The familiar talisman paper and the rare way it was applied—Eldest Prince recognized it at a glance.

“I know,” he said slowly.

Don’t ask him how he knew. If you must ask—experience is the best teacher.

He learned this lesson at the cost of half his life.

Pei Jian knocked his head to the ground three times in a row. “I beg Your Highness to tell me!”

Knowing the person behind this was crucial—he wanted to take the entire Astronomical Bureau to seek this master as their teacher.

Then no one would dare spread rumors that their bureau was full of swindling old Taoists.

Pei Jian had already begun to fantasize—once he mastered this skill, wouldn’t everyone have to call him “Master Pei” in admiration?

The Crown Prince was also curious.

Who was this person that even Pei Jian, the second-in-command of the Astronomical Bureau, praised so highly?

All eyes fell on the Eldest Prince.

He opened his mouth and said, “Jiang Yuanxi drew it.”

The air fell into complete silence.

Pei Jian was in disbelief. “Who did you say?!” He even forgot to address the prince properly.

The Eldest Prince was getting impatient.

“I said, it was Jiang Yuanxi.”

The emperor’s gaze seemed to say: “Go on, keep making things up.”

How old was Yuanxi?

She could barely hold a brush properly.

With no teacher, how could she possibly know how to draw talismans?

Seeing no one believed him, the Eldest Prince took out a piece of yellowed paper from his pocket.

After examining it, Pei Jian declared with certainty, “This is from the same lineage as the talisman on the Fourth Prince’s head—drawn by the same person.”

The Eldest Prince explained to the emperor, “Father, you know how my fortune has been these past few days.”

The emperor nodded.

Yes, he knew.

His eldest son had suffered inexplicably bad luck, getting injured at every turn.

It was the kind of misfortune where even a passing dog would stop and pee out of pity.

But in the last few days, there had been no reports of him getting hurt.

The Eldest Prince continued, “I sought out Yuanxi. She drew this talisman for me, and now my body is completely fine.”

No more mysterious bird droppings from the sky.

No more packs of dogs chasing him.

Pei Jian was overwhelmed with excitement. “Your Majesty, I have urgent matters to attend to!”

The emperor waved him away, and Pei Jian immediately lifted his robe and tiptoed out.

Afraid of making even the slightest noise and provoking the emperor’s wrath.

The ever-composed Lord Pei—who would have thought he had such a ridiculous side?

The Crown Prince wiped his eyes, confirming that it was indeed Lord Pei.

He was stunned.

After a moment of silence, the emperor said, “Bring Yuanxi into the palace tomorrow. I will question her personally.”

Eunuch Cao Cheng reminded him, “Your Majesty, what should we do about the young lords outside?”

The emperor suddenly remembered.

Oh, right. There was that mess too.

“Beat them! Beat them hard!”

Outside, Wang Hanqi was smiling brightly.

Someone asked, “Hanqi, what are you smiling about?”

They had been sitting under the sun for two days.

How could he still find a reason to smile?

Wang Hanqi nudged Jiang Yuancheng, who was lying beside him. “I just asked, and they found her.”

“Since they found her, we’ll be released soon.”

Jiang Yuancheng burst into tears.

After two days of suppressed emotions, he couldn’t hold back anymore.

He wailed so loudly that Wang Hanqi instinctively scooted away.

Just then, Eunuch Cao stepped outside.

Wang Hanqi’s face lit up, and he pulled up his pants, ready to go home.

But as soon as he stood up, he heard Eunuch Cao announce, “Hold them down.”

Wang Hanqi was immediately pressed back onto his bench by the guards.

“What’s going on, Eunuch Cao?”

Cao Cheng’s face remained stern. “By His Majesty’s decree—due to gambling and reckless behavior leading to the disappearance of Princess Xihe, each young lord shall receive twenty strokes. So ordered!”

Wang Hanqi’s eyes widened. “Eunuch Cao! Eunuch Cao!”

But Cao Cheng ignored him and simply waved at the guards.

The wooden sticks came down.

“Ahhh!”

Screams filled the air.

As pain shot through his backside, Jiang Yuancheng suddenly burst out laughing.

Wang Hanqi glared at him while clutching his bench. “Are you insane? Who the hell laughs while getting beaten?”

Jiang Yuancheng rolled his eyes.

He was simply too overjoyed at getting back what he had lost.

This punishment—he deserved it.

Once the flogging ended, the young lords were carried back to their homes.

…

To celebrate Jiang Yuanxi’s safe return, Madam Chen personally cooked a feast.

Jiang Yuanxi’s eyes sparkled as she looked at the dishes—braised pork knuckle, roast duck, roast chicken, and even sweet curd.

So much food!

The entire table was filled with meat dishes—there wasn’t a single vegetarian one.

The men of the Jiang family drooled at the sight.

Jiang Fengyuan had long been craving his wife’s cooking.

Today, thanks to their daughter, he could finally enjoy it again.

When the food was served, Madam Chen sat down.

“Let’s eat!”

The family devoured the meal.

At that moment, Jiang Yuancheng was carried in and placed to the side.

“Father, Mother, I’m back,” he said through clenched teeth, enduring the pain.

But he soon realized—everyone was too busy eating to pay him any attention.

Not until they were full and satisfied did Madam Chen and Jiang Fengyuan finally stand up.

They took their daughter and left.

The three older brothers approached their youngest sibling.

Jiang Yuansheng remained silent for a long time before saying, “Take care of your injuries.”

Jiang Yuanwu’s face darkened. “We’ll settle this later.”

Cold sweat dripped down Jiang Yuancheng’s back.

Jiang Yuanfan hesitated before adding, “Your monthly allowance is suspended. Also, Mother has confiscated all your money.”

Watching his family walk away so casually, Jiang Yuancheng once again wept bitterly.

He clung to the doorframe. “Father! Mother! Brothers! Yuanxi!”

“I was wrong! I was really wrong!”

Despite being angry, Madam Chen couldn’t bear to see her son’s wounds.

She ordered a doctor to treat him properly.

..

Feng Jinye trimmed the flower branches as he listened to his subordinate’s report.

“Master, our hideout in Shiwa Village has been destroyed. The Crown Prince personally led the raid.”

Feng Jinye paused. “What about Granny Wang?”

The shadow guard lowered his head. “She’s dead.”

The air instantly turned cold. But only for a moment—then it returned to normal.

“Do we know why?”

The shadow guard spoke cautiously. “Granny Wang’s people kidnapped the Fourth Prince and Princess Xihe. The emperor’s men discovered them.”

Feng Jinye’s eyes darkened, his grip on the shears tightening until his knuckles turned white.

After a long silence, he released his hold and resumed trimming the branches.

“Bury Granny Wang properly.”

“Understood.”

After the shadow guard left, the freshly trimmed flower branch suddenly snapped at its root.

Darkness flooded Feng Jinye’s pupils, consuming them entirely.

At that moment, an old man with graying hair entered.

Seeing the change in his master, he quickly said, “Master, do not let your anger consume you.”

At the reminder, Feng Jinye closed his eyes. When he reopened them, his usual bright gaze had returned.

“Uncle Li,” the young man said solemnly, “have our people continue with the plan.”

This incident was merely a coincidence.

It was only one of his hideouts.

Besides, over the years, he had planted many pieces on the board—enough to make do.

This was far from his only stronghold.