While having dinner, Yuan Qi heard a commotion outside.

Yuan Qi had almost finished eating, so he immediately put down his chopsticks and ran out. In the courtyard of Zhulin Pavilion not far away, two groups of people were arguing and pointing at each other, blaming each other.

Jiang Songlu, along with her maids and servants, got into an argument with Jiang Jiulu.

Jiang Songlu rolled up her sleeves in exasperation: "You still say you didn't seduce the Fifth Prince? What were you doing this afternoon? Tell me the truth!"

Jiang Jiulu was not to be outdone, and with her hands on her hips, she was extremely arrogant: "I just went to have tea with the Fifth Prince, so what? Don't you even know what you look like before you come here to cause trouble? With your persimmon-shaped face, how could the Fifth Prince possibly be interested in you?"

After she finished cursing, she stuck out her tongue and made a face at Jiang Songlu.

Jiang Songlu was so angry that he immediately took action.

Yuan Qi watched the spectacle with great interest, discussing with Wen Zhujun who would ultimately win.

Wen Zhujun sighed sincerely, "I used to think that daughters of wealthy and powerful families were reserved and dignified. I never thought they would fight so fiercely over a man. It's truly a disgrace to civility."

Yuan Qi, still intrigued, continued to ask Wen Zhujun, "Who do you think will ultimately win over the Fifth Prince?"

Wen Zhujun pursed her lips and shook her head: "I just don't understand. There are so many princes, and several of them are of marriageable age but still unmarried. There are also quite a few unmarried noblemen in the capital. Why are these two fighting tooth and nail for Xiao Zhen?"

Green Bamboo said softly, "Even the wealthiest families can't compare to the royal family, and the Fifth Prince is the most likely person to inherit the throne besides the Crown Prince, so of course he's a hot commodity."

"Stop it, both of you!" A dignified male voice rang out. Jiang Jun had just returned from outside when he heard the report that his two younger sisters were fighting, so he rushed over.

Jiang Songlu and Jiang Jiulu acted as if they hadn't heard anything and continued to wrestle.

The two men's maids were also in a frenzy and completely disregarded Jiang Juncai's orders.

Since the male servant couldn't make a move, Jiang Juncai personally stepped forward to separate the two: "What are you doing! This is outrageous!"

Jiang Songlu knew that Jiang Juncai favored her, so she took the initiative to complain: "Brother, she shamelessly seduces the Fifth Prince, and secretly meets with him for tea behind my back. Aren't you going to do anything about it?"

Jiang Jiulu, her face flushed, hurriedly explained, "What do you mean, 'behind your back'? You're talking nonsense! It was the Fifth Prince who invited me for tea. We were completely aboveboard; it wasn't a secret rendezvous. You're just jealous of me..."

Jiang Songlu interrupted her loudly: "What do you mean the Fifth Prince invited you? You seduced the Fifth Prince first."

Seeing that the two were talking inappropriately, Jiang Juncai scolded them, "Sixth sister, watch your words! What seduction? What kind of talk is that? How can you use it on your own sister?"

Jiang Songlu was indignant: "Brother, how can you side with her? Have you forgotten who you're closer to?"

Jiang Juncai had a headache. A grown man really couldn't manage these kinds of things between women in the inner quarters, so he whispered an order: "Come with me, let Mother handle this matter."

Yuan Qi also went over to watch the excitement.

She had thought that Xiangli Mingzhu would scold Jiang Jiulu, but Jiang Jun came out shortly after going in: "Mother said that you two should go in and kneel down."

Yuan Qi waited to see the excitement, but ended up seeing nothing.

She stopped Jiang Juncai out of curiosity and asked, "Brother, why didn't Mother step in to mediate this matter?"

Jiang Juncai said helplessly, "My mother is busy worshipping the statues of the Three Pure Ones and has no time to deal with such trivial matters."

