☆、011 Are there ghosts in the temple? Or are there ghosts in your heart!
Upon arriving at the North Garden, Ji Wushang smelled an indescribable floral fragrance. He frowned; this fragrance was barely noticeable during the day, so why was it so strong at night? But once closer, it disappeared. This… was strange. “Wushang, what are you doing standing there? Come here.” Madam Bei seemed quite pleased, but seeing Ji Wushang standing in the North Garden courtyard, she felt a little uneasy.
"Mother." Ji Wushang nodded and walked quickly forward. He would figure out the reason behind these floral scents sooner or later! Reaching her, Ji Wushang took Madam Bei's hand. "Mother, you haven't gone to sleep?"
“Your father said he’ll come over after he’s finished dealing with things! How can Mother go to sleep first?” As she spoke, Madam Bei’s face flushed slightly.
Ji Wushang was also happy, knowing that her father still loved her mother!
"By the way, it's so late, why aren't you resting yet?" Madam Bei asked.
"Let's go inside and talk about it." Ji Wushang then remembered the important matter.
After Ji Wushang shared his guess, Madam Bei felt a growing unease, fearing that if they couldn't find such a traitor, they would suffer greatly in the future!
"Wu Shang, what do you suggest we do? Your father will be here soon."
"Mother, I'd like to take this opportunity to have all the maids and servants come over," Ji Wushang whispered in Madam Bei's ear. Madam Bei nodded in agreement.
Before long, the courtyard was filled with a row of maids and servants, and behind them were the servants and attendants. They all seemed to have crawled out of bed without knowing why, and many of them were only wearing a thin shirt and an outer robe.
Ji Wushang looked at the servants with their eyes still blurry with pus, and slowly walked around them. Her gaze was fixed on them, and the servants, seeing their young mistress like this, trembled and tried their best to stay alert.
Ji Wushang found it amusing. These servants couldn't even muster their energy, but some of them pretended to yawn while their eyes were actually quite sharp!
Ji Wushang walked up to Granny Shi again. Granny Shi was only fifty years old and had grown up in the Ji family since childhood. She originally served by the side of the old lady (Ji Dingbei's mother), but because the old lady went to devoutly cultivate Buddhism, Granny Shi was assigned to Madam Bei's service.
Granny Shi watched Ji Wushang strolling around her and said with a grin, "Madam and Miss, it's so good to see you back!" Ji Wushang looked at her, a slight smile playing on her lips. Granny Shi was in excellent spirits! She'd probably gone to report something!
In my memory, Granny Shi was a very kind person. Granny Shi took care of everything for my mother, from food to clothing. Her own salary was quite considerable, and my mother never mistreated her. But people always change!
I'm afraid of what it will turn out like.
Ji Wushang left only a few people behind to accompany Madam Bei to the temple, including Granny Shi, Granny Li, maids Doukou, Nianhua, Chunfeng, Chunhua, and his own maids Xian'er and Yue'er.
The most likely candidates are these eight people. Looking at Ji Wushang, these eight were all feeling uneasy, their biggest fear being suspicion directed at them, while others were thinking about how to get away with it.
But Ji Wushang didn't ask directly. She smiled and said, "The eight of you will follow me into the Second Academy Hall one by one. I have something to ask you." With that, she went into the Second Academy Hall by herself.
Granny Shi and the others exchanged glances. Should she not ask them on the spot, but instead break them down one by one? Doukou and Nianhua looked terrified, afraid that they might say something wrong and arouse Ji Wushang's suspicion. Xian'er, Yue'er, Chunfeng, and Chunhua each had their own plans. They were all quick-witted maids and had their own ideas.
Old Zhang, the servant who followed Madam Bei, was only in his forties. Although he was mute, he was very kind to Madam Bei, who had saved his life. At this moment, he pointed at Granny Shi in a babbling voice, indicating that Granny Shi should go in first. Granny Shi glanced at him before reluctantly entering the hall first.
