Reborn, the daughter of the Marquisate went crazy

Princess Zhong's brows suddenly furrowed slightly. She extended her delicate, crimson-coated fingers and gently brushed Prince Zhong's sleeve. Her voice was soft but tinged with a hint of pouting, "Where has your Highness been? Why is your robe covered in dust?"

Before she finished speaking, she raised her wrist and said, "Hong Fu, why don't you go and help the prince change his clothes?"

"As you command," a voice as clear as a young oriole responded timidly.

Only then did Prince Zhong notice that there was an unfamiliar little maid standing behind the princess. She was about thirteen or fourteen years old, with skin as white as snow, and a timid look with lowered brows, which made her particularly endearing.

A hint of understanding flashed across his eyes, and he smiled meaningfully at the princess and said, "Zhen'er is still considerate."

Even as the footsteps faded, Wuyou's brows remained furrowed. Though the young maid had been charming and graceful, a faint dark aura lingered between her brows, a sign of a sudden death. He calculated that within two months, this woman would meet with a bloody disaster.

Princess Zhong elegantly took a sip of tea from her cup, her gaze fixed on Wuyou. Her spies had already reported today's events, and she knew the man before her was no ordinary person. Their master, Taoist Lingxu, was a master capable of controlling the wind and rain. If they could recruit this master and disciple, their power would be no less than that of a mighty army.

Thinking of this, a barely perceptible fanaticism flashed across the gentle eyes of Princess Zhong.

She slowly set down the teacup and tapped it lightly with her bare hands. Immediately, a maid brought a rosewood tray. Atop the tray's bright yellow satin sat a small Bagua mirror. Its surface, polished from rare obsidian, shone with a faint blue glow. The eight gemstones inlaid in the frame were arranged according to the eight trigrams, creating a subtle glow as the light and shadows shifted.

Obsidian Bagua Mirror? !

As soon as Wuyou's eyes touched the object, his pupils suddenly constricted and he stood up suddenly as if struck by lightning.

He remembered his master saying that his great-grandmaster, Master Baopu, once possessed a treasure like this, which his uncle, Lingxuan, had stolen when he defected from the sect. In his previous life, his master had used this mirror as a guide to perform the forbidden technique that forcibly reversed time and space.

But in this life, Master did not find this item from Uncle Lingxuan's hiding place as he did in his previous life. Master now travels far and wide, firstly to avoid the fear and suppression of the Dongling royal family, and secondly to track down this item's whereabouts. Who could have imagined that this item would appear in Prince Zhong's mansion!

However, Wuyou had never seen a true obsidian Bagua mirror before, so he had no way of judging whether the one before him was real or fake. And the fact that the Princess of Zhong had taken out this item clearly indicated she had some ulterior motive.

Wuyou forced himself to suppress his turbulent emotions, and when he slowly sat down, his face had returned to its calm state.

Prince Zhong's wife took in Wuyou's loss of composure and curled her rosy lips slightly. "A few months ago, by chance, I came across this Bagua mirror. Taoist priest, you are knowledgeable and experienced. Do you recognize this item?"

Wuyou's sleeves drooped slightly, and he shook his head calmly, "Although this mirror is of extraordinary quality, I am short-sighted and cannot recognize it. I wonder where the princess got such a treasure?"

Princess Zhong's fingertips suddenly tightened. She had clearly seen the strange flash in the man's eyes just now, yet he was now playing dumb. She suppressed her anger and suddenly smiled. "What a coincidence! The person who presented the treasure claimed that this mirror was a relic of Master Baopu. I remember that Master Baopu seemed to be the Taoist's great-grandmaster. How about returning it to its original owner?"

Wuyou's gaze fell on the mirror. The ancient mirror's dim light flashed in his eyes, and his voice remained calm: "Your Highness Princess, I am unworthy of your generous gift. I wonder what you need me to do?"

Princess Zhong gently stroked her fingertips with her red nail polish, and suddenly smiled softly, "The Taoist priest is truly a wise man."

Her eyes flickered as she spoke sternly, "I have long heard that the Taoist master and his disciples are profoundly versed in Taoism. Now that Taoism is in decline, with the full support of Prince Zhong's mansion, the revival of Taoism is just around the corner. I only hope that if the prince's mansion is in need one day, the Taoist master can lend a hand."

