The Chen family was hypocritical. To cover up the truth, they chose an auspicious burial site and buried Qianhu He and the He sisters together, erecting three tombstones.

For the first few years during Qingming Festival, they still sent people to tend the graves, performing for outsiders to see. Later, seeing no one inquiring about the two He family orphans, the Chen family became too lazy even to maintain appearances. The graves went untended, with grass growing taller than people, and rabbits even digging burrows in the tombs.

Lu Ying commanded his subordinates to dig up the graves and open the coffins overnight to verify the truth about the He sisters’ deaths.

Perhaps Miss He, who had been tortured to death by her former fiancé, knew from beyond the grave. With the first shovel of earth, thunder crashed, followed by lightning that instantly illuminated the night sky, revealing even the fine down on the grass atop the graves.

“There are ghosts!”

The Imperial Guards digging the grave hastily dropped their shovels.

Hearing about ghosts, Wang Daxia, who feared them most, immediately retreated into the carriage, lit a windproof, rainproof horn lantern, and bowed toward the He family graves:

“Three souls, tonight we don’t mean to disturb your eternal rest. We’re investigating the truth of Miss He’s death. You wouldn’t want to die in confusion, would you?”

Wang Daxia threw the half-beaten book boy toward the graves: “Grievances have their source, debts have their creditor—don’t look for me, seek revenge on him! He’s an accomplice!”

The book boy knelt at the graves, kowtowing like a stuck candle: “It wasn’t me! I’m just a house-born slave—my whole family’s lives are in the master’s hands. If the young master told me to go east, I wouldn’t dare go west!”

“Still trying to argue!” Wang Daxia shoved the shovel into the book boy’s hands: “You committed this sin—you dig.”

The book boy said he didn’t dare.

Lu Ying’s face was more frightening than the dark sky. He lashed out with his whip: “Will you dig or not?”

“I’ll dig!” The book boy dragged his injured body, shouldered the shovel, and began shoveling earth.

By coincidence, just then a thunderbolt struck down, hitting the shovel the book boy had raised. The book boy screamed as his clothes instantly caught fire, then fell and struck his head against Miss He’s tombstone, dying instantly.

The book boy’s head was split open, white and red matter flowing everywhere, with a lightning-shaped burn across his back.

With such a death, it was impossible to tell whether he died from divine retribution or from cracking his skull.

“Oh my heavens, there really are ghosts!” Wang Daxia grabbed his horn lantern and fled in panic, once again retreating into the carriage.

Lu Ying didn’t know whether to mock Wang Daxia or be grateful to him.

If Wang Daxia hadn’t been afraid of ghosts and temporarily changed the grave-digging personnel, the one struck by lightning might have been an Imperial Guard.

Bean-sized raindrops began falling. With heavy rain and lightning strikes, Lu Ying didn’t dare let his subordinates risk using iron tools like shovels and hoes to dig graves. Digging by hand wasn’t realistic either, so he said: “We retreat first. Carry away the book boy’s corpse. Tomorrow when the rain stops, we’ll bring coroners to exhume the graves.”

Wang Daxia, hiding in the carriage, rarely agreed with Lu Ying’s actions: “Commander Lu is wise! Absolutely right! Tonight is too ominous. Better to wait until noon tomorrow when yang energy is strongest.”

West Sanli River was in the suburbs. It was nearly midnight now, and the city gates had long been closed. Unable to return home, Lu Ying chose a nearby inn to spend the night.

Wang Daxia, afraid of ghosts, insisted on going farther to stay at nearby Tian’an Temple: “…Inns aren’t clean. Temples have bodhisattvas to ward them off—all ghosts retreat.”

In just one night, the Imperial Guards’ impression of Wang Daxia improved dramatically. Thanks to him tonight, otherwise that lightning bolt might have struck anyone.

Seeing Wang Daxia—who feared nothing and dared play cat and mouse with Imperial Guards in the streets—show fear for the first time, terror quickly spread through the team. The Imperial Guards voiced their agreement:

“Commander Lu, this subordinate thinks Wang Daxia makes sense. Tonight was too ominous.”

“Seconded.”

“This subordinate also seconds it. Better to stay at Tian’an Temple. Though the journey is longer, in a temple we have divine protection and can actually sleep.”

