latelenovela Chapter 93 093 Ghostly Trouble
Chapter 93 093 Ghostly Trouble
Chapter 93 093 Ghostly Trouble
The news of Madam Song fainting in the Buddhist hall quickly spread throughout the Marquis's mansion. Marquis Anshi had stayed at Concubine Song's place that night. Upon hearing the news, he didn't even have time to fix his hair. He hurriedly put on an outer garment and rushed to Ciyuan Hall with Concubine Song.
When they arrived at Ciyuantang, Old Madam Song had already been helped back to bed, and Doctor Xu from the manor was carefully taking her pulse. Marquis Anshi's expression was very bad, and he asked, "How is it? Is Mother unwell?"
Dr. Xu frowned and said, "Judging from the pulse, the old lady must have been greatly frightened. She is very unstable and has also caught a cold. Her condition is really not good."
Was she frightened and caught a cold? Marquis Anshi's gaze suddenly sharpened. He turned to look at Granny Wen and asked in a cold voice, "Granny Wen, what happened? The old lady was perfectly fine yesterday, how come she turned into this overnight?"
"When this old servant woke up this morning, I found the old lady collapsed in the Buddhist hall. I didn't hear any summons during the night, and I really don't know what happened!" Granny Wen said hurriedly.
"Useless thing!" Marquis Anshi roared, "You can't even take care of the old lady!"
At this moment, Doctor Xu stimulated several acupuncture points on Old Madam Song with silver needles. Old Madam Song gasped for breath and shakily opened her eyes. Upon seeing Marquis Anshi standing by the bedside, Old Madam Song grabbed his wrist tightly and said incoherently:
"She—she's back! She's back! It's her! It's her!"
Marquis Anshi's heart skipped a beat. He immediately gave Aunt Song a wink, and Aunt Song understood. She led Doctor Xu outside and asked, "Doctor Xu, what kind of medicine should be used to cure the old lady's illness?"
After Aunt Song left, and dismissed all the servants, Marquis Anshi sat down by the bed, pressed down on Old Madam Song's waving hand, and said, "Mother, open your eyes and look carefully. I am Xingguan. There is no one else here except the two of us!"
Hearing the familiar address, Old Madam Song finally regained some of her senses, but her face was still filled with terror: "Xingguan, last night—last night I dreamed of that person! In the dream, she was choking me and saying she would drag us down to pay for her life!"
Marquis Anshi knew who she was referring to, and his heart sank. He coaxed her, "Mother, don't be afraid. Those people have been dead for so many years, their bones have long since decayed, and they can't possibly still remain in this world. You've just caught a cold and are having nightmares."
"No! No! It's not a nightmare! They've come to take our lives!" Old Madam Song interrupted him, shaking her head repeatedly.
Madam Song was a devout believer in ghosts and gods. Over the years, she had been eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist scriptures. It was because she had done too many bad things and her hands were stained with too much blood that she wanted to use the boundless Buddhist teachings to cleanse her sins. However, whenever she thought of the two people who died with their eyes wide open, she felt even more terrified and uneasy.
She had once heard that if a person dies with resentment, they will become a vengeful ghost, and no amount of incantations for rebirth can prevent them from reincarnating. Last night, her dream was filled with large swaths of blood, and ghostly hands kept emerging from the blood, almost strangling her to death in the dream. She knew that this was truly that person returning to claim her life!
She had lived peacefully for sixteen years, but those sixteen years were merely the calm before the storm! Last night they failed to take her life, but what about tonight? Would that person come tonight?
Seeing that Madam Song's emotions were about to spiral out of control again, Marquis Anshi could only pat her back gently and coax her, "It's alright, it's alright. With me here, they won't dare to come... It's alright..."
Outside Ciyuan Hall, they finally saw Marquis Anshi emerge from inside. Concubine Song's expression changed, and she rushed forward with concern: "My lord, how is Mother?"
"It's nothing serious, he took his medicine and has fallen asleep," said Marquis Anshi with a stern face.
"But judging from your expression, it doesn't seem like everything is alright. If you have any difficulties, you can tell me. I've managed the manor for many years and I have some ways to deal with things," Consort Song said softly, nestled against Marquis Anshi.
The Marquis of Anshi was very pleased with Consort Song's virtuousness and thoughtfulness. His expression softened slightly, and he glanced at Consort Song hesitantly before suddenly asking, "Do you believe that there really are mountain spirits and monsters in this world?"
"Judging from what you're saying, Lord Marquis, could it be that Mother was frightened last night, and that there are ghosts causing trouble in the Marquis's mansion?" Concubine Song asked, feigning surprise.
Marquis Anshi said, "I just don't know whether there are really ghosts causing trouble, or whether there are 'people' pretending to be gods and ghosts."
With her long, curled eyelashes drooping and a gleam of triumph in her eyes, Aunt Song spoke gently, “People often say that matters of ghosts and spirits are ‘better safe than sorry.’ Although I have never seen them with my own eyes, I always hold a sense of awe for all things in this world. Therefore, I believe that this matter should be taken seriously, as it would give Mother a reassuring and satisfactory answer.”
