Shen Qingyun was already upset and had to listen to the Grand Tutor scold him. He really treated him like his teacher.
However, he still had a favor to ask of the Grand Tutor, so he suppressed his temper and said, "I don't know when it was lost. When I opened the secret door today, it was already gone."
Lin Yanxi then understood that the jade talisman had always been hidden in the secret door of the Eastern Palace. It was a pity that she had lived in the Eastern Palace for a long time in her previous life but did not know where the so-called secret door was located.
Even she didn't know where the secret door was, so who stole the jade talisman?
She carefully recalled the outcome of the jade talisman's loss in her previous life. It seemed that the jade talisman was eventually recovered from the border town. She didn't remember more details. At that time, she was an idiot and lived in dire straits, and she didn't care about such things at all.
However, long before the jade talisman was found, Shen Muzhou had already been tortured beyond recognition in prison and had escaped by faking his death after being robbed of prison.
"Crown Prince, you are about to ascend the throne. If such a mistake occurs now, won't it be handing the position to Shen Muzhou? When will you be able to handle things more prudently? I repeatedly warned you, I was afraid that this jade talisman would be coveted by those with intentions."
Shen Qingyun said impatiently, "Since things have come to this, no matter how much more the Grand Tutor says, the jade talisman will not return. It is better to think of a solution together now."
He whispered something to Shen Qingyun, which was inaudible.
Finally, Shen Qingyun said, "This plan will definitely work. Everyone is at the palace banquet, and only Shen Muzhou is absent. Then the suspicion of him losing the item is the greatest. As long as we insist it was him, unless he can find the jade talisman, he will not be able to clear his name even if he jumps into the Yellow River."
Even though Lin Yanxi already knew that Shen Muzhou would be framed, hearing it firsthand still made her feel the wickedness of human hearts, and her hair stood on end.
What was even more infuriating was the Crown Prince, who actually planned such a frame-up and forced her father to be an accomplice.
What about Shen Muzhou...
His fate was sealed from the beginning.
She unconsciously shook her head, shifted her position, and in a moment of distraction, her foot stepped on a broken brick, making a slight sound.
"There's a sound, go and check over there."
The slight sound attracted the personal guards. She quickly ran back the way she came.
The guards searched the area but found no one. They replied from outside the door, "Your Highness, rest assured, there is no one else."
The Grand Tutor then breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Your Highness, some things are either not done at all, or if they are done, they must be done cleanly, and one move should kill the enemy."
---
Shen Muzhou hid under the bed until the people outside left. Then he moved to get out from under the bed.
Huh?
His hand touched a jade stone brick, and the stone brick loosened. It seemed to be a secret compartment. He opened the secret compartment, and inside was a book.
Shen Muzhou sat on a chair holding the book and flipped through it roughly. It was just a book recording the Jiang family's talisman techniques.
Was it necessary to put this book in a secret compartment...
His gaze suddenly fell on three familiar characters - Soul Trapping Talisman.
The Soul Trapping Talisman dissolved in water, was colorless and odorless. If consumed, it would cause the user to become foolish, like a puppet who had lost its soul.
He thought of Lin Yanxi's foolishness before, could it be.......
---
Farmer's Villa.
Lin Yanxi was a bit dejected the entire way in the sedan chair. It was clear that her father had not listened to a word of what she had said to him earlier.
Alas, she had to prepare for both eventualities.
If the Grand Tutor's mansion eventually followed the same path as in her previous life, she had to first save enough money to grease the wheels of relationships and choose a place far from the capital to settle a house for escape.
Yugu in the sedan chair looked sad, with a hint of tears in her eyes whenever she looked at her.
"Is something wrong with mother?"
Yugu then reacted, wiped her tears with a handkerchief, and shook her head, "Madam is well. She just wants to invite the second young lady to the manor to reminisce."
She nodded, guessing that her mother also wanted to mend their relationship and talk to her alone at the manor.
Lin Yanxi got out of the carriage and walked towards the manor. Yugu led her to the entrance of the main courtyard and stopped there, not moving forward.
She didn't understand and took a few steps forward, then looked back. Yugu was hiding behind a pillar, her face tear-streaked.
"Zhaozhao, you're here." Jiang Wan sat in a chair, with two cups of tea on the square table beside her.
Lin Yanxi stood nervously at the door, hesitated for a moment, and then stepped inside. She kept her head down, not speaking, afraid of saying something wrong again and angering her mother.
She pondered for a long time and asked cautiously, "Is mother still angry?"
Her tone was tentative and mixed with caution, terrified of enraging her mother again.
Jiang Wan was slightly startled and motioned for her to sit beside her, saying, "Come, sit next to mother. Mother will not be angry with Zhaozhao."
"Really? I thought, I thought mother didn't like me anymore." She thought of her mother's resolute departure a few days ago, and there was still a knot in her heart, her voice filled with endless melancholy and grievance, making people feel uncomfortable.
She said, trying to appease her, "Mother, I've thought about it. Although you don't want to tell me the reason, if practicing talisman techniques angers you, then I won't practice."
Yes, this was what she had decided a few days ago.
There were many ways to protect the Grand Tutor's mansion. She believed that even without the power of a talisman master, she could change the fate of the Grand Tutor's mansion. Most importantly, she would not do what her mother did not want her to do.
