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

A palace banquet?

Jiang Dusheng's eyes flickered slightly.

She had only borrowed the first wisp of power from Princess Yongning yesterday, and was pondering how to make this power ripple through the circles of Changling, paving the way for her to break away from the Jiang family more quickly.

This palace banquet has come at just the right time.

More importantly, that kind of occasion...is itself a huge force.

If used properly, the invisible shackles between her and the Jiang family might loosen even faster, or even provide an opportunity to sever them completely.

Those who cultivate the Dao cannot foresee the secrets of their own destiny, but she felt that the opportunity to leave the Jiang family... had arrived!

Thinking of this, a smile flickered in her eyes.

"Understood." Jiang Dusheng's response was unexpectedly prompt.

After saying a few polite words, Granny Zhao left with her maid.

The door closed again.

Jiang Dusheng picked up the prepared items and said to Meng Xueyan, who was floating to the side:

"Let's go to the Meng residence."

...

Jiang Dusheng stood in front of the Meng residence.

The blue stone steps, the vermilion gate, and the two characters "Meng Mansion" on the lintel exude the dignity and solemnity unique to a noble scholar-official family.

Unlike the magnificent and imposing Yongning Princess's Mansion, this place is more like an exquisite cage, with rules etched into every brick and tile.

Having learned from the previous experience of being obstructed by the servant of the Xu family, Jiang Dusheng was smarter this time.

Today she changed into a light purple dress made of fine material, but with a low-key style, and she also wore a simple pearl hairpin in her hair.

Since we are going to leverage this momentum, we must make good use of all available pretexts.

She stepped forward and said to the gatekeeper, "Please inform the gatekeeper that Miss Jiang Dusheng of the Jiang family requests an audience with Madam Meng."

With the name of the Jiang family and her calm yet dignified demeanor, the gatekeeper dared not neglect her and hurriedly went in to announce her arrival.

Before long, Jiang Dusheng was led by a nanny through the screen wall and around the corridor to a small, elegantly decorated flower hall in the inner courtyard of the Meng family mansion.

The hall was filled with the faint scent of sandalwood incense, yet there was an underlying sense of melancholy that lingered.

Madam Meng was already waiting there.

Today she was wearing a simple autumn-colored long jacket, and her face was lightly made up, but she could not hide the haggardness in her eyes.

Upon seeing Jiang Dusheng, she forced a polite smile, "Miss Jiang, we meet again. Please have a seat."

Zeng Yanran naturally saw and heard Jiang Dusheng's words at Princess Yongning's residence yesterday.

She felt both apprehensive and a faint glimmer of hope about the arrival of this Miss Jiang.

"Greetings, Madam Meng." Jiang Dusheng nodded slightly in courtesy, and after taking his seat, he did not exchange pleasantries. Instead, he calmly looked at Zeng Yanran and asked directly, "May I ask, is Lord Meng at home today?"

Zeng Yanran was taken aback when she heard this, not expecting that the other party would ask about her husband.

Her doubts deepened, and she cautiously replied, "It just so happens that I have a day off today, and Master is in his study. Does Miss Jiang have something to discuss with Master?"

"Yes." Jiang Dusheng nodded. "I've been asked to ask Lord Meng some questions in person."

"Entrusted by someone?" Zeng Yanran's heart skipped a beat. The scene at the Princess's mansion yesterday flashed through her mind, and an absurd guess surfaced uncontrollably.

Her hands, resting on her knees, tightened slightly, her fingertips digging into her palms, and her voice was a little dry:

"I wonder... who entrusted Miss Jiang with this task? And what is it for? My master is old-fashioned and doesn't like outsiders to bother him."

Jiang Dusheng knew that if he didn't point it out, given Meng Qingxi's strict adherence to rules and etiquette, she probably wouldn't even get to see him today.

She stopped beating around the bush, looked directly at Zeng Yanran, and clearly uttered three words:

"Meng Xueyan".

"Clang!"

Zeng Yanran accidentally knocked the teacup in her hand onto the table, and the warm tea instantly spread, soaking the table and seemingly drenching Zeng Yanran's barely maintained composure.

Her face turned deathly pale instantly, her body trembled uncontrollably, her eyes were fixed on Jiang Dusheng, her lips quivered but she couldn't utter a single complete syllable.

The old woman next to her was also frightened and hurriedly stepped forward to tidy up, but Zeng Yanran raised her hand to stop her.

She waved her hand, her voice hoarse: "All of you, get out. Stand guard outside the door; no one is allowed to come near."

Only when the two of them were left in the flower hall did Zeng Yanran seem to regain some strength.

She leaned on the edge of the table, looking at Jiang Dusheng with a complex expression—fear, doubt, but mostly the desperate urgency of a drowning person grasping at a piece of driftwood.

"What...what did you say? Xueyan...she...she wasn't already...how could you..."

She couldn't continue speaking; the shock of what she had seen and heard yesterday, combined with the current situation, made her dizzy.

Jiang Dusheng's expression remained unchanged as he said to Zeng Yanran, "She is right here. There are some things she couldn't ask in life, and her obsession lingers even after death."

"Since I have agreed to her request, I must bring her here to find an answer."

She paused for a moment, then said, "Madam Meng, if you wish to see her, or to hear her words to Lord Meng and to you, I can arrange it. But today, I need to see Lord Meng."

Upon hearing this, Zeng Yanran trembled, and tears welled up instantly.

She subconsciously looked around. The empty flower hall was empty except for the two of them, but she seemed to be able to sense a familiar presence.

She desperately wanted to see her daughter! She was frantic with longing!

I want to ask her why she was so resolute...

But... a ghost? Talking to the dead?

This was beyond the limits of what she could have imagined in her decades of conventional life.

What alarmed her even more was that Jiang Dusheng said he would take Yan'er to ask the master...

Ask the man who drove his daughter to the brink of despair, and then only cared about protecting his reputation.

Conflict, fear, and longing for her deceased daughter clashed fiercely in Zeng Yanran's heart.

In the end, her guilt towards her daughter and the deep-seated, unspoken resentment towards her husband overwhelmed everything else.

She closed her eyes, and tears streamed down her face.

When she opened her eyes again, she had made up her mind: "I...I'll take you to the study. But the master might not believe me, and he might not want to listen."

"Miss Jiang, are you really sure you can let me see Yan'er without harming her?!"

"Don't worry, Madam, I know what I'm doing." Jiang Dusheng stood up. "Please lead the way."

Zeng Yanran took a deep breath, wiped her face haphazardly with a handkerchief, and straightened her clothes.

She was the first to walk out of the flower hall, her steps somewhat unsteady but unusually firm.

Jiang Dusheng followed behind her.

Meng Xueyan's soul followed closely, its soul light fluctuating slightly.

It contained both the trepidation of approaching home and the long-suppressed grief and anticipation about to erupt.

Xu Yishuo silently stayed by her side.

Stepping out of the flower hall, the Meng family mansion's corridors stretched far and wide, the sunlight casting dappled shadows on the ground, seemingly dividing the boundary between life and death.