Chapter 40

Chapter 40

“Ren Fengjue, what exactly are you trying to say?!”

Ren Fengjue’s words completely enraged Prince Yu, Zhao Xing.

At last, he could no longer restrain himself. Furious, he slammed his hand on the table and shot to his feet, sending tea splashing in every direction.

Even the luminous pearl rolled off the table and fell to the floor, where it suddenly shattered.

But just then, a strange wisp of black energy surged out from within it. It coiled around the rafters, then vanished without a trace.

Zhao Xing had seen it all with his own eyes. He could not help rubbing them…

Beyond the shock, a chill crept up his back.

“Just now, that was…”

Ren Fengjue frowned as well.

Black evil energy again.

He looked toward Prince Yu, Zhao Xing. “Your Highness, you saw it just now too.”

“You saw it too?”

Zhao Xing’s face was filled with disbelief.

Ren Fengjue nodded. “It was a mass of black energy.”

“How could there be something like that inside that pearl…”

How could such a bizarre mass of black energy have been hidden inside it?

While Zhao Xing was still shaken and uncertain, Ren Fengjue asked again, “So, Your Highness, you should believe what I said now, shouldn’t you?”

Zhao Xing said nothing. He sat back down before the tea table and stared at the tea stains on its surface, sinking into thought.

He was deeply conflicted, but he also cherished his life.

“That pearl was actually… presented to me by Ruyan of Hongxiu Pavilion…”

Hongxiu Pavilion was a well-known pleasure house in the capital.

It was unlike ordinary brothels. Most of the Flower Maidens inside had once come from prestigious families-some were descendants of disgraced officials, while others were fallen nobility.

And those in the capital who could afford to visit Hongxiu Pavilion were by no means ordinary pleasure seekers.

Zhao Xing had only one lover at Hongxiu Pavilion, and that person was Ruyan.

They had known each other for many years and were deeply attached to one another.

Prince Yu had once promised that after he married, he would redeem Ruyan from her contract and take her as a concubine.

But Ruyan was, after all, a woman of the pleasure quarters. Zhao Xing had only just been granted an imperial marriage by the Emperor to the legitimate daughter of the Zhuang Family, and he did not want to expose their relationship before the wedding.

At this thought, Zhao Xing’s expression turned rather ugly.

Ren Fengjue, however, remained unruffled. He only asked, “Then do you know how Ruyan obtained it?”

Such a precious item would be extravagant even for a Flower Maiden who commanded enormous sums.

Yet after obtaining such a rare treasure, she had thought to present it to Prince Yu. That alone showed the depth of her affection.

Zhao Xing shook his head. “She never said. And after I brought it back to the prince’s residence, I casually tossed it to one of my attendants.”

“It was only before leaving today that I hurriedly had the servants dig it out. I didn’t know… something like this would happen.”

At this point, he seemed somewhat embarrassed.

No wonder he had refused to admit it earlier.

Ren Fengjue had more or less reached a conclusion. “I will continue investigating this matter.”

“Wait.”

Zhao Xing looked awkward. He suddenly caught hold of him. “About me and Miss Ruyan of Hongxiu Pavilion… could you perhaps not tell anyone?”

Ren Fengjue naturally understood his concerns.

The most important thing was that Miss Zhuang could not be allowed to find out.

Otherwise, with her temperament, even if she did not go looking for trouble with Ruyan, she would certainly run to Empress Zhang’s palace and cry her heart out.

If the matter then reached Emperor Qingkang, he would likely be even more disappointed in this son of his.

Ren Fengjue said calmly, “Your Highness should avoid places like Hongxiu Pavilion from now on. Miss Zhuang finding out would be a small matter. If you truly run into evil energy, your life may be at risk.”

At these words, Zhao Xing shuddered all over. This time, he truly did not dare disbelieve him.

Then, thinking of what Xia Ximo had said earlier, he was so frightened that he hurriedly promised, “I will never go there again!”

After leaving the flower hall, Zhao Xing’s expression was strange, and his eyes were panicked. Clearly, the lingering shock had not yet faded.

