Chapter One: Mysterious Night

  When the wooden clappers were struck three times, there were even fewer people in front of the mourning hall.

  Two girls threw a handful of fuel into the brazier and yawned.

  "Sister, let's take a nap too," one of them said.

  "This is no good, we should also leave, then there will be no one left to keep vigil for Young Mistress." Another person said with some hesitation.

  The little girl pouted earlier.

  "Who made the young lady pass away so early, leaving behind such a small child? It's already good that she can cry out loud twice, let alone serve as a filial daughter. She said, while pulling the maid again, "Let's go, let's go, we'll be back soon. Even the eldest young master doesn't care, what are we afraid of?"

  The girl also got up and they both walked out while talking.

  "It's all well and good to say what's good, but nothing is better than having a good body of one's own; if you die early, whatever you've earned will just go to someone else..."

  The night wind blows in, the tall mourning banners and paper flowers rustle, making the snow-white mourning hall even more desolate.

  The last piece of incense in the censer in front of the unpainted coffin jumped up and down a few times before turning into a wisp of smoke, and the three sticks of incense were about to burn out.

  A small figure darted in from outside the door, so short that they hadn't reached the height of the table legs, and had to tilt their head back to look at the coffin in front of them.

  This is a three or four year old little girl, with big eyes and rosy cheeks, but the jacket on her body is worn crookedly, and her hair is disheveled.

  She stared blankly at the coffin that had not been sealed yet, walked slowly over, grasped the stool supporting the coffin, and after two or three failed attempts finally stood up. Her hands gripped the edge of the coffin lid, and she slowly looked inside.

  Under the bright white candles in the mourning hall, a young woman lay quietly in the coffin.

  Her face, powdered with lead, was even whiter and more delicate, with a high nose and cherry lips, a broad forehead and long eyebrows, black hair and cloudy temples, adorned with a nine-petaled golden hairpin inlaid with pearls. The deep blue exquisite embroidered cloud-patterned longevity robe shone brightly under the flickering candlelight, and the colorful precious pearls hanging around her neck emitted dazzling rays of light.

  The little girl stretched out her hand.

  "Mother, mother, get up and hug." She muttered.

  The small arm was barely placed on the coffin, let alone pulling the person inside, it was even difficult to stretch in.

  She tiptoed, again and again.

  A shrill cry pierced the solemn silence of the mourning hall.

  The little girl turned her head and saw two maids standing at the entrance of the mourning hall, their pale faces looking at her with horror.

  "My mother is calling me," she said, pointing to the coffin, especially explaining to the two girls.

  This sentence finally shattered the nerves of the two girls, and they let out a miserable cry and fainted to the ground.

  The commotion that filled the entire street of the Wang family's mansion suddenly spread, making the hazy moonlight of early summer tremble and fragment.

  At the westernmost part of the Wang family's mansion, there were two or three small courtyards that did not belong to the Wangs. The city river wound its way through this side, making it damp and gloomy all year round, with moss covering everything.

  The sudden footsteps on the street broke the tranquility here.

  The footsteps stopped in a small courtyard, with two lanterns hanging from the narrow gate, casting a soft yellow glow on the person standing in front of the door.

  This is a group of four people, two men and two women, one of whom holds a brocade quilt in her arms.

  It seemed they had walked too quickly, for after stopping to catch their breath for a moment, it was only then that a man came forward and knocked on the door.

  The wooden door under the lamp looked even older and paler. The man's hand had just touched the door when it creaked open by itself with a squeak.

  In the middle of the night, this sudden noise and the opening of the door made the four people who were already tense jump in unison. The two women couldn't help but take a step back, looking at the half-opened door with a hint of terror.

  The light spilled in halfway, making the remaining darkness even more suffocating.

  "Cheng's family... daughter..." The man said with a slight tremble in his jaw, "At night... don't even close the door..."

  The sound of speech relieved everyone's fear, and the woman holding a bundle took a deep breath and stepped forward.

  "Madam Cheng... " She looked towards the door and called out softly, "Madam Cheng... Cheng ah..."

  The voice suddenly dropped to a low whisper, and everyone saw a lantern floating from the darkness in the doorway, accompanied by faint footsteps.

