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

Despite it being broad daylight, everything within sight became noticeably darker after entering the park.

A chilly wind blew against you; even a ghost would shiver, let alone a human.

It's hard to imagine that such a sinister place could exist in the important Eastern Palace.

Xia Ximo looked around, and just as she was about to continue walking forward, someone suddenly shouted from behind, "Stop!"

She glanced back and saw the head eunuch of the Eastern Palace who had led the way earlier hurrying towards her.

"Why aren't you waiting for the young marquis in front of the study? Why are you here?"

He added another rebuke.

To his surprise, Xia Ximo ignored him completely and continued walking forward.

Manager Wang was taken aback for a moment, glanced at the large characters above the garden gate, and still gritted his teeth and chased after them.

"You little rascal, you've gone way too far!"

Out of respect for Ren Fengjue, he didn't call his guards to arrest the person.

Unexpectedly, the other party showed no respect whatsoever.

Steward Wang caught up with them, blocking their path, and showed a slight annoyance.

However, he met a pair of deep, cold eyes.

In that instant, it was as if he suddenly understood something.

He surmised that the person before him was probably not just a personal servant.

Is it...

"Has anyone died in the Crown Prince's Palace recently?"

While I was pondering, the other person suddenly spoke.

Upon hearing that cold voice, Steward Wang was taken aback again.

It turned out to be a woman?

And what was she asking?

"you…"

Manager Wang realized what was happening and a chill ran down his spine. "Who exactly are you?"

Xia Ximo only replied with three words: "It's not important."

The secret hidden in this garden is even more important.

As she stared at him with those deep, cold eyes, like an ancient well, Steward Wang grew increasingly uneasy.

He knew that the infamous "Living Yama" wouldn't come knocking on his door, and the person accompanying him was definitely no ordinary person.

However, the Ministry of Justice had no female officials…

Could it be the Shadow Division?

"The Crown Prince's Palace has its own system. Even if someone dies, the Crown Prince's Palace will handle it on its own. I'm afraid the Three Judicial Offices will not be allowed to interfere."

His reply was meant to warn the other party not to meddle in other people's business.

But the woman in front of him was completely unmoved by reason.

"You can't handle this."

"..."

What a boastful tone.

Even Steward Wang couldn't help but admire her; she was so young, yet she possessed a kind of charisma that transcended everything.

Even if it can't be resolved...

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted: "If you can't handle it, you'll just let it go, right?"

Manager Wang was speechless again.

He had no rebuttal, so he could only say, "It's not that I don't want you to get involved, but to be honest, it's because this garden... is haunted!"

As soon as the words "haunted" were uttered, the eerie wind swirling above the garden seemed to grow ears, sweeping past the two of them in an extremely strange manner.

Xia Ximo remained calm and composed: "You don't need to tell me."

Seeing that she showed no fear, Steward Wang was even more astonished. "You...aren't you afraid of ghosts?"

Xia Ximo scoffed, "If you're scared, then hurry up and leave."

"..."

Because of her meddling, Steward Wang almost forgot his original purpose.

But this woman was incredibly bold; even though she sensed something was wrong, she still insisted on going deeper into the garden.

Knowing that she was Ren Fengjue's person, even though Steward Wang was afraid, he had to grit his teeth and follow her.

"Young lady, the ghost stories in this garden are no joke..."

"Even if you insist on going, could you please allow me to explain the whole story in detail first?"

Upon hearing this, Xia Ximo stopped in her tracks.

Manager Wang felt somewhat relieved, but still sighed.

"The haunting of this garden dates back to a year ago..."

Qianqiu Garden was originally the back garden of the Eastern Palace and has always been known as the "Little Imperial Garden".

I remember when the Crown Prince and Crown Princess were newlyweds, they would often stroll hand in hand in the garden at dusk.

It was springtime, and the garden was lush with greenery and vibrant red blossoms.

On the misty lake, a warm breeze blew gently, and the setting sun cast golden light.

Seeing the perfect couple get married, Steward Wang, who had served them closely for over a decade, was genuinely happy.

However, not long after, without any warning, the crown prince suddenly fell ill.

Manager Wang remembered that day was the same as usual.

After being bestowed the title, the Crown Prince would go to the Cabinet during the day to assist the Grand Secretaries in handling government affairs, and at night he would review the edicts that the Emperor had reviewed until late at night.

Usually, around 9 PM, he would enter Yongqingzhai to remind the Crown Prince to go to bed.

But that day, the crown prince was very focused.

After 9 PM, I watched for almost half an hour more.

Chief Steward Wang was worried that the Crown Prince was overworking himself and was about to remind him again when a gust of wind blew by and the lights in Yongqingzhai went out.

He and the eunuch at the door rushed in to check the situation, only to find the crown prince slumped over the table, unconscious.

At this time, Chief Steward Wang was unaware of the seriousness of the situation. He summoned the royal physician and the Crown Princess, but after working all night, they were unable to help.

Left with no other choice, they reported to the palace and requested the Imperial Medical Bureau to come.

However, the crown prince not only fell ill suddenly, but also in a strange way. He slept for four days and four nights, but suddenly woke up when everyone was helpless.

Little did they know, the nightmare of the Crown Prince's palace was about to quietly descend upon them.

Upon waking, the crown prince appeared to be acting normally, but in reality, his personality had undergone a drastic change.

He no longer strolled in the garden with the Crown Princess, and rarely went to Chenghua Palace anymore.

Their relationship is not what it used to be.

As a former employee of the Prince Duan's residence, Steward Wang could certainly see that the Crown Prince was becoming increasingly distant and indifferent towards the Crown Princess.

But he had no idea what had happened between the two of them…

One night, a scream came from inside the Weiyang Palace.

When Steward Wang arrived, he saw blood everywhere...

A palace maid, disheveled, collapsed to the ground, her chest riddled with holes, blood gushing out continuously.

The Crown Princess, holding a bloodstained dagger, sat blankly to the side, completely lost and bewildered.

The deceased palace maid was actually her personal maid, named Linglong.

"Was Linglong killed by the Crown Princess?"

Hearing this, Xia Ximo couldn't help but ask a question.

Steward Wang neither shook his head nor nodded, but said, "Seeing such a scene, even if no one says anything, everyone would think it was the Crown Princess's doing."

The murder weapon and the motive for the killing are both obvious.

They would only think that this palace maid named Linglong dared to climb into the Crown Prince's bed at night, and that the Crown Princess, in her anger, accidentally killed her...

Xia Ximo frowned: "Didn't the Crown Prince and Crown Princess say anything?"

Steward Wang sighed again: "The Crown Princess was so frightened that she couldn't speak."

"As for the Crown Prince..."

Faced with such a horrifying and brutal scene, the crown prince at the time did not even flinch.

In front of everyone, he looked at the Crown Princess and casually ordered, "Two people, bury the body in Qianqiu Garden, and do not make a sound."

Hearing this, Xia Ximo looked around and asked, "So, after that palace maid died, you buried her without asking why?"

Steward Wang looked ashamed: "I know this is against the rules, but the Crown Prince has spoken, and it also involves the Crown Princess's reputation, so we can only suppress the matter in this way for now."