Dread King's Bride

Yun Houxing fled from the Dread King's Manor as though escaping for his life, bringing the coffin and Yun Yujiao's corpse with him. The Daoist Wuji had been burned to ashes, leaving nothing behind. As for the living corpse controlled by Wuji, it was buried alongside him—serving no purpose anymore. With grievances tied to their rightful owners, Yun Qingwu's spirit naturally followed her father back to exact vengeance.

The Zhaixing Courtyard had suffered a massive fire. Though there were no casualties, the place was now uninhabitable. QingWu glanced around with disdain. "This place is too shabby. It doesn't suit me. I want a bigger courtyard."

Xiao Chenyuan raised an eyebrow. "Where does my Queen wish to stay then?"

"Yuanwei Courtyard."

Xiao Chenyuan's expression remained unchanged, but Elderly Attendant's face paled, his lips parting as though to speak but closing again multiple times.

"Are you sure?"

"Uh-huh. Why? Does my King feel reluctant?"

"Very well."

QingWu smirked. "Thank you. Oh, one more thing—don't assign too many servants. I prefer peace and quiet." With that, she yawned and walked off, her demeanor suggesting she was far too familiar with the manor for someone newly arrived.

Xiao Chenyuan's eyes lingered on her retreating figure, his thoughts inscrutable.

"Your Majesty, how could you let her move into Yuanwei Courtyard? That place is—" Elderly Attendant began, but he was abruptly cut off.

"Situ Jing," Xiao Chenyuan said coldly, his fingers rolling the prayer beads between them. "Do you believe it's truly possible for a ghost to possess a body and return to life?"

Situ Jing scratched his nose. "Well, I've never seen it myself. But if it did exist, it'd have to be a vengeful spirit with at least a century of cultivation. And a ghost like that, if it did possess a body, would definitely go on a rampage."

"Do you think the Queen is human?"

"She certainly doesn't seem like one," Situ Jing muttered, lowering his voice. "Based on how she acted today, it's clear she wants Yun Houxing dead. Maybe she really is Yun Qingwu risen from the dead."

"After all, she was turned into a living corpse and yesterday was the Ghost Festival. It's normal for her to exude such malice."

"But…" Situ Jing frowned. "The Daoist borrowed the power of the fire deity Zhu Rong and was consumed by its backlash, yet she remained unscathed. That doesn't make sense. Ghosts fear fire, and Zhu Rong's flames specifically suppress evil spirits. It should've affected her."

A trace of mockery flickered in Xiao Chenyuan's eyes. Suppress evil spirits? Then how would Situ Jing explain the infernal blaze in the Eastern Palace years ago that incinerated over a hundred lives?

"Since she seeks vengeance against Yun Houxing, her goal aligns with ours for now." Xiao Chenyuan's voice turned steely. "Take this opportunity to thoroughly terrify Yun Houxing. Before he dies, ensure we uncover evidence of his betrayal against the Marquis of Zhen Guo."

Years ago, the late Crown Prince was accused of conspiring with the Marquis of Zhen Guo to rebel. The Eastern Palace was engulfed in flames, and the Crown Prince reportedly "burned himself alive." The Marquis of Zhen Guo and his entire family perished on the battlefield. Yun Houxing, a distant relative of the Marquis and the logistics officer during that campaign, had been the one to accuse the Marquis of treason. He rose to the position of Minister of Revenue, stepping on the corpses of loyal and righteous officials.

Xiao Chenyuan had lain low for ten years, and his return to the capital this time was to reopen the investigation into the old case. He sought to restore the honor of the late Crown Prince and clear the Marquis of Zhen Guo of the false accusations against him.

"Your Majesty, you should take care of your health," Situ Jing grumbled incessantly. "The Ghost Festival is when your cold affliction flares up the worst. And now we've got a malevolent spirit in the manor. That Daoist wasn't wrong about one thing: ghosts are unpredictable. Right now, she's focused on Yun Houxing, but that doesn't mean she won't turn on someone else. You—"

"Xiao Chenyuan! What are you doing?" Situ Jing's voice suddenly shot up.

He watched in shock as the man removed the heavy fox-fur cloak that he wore year-round, regardless of the season. Situ Jing quickly picked it up and tried to drape it back over him. "Are you trying to kill yourself? This fire-fox cloak suppresses the Yin energy in your body. You—"

"I'm not cold."

