"Tianxiang! Tianxiang!" Aunt Bai was furious and in pain, so she rolled off the bed and was immediately disoriented. However, she was also thinking about protecting her child, so she didn't see any blood flowing from below. Aunt Bai didn't care about anything else and climbed to the dressing table. She swept everything on the floor. Crackling sounds rang out. Vases and other porcelain pieces shattered all over the floor, and jewelry was scattered everywhere.
Tianxiang, who was in the next room, realized something was wrong. She wiped away her tears and left her room, heading towards Aunt Bai's place. But she heard no sound from inside, and fear gripped her. She had just slapped herself; if she went to disturb her now, she might get her legs broken!
Hesitating for a moment, Aunt Bai reluctantly picked up a hard object from the ground and smashed it hard against the dressing mirror!
The sound was so loud that it really startled Tianxiang!
Aunt Bai said in a weak voice, "Tianxiang, you little hussy, where are you! Do I have to skin you alive before you'll come!"
Tianxiang was startled and knocked on her door abruptly. "Auntie, Auntie, is something the matter?"
Aunt Bai grabbed at the door like a lifeline, shouting, "Come in quickly!"
Tianxiang was thinking of opening the door, but ironically, Aunt Bai had locked it herself! No wonder she couldn't open it!
"Auntie, Auntie, I can't open the door! You locked it from the inside!" Tianxiang was also anxious. If something happened to Aunt Bai, she would be in big trouble!
Aunt Bai listened, and she cried out in despair. Was she about to die? She didn't even know what had happened, and yet this had occurred!
Aunt Bai put aside her thoughts and tried her best to climb to the other side of the door, thinking of climbing up to open it, but she couldn't reach it no matter what she did! Aunt Bai felt like she was about to collapse. The cramps in her abdomen were still there, and now, because of the friction, her arms and palms were bleeding.
Tianxiang was banging on the door. She knew that there weren't any patrolling guards in this courtyard, not even a strong servant! They were all kneeling in the mourning hall!
Aunt Bai was filled with resentment for her impulsive actions, but she gritted her teeth and continued climbing up the window to open the door.
She was in so much pain that tears and snot streamed down her face, she was covered in cold sweat, and her hair was all messed up. She looked more like a country bumpkin than a concubine.
Finally, she reached the latch and tried several times before she could open the door. But in an instant, Tianxiang bumped into her, and the two of them fell to the ground!
☆、080 Something happened? It turns out to be a cursed lone star!
Aunt Bai felt as if her stomach was about to tear open. Without thinking, she slammed her fist into Tianxiang's chest, shouting furiously, "You wretched servant! Get up right now!"
Despite the pain, Tianxiang struggled to her feet. "Auntie, are you alright?"
"You're driving me crazy! Help me up right now! Ouch! That hurts!" Aunt Bai glared at her resentfully. "What are you standing there for! Help me to bed!"
Tianxiang was terrified; she was pregnant! If anything happened to her, she probably wouldn't even know how she died!
Immediately, Tianxiang helped Aunt Bai lie down on the bed. Aunt Bai's face was pale and her lips were white. She endured the pain and said, "Hurry up and go get a doctor!"
"Yes! Yes!" Tianxiang responded and immediately went towards the mourning hall to call for people.
Most people are currently in the mourning hall participating in the religious rites. Respect for the deceased is paramount, and naturally, no one dares to disrespect them. Ji Wushang closed his eyes and concentrated. The doctor's rites were acceptable; it would be even better if they were done quickly. He absolutely would not allow anyone to examine Aunt Bai's illness! Now, someone will probably come looking for the doctor!
Ji Wushang opened his bright eyes and looked around. The doctor of the manor was present, and all the maids and servants around Aunt Bai were there. Only one of the head maids, Tianxiang, was missing.
Then let her suffer her pain! This time, we won't take her life, nor will we take her child's life! What we will take is the sin her child will bear for the rest of their life!
Just then, sure enough, Tianxiang ran over from outside, intending to report to Ji Dingbei about Aunt Bai's sudden relapse, but she was stopped by the Iron Guards!
Ji Wushang had already told the leader Tie Yi that if anyone dared to disturb Madam Bei's rituals or disturb her spirit, she would make them all pay! Tie Yi naturally agreed, as disturbing Madam Bei's rituals was disrespectful and unfilial! Everyone knew that Madam Bei was a gentle and frail woman, a virtuous lady, but heaven was unkind to her, causing her to die young from illness!
The mourning hall was surrounded by clanging and banging sounds. The monks performing the rituals were extremely focused. Ji Wushang turned his head slightly and saw that the guards were blocking Tianxiang outside, and they even seemed to be arguing. Two guards then dragged Tianxiang out.