He called Pei Yong over and asked, “That day at Tianxiang Pavilion, what exactly did that woman say to you?”

Pei Yong was still shaken as well, but he answered truthfully, “She… told me to find a Taoist priest to exorcise Miss Zhuang…”

“Once we leave the palace, go find one at once.”
Pei Yong froze for a moment at those words, then answered hesitantly, “Y-yes!”

Afraid that blockhead of his still wouldn’t understand, Zhao Xing quickly added, “Remember, you’re finding them to perform an exorcism for me!”

“…”

Pei Yong was utterly shocked. His mouth opened and closed, but in the end, he could only brace himself and accept the task.

–

By the time they returned from the palace banquet, dusk had already fallen.

Xia Ximo had not said a single word the entire way back.

It seemed she truly was a woman of her word. If she did not want to involve herself in something, she would not ask even one extra question.

But the more she acted this way, the more Ren Fengjue found himself wanting to talk to her.

“Earlier, in the flower hall, that bead shattered…”

Xia Ximo, who had been resting with her eyes closed, seemed not to hear him at all. She did not even lift her eyelids.

Ren Fengjue continued, “At the time, I saw a wisp of black qi escape from inside it. I suppose that was the ‘Baleful Qi’ you mentioned.”

“…”

“You said before that Minister Meng had a dark shadow pass through his body. Is it possible the two are connected?”

At that, she finally opened her eyes.

Beneath the deepening twilight, those black eyes looked even colder and darker.

“The ‘thing’ that killed Meng Zhiyuan is far from as simple as you imagine.”

“It is one thing for you to investigate cases in the mortal world.”

“But when it comes to ghosts, I advise you to meddle less.”

Ren Fengjue paused slightly.

He thought to himself that even if it had been done by a ghost, that did not necessarily mean it had nothing to do with people…

Just like Meng Zhiyuan’s death. It seemed far more like some secret scheme by someone who wanted to prevent the grain transport route map from reaching His Majesty’s hands.

Although he had already explained everything clearly to His Majesty, in his view, the case was only partly complete.

A more important part had yet to surface.

The carriage stopped then. Axia lowered the step and indicated that they had arrived at the Ren Residence.

Seeing that Xia Ximo was about to rise and get out, Ren Fengjue deliberately stretched his body, his long legs blocking her path squarely.

Then, all of a sudden, he asked her in return, “If a ghost kills someone, am I not allowed to investigate?”

“You can.”

Xia Ximo cast a cold glance at his legs, then simply stepped right over them.

“Just remember to find someone to collect your corpse.”

“…”

–

A lamp was lit inside the East Courtyard Guest Room. Tianqing was sitting by the door, dozing.

Only when she heard footsteps did she slowly wake.

“Miss, you’re back?”

“Mm.”

Xia Ximo walked inside. Her gaze swept casually over the room, only to find the windowsill filled with potted plants.

They were all seasonal flowers and grasses. Even in this cold winter, there was a bright scattering of red and green.

Tianqing explained, “This servant bought them at the market during the day. Does Miss like them?”

Xia Ximo walked to the window. The moon had just risen, its clear light spilling over the room, and beneath that glow, one of the begonias looked oddly colored.

She brushed the petals with her fingers, and the flower stalk trembled softly.

“Where did you buy this pot of flowers?”

Tianqing took a look and said, “They were all bought from the same place, but this one…”

“Eh?” She also seemed puzzled. “Why is there an extra one?”

At that moment, there were four begonias on the windowsill altogether: two white, two red.

She remembered buying only three during the day-two white and one red. The red one had been a pale red tinged with pink.

But now, for no reason at all, there was an extra one, a vivid scarlet. Under the moonlight, its red looked strangely bewitching.

Xia Ximo instructed, “Put it in the courtyard for now.”

Tianqing assumed she did not like it and immediately carried the flower away.

Just then, Wuyou appeared, floating on the windowsill. It peered outside, seeming somewhat bewildered.

“I think I smelled the aura of a ghost, but something feels a little off…”

Xia Ximo turned and went back into the room, saying lightly, “We’ll know later.”