Holding a lantern, guiding souls across, Lady Hou comes from the underworld.

As they spoke, the master and servant had already reached the front of the main house.

The door was open, but it remained silent inside.

Although Zhao Wan had always been fearless, she still felt a little uneasy when she actually reached this point.

Needless to say, Xiao Xizi, standing to the side, felt her hair stand on end and her heart was practically leaping into her throat.

Seeing that the princess was about to step in with one foot, she couldn't help but grab her.

"Princess, have you forgotten... who used to live in this house?"

Upon hearing this, Zhao Wan paused in her tracks.

Xiao Xizi said in a trembling voice, "She was the prince's most beloved concubine, surnamed Du."

Zhao Wan certainly remembered.

Although ten years have passed since then, the memory remains vivid for the young princess.

That year, she was seven years old. Her mother, Princess Wu, fell ill with a strange disease and could no longer manage the affairs of the inner quarters.

As for Consort Du, the most favored among King Wu's many concubines, she became pregnant that year.

Thus, Zhenxia Courtyard became the center of attention, surrounded by admirers.

Young Zhao Wan was often taken by her father to visit Aunt Du, and he would ask her to talk to the "little brother" in her belly.

Everyone in the inner palace knew that King Wu had always wanted a son, preferably one who was strong and powerful, and who could one day be as powerful as him on the battlefield.

Therefore, they all assumed that Aunt Du was carrying a son.

After ten months of pregnancy, the day of delivery soon arrived.

But Aunt Du disappeared one stormy night.

When King Wu learned of this, he sent people to search inside and outside the city for a long time, almost turning the entire Liangzhou city upside down, but they could not find a trace of him.

Where could a living person, especially a pregnant woman about to give birth, possibly go?

This remains an unsolved mystery for the Prince's Mansion to this day.

From then on, the Wu Prince's Mansion seemed to be trapped in a curse.

Any concubine who became pregnant would die inexplicably before giving birth, and the cause of death would be mysterious.

Rumors began circulating in the Prince's mansion that the missing Consort Du must have become a vengeful ghost, haunting the mansion. Because she herself couldn't bear a son for the Prince, she wouldn't allow anyone else to have one…

Later, until King Wu passed away, none of his many concubines were able to give him another son.

Even more terrifying, those who later stayed at Zhenxiayuan claimed that it was haunted, and that they would hear strange noises and see eerie shadows at night.

After that, the courtyard remained empty, and the servants who occasionally went in to clean did not dare to linger...

Thinking about this, Zhao Wan felt a chill, but having come this far, she felt that saving face was more important.

"No one knows the truth about Aunt Du's disappearance back then. The whole 'vengeful ghost' thing is just a fabrication by the household; I, the princess, don't believe it!"

With that, she steeled herself and rushed into the room.

Xiao Xizi had no choice but to hesitate for a moment before following them inside.

As soon as Zhao Wan entered, she called out, "Miss Xia? Are you there?"

After calling out several times, there was no response from inside. The only faint sound that could be heard was the dripping of water coming from behind the screen.

"Xiao Xizi, go and light the lamp."

Upon hearing the order, Xiao Xizi panicked even more, but she could not disobey the princess's command, so she had no choice but to walk to the desk.

But strangely enough, the tinderbox wouldn't light no matter how hard I tried.

She tried several times, getting anxious and pacing around, but out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a dark shadow on the screen.

Startled, she quickly threw the tinder away and covered her eyes.

"Princess, something's definitely up!"

Zhao Wan looked in the direction she was pointing, but rolled her eyes: "Where's the ghost? That's clearly a piece of clothing!"

She patted the maid on the head and walked directly into the screen. She saw that the bathtub was still steaming, but the maid was nowhere to be seen.

Remembering what Xiao Xizi had said, Xia Ximo was very likely to have fainted from fright.

If that's the case, I'm afraid she'll drown in it...

Zhao Wan was so anxious that she didn't care about anything else and rushed to the bathtub. Since she couldn't see clearly, she could only scoop things out with her hands.

With this scoop, I vaguely found a handful of hair...

Her expression changed, and she slowly pulled on her hair, until a head floated on the surface of the water.

"what!"

With a scream from Princess Fenghua, the two women, mistress and servant, quickly fled the main house.

However, just as he reached the courtyard gate, he saw a figure standing outside, which turned out to be Ren Fengjue.

Zhao Wan was still in shock, and when she saw Young Master Ren, she panicked even more.

With a stiff face, she walked to the door and deliberately asked, "What are you doing here so late?"

Ren Fengjue immediately noticed the panic in her eyes.

Based on his understanding of Princess Fenghua, he guessed that she must have done something naughty to prank someone, and that she had failed...

Looking at the maid's attire, he understood immediately.

He retorted, "Shouldn't I be asking the princess that?"

Zhao Wan slightly raised her chin: "Of course I've come to see Miss Xia."

Ren Fengjue said, "What a coincidence, me too."

"..."

Seeing that he came to see Xia Ximo so late, Zhao Wan guessed that he must be worried about her.

There aren't many people that Ren Fengjue cares about so much; at least, Zhao Wan has never met one.

Thinking of this, the princess's already unpleasant expression turned even more unpleasant.

She deliberately said, "I just went to check, and Miss Xia is taking a bath. It might not be appropriate for the young marquis to come at this time, would it?"

Ren Fengjue glanced at the main house and frowned when he saw that it was pitch black inside.

"Is Your Highness certain that Miss Xia is taking a bath?"

Although Zhao Wan felt guilty, her tone was extremely certain: "Yes, I also heard the sound of water inside."

When Ren Fengjue saw her evasive eyes, he knew she must be lying.

Without saying anything, he walked straight inside.

Zhao Wan couldn't help but curse, "Ren Fengjue, you lecherous scoundrel! I already told you the girl was taking a bath, and you still dared to barge in!"

Ren Fengjue completely ignored what she said, but paused for a moment when he reached the door.

Just as he was about to call for help, a figure slowly walked to the door.

He looked up and saw Xia Ximo.

She did indeed look like she had just taken a bath, with her long, black hair cascading down her sides, and she had changed into clean clothes that faintly exuded a cool fragrance.

Ren Fengjue involuntarily took two steps back.

On the contrary, Zhao Wan, who was standing at the gate of the courtyard, looked as if she had seen a ghost. She opened her mouth but could not say a word.

A maidservant quickly pulled her away, saying, "Princess, let's leave quickly! There's something wrong with this courtyard."

After watching the two women leave, Ren Fengjue asked, "Nothing happened just now, right?"

Xia Ximo said calmly, "No."

Ren Fengjue felt a little relieved, but then handed her a few more plasters, saying, "These... change them every two hours for better results."

Xia Ximo took it from him and asked, "Is there anything else?"

Ren Fengjue quickly shook his head, "No, you should get some rest."

"Um."

He turned to leave, but then suddenly remembered something and turned back, saying, "The princess might target you. If she does anything behind your back to offend you, you must tell me."