What could the Zhu family be like? Tormented, of course.

The day Old Master Zhu died, Second Madam miscarried. The four-month fetus inexplicably slipped away, and Second Madam immediately hemorrhaged severely, her life hanging by a thread.

Old Imperial Physician Shen intervened, performing the Ghost Gate Thirteen Needles to save her.

When he reached the twelfth needle, Second Madam’s blood still hadn’t stopped.

Having agreed beforehand to only perform twelve needles, Second Madam finally died from blood loss, her eyes not closing even in death.

Old Imperial Physician Shen naturally felt guilty for not administering that final needle. On the spot, his old tears flowed freely.

Returning home, he fell ill and was still on leave from the Imperial Medical Bureau.

Second Master Zhu held his wife’s gradually cooling corpse, grief-stricken to the extreme.

In one night, he’d lost his father, his son, and his wife—all his closest relatives.

Second Master Zhu felt life had lost all meaning and wanted to follow them. Fortunately, he was forcibly restrained.

While the second household’s wailing shook the heavens, Old Master Zhu’s corpse still lay stiff, and dawn was approaching.

Once dawn came, relatives and friends would come to pay respects. Even if First Master Zhu had the face to use “today is an inauspicious divination, unfavorable for guests” once more, he couldn’t maintain it for three days.

At the critical moment, Madam Mao devised a plan—display an empty coffin in the middle of the mourning hall.

Surely no one would be crazy enough to lift the coffin lid to look at Old Master Zhu!

Madam Mao issued another gag order—any servant in the residence who leaked even one word, regardless of who they were, would be beaten to death with rods.

Just like that, the Zhu family carried two more coffins into the residence—one for “Old Master Zhu,” one for Second Madam Ren.

The next day, the Zhu residence gates opened wide for relatives and friends to pay respects.

Second Madam’s natal parents couldn’t believe their perfectly fine daughter was suddenly gone. They entered making a huge scene.

But hearing the Zhu family had invited half the Imperial Medical Bureau to treat their daughter, half their anger dissipated.

Seeing their two flower-like nieces, the other half of their anger had to subside too.

The nieces were surnamed Zhu—no matter what, the Zhu family would be the sisters’ future support.

Who could they blame?

They could only blame their daughter’s bad fate.

Both mourning halls were settled, but Old Master Zhu’s corpse was a major issue. They couldn’t keep him lying on that door plank forever—he’d rot and stink over time.

First Master Zhu and Madam Mao discussed and decided to place him in the ice cellar.

Wealthy households, especially those not lacking silver, would dig an ice cellar in their residence to store ice for use during the hot summer.

Coincidentally, this summer in the capital wasn’t very hot, and some ice remained in the cellar.

If that wasn’t enough, they’d secretly borrow some from the Xie and Pei residences to last two months until winter. Once winter came, things would be easier.

The corpse issue was resolved, but another difficulty arose.

After death, one must be laid to rest.

Old Master Zhu was at most a Director of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, a fifth-rank official—essentially an ordinary person.

For ordinary people, there were rules about how long to keep the body—three days minimum, five days proper, seven days maximum.

The length depended on the filial piety of the descendants.

Even displaying it for the full seven days—what about after seven days?

Actually carrying out an empty coffin for the funeral was a major taboo in feng shui.

First Master Zhu was so anxious he was losing hair by the handful. In just a few days, he’d aged more than ten years.

At the critical moment, Madam Mao could still control the situation.

She claimed that Old Master Zhu had revealed too many heavenly secrets in his lifetime. The coffin needed to be placed in a Buddhist temple to hear seven months of Buddhist chants before burial. Otherwise, the household would be uneasy and descendants troubled.

For other families, this would be utterly absurd.

But for the Zhu family, it was the most normal thing.

Divination and fortune-telling, feng shui and eight characters—wasn’t that revealing heavenly secrets?

So First Master Zhu asked his brother-in-law Xie Erli for help, and Xie Erli asked Young Master Pei.

