At the Fifth Princess’s residence.
No sooner had Wang Defu and the others returned than the workers from Windborne Workshop arrived, delivering the Purple-Gold War Chariot intact.
Inside the estate, Liu Lingxue—the martial attendant who had grown up alongside the real Fifth Princess—was quietly cultivating in a secluded courtyard of the long-neglected rear garden.
Suddenly, the sound of lively commotion reached her ears.
Her meditation disrupted, her chest tightened with irritation. Frowning, she stood up and stepped out to investigate.
She saw that under Wang Defu’s direction, a group of servants were joyfully shouting as they guided a dazzling golden chariot into the rear garden’s clearing.
Liu Lingxue was stunned for a moment and walked over, asking, “What is this?”
“This is the new chariot our Prince Consort bought!”
“More accurately, it’s the war chariot the Crown Prince couldn’t afford to pay for, and our Prince Consort bought it!”
“Yes! Right in front of everyone in Chongyang Market, he publicly slapped the Crown Prince in the face!”
“Once the Crown Prince finds out, who knows how furious he’ll be.”
“Just look how luxurious and imposing this chariot is!”
“There’s only one like it in all of Changtian City!”
The servants around Wang Defu all chimed in excitedly, speaking over one another with beaming faces.
Liu Lingxue looked at their cheerful expressions, but her own face remained cold as ice.
What did the Prince Consort mean by buying such a thing?
“Take it away. Don’t place anything in the rear garden that has any association with the word ‘Crown Prince’! I don’t want to see it!”
Wang Defu froze. The smile on his face stiffened.
None of them knew that the real Fifth Princess, Yuhe, had died—and Mu Lanchu was a substitute.
But they all knew Liu Lingxue’s temper.
Especially in recent years—it was terrible.
And she had cultivation. No one dared provoke her.
So they quickly tried to placate her with kind words:
“Miss Liu, the Prince Consort ordered it placed in the rear garden temporarily. There’s really no other spot in the estate large enough to fit this chariot.”
“Miss Liu, ever since the Fifth Princess suddenly lost her ability to cultivate, you’ve stayed gloomy and locked yourself away here.”
“We servants haven’t seen the Princess for years.”
“But now, the Princess’s bloodline has been restored—and it’s the strongest Gold Rank.”
“Many people saw it themselves today in Chongyang Market!”
“It’s said that just with her Gold Bloodline, she qualifies to inherit the position of Emperor of Yan Empire!”
“So, Miss Liu, you can rest easy about some things now.”
“Our Princess can cultivate again!”
“When she goes out, she no longer has to endure being looked down on by others from noble households.”
“This chariot was bought by the Prince Consort as a gift for the Princess. Shouldn’t you be happy?”
This… how could it be possible?!
Hearing about the bloodline restoration, Liu Lingxue was both shocked and suspicious.
She hadn’t noticed any particular change in Mu Lanchu.
But she knew Mu Lanchu was a fake.
How could a substitute possibly have a Gold Bloodline?
And even deceive everyone in Chongyang Market?
“What else did the Prince Consort and the Fifth Princess do in Chongyang Market today?” Liu Lingxue asked.
“Our Prince Consort beat up the Sixth Prince at the Immortal Spirit Restaurant! Crushed him underfoot!”
Wang Defu enthusiastically recounted how Xiao Jing had thrashed Bi Rui.
And without meaning to, he spoke even more vividly.
This time, upon hearing that Bi Rui had been beaten, the icy expression on Liu Lingxue’s face began to melt.
Well done! That was satisfying!
Anyone associated with the Crown Prince deserved to die!
Could it be… that this new Prince Consort, the Third Prince from the Liang Empire, had a plan?
The Third Prince had been sent to the Yan Empire as a hostage, married into the Fifth Princess’s estate—he was supposed to have fallen into a trap.
Yet he showed no fear or anxiety, only calm and confidence.
This morning he had driven out people the Crown Prince had planted. Then he moved openly in Chongyang Market.
Could it be that he already knew his situation and had made preparations?
So… buying this chariot might have been part of his plan…
What was he going to do next?
Liu Lingxue couldn’t guess.
But in the past few years, she had learned patience and how to wait for the right moment.
She would wait for the fake Fifth Princess and the Third Prince to return—and then observe what he was really up to.
With that thought, Liu Lingxue stopped interfering with Wang Defu and the others and returned to her small, run-down room.
…
Inside Xiao Jing’s mind, notifications of Liu Lingxue’s internal thoughts kept popping up.
[Liu Lingxue, upon seeing the Crown Prince’s war chariot brought back to the estate, finds it an eyesore and wants to smash it to vent her anger.]
Smash the chariot?
Xiao Jing silently shook his head, amused. This troublemaker girl…
So she’s got a bit of a temper?
He wasn’t worried. After all, he had already received the Cultivation Points. Even if she smashed it, it would just be the second Binding Target smashing the first Binding Target’s item.
If she really did break it, he could just buy another.
He didn’t take it seriously.
A moment later, another system notification popped up:
[Liu Lingxue suspects you used some method to deceive everyone. She believes a fake princess couldn’t possibly possess a real bloodline.]
[Liu Lingxue is confused about your intentions.]
[Liu Lingxue finds you unfathomable and is growing curious about you.]
[Liu Lingxue wants to know what you plan to do next.]
[Liu Lingxue is considering forming an alliance with you but is hesitant, unsure how to bring it up.]
[She has many things she’s unsure whether she can tell you, or when she can say them.]
…
Seeing this, Xiao Jing chuckled.
Miss Liu sure has a lot going on in that head of hers!
These pop-ups were coming so fast, his brain was going numb!
Time to return to the estate. While she was feeling all this curiosity and turmoil, he’d have a quick chat with her.
And hand her the system’s Meeting Gift Pack.
He still needed just over 900,000 Cultivation Points to level up again.
Xiao Jing didn’t waste time in Chongyang Market trying to force more purchases.
He brought Mu Lanchu with him, riding the Purple-Winged Griffin, and returned to the Fifth Princess’s residence.
Steward Wang Defu and the others welcomed them back warmly.
Using the excuse of inspecting the war chariot, Xiao Jing went straight to the rear garden.
Looking around, weeds had grown wild for years. The corridors were worn and mottled. A quiet loneliness hung in the air.
The Purple-Gold War Chariot sat in a clearing.
In the corner of the garden stood a secluded little courtyard. The door was half open. A white-clad girl, upon hearing voices, stood just inside and peeked out cautiously.
[Liu Lingxue is hoping you will come find her alone.]
Seeing the system prompt, Xiao Jing smiled inwardly.
This girl is stubborn.
So many thoughts in her head, yet she acts like a guarded little beast—refusing to come out.
Maybe she just doesn’t trust anyone.
Then I’ll deliberately not go to her.
Xiao Jing pretended not to notice Liu Lingxue.
Deliberately raising his voice, he said to Wang Defu, “Bring everyone in the estate to clean up this garden! That small courtyard over there looks fine—refit it and let the griffin live there. This griffin is an Earth-grade war beast. We must not let it suffer!”
“Yes, Your Highness Xiao,” Wang Defu quickly replied, but then hesitated. “But, that courtyard has been Miss Liu’s residence for the past few years.”
“Miss Liu? Who gave her permission to live there?”
“She moved in on her own. No one has interfered these years.”
“Then have her move out! As a martial attendant, instead of accompanying the Princess in cultivation, she’s hiding in some courtyard—what’s she doing there?!”
In front of the servants, Xiao Jing deliberately spoke this way.
“Well…”
“Do as I say—start tearing down her courtyard!”