At the rooster’s crow, the sky had yet to brighten.

Early in the morning, Lord Jiang went alone to Heaven-Gazing Platform, carrying pastries and morning tea for a prison visit.

Heaven-Gazing Platform was meant for serious criminals, but Scarface Liu turned a blind eye and let him pass.

Besides, Jiang Gaoyi, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, was now his direct superior.

Zheng Xiu was rather surprised to see Jiang Gaoyi arriving with breakfast for a prison visit.

’In my experience, Lord Jiang isn’t supposed to be this socially savvy.’

’I was even worried I wouldn’t have breakfast this morning.’

’I never expected Lord Jiang to be so thoughtful now.’

’I wonder what changed Lord Jiang’s rigid, upright nature.’

The next second, Zheng Xiu found out why.

"Marquis!" Jiang Gaoyi was stunned when he first saw the villa-like prison cell on the platform. But then he recalled Zheng Xiu’s deeds in the Earth Cell and it all clicked. In a few short steps, he had worked himself into a frenzy, looking as if he were on the verge of tears. "I... I have failed you, Marquis! In my hour of need, you came to my aid. You disregarded our past grievances and recommended me to the Holy Emperor. Your kindness and integrity are immense! I should have been willing to go through hell and high water to repay you! And yet..."

Lord Jiang paused, grief welling up inside him. He covered his face with his sleeve and sighed heavily. "And yet, I am powerless to clear Marquis Zheng of these false accusations!"

’So he really did just come for a visit.’

’And it looks like... I’m the one who changed him?’

Zheng Xiu was genuinely touched. If Jiang Gaoyi had something to say, he could have just sent a messenger. He’d just been promoted to Minister; his career was taking off, and he should have been striking while the iron was hot, with his eyes on the Chancellor’s seat. Instead, he had risked it all to come to this prison in person—a place that could easily bring him bad luck and jeopardize his future.

Jiang Gaoyi himself had been imprisoned not long ago, so he was all too familiar with such an environment. Standing in the cell, a nostalgic, sad look appeared on his face.

After his emotional display and some brief pleasantries, Jiang Gaoyi stated the purpose of his visit.

He said that Zheng Xiu had been framed. The case of Princess Yu Run was surely a setup by someone else, and he had already gathered a few clues. He was confident that within a few days, he could clear both Master Zheng’s and the Zheng Family’s name.

Upon hearing this, the pastry in Zheng Xiu’s mouth suddenly seemed tasteless. He quickly told Lord Jiang there was no need to rush. "Investigate it thoroughly. Take your time," he urged.

Lord Jiang, unaware of Zheng Xiu’s little schemes, misunderstood. He thought Zheng Xiu was worried about him losing his official post and felt even more moved.

"Truly the son of General Zheng! Your righteousness pierces the heavens! A man of great virtue and prestige! In the past, I mistakenly thought Marquis Zheng was as unscrupulous as any common, crooked merchant. I was truly blind! Blind!!" Lord Jiang berated himself in anguish. He then revealed that "another department" had taken the Princess Yu Run case overnight for re-investigation.

’It was probably Feng Bei who took the case.’

’I wonder if Feng Bei has found anything?’

Zheng Xiu was curious, and decided to ask about it later.

Jiang Gaoyi didn’t dare say much about Ye Weiyang, but something else he mentioned made Zheng Xiu take note.

"Are you telling me that Yuwen Youde, the Ministry of Personnel Examination Company Officer who dropped dead in the night for no apparent reason, had a verbal marriage agreement with the Jing Family to take their only daughter, Jing Xuemei, as his concubine?"

’Why is everyone always targeting my girls?’

’Isn’t this just going to give me another bad reputation for ’stealing other men’s wives and concubines’?’

Zheng Xiu was baffled.

But in this era, marriages between officials and merchants weren’t rare. Even if Jing Xuemei had fallen into the world of courtesans, she was famous in the city. She captivated audiences with her exquisite Flute Skill, selling her art but not her body. It was common knowledge that she was still a virgin.

Yuwen Youde, for his part, was only sixteen—young, promising, handsome, and suave. He didn’t actually want to marry a girl from Heaven on Earth. But once Jing Xuemei bought back her freedom and resumed her identity as the young lady of the Jing Clan, wouldn’t their social statuses match?

As for her time at Heaven on Earth, it could just be brushed off as a period of ’gaining experience’ away from home. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

Yuwen Youde had never even seen Jing Xuemei’s true face before he died. The Jing Clan had only one daughter, and the two Jing Family elders were too old to have more children. The logic was simple: all Yuwen Youde had to do was get Jing Xuemei to bear him a few children, give one of them to the Jing Clan to carry on the family name, and wouldn’t the Jing Clan’s entire fortune be his for the taking?

The Jing Clan, in turn, was looking for a shortcut to ally with an officials’ family. Thus, a marriage between the two families was a win-win situation.

Jiang Gaoyi lowered his voice. "I wonder, Marquis, have you never once suspected Jing Xuemei?"

Jiang Gaoyi’s parting words plunged Zheng Xiu into deep thought.

