this item was a gift from the late Emperor and was far too precious. Fearing that it might be lost, she specially entrusted it to my residence.”

After saying this, Prince Su opened the box, and there lay a golden hairpin inside, exactly the same as the seven-colored jeweled hairpin that Zhang Zhiji had brought.

"I see." Prince Qing slapped his forehead, looking annoyed. "Since my beloved concubine became pregnant, she has often forgotten things. Sometimes she can't even find her son-in-law's belt. I suppose that's true."

These words were deliberately said to Zhang Zhiji, but he wasn't stupid. He simply said, "Finding the gold hairpin can naturally prove the innocence of the Prince Qing's mansion, but please allow me to examine it again."

"You..." Prince Qing was instantly enraged, "The golden hairpin is right here. Do you not trust me, or do you not trust Prince Su?!"

"This humble official dares not, but I am acting on imperial orders and must be strict and impartial. If Your Highness is truly innocent, what is there to fear?"

"You..." Prince Qing was so angry that his beard fell to one side, and he couldn't speak.

It was Prince Su who spoke first. His voice was not loud, but it was deep and powerful, like an invisible mountain approaching from afar.

"Master Zhang?"

"Lord Zhang, you may not know this, but the palace has already caught the real culprit who murdered Consort Yu. The murderer is currently being held in the prison of your Ministry of Justice." Prince Su's words seemed to be a statement of fact, but in reality, they were a warning.

Prince Qing was imprisoned in his mansion and naturally knew nothing, but Zhang Zhiji certainly did. Upon hearing this, Prince Qing became furious, "You, Zhang Zhiji, now that the murderer has been brought to justice, what are you still pretending for here?"

Zhang Zhiji didn't tolerate him and said directly, "This humble official is acting on His Majesty's orders. His Majesty has not yet issued a decree, and everything is still undecided. This humble official can only follow orders."

It looked like the two were about to start arguing.

“Alright, since Lord Zhang says he wants to test it, then let’s test it. But I wonder how Lord Zhang will distinguish between them?” Prince Su said.

Zhang Zhiji smiled lightly, "I have my own way." After saying that, he said to his confidant, "Go and fetch that hairpin."

"Yes."

Only after someone went to fetch the hairpin did everyone sit down.

A short while later, the blood-stained hairpin was brought back.

"Sir, the things have been brought."

"it is good."

Zhang Zhiji placed the bloodstained hairpin next to the one sent by Prince Su for comparison. He first examined it carefully with his naked eye, and then picked up the gold hairpin to examine it.

"How is it, Lord Zhang?" Prince Su asked.

He looked confident and assured.

Zhang Zhiji narrowed his eyes and his face turned cold. His previous composure had vanished, leaving only seriousness. How come the two golden hairpins with peacocks facing the same direction, and even other details are almost identical?

Seeing this, Prince Su revealed a barely perceptible smile. He stroked his beard and said, "The gold hairpin I brought is the one bestowed by the late emperor. As for the one that Lord Zhang has, I'm afraid that scoundrel had someone make a fake of it and deliberately framed him."

“Your Highness, you are mistaken.” Zhang Zhiji turned around. “Although these two hairpins look the same, the forging techniques are somewhat different. And Your Highness, don’t you think the one you sent over is too new?”

"How can a gold artifact that is more than ten years old look brand new?"

Prince Su's lips froze. Prince Qing, who was standing to the side, guessed what was going on and interrupted, "This hairpin was a gift from my father. I naturally cherish it like a treasure. I wipe it often and take good care of it. It looks brand new. What's so strange about that?"

"Even if what Your Highness said is true, and as I just mentioned, the craftsmanship of these hairpins is different."

Prince Qing snorted impatiently, "What do you, a mere member of the Ministry of Justice, know about casting techniques!"

“That will disappoint Your Highness.” Zhang Zhiji turned around and said to Prince Qing, “My father-in-law, oh right, my late wife’s father, was the supervisor in charge of making the gold hairpins in the past.”

"In other words, as long as we invite him here, the prince's innocence can be proven."

Prince Qing was furious. He gritted his teeth and was about to say something when Prince Su stopped him, saying, "Since that's the case, go and invite someone."

Seeing Prince Su's calm and composed demeanor, Prince Qing also felt a little relieved. After all, the old man before him was once invincible and unstoppable.

But he didn't know that even with such glory, an old horse can still stumble.

"Alright, someone go and invite Lord Kang," Zhang Zhiji ordered.