Ji Wushang closed his eyes and continued to focus on the ritual.
Tianxiang, her face contorted with grief, was no match for the iron guard and had no choice but to return the way she came. However, she was also worried that Aunt Bai would not let her go. Fear gripped her heart, and her steps slowed as she hesitated.
Aunt Bai was in so much pain that she fainted. Her hands gripped the bedsheets so tightly they seemed about to tear them apart. But she couldn't withstand the agony and finally succumbed to the pain.
Tianxiang returned to the East Garden at this moment. She pushed open the door, intending to report, but found Aunt Bai lying motionless on the bed! Tianxiang was terrified and fell to the ground. "Ah!"
"Auntie! Auntie!" After a short while, Tianxiang finally came to her senses, scrambled to her feet, and rushed toward Auntie Bai, crying out, "Auntie!" She shook her violently, completely disregarding the fact that Auntie Bai was pregnant.
Fortunately, Tianxiang sensed that Aunt Bai was still breathing and hadn't died! Immediately, Tianxiang disregarded everything else and stumbled towards the mourning hall. However, at that moment, the coffin was already being carried out there!
Tianxiang froze, then screamed at the top of her lungs, "Aunt Bai is in trouble! You must come and save Aunt Bai!"
The monks performing the ritual led the way, their faces painted with colorful designs, followed by several other monks assisting them. Behind them was a large group of people: Ji Dingbei in front, Aunt Xie and Aunt Nangong behind. Aunt Nangong seemed completely broken, dragging her trembling legs as she struggled to keep up, followed by Ji Tiankui, Ji Wushang, and others.
Ji Wushang turned around and glanced coldly at Tianxiang in the distance, a slight smile playing on his lips. Over there, the guards seemed oblivious to Bai Yiniang's condition, desperately trying to stop her.
"Brothers, it's true, Aunt Bai is really dying! Please, have mercy and let me pass! I need to report to the master! We can't bear the responsibility if anything happens to Aunt Bai!" Tianxiang knelt down and kowtowed to the two of them.
The two guards listened, looking at her disheveled appearance. They had just suspected she was someone who had somehow gotten her way out of nowhere, and they were afraid she might disrupt Madam Bei's ritual! But now, it seemed to be true? But hadn't they heard that Aunt Bai was in good health these past few days? How could she suddenly fall ill?
"Are you lying to us? If you are, we won't let you off the hook!" one of the guards said sternly.
"My dear brothers, how could I possibly lie to you! It's true, it's really true! Aunt Bai is really dying! Please, we need a doctor! All the doctors are in the funeral procession, sob sob!"
The two guards put away the Yang family's spears that were blocking their way. Tianxiang indeed got up and ran towards the funeral procession, shouting without any regard for her image, "Something's wrong! Something's wrong!"
"Boom!" The monk performing the ritual suddenly stopped in his tracks, as if he had encountered something terrible. He looked at Tianxiang, who was running towards him, and was greatly shocked!
Those around them stared angrily at Tianxiang.
Respect for the dead is paramount; doesn't she understand that? A person like that deserves to die!
Ji Dingbei, enraged, stepped forward and recognized Tianxiang, the head maidservant of Concubine Bai. Concubine Nangong, eager to set a good example as a wife in public, also recognized Tianxiang. Ignoring her exhaustion, she stepped forward and slapped Tianxiang hard across the face. "You wretched servant! Have your eyes popped out?! You've disturbed everyone! Do you have a death wish?!"
Ji Dingbei looked at Aunt Nangong, a woman who always appeared weak in front of him. He never expected that she would publicly reprimand this maid. However, this maid deserved to be beaten!
"This servant wouldn't dare, this servant wouldn't dare!" Tianxiang suddenly kowtowed to the crowd, saying as she kowtowed, "It's terrible, it's terrible! Concubine Bai suddenly had a sharp pain in her lower abdomen and has already fainted! Please, Master, send a doctor to see Concubine Bai!"
Upon hearing this, Ji Dingbei frowned immediately, stepped out from the crowd, and stood in front of Tianxiang. "How could this happen? Aunt Bai was perfectly fine just a few days ago, how could this be! How is the child?"
"This servant doesn't know, this servant doesn't know! Please, sir, make the decision and send a doctor to see Concubine Bai!" Tianxiang kowtowed with great fervor, fearing that Ji Dingbei and the others wouldn't believe her!
But at that moment, the monk performing the ritual suddenly knelt down, crying out, "A cursed star! A cursed star has descended from heaven! My dynasty has mercy on me, how could it send such a cursed star to this place!"