Jiang Gaoyi, the Minister of the Ministry of Justice, came and left in a rush, even taking the trash from the cell with him.

Before he left, Zheng Xiu asked what he and Old Wei had discussed that day. Jiang Gaoyi’s expression changed dramatically. He clasped his hands in the direction of the Imperial Palace and said he dared not speculate on the Holy Emperor’s intentions, claiming to know nothing.

It was like Jiang Gaoyi was a new man. He was gradually figuring out how to play the political game.

After Jiang Gaoyi left, Zheng Xiu straightened his clothes and used the latrine.

Zheng Xiu knew the most pressing matter was to clear the [Immortal Maiden Temple], but he couldn’t ignore the trouble brewing here either.

He had to serve his time, but Zheng Xiu’s idea was to do it comfortably, like a vacation, not to be hounded by bizarre accusations. Everything had to be under his control.

While the sky was still dark, Zheng Xiu entered the Heart Prison to equip the [Evil Child]’s Traits.

This time, he would be with Feng Bei, so he didn’t need to worry too much about safety. Zheng Xiu thought for a moment and decided on a reasonable combination of Traits. First, for self-preservation. Second, to grind his Experience Level. And third, to fit the persona of Zheng Er. If he was going to play the part of a son, he had to be convincing.

After careful consideration, Zheng Xiu equipped the [Evil Child] with the following Traits:

[inspiration (some accomplishment)], [Fist Skill (Slightly Knowledgeable)], [Taunt (Entry)], [Intuition (Entry)], [Coiling Dragon Eighteen Slashes (Entry)].

Zheng Xiu didn’t know what he would encounter in the [Immortal Maiden Temple]. But since Zheng Erniang was suffering from a vicious malady caused by a Miracle Technique, he figured it had to be related to something bizarre and unnatural. [inspiration], therefore, was an essential Trait.

[Fist Skill] and [Coiling Dragon Eighteen Slashes] were no-brainers. The dangers of the Ghostly Realm were unpredictable, making offensive Traits a must.

[Intuition] was a life-saving Trait, an absolute must-have.

For the last Trait, Zheng Xiu initially thought of taking [Scouting]. But then he remembered Feng Bei was a top-tier operative from Ye Weiyang; bringing [Scouting] along would be like teaching a fish to swim. Besides, the Experience Level for [Taunt] was easy to grind.

’If... I use Feng Bei to grind it, that is.’

Zheng Xiu didn’t agonize over his Trait selection for long. He had already unlocked the [Post Station] and set an anchor on Feng Bei, allowing him to fast-travel at any time. If worst came to worst and he ran into trouble, he could just come back and switch them out.

There were always more problems than solutions, so there was no point getting stuck on it.

Under the cover of darkness, the Evil Child set out.

The moment the Evil Child appeared, the Raven in the sky panicked for an instant.

Zheng Xiu glanced up. The Evil Child flew swiftly from the cell in the form of an Ah Piao, and the Raven calmed down.

Two [Divine Travel] excursions had taught Zheng Xiu something from the Raven’s reactions: the Raven was only alarmed when his Main Body and his Incarnation appeared in the same place.

If they were apart, they wouldn’t trigger the flock’s warning.

He floated the entire way without a reaction from the Raven. Zheng Xiu easily slipped back into the Zheng Family estate.

Before leaving, he had wedged a single hair in the crack of the door. Now back in his room, he saw the hair and the other small, hidden traps on his doors and windows were all undisturbed. Zheng Xiu was certain no one had snuck into his room during the night.

’It seems my status as the young master still carries some weight.’

When day broke, Zheng Xiu pretended to be waking from a deep sleep. He pushed open his door and was greeted by the dazzling sunlight.

Newly hired servants were already waiting outside to help the young master dress and wash.

Since the Second Lady had fallen gravely ill, many of the Zheng Family businesses were left unattended and had suffered as a result. Even Heaven on Earth had posted a sign: "The Proprietor is Celebrating a Joyous Occasion—Temporarily Closed." Consequently, many of the girls, cooks, and Tailors had taken up part-time work as servants for the Zheng Family. The Zheng estate had rarely been so lively.

Zheng Xiu informed Qing Shisan that he was going out of the city with Feng Bei for a trip.

Qing Shisan wanted to tag along, but Zheng Xiu ordered him to remain in the city. With so many things up in the air, he needed Master Zheng’s most trusted man, Qing Pi, to hold down the fort.

His first task was to lead the Brotherhood in protecting the Zheng Family. His second was to deploy the Thousand-Mile Eye and the Sharp-Eared to gather intelligence, especially news that was difficult to obtain from the palace.

Qing Shisan readily agreed. It was obvious he didn’t really want to go anyway.

Nobody wanted to get close to the legendary Upper Three Feng Bei, and Qing Shisan was no exception.

After his string of agreements, the young master’s next whispered instruction made Qing Shisan choke on a mouthful of acrid smoke.

"COUGH, COUGH, COUGH... Young Master, are you saying... you want to secretly build a dungeon beneath the Zheng Family estate?"

Qing Shisan felt he must have misheard. He repeated the young master’s words while vigorously cleaning out his ear.