After seven days, an empty coffin was carried from the Zhu residence to a temple in the suburbs. The Zhu family spent three thousand taels of silver to rent a meditation room in the temple specifically for Old Master Zhu’s coffin.

First Master Zhu selected several reliable servants to guard the meditation room in twelve-hour shifts.

Old Master Zhu’s matter was thus handled without major incident.

“But the matter isn’t finished.”

Young Master Pei sighed. “Last night, First Master Zhu fell ill. My father went to diagnose him. Guess what?”

Li Buyan’s eyes widened. “Speak quickly, don’t keep me in suspense.”

I will keep you in suspense!

Young Master Pei deliberately moved his head closer to Zhao Yishi’s side and deliberately lowered his voice. “My father says it’s critical.”

Zhao Yishi’s face changed in shock. “What illness? How is it critical?”

“My father can’t diagnose what illness it is. Several old imperial physicians from the Imperial Medical Bureau can’t diagnose it either. They just feel the pulse is wrong, but can’t say exactly what’s wrong.”

Young Master Pei sighed again.

“Tell me, what couldn’t Old Master Zhu let go of before dying? Count on your fingers—there are already two deaths. Add one more, and that’s three!”

Zhao Yishi was silent for a moment. “Miss Li, approximately when will your young lady return?”

Li Buyan calculated. “If things go smoothly, about one month. If not smoothly…”

“Bah, bah, bah, crow’s mouth! They’ll definitely go smoothly.”

Young Master Pei clasped his hands together and bowed to heaven several times.

“Buddha protect us—First Master Zhu absolutely, absolutely, absolutely cannot have an accident. He must hold on until Yan Sanhe and the others return.”

Hearing Young Master Pei’s tone, Li Buyan felt something was off. “What, so Second Master Zhu can have an accident?”

Young Master Pei wore an expression that said “I can’t explain to you, troublemaker,” picked up his tea cup, and drank.

Zhao Yishi spoke quietly. “The Imperial Astronomical Bureau passes down knowledge from father to son, son to grandson, grandson to great-grandson, generation after generation.”

His clothes were scented with ambergris—very faint, but constantly drifting into Li Buyan’s nose.

Li Buyan thought—why does a perfectly good grown man wear perfume? But her body involuntarily leaned forward a bit. It actually smelled quite nice.

Looking up, she met Zhao Yishi’s dark eyes.

She quickly sat properly. “Your Highness, please continue!”

“The Zhu family supposedly has family rules—first, pass to males not females; second, don’t pass to the eldest or legitimate line, only to those with spiritual aptitude.”

Zhao Yishi: “The recently deceased Old Master Zhu was neither legitimate-born nor the eldest, but he was the best at divination and fortune-telling in the entire Zhu family, with the most spiritual aptitude. So Old Master Zhu’s father passed the mantle to him.”

Li Buyan was confused. “Then what does this have to do with First Master Zhu not being able to die?”

“Old Master Zhu has three sons. It happens that this eldest legitimate son, First Master Zhu, has the most spiritual aptitude. Old Master Zhu taught him all his special skills.”

Zhao Yishi’s voice remained gentle. “If he has an accident, the Zhu family’s divination and fortune-telling skills will be severed. The Imperial Astronomical Bureau will have to put someone else in that position.”

There were too many capable people in this world, all watching from the sidelines like tigers.

If the Zhu family couldn’t do it, naturally there were those who could.

Li Buyan: “Doesn’t he have two younger brothers?”

“My heavens, can you listen carefully?”

Young Master Pei said viciously, “Father to son, son to grandson, grandson to great-grandson—where does it say anything about passing to brothers? This is the rule!”

I forgot about that.

Li Buyan slapped her forehead. “Doesn’t First Master Zhu have a son or something?”

“He has two legitimate sons.”

Zhao Yishi spoke very patiently. “But in this profession, even those with the most spiritual aptitude need twenty to thirty years of training before they can be considered proficient. Otherwise…”

“Otherwise what?”

“Harm others and oneself.”