As soon as Granny Shi stepped inside, Ji Wushang raised her cold eyes slightly. Her intimidating and sharp gaze made Granny Shi want to lower her head, but after a moment's thought, she realized that she was already quite old and shouldn't be afraid of this young lady. She had watched her grow up since she was a child! Granny Shi stood tall and proud, full of confidence.
Madam Bei also came out at this moment, looked at Granny Shi, and asked in confusion, "What happened to you at the Buddhist Temple today?" Ji Wushang helped Madam Bei sit down.
Granny Shi felt guilty looking at Ji Wushang, but immediately pretended to be puzzled, "Madam, we maids and servants don't know what happened either. We were just working in the east wing. Madam, how did we all suddenly faint? When we woke up, Master and his servant Yue Shisi were already here. We were just about to tell you, but then we found that you and Miss were gone. It really worried us servants!"
"Yes! It's scary just thinking about it!" Ji Wushang was also terrified, her little face full of worry. "If it weren't for Mother's good fortune, Mother and I might have been harmed without even knowing it! Sigh!" Ji Wushang sighed as she spoke, but her eyes were sharp as she looked at Granny Shi standing in front of her.
Granny Shi thought and thought but couldn't figure it out. Then a thought suddenly flashed through her mind, and she said, "Madam, Miss, could it be that the temple is haunted? Before, Guose's maid also said she saw a ghost!" As she spoke, her eyes were suspicious and she looked very alarmed, as if she was afraid that if she said too much, the ghost would really climb on her.
"Heh!" Ji Wushang snorted indifferently. "What kind of place is the Buddha Temple? Can those ghosts even get in? Could it be that some people have something to hide and are shouting that there are ghosts in the temple?" Ji Wushang played with the end of her hanging braid. "Oh, Granny Shi mentioned Guose. I have a question. Guose is Aunt Bai's maid. How did she end up in the temple? Aunt Bai didn't go to the temple, did she?"
"I don't know!" Granny Shi blurted out, kneeling before Ji Wushang. "I don't know!"
"Why are you kneeling? I didn't say anything to you." Ji Wushang smiled slightly, and Granny Shi's face turned pale. Wasn't her kneeling and the words she just said just like trying to hide something obvious?
"Ahem." Madam Bei coughed softly, while Granny Shi and Ji Wushang remained silent.
“Granny has served me for many years, and thinking about it, she is a very good old woman. She takes good care of me every day! I don’t think she would do such a boring thing,” Madam Bei said.
"Yes, yes, Madam." Granny Shi was immediately relieved. She had thought that Madam Bei would doubt her. Unexpectedly, she still trusted her.
Ji Wushang walked over, took Granny Shi's old hand, and helped her up from the ground. "My mother is so at ease in this courtyard because of Granny's care. Granny will still need to work hard on things in the future. You've really worked hard!"
Granny Shi was startled upon hearing this.
☆、012 Questioning in the hall, another storm brews.
But listening to this, she was secretly pleased and said with a smile, "Miss, you're too kind to Granny. It's my duty to take care of Madam! There's no hardship at all." Granny Shi didn't know what Ji Wushang was up to, so she could only go along with it.
"You can go now! When you leave, keep your head down and don't look around or say a word." Madam Bei said, following Ji Wushang's previous instructions, while Ji Wushang stood to the side with a half-smile.
Granny Shi was puzzled, but she could only nod and leave.
Ji Wushang then followed silently.
Sure enough, when Granny Shi went out, although she kept her head down, she secretly glanced at Yue'er, Chunfeng, and Chunhua. Yue'er, Chunfeng, and Chunhua looked at Granny Shi even more nervously than the others, and their hearts pounded even harder when Granny Shi didn't speak.
Ji Wushang saw everything, then pointed slightly to the three people on Yue'er's side towards Uncle Ya, and then walked into the hall.
Uncle Zhang immediately started gesturing at Yue'er. Yue'er glared at Uncle Zhang and nervously went inside.
"Madam, Miss," Yue'er greeted them obediently, then knelt down.
