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

Prince Wu's Mansion, Ning'an Courtyard.

An old nanny hurried into the room and began to report on the events at Bai Ri Manor to Princess Yang, the wife of Prince Wu.

The gauze curtains swayed as Madam Yang leaned against the couch, listening intently with her eyes closed. Only when she heard about the frightened horse did she open her eyes and ask a question.

"Is the princess alright?"

The old woman replied, "No, apart from being a little frightened, she is completely unharmed."

Madam Yang's expression softened slightly, but she asked, "Who was the woman who competed against the princess?"

"She is the daughter of the late General Xia."

Madam Yang nodded slightly, already understanding.

"understood."

The old woman looked up and examined the princess's expression, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "This Miss Xia... is also quite strange..."

Tell me about it.

"The princess arranged for her to stay at Zhenxia Courtyard..."

Madam Yang smiled, knowing in her heart that her daughter's actions were definitely related to the young master of the Ren family.

She didn't respond, so the old woman continued, "After Miss Xia stayed one night, she actually asked about the Du family's affairs ten years ago..."

Upon hearing this, Yang's smile slowly froze. "Oh? What does she know?"

The old woman shook her head. "From what I can see, she doesn't know much, yet she says... she wants to investigate this matter thoroughly."

"Let her investigate."

Yang spoke softly, and as she spoke, she picked up the ginseng tea on the table and took a small sip.

The old woman said, "Your Highness, don't forget, the young Marquis of the Ren family is also traveling with her."

"This person... is currently serving as Vice Minister in the Ministry of Justice. He has recently solved many cases, most of which are old cases."

Madam Yang chuckled, her eyes fixed on one spot, and said slowly, "Don't worry, once he becomes the princess's husband, everything will be fine..."

-

In order to save Princess Fenghua's little red horse, the group stayed at the suburban manor until evening before heading to the palace.

During the journey, Xia Ximo had already learned a general understanding of the situation from Steward Sun.

Yan Zhengchu, who was listening in, suddenly realized what was going on.

"No wonder the Prince has had no heir for so many years. It turns out... something strange happened in his residence?"

He then asked, "Since there have been rumors of ghosts in the manor, has Your Highness ever considered having a sorcerer come and take a look?"

Steward Sun hesitated for a moment, then said, "To put it bluntly, please don't take offense, Daoist, if the Prince were still alive, you might not even have had the chance to enter the Prince's mansion."

Yan Zhengchu wasn't annoyed, but simply asked, "From what you're saying, does Your Highness have some kind of grudge against the Taoist priest?"

Steward Sun replied truthfully, "It's not really a holiday, it's just that most of those outside don't have any real skills and are just trying to swindle money from us."

"..."

Master Yan was secretly displeased and was about to explain himself when Ren Fengjue spoke up, "This is a Taoist priest from Yunhe Mountain, far superior to those wandering sorcerers."

Steward Sun still trusted him, so he nodded and offered a compliment.

"I've heard of Yunhe Mountain before, but it's a pity it's too far away."

Yan Zhengchu felt relieved and stopped worrying about it.

"To be honest, when I first arrived at the Prince's residence yesterday, I noticed that the place was filled with a strong yin energy, which is why I asked you if anything strange had happened here."

Steward Sun sighed: "I do remember the Taoist priest asking about it, but so many years have passed, it's really... impossible to investigate."

"Besides, the prince has already passed away..."

The implication is clear: they never intended to get involved in this matter.

Xia Ximo, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up: "The matter is not over until the wronged souls of the dead have been able to be reborn and avenge their grievances."

Upon hearing her words, Steward Sun was at a loss for words and could only sigh helplessly once again.

He cupped his hands in greeting and said, "The princess instructed this old servant to assist the young lady in investigating the case. If there is anything you need, please just give the order."

Xia Ximo nodded and gave a nonchalant reply.

Upon arriving at the Prince's residence, the group disembarked from the carriage, when a nanny suddenly approached and spoke to the princess.

Zhao Wan nodded after hearing this and walked over to Ren Fengjue.

"When my mother learned that you were coming, she said she hoped you could stay here for a few days, and that she would like to personally host you when she felt better."

Upon hearing this, Ren Fengjue immediately replied, "How dare we juniors disturb the Princess?"

Zhao Wan replied, "My mother likes you very much. Besides, she was always on good terms with the Lady of the Marquis when she was in the capital. Now that you're in Liangzhou, she has to see you no matter what."

Ren Fengjue couldn't really refuse, so he asked, "I heard from my mother that the Princess Consort has been ill for a long time and has seen many famous doctors, but her condition hasn't improved. Do you know what illness she has?"

Zhao Wan frowned slightly, but said, "If you count it up, Mother has been ill for ten years..."

Another ten years have passed.

Ren Fengjue immediately grasped this timeline and asked, "Was it before or after Aunt Du disappeared?"

Zhao Wan said with certainty, "It was before. At that time, Aunt Du was not pregnant yet. My mother suddenly fell ill. There were no warning signs before that."

She remembered that she had just returned from the capital, but she always felt that the atmosphere in the Prince's mansion was not right, and she could not sleep well at night.

At that time, because I was young, I was still living in my mother's Ning'an Courtyard.

One night I was awakened by a commotion and heard noise coming from my mother's bedroom.

When she arrived, her mother was lying on the ground, convulsing all over her body, which terrified the maids.

It was only when the head maid came that they worked together to carry Mother back to bed.

Since then, her lower limbs have been partially paralyzed, and she can no longer move her legs freely...

Ren Fengjue sensed something amiss and quickly asked, "Haven't you been able to find the cause of the illness?"

Zhao Wan shook her head: "We can't find out."

She added, "My mother's strange illness came on suddenly. Since then, her lower limbs have been paralyzed and she can't go anywhere. Doctors can only prescribe some blood-activating medicines, which only treat the symptoms and not the root cause."

Ren Fengjue pondered for a moment, then asked, "What is the Princess's attitude towards the rumors of ghosts in the manor?"

"My mother doesn't care about these things," Zhao Wan said. "She's a patient who rarely leaves the house; even if she hears some rumors, she can't do anything about it."

Ren Fengjue understood and could only politely reply, "Then I will visit her again when the Princess is feeling better."

After everyone returned to the manor, Steward Sun served them dinner, but Zhao Wan went to Ning'an Courtyard alone to dine with the Princess.

This is a habit she has maintained for many years.

After dinner, she took the initiative to tell her mother about what had happened in the manor during the day, including how she had startled the horse during her competition with Xia Ximo, and the dangerous situation at the "cliff". She recounted everything in detail.

She said, "Although Xia Ximo is cold and doesn't give me any face, he is indeed quite capable."

"I just don't understand why she insists on investigating Aunt Du's case."

"Moreover, she even scared me by saying that she had seen Aunt Du's ghost."

Upon hearing this, Yang's lips twitched slightly, but she did not reply.

Zhao Wan hesitated, then asked again, "Mother, is the ghost story in the mansion... really true?"

Madam Yang said, "Silly child, do you believe everything people say? This Miss Xia insists on investigating our family's case. Is it really to clear her name? Don't be so easily fooled."

After hearing her mother's words, Zhao Wan immediately nodded and said, "Don't worry, Mother, I won't fall for her tricks."