"As expected!"
Hearing Liu Shi's panicked curse, Nan Shiying finally confirmed Nan Yuqing's cause of death.
The illusionary arts of the Ci Sha were becoming increasingly formidable. Within a single room, Liu Shi alone experienced hallucinations, the drug's effects volatilizing even faster. The maidservant who woke up remained completely unaffected.
This made it seem even more like a haunting!
Wang Shi was unaware of the events at Li Wan Pavilion, but they did not escape Nan Zhaoyin's notice. After leaving court, he heard about the incident from his hidden guards.
"Haunted?"
Nan Zhaoyin frowned slightly. What ghosts were there in this world? They were merely things conjured from human fear and fantasy.
"Did Wang Shi make the move?"
"No!"
Ever since Wang Shi had confided in Nan Zhaoyin her intention to deal with Liu Shi, he had his hidden guards closely monitor Wang Shi's every move. Wang Shi, and even the servants in her courtyard, had not approached Li Wan Pavilion, let alone impersonated a ghost to frighten someone. If Wang Shi could have planted spies in Li Wan Pavilion, she wouldn't have been bullied by Liu Shi for so many years.
"No?"
If it wasn't Wang Shi, then who could it be? Could it be that Liu Shi herself was having a nightmare?
"Alright, I understand. Keep a close watch on Liu Shi and Wang Shi these few days."
"Yes!"
The hidden guards acknowledged the order and withdrew.
Liu Shi had issued a death order. The servants at Li Wan Pavilion kept their mouths shut about what happened last night. Even if Nan Yuan'er hadn't heard about it from Liu Shi, she wouldn't have caught any whispers.
"Ghosts? Mother, you must have had a nightmare. Where are the ghosts in this world?" Nan Yuan'er scoffed at Liu Shi's words. If such malevolent beings existed in this world, how could there be so many wronged spirits?
Seeing Nan Yuan'er's disbelief, Liu Shi explained, "It's true. I saw it with my own eyes last night. Nan Yuqing, that little slut's face had swollen so much from soaking in the lake water. I'll never forget that face as long as I live."
Seeing Liu Shi elaborating on the baseless ghost, a hint of impatience flashed in Nan Yuan'er's eyes. She said with a cold face, "Mother, if you didn't have a nightmare, then someone must be playing tricks in your Li Wan Pavilion!"
Nan Yuan'er remembered being poisoned. To this day, she still hadn't found the person who poisoned her. Every time she thought about it, it made her restless.
Fortunately, her father had replaced most of the maids around her, leaving only those with a known background to attend to her, cutting off any chance of further poisoning. If something else were to go wrong, it would be among the maids by her side, narrowing the scope considerably.
Thinking about the incident then and the current situation, Nan Yuan'er felt that last night's events might not be solely her mother's problem; it was possible someone had done something.
"Yuan'er, you mean? Someone disguised as a ghost?"
Upon considering this possibility, Liu Shi's eyes widened in disbelief. The experience last night still filled her with terror. Although she had hardened her resolve mentally, intending to grind the perpetrator to dust, people were, after all, afraid of ghosts. If she had to stay alone at night, she would still feel fearful and anxious.
Nan Yuan'er nodded, "It's not impossible!"
She suddenly recalled the pair of Phantom Double Fiends she had personally sought out at the black market a few days ago. If someone were to impersonate a ghost, those masters of illusionary arts would be the perfect candidates!
"Then, Yuan'er, I..."
"Mother, you should..." Nan Yuan'er leaned closer to Liu Shi and whispered into her ear.
Liu Shi nodded repeatedly, "Good, good, we'll do as you say!"
...
After Nan Yuan'er left Liu Shi's courtyard and returned to her own room, she asked her maid to close the door.
"Cai Huan, tell me, was it those two people from that day?" Nan Yuan'er spoke ambiguously, but since Cai Huan had handled the arrangements for that day, she naturally knew which two people Nan Yuan'er was referring to. However, those two... those two were already dead by her blade. Regardless of whether Madam had genuinely encountered a ghost or had a nightmare, it had absolutely nothing to do with those two.
It was just that Nan Yuan'er didn't know this; Cai Huan had not, to this day, revealed that she was actually a hidden guard placed by the Master by the young lady's side.
She paused slightly and replied, "Those two had already left the capital. This servant has not heard of their return, so..."
Nan Yuan'er had forgotten. Because those two had tricked her that day, she had asked Cai Huan to have her elder brother, who was on duty in the outer court of the Nan Manor, to frequently keep an eye on news from the black market. She hadn't heard of those two returning to the capital.
Nan Yuan'er nodded, her furrowed brow not relaxing. She asked Cai Huan, "What are your thoughts on my mother seeing a ghost?"
Cai Huan said, "If it wasn't someone from outside, then it must be someone from within the manor."
Nan Yuan'er looked up abruptly, "You mean... Wang Shi?"
That's right. Wang Shi had been bedridden for too long, so long that even though her health had greatly improved and she had regained control of the household affairs, Nan Yuan'er still overlooked her.
Cai Huan nodded, "And what Madam saw was also..."
She didn't finish the sentence. She was unclear about the events of that year. Even if she were clear, she shouldn't speculate or gossip. However, considering Madam's temperament and the change in inner court power after Nan Yuqing's death, she could roughly infer the truth of that incident.
Nan Shiying was merely a pitiable scapegoat!
The more Nan Yuan'er thought about it, the more she felt Cai Huan was making sense. If it wasn't someone outside the manor causing trouble, then it had to be someone within the manor. And if anyone in the manor wanted to deal with her mother, it could only be Wang Shi.
"Wang Shi!"
A ball of fire suddenly flared up in Nan Yuan'er's eyes.
...
In the evening, Li Wan Pavilion was deathly quiet. Liu Shi was awakened again by a gust of cold wind. She lowered her head and looked towards her feet. This time, she saw no dark shadow. But before she could heave a sigh of relief, she felt her cheeks tickling as if being brushed by something. She raised her hand to wipe it, feeling like a thread, and her gaze instinctively moved upward.
A pale face was pressed close to her forehead. The bulging eyes were staring intently at her.
"Liu Shi, return my life!!!" As the other party opened its mouth, a foul odor assaulted her. Liu Shi felt a surge of bile rising in her throat. She let out a scream and scrambled to get out, using her hands and feet. Then, remembering what Yuan'er had told her, she suddenly lifted her pillow, grabbed the scissors hidden beneath it, closed her eyes, and fiercely stabbed towards the opponent.
"Die for me, die for me!!"
Then, the scissors did not pierce anything solid. The sensation on Liu Shi's hand made her eyes snap open.
She saw the tip of the scissors pass through the pale face as if cutting through air. The face was now opening its mouth and lunging towards her.
It wasn't a person?
As the thought crossed her mind, Liu Shi was instantly consumed by fear. She dropped the scissors and fled under the bed.