Xiao Liu continued, "The totem on the broad saber belongs to the Zhen Shan Dao lineage. The Zhen Shan Dao was once a formidable clan. It is said that their broad sabers, when wielded, could shake mountains. However, in recent years, Zhen Shan Dao has gradually declined. Rumor has it that the clan was inexplicably wiped out, and there are no descendants left. How could it appear in the Eastern Palace again?"
Lin Yanxi asked, "Do you know who wiped out their clan?"
Xiao Liu shook his head. "Zhen Shan Dao has almost vanished from the Jianghu in recent years, and no one knows about what happened back then. However, I will have the Dark Night Guard continue investigating."
Xiao Liu paused. "Oh, and Second Miss, the scholar you sent to the Dark Night Guard before—according to Third Miss, she felt dizzy that day. It has now been confirmed that she was drugged. And it is highly likely that the person who drugged her was in the Grand Tutor's mansion."
"Based on this, that scholar should not be the one who offended Third Miss."
This outcome was within Lin Yanxi's expectations. She had suspected it but had no way to find out who drugged her.
Lin Yanxi rubbed her forehead. "But most of the people in the mansion are born servants. Who would drug Ruoyan?"
If all of this was orchestrated by someone behind the scenes, and the scholar was also framed, then if he were released now, the person who framed him would likely kill him. In that case, there would be no evidence.
"Keep the scholar locked up for a few more days. Do not use torture. Provide good food and drink. Release him after we find the person behind the drugging."
Xiao Liu responded with an "Understood" and withdrew from the room.
Shen Muzhou was covered in injuries, and his cheeks seemed even thinner. He had been tortured to this state in just three days. It was hard to imagine how he had survived a year in prison in his past life.
The next day, when Shen Muzhou woke up, he felt a numbness in his left arm, as if it had lost all sensation.
He was startled and looked down. A small, round head was sleepily resting on his arm by the bedside.
A few stray strands of hair on Lin Yanxi's forehead fell across her cheek. Her fair skin was translucent under the morning sun. She seemed to be having a dream, her delicate brows slightly furrowed.
Shen Muzhou looked around the familiar surroundings again. He found the scene before him somewhat unreal.
"Cough, cough, cough." His chest heaved, and he coughed.
Lin Yanxi woke from her dream, suddenly lifting her head, her eyes meeting his.
The man before her had a pair of enchanting peach blossom eyes filled with warmth. There was a small scratch on his face, making him appear fragile and pitiable, like an immortal fallen to the mortal realm, exuding an air of nobility and arrogance.
Lin Yanxi went to pour him a glass of water and handed it to him. "I was worried about your injuries, so I stayed to take care of you for the night."
Shen Muzhou did not speak, merely gazing at her with an unreadable expression.
Lin Yanxi felt a little flustered under his gaze. He did not reach for the cup she offered.
"Okay, okay, actually, it was only half the night..."
Shen Muzhou chuckled and asked, "Half the night?"
Lin Yanxi's face flushed, and she said indignantly, "Do you want water or not?"
Shen Muzhou looked at her innocently. "You were sleeping with your head on my arm. My whole side was numb from being pressed."
Her face turned red, and she huffily fell silent. In reality, she had only taken care of him for about an hour before falling asleep, as she was too tired.
Lin Yanxi applied ointment to Shen Muzhou's face while telling him about the events of the past few days.
He asked, "The Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices—was that your illusion?"
Lin Yanxi nodded and took out a small rattling bell from her waist. "The Soul-Stealing Bell. I found its activation talisman in ancient texts."
"Actually, the Soul-Stealing Bell always leaves a way out in illusions. As long as one recognizes what they truly desire in their heart, that is the way out. For the Minister of the Court, his way out was to acknowledge his sins in the illusion. But in the end, he couldn't face his past actions. He'd rather drive himself insane than confront a clear past."
Shen Muzhou gazed at her. The last time he entered an illusion, he saw Lin Yanxi and Zhaozhao. At a critical moment, he chose to save Lin Yanxi, and then the illusion shattered. It turned out that from that moment on, his way out was her.
Lin Yanxi felt a little shy under his gaze. She put away the rattling bell and told him about Zhen Shan Dao.
Her eyes dimmed slightly, and she said dejectedly, "But the clues only lead this far. Zhen Shan Dao disappeared for many years after their clan was wiped out, leaving no trace."
Shen Muzhou pondered for a moment. "I can go to Wangliang City to gather information. There is a mysterious Zhihai Tower there. The owner of Zhihai Tower knows everything under heaven. We can ask him about the whereabouts of Zhen Shan Dao."
Upon hearing Wangliang City, Lin Yanxi's eyes sparkled again. She asked in surprise, "That underground ghost city? Do you know how to get there?"
Shen Muzhou nodded calmly.
"Then I'm going too. Perhaps there will be news of curse masters there."
As Shen Muzhou stood up from the bed, he accidentally pulled on his wound. He said, "No rush. I've just left the Court of Imperial Sacrifices and need to report to His Majesty first."
"And also... our marriage, though it's fake, we still need to act the part. I will bring betrothal gifts to the Grand Tutor's mansion."