Ji Dingbei was immediately shocked, his face filled with panic. He strode up to the monk performing the ritual and demanded, "What did you say?!"
"General, I must say this: I believe I heard from that maid that the concubine suffered severe abdominal pain during the ritual. It must be a sign of a calamity descending from heaven! The ritual was meant to exorcise demons and appease the soul, but I never expected such a thing to happen in your household!"
When we arrived, the moment we entered the mourning hall, we saw a malevolent aura! I initially thought it was the restless soul of the Lady Benefactor, but unexpectedly, it was another malevolent aura! The Lady Benefactor's soul was perfectly at peace! And that other malevolent aura was caused by the newly formed little life! It's likely that this is the child in the womb of Concubine Bai! Otherwise, how could Concubine Bai suddenly experience abdominal cramps? Heavens!
After saying this, the monks in charge of the religious ceremony kowtowed repeatedly towards the heavens and the earth.
Ji Wushang narrowed her eyes, looking at the monk performing the ritual. "Master, may I ask how you knew that Aunt Bai had recently become pregnant? Don't make our household sound so mysterious! Today is my mother's funeral, and I don't want anyone causing trouble here! No one is allowed!" The more she spoke, the more stern and sharp Ji Wushang became, so much so that no one dared to underestimate her, laugh, or take her lightly!
Tianxiang was stunned. Even Ji Dingbei and the others had to look at Ji Wushang with serious expressions. Ji Meiyuan and Ji Wuxia looked at Ji Wushang. They had just heard that Aunt Bai had something to say and were thinking of saying a few words, but they didn't expect Ji Wushang to say such a thing. How could they dare to say anything unnecessary!
The monk performing the ritual immediately looked at Ji Wushang, and seeing those fearless, even indifferent, eyes, the monk bowed deeply to Ji Wushang. "Every word I have spoken is true. I only dared to speak after hearing what that maidservant said. This cursed star is more ruthless than ever before! It is the reincarnation of a demon king, a calamity brought down by heaven!"
Upon hearing this, everyone trembled with fear, exchanging horrified glances!
As Ji Dingbei listened, his footing became slightly unsteady. He steadied himself, his eyes darting around, seemingly lost in thought.
"Master! Please have someone save Aunt Bai!" Tianxiang looked at everyone who was stunned, but she was also anxious. She didn't know anything about a demon king or any calamity from heaven!
Ji Dingbei frowned deeply. At this moment, Ji Tiankui stepped forward, leaned close to Ji Dingbei's ear, and said, "Father, let's have the doctor check on Aunt first! It would be terrible if someone died. As for that so-called 'lone star of misfortune,' we need to have more people examine her. Once it's confirmed that she is indeed a 'lone star of misfortune,' then Father can make a decision!"
Ji Dingbei listened, glanced at Ji Tiankui, and nodded. "Yes. You, Doctor Zhang and Doctor Li, you two go with Tianxiang to check on Aunt Bai!"
Having given the order, he immediately went to the monk performing the ritual. The monk had already stood up, and Ji Dingbei bowed to him, saying, "Please, Master, do not spread this matter. After all, this is a family matter..."
"We, your humble monks, will certainly keep this secret. Please rest assured, General." The monk performing the ritual gestured to the monks behind him, who immediately agreed.
Ji Dingbei walked over to the group. The whole family was here, and probably everyone knew that Aunt Bai was pregnant with a child destined to be a lone star!
"None of you are allowed to divulge this matter. Otherwise, get out!" Ji Dingbei's sinister eyes swept over the large group of people, and they all immediately responded.
Ji Wushang smiled slightly, but it was very faint and quickly disappeared.
Ji Dingbei ordered the ritual to continue, as if the incense offering just now was merely an interlude that wouldn't affect the progress of the matter at all! But Ji Wushang knew that this was no interlude, and there was much more to come!
A cursed lone star—no one would allow such a child to exist! Once, when Bei Gong Jue Shi was called a cursed lone star, the Prince of Zhenbei even considered killing him! However, at the last moment, he was saved from death by the Wudang Mountain martial artist, Taibai Daoren, who suddenly appeared at his door!
However, the Taoist Taibai had already been traveling around and had long since disappeared from everyone's sight and hearing!
These were all pieces of information that Ji Wushang had heard.
At this moment, everyone followed the monks performing the ritual out of General Ji's mansion and headed towards the main street.
Ji Wushang watched as the paper money flew everywhere, and the music of the ritual kept playing in his ears. The procession slowly walked towards the outskirts of the city.
It felt like a play, and Ji Wushang felt as if she were in it, unsure whether she was the protagonist or a supporting character. But she was certain that, whether she was a supporting or leading role, she would not let anyone sway her destiny!
