oming at eight this morning Why are you so late" he asked casually, turning his body slightly and brushing at his sleeve.Li Qin's hand brushed against his collar, "I went to see an old friend, it's no...As the door to the flower hall creaked open, Huo Mingzheng stepped out with steady strides, Cao Fang trailing behind him.

It's already madrugada, everyone else has been sent back to rest, leaving only the gardener being interrogated until now.

Outside, the sky was getting darker and it looked like snow would fall in a few days. Cao Fang hurriedly put his coat on Huo Zong and whispered, "Mr. Huo, should we continue the interrogation"

Ho Mingzheng lightly tapped his left hand on his right shoulder, letting out an "um" with a voice as cold as ice. "Although Huo Jingshu can be willful and demanding, she has never been too harsh on them. He had no reason to push her for no reason."

"After asking for so long, we still can't get him to talk. What if the old man says we were forced into a confession..."

Cao Fang's concerns are not unfounded.

Although the old master and the fourth wife had no objections to how Huo Mingzheng handled Fu Yan's case, after all, having someone kneel in the ancestral hall for eight hours was already a complete punishment according to family rules. No one dared to say a word.

While there may be some distance between them, Huo Jing is still his cousin. Compared to Fu Yan who just appeared out of nowhere and claimed to be a cousin, Huo Jing is naturally the closest.

In their view, Huo Mingzheng should have stood up for Huo Jingshu.

They insisted that Fu Yan pushed Huo Jing shu, and this became the so-called truth. No one would continue to investigate further. But Huo Mingzheng wanted to get to the bottom of it.

He said he favored Fu Yan, yet he punished her by making her kneel in the ancestral hall, showing not the slightest bit of protection.

Huo Mingzheng crossed the threshold, taking the hot towel from the servant's hand before Cao Fang. "They know my temper, today even if it wasn't Fu Yan, I have to get to the bottom of this. Under my nose, they dare to act like this, let me see how capable they are."

Cao Fang's heart skipped a beat.

This "he" doesn't know if he is talking about the gardener or someone else.

Ho Mingzheng stepped onto the stairs, and Cao Fang walked forward and opened the master bedroom door.

After taking over as the head of the family, he moved his room to the second floor of the main building. It was well-ventilated with both north and south exposures, and there was a secret door connecting to the study, which made it convenient for work. Few people in the Huo family knew about this door.

But even though he spends over thirty days at home throughout the year, except for the fifteenth of every lunar month when he has to come back, and holidays are deducted, there are only a few days left for Chinese New Year.

Huo Mingzheng has a mild case of OCD, though he can't stand dust. Therefore, the maid cleans every day to keep everything spotless so that whenever he returns home, he can live comfortably.

Huo Mingzheng stood by the window, burning a cigarette. Cao Fang just wanted to remind him that he had smoked too much today, but the words stopped at his lips.

The old man wakes up around 5:30. Make sure you question him thoroughly beforehand and keep a close eye on him so nothing goes wrong.

Cao Fang nodded, "Yes."

He thought for a moment, then asked in confusion: "Do you suspect someone is behind this"

Smoke curled from the corner of Huo Mingzheng's mouth. He brushed away the ash, scattering stray embers that fell into the shadows.

He said coldly, "For an ordinary person, his psychological qualities are too good. Unless he has undergone professional training, it means someone has given him a head start and he has rehearsed countless times in his mind. If I hadn't pressed him repeatedly to break through his psychological defenses, and added the girl's testimony, he wouldn't have admitted it."

Cao Fang nodded.

He has already investigated, and it is indeed very ordinary gardener. He has no background and lives a simple life. He has been working at the Hougong Garden for almost six years, always diligently and without any problems.

"But I don't quite understand," Cao Fang continued, "if someone really instructed him to do this, how did the other party figure out that Miss Wu was pregnant"

Unless one has the ability of clairvoyance, this assumption simply cannot hold true.

A glimmer flashed in Huo Mingzheng's eyes. "It's not necessarily about knowing that Jing Shuhui is pregnant, it's just about seizing the opportunity to create conflict. Fu Yan and her daughter have long been a thorn in the side of the Huo family. Perhaps this is an opportunity to provoke a conflict between Fu Yan and the Huo family. As for the true purpose, let Cao Yuan investigate thoroughly."

"And also warn the Du family in Yanjing."step to the left, slowly wiped his hand, and threw the tissue into the trash can on the left.Everything was logical and flawless, leaving Fu Yan unable to tell if it was intentional or not.She stood s...