Princess, she is the one who facilitated the extradition.

The Princess Consort, or rather, Qi Yu, said, "It's a soul-changing incense!"

Gui Yao's expression turned serious. "What is that?"

"It means exactly what it says: a soul swap."

The Prince of Shu interrupted again, "After the Princess Consort married me, her family always wanted to gain benefits. I can satisfy them for matters that are not serious."

But their appetites grew larger and larger, and she became unwilling to talk to me anymore. In addition, she had something on her mind, and as time went by, she became depressed.

Upon hearing the news of her fiancé's death, she completely lost the will to live and bought a soul-changing incense from the ghost market.

A ghost market?

Gui Yao had never heard of such a place in the capital. With a thoughtful look in her eyes, she asked, "How does one exchange souls?"

Qi Yu said, "Obtain the other person's birth date, engrave both of their birth dates on the Soul-Swapping Incense, and light the Soul-Swapping Incense when the two people are in the same space."

Once the incense has burned out, the two souls will exchange. After the exchange, another stick of incense will be lit in the same way to solidify the souls, thus completing the soul exchange.

Gui Yao had never heard of such a soul-swapping method before and always felt it was too simple. If the two of them lied about this matter, the truth about the child might not be guaranteed.

"So, that means the Princess Consort swapped souls with you on the night of the Ghost Festival, and the one who committed suicide at the Duke of Qi's mansion the next day wasn't Qi Yu, but the Princess Consort?"

Qi Yu closed his eyes, tears sliding down his cheeks. "My family has no true feelings, and my beloved is dead. She has no more attachments in this world and is determined to die."

"And what about you?"

Gui Yao looked at the Prince of Shu, "Since you were willing to marry her back then, there must have been some connection between you. Were you just going to watch her die?"

"I only found out afterward, but there were only two soul-swapping incense sticks, and we couldn't find them in the ghost market, so we couldn't bring back the two souls."

Sadness also showed in the eyes of the Prince of Shu. He got up and walked to the wardrobe, taking out a letter from a hidden drawer inside.

"This is a letter left to me by the Princess Consort. It was from this letter that I learned the truth."

Gui Yao took the letter; the paper was somewhat worn, and the contents written on it did indeed match what the Prince of Shu and the others had said.

The Prince of Shu added, "We raised that child as our own, and we truly cannot bear to part with him."

But Ayu is right, Boss Zhao is also a pitiful person, and we shouldn't selfishly hide the truth.

"But if you take us away now, we'll be accused of deceiving the emperor. Could you please give us some time, considering how diligently we've raised our child, and allow us to negotiate?"

Gui Yao shook his head. "You should talk to Zhao Mingyue about this."

Zhao Mingyue is the child's mother; Gui Yao should not overstep her bounds.

"Could that young lady keep Ayu's matter a secret for us?"

The Prince of Shu pleaded, "The matter of the soul swap is shocking and unconventional. If people find out, Ayu will likely face certain death."

We have never harmed anyone; we only wish to live a peaceful and long life together. Please grant us your wish, young lady.

Qi Yu immediately knelt down, pleading, "Please grant my request, young lady."

"I'm only looking for the child; the rest is none of my business."

Gui Yao lowered her gaze. She was neither a bodhisattva who saved all living beings, nor an envoy who held sway over human laws.

But all of this is on the premise that the two of them are telling the truth. Her gaze fell on Qi Yu's knees, and a hint of scrutiny appeared in her eyes.

"There is absolutely no lie, otherwise why would we give our children to Boss Zhao?"

The Prince of Shu hurriedly made a guarantee.

Gui Yao nodded. "I will bring Zhao Mingyue to visit you after dawn."

She turned and left, and the Prince of Shu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, quickly reaching out to help his wife up.

Gui Yao suddenly turned her head, "Qi Yu!"

The kneeling person slowly rose, and after a few moments, looked up at Gui Yao, a hint of panic flashing in their eyes. "What is it, young lady?"

"If there were still soul-swapping incense left, would you still be willing to switch back with the Princess Consort?"

Gui Yao turned and walked closer to her, his dark pupils turning into blazing crimson flames.

The Prince of Shu's expression tightened, and he quickly stepped in front of Qi Yu, saying, "This is the Princess Consort's own choice."

"I was asking her."

