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

Outside the palace gate, beside the carriage.

Several horse-drawn carriages were waiting.

Xie Jinchen was injured by the cane and was taken to the carriage by palace servants in a sedan chair, and then helped into the carriage.

Jiang Dusheng and Xie Dai followed closely behind.

He looked at Jiang Dusheng, his tone calm but carrying an unyielding air: "Miss Jiang, I would like to speak with Chen'er alone for a few minutes. Please take the carriage in the back."

Jiang Dusheng nodded without saying anything more, and turned to walk towards the carriage behind him.

She wasn't curious about what Xie Dai and Xie Jinchen were going to talk about.

This Duke of Zhenguo may have once harbored murderous intent towards Xie Jinchen because of his background, but once the compassion he felt during that fire arose, it became like a vine that could never be severed.

Jiang Dusheng was not worried that he would harm Xie Jinchen at this moment.

The carriage curtains were drawn, blocking out the view from the outside world.

The carriage was spacious inside and had thick, soft cushions to reduce bumps.

Xie Jinchen lay sprawled on the soft mat, completely disregarding his image.

The cane was being used on the buttocks, so at that moment one could neither sit nor lie down.

Hearing Xie Dai get into the car, he didn't even raise his head; his voice was muffled by the soft cushions, yet he still maintained his lazy demeanor.

"Thanks, old man."

It was a sentence without a beginning or end, but they both understood each other.

Upon hearing this, Xie Dai chuckled softly, "Not too stupid. You even factored in how I would react to entering the palace today, didn't you?"

Xie Jinchen remained lying down without moving, which was taken as tacit agreement.

His actions today were certainly intended to force Emperor Cangqi to make concessions and teach Shi Qinglian a lesson, but they also had the intention of testing Xie Dai.

If Xie Dai were to stand by indifferently today, or even follow Emperor Cangqi's lead and rebuke him, then Xie Dai would find it difficult to completely clear himself of suspicion regarding the previous ghostly attack.

Over the years, Xie Dai has almost never openly disobeyed Emperor Cangqi's orders.

But today, Xie Dai did not hesitate to confront Emperor Cangqi with such a tough attitude for his sake, even at the cost of deepening Emperor Cangqi's fear of him.

This is enough to show Xie Dai's intention to protect him.

Xie Dai looked at the figure lying on the mat, unusually quiet, with a complex expression.

His back was straight, never truly bent even under torture, much like his younger self, and much like Ah Chu.

The carriage fell silent for a moment, with only the rumbling of wheels on the cobblestone road.

After a long pause, Xie Dai finally spoke slowly, his voice low and deep:

"When I was your age, I also believed that people's hearts could be calculated and worldly affairs could be planned. I thought I could see the game clearly and have my opponent in the palm of my hand. But in the end..."

He paused, not continuing. The painful lessons and helplessness of the past turned into a barely audible sigh and sank into the depths of his heart.

The past cannot be retrieved, nor need it be mentioned again.

He simply cautioned, "Chen'er, while it is certainly a skill to have perfect plans, you must remember that the human heart is the most unpredictable thing, especially the heart of the one sitting at the highest position."

His gaze was deep and unfathomable as he said in a deep voice, "Today he has temporarily yielded due to various concerns, but tomorrow he may suddenly turn against you for other reasons. The heart of an emperor is as deep as the sea; it cannot be relied upon, nor can it be fathomed."

"Therefore... your marriage to Miss Jiang should be arranged as soon as possible."

Xie Jinchen's eyelashes trembled slightly, but he still didn't look up, though he took those words to heart.

There was a moment of silence in the carriage.

Xie Dai suddenly changed the subject, his tone becoming serious and direct: "Over the years, I know you've been secretly investigating, searching for your mother's burial place."

Xie Jinchen's body stiffened for a moment, then relaxed.

He wasn't particularly surprised.

Given Xie Dai's shrewdness and methods, it would be strange if no one had noticed his actions over the years.

