Cat ghosts are said to be a type of witchcraft. The practitioner kills a cat that has lived for over twenty years, then traps its soul with talismans. Every midnight, they offer their blood and large rats as a sacrifice. After several decades of such nurturing, the old cat’s soul falls under the practitioner’s control and can be sent to harm anyone the practitioner wishes.
No wonder that wild cat from earlier cast no shadow even in the flicker of the fire stone. It wasn’t a living cat but a cat ghost.
Li Ying murmured, “So the heartless crow we saw earlier was also the work of the cat ghost?”
Cui Xun nodded: “The cat ghost must have eaten the crow’s eyes and heart, then animated the corpse to fly. That’s why the other crows were so panicked, desperately fleeing the desolate forest.”
Li Ying asked, “When the cat ghost pounced on me, did it want to eat me too?”
“That’s likely the case,” Cui Xun said. “Cat ghosts nurtured by witchcraft for decades become malevolent spirits. Such spirits take pleasure in tormenting creatures weaker than themselves. That’s why the cat ghost tormented the crow and then tried to devour your soul.”
Li Ying recalled the terrifying moment and couldn’t help but feel a chill down her spine. If the cat ghost had torn open her throat, her fate would have been no different from those crows. She said, “I remember the cat ghost disaster that occurred in the previous dynasty’s palace. That’s why the Great Zhou law stipulates that anyone who creates a cat ghost or teaches methods of creating one shall be hanged; family members who know but don’t report such activities shall be exiled three thousand li. Who would dare risk execution to raise a cat ghost?”
Cui Xun looked at the blood trail on the withered leaves, which extended forward. He said, “Following this blood trail will give us the answer.”
The blood trail led to a stone hut.
The stone hut was hidden deep in the desolate forest, extremely secluded with no other buildings nearby. Its walls were built of rough stone blocks, and the roof was covered with thick thatch. At first glance, it looked like a hunter’s resting place, but in the darkness, weak moonlight filtered through clouds and fell upon the rat skeletons beside the hut walls. There was no candlelight inside, giving the stone hut an indescribably cold, eerie atmosphere. Li Ying couldn’t help but shudder with fear.
Cui Xun discreetly positioned himself in front of her and said softly, “Hold onto my clothes.”
Li Ying quickly nodded. She reached out and gently grasped his black crane-feather cloak, then followed behind Cui Xun as they edged toward the half-open wooden door of the stone hut.
Through the half-open door, they glimpsed the scene inside. The hut was pitch black, but within that darkness, a pair of glowing green eyes was particularly distinct.
The cat ghost!
The same thought flashed through both their minds. The cat ghost’s ears seemed to catch their movements. It looked toward the doorway, arched its back, and snarled with bared teeth. But upon seeing the bloodstained iron bow in Cui Xun’s hand, it let out a fearful growl and leaped out through the open window.
The cat ghost had fled.
Silence returned to the stone hut. Cui Xun said softly to Li Ying, “Let’s go in and take a look.”
Li Ying’s ten fingers firmly gripped Cui Xun’s black crane-feather cloak. With him in front, her fear seemed to subside somewhat. Cui Xun had already lit a fire stick, and in the reddish glow of its flame, the two carefully pushed open the wooden door and entered the stone hut.
Once inside, both were astonished. The interior was permeated with an indescribably strange atmosphere. The walls were covered with wet moss, and the bamboo table and chairs were full of mottled mildew stains. But what frightened Li Ying more was a wooden cross stake in the middle of the hut. On it was tied a straw effigy wearing a green five-colored twelve-pattern imperial consort’s ceremonial robe. The effigy had bloodstains on its shoulders, likely where the cat ghost had been perching.
Li Ying carefully examined the green five-colored twelve-pattern ceremonial robe. This was a ceremonial garment that only the Imperial Noble Consort, Consort Hui, Consort Li, and Consort Hua of the Great Zhou could wear. How could it appear in this simple stone hut?
But the more she looked at this ceremonial robe, the more familiar it seemed: “This is… my mother’s clothing?”
“The Empress Dowager’s clothing?”
Li Ying nodded: “Yes, this is the ceremonial robe my mother wore when she was titled as Imperial Noble Consort.”
But how could the Empress Dowager’s ceremonial robe appear outside the palace, and be worn on a straw effigy?
Cui Xun frowned and murmured, “I understand now.”
“Understand what?”
“The Empress Dowager has been unwell recently and even missed the New Year’s grand court assembly. The Imperial Physicians only said she was suffering from a headache. But it turns out it wasn’t a headache at all, but the work of a cat ghost.”
Li Ying looked at the green five-colored twelve-pattern ceremonial robe, which was covered with bite marks from the cat ghost’s teeth. She suddenly realized: “The cat ghost can’t enter Penglai Palace, so someone stole my mother’s ceremonial robe and put it on a straw effigy, letting the cat ghost gnaw on it, as if gnawing on my mother’s body. Someone wants to harm my mother!”
Understanding this connection, her heart raced with urgency. She said to Cui Xun, “Cui Xun, you must help me save my mother!”
Cui Xun didn’t immediately agree. He hesitated for a moment, then asked, “Princess, do you truly want to save the Empress Dowager?”
“Of course, she’s my mother!”
Cui Xun paused. His usually calm eyes rarely showed such hesitation. He seemed to be contemplating whether to say what was on his mind, but seeing Li Ying’s anxious expression, he pursed his lips and said, “During the recent rainy night with thunder, the stone lion guarding the Princess’s tomb was split in two by lightning.”
Li Ying was stunned. “What does that have to do with today’s events?”
