Chapter Thirty-Six: Killing My Sister
Jingwu walked along, looking at the feng shui of the courtyard, but didn't see anything wrong with it.
He frowned when he entered a courtyard and saw the strong ghostly aura inside the house.
A maidservant came forward, bowed to the two of them, and led them into the house.
The two followed her inside and saw an old woman dressed in a scarlet hibiscus dress sitting on a soft couch.
This person was none other than the governor's elderly mother, Madam Ye.
Her face was sallow, and there were dark circles under her eyes, making her look like she hadn't slept for days and nights.
As soon as the two walked in, he immediately said, "Ah Huai is here, please have a seat. And who is this?"
Yue Huai disliked strangers calling him that, and the person in front of him wasn't familiar with him. He only had a slight friendship with his maternal grandmother when they were young, but they lost contact after they both got married.
This time, it was because she encountered something that she wrote a letter to her maternal grandmother, who then wrote a letter to her mother.
Although he was somewhat displeased, he did not show it on his face: "This is my fellow Daoist, we will work together to solve your problem."
The old woman glanced at the girl, then nodded and asked them both to sit down.
She called for the servants to serve tea, rubbing her throbbing temples from time to time.
I haven't slept for three days since that incident.
Jingwu picked up the teacup, took a sip, pursed his lips, and then put it down, no longer using it.
Although this tea is also Biluochun, it's far inferior to the royal-supplied tea. She's been spoiled by the princess and has no desire to drink this tea anymore.
She looked at the old woman's face, a slight chill in her eyes.
"Ah Huai, for the past few nights I've been dreaming of ghosts demanding my life. Can you help me figure out what's haunting me?"
The old lady stared intently at the person in front of her, a kind smile on her face.
She and Yue Huai's maternal grandmother were once close sisters, neither from prominent families in the capital. Her own family was better off; her elder sister had married the second son of the prestigious Ye family. Decades ago, her sister passed away, and she married her brother-in-law as his second wife to maintain the marriage alliance between the two families. Yue Huai's maternal grandmother, on the other hand, married into the insignificant Han family.
Who could have imagined that decades later, the Han family would rise to prominence, with the eldest daughter marrying the current crown prince and becoming empress, and the second daughter marrying into the famous metaphysical family, the Yue family.
If I had known it would be like this, I wouldn't have broken off contact with her in the first place.
However, the only son of the Yue family is handsome. If he were to marry his granddaughter, wouldn't the two families have some contact again?
The old lady was making plans in her mind, her eyes fixed on the boy.
Yue Huai felt uncomfortable being stared at, so he looked up at her, asked for her birth date and time, and then performed a divination.
A moment later, his face fell.
He coldly raised his eyes to look at the person in front of him, and asked without any mercy, "Have you killed anyone?"
The old lady was startled by these words and sat up abruptly. Then, realizing she had overreacted, she slowly leaned back down.
"What are you saying? How could I, a mere woman, possibly have killed anyone?"
Yue Huai's face turned cold: "You don't need to lie to me. You murdered Old Master Ye's wife, your own sister. You can't escape this sin."
Madam Ye's expression changed, her hands clenched involuntarily, and she murmured, "Nothing of the sort..."
“If you don’t tell the truth, I can’t help you. I can only tell you that you are indeed possessed by a ghost, and that ghost is your own sister.”
After saying this, Yue Huai didn't speak again, staring intently at the person in front of him.
Jingwu looked at him, his expression softening slightly.
This person's temperament suits her taste quite well, and she can become closer to him in the future.
Upon hearing this, Madam Ye frowned. She lowered her head and pondered for a moment before speaking with reddened eyes.
"That year was all an accident; I didn't mean to harm my sister."
She took the handkerchief from the maid and waved for the rest of them to leave.
Madam Ye wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes, glanced at the two women, and saw that they both had cold expressions and were sitting motionless in their seats.
She sighed again: "That winter, I came to the Ye family to visit my sister. We were taking a walk in the back garden when I climbed the artificial hill to pick the red plum blossom. But I didn't expect to slip on the snow and fall down. I accidentally pushed my sister into the lake, which caused her to miscarry in the winter. She died soon after from a serious illness."
