The woman depicted in the scroll possessed captivating features.
Nanli picked up the scroll, covering half of her face.
Wasn’t she the masked woman she had encountered at the village earlier?
Her gaze moved upward, where four characters were inscribed: "Princess of Jiang Country."
Immediately, Nanli, accompanied by Zhi Mi, hurried to the Mansion of Prince Yu.
As soon as she saw Ye Siheng, she unfolded the scroll and said, "This woman manipulates vengeful spirits. She is not only a princess but also your mother’s concubine. She used your birthdate, strands of hair, and fresh blood to alter your destiny quite conveniently."
Ye Siheng glanced at it, his eyebrows slightly furrowed.
He uttered only one sentence, "She is not the Princess of Jiang but a handmaid accompanying my mother."
Nanli was astonished and pointed at the words on the scroll, "But it clearly says ’Princess of Jiang.’ The ghost shouldn’t mistake a princess for a handmaid, right?"
Ye Siheng continued to gaze at the scroll, his eyes fluctuating.
"Yet, I wouldn’t mistake my own mother. Even if you take this scroll to ask my elder brother, he would say the same."
Nanli pursed her lips. "Neither humans nor ghosts can be trusted, it seems. However, we can now be certain that the person who altered your destiny was once by your side."
Unfortunately, that ghost had vanished into thin air, leaving no opportunity for clarification.
Zhi Mi, as an outsider, interjected, "Senior Sister, just by looking at her appearance, one can tell she comes from a noble and influential family. How could she be a handmaid?"
Ye Siheng and Qing Feng both looked at Nanli.
She could only nod and say, "Judging solely by her appearance, that seems to be the case."
Ye Siheng lowered his gaze, reminiscing about the past.
His memories were already quite blurry.
He only remembered that his mother valued this handmaid greatly, and even Mammy Cao spoke to her in a gentle and considerate manner, forbidding her from performing any strenuous tasks.
At that time, he was still young and didn’t find it inappropriate.
But now, he vaguely recalled that this handmaid had once scolded his mother.
His complexion turned slightly pale, feeling as if a heavy stone was pressing against his chest.
"Perhaps the princess did come to Mu Country, but she did not become my father’s consort. She had long exchanged identities with a handmaid by her side."
"Prince..." Qing Feng didn’t know what to feel.
"How could Jiang dare to send a fake princess over?"
The bloodline of their master must be the most noble and pure. How could his birth mother be a mere handmaid?
Ye Siheng’s voice was calm.
"Nothing is impossible." He couldn’t help but raise his eyes and glance at Nanli, who appeared slightly surprised and intrigued, but the one thing she didn’t show was disdain or contempt.
Although Nanli wanted to know the whole story, she couldn’t help but worry about Ye Siheng’s situation.
"It might not be easy to uncover the truth."
"No matter." Ye Siheng could see what she was concerned about with just one glance.
"I am no longer a child. Whether my birth mother is the Princess of Jiang or not, I am the bloodline of my father. Based on this alone, no one can shake my position."
His military achievements over the past few years were not in vain.
He was determined to find out what Jiang Country was plotting.
For now, capturing the "handmaid" was the only way to unravel everything.
At that moment, a Black Armor Guard entered hastily.
"Prince, there is news from Xuzhou!"
Xuanyuan Qingyue couldn’t help but feel burdened by Ye Jinming.
Not only did she have to take care of his daily meals, but she also had to kill and steal souls to prolong his life.
She had never experienced such oppression before.
After all, in the Mu Imperial palace, she held the position of a trusted aunt, with several maidservants under her command.
She had originally intended to return to the Jiang Country from the north, but the journey was filled with checkpoints.
Due to Ye Jinming’s growing resentment and worsening festering sores on his feet, he could no longer walk.
Although this also tormented Ye Siheng, they were stuck in one place and couldn’t leave Shuzhou.
Ye Jinming, tormented and in pain, called out to Xuanyuan Qingyue for help.
"It hurts so much... Do you have any way to alleviate my pain? Perhaps, find a doctor to examine me."
"Nowadays, the state of Mu is closely investigating those with festering sores on their feet. If I were to find a doctor, wouldn’t it be walking into a trap?" Xuanyuan Qingyue’s face turned cold.
"Besides, your sores are the result of a backlash from a curse. No matter what medicine we use, they cannot be healed."
Ye Jinming, covered in cold sweat, leaned against a soft cushion, feeling as if thousands of ants were crawling and gnawing at his feet.
He wished he could just bash his head and end his suffering.
"I want the curse to be lifted... If the curse is lifted, I won’t have to suffer anymore," he muttered in pain.
Xuanyuan Qingyue furrowed her eyebrows.
A resentful spirit floated over, lifting Ye Jinming’s chin and forcing him to meet its gaze.
"I knew you were spineless, so this curse cannot be lifted by a few random mutterings. Unless you die, this vicious curse cannot be broken."
However, now Ye Jinming’s life was in her hands.
Despite the intense pain, Ye Jinming was unusually clear-headed.
He widened his eyes and stared at Xuanyuan Qingyue. "That person...was subjected to your order?!"
Over a year ago, the mansion had acquired a group of maidservants.
He accidentally discovered that one of them had been mistreated and had cursed the stewardess.
The stewardess suffered greatly and even accidentally fell into the water, meeting a tragic end.
This sparked his interest in curses.
The maidservant indeed taught him because he held deep resentment, making the curse successful.
Without hesitation, he silenced the maidservant to prevent the matter from leaking.
"Indeed, it was me," Xuanyuan Qingyue chuckled lightly, her eyes sparkling with charm.
Ye Jinming took a breath, angrily shouting, "You wretched servant!"
Xuanyuan Qingyue’s face turned cold, and the resentful spirit, following her intentions, slapped Ye Jinming harshly.
"I am not some accompanying servant girl. I am the true princess of the Jiang," she declared.
Ye Jinming’s cheek throbbed with pain, and his head felt heavy and muddled.
He couldn’t comprehend her words.
But soon, the small town became restless.
The resentful spirit returned to the room, and Xuanyuan Qingyue’s expression changed.
"They actually followed us?"
Without hesitation, she controlled the resentful spirit and, with Ye Jinming in tow, jumped out of the window.
Unexpectedly, a talisman to ward off spirits was thrown from outside the window, instantly dispersing the resentful spirit.
With no support, Ye Jinming plummeted downwards.
Xuanyuan Qingyue gritted her teeth and grabbed him, but before they could touch the ground, a large group of black-armored guards surrounded them.
Under the cold moonlight and the autumn breeze, not far away, Ye Siheng, dressed in black robes, sat in a wheelchair, his features exuding a world-shaking aura.
"It has been a long time, Aunt Pei’er," he lifted his eyelids, his gaze icy.
"Or should I address you as Princess Qingyue?"