“Yes, you’re right. It’s better to believe it than not.” Marquis Anshi’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Buddhism also speaks of cause and effect and reincarnation, and that retribution is inevitable. Although I don’t believe in this kind of talk, it’s better to be cautious in case anything unexpected happens.”
"I've heard that there's a Taiqing Temple outside the city, and there's a Taoist priest there who's very skilled in the ways of gods and ghosts. Why don't I send someone to Taiqing Temple to invite that Taoist priest to our mansion as a guest?" said Concubine Song.
The old incident was not only a source of worry for Old Madam Song, but also a closely guarded secret of Marquis Anshi. Without hesitation, he nodded and said, "Alright, then I'll leave this matter to you."
After receiving her errand, Aunt Song immediately took her entourage and quietly left the Marquis's residence through the back gate, heading towards a certain place in the city. Meanwhile, in Lanxin Courtyard, Ling Shu was relaying to Ye Pianran and Gongsun Yuan what had just happened at Ciyuan Hall:
"...The old lady was found unconscious in the Buddhist hall early in the morning. After waking up, she was completely delirious and kept muttering things like 'Spare me, I didn't kill her,' which sounded rather frightening."
So this was the purpose of Aunt Song sending people to bury the dead cat in their Lanxin Courtyard. First, she would play tricks in the Marquis's mansion to drive the old lady to the brink of despair, and then take some opportunity to bring out the fact that there was a cat curse buried in Lanxin Courtyard. In this way, Lanxin Courtyard would never be able to turn things around.
"Heh, this scheme is quite intricately designed, with each step carefully linked," Ye Pianran said with a smile. Unfortunately, ever since she gained a mysterious space within herself, her, her mother's, and Kang'er's bodies have become different from ordinary people; sleeping potions and poisons no longer have any effect on them.
Unlike Ye Pianran, Gongsun Yuan was not as carefree. After listening to Ling Shu's words, she showed a thoughtful expression.
The Great Xia Kingdom wasn't a particularly devout Buddhist country, but ever since she married into the Marquis's household, Old Madam Song had been chanting scriptures and reciting Buddhist prayers. Initially, she assumed that Buddhists were kind and compassionate people. However, upon learning that her prematurely born son, Ye Yankang, was mentally challenged, Old Madam Song not only distanced herself from Lanxin Courtyard but also, taking advantage of her illness, handed over the Marquis's seal of office to Concubine Song, showing none of the magnanimity expected of a Buddhist. Now, upon closer reflection, perhaps her practice of Buddhism wasn't out of genuine faith, but rather concealed some unspeakable secret?
"What are you thinking about, Mother?" Ye Pianran noticed something was wrong with her expression and asked.
Gongsun Yuan snapped out of her daze and shook her head: "It's nothing." Whatever the hidden story, it was not something they could touch at this moment, otherwise they might get themselves into trouble.
“Now that Aunt Song has taken her step, I have to do something too, otherwise this situation won’t be fun.” Ye Pianran smiled, a cold glint in her eyes. “Mother, please wait for news in the courtyard. I’ll be right back.”
After saying that, Ye Pianran picked up her small medicine box and headed towards Madam Song's Ciyuan Hall with Lingyi.
Whether intentional or coincidental, Ye Pianran had just stepped out of Lanxin Courtyard when she bumped into Ye Yanxun, who was walking briskly towards her. Upon seeing her, a clear look of surprise flashed across Ye Yanxun's face, but he immediately replaced it with a gentle smile:
"Ran'er, it's been a long time."
"Yes, it's been a long time." Ye Pianran chuckled. "Did everything go smoothly for your trip to Xuzhou, brother?"
"Of course everything is going smoothly, but what about you, Ran'er? I heard from the maids that you've been staying in your room these days. Could it be that you're sick?" Ye Yanxun asked.
"Thank you for your concern, elder brother. I've been doing very well while you were away from the Marquis's residence," Ye Pianran replied calmly.
Sensing the sarcasm in her words, Ye Yanxun's gaze darkened slightly, and he said with a forced smile, "It's good that you're alright. By the way, where are you going with that medicine box?"
"Brother, haven't you heard? Grandmother was frightened last night and caught a chill. Now she's bedridden and can't get up." Ye Pianran glanced at him with feigned surprise and said, "I was just about to go and check on Grandmother's pulse. Would you like to come with me, brother?"
Ye Yanxun arrived at Lanxin Courtyard first after receiving a tip from Aunt Song. He had assumed that Ye Pianran and Gongsun Yuan, both under the influence of the sleeping potion, wouldn't wake up so soon. He thought he could use this opportunity to break into Ye Pianran's room, catch her and the man she was hiding in the act, ruin their reputations, and leave them no chance of recovery! But who knew that she was not only full of energy but also unusually eager to go to Ciyuan Hall to see what was going on? Didn't the assassin Aunt Song arranged say that everything was going smoothly?
Ye Pianran didn't urge him to make a choice; she simply stood there quietly, holding her medicine box, watching him. Her gaze was calm and indifferent, yet it inexplicably gave Ye Yanxun the illusion that she had completely seen through him.
Gritting his teeth, Ye Yanxun smiled and said, "Alright, I'll go with you."