  "Are you here for medical treatment?" a soft and sweet female voice asked.

  As the lantern approached, everyone saw that behind it was a bean-sized girl in a yellow goose-yellow shirt, with phoenix eyes, high nose and red lips, and a beautiful mole under her lip, lively and lovely.

  The eerie fear dissipated in an instant, and the four people outside the door felt a sense of relief wash over them.

  "Yes, yes, it's so late to disturb you, my little wife isn't feeling well..." The woman holding the bundle of bedding hurried forward and lifted up the bedding.

  A little girl was exposed, lying on a woman's shoulder, sleeping soundly.

  The girl in the yellow shirt leaned forward and took a look, nodding her head slightly.

  "Alright, follow me," she said.

  The four of them were about to rush in when a girl in a yellow goose shirt turned around and stretched out her hand to stop them.

  "Just her alone bringing the child in would be enough." she said.

  Two men and a woman stood still, watching the woman carrying the child go in. The lanterns went far away, and the two also disappeared into the darkness, as if swallowed by some fierce beast at once.

  Yesterday it rained, the gravel road was slippery, and the house by the river in a shaded location had an especially thick damp air.

  The small courtyard was dimly lit, without any lanterns hung up. The two of them walked relying on the lantern held by the young girl's hand, and the surrounding darkness became even more oppressive.

  "Troubling your family's daughter so late..." The woman holding the child couldn't help but speak up, as if only talking could relieve her suppressed feelings.

  "It doesn't matter." The girl in the yellow shirt replied crisply, carrying her through the corridor, moving the lantern back a bit. "Watch your step."

  The woman stumbled slightly, took a step back in time to steady herself, and when she looked up again, she saw a dark shape looming in front of her with a bright lamp shining. As her eyes adjusted, she realized that she was standing in front of a house with the lights on inside.

  The girl walked quickly forward and pushed open the door.

  The light inside the door slanted out, and the woman had a moment of discomfort. She slightly tilted her head for a moment before looking back at the door again.

  In the middle of the hall was a beautiful palace lantern, behind which stood a six-fold screen with cloud and flower patterns, faintly revealing the silhouette of someone reclining behind it.

  Is this that Miss Cheng?

  "Daughter, someone is seeking medical attention." The girl had already walked in through the door and said softly.

  The figure lying on its side behind the screen slowly raised its body, and with the help of the lamp light, it could be seen that its black hair cascaded down like a waterfall.

  "Let the patient come in."

  A somewhat wooden female voice came from behind the screen.

  The woman let out a sigh of relief and hugged the child as she was about to take a step forward.

  "Don't move." The yellow goose girl said hastily, stepping out quickly and stretching out her hand, "Give me the child."

  The woman hesitated for a moment, handed the little girl in her arms to the young girl, and watched as she took the child inside.

  The door hadn't been closed, and the woman could see that the girl had turned behind the screen with the little girl in her arms. The lamplight cast a shadow on the screen, and a woman's profile was projected onto it; she seemed to be wearing a loose robe, and as she stretched out her hand, a patch of darkness appeared.

  In an instant, the girl bent down and picked up the child, walking out with him.

  The woman hastily took it over and looked at the child in her arms, who was still sleeping with a rosy complexion as when she came.

  "Suddenly, she was invaded by the evil wind, that's why. The needle has been applied, it's nothing serious, and there won't be any more convulsions," said a woman's voice from behind the screen.

  The woman was shocked and delighted. She was shocked that she hadn't said anything, yet he already knew her condition. She was delighted because just this one sentence was enough to prove that this young lady from the Cheng family was indeed skilled in medicine.

  "Thank you, miss." She hastily curtsied and took out a purse from her bosom, "I've troubled you, miss."

  Her words had barely fallen when a female voice from inside the house interrupted her.

  "This child is not ill, the one who's really sick in your family is the one lying in the coffin. You people don't plan on treating her at all?"

  What?

  The woman looked up in surprise and gazed at the figure behind the screen, who had lain down again. With her hand propping up her head, her body undulated, blending with the dark night, orange lamp, and cloud-like flower shadows to create an eerie beauty.

