If it were anyone else, they’d probably be scared half to death. But Shen Guiyan wasn’t afraid of being scared. Only people could harm others. Ghosts were insubstantial in this world—could they actually come and slap her like a person?
Getting out of bed and going outside, she stood at the doorway watching for a while. It truly wasn’t Baoshan’s eyes playing tricks—there was a piece of white cloth flying in the air outside, seemingly with some hair attached, without feet.
Looking left and right, Shen Guiyan picked up a stone from the courtyard, took aim, and threw it hard at the white cloth.
The white cloth seemed startled, flying along the eaves all the way until it disappeared at the roof.
Even ghosts were afraid of people? Shen Guiyan raised her brows, dusting off her hands and preparing to return to her room. Just as she lowered her head, she happened to see Gu Chaobei. He seemed to have just returned and was looking at her with a face full of shock.
“Husband.” Shen Guiyan looked at him: “What’s wrong?”
Gu Chaobei raised his hand to close his dropped jaw, swallowing: “What was that just now?”
“Oh, you mean that white thing?” Shen Guiyan said nonchalantly: “It’s probably a bed sheet drying in the back courtyard. Someone must have tied a string to it and is making it float around.”
“A bed sheet?” Gu Chaobei was somewhat speechless: “Who does such boring things in the middle of the night?”
“Who knows?” Shen Guiyan smiled as she welcomed him: “Husband, go rest early.”
“Mm.” Gu Chaobei yawned, glancing once more at the rooftop before following Shen Guiyan into the room.
She wasn’t even scared! Someone gritted their teeth in the darkness. Who wasn’t afraid of even ghosts? She must be pretending to be composed. No rush—the days were still long.
Shen Guiya’s coffin sat in the mourning hall. Concubine Liu, keeping watch, had dozed off. Just as she was about to fall asleep, she suddenly heard what seemed like a sound from inside the coffin.
“Grumble—” Shen Guiya’s stomach rumbled.
Concubine Liu’s drowsiness vanished completely. Frightened, she cried out loudly: “A corpse is coming back to life!”
Yushu hurriedly went to check the coffin, frowning: “Madam Liu, please don’t shout randomly. My young miss is fine. Where is she coming back to life?”
At most, she was just hungry.
Concubine Liu’s face turned pale, her whole body beginning to tremble: “I clearly just heard from inside…”
“Don’t say anymore.” Concubine Guan wasn’t particularly brave either. She hurriedly cut her off, then glanced at Yushu: “It’s so late. Madam Liu and I should return to rest. How about we leave this to you all?”
“Fine.” Yushu didn’t object. Watching Concubine Guan support Concubine Liu as they left, she even dismissed some of the household servants beside her whose drowsiness was surging: “All go rest. You’ll need strength to carry the coffin when it’s light.”
“Thank you, Miss Yushu.” The household servants yawned continuously, hurrying back to rest.
This eldest young madam’s death wasn’t particularly honorable, and the mourning hall was simple, so naturally there wasn’t much worth guarding. The other maids also found excuses to leave, until finally only Yushu remained alone.
Yushu looked left and right, saying quietly to the coffin: “Miss, get up and eat something.”
The “corpse” that had been lying still opened its eyes. Shen Guiya sat up, also looking around the coffin. Seeing there truly was no one, she breathed a sigh of relief, taking the dry rations Yushu handed her and eating in large bites.
“Playing dead is really easy.” Shen Guiya said while eating: “Just listening to all that crying is annoying to death. Yushu, did you arrange everything properly with Lord Yuwen?”
Yushu nodded: “Although Lord Yuwen said this is the last time he’ll help, he’s still quite reliable and thought of the method of borrowing the funeral carriage. Tomorrow once we’re out of the city, we’ll just use a stone to switch you out. But Miss, where can you go after this?”
Shen Guiya snorted lightly, her gaze suddenly turning vicious: “I can’t have suffered the household punishment and all that pain for nothing. Once I use Yuwen Houde to turn things around, I’ll definitely make Shen Guiyan die a terrible death.”
“Now I finally understand that in ancient times you must follow ancient rules. I just understood it a bit late, so I can only start over from the beginning.” Shen Guiya said: “Yushu, you wait for me. When I return someday, there will definitely be times when I’ll use you again.”
Yushu hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed to her: “Miss, rest assured. This servant will definitely wait here for Miss.”
It seemed a household servant was passing by. Shen Guiya quickly lay back down, her mouth still constantly chewing.
She had arranged this with Yuwen Houde—she’d jump into the pond with a reed tube to breathe through. When enough time had passed, she’d float up and play dead. When she was buried, Yuwen Houde would find a way to switch her out.
This plan was flawless. No one would discover it. Only from this time forward, she would no longer be herself. She’d have to change her identity to return for revenge.
They should all just wait for her!
When dawn broke, Yuwen Houde came to transport the body as agreed. Paper money scattered all along the route. When Shen Guiyan followed to watch, somehow at the gate she saw Han Jiangxue standing on the distant street corner.
Why was she here? Shen Guiyan was somewhat curious and hurriedly walked over to look.
Han Shi’s eyes were full of disappointment. Hiding to one side, she watched Yuwen Houde guard that coffin as it was loaded onto the funeral carriage, then passed grandly before her. His eyes were just looking at that coffin, so he didn’t notice her beside him.
