Upon hearing this, everyone immediately stepped away from Han Yan as if she carried the plague. Ji Lan and Shu Hong watched coldly without saying a word. Wei Ru Feng gave Han Yan a complicated look – he was among those who had stepped back.
At this moment, he felt somewhat relieved. If Han Yan brought misfortune to her husband and had married her, he, Wei Ru Feng, would have been the unfortunate one. Thinking about Fu Yun Xi’s potential fate, Wei Ru Feng felt a hint of schadenfreude.
Zhuang Shi Yang was both frightened and angry. He had never liked Han Yan to begin with, and now to learn that she brought misfortune to her father! No wonder everything had gone wrong for him – he had such an ill-starred person affecting him. Thinking of this, he felt intense disgust toward Han Yan, wishing she would just die immediately.
Han Yan coldly observed everyone’s reactions. People were always like this, inexplicably believing others’ words, especially malicious ones, as if they had witnessed it themselves. Those who could be friendly on ordinary days would kick you aside without hesitation once they discovered you couldn’t provide what they wanted or might harm their interests. How selfish, how cold.
She suddenly smiled and asked, “Master Daoist, is what you say true?”
Just as Jing Xu was about to speak, a sudden shriek erupted from inside the room: “Get away! You evil spirits! Get away!”
The voice belonged to Concubine Mei. Her voice was sharp and piercing as if she had seen something terrifying. Even in broad daylight, it sent chills through everyone. Yet the more frightening it was, the more people wanted to stay and figure out what was causing the disturbance.
Elder Madam Zhou looked at Jing Xu and said, “Master Daoist… this…”
Madam Zhou also stepped forward: “Master Daoist, do you have a way to drive away these evil spirits?”
“Yes, yes, yes.” Zhuang Shi Yang now completely trusted Jing Xu. The mere thought of evil spirits in his household made him extremely uneasy. He only hoped to exorcise all the evil spirits from the household, momentarily forgetting about Han Yan.
Jing Xu closed his eyes, made some calculations with his fingers, and then suddenly opened his eyes and said, “This poor priest has calculated that this calamity was entirely caused by human action. Someone in the household has been conducting evil-summoning rituals, which is why the madam was harmed by evil energy.”
“Master Daoist means someone deliberately harmed Concubine Mei?” Elder Madam Zhou asked urgently. “Who is it?”
Jing Xu shook his head: “This poor priest doesn’t know, only that they are within the household.”
“That’s simple enough,” Madam Zhou said quietly. “We can just search.”
“Excellent,” Jing Xu said. “The evil object must be quite eye-catching, recognizable at a glance.”
The Seventh Prince, who had been watching the spectacle, suddenly smiled: “Come, search every room in the Zhuang household, don’t miss any corner.”
As the guards responded and began to move, Han Yan suddenly raised her hand: “Wait.”
The Seventh Prince narrowed his eyes: “What else does Miss Zhuang have to say?”
Han Yan smiled slightly: “Your Highness is most noble, but I fear your people may not be enough for today’s task.” She clapped her hands, and a guard-like figure suddenly appeared beside her: “Mu Yan, find some people to search alongside His Highness’s men. Make sure not to miss any corner.” Mu Yan was a secret guard, and because he was trusted by Fu Yun Xi, he could command some of the underground guards, which Han Yan knew.
“Fourth Young Lady, this is…” Elder Madam Zhou began questioningly. This suddenly appearing person was outside her calculations, making her somewhat flustered.
“Ah, Mu Yan,” Han Yan glanced at Elder Madam Zhou, meeting the Seventh Prince’s somewhat gloomy eyes, and slowly said, “After the assassination attempt, His Highness feared for my safety and specially assigned me his secret guards, along with several guards for protection.” She lifted her chin, turning toward the somewhat stiff Jing Xu: “Don’t worry, Master Daoist. These guards are specially trained. His Highness’s men are always thorough and won’t miss any corner. Those with ulterior motives will certainly be caught.”
Jing Xu smiled obsequiously: “Yes, yes.”
Han Yan completely trusted Mu Yan’s work. She wouldn’t believe it if the Seventh Prince’s men searched alone – she couldn’t give him even one opportunity to sabotage things. The Seventh Prince’s expression darkened, probably because he hadn’t expected Han Yan to use this method to directly tell him: “I don’t trust you, so I need my people as witnesses.” This was too arrogant, showing too little regard for him as the Seventh Prince. The Seventh Prince had never been treated like this before and naturally felt intense anger.
Zhuang Yu Shan frowned slightly, feeling inexplicably uneasy for some reason, but after seeing Madam Zhou’s expression, she relaxed again.
Elder Madam Zhou had been observing Han Yan’s expression the whole time. Seeing Han Yan standing quietly in place, her smile calm and proper, and even Ji Lan and Shu Hong beside her completely composed without a trace of panic, she felt a hint of unease. But Han Yan shouldn’t have known about this, right? Even she hadn’t expected things to develop this way. She, Madam Zhou, and Concubine Mei each had their plans and had concealed parts of their schemes. If even those who set up this trap couldn’t control everything, how did this outsider know? Or could it be that she had some way to turn things around?
Time passed quietly. Soon, the searching servants came back: “We found this.”
The lead guard held up what they had found, and everyone could now see it was a red cloth bundle, bulging with unknown contents. Madam Zhou was delighted but maintained her expression: “Quick, let Master Daoist see if this is the source of the evil.”
Just as the guard was about to speak, Han Yan stopped him. Jing Xu picked up the bundle and looked at it, declaring confidently: “This poor priest is certain that the evil spirits were attracted by whatever is inside this bundle.”
“Master Daoist truly has remarkable insight,” Han Yan smiled. “You can tell what’s inside without even opening it. I’m impressed.”
Jing Xu coughed lightly: “This poor priest has seen and subdued many evil objects. Young lady doesn’t know, but evil objects release a malevolent energy that this priest can sense just by being near them.”
Han Yan let out a laugh: “Really? Why don’t we open it and see?”
Madam Zhou saw that Han Yan still maintained a completely unconcerned attitude, which annoyed her. But thinking about how she would soon see Han Yan unable to defend herself, she felt extremely satisfied and urged Jing Xu to open it: “Master Daoist, why don’t we see what’s inside?”
Jing Xu reached out to open it, and just as one hand was about to grab what was inside the bundle, his movement suddenly froze. Han Yan smiled slightly: “Why has Master Daoist stopped?”
“This… this…” Jing Xu stared wide-eyed at the contents of the bundle without speaking. His reaction immediately aroused everyone’s curiosity. Madam Zhou hadn’t expected Jing Xu to react this way either, and asked anxiously: “Master Daoist, why have you stopped?”