Gui Yao raised his hand and waved it, and the Prince of Shu was thrown aside by a great force. Just as he was about to get up, a long sword was placed against his neck.

The newcomer's face was covered with a black cloth, but Gui Yao recognized him as Xiao Huaijin just by looking at his bright, star-like eyes.

The hand, which had just been raised halfway, was slowly lowered. With someone's help, every bit of spiritual energy used was precious.

Upon seeing this, Qi Yu cried out in alarm, "Husband!"

He instinctively reached out to protect the Prince of Shu, but Gui Yao blocked his path with outstretched arms, saying, "You haven't answered my question yet."

"Don't hurt him."

Qi Yu's voice trembled, her breath ragged, "If he wants to live, I'm willing."

"Okay, then I'll ask you another question."

Gui Yao stared at him. "Where is the Ghost Market?"

Those fiery red eyes swirled like vortexes, seemingly concealing a captivating power. Qi Yu quickly looked away, not daring to look into those eyes.

"I heard from the Princess Consort that there was a shop in Xinglan Ward that sold imported goods. It would open a ghost market on the first and fifteenth of each month, selling rare and unusual items. Later, when we went to look for it, the shop had closed down and no one knew where it had moved to."

Qi Yu pleaded, "Please don't hurt him. If you have any problems, come at me. We really haven't hurt anyone."

"Even the Prince doesn't know about the Ghost Market, so how could the Princess Consort, a young lady confined to her chambers, possibly know about it?"

Gui Yao pressed further, "Also, how did she know that the Prince was unwilling to marry?"

The Prince of Shu's pupils constricted. He wanted to speak, but he couldn't say anything. With a sword against his neck, he dared not move, his eyes fixed on Qi Yu.

Qi Yu glanced at him as well, "Men and women are different. Although I have met her a few times, I have never been close to her and know nothing about her."

"Yeah?"

Gui Yao raised his hand, lifting the Prince of Shu into the air. Xiao Huaijin then pushed the longsword forward, and bright red blood immediately flowed from the Prince of Shu's neck.

Blood beads slowly gathered along the blade, dripping with a soft "tap" sound.

In the stillness of the night, like a death warrant, the sword only needed to move forward an inch to sever the throat of the Prince of Shu.

Gui Yao's voice was icy cold: "If he utters even half a lie, I will send him to the underworld."

"don't want."

A breeze had picked up outside the window, dimming the candlelight on the bedside table to a tiny flame. Qi Yu's face was streaked with tears. "I'll talk, I'll talk, it was her ex-fiancé who told her."

"What was her ex-fiancé's name? How did he know that the Prince of Shu preferred men?"

Gui Yao bombarded Qi Yu with questions, leaving her pale and feeling as if her bones had been removed.

He knew he couldn't say anything more, but looking at the bright red stain on the Prince of Shu's neck and meeting Gui Yao's bloodshot eyes, he slumped his shoulders.

"Ji Linchuan, his name is Ji Linchuan, he and the Prince of Shu are close friends in private."

Gui Yao sneered, "But you just said you weren't close, so how did you know everything about the Princess Consort?"

"I……"

Qi Yu's lips moved several times, but she couldn't say anything.

Gui Yao suppressed her smile. "Because you were originally the Princess Consort, even though you're imitating a man's sitting posture."

But when the time came, you forgot that Qi Yu, having been well-versed in classical texts since childhood, possessed the talent of a top scholar and would not easily kneel before anyone.

"I...I..."

After much questioning, the Princess Consort finally dared not lie anymore, and her tears flowed even more fiercely.

"I've inquired about your past. Before Ji Linchuan was exiled, you gave yourself to him. Even though you knew he had no future in exile, you still chose to do it. This shows your determination to entrust your life to him."

With such determination, how could she possibly be in a loving relationship with the Prince of Shu?

Gui Yao moved closer to her, "I guess you were pregnant that time, and that's the real reason the Prince of Shu married you, isn't it? Princess Consort!"

"I……"

Gui Yao's aura was too powerful. The Princess Consort staggered backward, her face drained of all color, and she collapsed weakly to the ground.

"The reason you pretended to be possessed by Qi Yu and even produced this old letter was to cover up the truth, because the one who actually had their soul switched was not you."

Gui Yao pointed to the Prince of Shu, "It's him!"

Her face slowly turned to the Prince of Shu, "Ji Linchuan, am I right?"