Ke Chengxing hadn’t anticipated Lady Lu’s reaction.

His seemingly gentle and weak deceased wife acted contrary to her usual compliance, hysterically insisting on reporting to officials. This commotion also alarmed Old Madam Ke, and thus she learned everything.

His mother was more decisive and ruthless than him, simply having him confine Lady Lu to her room, publicly claiming that Lady Lu had gone mad and was speaking nonsense. She also dealt with the gossiping servants in the courtyard – selling some, transferring others, driving them far away.

Seeing this situation, Lady Lu must have realized something, so behind their backs, she secretly bribed servants to send a message to the Lu family in Changwu County.

This was bad enough, but worse still, she was with a child.

Counting the days, it must have been from that night at Fengle Tower.

After the doctor left, Ke Chengxing looked at this mess, not knowing what to do.

The bastard in Lady Lu’s womb wasn’t his. Speaking of which, they should have forced her to drink an abortive medicine to avoid trouble. They couldn’t possibly let the child be born – he wouldn’t raise someone else’s son.

But Old Madam Ke interrupted his orders to prepare the abortive medicine, instead having someone send a message to the Grand Tutor’s mansion, requesting their people to come to discuss the matter.

At that time, Ke Chengxing didn’t understand and asked Old Madam Ke: “Mother, what is there to discuss? The Grand Tutor’s young master isn’t married yet, he can’t have an illegitimate child first. Where would this bastard be raised? Surely not in our Ke family!”

“Foolish.” Old Madam Ke shook her head. “The Grand Tutor’s mansion values their reputation and certainly won’t keep this bastard. I told you not to give Lady Lu the medicine yet, not for her sake, but for yours.”

“For my sake?”

Old Madam Ke spoke deliberately: “Lady Lu was originally your person, yet was forcibly taken by their Qi family, and they thought to dismiss us with just some bank notes – do they think the Ke family is so easy to bully? I wasn’t present then, allowing them to get away easily. Lady Lu’s pregnancy now is a good thing.”

“Our Ke family’s business has been gradually declining since your father’s passing. Now through Lady Lu, we’ve made a connection with the Grand Tutor’s mansion. With such a relationship, how could our business not flourish?”

“Ah, you’re still too young.”

He looked at Old Madam Ke’s withered face and suddenly understood something.

That night, people from the Grand Tutor’s mansion arrived.

It was still that manager with the pleasant smile, but this time he brought more than just a few bank notes.

The old manager smiled at him and said: “Since our last parting, our young master has been constantly concerned about madam’s injuries. We should have sent someone to visit earlier, but we’ve been busy with the old madam’s birthday celebrations, causing some delay.”

He didn’t mention Lady Lu’s pregnancy at all, just looked at Ke Chengxing with a smile and said: “Speaking of which, the old madam’s annual birthday feast requires quite a lot of bowls, cups, and dishes. This year, the household that usually provides the porcelain has returned to their hometown, and we’re lacking someone… I hear your mansion’s pottery is quite good?”

Ke Chengxing was stunned at first, then became excited.

The Grand Tutor mansion’s old madam’s birthday feast!

If he could secure a pottery business deal with the Grand Tutor’s mansion, wouldn’t that establish a connection with Jingdu’s official families?

Even when his father had built the Ke family business to its peak, they never had the opportunity to connect with official families. Supplying to the Grand Tutor’s mansion was something they wouldn’t have dared to imagine!

In an instant, all his anger, frustration, and hatred toward the Grand Tutor’s mansion vanished. He looked at the old manager before him as if seeing a glittering god of wealth, a heaven-sent benefactor, dearer than his relatives.

Ke Chengxing forgot their enmity, forgot the humiliation they had inflicted on him. In that moment he forgot everything, seeing only the wealth and business opportunities the Qi family could bring him, and immediately began enthusiastically conversing with them.

He spoke of Lady Lu’s pregnancy, of his wife’s resentment and tears, and of that letter secretly sent to Changwu County.

By the end, he no longer knew if he was saying these things to “discuss” or to curry favor.

The old manager was very considerate. After hearing about recent events, he too expressed shame. First, he apologized again on behalf of his master and finally said to Ke Chengxing: “By rights, since this matter was caused by our young master, he should take full responsibility. But the madam is a member of the Ke family, and ultimately, this is a Ke family matter.”

