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

Emperor Cangqi's angry roar and Jiang Dusheng's exclamation rang out almost simultaneously.

The two arrived one after the other, just in time to witness this tense scene.

Upon seeing this, Shi Qinglian's spiritual energy, which had been gathered at her fingertips, suddenly dissipated, and her face regained some composure, though the sinister look in her eyes lingered.

However, before he could say anything, the figure opposite him suddenly swayed without warning, his face turned pale instantly, and he fell straight backward.

"Chen'er!" Emperor Cangqi exclaimed in alarm.

Shi Qinglian: "..."

Jiang Dusheng's heart clenched, and he rushed to Xie Jinchen's side, managing to catch him before he fell to the ground.

She quickly placed her fingertips on Xie Jinchen's wrist pulse.

Upon this probing, Jiang Dusheng's tense nerves suddenly relaxed, his demeanor becoming calm and powerful, showing no signs of agitation or internal injury.

This person... is faking it.

Looking at his tightly closed eyes and slightly pale face, Jiang Dusheng knew he was faking it, but the blame that was on the tip of his tongue just wouldn't come out.

She couldn't help herself and, lowering her voice, asked with a mixture of annoyance and heartache:

"How are you? Where are you hurt?"

As she asked, a gentle spiritual energy gathered at her fingertips and flowed into his body to investigate, ensuring that the evil energy had not been aroused.

Xie Jinchen stirred almost imperceptibly in her arms, burying his face deeper into the crook of her neck, appearing utterly weak. His voice was barely audible, yet just loud enough for Emperor Cangqi and Shi Qinglian nearby to hear:

"Ugh, my chest hurts. The Imperial Advisor is truly amazing..."

He portrayed the victim vividly, albeit intermittently.

Jiang Dusheng: "..."

Listening to this affected accusation, feeling the person in her arms secretly tightening their arms around her waist, and feeling the slight vibration of their chest caused by their barely suppressed laughter, she was both amused and exasperated.

Emperor Cangqi was both anxious and furious. He immediately shouted, "Guards! Quickly summon the imperial physician! Move the heir apparent to the nearest side hall!"

A flurry of activity ensued as the palace servants carefully took the unconscious Xie Jinchen from Jiang Dusheng's arms, carried him in a sedan chair, and quickly transported him to a side hall near the Jingxin Terrace for rest.

Before long, two imperial physicians arrived in haste, carrying medicine boxes.

One of the imperial physicians stepped forward and, holding his breath, took Xie Jinchen's pulse.

The old doctor placed his fingertips on the wrist pulse for a moment, and his brow twitched almost imperceptibly.

This pulse... initially it does seem somewhat weak and unstable after the blood and qi have been churning, but upon closer examination it is stable and the internal organs are strong, so there is no major problem.

He caught a glimpse of the young master on the bed out of the corner of his eye. Although his eyes were closed, his breathing was even and long, and not even his eyelashes trembled. He was unusually calm.

Considering this young master's consistent behavior and the current situation...

The old doctor immediately understood, but a fine layer of sweat appeared on his forehead.

This pulse is hard to describe, and I dare not speak of it directly.

How can you say it's nothing? The Imperial Advisor was beaten, His Majesty is furious, and the Crown Prince is unconscious here. How can it be nothing?

What harm could there be? If the Crown Prince recovers completely in the future, wouldn't that ruin my reputation, or even lead to accusations of exaggerating my illness?

He pondered for a moment, made up his mind, withdrew his hand, turned to the anxious Emperor Cangqi and the inscrutable Shi Qinglian, bowed and carefully chose his words:

"Reporting to Your Majesty, Imperial Preceptor: His Highness's pulse indicates that he was overcome by a combination of anger and anxiety, causing his blood and qi to rush to his head. In addition, he may have suffered a slight external shock during his sparring session with the Imperial Preceptor, which led to a temporary disruption of his qi and mental confusion, resulting in his fainting and unconsciousness."

He carefully chose his words, "Let this old minister prescribe a formula to calm the mind and regulate the flow of qi and blood. With proper rest for a day or two, there should be no major problems. However... although the Crown Prince has a good constitution,... his situation is special, so he still needs to remain calm and avoid getting angry again."

