Which household’s servants wouldn’t want their master to gain favor!

If Jing Xuan could truly win Na Tuo’s affection, all the maids in the entire courtyard would be able to enjoy the benefits.

There would certainly be plenty of reward silver!

However, they had no idea of the true circumstances.

Regarding the matter between Jing Xuan and Gongshilin, no one in the entire prince’s residence knew about it to this day.

Previously, when Na Tuo had interrogated her, he had also sent all the servants in the room away one by one.

When those maids had entered the room then, they had only seen Jing Xuan prostrate on the ground, clutching a shattered jade pendant in her hand, with blood all over her hands.

As for anything else, they knew nothing at all!

Now, everyone only saw that Jing Xuan had begun frequently showing favor toward Na Tuo, and Na Tuo was no longer like before, when he would at the least curse at Jing Xuan harshly, and at the worst push and strike her.

If the two of them could truly be affectionate with each other, that wouldn’t be bad.

Just as several people were still discussing, Jing Xuan came out from inside.

The maids: “Princess Consort.”

Jing Xuan wasn’t deaf—she had naturally heard every word of their conversation.

But right now, she had no mind to bother with these matters.

She instructed: “The Prince said he very much likes the incense I blend, so you continue sending incense over, and have someone light some in the Prince’s room as well.”

“Yes.”

“Also…”

“Princess Consort, please instruct us.”

Jing Xuan removed a string of silvery-white pearls hanging from her neck and looked at one of the maids: “Lian’er, you take this string of pearls to pawn, and divide the silver you get among yourselves.”

“Ah?” The maid called Lian’er was extremely shocked.

“What? Did you not hear my words?”

“Yes, thank you for the Princess Consort’s reward.”

Lian’er received the pearls with both hands.

Several maids hurriedly expressed their gratitude!

They were truly overwhelmed by this favor.

A string of silvery-white pearls was worth at least several hundred taels, what several maids would earn after working for several years.

It seemed their master was truly about to gain power.

Over this past year, Jing Xuan had almost always stayed within the residence and had practically no silver on hand, though she had countless gold and silver jewelry pieces.

Most were part of the dowry brought from Da Lin.

It was just that normally she had no use for them at all.

She hadn’t expected there would be another use for them.

Jing Xuan looked at them, her eyes sharp: “As long as you serve me wholeheartedly and do your utmost, I won’t treat you poorly.”

“Yes, we servants will certainly serve the Princess Consort well and follow all of the Princess Consort’s instructions.”

“Good that you understand.” After Jing Xuan finished speaking, she turned and entered the room.

She truly was different now!

Not a trace of dejection could be seen on her anymore.

The maids also followed her instructions and that very evening moved the incense originally lit in the study to Na Tuo’s room.

Na Tuo had also grown accustomed to that scent of incense.

If he didn’t smell it, he felt uncomfortable all over instead.

He removed his clothes and got into bed to sleep.

At this moment, the incense burner in the room was emitting white mist from the incense.

Curling and spreading…

Na Tuo had just closed his eyes when a gust of cold wind sounded by his ear.

He shrank his neck but paid it no mind.

Little did he know, another gust of cold wind blew at his feet.

He drew his feet back.

He opened his eyes.

The room was very quiet, with only a single faint candlelight.

The windows were tightly closed—there was no wind at all.

He still didn’t pay much attention and lay on his side to sleep.

“A Tuo.”

Suddenly someone called his name in an eerie voice.

That voice—he was extremely familiar with it.

He twisted his body and sat up from the bed.

Looking intently, he saw… a figure in white standing before the cabinet. The candlelight only illuminated the lower half of his body, but one could clearly see that white robe covered in bloodstains.

Extremely terrifying.

“You… you are…” Na Tuo clutched the blanket tightly.

“A Tuo, it’s me!”

“No, impossible, you’re already dead.” Na Tuo’s face was full of terror, his pupils dilated.

His entire body was covered in cold sweat.

The white-robed youth still stood there motionless, his upper body hidden in darkness.

“Why are you so heartless? You said you would give up the throne to save me—you said so!”

“No…”

“Why did you lie to me? Why?”

“Shut up!” Na Tuo grabbed the blanket in his hands and threw it over. He himself also fell from the bed, then in the next moment immediately propped himself up, his voice trembling: “Who exactly are you? Why are you playing tricks here in this Prince’s residence? Speak!”

The youth said: “It hasn’t been that long, yet you already don’t recognize me.”

“Someone! Someone!” Na Tuo shouted loudly.

No one responded.

He had no choice but to run to open the door, but no matter how much force he used, that door seemed as if someone had locked it from the outside—it just wouldn’t open.

“Pa pa pa pa…”

The door was slapped loudly by him.

Still no one came.

“Someone, do you hear me, you bunch of useless fools.”

He panicked, his palms and the backs of his hands both covered in cold sweat.

Outside the prince’s residence was pitch black, not a single person in sight, a deathly silence.

That feeling was like being thrown into an endless abyss, losing all sense of balance.

The youth said in a gloomy tone: “A Tuo, do you know how cold it is down below? You kept saying you regarded me as a brother, through life and death, sharing hardships together—so shouldn’t you also come keep me company?”

Na Tuo looked at the white-robed youth in terror: “Who exactly are you? Why are you here? You…”

“I’m Shilin!”

“…Urgh!”

“A Tuo, A Tuo…” The youth called his name over and over, slowly walking out from the darkness.

Na Tuo’s eyes widened as he kept backing away.

Watching as the white-robed youth’s upper body was revealed bit by bit.

However—

It was a… headless body.

Dripping with blood!

“Ahhh!” Na Tuo screamed and fell backward.

He only felt a sharp pain at the back of his head…

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself still on the bed.

He hurriedly sat up and looked toward the cabinet over there.

There was no white-robed youth at all!

It had been a nightmare.

He raised his sleeve to wipe away the sweat.

But suddenly a moth flew onto his hand.

He swung his arm forcefully, flinging it to the ground, but unexpectedly, several more moths flew around him.

“Go away!”

He threw off the blanket and got out of bed.

But the moths grew more and more numerous, all swarming around him.

“Go away, go away!”

His arms began flailing wildly, which seemed to anger those moths as well, and the moths attacked him frantically.

He knocked over the teacup on the table.

His entire body fell to the ground.

Eyes closed, he desperately tried to disperse those moths.

The two maids outside heard the commotion and hurried in.

But they only saw Na Tuo lying on the ground waving his hands.

“Your Highness? What’s wrong with you?”

The maid went to pull his hand.

“Go away, don’t come near, don’t come near.”

“Your Highness?”

“So many flying insects, so many flying insects…”

“Flying insects? There aren’t any, Your Highness, did you see wrong?”

Na Tuo stopped.

Opening his eyes to look, where were there any moths!

It was all just air.

“Your Highness?”

Had he been seeing things?

He gasped for breath, covered in sweat.

The maid helped him up from the ground.

“Your Highness, what happened to you?”

He caught his breath, only reacting after a long while.

Not wanting to lose dignity in front of the servants: “It’s nothing, go fetch some water, this Prince needs to wash his face.”

“Yes.”

The maid brought the water.

Na Tuo was about to lower his head to wash his face.

But—

The basin was full of blood!

“Ahhh!” His hand swept out, and the water basin crashed to the ground.