"What?"

Xiao Chenyuan's eyes darkened. "Today, I don't feel cold."

To be precise, it had started last night. At first, he hadn't noticed it, but over the past half-day, the change had become increasingly apparent. The Yin energy within him was still present but no longer constantly gnawing at his bones as it had in the past. He'd always needed the fire-fox cloak to suppress the chill, but today, he'd even felt a faint sweat beneath it.

Situ Jing and Elderly Attendant exchanged baffled looks.

"Investigate that Daoist Wuji thoroughly. I want to know how he's connected to the infernal blaze at the Eastern Palace all those years ago. Also..." Xiao Chenyuan paused. "Send Luqiao and Hongrui to serve in Yuanwei Courtyard."

With that, he strode off, leaving Elderly Attendant wide-eyed in disbelief.

Situ Jing clicked his tongue and scowled. "I'll go find Sister Hong and Sister Lu immediately. They need to keep a close eye on that woman and make sure she doesn't cause trouble in Yuanwei Courtyard! By the way, I've been meaning to ask—what's so special about that courtyard?"

"It's not exactly special," Elderly Attendant muttered under his breath. "It's just that the young miss used to live there. How could His Majesty let someone else move in?"

"Young miss?" Situ Jing slapped his forehead. "You mean the little princess from the Marquis of Zhen Guo's family who died young?"

Elderly Attendant glared at him.

Situ Jing suddenly pieced things together and stomped his foot, cursing, "No wonder he was asking me about ghosts coming back to life! Xiao Chenyuan, that lunatic—what nonsense is he thinking now?"

In the Yuanwei Courtyard, as the season had passed, the irises were no longer in bloom. Only lush green leaves filled the garden, but the intricate carvings of irises on bricks, stones, window frames, and door-frames hinted at the painstaking effort that had gone into its design. The courtyard remained meticulously preserved, looking exactly as it had a decade ago.

QingWu walked leisurely, her gaze lingering on the familiar surroundings, tinged with nostalgia.

The Judge's Brush roared in her mind, "You're doing this on purpose! You promised not to expose yourself!"

"How did I expose myself?" she countered, feigning innocence.

"This courtyard is clearly connected to you! You have been keeping on drawing iris flowers back then when we are in the Underworld !"

"That only proves Xiao Chenyuan and I share the same artistic taste."

"Oh, spare me! The way he looked at you just now was definitely suspicious."

QingWu chuckled softly but fell silent when her eyes landed on an iris-shaped lantern hanging from the eaves. Her thoughts drifted. A low, deep voice sounded behind her.

"Yun QingWu."

Her eyes flickered, but she didn't turn around.

The Judge's Brush shrieked excitedly, "Did you hear that? He called you Yun QingWu, not Yun Qingwu!

She lowered her gaze, and when she finally turned, she looked puzzled. "Were you addressing me, Your Majesty?"

Standing in the shadowy corridor, where sunlight dared not reach, QingWu's bewitching features radiated an almost spectral allure. Her demeanor was lazy, yet her gaze carried a wicked charm, as if she were a seductress from the darkness.

Xiao Chenyuan scrutinized her intently, his piercing gaze examining every nuance of her expression. She was stunning—her facial features held an uncanny resemblance to how he had imagined QingWu might have grown up. He had often wondered how the bright, sunny little girl he once knew would have looked if she had survived into adulthood. But the woman standing before him exuded a dangerously seductive aura, utterly unlike the lively innocence of his childhood companion.

"Who are you, really?" His voice was low and sharp.

QingWu toyed with a lock of her hair, smiling playfully. "I already told you—your queen, Yun Qingwu, of course."

His eyes narrowed. "And how would Yun Qingwu know about the Yuanwei Courtyard?"

She laughed lightly. "I heard about it, naturally. Although you've been away from the capital for years, plenty of eyes watch over this manor, don't they?"

Xiao Chenyuan stared at her for a long moment. Then, a hint of self-mockery flashed across his face. Perhaps he had been insane to entertain the thought that the sunny little girl from his past could have returned through some supernatural means. No matter what had become of her, she would never have grown into this darkly mesmerizing enigma.

Still, he had already given his word to let her stay. Retracting it now would solve nothing. The warmth in his gaze faded entirely, replaced by an icy detachment. His tone turned frigid. "Do not touch anything in the Yuanwei Courtyard, especially that iris lantern."