Another imperial physician deftly applied medicine to the bruises on Shi Qinglian's face.

The slight stinging sensation from the ointment made Shi Qinglian frown slightly, but he closed his eyes and his expression returned to calm.

After hearing the imperial physician's report, Emperor Cangqi's expression softened slightly, but his gaze swept back and forth between the unconscious Xie Jinchen and the silent Shi Qinglian, his brows still furrowed.

Meanwhile, Xie Jinchen, the instigator, remained lying peacefully on the couch, seemingly oblivious to everything around him.

Only Jiang Dusheng, who was closest to her, could feel the hand she was holding gently scratching her palm.

After the imperial physicians left, only Emperor Cangqi, Shi Qinglian, Xie Jinchen who was unconscious on the bed, and Jiang Dusheng sitting beside the bed remained in the hall.

The air was still, with only wisps of smoke rising from the bronze incense burner in the corner, slowly swirling around.

Emperor Cangqi stared at the person on the bed for a long time before suddenly speaking in a deep voice: "Stop pretending, get up."

Upon hearing this, Xie Jinchen's eyelids twitched, and then he opened them, his eyes clear and bright, showing no trace of the weakness of unconsciousness.

He deftly lifted the thin blanket covering him, sat up, bent down and put on the boots that the palace servants had taken off, his posture relaxed.

Seeing this, Emperor Cangqi pointed at him, his chest heaving, his anger finally becoming uncontrollable:

"You scoundrel! What kind of status does the Imperial Preceptor have? How dare you lay a hand on him?! If it weren't for Qinglian's consideration for the greater good and her restraint in not using her spiritual power, do you think you'd still be standing here unharmed?!"

Xie Jinchen dusted off non-existent dust from his sleeves, his tone languid yet sharp:

"I told you that day. If the Imperial Preceptor insists on stopping my marriage, I don't mind coming to this Pure Heart Terrace myself and taking his life."

His gaze fell on Shi Qinglian, and a cold smile curved his lips. "Today is just a warning."

"You!" Emperor Cangqi's fingertips trembled with rage at his undisguised killing intent and arrogance. "Do you really think I won't punish you?!"

Xie Jinchen raised an eyebrow, meeting the emperor's furious gaze without fear: "Since I dared to do it, I am naturally not afraid of your punishment."

He stepped forward, his voice low and tentative, "How would you like to be punished?"

He listed them one by one, as if he were talking about someone else's affairs: "They stripped me of my title as heir apparent? They threw me into the Dali Temple prison? Or..."

His gaze locked onto Emperor Cangqi's pupils, which contracted sharply in an instant, and he slowly uttered the last few words:

"...Just kill me?"

The last few words, like a thunderclap, shattered all pretense of calm.

Emperor Cangqi's expression instantly turned extremely ugly, and a complex emotion flashed in his eyes.

The hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop; the air was so heavy it was suffocating.

Emperor Cangqi and Xie Jinchen clashed in the air, neither willing to back down an inch.

Just then, the trembling voice of the eunuch outside the hall broke the deathly silence once more:

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, the Duke of Zhenguo requests an audience."

Emperor Cangqi's face grew increasingly ashen. He took a few deep breaths, forcibly calming his turbulent emotions, and waved his hand, his voice cold and deep: "Summon them."

Shi Qinglian quickly tidied her appearance, her face regaining its serene and otherworldly demeanor, though a chill lingered in the depths of her eyes.

Duke Zhenguo Xie Dai strode into the side hall.

He was dressed in court robes, his face was stern, and his gaze first swept across the hall.

Seeing Shi Qinglian's injured face, his eyes narrowed slightly, and there seemed to be a dark current flowing deep in his pupils, but his face did not show much expression.

Seeing Xie Jinchen standing there unharmed, his brows relaxed for a moment, then returned to their cold and hard state.

Finally, their gaze fell upon Emperor Cangqi, whose face was grim.

Xie Dai bowed respectfully, his voice steady: "Your subject Xie Dai greets Your Majesty. I have heard that my son has acted improperly, causing a great disaster in the palace, offending the Imperial Preceptor, and disturbing Your Majesty's presence. I have failed in my duty of disciplining him, and have come to apologize to Your Majesty."

Although his words were an apology, his demeanor was neither humble nor arrogant.