Ji Wushang laughed and said, "Yue'er, what happened today? Why is there no sign of anyone in the east courtyard of the temple?"
"Miss, Yue'er is working in the west courtyard." Her eyes darted around, showing her quick wit.
Ji Wushang stood up, walked to Yue'er's side, and patted her on the shoulder. "I knew it! Yue'er has been by my side for so long, and she always sides with me! Hehe, it's alright, you can go now!"
Madam Bei looked at Ji Wushang, wondering if she had finished asking all the questions. But she nodded anyway, "Then you may leave now. When you leave, you must not say a word or look around."
"Yes." Yue'er breathed a sigh of relief; she hadn't expected to pass so quickly! She hurried out. Ji Wushang watched her retreating figure, a slight smile playing on his lips. She really was faster than a rabbit!
After the maids took turns speaking, Ji Wushang dismissed them all.
Madam Bei looked at Ji Wushang and sighed, "What should we do? The accomplices haven't been caught, and they're all asleep!"
"Mother, I already know what's going on." He whispered a few words in Madam Bei's ear. Unfortunately, it was too risky to alert them now. Those behind them were ruthless, and if they made an example of them now, who knew what desperate measures might be taken!
Thinking about this, Ji Wushang reconsidered what had happened and realized he still didn't quite understand. He asked, "Mother, who sent all those gold, silver, and valuables in the room to the temple? Didn't you see how many things were missing from this room? Didn't the maids and servants care?"
Upon hearing this, Madam Bei was immediately startled. How could she not have thought of this? She immediately called over Uncle Ya, who was still standing in the courtyard, and then asked him.
As the mute uncle listened, he gestured with his hands and made "ah ah" sounds.
"You said it was Hazel who came to collect it?" Madam Bei frowned. Hazel was a distant relative. Her family suffered a famine, and many people died, leaving Hazel all alone. Madam Bei took pity on her and let her come into the mansion to serve her. But she never expected that Hazel would turn out to be a traitor!
Seeing that Madam Bei was angry, Ji Wushang immediately tried to calm her down, saying that her mother's heart palpitations had not yet healed and she should not get angry!
"Mother, please don't be angry. If it really is Zhenzi, then we can deal with her properly. But have you ever thought about it, Mother? Which maid or servant would be so trusting of her taking so many things?"
The mute uncle listened and continued gesturing wildly.
"Steward Xue?" Madam Bei perked up.
The mute uncle nodded hurriedly.
Ji Wushang nodded. He had indeed seen Steward Xue today. He should have realized that Steward Xue was also from the second and third branches of the family! Was Steward Xue taking advantage of being his father's maternal uncle to do evil?
Madam Bei looked at Ji Wushang, her eyes asking what to do.
Just then, the gardener's servant called in from outside, "Master is here!"
Madam Bei immediately said, "Wu Shang, Lao Zhang, you can go down first!" Ji Wu Shang and Uncle Ya both nodded and took a detour.
Madam Bei went out to greet Ji Dingbei. Ji Dingbei looked at Madam Bei, and a slight smile appeared on his usually serious face.
Inside the room, Madam Bei nestled gently in Ji Dingbei's arms, her face radiant with happiness.
"Luo'er, I'm sorry you had to go through all this today." After a long silence, Ji Dingbei finally spoke.
Madam Bei was taken aback. What did he mean?
"I'll have to trouble Luo'er to keep the peace in this backyard." Ji Dingbei sighed. "When I'm not home, you'll have to take on more responsibility. Be lenient with the concubines, children, and servants as much as you can."
Lady Bei listened, not knowing what to say. She understood his meaning. He hoped that while he was away guarding the frontier, the family would live in harmony and peace, and that everyone would give in to each other.
“I know they’re not very nice to you, but you are the First Madam, the daughter of the Prime Minister, and everyone in the capital knows you are virtuous. Don’t let this household be in turmoil and become a laughingstock.” Ji Dingbei patted Madam Bei’s shoulder. “Today you punished Aunt Bai and Meiyuan by not giving them dinner, which can be considered a lesson.”
