Li Xun’s fingers slid twice over the words Fuchang Bo’s Mansion, muttering, “I remember… their family still has a legitimate-born ge’er who’s yet to marry, so why wasn’t the elder brother chosen? Why pick a shuchu girl instead?”

The guifei was a little surprised. She hadn’t expected Li Xun to pay attention to these inner-courtyard matters—how did he even know Fuchang Bo’s family had an elder ge’er? But since he brought it up, she thought for a moment and answered truthfully, “That ge’er is a bit older. He’d been in talks for marriage before. Though not formally settled, it was just one step away. Plus… your grandfather wants to betroth him to that Rui boy from the third branch. So I didn’t put him on the list.”

That had come up a few days ago when Zheng Zhonghong came to pay his respects. Honestly, it was Zheng Zhonghong who was pushing it; An Guogong wasn’t very willing and kept stalling on proposing. They kept stalling until boom—Fuchang Bo’s Mansion had that huge incident.

Even though there was nothing officially decided, because the Fuchang Bo’s scandal had dragged the guifei down with it, she’d long had a sour impression of that dagongzi. Otherwise, that day when Bai Dan was in their mansion, she wouldn’t have spoken to Li Xun like that. So the guifei just went with the flow and took him off the list, swapping in a shunü instead.

Li Xun furrowed his brows, thinking for a bit before remembering who that Rui boy from the third branch was—a shuzi of his third uncle. But his uncle had been sickly and passed away, leaving only this sickly kid. Given that he was the third branch’s only son, it didn’t really matter whether he was di or shu.

An Guogong cared a lot about this grandson because of his late third son. He really hoped this kid would carry on the family line.

If it were before, Li Xun wouldn’t have cared who that dagongzi married—even if it meant marrying into his own maternal family. Even if the groom was a sickly short-lived guy, so what? That’s the crown prince’s maternal family!

But after this strange journey of his, Li Xun had developed a weird sense of connection to that dagongzi. Even though he still found him weak and useless, he didn’t want to see him get used or bullied—it felt like being bullied himself.

Thinking this way, Zheng Mengrui didn’t seem like a good match at all. More like a fiery pit! Li Xun’s frown deepened.

The guifei noticed the look on his face and was puzzled. Li Xun usually didn’t care about these domestic matters—why was he staring at the name list for so long today? “Is something wrong?”

“Not wrong, exactly,” Li Xun said coolly. “But if Grandfather wants to arrange a match for Zheng Mengrui, then they should’ve brought the person into the palace for a proper look. Fuchang Bo’s reputation is awful. Zheng Mengrui is the third branch’s only heir—if this dagongzi turns out to be like that Liu Shi, won’t it ruin him? This is just picking someone to be a companion reader for my little sister—it’s not like everyone selected has to stay. If they’re no good, just keep them reading with her for six months and find a reason to send them off.”

As for a “promised engagement”—it wasn’t even formal yet, so who cares? Li Xun rolled his eyes inwardly: Like you haven’t had three formal engagements before!

Though the guifei didn’t like that dagongzi either, she didn’t want to argue with Li Xun over such a minor thing. She smiled and was about to agree when Li Xun added, “Besides, matters of court and rank come before marriage ties. Even if he’s my cousin, I haven’t picked him yet—how could Zheng Mengrui dare to do so before me?”

Now that was sharp—borderline accusing An Guogong’s household of overstepping the crown prince.

The guifei was stunned. Li Xun had always been indulgent toward his maternal family. This was the first time she’d heard him talk like this. But Li Xun simply cradled the dagongzhu in his arms, playing with her as if he hadn’t just dropped a bomb.

The guifei paused, then smiled and said, “It was my oversight. That day Zhonghong just mentioned it, and I made the call on my own. It has nothing to do with your grandfather or Rui. Don’t blame me, Xun’er.”

