The Dark Moonlight returns to the capital, and the mad prince is accused of forcing love.

Old Huang gripped the short blade and walked forward step by step.

The wet soles of the shoes made a sticky sound as they stepped on the ground.

The old lady wrapped the quilt tightly around herself and desperately tried to shrink into the corner of the bed, her back slamming heavily against the carved wooden board.

"Are you out of your mind!" The old lady's voice was hoarse as she pointed at Xu Qianhui's nose. "I've treated you well, never skimping on your food, clothing, or anything else. How can you repay kindness with such ingratitude? Aren't you afraid of being struck by lightning?!"

"Tit for kindness?" Xu Qianhui chuckled. "Madam, what kindness have you shown me?"

"You want me to thank that old bastard for killing my brother?"

The old lady was stunned and greatly shocked, then she gripped the quilt tightly with both hands.

"You're slandering me! Your brother clearly ran away from the Duke's mansion on his own back then, and the entire mansion went looking for him. You didn't keep a good eye on him, and now you're trying to pin the blame on the mansion? You're dreaming!"

"Bullshit!" Xu Qianhui stood up and approached the bed, staring intently at the old lady. "I heard you talking to the steward with my own ears. You said that old bastard, without any sense of propriety, had another one killed, and ordered the steward to throw the person into a mass grave, not even giving them a tattered straw mat!"

The old lady avoided eye contact, not daring to look her in the eye.

Xu Qianhui gritted his teeth and spoke word by word.

"Six months after I entered the manor, my aunt, fearing that I might have second thoughts, specially brought Zhiyi, who was only twelve years old, into the manor. Unexpectedly, the old Duke bumped into him in the garden and took him directly to the outer courtyard."

"And I happened to overhear your conversation with the butler!"

The next day, Xu Qianhui asked Uncle Wang for the Frost Grass.

The old lady was breathing heavily, her withered chest heaving.

"That's because your brother was unlucky!"

"Every wrong has its perpetrator, and every debt its debtor! This can't be blamed on me!"

"Do you think I've had it easy these past few decades? He's a homosexual who's never even touched me. He married me just for show! I had to cover up his shameful fetishes and manage the entire Duke's mansion. Do you think it was easy for me? If you're talking about hatred, you can't even hate me!"

Old Huang couldn't listen anymore.

He lunged forward, the short blade in his hand pressed against the old lady's neck.

"You're not feeling well? You're a vicious woman!" Veins bulged on the back of his hand, and Old Huang's eyes were bloodshot. "My son was only eight years old when he died! It was you! You, this vicious woman, who personally sent him to that beast's bed! You used my son's life to save face for your mistress!"

Hearing Old Huang's sorrowful voice, Xu Qianhui closed her eyes and took a breath.

When she opened her eyes again, there was no trace of emotion in them.

She stepped back two steps to make room.

"Old Huang, thank you for your hard work."

Old Huang shouted loudly, gripped the knife handle tightly with both hands, and stabbed it down forcefully.

Blood spurted out, staining half of the bed curtains red.

The old lady's eyes were wide open, her mouth agape but no sound came out.

After a few spasms, she collapsed in a pool of blood, completely still.

Old Huang pulled out his knife, collapsed to the ground, covered his face, and wailed loudly.

"Dead...heh, dead..."

"Little rascal, your father has finally avenged you..."

"In my next life, I don't want to be my father's son again..."

Xu Qianhui stepped forward, took out Fu's gold hairpin from her wide sleeve, and put it into the old lady's hand.

He then forcefully clenched his withered fingers, creating the illusion that he was tightly gripping the murder weapon before his death.

After doing all this, she picked up the lantern from the small table beside her bed.

"This place is not safe to stay any longer, let's go."

Old Huang got up from the ground and wiped the blood off his face with his sleeve.

The two pushed open the door and disappeared into the pitch-black night.

......

The rain fell all night and had not stopped when dawn broke.

The stagnant water in the courtyard of Ci'an Hall was a murky yellow.

The maids and servants under the eaves gradually woke up, all of them feeling dizzy and disoriented.

"How come you slept so soundly last night?"

An old woman rubbed her neck and walked into the inner room.

Pushing open the door, a strong smell of blood assaulted my senses.

The old woman frowned and called out "Madam" twice.

No one answered.

She walked around the screen to the bedside and peeked inside.

The bed curtains were torn to shreds.

The old lady lay in a pool of dark red blood, with a gaping hole in her neck.

His eyes were fixed on the ceiling.

"Someone's dead—"

A terrified scream pierced the rain.

The old woman's legs went weak, her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed to the ground.

Pine and Cypress Courtyard.

Lin Zuoqing was being helped by Qingyan to put on his scarlet official robes.

The courtyard gate was violently flung open, and Qing Shu stumbled and crawled inside.

"Young Master! Something's happened! At Ci'an Hall... the Old Madam is gone!"

Lin Zuoqing stopped what he was doing, pushed Qingyan aside, and strode down the steps.

Explain yourself.

"He's been murdered! The bed is covered in blood!"

Lin Zuoqing didn't take an umbrella and rushed straight into the rain.

When they arrived at Ci'an Hall, it was already in complete chaos.

The maids and servants knelt on the ground, their cries shaking the heavens.

Lin Zuoqing pushed through the crowd and strode straight into the inner room.

The smell of blood was so strong it made me want to vomit.

He walked to the bedside and looked at the old lady lying on the couch in a terrible state of death.

My grandmother, who was cursing me last night, is now a cold corpse.

Lin Zuoqing lowered his gaze.

The old lady clenched her right fist tightly, with a piece of gold jewelry peeking out from between her fingers.

He bent down and forcefully pried open her stiff fingers.

A Roland gold hairpin inlaid with green jade fell into the palm of the hand.

The tip of the gold hairpin was still stained with dark red blood.

Lin Zuoqing stared intently at the object in his hand.

He had seen this hairpin countless times.

This is my mother's favorite hairpin.

The old lady died tragically while holding Fu's hairpin; the answer is obvious.

Lin Zuoqing clenched his fist, the hairpin prickling his palm.

"Seal off the courtyard; no one is allowed to approach it."

He coldly ordered Qing Shu, who had followed him.

He then turned around and strode towards the main courtyard.

The main courtyard was silent.

The maids and old women guarding the gate had disappeared.

Lin Zuoqing stepped onto the corridor through the stone steps, preparing to push open the door.

The Duke's hoarse and weary voice came from inside.

"What are you making a scene about now? No matter what, your mother is still an elder."

Lin Zuoqing stopped what he was doing, his hand hovering in mid-air.

Fu's sharp voice followed immediately.

"An elder? She's pushing me too far now, even harming A-Qing. What kind of elder am I still considering her?"

After a sharp "snap," the Duke coughed a few times.

"You should stay away from her."

"I provoked her?" Madam Fu sneered. "You hide in this main courtyard every day, have you ever bothered with anything that happens outside?"

"Shut up, you stupid woman!"

Fu ignored them and stopped pacing back and forth in front of the window.

"What? Did I say something wrong? She's your mother, she ruined your son, and you're just cowering here like a turtle, not daring to utter a single word. What use are you anyway?!"

After another moment of silence, the Duke lowered his voice.

"Fine, fine. We've been married for decades, so I'll tell you."

"I knew I wasn't my mother's biological child when I was very young. Back then, she had a hard time getting by in the household. To save face, she gave an eight-year-old boy to my father, and only then did he agree to let her fake a pregnancy and bring the child over to raise."

"The child who was brought here was me."