Chapter 25: First Clues Emerge
When she was led into a palace, Su Yunyu was puzzled when she saw the handsome and radiant young man in front of her.
Could the man before me be the emperor?
Sensing the confusion, the person smiled and explained:
"No, I am the Crown Prince. My father is very busy with state affairs, so when I heard the news, I was the first to invite him to meet me."
When asked about his busy schedule, the Crown Prince's eyes sparkled with a smile.
Upon hearing that he was the Crown Prince, Su Yunyu showed no emotion, neither fear nor apprehension, and simply asked calmly:
"I wonder if there's any progress on the matter in the palace?"
The Crown Prince first glanced at the so-called cultivators without showing any emotion. He saw that Su Yunyu was wearing a white robe and a mask, so his face could not be seen. He also saw that Xiao Shuying was taciturn and did not speak much. He thought about it several times but could not guess the identities of the two.
Hearing Su Yunyu's question, he sighed:
"To be honest, I actually have quite a clue about this matter."
He then invited the two to sit down, personally served them two cups of tea, and slowly said:
“I once heard from cultivators who came here that there is a resentful aura in the palace, which must have been caused by someone who had a tragic life.”
Upon hearing this, Xiao Shuying looked up at a certain spot, where, beneath the colorful brackets, a transparent soul was clearly floating...
People who harbor resentment in life will find their resentment lingering after death.
However, those who suffer such unjust injustices are few and far between, and even fewer whose lingering souls can remain in the world to create resentment.
It was nowhere near the extent that, as rumored, it caused the old emperor to have nightmares every night, and even led to the deaths of those around him.
Xiao Shuying is a spirit of the Three Realms with a special physique, and can even see things that ordinary people cannot see without using magic.
At this moment, the Crown Prince was rambling on about his speculations when Xiao Shuying saw the remnant soul meet her gaze and then fly over quietly.
Then he moved closer to Xiao Shuying and scrutinized her carefully with his indistinct gaze. A chill ran through her, and even though Xiao Shuying was calm and composed, she couldn't help but shiver.
Ripples spread across the teacup he held. Su Yunyu noticed his unusual behavior and asked:
"What's wrong"
Su Yunyu thought that Long Aotian was afraid because he heard the Crown Prince say that wronged souls were seeking revenge.
After all, he himself felt uneasy. Although he possessed cultivation levels that set him apart from ordinary people, being afraid of ghosts was a basic quality of modern people.
Xiao Shuying tightened her grip on her teacup, looked up at the Crown Prince, and asked:
"Does Your Highness know that spirits wander in this Eastern Palace?"
"Cough cough cough..." Su Yunyu, who was taking a sip of tea to calm herself, almost choked when she heard this. After recovering, she saw the Crown Prince's darkening expression and asked Xiao Shuying in a low voice:
What did you see?
Xiao Shuying wasn't afraid of the spirit at first, but after Su Yunyu's question, she knew she couldn't remain calm, or she would arouse suspicion. So she quickly pretended to be terrified.
"I don't know why, but it seemed like that spirit had taken a liking to me and kept circling around me."
First, clear himself of this matter, otherwise Su Yunyu will definitely suspect how he saw the spirit.
"Master, can't you see?"
Before Su Yunyu could speak, the Crown Prince suddenly stood up, his expression shifting several times. He closed his eyes briefly as if suppressing his emotions before finally saying:
"That spirit wore a phoenix crown and brocade robes."
"Yes," Xiao Shuying vaguely guessed his identity, but did not want to say more.
Su Yunyu cast a spell to make herself see the spirit, and even though she was mentally prepared, she still instinctively stiffened when she saw the ghost-like thing.
Xiao Shuying, who was leaning against him, touched his stiff body with her arm and couldn't help but feel a sense of scorn:
The number one person in the world is actually afraid of ghosts.
The crown prince's expression grew increasingly grim, a hint of sorrow creeping into his eyes.
“That’s my mother.”
All that groundwork had been laid beforehand, with the intention of bringing this matter to the forefront.
Unexpectedly, his mother's spirit remained in his palace, and Xiao Shuying revealed it.
So... so she really didn't get over her resentment.
What do you mean by that?
Just as Su Yunyu was pressing for answers, a report came from outside the hall:
"His Majesty has arrived!"
The crown prince's expression hardened, and he hurried to the palace gate to greet the emperor. Before long, a portly, haggard-looking man entered, wearing a five-clawed dragon robe, who was undoubtedly the emperor.
