Chapter 199 Fear and Unease

The fortune teller seemed to be a hermit, for he left after saying those words and was gone in no time.

When Sun turned her head, she saw the fortune teller's figure, about fifty feet away from her, and he quickly disappeared around the bend ahead.

Seeing that Madam Sun's face was pale and her hands were trembling slightly, it was clear that she was very flustered. She asked with concern, "Madam, are you alright?"

Seeing that she didn't react, Granny Qiao raised her voice and called out again, "Madam?"

Upon hearing the sound, Madam Sun snapped out of her daze and stared blankly at Granny Qiao, clearly not having heard Granny Qiao's question.

Granny Qiao then asked again, "Madam, are you alright?"

Sun shook her head blankly: "No, I'm fine. In broad daylight, I don't believe that shady thing would dare to come out and harm me."

Granny Qiao asked again, "Madam, are you still going to Lingyun Temple to offer incense?"

As she spoke, she glanced at Madam Sun, noticing her hesitation, and then said meaningfully, "In my opinion, perhaps it would be better not to go. Today's journey has been unlucky; the carriage wheel broke, and you even bumped your forehead. If the bump had been more severe, you might have been bleeding. If something else were to happen, things might not be so simple."

As soon as she finished speaking, Madam Sun's body visibly trembled in the sunlight. She couldn't help but recall the bloodshed the fortune teller had predicted. The carriage had broken down earlier, and although she and Granny Qiao were in the same carriage, Granny Qiao was perfectly fine, but she had bumped her forehead.

Was what just happened a harbinger of impending bloodshed? If she continues on to Lingyun Temple, she might really encounter bloodshed.

Thinking of this, Mrs. Sun's heart raced, and she panicked, shaking her head frantically: "No, we won't go, let's go next time."

About half an hour later, the coachman repaired the wheels of the carriage, and Madam Sun got into the carriage and headed home.

Sitting in the carriage, Madam Sun was filled with fear and unease. The fortune teller's words kept replaying in her mind. Suddenly, she looked at Granny Qiao and stammered, "I regret it."

She truly regretted it. If she had listened to her father's advice and married the top scholar of that year, none of this would have happened.

If she hadn't married Meng Dongyuan, she wouldn't have been involved in so many deaths, and she wouldn't have been haunted by ghosts.

Meng Dongyuan loved her so much back then, and he was willing to conceal the true cause of Zhou's death for her sake. Now, however, he complains that she is haggard and unattractive, and that she can see ghosts.

How can she possibly satisfy that filthy thing now? She can't just let it die, can she?

No, she can't die. She's done so much, how can she die? But how can we avert this bloodshed? If she dies, what will happen if her two children are haunted by ghosts?

Fear, regret, and resentment—a variety of emotions surfaced on her face.

Granny Qiao saw all this and felt a mix of emotions, but she was also relieved that although she had helped the madam do something bad, at least she hadn't taken any lives.

After a moment, Granny Qiao comforted her, "Madam, don't think too much. Things will work themselves out. There's still a long way to go to the Earl's mansion. Why don't you rest a bit more? Otherwise, you won't be able to sleep well tonight."

These words were like a fatal blow to Sun's spirit. Now, even a good night's sleep has become a luxury for her. She is haunted by ghosts at night, and when she tries to catch up on sleep during the day, she often has nightmares and is driven to the brink of collapse by them.

Sun calmed herself down and decided to take a short nap against the soft pillows. Otherwise, she was afraid that if she didn't sleep well for a long time, her body would break down and she would pass away one day. What would happen to her two children if her husband remarried?

"No, no, don't hurt my child!"

After sleeping for a while, Madam Sun suddenly woke up from a nightmare, covered in sweat and looking terrified. When she saw Granny Qiao looking at her with concern, she realized that she was dreaming and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Granny Qiao asked, "Madam, what's wrong?"

Sun looked flustered and said in a trembling voice, "I dreamed of Aunt Du. She wanted to hurt Chengxing."

Granny Qiao quickly comforted her, saying, "Madam, dreams are often the opposite of reality. It's broad daylight now, what could she possibly do? The young master will certainly be fine."

Sun was not appeased and lost her will to sleep, sitting there absentmindedly.

Back at her residence, Madam Sun suppressed her fear and pretended to be nonchalant. She went to the side hall and summoned the head housekeeper to handle household affairs.

As dusk settled, Madam Sun left the side hall and returned to her own courtyard. Passing through the artificial hill, she saw her daughter walking towards her. Her daughter was walking fine, but suddenly, for some reason, she tripped and fell on the flat ground.

Upon seeing this, she felt as if her blood had frozen, and her whole body turned cold. She recalled the fortune teller's words once again and couldn't help but suspect that her daughter's sudden fall was caused by a ghost nearby, and that the evil thing really wanted to harm her child.

Overwhelmed by extreme panic, Ms. Sun could not bear it any longer, her vision went black, and she fainted.

-

The Marquis of Changxing's residence, the Wei Rui Pavilion.

After entering the room, Qingqiu quickly walked to her mistress, curtsied, and reported, "Madam, news has come from over there that it has been successful. Madam Sun has completely believed in the fortune teller's words."

Meng Jinyao was not surprised and scoffed, "The more bad things a person does, the more they believe in these things. It's like people who burn incense and pray to Buddha every day. They either really believe in Buddha or they've done too many bad things and are seeking comfort."

Qingqiu agreed wholeheartedly and then asked, "Madam, are you really going to harm the young master and the second young lady?"

"Won't."

Meng Jinyao shook her head without hesitation, picked up her teacup, took a sip of tea, and slowly said, "Although those two siblings are not good people, and they have bullied me a lot because they have elders backing them up, they don't deserve to die. Of course, although I won't take their lives, I will use them to help me achieve my goals."

Qingqiu understood after hearing this.

Meng Jinyao narrowed her eyes, a fierce glint in them, and said in a low voice, "A stepmother is also a mother. If I don't sue her, I'll be committing an act of filial impiety and going to jail for her, and I'll also get a beating. It's not worth it. But we must make her crimes public through her mouth."

Qingqiu said, "Madam, that day will come soon."

Meng Jinyao's lips curled up, her smile carrying a chill, as she began to formulate her next plan.

Gu Jingxi came in from outside and looked up to see the girl with a cold expression and a fierce look in her eyes. She seemed to be pondering something and didn't even notice him coming in.

When Qingqiu saw him, she gave a slight curtsy. After receiving his signal, she curtsied again and then withdrew.

Gu Jingxi sat down beside her and asked, "What is Madam thinking about?"

Hearing this, Meng Jinyao came back to her senses and slowly turned her head. She found that Gu Jingxi had sat down next to her at some point. She was slightly taken aback, and then replied, "Nothing, I was just thinking about some things at my parents' home. Now that my husband is back, I will go and tell the maid to prepare dinner."

Gu Jingxi didn't press further, because the fact that she hadn't gone into detail proved that no help was needed.