Li Xun raised an eyebrow and smiled at her. “That’s not what I meant. I just meant—Even if Rui’s health is poor, Auntie still needs to put me first. Or else I’ll get jealous.”

He’d rarely acted so spoiled since he was young, which caught the guifei off guard and instantly soothed that little uneasy feeling in her heart. She quickly agreed with his words, “Yes, yes, of course you’re right. Because Rui’s health isn’t good, your grandfather always talks about him in front of me. So when I heard he was about to get engaged, I panicked and lost my sense of priority. From now on, Auntie will always think of you first.”

She picked up the list. “Then shall we swap out Shen Qiao for Shen Tang? Or bring both siblings into the palace?”

Li Xun didn’t really care whether Shen Qiao came or not. “Arrange it however you like, as long as Shen Tang enters the palace.”

The guifei sat for a bit longer, then left with the dagongzhu. Li Xun leaned back on the bed, eyes closed, lost in thought.

Before long, two palace maids came in with some late-night snacks. Now that the crown prince was weak in health, the taiyi had ordered small, frequent meals with lots of nourishing foods. Every couple of hours, something was brought up to coax him into eating.

Tonight it was a bowl of bird’s nest soup. But strangely, it had been stewed with fatty duck, shark fin, and lean pork—savory and greasy. Just looking at the oily layer on top made Li Xun feel queasy. He forced a bite and almost gagged. Normally, he’d have smashed the bowl outright, but seeing the two maids—about the same age as Zhan Er and Zhu Er—he held back his temper and just tossed the bowl onto the tray.

The two girls carefully cleared it away, hands trembling. Seeing their nervous movements, Li Xun suddenly said to one of them, “Go tell the imperial kitchen to make another bird’s nest soup, stewed with snow fungus and rock sugar. And cook a bowl of porridge with milk and oats.”

That was how Xiao Die used to prepare it, and it suited his taste way better. These palace chefs couldn’t even beat a little servant boy. After holding back for so long, Li Xun finally muttered, “I’ve already told them how to make it. If it’s still this disgusting, tell the head of the kitchen to bring me his head.”

The palace maid trembled and rushed off.

As soon as she left, Li Xun suddenly grabbed the wrist of the other girl and pulled her halfway onto the couch.

She gasped in shock and immediately dropped to her knees, kowtowing over and over. “Spare me, Your Highness! Spare me!”

Li Xun: “…”

He let go, watching as she shook like a leaf. “I was elevating you—how did that turn into begging for your life? If you serve me well, I’ll make you a zhaoxun… no, a chenghui. How about that?”

He carefully studied her expression. But she didn’t look moved in the slightest—just kept begging for her life.

To even be a chenghui, you had to live through it first!!

Everyone knew the crown prince… Even though he was weak now, if he didn’t die today, he’d probably die within the year. And not a quick death either, but a slow, torturous one. Thinking of her parents, the maid burst into tears. How unlucky was she to be assigned to the crown prince’s palace?! It was terrifying enough serving him normally, but now he’d actually taken notice of her—sob sob sob!

Li Xun could tell now—those rumors Zhu Er mentioned must have spread not only through the Eastern Palace but the entire palace. Probably even worse than she’d said. Now it all made sense why the guifei’s handpicked beauties had all looked terrified upon seeing him.

Hearing such things, how could they not be scared?

Li Xun confirmed his suspicions and didn’t scare the maid any further. “Forget it, you can go… but don’t tell anyone about this.”

The girl had thought her end had come tonight—yet she’d survived! She bowed gratefully, knocking her head on the floor a few more times.

Li Xun looked at her with distaste. “Wipe your face first…” Otherwise, if she went out crying like that, the palace would start whispering that he devoured palace maids or something.

A couple more days passed, and Hua Xiangming came to report on the Fuchang Bo scandal’s latest updates: “We used heavy torture on that Liu Shi, but she’s surprisingly tough. She insists it was just financial trouble and didn’t want Fuchang Bo to find out. That maid Bi Tao still hasn’t been found. But after questioning other servants and arresting Liu Shi’s brother, we’ve uncovered the truth.”

