The mad princess forces love upon him, and the aloof imperial advisor trembles every night.

Chu Qingyue raised her hand, looking at the shadows cast by her fingertips in the light and shadow, and said softly, "Oh, right. Gouge out the eyes from the head separately, string them together, and give them to Chu Qingyao as a thank-you gift."

She raised her eyes, and finally a trace of genuine emotion appeared in them—a poisoned glee: "If she hadn't pushed me into the icy lake back then, where would I be today's 'blessing'? How could I have become this Princess Protector of the Nation? She deserves this 'gift of gratitude.' Cut off her ear separately as well; I'll need it tomorrow..."

Cangming remained silent for a full three breaths before bowing and saying, "...Yes."

"The third thing is to inform our people in the palace that I will be giving my eldest brother a generous gift at the palace banquet tomorrow."

"I will take care of it immediately." Cangming accepted the order and retreated into the shadows, disappearing without a trace.

Chu Qingyue slowly walked out of the secret room and returned to the study. She pushed open the carved wooden window. The night sky was starless, with only a bright moon hanging alone, its clear light shining across the courtyard, illuminating her face in half-light and half-shadow.

She gazed at the moon for a very long time.

----------

Meanwhile, the Crown Prince's residence was in complete chaos. When Chu Xuanche was rescued from Mu Lang Residence, it was already past midnight.

He was wrapped in a coarse linen garment thrown to him by someone, his body covered in bruises and welts, his bare neck and wrists covered in shocking teeth marks and red marks, his hair disheveled like that of a madman, with a few suspicious strands stuck in his hair...

The Crown Prince of Great Chu huddled in the corner of the sedan chair, hugging his knees and trembling. His eyes were so wide they almost popped out of their sockets, and his lips moved but he couldn't utter a complete syllable, only occasionally letting out a few broken sobs.

The guards carrying the sedan chair all hung their heads, wishing they could gouge their own eyes out.

—The fire at "Mulang Residence" had not yet died down when it spread to every corner of the capital. Everyone knew that the eldest prince, Chu Xuanche, had been stripped naked and thrown onto a bed, entangled with four equally naked men…

Furthermore, some "eyewitnesses" confidently asserted that they heard the eldest prince first cry out for help, and then he began to utter intermittent sounds...

"Absolutely absurd! Utterly ridiculous!"

Inside the Phoenix Palace, the Empress smashed the third jade cup, her phoenix crown askew, and she trembled all over.

"Che'er! Explain yourself! Who did this?!"

Chu Xuanche lay curled up on the couch, his eyes still unfocused, repeatedly muttering, "...Blood Blade Sect... Imperial Preceptor, save me... spare me... don't touch me... ah... don't touch me..."

"What door?!" The Queen was nearly driven mad. "I'm asking you who put you in that kind of place!"

"I didn't hire them...they wanted to kill me...it was them...it was all them..." Chu Xuanche suddenly let out a shrill laugh, a laugh as mournful as a ghost's wail.

"Mother... I'm so dirty... I can't get clean... I'll never get clean..."

The Empress staggered backward, bumping into her dressing table. Looking at her son, who was now nearly insane, she suddenly remembered something, and her face turned deathly pale:

"Quickly! Go and fetch the Imperial Advisor! No—go and fetch His Majesty! Tell him the Crown Prince has been bewitched and framed!"

Before the words were finished, a high-pitched eunuch announced from outside the hall: "His Majesty has arrived—"

The Chu Emperor, dressed in a bright yellow sleeping robe with a dragon-patterned cloak over it, had clearly just been startled awake from his bed. The moment he stepped into the hall and saw Chu Xuanche, his brows furrowed deeply.

"What happened?" The Emperor's voice was cold and deep as he glanced at the Empress. "I heard that Che'er was... in that kind of place..."

"Your Majesty!" The Empress knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down her face. "Che'er has been framed! Someone must be jealous of his impending succession to the throne and has used this vicious scheme to ruin his reputation! I beg Your Majesty to investigate!"

The Chu emperor remained silent.

He stopped three feet from the bed, looking down at his once most prized eldest son. The once majestic and imposing eldest son now had filth on his neck and purplish-blue handprints on his bare ankles—evidence of being forcibly gripped.

