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

Princess Yongning had initially hesitated due to the complex situation, but upon seeing Jiang Dusheng's clear and determined eyes, that last trace of hesitation vanished.

Knowing when to advance and retreat, understanding boundaries, possessing both courage and wisdom.

Such a woman has a sense of propriety and acts with moderation. She can stir up trouble with subtle means and also leave room for maneuver for her companions in the game of human relationships.

Standing by her side is not a rash gamble, but a wise choice.

Princess Yongning was resolute and no longer hesitated. She nodded and said, "Very well! I will take care of the Hundred Flowers Banquet."

"I will carefully consider the venue and guest list to ensure that everyone who is supposed to attend is present."

She thought for a moment, tapped the table lightly with her fingertip, and added:

"However, although the palace banquet has helped you gain some initial recognition, you still need a significant opportunity to truly establish yourself in the court and leave a lasting impression on His Majesty and his ministers."

Jiang Dusheng wholeheartedly agreed, "What the princess says is absolutely right. I am also waiting, or rather, creating this opportunity."

She slightly raised her chin, a hint of fighting spirit in her eyes. "In a few days, I will go and see my highly respected martial uncle."

Shi Qinglian is both a mountain she needs to cross and a stepping stone for her to reach greater heights.

After discussing the details in detail, Jiang Dusheng got up to take his leave.

As Jiang Dusheng left Princess Yongning's residence, he was pondering how to visit Shi Qinglian next when he was stopped by someone as soon as he turned a relatively quiet alley.

She looked up and her gaze suddenly froze.

Jiang Zhiyuan.

He had clearly been waiting there on purpose. His brocade blue casual clothes accentuated his tall and straight figure, but his usually calm and composed face was now filled with complex emotions.

"Dusheng..." Jiang Zhiyuan stepped forward, his voice hoarse, "Can I speak with you for a few moments? Just a moment, it won't interfere with your business."

Jiang Dusheng stopped in his tracks, looking at the face of his blood relative who bore a striking resemblance to himself, yet was now separated by vast distances. His brows furrowed immediately, and the temperature in his eyes plummeted.

"Between us," she said flatly, "there's nothing to talk about."

After saying that, she took a small step and was about to walk around him and leave.

"Dusheng!" In his desperation, Jiang Zhiyuan stepped aside to block his path again, his tone urgent, even carrying a hint of pleading:

"My parents have been sighing a lot lately, and they can't sleep at night. They really regret how they treated you back then."

He took a deep breath, as if to gather his courage, "I know it may be too late to say this now, but we are connected by blood, we are family after all."

"regret?"

Jiang Dusheng finally stopped and looked at him directly.

A slow, sarcastic smile curved her lips. "Jiang Zhiyuan, don't you find these words absurd and laughable coming from your own mouth?"

Her gaze was clear and bright, like an icy spring, shining directly into Jiang Zhiyuan's eyes, revealing nothing of the brotherly demeanor he was trying so hard to maintain.

"What exactly do you regret?"

She spoke slowly and deliberately, her voice not loud, yet each word was like a blade: "Do you regret abandoning me at the Buddhist temple for over a decade, ignoring me because of a few absurd words?"

"Or do you regret that during my short time back at the Minister's residence, you never showed any warmth of blood ties, only suspicion, scrutiny, and omnipresent calculation?"

Or perhaps...

She tilted her head slightly, her gaze sharp as needles, piercing through the last veil of feigned warmth. "I regret that now that I seem to be of some use, my reputation is rising, and I'm even able to associate with the powerful and influential, I've suddenly realized..."

"Oh, so this daughter you once regarded as a jinx is ultimately a member of the Jiang family by blood. Perhaps... she can add a few seemingly useful threads to the bright future of the Minister's mansion?"

With each word she spoke, Jiang Zhiyuan's face paled further, his lips trembled, but he couldn't utter a word in rebuttal.

Because everything Jiang Dusheng said was true.