  Can a dead person in a coffin still be cured?

  Is this Mrs. Cheng talking nonsense?

  At the fifth watch, the wet nurse carefully lifted the curtain, and the girl who was sleeping in the quilt seemed to be disturbed, slightly trembling her hand. The wet nurse immediately held her breath and tensed up, but the girl just trembled and continued to sleep soundly.

  The wet nurse then reached into the quilt and felt around, but the girl still didn't wake up.

  The wet nurse let out a sigh of relief, put down the curtain, turned around and looked at the group of women behind her who were dressed in their finest clothes.

  "How is it?" one of the white-haired old women asked in a low and urgent tone.

  "Madam, the young lady hasn't urinated or woken up. She's been sleeping since she got back and hasn't had any convulsions in between," said the wet nurse in a low voice.

  As soon as this was said, the women in the house all felt a weight lift off their minds.

  The old lady waved her hand and walked out first, with others following closely behind.

  Outside, the sky is already faintly bright, and the courtyard is filled with white lanterns. The people coming and going are all dressed in mourning attire, and those who see them feel a heavy heart.

  "Madam Liu has arrived." A maid came hurrying over and said in a low voice.

  The old lady's face sank for a moment.

  "Let her wait for now, and see how things go." she said in a low voice.

  There's a death in the family and now they're asking a Taoist priestess to perform a ritual to calm the spirit, but outsiders who see this might start spreading rumors.

  What a headache.

  A good wife suddenly fell to the ground, and unfortunately she didn't survive. What's worse is that this happened in her own home, and even more tragic is that it occurred when she was having a dispute with her mother-in-law.

  "Then what did Chang's daughter say?" The old lady asked the nanny in a low voice.

  Before the words had fallen, a cry suddenly came from outside. At dawn, the sharp woman's cry was particularly piercing.

  Everyone present changed color.

  "The relatives have arrived!" Several maidservants rushed in and exclaimed.

  Standing outside the mourning hall, his uncle was almost beside himself with grief.

  Suddenly received the news of my sister's death, the whole family was shocked and almost exploded. The old father fainted directly after hearing the news. Looking at this situation, I didn't dare to tell my mother anything. After calming down the family in a chaotic manner, my eldest uncle rushed over with his three brothers and their wives.

  The mournful and simple funeral rites crushed their last hope, and as they entered the door, they saw an empty mourning hall, and the grieving relatives were almost faint.

  What does it mean? What does it mean? Don't mention those who cry out for spirits, even the incense in front of the ancestral hall has been cut off!

  Even if I die, I will be bullied like this, and before I was born, I didn't know how hard it would be!

  The flustered brother-in-law who came out was immediately surrounded by his younger brothers-in-law and beaten up.

  "Master of the house, it's not that we're not taking care of things, it's just that there are ghosts!" The servant women exclaimed, trying to explain.

  "Humph, not doing anything shameful, I'm not afraid of ghosts knocking on the door! You guys killed my younger sister, now what are you pretending to be?! The women from our family also threw away their usual noble demeanor, crying and scolding, pointing at the servants and family members they brought along, making a ruckus as they chased after this family's servants."

  Outside the mourning hall, everything is in chaos.

  Seeing this scene, the old lady and other women who came from behind were so frightened that they did not dare to come out.

  But hiding is not a solution either.

  "Old lady, it's almost dawn." The maid reminded anxiously.

  The noise at home is so loud that it must have been heard on the street, and when dawn breaks, it will attract even more onlookers!

  The old lady's hands and feet were trembling, and she could hear the relatives outside making a fuss about reporting to the authorities. If this really got to the government office, their family's reputation for generations would be ruined!

  How can she face her ancestors after death if she ruins her own reputation?!

  What evil deeds!

  "Old lady, what's going on?" The daughters-in-law and maidservants all asked hurriedly.

  What to do? At this time, there is no way to do anything! Unless the person isn't dead!

  Isn't he dead?

  The old lady had an inspiration.

  "Nanny, nanny!" she turned around and shouted, "Quickly go invite Mrs. Cheng!"

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