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

"what!"

As Emperor Cangqi listened to this cruel truth, he realized that his lifelong obsession, his madness, and the sins he had committed were all a complete deception.

It was a pretext used by the late emperor to protect the real princess and to lull the world into a false sense of security.

The real princess, however, has long since changed her name and may have already married and had children.

Anger and resentment caused Emperor Cangqi to cough up another mouthful of blood, his vision blurred, and he almost fainted.

His throat could only utter incoherent hoarse sounds as he glared venomously at Xie Dai and Xie Jinchen.

Xie Dai no longer looked at Emperor Cangqi, who was lying on the bed, barely breathing from anger.

He turned his gaze to Xie Jinchen, who stood silently to the side.

He looked into Xie Jinchen's eyes, which resembled his mother's, and his tone softened:

"Chen'er, I know you still have many questions in your heart, about your mother, about everything in the past."

Xie Dai paused, his gaze sweeping over Xie Jinchen, then over Jiang Dusheng beside him, a hint of relief flashing in his eyes:

"I will tell you everything after you get married. Now... it's not the right time."

After saying that, he turned around and prepared to leave through the side door he had come in through.

"stop!"

Xie Jinchen suddenly stepped forward, grabbed Xie Dai's arm tightly, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force. "Explain yourself now."

He had waited too long, investigated too long, and was eager to know everything.

Xie Dai stopped in his tracks, without turning around, but simply patted Xie Jinchen's hand that was tightly gripping his arm.

He chuckled softly, but there was little joy in his laughter, only endless vicissitudes:

"Silly child," Xie Dai said with a sigh, "some things, some truths, need to be said together in a suitable place, to the right people who should hear them."

He finally turned around and faced Xie Jinchen.

The father and son were of similar height, but their faces did not resemble each other.

We are face to face now, our eyes meeting.

Xie Dai's eyes were churning with too many emotions that Xie Jinchen could not fully comprehend at this moment.

"Once you're married, take your wife to Qingzhou, to your mother's resting place."

"There, I will tell you everything that happened, word for word. This is my promise to your mother, and also an explanation to myself."

Xie Jinchen and Xie Dai stared at each other for a long time. Finally, Xie Jinchen held Xie Dai's hand and slowly released his grip.

He understood the persistence in Xie Dai's eyes and heard the unwavering determination in his words.

Xie Dai turned his gaze to Jiang Dusheng, who had been standing quietly to the side.

The hard lines on his face softened slightly, revealing a genuine smile. He nodded slightly, and his voice became much gentler.

"They're a perfect match."

After saying that, he didn't linger. He turned around and strode into the shadows of the side door, disappearing quickly as if he had never been there.

Xie Jinchen stood there, gazing in the direction where he had disappeared, remaining motionless for a long time.

He suddenly realized that he had never truly understood Xie Dai.

A brief silence fell over the hall, broken only by Emperor Cangqi's heavy breathing.

At this moment, the palace door was gently pushed open, and Chu Jingyu walked in.

He first glanced at the dying Emperor Cangqi on the dragon bed, his brows furrowing slightly. Then he walked to the bedside, personally straightened the emperor's slumped body, and pulled the brocade quilt over him.

"Father was so enraged that he suffered a stroke and became mute, confined to bed and needing to rest." Chu Jingyu's voice was calm, as if he were stating something unrelated to himself.

He turned to Xie Jinchen and Jiang Dusheng, clearly making a well-thought-out arrangement, and continued:

"Ah Chen, according to the rules, during the period of national mourning, weddings and celebrations must be prohibited for at least a year. I will use the best medicine to keep him alive."

Chu Jingyu paused, then looked at Xie Jinchen, "Your marriage must be arranged as soon as possible."

Seeing Xie Jinchen's brows furrow slightly, as if he had doubts, he added, "Although on the surface, the Duke has already died for his country."

"But I will issue a final decree in the name of my father, while he is still lucid, saying that... he feels his time is coming to an end and his only wish is to see his only nephew get married, start a family, and have many children."

"Now that I am seriously ill, I only wish to fulfill this wish so that I can die in peace. In this way, your hasty marriage will have a legitimate reason, and even if others have doubts, they will find it difficult to object."

Jiang Dusheng listened quietly, his expression remaining largely unchanged.

She didn't care much about worldly etiquette; as long as she could be with the person she loved, the form didn't matter.