Jiang Wan's complexion was not good, her eye sockets were deeply sunken. Her trembling hand slowly reached out towards Lin Yanxi's cheek, then hesitated, wanting to touch but not daring to.
Seeing this, Lin Yanxi took Jiang Wan's hand and brought her small face closer, rubbing against Jiang Wan's palm and saying, "Mother, let's not argue anymore. I don't want to be separated from mother. I want to stay with mother, okay?"
When she said this, she showed the dependence and coquetry of a daughter towards her mother.
Jiang Wan's heart ached fiercely. Her lips were tightly pressed, and she suppressed a sob with great effort. She said affectionately, "Silly child, mother will not live forever."
The curse master had noticed the Grand Tutor's mansion. She had sensed curses around the Grand Tutor's mansion several times and guessed that someone would come looking for them soon.
The only thing she could do was to use herself to buy a chance for Lin Yanxi.
"Zhaozhao, don't blame mother. It's all for your own good."
Lin Yanxi looked at her mother's tear-filled eyes, not understanding why her mother was looking at her with such sorrow.
Jiang Wan composed herself, looked at the tea on the table, and remained silent for a long time.
She bit her lip, her fingertips digging deeply into her flesh. The pain made her more clear-headed, and she made up her mind, saying, "Zhaozhao, my only wish in this life is for you to be safe and well. If a mother can suffer and fall ill for her child, then the road to the underworld must be filled with all sorts of mothers."
"You must believe me, no matter what I do, mother loves you, and mother is reluctant to part with you."
As she spoke, she was already weeping uncontrollably. Endless pain and despair threatened to consume her. She had to bear it, just like ten years ago. There was no retreat or room for maneuver in this matter.
"Mother, did something happen?" Lin Yanxi was frightened by her mother's appearance.
She noticed that everyone was a bit off today. Normally, she would be accompanied by many people when she went out, but today there was only one sedan chair, and Yugu accompanied her, no one else.
The people in the manor also seemed to have been sent away.
Jiang Wan wiped the tears from her face haphazardly. Fearing that Lin Yanxi would see through her, she adjusted her breathing and said, "Zhaozhao... drink your tea."
Lin Yanxi looked at the tea and then looked at her mother's face with confusion before picking up the teacup.
The tea should have been brewed for some time. It was not hot, just a slightly warm temperature.
She lifted the lid of the tea, brought it to her lips.
Jiang Wan clenched the hem of her skirt in pain. When she saw her about to drink the tea, she subconsciously stopped Lin Yanxi and said, "Zhaozhao."
Lin Yanxi paused her movements and looked at her.
She realized that her behavior was too abnormal and forced a smile with great difficulty, saying, "Zhaozhao, remember your given name. Mother hopes that you will be trapped in darkness and wait for the time of light."
Zhao means light.
As long as she drank the tea with the Soul Trapping Talisman in it, she would become a living dead person and be forever plunged into darkness.
Lin Yanxi hesitated for a moment, then brought the tea to her lips again.
A commotion erupted from the manor.
"You can't come in, you can't come in!" Yugu's voice grew closer and closer.
The door was kicked open with a "bang."
Lin Yanxi was startled and swallowed a mouthful of tea.
Shen Muzhou appeared at the door and flicked a pebble towards the house.
The teacup in Lin Yanxi's hand made a crisp cracking sound, instantly shattering into pieces. The tea flowed onto the ground and slowly formed a small golden-yellow talisman.
Soul Trapping Talisman?
She suddenly understood something, her almond-shaped eyes widened, and she looked at Jiang Wan in disbelief.
"Soul Trapping Talisman!" Jiang Wan shouted and stood up from her chair, muttering, "The Soul Trapping Talisman is gone, all gone."
In her rage, she rushed to Shen Muzhou and questioned him, "You think you are saving her? The Soul Trapping Talisman is gone, her fate is unsolvable, you have harmed her, you have harmed her!"
"Ah—"
Lin Yanxi's head suddenly felt like it was splitting open. She screamed in pain and felt her body unable to exert any strength, collapsing onto the ground. Her soul seemed to be forcibly torn in half. Cold sweat trickled down her forehead.
"I don't want to become an idiot again, I don't want to."
"Save me, don't let me become a fool again."
Why... why did mother do this to her?
She lay on the ground, helpless and terrified. Although she had only drunk a mouthful of the talisman water, she still trembled all over from the pain, shaking like a sieve.
Shen Muzhou directly pushed Jiang Wan away and held Lin Yanxi in his arms. In extreme pain, she bit Shen Muzhou's shoulder and whimpered.
He held her tightly in his arms. His expression remained cold, but there was a hint of heartache in his eyes, a heartache that even he did not notice.
Jiang Wan went mad and used broken porcelain shards to try to collect the tea from the ground and offer it to Lin Yanxi, saying, "Here, drink this. Mother knows it hurts. It won't hurt after you drink it."
"Everything will be alright."
Lin Yanxi's face was as pale as paper, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. She glared at Jiang Wan with hatred, mustering her last bit of strength, and knocked over the porcelain shards in her hand.
She desperately grabbed Jiang Wan's hand and questioned, "So, my years of foolishness were because you gave me this talisman water... is that right?"