Whether from the strain of government affairs or the nightmares of the night, his face was visibly dark and he looked utterly exhausted. Yet, the first thing this man said upon entering was a cold and sarcastic remark to the Crown Prince.
"I was just about to meet with a master, but you intercepted me."
The Crown Prince still wore a smile, but compared to his expression when talking with Su Yunyu and the other person, it was clearly much more insincere.
"Your Majesty, I only wish to share your burdens."
“Oh, right,” he quickly changed the subject, introducing himself:
"These two are the ones who came in response to the proclamation. Regarding matters in the palace," he changed the subject, his tone becoming firm and resolute:
"Actually, it has something to do with my mother!"
"Absurd!" the old emperor roared, his body trembling from his recent sitting position due to his obesity, and pointed at the crown prince:
"Don't mention that person! You know perfectly well how much shame she has brought upon me!"
When the old emperor flew into a rage, Xiao Shuying saw the spirits that had been circling around him suddenly tremble, whether from fear, anger, or both.
The crown prince's chest heaved violently as he calmed himself and slowly said:
"Both of you experts saw a spirit lingering here, unwilling to leave for a long time, and full of resentment. It seems that it was wronged in its previous life, so there must be something strange about my mother's matter."
His words were so certain that even the emperor couldn't lash out. He merely blushed, as if some Achilles' heel had been struck, and turned to question Su Yunyu:
"What the Crown Prince said is true."
He was already somewhat dissatisfied with Su Yunyu and Xiao Shuying, both cultivators, for not bowing to him when they met him. Now, when it came to the matter of wronged souls, especially the secrets of the harem, his tone became even more indifferent.
Seeing his attitude, Su Yunyu knew that there was something fishy about the Crown Prince's mother, the former Empress, and it might be related to the old emperor.
If he didn't absolutely have to get his hands on the dragon vein, he wouldn't be willing to be bound by this relationship between Party A and Party B.
Before he could speak, Xiao Shuying secretly picked up a chess piece from the nearby chessboard and spoke before Su Yunyu could:
“It is absolutely true. Moreover, this soul has been restless ever since Your Majesty entered. It is likely that it was wronged in its previous life.”
After saying that, he flicked the chess piece with his wrist, which quickly struck the old emperor's knee, causing his legs to buckle and him to stagger.
The old emperor was terrified, truly believing it was a ghost haunting him. He shouted loudly for protection, but it was the crown prince who came out and said:
"I beg Father to order a thorough investigation into my mother's life, so that her wronged soul may rest in peace."
As he said this, the Crown Prince's lowered eyes were faintly red.
The old emperor was truly terrified. Upon hearing this, his anger vanished, replaced only by worry for his life. He immediately nodded repeatedly.
"Investigate thoroughly, we cannot allow your mother to suffer injustice."
After saying this, he had someone help him back to the palace. Once the old emperor had left, the crown prince then explained quietly:
"Actually, my mother was murdered by the emperor. He framed her for having an affair, and forced her to die of shame."
No wonder the old emperor was so furious when he heard that it was the vengeful spirit of the former empress; it turns out that he himself was the culprit.
It's not surprising that he was killed, but Su Yunyu looked at that remnant soul and it didn't seem to be that powerful...
The crown prince's eyes flashed with hatred, and he said again:
"I have always wanted to clear my mother's name. It seems that the Emperor has been having nightmares every night, with someone claiming his life. It is possible that my mother is the one who did it. I will take this opportunity to clear my mother's name."
Is this matter really that simple?
If it were truly the work of a vengeful spirit, it would have frightened several cultivators so much that they dared not even enter the palace gates.
Su Yunyu felt that things weren't that simple, and then the Crown Prince asked again:
"Is there any way I can see my mother?"
In his haste, he even forgot to refer to himself.
Su Yunyu shook her head:
"Mortals and ghosts are separated by the realms of Yin and Yang, unlike cultivators, so Your Highness cannot see them."
If humans and ghosts could truly meet, then the Heavenly Dao would be meaningless.
Upon hearing this, the crown prince's eyes reddened again, and he slowly slumped down.
"But I really want to talk to my mother. She left so suddenly, without even leaving her last words."
In her moment of anger and dejection, Xiao Shuying suddenly spoke up:
"If you only want to hear her dying words, I can see her in your place."
"Really?" Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince immediately stood up, strode forward, and grasped Xiao Shuying's hands.
"If that's really possible, I'd appreciate it if you could meet with her and let me know what she has to say."
Xiao Shuying coldly withdrew his hand. It wasn't that he was happy to help others; he was simply a little confused about the bond between mother and child.