Cui Xun continued, “When the Princess’s tomb was damaged, the Astrology Bureau’s Chief Secretary said it was because someone had disturbed the Princess’s spirit. The Princess used the split stone lion as a warning, indicating her displeasure. Afterward, Censor Jia Fang submitted a memorial accusing me of privately investigating the Princess’s case. These three incidents happened too coincidentally. Someone is trying to use the Princess to put me in a deadly situation. I don’t believe the Empress Dowager couldn’t see through this plot.”
Li Ying was taken aback. “What do you mean?”
“The Empress Dowager saw through it, but instead of investigating who damaged the Princess’s tomb, she followed the trap set by someone with ulterior motives and severely punished me by dismissing me from office. The Empress Dowager has always been wise. Her actions lead me to only one conclusion.”
Li Ying felt her palms growing sweaty. She already had an answer in her heart, but still clung to a glimmer of hope. “What conclusion?”
“That the Empress Dowager doesn’t want anyone to investigate the Princess’s case at all.”
Li Ying’s mind went blank with a deafening roar.
As for why her mother didn’t want anyone to reopen her case, Cui Xun didn’t need to explain further. Li Ying could guess.
Only the true murderer would not want an old case reopened.
Li Ying felt dizzy and unsteady on her feet. She tried to stand firm, but her legs were weak and powerless. Cui Xun noticed her distress and reached out to steady her. His eyes showed a hint of reluctance as he asked, “So, do you still want to save the Empress Dowager?”
Li Ying gazed blankly at the straw effigy wearing her mother’s clothes. She remained silent for a long time before finally speaking with difficulty: “I want to save my mother.”
Cui Xun was surprised and instinctively asked, “Why?”
Li Ying smiled bitterly. “All of this is speculation. There’s no evidence proving my mother is the culprit. Before the truth is clear, she’s still my mother, so how can I not save her?”
“But…” Cui Xun stopped. He had wanted to say that the Empress Dowager was currently the prime suspect, but recalling Li Ying’s words—”Before the truth is clear, she’s still my mother”—he fell silent.
Li Ying asked dryly, “Cui Xun, do you think I’m being too soft-hearted?”
Cui Xun shook his head. Li Ying said, “I just… want to believe what I believe in.”
She approached Cui Xun this way, and she approached her mother the same way. Everyone said Cui Xun was a cruel official, but Li Ying had seen him save a cicada on a moonlit night, so she was willing to believe he wasn’t such a bad person. As for her mother, everyone said she killed her daughter for glory, but Li Ying had seen her bow her head to Empress Zheng for her sake, so she was also willing to believe in her mother.
Cui Xun gazed at Li Ying steadily. Though his tone was calm, it lacked the coldness of before. He slowly said, “Perhaps the Princess is right.”
Li Ying nodded absently. “I think I will be right.”
Although she said this, she still felt uneasy in her heart. Suddenly, Cui Xun said, “I will help the Princess.”
He would help Li Ying save her mother.
Li Ying hadn’t expected Cui Xun to say this. She looked up in surprise, meeting Cui Xun’s eyes, dark as drops of ink. A strange feeling stirred in her heart—surprise, perhaps, or gratitude. She looked at Cui Xun, and Cui Xun looked back at her. Their eyes met for a moment before Cui Xun suddenly released her arm. He awkwardly averted his gaze toward the bamboo altar and calmly said, “The Empress Dowager likely doesn’t wish to see me. I’ll go see my uncle and ask him to inform the Empress Dowager about the cat ghost.”
Li Ying hesitated, then said, “But when your uncle sees you, he’s sure to say many hurtful things to you.”
“It’s fine.”
But how could it be fine?
Li Ying had seen how hurt Cui Xun was when Cui Songqing had asked him why he hadn’t died in the Tujue territory. So how could it possibly be fine? Li Ying felt somewhat guilty. She wrung her hands and said apologetically, “I’m truly grateful that you’re willing to help save my mother.”
She kept her head down, her fingers anxiously intertwined. Cui Xun looked at her slender fingers and pursed his lips before saying, “My willingness to ask my uncle for help isn’t solely to help you.”
Li Ying looked up. Cui Xun said, “I need to use this cat ghost incident to get reinstated. This is the best opportunity.”
Li Ying said dumbly, “Is… that so?”
“Yes.” Cui Xun nodded, his tone even. “So you don’t need to feel indebted. I’m doing this more for myself than for you.”
“I see…” Li Ying’s response was mixed with conflicting emotions. She wasn’t sure whether she felt more relieved or disappointed. Her fingers loosened slightly. “Then, do you know who wants to harm my mother?”
Cui Xun looked at the bamboo altar. “The Miao people of Qianzhou commonly use bamboo utensils, and Jiang Liang is from the Miao tribe of Qianzhou.”
The night was dark as ink, the moon hidden behind clouds.
Li Ying sat on the base of a stone lion statue next to Cui Songqing’s mansion, her feet dangling lightly above the ground. Cui Xun had been inside for a long time and still hadn’t come out. She wondered if his uncle was criticizing him harshly again, causing his prolonged absence.
Lost in thought, Li Ying held Cui Xun’s old bow on her lap. She picked it up and stroked the scattered rust marks, then slightly furrowed her brows. A green glow flashed from her hand, and where she touched, the rust disappeared, leaving the iron bow shining like new.
After removing all the rust, Li Ying carefully placed the bow back on her lap. As she stroked the renewed bow, she anxiously waited for Cui Xun outside the door.
Suddenly, the sound of carriage wheels caught Li Ying’s attention. She looked up to see a four-horse carriage quietly approaching in the darkness.
A four-horse carriage—that must belong to a high-ranking official of the third grade or above. Li Ying gazed at the carriage. A gust of wind lifted the carriage curtain, and in the moonlight, Li Ying’s gaze froze.
Inside the carriage was Wang Ranxi’s husband, Pei Guanyue, the current Minister of War.