Jiang Shi was very curious. Seeing Qinghuan’s confident expression, she hesitated for a long while before finally nodding in agreement. After all, she wasn’t being asked to do anything—she would just be observing from the sidelines.

Ever since the First Young Madam died, the northern courtyard had been constantly haunted. Many people in the residence gossiped that the First Young Madam had a grudge against the Fourth Young Madam, so her ghost had come seeking revenge. Someone had seen Shen Guiya’s ghost with their own eyes and was subsequently frightened ill for several days.

The only person in the residence who didn’t believe in such supernatural things was the Fourth Young Madam. Baoshan, who stayed by her side, had been thoroughly terrified, yet she alone remained unafraid. She even dared to throw stones at the white shadows, which made the concubines quite fearful of her.

“Miss…” Baoshan trembled under the covers, only her eyes peeking out to look at Shen Guiyan. Shen Guiyan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. While holding a bowl and giving her the medicine, she said, “Look at you—you’ve neither harmed her nor wronged her. What are you so afraid of?”

Baoshan shivered, saying in a small voice, “Wasn’t she most at odds with us? I’m afraid she’s truly come to bring us bad luck.”

“Ghosts and spirits cannot harm people without cause. The underworld naturally has its order.” Shen Guiyan watched her drink the medicine, then stood up. “Rest well tonight. I’ll have a maid come keep you company while you sleep.”

“Then who will attend to you?” Baoshan frowned.

Shen Guiyan waved her hand. “I have hands and feet. I can manage myself. You just rest well.”

With that, she left the room, called in a maid from outside, and returned to the main chamber herself.

“Young Madam, today the master said he won’t be returning first. You needn’t wait for him.” Zhuiyun came in from outside and reported respectfully.

Shen Guiyan froze, turning her head to look at him. “Where has he gone?”

Zhuiyun’s face showed difficulty. After hesitating for a moment, he said, “He said he’s having a candlelit night discussion with General Yuwen.”

Slightly dazed, Shen Guiyan lowered her gaze. “Alright, I understand.”

Zhuiyun looked at her with some guilt, then went to find Baoshan. The girl Baoshan had been trembling constantly lately, not acting like herself at all. He felt somewhat distressed watching her.

Staring blankly at the candlestick for a while, Shen Guiyan inexplicably thought of Han Jiangxue. With a soft laugh, she realized she was overthinking things.

She extinguished the lamp, turned around, and prepared to go to bed, but the window suddenly made a light sound.

Here it comes again. Shen Guiyan was already accustomed to it. She thought that tomorrow she should inform the madam and find a Taoist priest—at least that might let her sleep better.

But this time the sound seemed somewhat unusual. It wasn’t just a light tapping, but rather as if someone was trying to pry open the window.

“Who’s there?” Shen Guiyan called out.

The window went silent. After a moment of quiet, it seemed as if nothing had happened, as though the earlier noise had just been her imagination. Shen Guiyan looked toward the window with puzzlement a few times, then continued lying down to sleep.

As the night deepened, the window began making sounds again. She was already half asleep and turned over, not wanting to deal with it.

There was something odd in the air. Then the window latch made a “click” sound, as if it had been opened. Shen Guiyan’s eyes flew open. She immediately shrank toward the inner part of the bed, stuffed the pillow on the outer side, and created a lump.

A thin crying sound came through. Shen Guiyan concentrated to listen and heard a voice neither fully male nor female whimpering, “Good sister, why did you force me to my death?”

Shen Guiya?

Shen Guiyan frowned and said helplessly, “You come to make trouble every day. Aren’t you tired?”

The voice paused, as if choked, then continued, “Until I’ve drained away sister’s vital energy, little sister won’t be satisfied.”

“You want me dead?” Shen Guiyan asked in a muffled voice. “Just by coming to frighten me every night? But I’m not afraid at all. How am I supposed to die?”

The voice moved closer to the bed, saying softly, “If sister can’t be frightened to death, then little sister will personally send you on your way!”

By the end, the voice had clearly changed to that of a man, suddenly lunging toward the head of the bed.

“Someone! Help!” Shen Guiyan shouted loudly. Taking advantage of the black shadow pouncing on the pillow, she immediately threw the quilt over it to cover him, then ran down from the bed and rushed to open the door. “Someone come quickly!”

Cold sweat dripped down. Those white shadows before had never touched her, so she hadn’t been afraid. She hadn’t expected tonight’s shadow to actually dare to attack!

The people in the courtyard were awakened. Shen Guiyan stood in the middle of the courtyard, staring intently at the main chamber entrance.

Zhuiyun came out, and Jiang Shi, Qinghuan, and another maid called Qingluo also slowly emerged, coming up to support her and asking, “What happened to Madam?”

Shen Guiyan pointed inside the room. “There’s an assassin!”

Zhuiyun hurried into the room to look, then gasped sharply.

“An assassin?” Qinghuan asked quietly.

Zhuiyun didn’t answer. Jiang Shi nervously gripped Shen Guiyan’s hand. Qinghuan, being bolder, went straight forward to look. But just as she crossed the threshold, she let out a loud scream.

“A ghost!”

Everyone froze. Shen Guiyan frowned and followed to look.

The black shadow from earlier was no longer in the room. The lamp had been lit, but on the floor, written in blood, were several large characters:

Blood debt must be repaid with blood.

Shen Guiyan raised an eyebrow. The people supporting her had already quickly released her, their faces deathly pale, retreating in unison.

“I’ll go tell the madam!” Qinghuan turned and ran.

Shen Guiyan wanted to stop her but it was too late. She crouched down to wipe up some of the blood and smell it. It didn’t seem like human blood. Looking at the color, it was more like dog’s blood.

