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

Li Dequan had served Emperor Cangqi for many years and knew his master's temperament well.

Seeing his current state, she knew that if she continued to persuade him, not only would the Xie family father and son be spared, but she herself would likely be killed without a trace.

He immediately banged his head on the ground, the force so great that his forehead instantly became red and swollen.

"This old servant has misspoke! This old servant deserves to die! Your Majesty, please calm your anger! Your health is of utmost importance!"

Seeing the guards and Li Dequan leave the imperial study, Emperor Cangqi's chest heaved violently, and it took him a while to calm down, but his face was still terribly gloomy.

He leaned on the imperial desk, feeling waves of dizziness and overwhelming fatigue wash over him.

Recently, he has been feeling inexplicably tired and often feels sleepy when handling government affairs.

Despite sleeping longer, I still feel exhausted when I wake up, and my emotions are easily volatile, prone to outbursts of anger, and difficult to control.

A short while later, Li Dequan returned, carrying a cup of ginseng tea at just the right temperature. He carefully presented the teacup and whispered:

"Your Majesty, please have some ginseng tea to calm your nerves. Your health is of utmost importance."

He paused, observing Emperor Cangqi's expression, and continued to probe, his voice even lower:

"This servant has noticed that you seem rather sleepy and fatigued lately. Your Majesty is extremely busy with state affairs; perhaps you are overworking yourself. Perhaps... later in the evening, I should summon the imperial physician to take your pulse and prescribe some nourishing remedies to help you recover?"

As for his irritable temperament, Li Dequan dared not utter a single word about it.

Emperor Cangqi rubbed his temples in frustration, took the teacup, and took a sip.

The slightly bitter ginseng tea slid down my throat, and my cold limbs seemed to warm up a little, which also cleared my muddled mind somewhat.

Emperor Cangqi also noticed the abnormality in his body and emotions, but with internal and external troubles at the moment, he dared not easily trust anyone.

After a moment of silence, he gave a muffled reply, his voice weary: "Mm. When it gets late, have Judge Wang come over quietly."

"Remember, enter through the side gate of the west wing, and do not disturb anyone, especially... the people in the Empress's and Consort's palaces."

Wang Yuanpan was a trusted confidant whom he had secretly supported since he was a prince. He was skilled in medicine but also knew how to keep his mouth shut. He was one of the few people he could still trust to some extent.

"Yes, Your Majesty. This servant understands and will arrange everything properly." Li Dequan quickly agreed, bowed, and retreated into the shadows as if he did not exist.

The imperial edict arrived at the inn where Xie Jinchen and Jiang Dusheng were resting the next morning.

Outside the courtyard gate, the imperial eunuch, dressed in palace robes and holding a whisk, was followed by a troop of cold-faced imperial guards.

One of them held a bright yellow scroll, which looked particularly dazzling in the morning light.

Inside the door, however, all was quiet.

"Your Highness, please come out to receive the imperial decree!"

The eunuch's high-pitched voice rang out from outside the door, calling out three times in a row.

Inside the room, Xie Jinchen was casually wearing a dark-colored outer robe with the collar loose, and was sitting lazily on a round stool in front of the dressing table.

He held a comb in his hand, casually combing Jiang Dusheng's waterfall-like black hair. His movements were slightly clumsy but unusually focused, as if the shouts outside the door had nothing to do with him.

Jiang Dusheng sat upright in front of the mirror, dressed in a simple moon-white nightgown, his expression calm, even with his eyes slightly closed, letting him play with his hair.

"This young master is still recovering from serious injuries and has caught a cold. I am dizzy and weak, and cannot get out of bed." Xie Jinchen's voice finally drifted out slowly through the door, carrying just the right amount of weakness, and even mixed with two low coughs:

"Your Excellency can read it from outside. This young master... cough cough, I can hear you."

The eunuch delivering the imperial decree stiffened, a hint of barely concealed anger flashing in his eyes.

