ATMIWPT Chapter 15 The Body Has Perished and the Soul Has Dissipated

As if she had heard the answer she wanted, Madam Qin stood up in high spirits, stretching lazily with a relaxed expression. “Good. Leave the rest to me.”

All the land under heaven belonged to the emperor.

She had never wanted her daughter to be entangled with the imperial family, yet no matter how much she tried to avoid it, fate would not allow escape.

Even if one chose not to fight, not to compete, there would always be forces pushing them forward.

The Marquis of Zhongyi’s household was destined to be caught in the tides of power.

She had known the Crown Prince for years. His character was evident to her—he was a man without equal in this world.

If Yaoyao married him, it would indeed be a good match.

Qin Muyao shook her head, refusing outright. “Mother, I only hold respect for His Highness, nothing more—”

Before she could even finish, Madam Qin had already turned and left, moving as swiftly as a shifting shadow.

Qin Muyao’s face darkened with despair.

Bang—

The jade pendant suddenly fell to the ground without warning. At the same time, Xiao Mu’s ethereal figure drifted into the room, her soul floating lightly in the air.

Qin Muyao’s thoughts were interrupted as she turned sharply toward the spirit. “Xiao Mu!”

Xiao Mu hovered in place, staring blankly at Qin Muyao.

Her face was pale, her black robes flowing loosely over her frail frame, long hair cascading down her shoulders.

Qin Muyao frowned. Was it just her imagination, or had Xiao Mu changed?

They had once looked identical, indistinguishable from one another. But now, she could clearly see the difference.

Xiao Mu’s appearance was shifting, gradually transforming into someone else entirely.

Qin Muyao murmured to herself, “Strange… A spirit should always retain the form they had at the moment of death. Why is she changing?”

Unless—

Unless the Xiao Mu she had seen before had never been in her true form at all.

Now that the body has perished and the soul has dissipated, the original appearance has been restored.

But… Xiao Mu had been just an ordinary person.

Without a word, Xiao Mu glanced at Qin Muyao, then slowly raised her hand and pointed toward a wooden chest in the corner. The next moment, she vanished into thin air.

Following the direction of Xiao Mu’s gesture, Qin Muyao’s gaze landed on the wooden chest. Understanding that Xiao Mu was trying to tell her something, she quickly walked over and rummaged through it.

Inside, she pulled out a painting.

The portrait depicted none other than the Third Prince, Fu Kuangze.

However, he appeared much younger in the painting, seemingly around five or six years old.

Qin Muyao examined the painting carefully, yet nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

After some thought, she decided to bring it to Fu Hanzhou. Perhaps he could make sense of it.

…

At the Crown Prince’s Residence.

Fu Hanzhou cast a brief glance at the painting before speaking unhurriedly, “This prince understands.”

Qin Muyao stared at him, utterly perplexed. “What do you mean you understand? Understand what?”

Fu Hanzhou tossed the painting aside, his tone as steady as ever. “When he was young, Fu Kuangze once saved Xiao Mu from bandits.”

Realization dawned upon Qin Muyao. “So… this was a life-saving favor she never forgot.”

But then, a question surfaced in her mind, one that made no sense. “If that’s the case, why did Fu Kuangze send people to kill Xiao Mu?”

It didn’t add up.

What benefit was there for him in the death of the legitimate daughter of the Marquis of Zhongyi’s residence?

Fu Hanzhou remained silent.

Qin Muyao rubbed her chin, deep in thought. Then, as if piecing together a puzzle, she proposed, “Your Highness, could it be that he wanted Xiao Mu dead so that his own shadow guard could impersonate her? That way, he could infiltrate the Marquis’ residence, gather intelligence, or even manipulate them into working for him?”

The more she considered it, the more plausible it seemed.

After all, wasn’t Liu Fangya a perfect example of such schemes?

Tsk, tsk. That Third Prince Fu Kuangze truly had a treacherous mind.

However, Fu Hanzhou merely raised a sharp brow, his indifferent expression unchanged as he refuted calmly, “Impossible.”

——