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

The "Zuihualou" restaurant in Dongshi has always been bustling with customers.

As the premier restaurant in the capital, it has always been favored by high-ranking officials and nobles.

Ren Fengjue didn't like joining in the fun, but since it was his first time treating someone to a meal, he wanted to show some sincerity.

Upon entering the building, the innkeeper recognized him at a glance and hurriedly led them to a private room on the second floor, choosing the "Hibiscus Pavilion" with the best orientation.

After ordering, Xia Ximo stood by the window and looked out, and immediately spotted the bridge connecting the East Market and the West Market.

Because of the restaurant's elevated location, she noticed from her vantage point that the river beneath the bridge actually connected to the moat of the imperial city.

And the direction of Meng Zhiyuan's soul was facing was precisely the direction of the imperial palace.

"How was it? Did Miss Xia gain anything from her visit to the Meng residence?"

Ren Fengjue is savoring Zuihualou's unique "Pine Brew," a wine that is not strong and has a sweet taste, usually served as an aperitif.

Xia Ximo glanced back at him, but she didn't really want to answer.

However, there is one place that can only be entered by his help.

After all, we need their help.

"Only a wisp of a soul remains in the Meng residence."

As she answered, fearing he might not understand, she made an exception and added, "Ghosts also have three souls and seven spirits. The three souls consist of two scattered souls and one main soul."

"A scattered soul is without a master; it can be seen but not spoken. Only by finding the master soul can the truth be known."

Ren Fengjue didn't seem particularly surprised after hearing these words.

He even nodded, took another sip of wine, and then asked, "Does Miss Xia have a way to find his main soul?"

Xia Ximo didn't mince words and said directly, "I guess his main soul is most likely to go to the imperial palace."

Just as Ren Fengjue was about to speak, a soft murmur of conversation suddenly came from the corridor outside the pavilion.

There were two women.

One person said, "Huijun, have you heard? The young lady of the Zhuang Imperial Censor's family has suddenly become possessed by an evil spirit."

The woman called Huijun asked in surprise, "So sudden? I heard she made a fool of herself at Tianxiang Pavilion during the day?"

"She fainted in Tianxiang Pavilion, and after she came back, she was even more unwell. According to her wet nurse, she was vomiting and had diarrhea, and she was talking nonsense."

"Tsk tsk."

"After His Highness Prince Yu learned of this, he specially invited the imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Bureau to examine him. Unfortunately, even the imperial physicians were helpless, and that's when they discovered that he was possessed by an evil spirit."

Huijun sneered, "Serves her right, she's clearly getting her comeuppance. But I'm quite curious, who exactly is the woman who dared to compete with her for the Luozi Dai (a type of eyebrow pencil) at Tianxiang Pavilion during the day?"

"I'm not so sure about that. I heard they don't seem to be from the capital; they're probably from out of town..."

With a soft cough, the conversation stopped, and the footsteps faded into the distance.

Xia Ximo listened without changing his expression.

It was as if all of this had nothing to do with her.

Ren Fengjue, however, was sipping his wine while keeping an eye on her expression.

Ah Dong had already told him everything that had happened in Tianxiang Pavilion during the day.

He wasn't actually surprised when he heard it.

Xia Ximo wouldn't even put him in her eyes. With her audacity, she wouldn't fear Miss Zhuang, let alone the Emperor...

Ren Fengjue snapped out of his thoughts, took another sip of wine, and then asked, "Does Miss Xia mean to go to the palace to look for him?"

"good."

I was right.

Ren Fengjue couldn't help but chuckle. After putting down his wine cup, he said, "The palace isn't a place just anyone can go."

Xia Ximo retorted, "Even you can't do anything about it?"

His tone was skeptical.

Ren Fengjue choked for a moment, before he could answer.

Xia Ximo didn't even give him a chance to explain: "If that's the case, I'll find someone else."

"..."

Fortunately, the waiters started serving the dishes one after another, preventing the silence from becoming too long.

One after another, the dishes, each with its own unique color and aroma, were quickly placed on the table.

Ren Fengjue then realized that he had come to eat.

However, before he, the one who was hosting, could speak, Xia Ximo picked up his chopsticks and started picking up food.

He was still as unconventional as ever, and showed no courtesy to him whatsoever.

To this, Lord Ren simply smiled, then carefully said, "Actually, entering the palace isn't that difficult. It just so happens that Princess Ding'an's birthday banquet is the day after tomorrow, and she has already sent an invitation..."

"The day after tomorrow is fine."

Xia Ximo seemed to only intend to listen to the first half of his sentence, and did not forget to remind him: "There are still six days left until the day you promised me."

Ren Fengjue was speechless once again.

But then she thought, if everything was really as she said, and it could help her find Meng Zhiyuan's soul, then it seemed that solving the case wouldn't be far off.

Although these things sound absurd, they prove something...

For example, she can actually see ghosts.

For example, some of the experiences that happened to me were also true.

Of course, there is an even more important point that needs to be investigated gradually.

That is—what exactly was the purpose of Xia Ximo's actions?

-

Night falls in the inner courtyard of the Zhuang family estate.

The servants were extremely busy and overwhelmed.

The Imperial Censor Zhuang Hu had just returned from outside when he heard that his daughter was in trouble, so he rushed to the inner garden.

However, before they even reached the door, they heard Madam Zhang crying her heart out.

"My dear You'er, what's wrong with you?"

"Who is it that caused you to be like this?"

The farmer's heart sank, and he quickened his pace to enter the room, where a foul, pungent odor immediately assaulted his senses.

He instinctively covered his mouth and nose, and glanced over to see two maids kneeling by the bed with spittoons in their hands.

Meanwhile, his beloved daughter, whom he had always pampered, kept spitting black water into the bowl.

"Master, master, please think of something!"

Upon seeing her husband, Zhang cried even more bitterly.

The farmer was anxious too, but could only ask with a grim face, "Who went out with the young lady during the day?"

Madam Zhang sobbed, "Those two wretched maids have already been dragged out. They said they went to Tianxiang Pavilion with You'er to buy rouge, got into an argument, and You'er suddenly fainted!"

"His Highness Prince Yu has already consulted with the Imperial Medical Bureau, who administered acupuncture and medicine, but it has had no effect whatsoever."

Upon hearing this, the farmer's heart sank even further.

They finally managed to arrange their daughter's marriage to King Yu. If something really goes wrong, the marriage will be ruined!

Helpless, he flicked his sleeve and said, "I'll go find someone else to see him. I'll pay any price as long as they can cure my son!"

In the courtyard, Zhuang You's two personal maids had been beaten to the point of near death by the guards.

Meanwhile, in a pavilion not far away, King Yu Zhao Xing was also reprimanding people with a stern face.

"Useless trash! A dozen of you couldn't even protect one person! You're all good-for-nothings!"

Pei Yong, the commander of the Golden Feather Guard, knelt on the ground, his forehead covered in cold sweat. He could only explain, "At the time, I was indeed following Miss Zhuang's orders to arrest people downstairs, but who knew things would turn out so suddenly."

Zhao Xing snorted coldly, "Where is that person?"

Pei Yong couldn't answer, so he took a kick from the other party.

"Useless trash!"

Faced with the enraged King Yu, Pei Yong dared not say another word, only saying, "Please grant me some time, Your Highness. I will search the entire capital city to find him!"

Zhao Xing glared at him coldly, "Then I'll give you two days. If you can't find it, bring me your head."