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

A small, delicate sapphire-blue hairpin with kingfisher feather inlay. The material is not of superior quality, and the workmanship is not exquisite. There is nothing special about it.

She is completely unworthy of the noble status of the Crown Princess.

but…

A wisp of a vengeful spirit clings to the hairpin, its resentment reaching the heavens.

Xia Ximo gently stroked the hairpin, then gave Tang Yuelang a cold look: "You came to the garden just for this?"

Tang Yuelang felt even more frightened after being glanced at like that.

She even had a vague feeling that the other party already knew something...

"None of your business!"

Tang Yuelang's body was restrained and her voice trembled, but she stubbornly refused to give in.

So, Xia Ximo secretly tightened her grip on the hairpin.

"come out."

She parted her thin lips slightly and uttered two words.

Tang Yuelang was slightly stunned, and Steward Wang, who was standing to the side, was even more puzzled.

A moment later, a cold wind began to swirl through the woods, causing a withered magnolia tree not far away to sway precariously.

Manager Wang was terrified and took a few steps back.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of a shadow appearing in the mist.

His heart leaped into his throat again. He turned his head to look, and couldn't help but scream, collapsing to the ground.

"A ghost! This time it really is a ghost!"

"It's...it's Linglong's ghost!"

"Girl, she's come to claim your life again!"

Manager Wang, fearing that Xia Ximo wouldn't believe him, pointed at the shadow and shouted.

Xia Ximo, annoyed by the noise, glanced at him and said, "I saw it."

The garden is filled with a strong aura of malevolent energy, which can nourish ghosts.

If mortals stay in this place for a long time, they will also be affected and be able to see ghosts.

Seeing that she remained calm and showed no fear, Steward Wang wisely kept quiet.

Perhaps my guess is correct.

This woman is truly capable!

The ghostly figure in the mist approached this place without touching the ground, and wherever it went, a chilling aura permeated the air.

Tang Yuelang saw it too.

But there was no fear in her eyes; instead, they were filled with tears.

The ghostly figure drew closer and closer, until it floated right in front of the three of them.

The cold wind stopped at that moment.

Xia Ximo scrutinized the wisp of ghostly spirit: "Speak, who killed you?"

The ghostly figure, however, looked toward Tang Yuelang.

Seeing the master and servant looking at each other in silence, it was clear that there must be some hidden story behind what happened a year ago.

In the silence, Xia Ximo looked at Tang Yuelang again and asked her, "Are you still going to hide it?"

Although Chief Steward Wang was frightened, he also hoped that the Crown Princess would tell the truth.

He said in a trembling voice, "So much has happened in the past year, I know, it is Your Highness who has wronged you."

"But I think that your relationship of so many years would not have come to this point without a reason."

"There must be something going on, right?"

As he spoke, the forty-year-old servant couldn't help but shed tears.

Tang Yuelang was finally moved.

She glanced at Linglong's ghost, then at Steward Wang.

Finally, the gaze fell upon Xia Ximo.

"Linglong...I did kill her with my own hands."

Upon hearing this, Steward Wang, who had been full of anticipation, turned ashen-faced, his lips parted but he could not utter a word.

Tang Yuelang felt the restraining force on her body gradually disappear, her legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground.

She raised her mud-covered hand, her fingertips trembling slightly, and whispered, "But that wasn't my intention, it was..."

Xia Ximo looked down at her. "Who?"

Tang Yuelang shook her head, her face full of pain. "I...don't know."

"I don't know who 'she' is!"

These words left Steward Wang completely bewildered, and even Wuyou, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but prick up his ears in confusion.

Xia Ximo continued, "You don't know who the other person is, so why did you do this?"

Tang Yuelang seemed unable to bear the memory and suddenly covered her ears.

At this moment, the ghost Linglong, who was floating to the side, spoke softly.

"If Miss doesn't want to recall this, then I'll tell the story..."

Upon hearing this, everyone's gaze turned to the ghostly figure once again.

Linglong was Tang Yuelang's dowry maid. The two grew up together and, although they were mistress and servant, they were as close as sisters.

After more than a decade of living together day and night, and having called her "Miss" countless times, Linglong could never bring herself to change her way of addressing her.

Therefore, when Tang Yuelang first married into the Eastern Palace, she often addressed her as "Miss," which the female officials of Chenghua Palace heard and repeatedly reprimanded her for overstepping her bounds and being rude.

Upon learning of this, Tang Yuelang had no choice but to not punish Linglong. Instead, he granted her exclusive authority and allowed her to retain the title.

Unlike the Duke's mansion, the palace was governed by strict rules, but Linglong lived a relatively free life under Tang Yuelang's protection.

She had assumed that since His Highness the Crown Prince was so devoted to her young lady, their future life together would surely be harmonious and peaceful.

Until the Crown Prince suddenly fell ill, the Eastern Palace was thrown into chaos.

That was the first time Linglong had seen her young mistress so haggard.

Worried about the Crown Prince's safety, she served him day and night, and would wake up immediately if she managed to take a short nap.

Fortunately, after many days of exhaustion and heartbreak, the crown prince finally woke up.

Linglong thought it was just a false alarm, that the Crown Prince was safe and sound, and that everything would return to normal.

However, the crown prince changed.

It happened so suddenly.

In the past, he would come to Chenghua Palace every day after returning from the palace to have dinner with the Crown Princess.

After their meal, the two would stroll hand in hand in the garden to digest their food.

But after recovering from his illness, the crown prince seemed to have lost his memory.

Linglong always remembered that evening when Tang Yuelang instructed the kitchen to prepare a table full of dishes that the Crown Prince loved, and also brought out her own homemade wine.

She was still wearing her favorite peach-pink brocade spring dress, and stood at the entrance of Chenghua Palace waiting at the appointed time.

But as dusk fell, the prince was nowhere to be seen.

It was only then that Tang Yuelang realized something was wrong. Concerned for the safety of the Crown Prince, she rushed to Weiyang Palace, only to learn that he had not returned.

Tang Yuelang was restless and had no appetite, so she waited in the Weiyang Palace until late at night.

However, she heard a woman's charming voice coming from the outer hall.

For a moment, she almost thought she had misheard. With Linglong's help, she walked out of the inner hall and was immediately struck dumb.

Behind the screen, two figures were intertwined, inseparable.

Tang Yuelang walked over, trembling all over, only to meet a pair of sinister eyes.

She was terrified and collapsed to the ground.

Hearing the commotion, the Crown Prince did not stop. He merely glanced at her and said, "So the Crown Princess is here too."

He still held the beautiful woman in his arms, without feeling any guilt towards his wife for his actions.

On the contrary, he enjoyed it.

Tang Yuelang's heart was in turmoil, and she finally couldn't bear the sudden shock and ran out.

Linglong was also dumbfounded. She followed her young mistress and stumbled back to Chenghua Palace.

After that night, the Eastern Palace also changed.

The Crown Prince, who had always doted on his Crown Princess, began to bring different women back to the inner palace one after another, and kept them in the Eastern Palace under the guise of being the Crown Prince's concubines.

He no longer comes to Chenghua Palace, and seems to have forgotten the vows and tender affections they once shared.

In his eyes and heart, she was no longer his wife of many years.