If Wang Daxia alone had made the request, Lu Ying definitely wouldn’t have listened. But with all his subordinates agreeing with Wang Daxia, plus tonight’s events being truly eerie, if he stubbornly insisted on staying at an inn, people’s hearts might scatter and the team would be hard to manage.

“Go to Tian’an Temple,” Lu Ying ordered.

Everyone traveled forward through the rain.

Meanwhile, in northern Beijing’s Sweet Water Lane, Wei Caiwei was dreaming.

She dreamed of her most helpless, powerless childhood when her sister died with her unborn child, and Chen Dalang and Wang Pozi wanted to poison her mute. She fled desperately for her life.

She wandered north, her small bundle’s meager savings robbed by a group of beggars who even stole her shoes!

Ragged and tattered, she too became a beggar, begging for food and sleeping on the streets. Soon she fell ill.

One day it rained heavily. She lay by the roadside without even the strength to find shelter.

The rainwater washed the filth from her body, revealing her delicate, pale features, while also taking away her body heat. She felt she was about to die…

No!

I must live, I must have revenge!

The will to survive made Wei Caiwei suddenly wake from her nightmare, her body ice-cold. She had kicked off her covers while sleeping. She heard the patter of heavy rain beating against the windows, faintly mixed with dripping sounds, and caught the distinctive earthy smell of rain.

The evening had been stuffy, so Wei Caiwei had opened both north and south windows for ventilation. She hadn’t expected midnight rain to drift inside.

Wei Caiwei parted the gauze curtains, lit a candle, and closed the windows, but could still hear dripping sounds.

Following the sound, Wei Caiwei went to the adjacent study and discovered the roof was leaking. Rainwater struck the wooden floor with rhythmic thuds.

Wei Caiwei quickly moved several copper basins to catch the rainwater. Not just the second-floor study—she placed two downstairs as well, as rainwater seeped through the study’s wooden floor to the first floor.

The rain continued until the fifth watch before stopping, filling the copper basins to the brim.

She had only moved in three nights ago. The first night at Sijia Inn, the second night cohabiting with Young Master Wang, the third night encountering heavy rain and a leaking house.

Not one peaceful night.

This house belonged to Wang Daxia. Wang Daxia had been personally driven away by Wei Caiwei and was currently missing, but the leaking roof needed urgent attention.

Wei Caiwei was unfamiliar with the area and didn’t know what to do, so early in the morning she went to Machang Alley to find Broker Chen. First, he was the intermediary for this house—when there were problems with the house and the landlord couldn’t be found, she could still contact the broker.

Broker Chen hurried to Sweet Water Lane. Seeing the damp floors and basins that could practically raise fish, the house indeed had problems.

Broker Chen was very apologetic: “It hasn’t rained for a month. I really didn’t know the roof tiles were cracked—it wasn’t intentional concealment. According to the contract, roof leaks aren’t the tenant’s responsibility—the landlord must pay for repairs.”

Wei Caiwei said: “Young Master Wang is like a wild horse without a bridle—who knows where he’s gone (probably ran off to some Miss Yingying!). I can’t just wait for him to send people to replace the tiles. If there’s another heavy rain, this house will be uninhabitable. Broker Chen has wide connections—could you help introduce some craftsmen to replace the tiles first? I’ll advance the money, and when Wang Daxia returns, I’ll ask him to reimburse me.”

Broker Chen said: “That’s easy to arrange. My neighbor is a tile mason.”

Broker Chen enthusiastically drummed up business for his neighbor, deliberately building suspense: “Imperial Guard Commander Lu Bing—has Doctor Wei heard of him?”

Wei Caiwei nodded: “The most important figure in the capital after the Emperor.”

Broker Chen smiled: “Lord Lu’s mansion is in the prestigious Xiaoshiyong Ward, neighboring the Duke of Yansheng’s residence. When Lu Mansion was built, Li the Tile-mason worked inside specifically hanging tiles for the houses. His craftsmanship is beyond question.”

Broker Chen wasn’t lying. Since the founding of the Ming Dynasty, the Li family had been tile masons for generations. Their ancestors had worked on the imperial palace in Nanjing. When Emperor Chengzu moved the capital to Beijing and built the new imperial palace, the Li family participated as well.

Wei Caiwei said: “In that case, please trouble Broker Chen to ask your neighbor to repair the roof. Here are the front door keys and one string of cash as deposit—refund any excess, supplement any shortage. I still need to go out to practice medicine and can’t wait at home all the time. This will trouble Broker Chen.”

