After the ghost-hunting master descended the mountain, his fame spread throughout the capital.

Seeing Ruan Guyan's sorrowful and embarrassed expression, Xie Jinchen knew that some things were perhaps easier for women to confide in each other.

He wasn't unreasonable, so he got up and said to Jiang Dusheng, "You just woke up, you must be hungry. What would you like for lunch? I'll have the kitchen prepare it."

Jiang Dusheng casually replied, "Either is fine."

Xie Jinchen nodded, said nothing more, turned and left the room, carefully closing the door behind him.

The room fell silent.

Ruan Guyan bowed deeply to Jiang Dusheng. This time, her frail face showed not only sorrow but also pleading.

"Young lady, I beg you to restore the last bit of my clean reputation and honor in this world!"

She took a deep breath and began to recount: "My parents died on the battlefield when I was young, sacrificing their lives for the country. The emperor took pity on me and posthumously granted them titles and some land, but I... ultimately became an orphan without parents."

"I grew up in my maternal grandfather's house. My maternal grandfather was once a general who guarded the border. Although he no longer has real power, he is still respected in the army and values ​​integrity and reputation the most."

"Last year, my maternal grandfather, pitying my loneliness and feeling that I was getting older, asked my aunt to find a suitable husband for me in Changling City. It was then that I met the person who would ruin my life."

She paused for a moment, as if it took a great deal of strength to say that name, "His name is Chu Yanzhao."

As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Dusheng's eyes narrowed slightly, and even Wang Dazhuang, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but exclaim "Eh!" with a surprised expression on his face.

Ruan Guyan noticed their sudden change in reaction, raised her tearful eyes, and asked with a hint of uncertainty, "Does the young lady know him?"

Jiang Dusheng composed himself, nodded, and spoke in a calm tone that carried a hint of coldness:

"Prince Chun's heir is a well-known playboy in Changling City. I've met him a few times. Please continue."

Seeing that she knew Chu Yanzhao and even showed no affection for him, Ruan Guyan seemed relieved, and her story became smoother:

"At first, I really didn't know his true identity."

"Later, we met briefly at a poetry gathering. He took the initiative to strike up a conversation, and he was indeed very knowledgeable and well-mannered, with proper manners and etiquette."

"Later, we met again by chance at several tea parties and garden tours. Although he took the initiative to chat, he maintained a polite and respectful distance. At that time, I just thought he was a well-mannered scion of a prominent family."

"It wasn't until later, through a close female friend, that I learned he was actually the heir apparent to Prince Chun."

"Moreover, there were already rumors at the time that he was getting along quite well with Jiang Wanqing, the second young lady of the Jiang family, and the two families seemed to have a vague intention to arrange a marriage."

As Ruan Guyan spoke, the wariness and distance she felt at the time became apparent on her face. "I know that my family background is ordinary. I only managed to establish myself in Changling by relying on the legacy of my parents and the blessings of my ancestors."

"I have no intention of currying favor with the powerful, nor do I wish to get involved in the disputes of such families and become a pawn in someone else's game of marriage alliances."

Ruan Guyan's voice was filled with pain, "After learning about this, I deliberately avoided him. I would refuse or avoid any banquets or gatherings where I might run into him. I would rather stay at home alone to read and practice calligraphy than set foot in those places again."

"But!" Ruan Guyan's ghostly form trembled slightly with emotion, her voice filled with rage, "He won't let me go! Or rather... he never allows anyone he sets his sights on to escape his control!"

Her illusory hands clenched tightly. "The osmanthus flowers are in full bloom in autumn, and the Duke of Anguo's mansion is holding a chrysanthemum appreciation banquet."

"I had already declined, but my aunt persuaded me repeatedly, so I went. During the banquet, my dress accidentally got wet, and a maid led me to a secluded side room."

"I had just stepped into the room when the door behind me was slammed shut, followed by the sound of a lock being locked!" Ruan Guyan's voice suddenly became sharp, filled with the terror of that moment.

"That's when I realized something was wrong. I pounded on the door and called out, but no one answered."

Just as I was panicking, the curtain to the inner room was lifted, and Chu Yanzhao actually walked out!

"I sternly rebuked him, demanding that he let me leave immediately, or I would call for help and make a scene." Ruan Guyan closed her eyes, as if she were once again in that suffocating predicament.

"But he smiled slowly and deliberately, his eyes revealing undisguised determination. He said..."

Ruan Guyan took a deep breath, each word seemingly squeezed out from between her teeth, filled with shame and indignation, "He said that he truly loved me and appreciated my tranquility and self-control."

"He even shamelessly said..." Ruan Guyan's voice trembled with anger, "that he was willing to welcome me into his home with the respect due to a principal wife, treating me no differently from Miss Jiang, as an equal wife!"

"Shameless! Despicable! Scoundrel!" Wang Dazhuang was furious. His paper body swayed with anger, and he couldn't help but wave his paper hand in righteous indignation.

"He wants a secondary wife? Bah! He hasn't even had a proper wife yet and he's already eyeing a secondary wife? I heard everything this young master Chu is up to! This is simply outrageous!"

Jiang Dusheng's eyes grew colder, signaling Ruan Guyan to continue.

A bitter smile appeared on Ruan Guyan's face, a smile more heartbreaking than tears. "He tore my clothes! I struggled desperately, even banging my head against the wall, before he finally stopped."

"Later, I finally found an opportunity, grabbed a vase from the shelf, smashed it on the ground, and pressed the sharpest shard of porcelain against my neck until blood flowed out..."

"I said that if he dared to pressure me again, I would kill myself immediately! Only then did his expression change. After weighing the pros and cons, he was ultimately afraid of causing an uncontrollable murder case, so he reluctantly opened the door and let me leave."

Ruan Guyan seemed to have exhausted her strength, and her soul became even weaker: "I thought... I thought this matter would end here. Although I was frightened and humiliated, at least I preserved my innocence."

"I dare not tell anyone, not even my closest maid, for fear that if a word gets out, not only will my own reputation be ruined, but it will also tarnish my maternal grandfather's family's reputation, and even... it might bring disaster to the family."

"I just want to hide away, hoping that time will heal all wounds and that he will find another target and forget about me, this insignificant person."

"But I never imagined..." Ruan Guyan's voice suddenly rose, filled with despair and hatred, and tears of blood slid down her cheeks again, "When he realized he couldn't force me, he actually... he actually resorted to such despicable means, completely ruining me!"

"In just a few days!" She clutched her head in anguish with her ethereal hands. "In Changling City, all sorts of filthy rumors about me have suddenly started circulating from who knows where."

"They say I appear noble on the surface but am actually promiscuous. They say I took the initiative to seduce the heir of Prince Chun at the chrysanthemum appreciation banquet at the Duke of Anguo's mansion, and shamelessly threw myself into his arms, trying to climb the social ladder..."

"There was even a vivid description, saying that my personal belongings were left outside and picked up by someone with ulterior motives..."