Yuan Qi sighed softly. Xiangli Mingzhu always paid great attention to family education, especially the discipline of his daughters, but today was such an exception.

What she didn't expect was that Xiangli Mingzhu's decision to have Jiang Songlu and Jiang Jiulu go in wasn't a punishment of kneeling, but rather to have them worship the Three Pure Ones statue with her.

Yuan Qi was unaware of this matter. She left with Jiang Juncai and asked about the Eastern Palace on the way.

Jiang Juncai said, "There is nothing unusual about the Eastern Palace. No eunuchs, palace maids or guards have died mysteriously in recent days."

...

Xiao Zhen was meditating and practicing martial arts in his room when suddenly a man in black appeared in front of him.

The newcomer was Kong Qing, who stared at Xiao Zhen with a gloomy expression. He bowed slightly and greeted Xiao Zhen, saying, "Greetings, Fifth Prince."

After finishing his practice, Xiao Zhen had Kong Qing sit on the other side of the daybed and asked him gently, "Why are you here at this hour? Is something the matter?"

Kong Qing revealed her displeasure: "Didn't I tell you not to act rashly? Who told you to put the love potion on Jiang Jiulu and Jiang Songlu? What if Yuan Qi finds out? Our grand plan will be ruined."

Xiao Zhen stared coldly at him and retorted, "Daoist, you're so timid and hesitant. When will you ever accomplish anything great? Do you think Yuan Qi won't discover what you're doing just because you're doing nothing? I bet she noticed you a long time ago. Besides, I'm not directly targeting Yuan Qi; I'm targeting the people around her. And unlike evil energy, Gu worms aren't easily detected. Planting Gu worms is done without anyone noticing. Yuan Qi definitely won't be able to tell this time."

Kong Qing thought Xiao Zhen was stupid: "Given time, she'll definitely notice something's wrong. Don't underestimate her."

Xiao Zhen felt that Kong Qing was too timid and hesitant in his actions, and he became somewhat impatient with him.

Kong Qing took out a book and handed it to him: "If you cultivate according to this, you will achieve twice the results with half the effort."

Xiao Zhen took it, a satisfied smile on his face. He glanced at the book cover, "Ten Thousand Ghosts Paying Homage to the Forest," and then quickly flipped through it. The cultivation speed was indeed very fast; it was exactly what he wanted. "Thank you."

Kong Qing didn't mention what harm practicing this technique would bring to himself, but calmly took out another statue of a Heavenly Venerable from his pocket and handed it to Xiao Zhen.

The statue of the Heavenly Venerable looks normal at first glance, resembling the Primordial Heavenly Venerable among the Three Pure Ones. However, upon closer inspection, the smile on the statue is somewhat eerie, and the gestures are also incorrect.

Xiao Zhen knew the Three Pure Ones' images like the back of his hand, so he naturally noticed this detail.

"What is this?" he asked with a half-smile.

"This is a statue of a Heavenly Venerable to aid your cultivation. When you cultivate, place it in front of you, and you can absorb the power of merit within it, making your cultivation faster." Kong Qing didn't want to say that this statue of a Heavenly Venerable was a statue of a heretical cultivator, so seeing Xiao Zhen's questioning expression, she explained, "How could an ordinary statue of the Three Pure Ones aid your cultivation? Don't ask too many questions, this is a good thing."

Before leaving, Kong Qing reminded him again: "You'd better be careful with the Jiang family. Yuan Qi is a formidable character and not easy to deal with. Be careful not to get yourself into trouble."

As soon as Kong Qing left, Xiao Zhen couldn't wait to put the statue of the Heavenly Venerable aside and carefully read Qi's book, "Ten Thousand Ghosts Paying Homage to the Forest".

He was overjoyed: "It really is a good book! With this book, I can become a superior person within a year, and then no one will dare to mess with me."

He laughed heartily a few times, carefully flipping through the book from beginning to end, completely unaware that the expression on the statue of the Heavenly Venerable had changed.