Stopping her laughter, Nan Shiying suddenly asked, "Has Sheying returned?"
She had asked Ji Jinmo for Sheying earlier. Ji Jinmo had said Sheying was not in the capital at the time. It had been over half a month, she should be back by now!
"Not yet!"
Ji Jinmo gathered his sleeves. He wasn't deliberately sending Sheying away to prevent Nan Shiying from seeing her; Sheying had yet to complete the task he had assigned.
"Oh," Nan Shiying replied, then asked, "What about Ci Sha?"
"She is at the estate!"
"Xuan Yi, summon Ci Sha!"
Xuan Yi descended from the tree, received the order, and turned to fetch Ci Sha.
Ci Sha followed Xuan Yi to the door of the room. After tidying her clothes, she knocked and requested an audience.
"Enter!"
Nan Shiying's voice came through the door. Ci Sha pushed it open and entered, kneeling to pay respects, "Your subordinate greets the Prince, and greets the Empress!"
"Rise!"
Nan Shiying waved her sleeve, signaling Ci Sha to come closer.
Ci Sha obeyed and entered the inner room, stopping about a meter away from the two. Nan Shiying turned her head and raised an eyebrow at Ji Jinmo, revealing a sly smile, "My Lord, are you interested in watching a play?"
"It would be my honor!"
...
Madam Liu had thrown a huge tantrum today. The fragments of vases and jade ornaments swept out of her room filled two large winnowing baskets. The servants in Liwan Pavilion were as quiet as cicadas in winter. Their tense nerves only relaxed completely after midnight when Madam Liu had fallen asleep. As their tension eased, the mental fatigue washed over them.
The maid on night duty fought off sleepiness, propping her eyelids open to gaze at the moonlight filtering through the cracks in the window onto the floor.
She suddenly smelled a sweet fragrance, like the osmanthus and chestnut crisp the small kitchen had made for lunch. As she thought about it, her eyelids grew heavier, and her willpower ultimately succumbed to the heavy slumber. Her head tilted, and she fell into a deep sleep.
In her dream, Madam Liu frowned.
She instinctively clutched the corner of the quilt and pulled it up. A cold wind, seemingly from nowhere, blew from the soles of her feet towards her head. The thick quilt could not block the bone-chilling cold.
"Which damned servant failed to close the doors and windows properly?"
Madam Liu thought, her anger surging uncontrollably. She struggled to open her eyes, but before she could vent her anger, she felt something wriggling at her feet. She instinctively looked down, first seeing a dark shadow, and then, that black shadow spread like seaweed in an instant, revealing a pale and hideous face.
The face was as white as paper, and it looked as if it had been soaked in water. Layers of loose skin were piled on the face, and two bulging eyeballs hung in their sockets, as if about to fall out at any moment.
With a "swish," Madam Liu felt an electric shock run through her body, and an immense cold instantly enveloped her. She let out a tragic scream.
"A ghost, a ghost..."
"Madam Liu, concubine, it's so cold at the bottom of the lake, come keep me company, keep me company~"
Madam Liu scrambled off the bed, rolling and crawling. The cold voice rushed at her from all directions, like ghostly claws emerging from the darkness, trying to drag her to hell.
Concubine... lake water... it was that little slut Nan Yuqing!
"Get out, get out, you deserved to die, you deserved it! Who told you to be the daughter of the Wang family? Blame your mother! If your mother hadn't insisted on opposing me, you wouldn't have died!"
When people are in extreme fear, an inexplicable anger arises in their hearts. As she crawled outwards, she yelled at the ghostly shadow, "You deserved to die, you deserved it! Who told you to be the daughter of the Wang family? Blame your mother! If your mother hadn't insisted on opposing me, you wouldn't have died!" The maid on duty was woken by Madam Liu's shouts. She suddenly got up and ran towards the inner room.
As soon as she entered the room, she saw Madam Liu on the floor, crawling outwards like a madwoman and cursing loudly.
Just hearing a few words, the maid almost fainted from fright.
How could she, a mere maid, hear such secrets?
"Madam, Madam, what's wrong?"
The maid dared not let her continue scolding. She hurried to Madam Liu's side and crouched down to help her.
Madam Liu suddenly looked up. The lingering venom in her eyes and her face contorted by fear made her look more terrifying than a ferocious ghost. The maid cried out in fear, her legs went weak, and she sat down on the ground.
"You saw her too? Quick, quick, help me out!"
Madam Liu thought the maid had also seen Nan Yuqing. Her fear intensified. She was afraid the maid would abandon her and flee. She raised her hand and tightly grasped the maid's wrist, urging her to leave quickly.
The maid suppressed her fear and looked behind Madam Liu. But apart from the shadows cast by the room's furnishings, there was nothing else. How could Madam be so frightened?
The maid helped Madam Liu, who was completely limp. The servants outside heard Madam Liu's cries and all got up. Lights were relit in the courtyard outside. The candlelight spread into the room, dispelling the darkness completely.
This time, the maid was certain: there was nothing in the room!
"Someone, quickly, someone!"
Madam Liu urged the maid to help her leave quickly, while loudly calling for the servants outside.
Yu'er, with a group of maids, pushed the door open. Not caring about the cold air on their bodies, they quickly ran towards Madam Liu and pushed aside the maid beside her, personally supporting her. "Madam, what's wrong, Madam?"
"Behind me, on my bed, there's, there's a ghost!"
The rooms inside and out were lit up, and the room was crowded with people. The presence of people and the light gave Madam Liu a great sense of security. She tightly gripped Yu'er's hand, not daring to look back, and only pointed her hand towards the bed, her voice trembling uncontrollably.
A ghost?
The maids looked at each other. The outer door was not tightly closed, and a gust of cold air blew in. Everyone shivered involuntarily and cast their gaze towards the bed.
Yu'er dared not look herself. Instead, she said to two other maids, "You two go and look!"
The two maids dared not refuse, so they encouraged each other and walked towards the bed step by step.
Reaching the bedside, the two maids mustered their courage and looked inside. Apart from the bedding, there was nothing else on the bed!
"Madam, Sister Yu'er, there, there's no ghost!" the maid said, turning around.
"How can that be? I clearly saw Nan..." Madam Liu suddenly stopped speaking. She glanced at Yu'er, who, understanding her intent, helped her walk towards the bed.
Madam Liu looked at the bed. Let alone a ghost, apart from the usual bedding, there was nothing else!
Could it be that she had seen incorrectly just now?
Or perhaps she was dreaming?
But the scene and the voice were still vivid in her mind. How could it be a dream or a hallucination?
There was a ghost, there must be a ghost!
It was that little slut Nan Yuqing who had returned!
Heh, could it be that seeing Madam Wang regain control of the household affairs gave her the courage to seek revenge?
When you mother and daughter were alive, you were no match for me. Even in death, you are even less so!
I'll see what kind of storm you, you slut, can stir up after your death, and what you can do to me!