A ghost writing with dog’s blood? Who was it trying to fool?

Clearly, the people behind her, including Zhuiyun, had all been fooled. Madam Gu was awakened in the middle of the night, got up and knelt in the Buddha hall for half an hour, then instructed Qinghuan to fetch a Taoist priest at daybreak.

Old residences always had some unclean things. Performing rituals was appropriate. Shen Guiyan didn’t object.

But that bull-nosed old Taoist priest, for some reason, jumped around performing rituals in the courtyard for a long time, then ran into the main chamber to sprinkle salt water. Afterward, looking at her, he said, “Madam’s room is haunted because the yang energy is too strong. Ghosts love yang energy most and will naturally come to absorb it at midnight.”

“Then in the immortal’s view, what should be done?” Madam Gu asked.

The old Taoist stroked his beard and said, “It’s very simple. This room has excessive yang and insufficient yin. Have the men withdraw and stay in the side rooms for a few days. When yin and yang are balanced, there will be no more ghostly knocking at the door.”

Jiang Shi’s eyes brightened, looking at Qinghuan with some delight.

Qinghuan kept her head lowered, her face showing not a trace of a flaw.

Originally, this scheme was quite good. If Shen Guiyan could be frightened by ghosts, they could either scare her mad or simply frighten her to death and be done with it. Who could have known this woman feared neither heaven nor earth, bold enough to even throw things at vengeful spirits? Having no choice, they had to resort to this inferior strategy. Taking things step by step would work too.

“This is just a roundabout way of demanding the young master spread his favors evenly!” Baoshan frowned. “This is the first time I’ve heard such reasoning from a Taoist priest. Those who don’t know might think he’s not a Taoist priest but a concubine from our courtyard!”

“Baoshan.” Shen Guiyan called to her. Baoshan stuck out her tongue and said no more.

“Following the immortal’s words is never wrong.” Madam Gu said with a stern face. “Your exclusive monopoly of favor has been inappropriate. Since you’re the principal wife, you should have the magnanimity of a principal wife. When Bei’er returns, have him go to Jiang Shi’s room.”

Shen Guiyan lowered her gaze. “Yan’er understands.”

After the Taoist finished the ritual, the main chamber was covered with chicken feathers and smeared with dog’s blood. Even Baoshan didn’t want to enter. “This is too absurd. How can anyone sleep here?”

“This way it’s safer.” Jiang Shi supported Shen Guiyan. “Now Madam can finally sleep peacefully.”

Shen Guiyan said nothing, only nodded.

When Gu Chaobei returned from outside and heard about the haunting, he hurried toward the main chamber.

“Master.” Qinghuan intercepted him halfway, smiling. “The immortal said your yang energy is too strong. It’s not good for you to go to the main chamber.”

“What?” Gu Chaobei stopped, looking at her curiously.

Qinghuan recounted the events, then added, “If Master doesn’t believe what the immortal said, just don’t go to the main chamber today. If ghosts still appear even when you’re not there, then that Taoist is lying. But if it’s truly your yang energy that harms the Young Madam, then Master will have to apologize to her.”

Gu Chaobei looked at her, reached out and pulled her slender waist close. “Has your master been neglecting you all lately?”

Qinghuan’s face flushed red. She quickly pushed him, but her light strength couldn’t budge him at all. “So Master is aware? This servant thought Master had forgotten all about us. Concubine Jiang has cried her eyes red in her room, let alone those of us without name or status.”

“Mm, true enough.” Gu Chaobei picked her up in one swoop, grinning shamelessly. “Then your master will carry you to Jiang Shi’s room to sit for a while.”

Qinghuan let out a small cry, tightened her arms around Gu Chaobei’s neck, and a flash of triumph passed through her eyes.

She knew it—the master was actually quite easy to seduce. It was just that Shen Guiyan had occupied the advantageous position, making it difficult for them to compete. Now with this ghost-haunting excuse, once they’d seized him, they naturally couldn’t let him go again.

In the main chamber, Shen Guiyan was reading. Baoshan stood at the doorway, watching helplessly as Gu Chaobei carried Qinghuan to Jiang Shi’s room. She stamped her foot in anger. “I truly cannot understand what the young master is thinking!”

“What’s wrong?” Shen Guiyan turned a page in her book, asking softly.

Baoshan turned and came to sit by her bed. “Miss, look—the young master clearly likes you most, yet he acts all dissolute with everyone, never refusing anyone. Isn’t he afraid of breaking your heart?”

Shen Guiyan smiled faintly. “Don’t all men act this way?”

Which man with three wives and four concubines wasn’t equally good to every woman?

“But…” Baoshan said dejectedly in a small voice, “This servant thought the young master was different…”

Shen Guiyan curved the corners of her lips. Yes, she too had once thought he was different.

Following the Taoist’s instructions, Gu Chaobei truly spent several days in each room, no longer exclusively favoring Shen Guiyan’s quarters alone. Miraculously, the constant hauntings actually disappeared.

“That immortal is truly divine.” Jiang Shi said. “We must go thank him properly.”

Qinghuan stood nearby. “The one who should be thanked most is Madam. She’s no longer disturbed by ghost spirits and unable to sleep peacefully.”

Hearing this, Shen Guiyan smiled. “Yes, I should prepare some incense oil to thank him. Which Taoist temple is that priest from?”

Qinghuan paused, thought for a moment, then said, “It’s the White Cloud Temple. It’s quite far. Young Madam should choose a good time and set out early.”

The White Cloud Temple was outside the city—indeed quite far. Shen Guiyan nodded. “I understand.”