“The fragrance of this particular herb is unique. According to the records in ‘Yu Yang Za Zu,’ this aroma can linger for several days or even months without dissipating, and it does not mix with other scents. Legend has it that in certain places, this fragrance is called ‘lover’s scent,’ and young women use it as a marker during gatherings to help their beloved find them.
The conversation with Xiao Zhixuan resurfaced in Yuexi’s mind once again. She tried to recall how Xiao Zhixuan had acted when she snatched the small jar from Yuexi’s hand, cradling it with a radiant smile. ‘This is such a rare item. Sister-in-law, could you lend it to me?’ She then opened the lid and took a gentle sniff, before teasingly saying, ‘If I ever go missing, sister-in-law, you must find me.’
That sentence exploded in her mind, yanking Yuexi out of her reverie. At that time, she had dismissed it as the playful whim of a young girl, failing to perceive the determination and sadness hidden in her words.
It wasn’t until this moment, in the princess’s chamber, when she smelled that familiar scent, that Yuexi suddenly understood: Xiao Zhixuan had been willing to sacrifice herself to obtain the truth!
Yuexi took a deep breath, but her hands trembled uncontrollably. Seeing her standing motionless in the corner, Xiao Du hurried over and whispered, “What’s wrong?” Yuexi turned, tears welling in her eyes. She lifted her trembling finger and pointed at the wall. “The Buddha hall… it’s just a facade. The entrance to the secret chamber is in the princess’s room!”
Her words not only startled Xiao Du, but even the princess stood up, shouting angrily, “How dare you! Searching for the house wasn’t enough? Now you want to dig through walls? Who gave you the courage!”
But Yuexi pushed aside Xiao Du in front of her and stared directly at the princess. “It was Xuan’er. Xuan’er told me herself. You never would have thought that she would sacrifice herself to incriminate you. She deliberately took the risk of letting you capture her, knowing that during the turmoil, you wouldn’t dare to take her out of the mansion and would hide her first in that secret place. So she rubbed a scent that only I could discern onto her body, leaving a trace wherever she went. All evidence can be concealed, but the scent cannot deceive.”
The princess trembled with anger, her eyes piercing Yuexi. Despite her lifelong toughness, she gradually revealed signs of defeat under Yuexi’s firm and resolute gaze. Finally, she could no longer maintain her earlier indifference and composure, slumping against the wall, panting heavily as if an old illness had flared up. Yet, she still coldly retorted, “Without my permission, no one is allowed to touch my house!”
Nanny Ma hurriedly stepped forward, tightly gripping her arm, signaling her not to appear too panicked. Xiao Du and Yuexi had already deciphered everything from her reaction, but with the princess blocking the way, no one dared to act rashly. Just as the situation inside the room reached a stalemate, a voice suddenly came from outside the door, saying, “I said it can be moved, madam. If you’re not satisfied, you can report me to His Majesty for punishment.”
The princess widened her eyes, listening to the person she had yearned for half her life, ruthlessly shattering all her defenses, as if hearing the final judgment from above. She slowly turned, fixing her gaze on Xiao Yunjing’s cold face, her expression changing repeatedly, but ultimately giving him a sad smile. “Fine, everything is up to His Highness.”
With instructions from His Highness, several guards no longer hesitated. Before long, a wall collapsed with a loud crash, revealing a deep, dark hole behind the falling bricks and dust. While Xiao Du and Yuexi exchanged excited glances, the princess remained seated, as if all her anger had been drained, numb like a corpse.
As the group approached the hole, Xiao Yunjing suddenly waved his hand, signaling them to stand back. Then, he walked up to the princess and whispered coldly, “I’ll leave you with a little dignity. Just bring back Xuan’er, and that’s all I ask.” But the princess seemed to hear nothing, her gaze still vacant as she stared ahead.
Xiao Yunjing looked at her coldly, his expression revealing neither joy nor sorrow. He turned back, gesturing for Xiao Du and Yuexi to follow, then coldly ordered Nanny Ma, who was already trembling with fear, “Bring your mistress and lead the way!”
Nanny Ma was so frightened that she immediately knelt with a thud, her legs trembling uncontrollably, unable to move at all. At that moment, a strange smile appeared on the princess’s face. She stood up, straightened her clothes and hair, and when she looked up again, her usual cold demeanor returned as she said lightly, “Since His Highness is so eager to see, let me take His Highness to see.”
His Highness ordered several guards to guard the princess’s mansion, and the group entered one by one through the hole. Xiao Du held a lantern in one hand and pulled Yuexi in front as they walked. The faint light made the path even more eerie. In the distance, a faint smell emanated from the darkness, becoming more pronounced as they approached: a mixture of decay and the stench of rotten flesh.