He just didn't expect Xie Dai to bring it up at this moment.

Xie Dai's gaze fell into the void, as if piercing through the carriage wall and seeing some scenes he didn't want to see. His voice lowered:

"But I'm also making it clear to you, I will not give her to you. Nor will I give her to anyone else in this world."

Xie Jinchen suddenly raised his head. Although the movement aggravated his injury and made him frown, his eyes suddenly sharpened and shot straight at Xie Dai.

Xie Dai met his cold gaze with a calm expression, even carrying emotions that Xie Jinchen could not fully understand at the moment.

"I know she wants freedom," Xie Dai's voice lowered, as if he were talking to himself, or as if he were speaking to a figure in the void.

"From beginning to end, what she wanted most was freedom, but I couldn't give it to her, this world couldn't give it to her, and that person... couldn't give it to her either."

He paused, his voice resolute, "To be buried with her after death. This is... the only thing I can hold onto about her."

After listening, Xie Jinchen merely gave a cold, mocking smile. "This isn't love, it's bondage, it's possession! Using a skeleton to prove your so-called deep affection."

"You and that woman in the palace are essentially no different. You both only make her restless even in death, and you both make me feel... disgusted."

Upon hearing this, Xie Dai's expression turned somewhat unpleasant, and a hint of pain flashed in his eyes. He stopped looking at Xie Jinchen.

"Think what you want." Xie Dai's voice returned to its usual cold hardness. "I will not back down on this matter."

He stood up, his tall figure casting an oppressive shadow in the carriage.

"I know you don't want to go back to the Duke's mansion right now. In that case, I won't take you back."

After saying that, he didn't linger and raised his hand to knock on the side of the carriage.

The carriage stopped immediately.

Xie Dai lifted the carriage curtain and got out of the car without looking back.

A short while later, the carriage started moving again, leaving Xie Jinchen alone lying on the cushion.

The pain in his buttocks spread belatedly. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and forced himself to calm down.

Xie Jinchen suddenly realized that Jiang Dusheng hadn't come up yet, so he raised his voice slightly and asked the coachman outside, "Is Miss Jiang still in the carriage behind?"

The coachman replied respectfully, "Yes, Your Highness."

Xie Jinchen hummed in response, then buried his face back into the cushion without saying anything more.

That's fine. He's in a bad mood right now, and he's injured. He's also afraid that his bad mood will affect her.

At the entrance of the Jiang residence.

The two carriages stopped one after the other.

Jiang Dusheng got off the carriage behind him first. As soon as he stood up, he heard a familiar yet unfamiliar voice with a hint of concern:

"Dusheng, you're back?"

Jiang Dusheng looked in the direction of the sound and saw Chu Yanzhao standing in front of the Jiang residence, dressed in a moon-white brocade robe and with his hair tied up in a jade crown. He had a gentle smile on his face and was looking at her intently.

Jiang Dusheng raised an eyebrow slightly.

Chu Yanzhao? What's he up to now?

When Chu Yanzhao saw her looking over, he quickly stepped forward, his tone becoming increasingly earnest, even carrying a hint of feigned familiarity and closeness:

"Dusheng, I came to find you as soon as my confinement was lifted." He paused, lowering his voice, "I heard that Jinchen proposed to you? And it even caused a scene in the palace?"

He observed Jiang Dusheng's expression and continued in a considerate tone, "Although our engagement has been given to Wanqing for various reasons, in my heart..."

"Snapped!"

Before he could finish speaking, a celadon teacup suddenly shot out of the window of the carriage next to him and hit him squarely on the forehead.

The porcelain shards shattered, and warm tea mixed with streaks of rapidly seeping bright red blood trickled down Chu Yanzhao's astonished face, instantly ruining his carefully maintained image as a refined gentleman.

"Ah! Who?!" Chu Yanzhao cried out in pain, instinctively covering his burning forehead. He was both shocked and angry, and looked back with a somewhat embarrassed expression.