The opera singers continued their performance. Ji Wushang's heart was filled with sorrow as he recalled his childhood with Madam Bei. Fortunately, it was now certain that Aunt Bai's child was destined to be a cursed star. Whether that child was aborted or left to bear this heavy burden, it would not be an easy matter.
Don't claim innocence; it's always the case that children pay for their fathers' debts!
Ji Wushang looked at the monk performing the ritual. He should thank him for this, though he didn't know if it was true. But it suited his heart perfectly! Indeed, in the Great Xia Zhou Dynasty, people believed in Buddhism, in reincarnation, in being a cursed lone star, and in karma and retribution!
The vendors and merchants naturally made way for the funeral procession from the General's Mansion. Ji Dingbei still held a high position in the hearts of the people; after all, he was the General Who Guards the North, the main force in suppressing the Japanese pirates along the southeast coast!
The deceased Lady Bei had an excellent reputation and was of high moral character, so she was naturally loved by the common people. Now, some ordinary people were secretly wiping away tears, and some even joined the funeral procession.
Gradually, the group left the city and went to the mountains on the outskirts.
There is a place there, which is the ancestral tomb of General Ji's family. The heroic souls of the people of General Ji's family, generation after generation, rest here.
Ji Dingbei ordered his men to lower the coffin down. Then the monks began to play music, chant incomprehensible spells and Sanskrit, and recite scriptures before finally burying Madam Bei.
Ji Wushang remained kneeling before the tomb until it was completed. Everyone knelt and paid their respects, and the sun was about to set. The monks who had performed the rituals had already dispersed, and those who had come to pay their respects had all left. Only Ji Wushang's family, some maids and old women, and the armored soldiers remained.
Ji Dingbei walked over, knelt down beside Ji Wushang, and said in a deep voice, "Wushang, your father is sorry for your mother."
Ji Wushang turned her head to look at him, her lips twitching slightly. "Father prioritizes national affairs, and Mother has always understood you. She once told her daughter that she was very satisfied with marrying Father."
Ji Dingbei's eyes were deep and thoughtful. "Father feels guilty." He then kowtowed heavily to Madam Bei, and looked directly at Ji Wushang, saying, "From now on, as the eldest daughter, you must take good care of Wu Zimei and the others."
"Yes." Upon hearing the words "American aid," Ji Wushang slightly raised his head and looked towards Ji Meiyuan. Ji Meiyuan felt someone watching her and turned her head to look over, only to meet Ji Wushang's ambiguous smile and eyes that seemed to want to devour her alive! She was immediately terrified and broke out in a cold sweat. But before she could look any longer, Ji Wushang was already talking to Ji Dingbei!
Ji Meiyuan was so frightened that she lost her composure. She quickly made a cross on her chest and chanted, "Amitabha, Amitabha."
"What is Second Sister reciting?" Ji Yinxue suddenly patted Ji Meiyuan on the shoulder, and Ji Meiyuan turned pale with fright. "What are you doing!"
"Second sister, why are you so nervous?" Ji Yinxue only then noticed her unusual behavior and exclaimed, "Second sister, what's wrong?"
This drew everyone's attention, and Ji Meiyuan immediately glared at Ji Yinxue, "What's the big deal? Nothing's wrong with me!"
Ji Wushang looked at Ji Dingbei and said, "Father, alas, the matter of Concubine Bai is causing us a lot of worry. I don't know how you will handle it. I'm afraid that if Grandmother finds out that Concubine Bai is carrying a cursed child, she will be furious and saddened."
Upon hearing this, Ji Dingbei nodded immediately, feeling that Ji Wushang had grown up a lot. Looking at her, he said, "What you said makes sense. Don't worry, I will handle this matter. Sigh!" How could he not be heartbroken to hear his own child being called a cursed loner?
Seeing the disappointment in his eyes, Ji Wushang ultimately said nothing. This was Aunt Bai's child! She had done wrong, and she deserved to suffer the consequences! That her child had to suffer was her own fault!
"Wu Zi, come over here quickly." Ji Wushang saw Ji Wusi crying softly to the side and beckoned to him.
Upon hearing this, Ji Dingbei immediately turned his gaze over and realized that he had neglected his child for a long time. This was the son that Madam Bei had left him! He might not be as outstanding as Ji Tiankui, or achieve the same success in the court and on the frontier, but he was still his child, and Ji Dingbei loved his obedience and understanding.
Ji Wusi wiped away her tears and looked at Ji Wushang and Ji Dingbei beside her. Ji Dingbei immediately waved, "Wuzi, come here."