“Madam Yuwen.” Shen Guiyan went over, looking at her: “What are you doing here?”
Han Jiangxue was startled. Seeing it was Shen Guiyan, there was still some wariness in her eyes: “I… just looking around casually.”
Yuwen Houde had told her today that the General had arranged work for him, so he’d left early. She always felt something was wrong. Not knowing what prompted her, she’d actually followed him out.
The result was seeing him escort another woman’s coffin.
Han Jiangxue felt she might be somewhat vicious. Seeing Shen Guiya dead, she actually felt very pleased. But seeing Houde so carefully and cautiously guarding the coffin all along the way, her heart felt indescribably sad.
Why had it become like this? Why would he come to like someone else? Didn’t he say he’d never deceive her again, never betray her again?
Her tone was stiff, but her expression looked extremely pitiful. Shen Guiyan looked at Han Jiangxue, sighing lightly, and pulled her: “The weather outside has also turned cold. Madam Yuwen should come into the residence to sit for a while.”
The funeral escort convoy grew more distant. Han Jiangxue withdrew her gaze, letting Shen Guiyan pull her into the Gu residence.
The sky slowly began to rain. It was very cold outside. Shen Guiyan brewed a cup of hot tea for Han Shi. She held it for quite a while before recovering her senses somewhat.
“Thank you.”
Although she’d heard many bad things about Shen Guiyan, sitting before her and looking carefully, Han Jiangxue felt her gaze was clean and her whole bearing upright—nothing like the filth Shen Guiya had described. Being so gentle and courteous to her, she couldn’t help but soften.
Shen Guiyan smiled faintly: “Madam needn’t be too concerned. Lord Yuwen today is escorting Guiya to burial at the Prime Minister’s request.”
Han Jiangxue lowered her eyes: “If he didn’t want to escort her, presumably the Prime Minister wouldn’t force him either. To put it bluntly, he still wanted to.”
Shen Guiyan was stunned.
“I’m the fool. I didn’t notice that from the time he met Guiya, he gradually stopped being attentive to me. I still thought he was just tired. Who knew he’d already been with someone… Never mind, the person is gone now. What more is there to say?” Han Shi said in a low voice: “It’s just that I find it hard to believe that someone who treated me so well in a thousand ways, pampered me in ten thousand ways, would actually be with someone else behind my back…”
Speaking of this, she was about to cry again.
Shen Guiyan hurriedly handed over a handkerchief, not asking anything. Seeing her like this, she just wanted to pour her heart out. She would just listen.
“You don’t know how good he was to me when he first married me.” Han Shi muttered in a low voice, rambling: “So good that I felt I could die without regrets. Yet he stabbed me like this—it really hurts.”
“If I’d known earlier, it would have been better if he hadn’t been good to me.”
“Are all men like this? The easier something is to obtain, the harder it becomes to cherish later.”
Shen Guiyan sighed. Weren’t all people like this? Some would foolishly think their unique feelings would surely last forever, but in the end weren’t they all taught lessons by the passage of time?
Although she hadn’t experienced this yet, having read many books, she had such sentiments.
“If you’re not being cherished by others, then cherish yourself well.” After she finished speaking, Shen Guiyan added some tea for her: “The one who’s sad and distressed is you, the one who becomes haggard is you, the one who grows old and loses her charm is also you. What a waste, right? Better to wash your face properly, apply some rouge, and happily do some things. Just don’t think about it.”
“You are Lord Yuwen’s wife, the one who will accompany him for life. If you truly want to persist to the end, then don’t collapse now.”
Han Jiangxue was stunned, raising her head to look at her.
Shen Guiyan asked: “Do you have nothing to do?”
She nodded: “Ordinarily in the residence, he doesn’t let me do anything—just eat, walk, and sleep.”
Truly a life like an immortal’s. Shen Guiyan said: “Then would you like to go outside with me for a walk?”
Han Jiangxue wasn’t in the mood, but seeing Shen Guiyan’s expectant face, she still nodded and got up to follow.
Shen Guiyan took her to Master Zhou’s school. Classes had just ended, and children were running wild in the courtyard outside the school, chattering and laughing noisily—quite lively. As soon as Han Jiangxue entered, she was bumped into by a child. The child in ragged clothing immediately stepped back two paces, bowing very politely: “Sorry, Madam.”
Though a commoner, his etiquette was learned extremely well. Han Jiangxue wasn’t angry. She bent down to pat his head. The child giggled and turned to run off and play.
“Madam.” Seeing Shen Guiyan, Master Zhou cupped his hands from afar. Shen Guiyan hurriedly walked over with a smile: “Master, you honor me too much. Today I had some free time and brought a friend to visit. Please don’t bow.”
Han Jiangxue followed along nodding, lightly tugging at Shen Guiyan’s sleeve: “You also like children?”
Shen Guiyan smiled: “Young children are the nation’s future. Who doesn’t like them? They have no schemes and are most innocent and pure. Spending time here, Madam, your mood will also improve.”
Baoshan, who had followed them out, couldn’t help but interject: “This school was funded with my young miss’s silver. Miss says, when the young are taught, the nation’s future need not be worried.”
Han Jiangxue was slightly surprised. Shen Guiyan was merely an official’s wife, yet she worried about the country and its people?
“Don’t listen to her nonsense.” Shen Guiyan looked at her: “It’s just doing some meaningful things in spare time, so one won’t be so bored.”