Nodding, Madam Bei's eyes welled up slightly. "Yes, Luo'er understands." He hoped she could be patient and not let things escalate.
"I'm sorry to trouble you. Come with me to see the old lady tomorrow."
"Yes." The old lady Ji Dingbei mentioned was his birth mother, Yuan Xianjing. Yuan Xianjing was originally a concubine. After the death of Ji's first wife, Princess Huangfuqiu, Yuan Xianjing became a lady. However, after becoming a lady, she devoted herself to Buddhist practice. Now in her sixties, she was reciting Buddhist scriptures at the Yuanyue Nunnery in the suburbs.
Although things had changed strangely at that time, Ji Dingbei didn't dare to mention it. He only thought that he would be returning to the frontier the day after tomorrow, so he wanted to go out and see the old lady.
——
Ji Wushang returned to his room, increasingly puzzled, especially since the fragrance of flowers from Madam Bei's North Garden had returned just moments before. He resolved to learn some medicine or martial arts from now on; after all, as the saying goes, one should never be too careful! As for Hazel… Ji Wushang called for Zhu'er, “Where is Hazel, Mother’s maid? Have you seen her?”
"No." Pearl shook her head.
Ji Wushang nodded. This hazelnut had probably been poisoned. Alas! Why couldn't these people eliminate the root of the problem?
"Miss, good news!" The maid Xian'er came in from outside the courtyard, holding a gold-rimmed invitation. "Miss, this is an invitation from the Princess of Zhenbei. Tomorrow is the Princess of Zhenbei's birthday, and she wants you to attend the banquet!" Xian'er was overjoyed.
Ji Wushang accepted it. The Prince of Zhenbei and his father were old friends, and the Prince of Zhenbei's mansion held a high position and great power in the Great Xia Zhou Dynasty, being the only prince from a different surname. The Princess of Zhenbei's mother was the second princess of the late emperor, while Ji Wushang's grandmother was the eldest princess of the late emperor. In terms of seniority, the two families were quite related.
"Did you invite a few of your half-sisters to come along?" Ji Wushang asked after reading the post.
“Except for the Fifth Miss, all the other young ladies have been invited,” Xian’er replied.
The second young lady is Ji Meiyuan, the fourth young lady is Ji Wuxia, the third young lady is Ji Yinxue, and the fifth young lady is Ji Sisi. Except for Ji Sisi, who is eight years old, the others are all about the age of marriage. Ji Sisi has been sent to Mount Emei to attend martial arts classes and has not yet returned.
Ji Wushang thought to himself, "If even my half-sisters have been invited, then this birthday banquet is probably not going to be so simple!"
Are they here to perform again? Haha!
Here, Aunt Bai and Ji Meiyuan were so hungry they were dizzy. If it were any other day, they would have already eaten delicacies!
"Someone come here! Why isn't the food served yet! Are you trying to starve me to death?" Ji Meiyuan couldn't help but step out of the room and shout at the servants in the courtyard.
The maidservant, Baoqi, said weakly in a low voice, "Miss, it was the First Madam who said not to give you any food, so the dining hall didn't prepare any meals for you." As she spoke, she thought of escaping. This second young lady could be incredibly ruthless when she threw a tantrum!
"Get out!" Ji Meiyuan roared angrily. Inside the room, Aunt Bai weakly called out, "Hurry up and prepare bird's nest and shark fin for me! If I haven't seen these by midnight, all of you get out!"
"Auntie!" Ji Meiyuan turned around and walked towards Aunt Bai in a coquettish manner. Her cheeks were still a little red and swollen, and she had just applied some medicine.
Aunt Bai rolled her eyes at her and didn't say anything.
Just then, a man in his thirties with a pointed mouth and monkey-like face ran over from outside and knocked on the door.
☆、013 The concubine's affair was exposed, and we've got leverage over her!