Under the blazing sun, flags fluttered in the breeze. A Taoist priest, donned in a purple sun hat and wearing an Eight Trigrams robe, stood before the altar, chanting incantations. He pulled out a talisman from his robe and tossed it into the air, where it spontaneously combusted. The priest’s eyes widened as he recited a spell and thrust his ceremonial sword forward. The flames on the talisman abruptly extinguished, leaving behind a wisp of black smoke that rose and dissipated into the sunlight.
The servants of the marquis’ residence gathered around to watch the spectacle, exclaiming in awe with excited expressions on their faces. The priest, sword in hand, approached Xiao Yunjing, who stood at the forefront of the crowd and declared, “The malevolent spirit has been exorcised. You can rest assured that the residence will return to normal.”
Xiao Yunjing smiled and nodded, clasping his hands in thanks. He gave a signal, and a servant stepped forward, respectfully presenting a silver note. The Taoist priest accepted it with a smile, exchanged a few pleasantries with the old marquis, handed over several talismans, and instructed them to be placed at the courtyard gates. He then departed with his disciples. The crowd dispersed, relieved that the Taoist priest had declared the evil spirit vanquished.
Xiao Yunjing whispered a few words to Xiao Du and then headed back to his courtyard with his attendants. Xiao Du glanced at Yuanxi, who stood with a solemn expression, and took her hand, saying, “Walk with me.”
They strolled side by side through the autumn-tinged courtyard, without attendants, amidst fallen flowers. They walked in silence, their shadows overlapping on the stone path, until they reached a gardenia tree. Yuanxi sighed, turning to Xiao Du, “Is it over?”
Xiao Du nodded, though his expression was also troubled, “This is Father’s decision. He wants this matter to end here. The coroner examined Zhu’er’s body. Judging by the rigidity and the infestation of insects, she had been dead for at least six days, and the cause was drowning. There were no other wounds. She truly died the night she was found in the lake.”
Yuanxi frowned, “So we are to believe that Zhu’er, whom Zhang Jin saw that night, and the one in the princess’ room were real ghosts, even though we found the hidden mechanisms?”
Xiao Du brushed a flower petal off her shoulder, speaking softly, “We investigated all the workers responsible for refurbishing the Xixia courtyard and found no clues. The foreman has disappeared. Given this, there’s no need to overthink it.”
Yuanxi remained focused, “When we found Zhu’er’s body, I examined it closely. There were many black paper fragments stuck to her shoe soles. According to Zhang Jin, he was burning paper money when he encountered Zhu’er’s ghost that night.”
Xiao Du sighed, “So you believe the Zhu’er Zhang Jin saw was the real Zhu’er? But she had already been dead for two days.”
Yuanxi nodded, “He was too familiar with Zhu’er to mistake her. What he saw must have been the real Zhu’er. In his shock and fear, he might not have distinguished between the living and the dead.”
Her excitement grew, and she continued, “Isn’t it strange? If Zhu’er came back for revenge, why didn’t she kill Zhang Jin? Someone made Zhu’er’s body appear alive to scare Zhang Jin into spreading the belief that she had returned as a ghost.”
Xiao Du pondered this and asked, “Then what about the princess’ room? How could a corpse speak to her and then hide away?”
“But the princess had never seen Zhu’er. She saw a maid looking for her child, and after Zhang Jin’s account, everyone assumed it was Zhu’er.”
Xiao Du considered this as possibly the truth. However, the old marquis had ordered the matter to be settled to prevent further unrest in the household. He took Yuanxi’s hands and reassured her, “These are just conjectures. Since there’s no evidence pointing to anyone, don’t worry too much. Leave the rest to me. With the Mid-Autumn Festival approaching, I’ll take you to the lantern fair to relax.”
Yuanxi, still frowning, said, “Are you afraid it was your younger brother? But I think the mastermind has deeper motives. If it’s not your brother and this person has other plans for the Marquis’ residence, what then?”
Seeing her concern, Xiao Du felt a warmth in his heart. He gently kissed her forehead and smiled, “Do you know you’re becoming more and more like the headmistress of the house?”
Yuanxi blushed under his gaze and lowered her head. Xiao Du tenderly smoothed her frown and said, “I don’t like seeing you worried. Remember, no matter what happens, I’ll bear the burden of this family.” His fingers traced from her forehead to her lips, caressing gently. He whispered in her ear, “If I ever can’t hold it up, will you help me?”