Lin Yanxi suddenly remembered the matter of marriage. Her cheeks flushed slightly as she nodded.
---
For the past two days, Lin Yanxi had been practicing talismans repeatedly according to the ancient book, but the mystic energy within her body still couldn't condense or gather.
She thought of the old man in prison again. Who was he, and how did he know—
On the day Shen Muzhou came to the Grand Tutor's mansion to present betrothal gifts, Lin Ze outwardly disagreed with the marriage, but he still waited in the main hall early in the morning. He sat with a gloomy expression on a carved rosewood armchair.
He sighed from time to time, his brows perpetually furrowed.
When Shen Muzhou arrived, he was empty-handed, with only Xiao Liu following behind him. A row of Dark Night Guard soldiers stood at the outer perimeter.
Madam Xu and Lin Yuan sat to the side, confused. They craned their necks to look outside, wondering if there were more people carrying things behind them who hadn't entered the hall yet.
Seeing that there were indeed no chests of betrothal gifts, they scoffed, "The marriage was bestowed by His Majesty, it should be grand. Yet, there are no betrothal gifts at all."
They covered their mouths with handkerchiefs, unable to hide their smug smiles.
Lin Ze glared at them. Looking at Shen Muzhou, he was instantly annoyed. "Is His Highness the Ninth Prince so disrespectful to my Grand Tutor's mansion? You claim to be here to present betrothal gifts, yet you come empty-handed."
Lin Yanxi sat to the side, appearing indifferent. Since it was all fake anyway, even if he gave the betrothal gifts, she would return them when they achieved their goals and she left the prince's mansion.
This was better; it saved trouble.
She came to Shen Muzhou's aid. "Uh, His Highness the Ninth Prince and I are deeply in love. We don't need to bother with such formalities."
Lin Ze's gaze towards Shen Muzhou became even more venomous. What kind of spell had this brat cast on Zhaozhao?
Madam Xu and Lin Yuan looked at her as if she were an idiot, their gazes filled with mockery and triumph.
"Could it be that you'll have to give back dowry as well? A legitimate daughter of the Grand Tutor's mansion shouldn't be so eager to give herself away? You were raised with good food and drink, and turned out to be a financial drain," Madam Xu taunted without restraint.
Lin Yanxi glared at her, deeming it beneath her to argue.
Shen Muzhou's gaze turned cold. When his smile disappeared, a killing aura emerged.
Even a concubine dared to speak to the legitimate daughter like this, which showed that Lin Yanxi's life in the mansion was not easy.
He glanced back slightly. Xiao Liu nodded and walked towards Madam Xu, drawing his saber and placing it at her throat.
Madam Xu felt a chill at her neck and froze, too terrified to move. Yet, despite this, Xiao Liu's saber was extremely sharp, and the blade still grazed her neck, drawing blood.
If she moved again, the saber would immediately cut her throat.
Lin Yuan was so frightened that she knelt on the ground, begging for mercy for Madam Xu. "Your Highness, swords are blind. Please spare her life."
Madam Xu's eyes welled up with tears as she cast a pleading look at Lin Ze. "Master, save me."
Lin Ze glared at Madam Xu, deliberately waiting for a moment, allowing her to remember her lesson before speaking. "Your Highness, this is not the Dark Night Guard. You are being so rude to my concubine in my Grand Tutor's mansion. Are you disrespecting me, the Grand Tutor?"
Shen Muzhou's gloomy eyes flashed with a chilling smile. He tapped his knuckles idly. "If I didn't respect Grand Tutor, your ugly concubine would have lost her head by now."
"How dare you speak disrespectfully and insult someone from my Mu Prince's mansion, Xiao Liu."
Insulting someone from Mu Prince's mansion.
She repeated his words silently in her heart.
Xiao Liu roughly grabbed Madam Xu's shoulder, his grip seeming strong enough to crush her bones.
"Ah! It hurts so much, Master, Master, save me."
Lin Ze anxiously asked, "What are you doing?"
Shen Muzhou said in a deep voice, "I am just making her remember to be more cautious and prudent when she meets someone from my Mu Prince's mansion in the future."
"Grand Tutor, let's continue."
Madam Xu was dragged into the courtyard. The Dark Night Guards tied her to a large tree and whipped her plump back with thorny branches. With each lash, the flesh on her back trembled.
The servants who came and went could see Madam Xu being forced to hug the tree, bound tightly. The Dark Night Guards swung their whips mercilessly, and her wails and screams could be heard throughout the Grand Tutor's mansion.
Lin Yuan sat in the main hall, listening to Madam Xu's screams. She felt utterly humiliated. With Lin Yanxi now having Shen Muzhou's backing, how could their second branch survive in the mansion?
She had to go find the Crown Prince again. Only by entering the Eastern Palace could she hold her head high in the capital.
Lin Ze saw that Madam Xu's life was not in danger, so he stopped intervening.
Since Madam Xu dared to bully Zhaozhao, she deserved to suffer.
Shen Muzhou took out a stack of papers from his embrace. "This is this Prince's betrothal gift."