Moreover, both of her masters happened to be in Changling City at that moment.

She nodded slightly, which could be considered as acquiescence.

Xie Jinchen had no objection.

He had waited far too long for this moment when he could rightfully be with Jiang Dusheng.

From sharing life and death to now having everything settled down, he has long recognized her as the only one for him in this life.

Although Chu Jingyu's arrangements were hasty, they were well-thought-out.

"Okay," Xie Jinchen replied in a deep voice.

Chu Jingyu nodded: "Time is short. How about fifteen days from now? Although we can't be extremely extravagant, the proper etiquette can't be too simple. We can't wrong Miss Jiang."

"I will have the Ministry of Rites and the Imperial Household Department assist in the preparations, and all procedures and expenses will be handled according to the highest standards."

Xie Jinchen looked at Jiang Dusheng, and seeing that she did not object, he nodded again: "Okay."

On the third day of wedding preparations, the new emperor, Chu Jingyu, officially ascended the throne and granted a general amnesty.

At the same time, two imperial edicts quickly spread throughout the court and the country: Xie Dai was posthumously honored as the Loyal and Brave Martial King, and his son Xie Jinchen inherited the title, was promoted to Duke of Zhenguo, and was granted a tiger tally.

Jiang Dusheng was appointed as the Imperial Preceptor. Although he did not have a clear rank, he held a superior position and enjoyed the right not to bow to the emperor.

Changling City was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, sweeping away the gloom of the past.

The people celebrated the new emperor's ascension to the throne and looked forward to his new policies. Discussions abounded in the streets and alleys, mostly filled with praise.

However, amidst this festive atmosphere, some members of the Jiang family couldn't sit still.

After the new emperor ascended the throne, he did not show any special care for Jiang Mao and his two sons, but instead subtly suppressed them.

Now, seeing that Jiang Dusheng, with whom he had severed ties, has risen to the position of a highly respected imperial advisor, he is trying to rekindle their relationship and curry favor with him.

As a result, Jiang Dusheng's house became quite lively for a time.

People came to have their fortunes told by Jiang Dusheng, while others came specifically to see the commotion at the Ministry of Rites' residence, crowding around Jiang Dusheng's house.

On the roof of the backyard of the Jiang residence, Huiming and Xuanji Zhenren sat side by side.

One man held a gourd of wine, while another munched on a roast chicken, enjoying the commotion at the entrance of the Jiang residence from afar.

Master Xuanji took a swig of wine, wiped his mouth, and said with disdain, "Tsk, those noisy flies from the Jiang family are here again. You old bald monk, you were the one who saved him back then to repay a favor to Old Master Jiang."

"It's true we've gained a good apprentice, but unfortunately her parents are a bunch of clueless idiots. You owe them a favor, so go and settle things with them."

Upon hearing this, Huiming immediately put down the half-eaten roast chicken leg, his eyes widened, and his white beard stood on end in anger:

"Amitabha! Excellent, excellent! Why should this old monk go? That favor from back then has long been repaid!"

"Besides, how can an old monk like me deal with those worldly troublemakers? No way!"

Master Xuanji slammed his wine gourd onto the roof tile and rolled his eyes dramatically: "Hey! You're a monk, so does that mean I'm just a layman?"

"I, an old Daoist, roam freely between heaven and earth, and I despise all this nonsense about kinship ties! The new emperor has ascended the throne, and the Jiang family is being suppressed both openly and covertly. Only now do they remember the good deeds of our disciple? Where were they before? Humph, what a bunch of idiots! I'm not going either!"

The two old men, whose combined age was nearly two hundred, stared at each other on the rooftop, each trying to pass the buck, neither willing to get involved in the trouble.

Suddenly, Master Xuanji's eyes darted around.

I spotted Wang Dazhuang hiding in the shadows of the corner, his backside sticking out towards the well, studying his paper doll body—hand-drawn by Master Xuanji and blessed by Huiming—with great curiosity.

Master Xuanji chuckled and nudged Huiming with his elbow: "Hey, you old bald monk, look over there, how about... we send that idiot over there?"

Huiming followed his gaze and saw Wang Dazhuang. He immediately understood what Xuanji Zhenren meant, his eyes lit up, and his wrinkles beamed with joy as he nodded repeatedly.

"Brilliant! This plan is brilliant! Wang Dazhuang! Come here, this old monk and the master have a fun task for you."