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

In a side hall next to the Imperial Palace, before the palace servants could even set up the chessboard, Emperor Qingkang had already picked up a chess piece, eager to try his hand at it.

"Last time I narrowly won by one move, and I've been waiting for you to break the deadlock."

"Come on, you make the first move this time."

Ren Fengjue glanced at the chessboard, smiled slightly, and said, "Your Majesty, before making a move, I humbly request that Your Majesty see someone first."

Emperor Qingkang's expression faltered slightly; seeing him keeping him in suspense like this, he was somewhat displeased.

"I knew it! You've always been a composed person, why would you rush things over a game of chess? Turns out you had other plans!"

Since he was a minister he valued, he decided to give him a chance. "Tell me, who do you want me to see?"

Ren Fengjue paused for a moment, then uttered a startling name.

"Meng Zhiyuan, Minister of Works"

"What did you say?"

Emperor Qingkang thought he had misheard, and his hand holding the chess piece slowly lowered, a hint of anger on his face.

He demanded sharply, "Isn't Meng Zhiyuan already dead? What do you mean by that?"

Ren Fengjue simply lifted his robe and calmly knelt before the emperor.

"This matter may sound absurd, but I swear on my life that I would never dare to tell a single lie to deceive Your Majesty."

"good!"

If the person in front of him at this moment were not Ren Fengjue, he would probably have already been dragged away and punished.

But he knew Ren Fengjue's character too well, knowing that he was always meticulous in his actions and knew when to advance and retreat.

This is truly the first time something like today has happened.

Emperor Qingkang was very curious to know what his trusted minister was really up to.

"Then bring the person here so I can see him."

Ren Fengjue bowed again and said, "Your Majesty, I humbly request that you proceed to the Imperial Palace."

Emperor Qingkang choked again, then suddenly burst into laughter.

He stood up, flicked his sleeve, pointed at Ren Fengjue, and then walked directly toward the Imperial Palace without saying a word.

Two guards stood ramrod straight in front of the Imperial Palace.

Strangely, even when they saw the emperor approaching from afar, the two simply stared wide-eyed, seemingly oblivious to his presence.

Faced with this strange phenomenon, Emperor Qingkang frowned and remained silent. He stepped across the threshold into the hall, only to see a slender figure kneeling inside.

He paused slightly, and as he drew closer, he realized that the man was dressed as a servant, with writing brush, ink, paper, and inkstone laid out in front of him.

The servant was drawing on the paper, his pen moving very quickly.

Daqi's landscape gradually becomes clear under his pen...

Mountains, rivers, seas, states, and regions—all connected together to form a clear and concise map.

Emperor Qingkang understood instantly with just one glance.

He had seen this sketch once.

In the past, there was a section of land at the border between the north and the south with extremely unclear terrain, where several disaster relief funds were robbed.

What's infuriating is that despite the layers of investigation, only local officials were held accountable, and ultimately, the whereabouts of the grain funds could not be found.

And this wasn't the first time such an incident had occurred.

As the saying goes, "the emperor is far away and the sky is high," even when Emperor Qingkang sent imperial envoys to investigate secretly, they found nothing.

The emperor was furious and would fly into a rage whenever the matter was mentioned.

At this critical moment, Meng Zhiyuan, the Minister of Works, stepped forward and, under the guise of transporting grain, planned to secretly compile a new map.

To this end, he went incognito to conduct on-site investigations, which took him more than half a year. As expected, he was able to plan a better, faster and more reliable transportation route.

Unfortunately, Emperor Qingkang did not live to see the complete map before Meng Zhiyuan met with misfortune…

He set himself on fire in his study.

The body, along with the drawing, was burned to ashes.

At this moment, Emperor Qingkang looked at the person on the ground, feeling a sense of surprise and uncertainty.

He was certain that the other party was not Meng Zhiyuan.

"Who...are you?" he asked.

The person kneeling on the ground shuddered, but did not raise their head. Instead, they dipped their brush in ink, made strokes, and repeated the process several times at an even faster pace.

He knew that he didn't have much time left.

Emperor Qingkang, filled with suspicion and uncertainty, raised his voice again and asked, "Who exactly are you? Answer me!"

Overwhelmed by the emperor's majesty, the servant trembled even more violently.

But he kept writing until the very last stroke was made…

The pen fell to the ground with a soft thud, followed by a dull thud as the forehead hit the ground.

—Clear and easy to hear.

"Your subject... Meng Zhiyuan, pays his respects to Your Majesty..."

Emperor Qingkang paused.

That voice was clearly a woman's voice.

But the tone and manner of his speech were almost identical to those of Meng Zhiyuan, the Minister of Works.

Emperor Qingkang froze, his mind a jumble of emotions: "You...you weren't already..."

Meng Zhiyuan raised his head, his eyes clearly filled with tears.

"Your Majesty, I... have failed to share your burdens..."

—Your Majesty, I am willing to share your burdens.

This was the first thing Meng Zhiyuan, the Minister of Works, would say to the emperor whenever he was summoned.

In the past, Emperor Qingkang had heard it so many times that his ears were calloused.

I remember the last time he was summoned to the "Dongsheng Hall" to discuss matters. The old minister, who had stayed up for several nights, had a sallow complexion and bloodshot eyes.

He looked at his increasingly hunched back and couldn't help but say, "The matter of the map isn't urgent. You're getting old and sick; your health is the most important thing."

Meng Zhiyuan smiled and said, "As long as I can share Your Majesty's burdens, I have no complaints."

Thinking of these things, Emperor Qingkang's eyes suddenly swelled up.

"You really are... Minister Meng?"

The face in front of me is clearly very young.

Moreover, upon closer inspection of his eyebrows and eyes, one can see a resemblance to an old friend…

He was startled again: "What on earth is going on?"

Emperor Qingkang turned around and saw Ren Fengjue standing outside the palace, bowing to him from afar, and saying something that shocked him deeply.

"Your Majesty, Minister Meng is now only a wisp of soul, and he must use another person's body to see you."

Emperor Qingkang still found it absurd.

But Meng Zhiyuan, kneeling on the ground, respectfully presented the drawn map, his eyes blurred with tears.

"Your Majesty, this is the last thing I can do for you."

Although the ink on the paper was not yet dry, it was already a complete map.

Emperor Qingkang found it hard to believe, but he had no choice but to accept it.

Besides Meng Zhiyuan, who else could draw this picture?

His fingertips trembled slightly as he reached out and took the paper, nodding. He clearly had a thousand words to say, but only one sentence came to his lips.

"Minister Meng, you... have suffered so much."

Meng Zhiyuan finally showed a relieved smile and kowtowed heavily on the ground again.

"Your Majesty's wish has been fulfilled. May Your Majesty enjoy good health and longevity..."

Emperor Qingkang was deeply moved and was about to step forward to help him up.

Unexpectedly, after the other person finished speaking, their body suddenly went limp and they collapsed to the ground.

"Minister Meng...Minister Meng!"

Emperor Qingkang was terrified.

Seeing this, Ren Fengjue entered the hall and said to him, "Minister Meng's wish to remain in the mortal world has been fulfilled, and he has already left."

Emperor Qingkang looked at the blueprints in his hand, then at the people on the ground, and for a moment, he thought he was dreaming.

"This…"

Ren Fengjue went forward to check on Xia Ximo's condition. After calling her name twice without getting a response, he picked her up.

His heart sank, and he could only say to Emperor Qingkang beside him, "Your Majesty, please calm down. I will explain to Your Majesty later."