Madam Zhou raised her eyebrows: “How could she miscarry without any reason? Could it be that you didn’t take proper care of Concubine Mei?”
The maid fell to her knees in terror, hastily kowtowing to Madam Zhou: “It wasn’t this servant’s fault! Concubine Mei said she saw ghosts, and that someone was trying to harm her child. At first, we thought she had just had a nightmare, but who knew… who knew she would soon start bleeding heavily.”
How could someone see ghosts for no reason? At these words, everyone grew puzzled, their expressions becoming grave. Just after the New Year, people were particularly superstitious about ghosts and spirits. Hearing the little maid’s words, they immediately assumed some spirit had been offended.
Grand Madam Zhou’s expression changed: “Are you certain about this? Such matters cannot be spoken of lightly. If what you say is true, and there’s even one false word, you won’t be forgiven!”
“This servant wouldn’t dare speak falsely,” the little maid said, her face ashen. “Sister Jiao Meng was there too. You can ask her about it.”
“Where is Jiao Meng?” Madam Zhou frowned. “Someone, bring Jiao Meng here.”
Jiao Meng was quickly brought over, and Grand Madam Zhou repeated what had been said. Jiao Meng’s expression also changed, and her account matched the maid’s exactly. At this, everyone believed it was indeed the work of spirits, and panic spread rapidly.
“What should we do? Offending spirits will bring great misfortune!” Madam Zhou began crying, covering her face: “No wonder things haven’t been going well in the household lately. What are we to do?”
Grand Madam Zhou patted her shoulder: “Sister, don’t panic. There are ways to deal with spirits. We just need to find a powerful Daoist master to perform rituals. Everything will be fine, certainly it will be fine.”
Han Yan looked at her with an ambiguous smile: “But these wandering Daoist masters, who know where they might be now?”
Madam Zhou glanced at Han Yan and said: “I heard a Daoist Master Jing Xu recently arrived in the capital. This master is said to have profound spiritual powers and is greatly respected. Why don’t we invite him now to cleanse our household of these evil things and protect our home’s peace?”
Zhuang Yu Shan didn’t know what the Zhou sisters were planning, so she unusually remained quiet and watched. Except for those who knew the inside story, like the Seventh Prince, the others who were unaware of these undercurrents truly thought this was an excellent solution.
Han Yan smiled: “Madam is quite confused. If this Daoist master is so distinguished, how could we simply invite him? We would likely only face disappointment.”
The Seventh Prince said meaningfully: “What’s so difficult about that? With this Prince’s card, we can invite Master Jing Xu here. Since the Zhuang household has encountered trouble and this Prince is present, I should take care of it.”
Han Yan almost couldn’t hold back her laughter. The Seventh Prince was playing along nicely. This was exactly what they wanted to hear. Today they would make this matter as big as possible—the Seventh Prince wouldn’t be able to stay uninvolved. Either that, or they would drag him down with them.
Han Yan smiled: “It was Han Yan’s oversight. Then please proceed.”
After the Seventh Prince’s men left with his card, everyone waited for news about Concubine Mei from behind the closed doors, while also awaiting the arrival of the esteemed Master Jing Xu.
The Seventh Prince’s gaze swept over Han Yan occasionally, noting that although she appeared to be waiting, she remained completely composed. Such calmness… The Seventh Prince’s brow unconsciously furrowed. But besides calmness, Han Yan showed no other emotion; even her two maids showed no signs of knowing anything. This made the Seventh Prince even more suspicious, confused by her attitude.
Han Yan didn’t care. Today’s events were a show specifically performed for her, and she was happy to watch. She could achieve her goals without any cost while enjoying the performance. All she needed to do was say a few words at the appropriate moments to add fuel to the fire.
After just half an incense stick’s time, Zhuang Shi Yang emerged from Concubine Mei’s room. Everyone rushed forward to inquire, and Zhuang Shi Yang explained the situation with a grim face. Concubine Mei had indeed miscarried, and the midwife said it would have been a boy. Zhuang Shi Yang was naturally devastated. He had always placed great importance on heirs and had placed infinite hope in Concubine Mei’s child. Losing a child in middle age was already tragic enough. But what was even more distressing was that the doctor couldn’t determine the cause of the miscarriage—it seemed to have happened inexplicably. Initially, Zhuang Shi Yang was furiously angry, thinking the doctor was talking nonsense, but the midwife said the same thing. Combined with what Concubine Mei’s maid had said, Zhuang Shi Yang began to believe it was heaven’s will. Could it be that heaven didn’t want him to have his child? Concubine Mei, lying in bed, kept repeating one phrase: “Don’t take my child, you evil spirits! Go away!” She called out these words with heart-wrenching intensity. Though she had fallen unconscious, these cries from her unconscious state made Zhuang Shi Yang’s heart pound with fear.
Seeing Zhuang Shi Yang’s pale face, Madam Zhou stepped forward: “Master, don’t worry. We hear it might be the work of spirits, and the Seventh Prince has already sent someone to find the renowned Master Jing Xu. If there are evil spirits, they can be subdued.”
“Master Jing Xu?” Zhuang Shi Yang started slightly, but still bowed to the Seventh Prince: “Thank you, Your Highness.”
The Seventh Prince waved his hand, indicating it was nothing.
Everyone continued waiting quietly. After a while, a servant led in someone who appeared to be a Daoist master. Seeing everyone, he quickly performed a greeting.
He was a middle-aged man with a goatee, appearing quite thin, wearing a gray Daoist robe. Though it was a Daoist robe, careful observation revealed gold-threaded embroidery along the edges. His movements suggested otherworldly grace, but his face could hardly be called dignified—with rat-like eyes and a hawk-like nose, he had a somewhat sinister look. His gaze lingered on Grand Madam Zhou and Zhuang Yu-Shan, and despite his efforts to conceal it, he couldn’t help revealing a hint of lasciviousness.
Madam Zhou hurried forward: “You must be Master Jing Xu. Thank you for troubling yourself to come.”
Master Jing Xu cupped his hands to everyone: “This poor Daoist has heard about the situation. Everyone, please remain calm. If there are evil spirits causing trouble in this residence, this poor Daoist can certainly subdue them. Don’t worry.”
Zhuang Shi Yang couldn’t contain himself and hurriedly said to Master Jing Xu: “Master’s words are most wise, but what should we do now?”
In the Dynasty, matters of spirits and gods were always taken very seriously. An eight-foot-tall man might not fear a murderous bandit, but if that opponent became a spirit, he would turn pale with fear. Zhuang Shi Yang had already panicked upon hearing it might be the work of spirits, and now that he had found a lifeline, he naturally grasped at any solution, believing Master Jing Xu’s words without doubt.