Turns out her brother had been caught smuggling private salt in Huainan.

“No wonder Liu Shi refused to confess. If she held out, only she would die—and just for arson and husband-killing. But if the private salt business came out, her son and little ge’er could also be in danger. She’s stupid, but at least she has a bit of maternal instinct. The funny part is, when we asked the salt inspector of Huainan based on her brother’s confession, he said he had no clue.”

The Ministry of Justice grilled Liu Yufu’s brother-in-law, Wang Daren, and discovered something hilarious: “That guy probably never actually smuggled salt. He got caught in a scam—someone made him think he did, then sent a fake salt inspector to extort him. The salt was fake, the inspector was fake, but the silver and deeds they gave away? Those were real.”

“We also tracked down the estate in Huainan, but it’s changed hands several times. It now belongs to a few merchants and seems unrelated.”

Li Xun: “…”

He had not expected that. But honestly, it matched his impression of Liu Yufu. In his eyes, she was an idiot—her schemes always full of holes, her arson attempt obvious to anyone. Only someone as gullible as Shen Yi’an would fall for her.

That she could even smuggle salt? Li Xun didn’t believe it for a second.

After a moment of silence, he asked, “And how’s the Fuchang Bo’s dagongzi doing now?”

He’d asked Hua Xiangming about this shortly after returning to his body. Thankfully, the dagongzi hadn’t died—just been sick for three days before waking up. Though what Li Xun really wanted to ask was about Xiao Die…

“He’s recovering well, already up and walking. But since the mansion was half burned and his courtyard destroyed, he hasn’t returned—he’s still staying at the other estate,” Hua Xiangming said. “Luckily, a few loyal servants dragged him out. One little ge’er even collapsed at my gate—he’s just recently woken up.”

Hua Xiangming remembered that kid—he’d delivered messages a few times. They said he lost his memory from the shock that night… though it didn’t seem worth telling the prince. After all, he was just a servant.

But as he glanced back, Li Xun was still staring at him with a bright, intense gaze. “…What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Li Xun said. He knew it’d seem weird to care this much about a servant he’d never met. He forced himself to push the thought aside, then said, “As for the salt smuggling, let’s shelve that. Just treat Liu Shi as having been scammed and focus on her arson and murder. That alone’s enough for a death by dismemberment. Her brother, though—treat him as an actual smuggler.”

Hua Xiangming nodded, then chuckled, “Is Your Highness easing up because of Fuchang Bo’s dagongzi? In the past, even if it was fake, you’d make it real and punish harshly to set an example.”

But if they dug into Liu Yufu, Shen Yi’an would be implicated, and by extension, the dagongzi. If Shen Yi’an really didn’t know, they wouldn’t be executed—but losing or stripping his title was possible.

Li Xun was quiet for a bit, then asked, “Are you aware there’ve been violent rumors about me in the capital?”

Hua Xiangming thought, Not entirely rumors, though… His Highness was indeed ruthless with outsiders. But of course he didn’t say that aloud and answered seriously, “I’ve heard a little.”

Li Xun looked grumpy. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I thought Your Highness didn’t care…” Hua Xiangming scratched his head. Reputation could be cultivated. Other crown princes would stage good deeds and appearances. Their prince? He just got the court to do it and threatened corrupt officials. The scary rep kind of helped in getting things done.

“But saying I eat children?!”

Hua Xiangming: “…They say you eat children?!”

Li Xun: “…”

Hua Xiangming: “…”

“…I really haven’t heard that one.”

Li Xun sighed. “Forget it. Go investigate—find out who started these rumors and when. Also… get your guys in the guards to listen around the palace for any wild exaggerations.”

Hua Xiangming quickly agreed. He understood the difference between having a fierce reputation and being painted as a tyrant. If someone was trying to ruin the crown prince’s name, especially after that attack, this might be a serious plot to steal his position.