He came on imperial orders, representing the majesty of the emperor. He has never been treated with such disrespect.

But remembering the young master's past infamous reputation, they ultimately did not dare to order their men to force their way in.

He took a deep breath, took the imperial edict, unfolded it, and read it aloud in his distinctive tone.

Inside the door, Xie Jinchen listened to the rhythmic recitation, but his hands did not stop; he even tried to tie Jiang Dusheng's hair into a bun.

His brows furrowed slightly, his expression so focused it was as if he were deducing military formations, his fingertips tangling with his hair, appearing somewhat clumsy yet unwilling to give up.

After the eunuch finished reading and left dejectedly with his men, he was finally able to let go of his grip.

"All done." Xie Jinchen put down the comb, took a half step back, and examined his masterpiece with considerable satisfaction. He even said with a hint of pride, "Am I a genius? My first attempt at styling hair has turned out quite well."

Jiang Dusheng slowly raised his eyes and looked at the bronze mirror in front of him.

The person in the mirror had hair that looked like clouds... well, it really couldn't be called clouds.

Her hair was tied up crookedly, with a few stray strands sticking out unruly, and a jade hairpin was inserted at an angle, as if it might fall off at any moment.

Her lips twitched, and she slowly turned her head to look at Xie Jinchen behind her, who was expecting praise. She spoke with a forced smile:

"Xie Jinchen, say that again?"

Xie Jinchen met her kind yet somewhat eerie gaze, and his Adam's apple bobbed involuntarily.

He raised his hand to touch the tip of his nose, his eyes darting around for a moment, before forcing himself to speak:

"I...I think it's great. It has a unique charm."

Jiang Dusheng was too lazy to argue with him. She raised her hand and decisively undid the crooked bun. Her black hair cascaded down like a waterfall, brushing over her shoulders and falling to her waist.

As she ran her fingers through her long hair, she steered the conversation back to the main topic, her tone calm:

"His decree clearly intends to trap you in Qingzhou, and perhaps even more. Are we really going to walk right into a trap?"

Xie Jinchen didn't seem to mind that she had taken off her hair bun. He casually toyed with a jade hairpin. Upon hearing this, he raised an eyebrow, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes: "Walking into a trap? Not at all."

He leaned forward slightly, closer to Jiang Dusheng, and lowered his voice, saying, "The Prefect of Qingzhou, Cui Yan. Do you know who he is?"

Jiang Dusheng shook his head.

Xie Jinchen's lips curled into a meaningful smile. "He is Ruan Guyan's cousin, the most outstanding member of the Cui family in this generation."

"Back then, I stayed at the Cui family's house for a period of time to learn martial arts. I was also his classmate for a while. I wouldn't say we were brothers, but we understood each other's temperaments quite well."

He paused, his fingertips unconsciously twirling the jade hairpin, his tone now carrying a hint of certainty:

"This man values ​​loyalty and is capable. He is neither a bookish pedant nor a blindly loyal fool who cannot distinguish right from wrong. He has his own sense of justice and values ​​the peace and tranquility of the people in the region."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Dusheng's eyes lit up, and he instantly understood his intention: "You mean..."

"Perhaps we can turn the tables and turn him against us," Xie Jinchen continued, lowering his voice even further. "Or... at least, keep him neutral."

Jiang Dusheng nodded. Thinking of Ruan Guyan, her tone softened: "If she really went to Qingwu City, Miss Ruan could meet her family. The departure from the city was rushed that day, and I wonder what became of Chu Yanzhao in the end."

Upon hearing this, Xie Jinchen chuckled softly, looking at her with a hint of mockery in his eyes: "I know."

He paused, deliberately keeping everyone in suspense, "Ask me."

Jiang Dusheng glanced at him sideways, stood up, and walked towards the bed in the inner room, intending to pack some personal belongings. His tone was indifferent:

"Suddenly, I don't really want to know anymore."