Yuanxi felt as if his words contained a spring of warmth, making her whole heart glow. She buried her head in his chest, listening to the sound of his heartbeat in her ears, the world around them growing quiet as if only the two of them existed, leaning on each other.
Xiao Du, however, felt a slight warmth at the corners of his eyes. He had borne so much alone for so long that he never thought anyone would share his burden. He never expected to have someone by his side, facing everything together, and he was no longer alone. Thinking of this, he felt grateful to Xia Xiang; regardless of his motives, at least he had sent her to him.
While this was a scene of mutual understanding, elsewhere, people were scheming. After the ritual ended, Concubine Cai claimed she was unwell and did not accompany the old marquis back to his room. She took the opportunity to send away her maids, walked through the corridor alone, and stopped by a secluded rockery.
Behind the rockery, a shadow cast in the sunlight. Concubine Cai casually found a stone bench to sit on, looked around to ensure no one was present, and spoke, “Is there another instruction from the master?”
A voice came from behind, “No, the master said you did a great job on this matter and will reward you properly in the future.”
Concubine Cai smiled with satisfaction, then pouted, “You signaled me in such a risky situation just to tell me this?”
The voice said, “Of course not. It was my idea to call you. I wanted to ask why you deliberately left a shoe in the princess’s room.”
Concubine Cai’s body trembled slightly, but she maintained her composure, “With such a complex plan, a little mistake is inevitable. In the end, nothing was found out, was it?”
The voice seemed to sneer, coldly saying, “Whether it was a mistake or intentional, I called you here to remind you not to play any tricks. It won’t benefit you.”
Concubine Cai covered her mouth and laughed, “What tricks could I play? I’ve always followed your instructions. What good would it do me to cross you?”
The voice said, “As long as you understand. I don’t want this to happen again.”
Concubine Cai watched the shadow slowly disappear, her eyes filled with resentment. She walked back to her room, sent the maids to guard outside, and pulled out her daily writing book. With a faint smile, she thought, “This is just the beginning. One day, your true nature will be revealed.”
Soon it was the Mid-Autumn Festival. The eaves of the marquis’s residence were adorned with various lanterns, and a banquet was set for drinking and flower viewing, bringing a festive atmosphere. After dinner, Xiao Du eagerly took Yuanxi to the Lantern Festival. As they reached the threshold, they encountered Xiao Zhixuan, who looked troubled. Xiao Du invited her to join them.
Surprisingly, Xiao Zhixuan seemed uninterested, barely managing a smile, saying she had promised to accompany Concubine Cai to admire the moon and could not go out.
Xiao Du found it odd, shaking his head and muttering, “Usually loves a crowd. What’s with today?” Yuanxi, still somewhat wary of her after the previous incident, did not comment and just nodded, intending to move on.
Unexpectedly, Xiao Zhixuan suddenly called out, “Sister-in-law!”
Yuanxi turned, puzzled, to see Xiao Zhixuan biting her lip, wringing her hands, and glancing at Xiao Du with a hesitant expression.
Yuanxi asked the others to wait by the carriage and walked to Xiao Zhixuan, “What is it?” Unexpectedly, Xiao Zhixuan burst into tears, hugging Yuanxi’s neck, “Sister-in-law, it’s all my fault. I caused you and Brother to fight and made Mr. Luo unable to come to the marquis’s residence.”
Yuanxi was startled and quickly asked what happened. Xiao Zhixuan, wiping her tears, said, “That day, I embroidered a sachet for you. You weren’t in your room, so I thought I’d surprise you by hiding it. Instead, I found a book under your desk. Recognizing Mr. Luo’s handwriting, I panicked and secretly tore out a page and gave it to Brother.”
She remorsefully added, “I didn’t know it would cause such trouble, making Brother so angry. Luckily, you’ve reconciled now, or I’d never forgive myself.”
Yuanxi had suspected something but had no time to investigate. Learning the truth now left her with mixed feelings. Xiao Zhixuan looked at her with tearful eyes, asking cautiously, “Will you forgive me?”
Yuanxi, her mind in turmoil, did not know how to respond and instead asked, “What do you mean Mr. Luo can’t come to the marquis’s residence anymore?”
Xiao Zhixuan hesitated, “You don’t know? Brother was furious that day and ordered the guards to ban Mr. Luo from entering. I have my old tutor back now.” She seemed very remorseful, lowering her head in frustration.