"This was my fault. But I didn't mean to."
Jingwu couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing this.
"Whether it was a real accident or a fake one, the person involved knows best."
When Old Madam Ye first saw that she was dressed plainly, she didn't pay much attention to her. But after hearing what she said, her face immediately fell and her tone was somewhat annoyed.
"What do you mean? What else could it be but an accident? Would I deliberately murder my sister?"
Jingwu watched her furious outburst, his face remaining cold: "If your sister hadn't died, how could you have married into the Ye family as you wished? You were originally a concubine's daughter, but your aunt died early, and you were raised by the mistress of the house from a young age as a legitimate daughter. After you learned about your background, you felt resentful. When you learned that your sister was to marry into the prestigious Ye family, while you could only marry a lowly ninth-rank official, you became jealous."
"You took advantage of your sister's pregnancy to enter the Ye residence. Taking advantage of the slippery winter snow, you deliberately took your sister to the artificial hill. You pretended to slip and fall, hitting your sister and pushing her into the river, causing her to miscarry and die from a serious illness."
"That's not all. While you were keeping vigil for her, you seduced your brother-in-law. The two of you made love in front of her coffin, oblivious to the world around you..."
Upon hearing this, Old Madam Ye immediately jumped up: "Shut up! Shut your mouth. If you keep talking nonsense, get out of the Ye family. You are not welcome here."
Jingwu scoffed, stood up, and looked at her coldly: "What goes around comes around. What you owe must eventually be repaid. First, you caused her to lose her child, and then you used a talisman to suppress her for decades, preventing her from being reincarnated. She has long hated you to the bone and will definitely seek revenge."
As soon as she finished speaking, she turned and walked out of the courtyard without any hesitation.
Yue Huai also stood up and followed him out.
"Ah Huai!" Old Madam Ye called out hurriedly when she saw him leave.
Yue Huai heard this, but he didn't stop walking and followed Jing Wu out of the Ye family's house.
"I'm sorry to have made you come all this way for nothing."
Jingwu shrugged and said nonchalantly, "She'll come looking for you again. If this isn't resolved, she won't live more than a year."
Yue Huai nodded, though deep down he didn't want him to come looking for him again.
After all, cause and effect have their consequences; if things are not handled properly, one may end up bearing the karmic burden.
Yue Huai glanced at the sky and saw that it was almost noon, so he said, "Let's go, I'll treat you to lunch. How about the most famous restaurant in Pingjiang Prefecture?"
“Sure, I’m hungry right now.” Jingwu readily agreed; a free lunch is a free lunch, why not take it?
He followed the person in front of him into a very luxurious restaurant. After sitting down in a private room, a waiter came over.
"What would you two like to eat?"
Yue Huai looked at the person in front of him and asked, "The Jiangnan cuisine at this restaurant is excellent. Would you like to try some?"
"all right."
Upon meeting the person in front of him, Yue Huai immediately recited the names of several dishes.
Only after the waiter left did he look at the person in front of him again.
Jingwu was holding a teacup, looking out the window while taking small sips.
The streets were bustling with activity, and vendors were constantly calling out their wares.
After a moment, Jingwu pointed to the pastry shop diagonally opposite the window and asked, "Is this pastry shop delicious?"
Yue Huai peeked out and said, "It tastes alright, but not as good as the other one."
"After we finish eating, take me to another store to buy some pastries. I'll bring some back for my uncle and aunt."
Yue Huai nodded and agreed.
Soon, the waiter brought up the food.
Jingwu looked at the table full of dishes and swallowed hard.
Yue Huai handed her chopsticks and introduced them gently, "This steamed fish is the signature dish of this restaurant. Please try it."
Upon hearing this, Jingwu immediately picked up a piece of fish with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.
The fish was tender and sweet. She had never tasted such tender fish before, so she took two more bites.
Yue Huai looked at her and smiled, then introduced her to other dishes.
Jingwu listened to his introduction and then put one in his mouth.
After trying all the dishes, she smiled and pointed to the steamed fish: "Of all these dishes, this fish is the best."
"That's why it's called a signature dish."
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