"Your Highness, can't we chat a little longer? I heard that the Princess Consort went out, and to the estate of Shangguan Hong, the Crown Prince's strategist. I wonder what she went there to do."
"Shut up!"
Xiao Wangye reprimanded.
It was rare for him to get so angry, and it was the first time he had been so harsh with Gu Pan'er today.
Gu Pan'er was stunned: "Your Highness?"
He said coldly, "There was never any friendship between us, and you'd best recognize your place. Apart from this matter, you don't need to concern yourself with anyone or anything else. Do you understand what I mean?"
Hearing him say this, her face turned quite unpleasant: "Y-yes, I understand."
Xiao Wangye did not wish to say more, flicked his sleeve, and left immediately.
Only Gu Pan'er was left standing there in a daze.
And in a place unnoticed by the two of them, on the lotus pond in the Regent's Mansion, a wind unlike any before blew past.
The lotuses and leaves swayed gently for a moment before returning to stillness.
A sigh sounded on the water's surface, and someone softly called out the name of a departed friend: "Xue Ji, Xue Ji."
But after just two calls, the voice paused for a moment, then called out: "Miss, Miss..."
This sound startled several birds by the pond.
With Xiao Wangye's status and resources, he could find the best sorcerers in and around the capital within half an hour.
And he did just that.
The sorcerers soon arrived at the Regent's Mansion, chanting obscure incantations as they laid down formations throughout the estate, which they believed could eradicate evil spirits.
Xiao Wangye stood alone at the edge, his hands behind his back, his expression indifferent, as still as a pool of water.
Meanwhile, Gu Pan'er returned to her own residence and quickly recovered from Xiao Wangye's threat.
"Miss, did you go to the Regent's Mansion again today?" asked a little maid in green.
But before she could answer, another little maid in blue spoke up, "Does that even need asking? Lushui, you're really foolish."
Lushui pouted, "Blue Smoke, what do you mean by that?"
Blue Smoke said, "How many times has Miss gone to the Regent's Mansion? Even outside the Gu Mansion, many people know about this. Now, people in the capital are already discussing Miss's marriage to the Regent."
"What nonsense are you listening to, and believing too?"
Gu Pan'er finally spoke. Although her words sounded like a reprimand, her tone was cheerful, showing no displeasure.
"Miss, you are being too humble. If the Regent didn't have intentions towards you, why would he invite you to the mansion so often?" Blue Smoke said.
"How do you know that?" Gu Pan'er raised an eyebrow at her.
"As for what actually happened, this servant doesn't know. Every time, Miss doesn't allow us to accompany you, so this servant doesn't know what you talk to the Prince about." Blue Smoke said.
"It's a good thing you don't know," Gu Pan'er chuckled to herself, almost mockingly.
If anyone heard it, they would surely laugh their heads off. She, the eldest daughter of the Gu Mansion, actually went to act with the Regent, all for the purpose of driving away that woman named Ye Qingcheng!
If this Ye Qingcheng had a distinguished status, or was exceptionally beautiful, she would have accepted it. But this Ye Qingcheng had absolutely no redeeming qualities about her.
Gu Pan'er couldn't understand why she was inferior to Ye Qingcheng in any way.
Blue Smoke, observing her expressions, could infer some of her thoughts.
She said, "Miss, are you perhaps worried that the Regent might have always had feelings for that woman named Ye Qingcheng, and even if he developed feelings for you, he wouldn't dare to speak of it?"
"Why do you say that?" Gu Pan'er asked.
"Oh, Miss, you don't know, but although that Ye Qingcheng isn't good-looking, her martial arts skills are impressive. Even the Regent is no match for her. This servant thinks that Ye Qingcheng must have threatened the Prince with this." Lushui said.
"Ah, what you say does have some sense." Gu Pan'er stroked her chin and nodded slightly.
"So, Miss, you must fight for your own happiness," Blue Smoke said.
Gu Pan'er looked at her deeply: "Then you teach me, how should I fight for it properly?"
Blue Smoke said, "First, we must get rid of this woman named Ye Qingcheng. This is the most crucial and important step. Without her, wouldn't things be much simpler?"
"That's right, even if Ye Qingcheng can fight, if many assassins attack her together, she won't be able to resist and will have to die obediently," Lushui said with a smile.
"It seems I haven't raised you two little maids in vain."
Finally, Gu Pan'er revealed a relieved smile, and a plan began to take shape in her mind.
Ye Qingcheng stayed at Shangguan Hong's residence for a considerable amount of time. When she returned to her own mansion, everything had changed drastically.
Her keen intuition told her that there was a definite anomaly in the mansion.
Therefore, Ye Qingcheng did not take her usual route but chose a more secluded and less-traveled path back to her courtyard.
She locked all her doors and windows, then sat down before her vanity.
She was the only one in the entire room, and it was quiet, perhaps a little too quiet, even frighteningly so.
She reviewed some of the information she had gathered in the past few days, and suddenly, an idea struck her.
Since Bi Xi was not dead yet, could she exchange his residual soul to appear before her?
She still remembered the method of summoning souls; it didn't require physical strength. Although she wasn't sure if it would succeed, she should at least try.
As soon as she decided, Ye Qingcheng, as Bi Xi's "closest person," could perform the summoning by a blood oath.
As her entire arm went nearly numb from the dripping of her vital blood, Ye Qingcheng finally felt a familiar presence.
A faint golden light coiled around, extending from her fingertips to her arm, caressing the wound on her arm as if in pain.
"Bi Xi, is that you?"
This was indeed his aura; Ye Qingcheng would not forget it.
But the golden light only flashed a few times and did not respond clearly.
"It seems there's an obstruction, preventing normal communication," she sighed. "But it's alright, at least I know you can still return safely to my side. That's enough."
Ye Qingcheng stood up, found a ceramic container, and placed these few wisps of residual soul inside.
"Bi Xi, for making you suffer so much for me, I feel I don't deserve to be your Miss."
"But being able to find these few fragments of your soul means you can still be saved, and that reassures me. Actually, I heard Shangguan Hong say that your inner dan was with Xiao Wangye, and when he planned to completely eradicate you, I was terrified. I was afraid you would truly leave me, afraid you would never return."