As they continued, their faces grew increasingly grim. In such a place, they dared not think about whether Xiao Zhixuan had any chance of survival. Only the princess maintained a smile on her face, a smile tinged with a sense of destruction.
Just then, a weak moan suddenly came from ahead. The group paused, stunned. Xiao Du was the first to react, rushing forward with the lantern and shouting, “Xuan’er!”
The lantern fell to the ground with a loud “clatter.” In the flickering flame about to extinguish, a pale yellow-clad girl lay curled up on the ground, behind her was a row of unfolded fans. These were not made of silk or brocade but of human faces!
Everyone was stunned by the sight before them, lingering in shock for a moment before snapping out of it. Xiao Du hurried over to help Xiao Zhixuan up from the ground, then checked her pulse, joyfully nodding to Lord Marquis and Yuexi. The hearts of everyone hanging in suspense finally settled, but soon they felt an overwhelming chill around them as if the place they were in was even more terrifying than the depths of hell.
Only the princess walked up to the row of fans, her jade-like fingers caressing the taut face skins as if stroking the finest silk. She murmured, “Fourteen or fifteen-year-old maids, with the most delicate and tender faces, truly treasures that cannot be found elsewhere in the world. It’s a pity that in a few more years, even the tenderest skin will wrinkle and age. So, I’ve preserved their best years here, it’s the greatest mercy to them.” Her fingers reached the last empty fan frame, and she sighed softly, “It’s a shame you’ve come too early, otherwise Xuan’er’s place should be here, her face must be the most beautiful among them.”
A heavy slap interrupted her words. Lord Marquis’s trembling hand paused in the air, his eyes glaring red as he roared, “You! You vile woman! It’s all my fault for indulging you for too long, causing harm to so many people!”
The princess covered her face and laughed, but the laughter became sharper and more sorrowful. She raised her head, her gaze piercing Lord Marquis fiercely, and shouted, “Is that so? I’m a vile woman! Then what are you? A foolish man? Who turned me into what I am today!”
Her face contorted, tears finally bursting forth, crying hoarsely as she bent over, clutching her stomach, her voice becoming more and more desolate. “I fell in love with you at sixteen, and I married you against all odds. But what about you? What have you done to me? Over the years, have you ever looked at me? You said you wanted to take concubines, so I let you. Apart from the wedding night, you didn’t even enter my room, and I endured it. But why did you have to bring back that unknown woman, and even tolerate that wretch to kill our child? Just to give that wretch’s child a status?”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Du suddenly looked up, his face seemingly stained with blood. He handed Xiao Zhixuan in his arms to Yuexi and walked up to Lord Marquis tremblingly. “She said the child is not mine, then my biological mother, where is she?”
“She’s dead!” The princess shouted, seeing Xiao Du’s face suddenly contorted with pain, a triumphant look creeping into her eyes, her voice becoming sharper, “That wretch died after giving birth to you! That’s her retribution, it’s her punishment for that wretched maid causing me to never have children again. Otherwise, how could I agree to keep you under my name? You don’t know how painful it has been for me to pretend to be a loving mother to a bastard all these years. Every time I acted like a loving mother in front of you, I felt nauseous and wanted to vomit. I didn’t want to see you at all. Every day, I wished you were dead!”
“Shut up!” Lord Marquis waved his hand again, delivering another slap. The princess staggered backward, her body shaking, but she stared at Lord Marquis with a look of disgust and anger, finally covering her mouth and vomiting blood. She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, her voice suddenly softened, looking up sorrowfully, “Xiao Lang, from the first time I saw you until today, my feelings for you have never changed. My heart has been devoted to you all this time, even a stone should have warmed up by now. Why can you be so heartless to me? Now, can you tell me the truth, who is the person you’ve always remembered in your heart!”
Lord Marquis’s body trembled, his cold and hard expression finally showing cracks, and then infinite sorrow and pain flooded out. He took a step back, closed his eyes tightly, and said, “Fine! If you want to know, I’ll tell you. From the first time I saw you until now, there has indeed only been one person in my heart, and she is your former maid, Qianyue!”
The princess suddenly raised her head, her face showing an expression of extreme fear as if everything that had just happened was nothing compared to the blow at this moment. She stumbled, falling to the ground, her hair completely disheveled, pearls and jade scattered all over the ground. But she just shook her head repeatedly with a vacant gaze, constantly saying, “This can’t be! This is impossible!”
Lord Marquis squatted down, lifting her chin to force her to look into his eyes, a sense of satisfaction in his gaze, coldly saying, “Now you should understand, what a ridiculous thing you did back then!”