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

The maid's words deepened Zhao Wan's suspicions.

But since the other party had taken the initiative to come to her, she had no reason to back down.

So he gave Xiao Xizi an instruction and then left.

Xiao Xizi had just dressed up as a ghost to scare people last night, and now that Princess Fenghua had sent her to deliver a message, her heart was pounding again.

She walked up to Xia Ximo with trepidation, hoping that he hadn't recognized her, and gave him a proper bow.

"Miss Xia, the princess said that you may travel with her in the same carriage."

After saying that, he looked up and cautiously glanced at the other person.

Xia Ximo's expression remained indifferent, and upon hearing this, he merely gave a curt "Mm" through his nose.

Xiao Xizi felt a surge of relief and dared not say anything more. She turned around and led the way.

Zhao Wan was sitting in the carriage, maintaining a haughty demeanor, when she heard the maid say that Xia Ximo had arrived, she immediately sat up straight.

After the carriage curtain was lifted, Xia Ximo walked straight in.

However, before Zhao Wan could speak, she sat down opposite her on her own.

Although the carriage was spacious, it was, after all, Princess Fenghua's exclusive vehicle, and Zhao Wan had never seen anyone so lacking in manners.

She frowned in displeasure, about to say something to criticize the other party, when Xia Ximo spoke first.

What happened in the courtyard where I live ten years ago?

The very first question, which got straight to the point, almost left Zhao Wan speechless.

She was stunned for a moment before asking, "Ten...ten years ago?"

Xia Ximo remained expressionless: "Yes."

Zhao Wan immediately thought of Aunt Du and almost blurted it out, but fortunately she quickly realized what she was thinking.

"What do you mean by asking this? And what does it have to do with you?"

Xia Ximo replied, "Last night, you and your maid came to my courtyard, trying to scare me by pretending to be a ghost."

"..."

Her face was calm, her eyes were indifferent, and her tone was completely unwavering.

Clearly, she wasn't affected by the incident.

That's why Zhao Wan felt a little guilty.

Seeing that she had been exposed, she raised her chin slightly instead. "So what if I am? It was just a joke. You're not going to tell Ren Fengjue on me, are you?"

Xia Ximo stared at her coldly, but took out a black lotus lantern from his waist and held it in his palm.

This strange behavior left Zhao Wan puzzled once again.

Unexpectedly, Xia Ximo asked, "Do you know her?"

Her eyes were lowered, and she seemed to be talking to the lamp in her hand.

A chill ran down Zhao Wan's spine for no apparent reason. The next second, a cold wind suddenly swept through the carriage, causing the table and chairs in front of her to tremble.

This feeling was exactly the same as last night in Zhenxia Courtyard, giving me the creeps.

"Who...who are you talking to?"

Zhao Wan was terrified and her face turned pale, but she insisted on saving face and tried her best to maintain the image of a princess.

Xia Ximo glanced at her again and told her without any hesitation, "Speak to the wronged spirits of the Prince's Mansion."

"...A wronged spirit?"

Zhao Wan's lips trembled, her face almost crumbling. "Are you...crazy?"

She suddenly shouted, "Someone! Stop the car!"

However, when the order was given, no one responded, and the car did not stop.

Zhao Wan sensed something was wrong, so she raised her voice and shouted several times, even trying to knock on the car window.

Despite making such a commotion, there was still no response from outside.

Xia Ximo remained calm and composed: "Don't shout, they can't hear you."

This made Zhao Wan finally realize that this sickly man surnamed Xia was definitely not simple!

"What exactly... do you want?"

She panicked and her arrogance gradually subsided.

Xia Ximo repeated, "I want to know, what exactly happened in the courtyard where I lived ten years ago?"

Seeing that she was so persistent, Zhao Wan knew that she had no choice but to speak up.

She leaned against the carriage wall, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Ten years ago, someone went missing in Zhenxia Courtyard..."

"That person... was my father's concubine. She was pregnant at the time, but suddenly disappeared just before she was about to give birth."

"Even now, no one knows the truth."

Zhao Wan glanced at Xia Ximo again, her eyes showing a hint of grievance: "I was young then, that's all I knew."

Xia Ximo paused for a moment before replying, "She didn't disappear; she was murdered."

"What?" Zhao Wan exclaimed in shock. "How...how did you know?"

Then she retorted, "No, Father sent so many people to search inside and outside the mansion, and even the entire Liangzhou city. If Aunt Du really died, there's no way they wouldn't have been able to find her body!"

Xia Ximo remained calm: "She told me herself."

"..."

Zhao Wan found it absurd, her voice trembling: "You mean, you can...see ghosts?"

"Yes."

Zhao Wan was initially stunned, then seemed increasingly frightened as she thought about it, and eventually couldn't help but burst into tears.

"You...you're scaring me!"

She cried out, shrinking her entire body into the corner of the carriage, no longer caring about her image as a graceful princess.

Xia Ximo glanced at her, knowing he wouldn't get anything out of her, so he simply put away the lotus lantern and said expressionlessly, "You didn't kill anyone, so what are you afraid of?"

At the same time, the carriage also stopped.

On the other side, Ren Fengjue and the others arrived at their destination first. After getting off the car, they waited for a while before seeing the princess's carriage.

Yu Lang was surprised that Xia Ximo was willing to ride in the same carriage as Zhao Wan, so he whispered, "Sir, are you sure Miss Xia is inside?"

Ren Fengjue didn't reply, but instead took the initiative to step forward.

After the carriage stopped, the maids lowered the footrests and lifted the curtain. However, it was Xia Ximo who stepped out.

When Ren Fengjue saw her, a gentle expression involuntarily appeared on his face. He then reached out and helped her out of the car.

The maids watching from the sidelines exchanged bewildered glances.

But after waiting for quite a while, Princess Fenghua still did not get out of the carriage.

Seeing this, the maids outside the carriage had no choice but to go inside to check on the situation.

After a long while, Zhao Wan finally got off the carriage with the help of her maids, but for some reason, she put on a veil to cover her face.

This was a rare occurrence for the princess, who always loved to show off.

Ren Fengjue could guess immediately that something must have happened in the car just now.

Seeing that Xia Ximo's expression was normal, he didn't ask any further questions.

Following the princess's instructions, Steward Sun invited everyone to the manor for a short rest.

Zhao Wan went directly to the inner room to change clothes and touch up her makeup. The maids were puzzled as to why the princess was crying and ruining her makeup in the carriage, but none of them dared to ask.

Knowing it was shameful, Zhao Wan didn't bring it up again. But after changing her clothes, she kept Xiao Xizi behind and asked her, "Do you think it's possible that Aunt Du wasn't just missing, but was murdered?"

This seemingly random remark made Xiao Xizi's hands tremble. She quickly asked, "Princess, where did you hear that?"

Zhao Wan said quietly, "If I told you it was Aunt Du who said it herself, would you believe me?"