Just as he was about to leave, Li Xun suddenly asked, “Where are Liu Shi’s two children now?”

“His Majesty issued a decree questioning their bloodline, so this was a good excuse to separate them from Fuchang Bo. Plus, the wet nurse didn’t want to keep them either, so they’re being held temporarily.”

Li Xun sneered, “That little ge’er—throw him into the lake at Fuchang Bo’s mansion. Leave him in there for the time it takes to brew a pot of tea, then fish him out. Don’t call a doctor—whether he lives or dies is up to fate.”

Hua Xiangming: “???”

And Your Highness, you wonder why your reputation is so bad?!

Meanwhile, Shen Tang had been living quite leisurely lately. Only the disappearance of Ye Gui was a bit annoying. But he soon decided to train hard—once he could summon or raise spirits, maybe he’d track that wild ghost down.

…Hopefully it wouldn’t fade away before then.

Still, one ghost lost, another gained. The real Xiao Die had returned.

“I really don’t remember anything… After I jumped in the water, it felt like I turned into a chrysanthemum. Bees would come play with me. I heard people talking sometimes, but I couldn’t make sense of it,” Xiao Die scratched her head.

Xiao Wan was shocked. “Oh my god, were you some kind of flower spirit in a dream? Like the White Snake legend? Not as detailed, but just as wild!”

Xiao Die blinked. “White Snake story? When did I tell that?”

Xiao Wan looked devastated. He had only brought that up to test her subtly… now she didn’t even remember telling the story!

Zhan Er giggled at his clumsy probing, but Xiao Die thought for a bit and said, “Maybe I was a chrysanthemum spirit in my dream. I feel way stronger now—walking and running don’t tire me at all.”

The others exchanged glances, recalling her single-handedly smashing a chair and tossing Bi Tao’s corpse over the wall.

Shen Tang: “…” Tch, she totally took all the power I worked so hard to cultivate!

Still, he wasn’t too bothered now. Yesterday, he’d overheard guards say the crown prince had woken up.

Well, it had been a while. Without modern IVs, the prince would’ve starved by now if he hadn’t.

His dreams of being houjue and national teacher were done. Someone else must’ve gotten the job. The guards hadn’t said who.

But Shen Tang was content. He’d returned to his noble body and could now enjoy his “retirement” life as planned—free from his original family, living on his own, with money, free time, and cute attendants for company.

Sure, he was in the capital and not a mountain town, but everything else fit perfectly. So he lived happily, mostly relaxing with the occasional bit of cultivation—his current body was even more talented than Xiao Die’s. Back when he cultivated in her body, it had always felt sluggish and inefficient. Probably because his soul didn’t quite match it. Now, progress was much faster.

One day, he even borrowed a sword from a guard and practiced in the courtyard. His swordplay was graceful and smooth—he used to be a sword cultivator, after all. The maids and servants were all awestruck.

“Wow, gongzi is so good with a sword!” Zhan Er gasped. “Way better than when you used to swing that firewood stick around!”

Shen Tang’s hand paused.

That firewood-stick swinger wasn’t him—it was the wild ghost.

These days, the servants often mentioned things from the past—traces left behind by that ghost.

Only Xiao Die still looked completely clueless, remembering nothing at all.

The rest were already reminiscing more and more freely.

“Last time he danced with the firewood stick, it was back at Ganlin Courtyard…”

“I wonder how Ganlin Courtyard is now. Probably all burned down… I miss my room there.”

“I don’t. Even if they rebuild it, we shouldn’t go back. After all… ahem.”

They all shared a look, thinking of Bi Tao, who’d been tossed into the fire, and that unknown person Xiao Die had stabbed with a wooden skewer.

Shen Tang wiped sweat from his brow. “Why go back? Isn’t it nice here? No weird drama to deal with. Haven’t these days been good?”

They all looked at each other. It