Wuyou's eyebrows twitched slightly, a look of confusion on his face. "I've heard that the Emperor and the Prince have a deep brotherly bond and are extremely gracious to each other. With the Emperor's protection, why would they need help from people like us?"

"You!" Princess Zhong was choked. She wondered if the Taoist truly didn't understand her, or was he just playing dumb? After a moment, she forced a smile. "Your Highness will naturally abide by his duties. However, the world is so unpredictable, who can predict the future?"

Wuyou's heart was clear. If his master were here, he wouldn't be controlled by this mirror. He looked up at Princess Zhong, his eyes cold and detached. "Princess, please understand. Like your master, I only wish to be a carefree wanderer. Your Majesty, I cannot thank you enough for your kindness. Let this precious mirror be left to the one who is truly destined to receive it!"

He took a step back and bowed: "I'm leaving." After that, he flicked his wide sleeves and turned to leave.

"Wow--"

The celadon teacup shattered to the ground, scalding tea splashing onto the gilded carpet, sending wisps of white smoke rising. Veins shone on Princess Zhong's slender neck, her chest heaving violently. In all her years in high office, this was the first time anyone had dared to humiliate her like this.

"Your Majesty, please calm down!" All the maids in the room immediately knelt on the ground, holding their breath.

The room was eerily quiet, the only sound being the dripping of a copper clock. After a long moment, Princess Zhong slowly exhaled, her nail-painted fingertips gently tapping the table. "Clear it!" Her face had regained its gentle, watery expression, as if the previous loss of composure had never happened.

The maids, as if they had been pardoned, cleaned up the mess on the floor with swift hands and feet.

Princess Zhong gazed at the Bagua mirror on the rosewood tray, a dark undercurrent welling in her eyes. Her impatience had been a factor today, but it wasn't entirely fruitless. Wuyou's reaction had already proven the mirror's value. As long as she held this coveted treasure, there was still a chance.

Her fingertips brushed the gemstones on the edge of the mirror and she asked softly, "Where is the prince?"

The leading maid shuddered, her voice as tinny as a mosquito's: "Replying to Her Majesty, the prince and Hong Fu are doing that in the warm room of the west wing."

"Heh." A sinister glint flashed in the eyes of Princess Zhong: "It seems that this new toy is very much to the prince's liking."

She stood up slowly, the tassels on her pearl hairpins untouched. "Take Jiaoyun to the dungeon."

The maid shuddered, her head lowered even further. Jiaoyun was the dancer the princess had given the prince a month ago. Her graceful figure had captivated the prince, who loved her daily. The princess didn't show it on her face, but she must have hated her deeply. Now, she feared she wouldn't survive the night.

……

With only three days left before the imperial court was to close its doors at the end of the year, tragic news suddenly came from the palace. The Prince of Qi, who had just returned to his ancestral home and was enjoying the emperor's favor, had his spine broken by a collapsed palace beam while trying to protect his master. He was then buried in the flames due to a sudden fire.

The emperor was heartbroken over the loss of his beloved son and had no interest in state affairs. He ordered the seal to be sealed early and the whole country was in mourning.

The people were shocked when they heard this, and they all sighed: His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi is really unlucky and can't bear the overwhelming wealth, so he ended up like this.

In the study of Jiang Mansion.

After hearing this, Jiang Zhong and Xie Tingyu both looked suspicious, concluding that there must be something fishy going on. Seeing this, Xie Qingli sighed softly and finally told the truth.

Before he finished speaking, Jiang Zhong's face darkened, and Xie Tingyu suddenly stood up, slamming the table and angrily saying, "What a hypocritical emperor! To save face, he's even willing to acknowledge a thief as his son. How absurd!"

As he was scolding, he heard a commotion outside the courtyard and the sound of chaotic footsteps. Xie Tingyu strode forward and opened the door, only to see the servants in the mansion rushing towards the gate, all of them excited and whispering to each other.

He stopped a servant and asked in a deep voice, "What's the commotion?"

The servant's face was filled with joy. He bowed hastily, his voice unable to conceal his excitement: "My dear cousin! The second and third young masters have hunted a tiger and are now displaying it in front of the mansion. Everyone is rushing to see it."