As the eldest son of the Jiang family, wasn't he also in line with his parents' callous desire to draw boundaries and protect themselves?

"When you have something, you discard it like a worn-out shoe, not even giving a shred of patience or warmth."

"After losing it, they put on this heartbroken and regretful act, trying to win it back."

Jiang Dusheng shook his head slightly, his tone icy cold, "Young Master Jiang, there is no such logic in this world. Once your heart is chilled to the bone, it's difficult to warm it up again."

"When I returned to the Jiang family, I did not expect any warmth or affection from my family, but I also did not intentionally do anything evil to anyone."

"It was you who, with your indifference and calculation, gradually extinguished the last remaining thought of home for me."

"Now," she glanced at Jiang Zhiyuan one last time, her gaze as indifferent as if she were looking at a stranger, "I, Jiang Dusheng, and the Minister's Mansion have long since gone our separate ways. Our ties are severed, and we owe each other nothing."

After saying that, she stopped looking at Jiang Zhiyuan's deathly pale face, walked straight past him, and quickly disappeared at the other end of the alley.

Jiang Zhiyuan was left standing there alone.

When Jiang Dusheng returned to the alley in the west of the city, he saw a group of three or five people gathered in front of his mansion. They were pointing and whispering among themselves, full of doubt.

"Didn't they say they hung up the plaque for the Jiang residence? This doesn't look like it..."

"Did we come to the wrong place? This is definitely the one deep in the alley."

"Is Master Jiang trying to trick us?"

"Shh! Watch your words! Master Jiang is a true master! Perhaps... perhaps the plaque isn't finished yet?"

As Jiang Dusheng approached, the crowd immediately fell silent, all eyes focusing on her.

She glanced at the crowd, her voice clear and calm: "Ladies and gentlemen, the plaque is being made and will be hung up before tonight. I won't be telling fortunes today. If you need anything, please come back tomorrow and register with the manager, Wang Dazhuang, according to the rules."

Although her tone was calm, it carried an undeniable air of authority.

Upon hearing this, although some were eager, no one dared to linger and responded, dispersing in twos and threes.

However, at the very end of the crowd, a middle-aged woman dressed in a faded, coarse cloth dress with dark patches at the elbows and knees remained motionless.

She was around forty years old, with a haggard face, red eyes, and her hands nervously twisting the hem of her clothes, her fingertips turning white.

Seeing that the crowd had dispersed, she seemed to muster up immense courage, staggering forward a few steps, but then stopped a few steps away from Jiang Dusheng, her lips trembling, her voice barely audible:

"Master Jiang, I have a very urgent matter at home, a matter of utmost urgency! Could you please make an exception for me...?"

Before she could finish speaking, she met Jiang Dusheng's eyes, which seemed to reflect people's hearts. All her subsequent pleas and accusations were as if an invisible hand had choked her throat, and she could no longer utter a single word.

Jiang Dusheng's gaze was so clear and insightful that it made her feel ashamed of herself, and a wave of humble bitterness welled up in her eyes.

She lowered her head dejectedly, her shoulders slumped, and she murmured, "Never mind, I was presumptuous. I'll come again tomorrow..."

As he spoke, he turned to leave, his back hunched and dejected, like a withered blade of grass wilted by frost.

Jiang Dusheng had already been observing her face when she opened her mouth.

The woman's brows were shrouded in deep sorrow and fear, and her forehead was dark, indicating that disaster was about to befall her, and it would involve her closest relatives.

However, judging from his gentle eyebrows, his bewildered yet wicked gaze, his straight nose, and his naturally downturned mouth, which is not mean-spirited, he is a kind-hearted person.

"Wait a minute," Jiang Dusheng said.

The woman trembled and turned around abruptly.

Jiang Dusheng's gaze fell on her hands, rough and cracked from years of hard work, and his tone softened. "It's alright, come in with me."

Having said that, he turned around and pushed open the gate of the house.