“It wouldn’t be appropriate for our young master to interfere rashly. However, I believe Master Ke can handle this well, after all, you’ll be managing the pottery for the old madam’s birthday celebration in the future – such a small matter surely won’t be an issue.”

The implication was clear: if this matter wasn’t handled well, there would be no discussion of the pottery business.

Ke Chengxing tentatively asked: “Then what would be the most thorough way to handle this?”

The old manager smiled and said: “The madam’s health is weak, and she really shouldn’t be pregnant now. Master Ke also mentioned that the madam has gone mad, speaking nonsense everywhere. The Grand Tutor’s mansion values propriety and reputation above all – if such idle talk were to spread, it would be inappropriate. Though it might be fine for the young master, if the Grand Tutor were to hear of it, he would likely be furious.”

He sighed and said: “This madness is most difficult to cure. This old servant once knew a madam who had gone mad, speaking nonsense daily, unclear in mind. One day while wandering in the garden, the maids weren’t paying attention, and she fell into a pond and drowned… What a pity.”

Ke Chengxing remained silent.

The old manager glanced at the water clock, exclaimed “Ah!” and rose with a smile, saying: “We’ve talked for so long, I didn’t notice how late it’s gotten. This old servant must return to the mansion first. I’ll report about the pottery matter to the purchasing office, and once we have news, I’ll come back to settle things with the master.”

He took advantage of the night to board his carriage, his small frame somehow looking down on others with disdain, making people feel uneasy.

Ke Chengxing stared absently at the shrine.

Outside the hall, the night rain was cool, dripping on the hall windows, intermittent.

Drop after drop, curtain after curtain, seeping with an icy chill, causing one to feel lost.

Only the blue lamp in the hall remained dim.

The spirit money in the bronze basin had burned out, the wisps of blue smoke swirling in the hall, blurring the tall statue before the shrine. Occasionally, he could hear the splashing of redfish and turtles in the large vats, startling him into stumbling.

Ke Chengxing felt inexplicably nervous. Coming to his senses, he was just thinking of making a few more bows before leaving when suddenly, there was a light sound from the main hall entrance.

He thought it was Wan Fu coming in and was about to speak, but as he turned, his knees gave way. Perhaps from kneeling too long on the meditation cushion, his legs had gone numb, and he suddenly collapsed.

He wanted to call Wan Fu to help him up, but when he tried to speak, he was shocked to find his tongue stiff, unable to make a sound.

What was happening?

How had he suddenly become unable to speak or move?

Ke Chengxing’s face turned deathly pale as a thought suddenly occurred to him.

A ghost! Lady Lu’s ghost had followed him!

He lay rigid in place as the footsteps behind him grew closer – light, slow, graceful footsteps like those of a woman, stopping behind him.

She had come to claim his life!

Ke Chengxing was drenched in cold sweat.

The footsteps paused, then circled to his front.

Ke Chengxing saw a black robe, its hem wet with cold rain, dripping in the dim lamplight, just like the water that had dripped from Lady Lu in his dreams.

His soul nearly left his body in terror.

Ke Chengxing couldn’t raise his head, only feeling someone lightly kick him. His body fell backward accordingly, lying by the water vat. He struggled to look up, and in the dim lamplight, saw the figure of the other person.

It was someone wearing a black cloak.

The black cloak was wide to the feet, almost entirely enveloping the person within. The newcomer slowly raised their hand, and removed the cloak’s hood, revealing a beautiful pale face.

It was a young woman, with snow-white skin and black hair, bright clear eyes, as moving as an elegant magnolia.

Ke Chengxing breathed a sigh of relief – this wasn’t Lu Rou.

But soon, he became puzzled. Who was this woman, and why had she appeared here in the middle of the night?

Before he could figure it out, the woman suddenly spoke.

She said: “The Buddhist scriptures say, seek wealth and gain wealth, seek children and gain children, seek long life and gain long life. The Buddhas and Bodhisattvas dare not speak false words to deceive people.”

This voice was clear and gentle, colder than the night rain outside, ethereal as a ghost in the hall’s blue smoke.

The woman lowered her gaze, her pitch-black eyes deep as an abyss in the dim lamplight, making her entire being seem even more coldly inhuman. She looked down at Ke Chengxing at her feet, her expression so calm it was almost eerie.

She asked: “Master Ke, what is it you seek?”