Broker Chen quickly said: “No trouble at all. When there are problems with the house, it’s naturally my responsibility.”

Wei Caiwei went out to practice medicine as usual, her tiger-shaped medical sign’s bell echoing through the streets.

Broker Chen was quite pleased to have secured business for the Li family. He immediately returned home to claim credit with his beloved, the flower of Machang Alley, Li Jiubao: “…It’s just replacing a few broken tiles and rehinging that section—very simple, easy money.”

Li Jiubao said: “Thank you for your help, Brother Chen, but my father and brother are working outside the city at Sanli Village and can’t come home recently.”

Broker Chen said: “No problem. I’ll take the mule cart to fetch your father. Isn’t your big brother still handling things at Sanli Village? The roof will be fixed in half a day, then I’ll take your father back. It won’t delay anything and we can earn double money.”

The Li family was poor. Li Jiubao’s eighteen-year-old brother still couldn’t afford proper betrothal gifts to marry. Following proper order and male superiority, with the older brother unmarried, the sister’s marriage prospects were even more remote.

Broker Chen wanted to marry Li Jiubao. His own prosperity wasn’t enough—he needed to bring prosperity to the Li family too.

Li Jiubao looked at the overcast sky: “This weather is probably holding back a heavy rain, who knows when it’ll come. Sanli Village is far away—a round trip, if we can’t make it in time and heavy rain causes more leaking, damaging the house, wouldn’t that hurt your reputation and betray their trust? I’ll go instead.”

Broker Chen hesitated: “You… a girl climbing roofs and removing tiles isn’t proper.”

Li Jiubao said: “My father loves gambling, my big brother loves drinking. I’ve been helping them since childhood, learning by observation. Sometimes when they’re unsteady on rooftops from drinking, I worry they’ll fall and get hurt, so I climb up myself to hang tiles. I’ve never made mistakes. Brother Chen, you can trust me.”

Broker Chen wouldn’t refuse his beloved’s request. The Li family had ready-made tiles at home. Together they loaded half a cart of new tiles and drove the mule cart to Sweet Water Lane to repair the roof.

By afternoon, Wei Caiwei noticed swallows flying low and the wind shifting north—it looked like rain. She finished work early and hurried home.

Li Jiubao carried a bucket of water to the rooftop and poured it on the repaired tiles.

“Is it still leaking?” Li Jiubao called out loudly.

“No more leaks!” Broker Chen watched the roof beams from inside the house. “Excellent repair work—completely watertight. Come down!”

Broker Chen held the ladder below while Li Jiubao climbed down, just as Wei Caiwei returned home.

The moment Wei Caiwei saw Li Jiubao, she froze completely.

My heavens! This girl looks exactly like the future Empress Dowager Li who would assist the young emperor!

In her previous life, Empress Dowager Li was the master of the imperial harem and the empress dowager who ruled the country alongside the court and cabinet—naturally also the common boss of both Wei Caiwei and Wang Daxia.

Broker Chen thought Wei Caiwei’s shocked expression was because she minded having a woman as the roof repair craftsman, so he quickly explained: “Doctor Wei, this is Li the Tile-mason’s daughter Li Jiubao. Whatever Li the Tile-mason can do, Miss Jiubao can do. She just poured five buckets of water—not a single drop leaked through.”

Li Jiubao! Empress Dowager Li’s maiden name was Li Jiubao! It couldn’t be such a coincidence!

Wei Caiwei couldn’t help asking: “Miss Li… is your father’s given name Li Wei?”

“Exactly.” Li Jiubao nodded. “So Doctor Wei knows my father.”

Wei Caiwei almost knelt down to Li Jiubao on the spot. In twelve years, Li Jiubao would become the most noble woman in the Ming Dynasty.

And now, Li Jiubao was repairing her roof and hanging tiles.

It seemed she could never live peacefully in this house again.

Author’s Note: Fourth kill accomplished! Caiwei has found an even bigger patron than in her previous life. The plot is exhilaratingly satisfying—celebrating with 100 red envelopes! Wishing everyone a pleasant weekend~ In the previous life, her patron was Consort Shou, exclusively favored by Emperor Jiajing in his later years, so favored that he played with fireworks in bed with her and burned down the imperial palace to make the beauty smile. This life, she’s directly connected to her future big boss, Empress Dowager Li. I’m too good to the female protagonist.