After a long while, the Chu Emperor slowly closed his eyes.

"Give me my token," he said, his voice devoid of emotion, "and summon the Imperial Advisor."

At the end of the night, the Imperial Preceptor Si Chen stepped into the Phoenix Palace. He did not enter through the palace gate. The guards on duty only saw a flash of moonlight before their eyes, and the man was already standing on the white marble steps in front of the hall—his silver hair cascaded down like a waterfall, loosely tied at the end with only a plain white ribbon;

He wore a long, wide-sleeved, frosty-white robe, the hem fluttering slightly in the night breeze, untouched by the dust and noise of the world.

The moonlight fell on his brow, making his eyes appear almost transparent, yet unfathomable.

"Imperial Preceptor." The Chu Emperor turned around.

Si Chen nodded slightly as a greeting. His gaze swept over the kneeling empress, over the shattered jade, and finally settled on Chu Xuanche.

"He suffered too much trauma tonight; the memory has become a nightmare." Si Chen withdrew his hand, his tone calm. "If we seal his memories of tonight, he will return to normal."

"Sealed?" The Empress looked up abruptly. "The murderer—"

"Your Majesty," Si Chen's light golden eyes turned to her, devoid of joy or sorrow, "Are you sure you want him to remember every detail of tonight forever?"

The Empress's breath hitched.

She saw her son still muttering to himself, occasionally letting out whimpers like a small animal, his fingers unconsciously digging into the teeth marks on his arm until the skin was torn and bleeding.

"...Seal." The word was squeezed out between her teeth, carrying the taste of blood.

Si Chen said no more. He walked to the bedside, leaned over, his silver hair cascading down like a curtain. A point of golden light gathered at his long, jade-like fingertips; the light was not warm, but rather radiated a moonlit chill. He gently touched Chu Xuanche's brow.

Golden light entered. Chu Xuanche trembled violently, his unfocused pupils suddenly contracting before slowly dilating again. He looked at Si Chen, then suddenly chuckled foolishly, "Immortal...Immortal...did you come to take me away...? This place is so dirty...I'm so dirty..."

Si Chen remained silent, the golden light at his fingertips intensifying. The madness, fear, and humiliation in Chu Xuanche's eyes receded like the tide. His body gradually relaxed, his breathing calmed, and finally his eyelids closed heavily, plunging him into a deep, dreamless sleep.

"When he wakes up tomorrow, he will only remember drinking and getting drunk at Mu Lang Residence, and the rest will be blank."

Si Chen straightened up, the golden light at his fingertips dissipating. "Don't mention tonight's events again."

The Empress rushed to the bedside, and seeing her son's peaceful sleeping face, tears streamed down her face.

The Chu Emperor gave Si Chen a deep look: "Thank you for your trouble, Grand Preceptor."

"It's my duty." Si Chen bowed slightly and turned to leave.

"Imperial Preceptor, please wait," the Chu Emperor suddenly said. "The Blood Blade Sect—does the Imperial Preceptor know of it?"

Si Chen paused. A night breeze swept through the hall, ruffling his frosty white robes, making his silhouette appear exceptionally solitary in the moonlight. After a long while, he turned half his face, his pale golden eyes reflecting the flickering candlelight:

"It sounds like a江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to a martial arts or江湖) assassin organization. Your Majesty should send more men to protect the First Prince." His voice remained calm.

Having said that, he stepped out of the palace gate, his figure transforming into a streak of moonlight and disappearing into the vast night.

Emperor Chu stood there, looking in the direction where Si Chen had disappeared, then turned to look at his son who was sleeping soundly on the bed, and finally his gaze fell on the window—there, the firelight in Mu Lang Residence was gradually fading, but the whispers in every corner of the capital were just beginning.

The empress lay by the bedside, weeping softly.

The Emperor of Chu remained silent for a long time before suddenly saying, "Issue the order: all guards and palace servants present tonight are to remain silent. Anyone who disobeys will have their entire family executed."

"Yes," someone whispered from the shadows.

"And also," the Chu Emperor turned around, his bright yellow nightgown gleaming coldly in the candlelight.

"Investigate. Start with the Bloodblade Sect and investigate thoroughly."

He stepped out of the Phoenix Palace, his footsteps silent as he trod across the shattered jade.