The guards softly reported to the prince and princess, "Your Highness and Princess, this man who calls himself the Master of the Moonlit Tower has come to pay respects to Consort Jing."
Ning Wang and Princess Anle turned around upon hearing this, looking with some astonishment at Ming Jiuxiao, who was dressed in simple moon-white robes and possessed an extraordinary appearance.
He entered Consort Jing's mourning hall, swept a glance at Ning Wang and Princess Anle without a word, then surveyed the hall again.
Ning Wang had seen this Ming Jiuxiao at the Empress Dowager's birthday banquet, but they had no prior acquaintance.
Princess Anle, however, had not met Ming Jiuxiao because the Empress Dowager's birthday had occurred when Consort Jing had not informed Princess Anle to return to the capital. She had merely selected a birthday gift for the Empress Dowager and sent it through someone else.
At this moment, seeing Ming Jiuxiao approach Consort Jing's mourning hall, she curiously asked, "Imperial Brother, who is this person?"
Hearing her, Ning Wang turned to Princess Anle and then slowly replied, "No matter who he is, since he has come to pay respects to Mother Consort, we shall treat him with courtesy."
With that, the nearby steward, showing great foresight, quickly lit a stick of incense and handed it to Ming Jiuxiao.
After receiving the incense, Ming Jiuxiao bowed three times towards Consort Jing's coffin.
"Consort Jing, I should have called you Aunt, but you are no longer worthy. However, as a junior of the Ming family, even if I dislike you, I will still offer you a stick of incense," Ming Jiuxiao murmured to Consort Jing's coffin with a solemn expression.
Ning Wang showed no change in his expression upon hearing Ming Jiuxiao's words, for he had heard from his mother consort long ago about her true identity. She was not, as it turned out, the eldest daughter of Prefect Luo of Jiangcheng, but the younger sister of the former Master of the Moonlit Tower.
Because she had betrayed her brother, she was severely injured and escaped. Then, she was rescued by Prefect Luo's wife. Later, Prefect Luo's wife, seeing that his mother consort looked very much like her own daughter, recognized his mother consort as her adopted daughter and treated her as the eldest daughter of the Luo household.
However, Princess Anle, who had been extremely well-protected by Consort Jing since childhood, was unaware of Consort Jing's past. She found Ming Jiuxiao's words very strange.
"Who exactly are you? Why do you speak so strangely? Who is your aunt? How come I never knew my mother consort had other siblings?" Princess Anle asked with a face full of confusion. In her memory, Consort Jing was the only child of her maternal grandparents, as her maternal grandmother had been injured after giving birth to her mother consort, which prevented her from having more children.
"Anle, what is wrong with you today? How can you be so insensible?" Ning Wang looked at his boisterous sister, feeling a headache. It was all because his mother consort had doted on her too much and protected her too well, never allowing Anle to know about anything that involved bloodshed.
"Little girl, who I am, your brother should know. You can ask your brother yourself later. I have also finished offering incense, so I won't keep you company any longer. Farewell!" Ming Jiuxiao said, then strode out, mounted his steed, and flew towards the Cold King's manor with Lin Feng.
Soon after, he swiftly entered the Cold King's manor and, with a smirk, arrived at Han Che Yuan, the residence of the Cold King and his consort. However, Ling'er and Xing'er informed him that the Cold King and his consort had gone out.
Immediately, he went to find Old Man Lu and Chu Mingxuan. Discovering that these two were also not in their respective courtyards, he suddenly felt as if he had been abandoned by everyone, a sense of loss filling his heart.
"Lin Feng, they don't want me anymore. *Sob sob sob*..." Ming Jiuxiao cried out pitifully, feigning distress.
Lin Feng: "..." He truly had no words to describe his master's ability to change expressions.
Meanwhile, the woman Ming Jiuxiao was so preoccupied with was currently in the Purple Eyes clan.
After wandering around the village for a while, the three of them entered the home where Jun Mohan's mother grew up. Jun Mohan's maternal grandparents' house had been well-preserved over the decade. The pots, pans, tables, and chairs were all still there; the only regrettable thing was the lack of human presence.
After Jun Mohan and Steward Liang entered the house, they began to clean it, and Leng Ruo Li quickly helped. It took the three of them an hour to thoroughly clean Jun Mohan's maternal grandparents' house, inside and out.
In fact, Jun Mohan's maternal grandparents' house was built quite grandly. In front of the house was a small courtyard enclosed by bamboo. In the courtyard was a well, a few plots of land for growing vegetables, and a small pavilion built with wood and thatch. Jun Mohan told him that in the hot summer weather, they could even have meals in the small pavilion.
Inside, there were three relatively spacious rooms, a small living room for dining, a kitchen fully equipped with furniture, and a place for bathing. Not far from the backyard, an outhouse had been built.
As they finished cleaning the small courtyard, Leng Ruo Li suddenly felt that this place was much better than living in the imperial palace. The people who had lived here must have lived very peacefully. It was no wonder that Jun Mohan's mother consort was unwilling to live in the imperial palace; if it were her, she would also choose this place to live.
Just as she was lost in thought, a stealthy figure suddenly flashed past the window of the room where she was staying. Seeing the person's attire, Leng Ruo Li knew it was Ju Jianxing. However, what did this man want by sneakily trying to lure her out?
Immediately, a glint of light flashed in Leng Ruo Li's eyes, and a sly smile curved her lips. She walked out of the small living room and told Jun Mohan and Steward Liang about what she had seen by the window and her plan, but she was met with immediate opposition from both of them.
"Consort, this old servant does not agree with you taking risks. Ju Jianxing was a man of improper conduct before. After so many years, he surely has not changed into a good person. If you use yourself as bait and fall into his trap, and we cannot reach you in time to save you, what if he harms you?" Steward Liang stated his reason for disagreement.
"I disagree with your method even more. Even if Ju Jianxing is not capable of harming you, I will not allow you to be alone with him for even a moment," Jun Mohan refused her domineeringly, his reasoning more direct than Steward Liang's.
"Alright, since you both disagree with this method, then forget it. However, I always feel that there is a big secret hidden within this Ju Jianxing," Leng Ruo Li said thoughtfully.
"Then let us stay in this village for two days and see if we can catch Ju Jianxing's trail. Your Highness, do you think this old servant's suggestion is feasible?" Steward Liang proposed at this point.
"Very well, Steward Liang. Let us stay here for two days according to your suggestion and see what Ju Jianxing's purpose is for staying in the village for more than ten years," Jun Mohan said, nodding.
As the three were chatting privately, Ju Jianxing suddenly appeared outside the courtyard carrying a basket made of bamboo. He shouted to the three of them, "Your Highness, Consort, Uncle Liang, I saw that you were all busy cleaning the courtyard just now, so I went back to make some food for you. If you are hungry, please eat a little to fill your stomachs." Ju Jianxing said very courteously.