He looked up at Su Yunyu, his eyes filled with obedience:
"Master, do you agree to your disciple doing this?"
Su Yunyu naturally wouldn't object, but she was a little doubtful about his claim that it was possible to communicate with ghosts:
Are you sure you can do it?
Xiao Shuying nodded: "She mistook me for the crown prince."
Otherwise, the spirit wouldn't have been looking at him so closely.
Those who don't know the truth might think the soul is trying to possess another body.
But Xiao Shuying could sense the kindness conveyed by the soul.
This is clearly not a malevolent spirit.
Therefore, it's truly impossible to determine whether the source of the demonic incident in the palace lies here.
The crown prince stiffened, a bitter smile playing on his lips:
"In that case, I'll have to trouble you, sir."
So Xiao Shuying called out "Mother" to the spirit, and sure enough, the spirit's transparent body trembled, and it circled him several times, earnestly pleading:
"Huazhang, you can see your mother now."
"Huazhang, are you alright? Don't be too sad. Your mother is leaving. You must be a diligent ruler..."
He rambled on and on, seemingly consumed by grief for his child. As Xiao Shuying listened and relayed his words, she was oblivious to the Crown Prince's suppressed trembling; she was only thinking of her own mother.
On the day he was born, he happened to be born at the same hour as Xiao Qingran. At that time, two strange phenomena appeared in the sky. One was that colorful clouds gathered at the top of the sky and birds followed. They said it was a good omen for Xiao Qingran.
As for the other one, it was a strong wind and the cawing of crows, which the feng shui master said was an ominous sign for him, the illegitimate son.
At that time, his mother, who was also a concubine in the Xiao family, had just given birth when she learned that she had been abandoned by the head of the family. She had been holding him then, but in the blink of an eye, she was filled with resentment and threw him away, saying:
"If I had known you would drag me down, I would have abandoned you long ago."
The next day, the concubine, overwhelmed by the shock, suddenly passed away, her already weakened body weakened.
As for Xiao Qingran's mother, she developed a chronic illness afterward and passed away a year later.
From then on, the reputation of him as a jinx spread throughout the Xiao family.
It seems unbelievable that I was able to leave the Xiao residence alive.
As for the kinship that the world praises, he was neither fortunate enough to experience it.
As the voice of the spirit grew fainter and fainter until it disappeared, Xiao Shuying realized that the spirit had already dispersed when she regained her senses.
He paused, then said absentmindedly:
"Your mother was not left in this world because of a wrong, but because she still cares about you and is unwilling to leave."
Upon hearing this, the Crown Prince wiped away his tears with his sleeve, his eyes filled not only with grief but also with hatred for one person.
After a moment, he paused, forcing himself to remain calm, and said:
"Once this matter is settled, apart from the dragon vein, you two can freely command whatever else you desire."
Su Yunyu looked at Xiao Shuying, who seemed lost in thought, and understood that he was thinking about himself.
In the original novel, Xiao Shuying's experience with family affection is completely blank. He has never experienced maternal love, let alone paternal love. His innate environment led to his extreme lack of emotional connection later in life.
If he had possessed a deep and profound familial love from the beginning, would things be different now? Would the story be different in the original novel as well?
Thinking of this, Su Yunyu's expression hardened, and she pleaded:
"There is indeed one more thing I need to ask of you."
"Please feel free to speak."
"To be honest, I hope the palace can help dispel a rumor in the Fourteen Continents."
"What rumors?"
Xiao Shuying looked over and saw Su Yunyu sigh:
"My disciple was considered an ominous sign due to unusual phenomena at birth, and he is therefore called a jinx. I implore Your Highness to help dispel this rumor."
This statement was clearly pointed, but Su Yunyu was not afraid of revealing her identity. After all, who Xiao Shuying had become an apprentice to was not widely known in the mortal world.
"Oh," the Crown Prince said with a solemn expression, turning to Su Yunyu.
"You have helped me fulfill my wish, and I will take action on this matter."
Xiao Shuying, upon hearing Su Yunyu's request, was stunned, a strange and inappropriate emotion surging within her.
Overwhelmed with emotions, the little thorn in his heart swayed more and more, pricking him restlessly. He lowered his complex gaze and simply called out:
"Master..."
Are you really... willing to free me from the mire of my past?
Are you... being sincere?
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Author's Note: I'm praying for a good ranking this week. If there's a ranking, I'll update more chapters. When there's no ranking, I'll update slower because I want to increase my collection count. Thank you for your support, dear readers! Love you all! [Three-flower cat emoji]
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