There are no ghosts in this world.
When Ah Shi and I went inside, we saw a white-haired eunuch dressed in plain clothes. He smiled and bowed to me, saying, "Greetings, Thirteenth Princess."
It wasn't a noble person, nor Xu Yi, nor the eldest princess, but the thirteenth princess.
I walked up to him and asked, "Do you know me?"
"I've heard about it."
I looked him up and down: "Who are you?"
“Eunuch Yu is my apprentice,” he smiled and straightened up. “Back then, he had just taken office and was so frightened by the Thirteenth Princess that he wet his pants, so I remember it vividly.”
A jack-of-all-trades? Not a servant? This suggests he has already stepped down from his post, but instead of returning to his hometown, he chose to retire in the palace?
"You've already stepped down from your post, why don't you leave the palace?"
"What does it matter if I'm outside the palace or inside? I'm just a wretched old man outside the palace, and I'm still a wretched old man inside the palace. What difference does it make?"
“That makes a difference,” I sneered. “You may be a wretched old man outside the palace, but inside the palace you are the ancestor of these people. You are unwilling to leave the palace because you can’t bear to give up your status and power.”
I thought he would argue with me, but he just looked up at the sky and said, "Perhaps what the princess said is true. I do live much better in the palace than outside, but isn't it natural for people to seek advantage and avoid harm?"
Common sense? Yes, isn't that common sense? I nodded: "You're right, there's no distinction between high and low, noble and base."
Unexpectedly, he looked at me directly with his cloudy eyes for the first time: "It is fate that allows the princess to move freely in the palace in this form!"
Fate? This is punishment!
"What kind of fate is this?" I murmured to myself. "I am a person who cultivates myself, but I am trapped in worldly affairs... I have to save people I don't want to save, and see goods I don't want to see. How can this be called fate?"
“This is already a wonderful coincidence,” he smiled, then asked about the important matter: “Is there something you need, Princess?”
"I want to check the records of Chuanguangtang. There's a ghost there that needs to be dealt with."
"A ghost?" The two eunuchs who followed them in turned pale immediately. "Is there a ghost in Chuanguang Hall?"
"Shut up," the old man said casually, and the two eunuchs immediately fell silent and went back to guard the gate.
After the two eunuchs left, the old man smiled and looked at me: "How could there be ghosts in this world? Princess, you're talking nonsense."
"But these things already exist in this world, don't they? Aren't I one?" I said, moving a couple closer to him. "Aren't you one too?"
“I’m alive and well…” He paused here and bowed to me again: “Your Highness is absolutely right. Although I am still alive, what difference is there between me and that ghost in the Hall of Light?” After saying that, he looked at me again: “But Your Highness should still say that there are no ghosts in this world.”
Rumors, fear... He's right, I nodded in agreement: "You're right, there are no ghosts in this world. They're just nameless, forgotten beings."
He nodded approvingly, then asked about the person from Chuanguang Hall: "What does that person look like?"
"I couldn't see her face clearly, but I knew she was wearing a dark red, wide-sleeved dress and kept muttering that she was looking for her own bones."
“A dark red, wide-sleeved dress? Bones?” the old man murmured, then looked at me: “You should know who she is.”
Who is it?
"Let's talk inside."
After the three of us sat down in the house, he poured tea for each of us—the finest pre-Qingming tea. It seems he was indeed living quite well in this palace!
He took a sip of tea before telling me a story: "When the Imperial Concubine entered the palace and was greatly favored by the Emperor, her distant cousin also wanted to come to the palace to get a share of the pampering. The woman's surname was Zheng, and she liked to wear a dark red wide-sleeved dress. Originally, the Imperial Concubine was very happy that her sister had come to the palace to accompany her, but when she saw her getting close to His Majesty, she beat her up and drove her out of the palace."
"Not dead?"
“Yes,” the old eunuch nodded, “She is not dead, she is still alive. It’s just that on that day, in front of all the servants, she was dragged to the courtyard by the Imperial Concubine and flogged, and a piece of her finger bone was broken. It has not been found yet.”
"A finger bone?" Just a finger bone, and it's turned into a dense aura of ghostly energy and resentment that has lingered in Chuanguang Hall for over a decade without dissipating? Is there really such a bizarre thing? I stood up: "I have to go back and ask the supervisor."
The old eunuch also stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "Respectfully seeing off the princess."
"No need," I waved my hand, "Just be natural."
“Alright,” the old man cupped his hands in greeting and said again, “Princess, take care.”
Ah Shi and I returned to the Imperial Observatory. The Director was drinking tea under the eaves as usual. I got straight to the point: "Director, can a piece of finger bone form a large area of ghostly energy and resentment?"
“Look how this finger bone fell off…” The supervisor smacked his lips: “If someone who values face a lot is punished in public and has no ability to retaliate, he will hold a grudge and it will naturally grow into a big problem over time.”
A fragment of a finger bone? How could I encounter something so bizarre? "Then how can I dispel this malevolent energy?"
"That depends on the person. A surge of malevolent energy can certainly be extinguished directly, but if the person cannot let go of the resentment in their heart, the malevolent energy will reignite and continue indefinitely."
"Then we'll have to go find her in person?" I turned to Ah Shi and said, "Ah Shi, go to the Imperial Household Department and ask the old eunuch where that Miss Zheng lives. We'll go and pay her a visit together."
"Okay, I'll be right there." He said and ran out.
I lay back in the recliner and asked the supervisor, "Supervisor, how could a mere grudge have led to this?"
“A grudge will often dissipate naturally, but if the timing and circumstances are right, things can change.”
"The right time and place?" I sat up abruptly. "Could there be something else beneath that land?"
The supervisor shook his head and laughed, "Well, this old man doesn't know..." Then he started humming a little tune.
It seems that after resolving that grievance, we'll also have to dig up the ground of Chuanguang Hall to take a look.
In the afternoon, Ah Shi returned with the address of that 'Miss Zheng'. Coincidentally, the man she married also had the surname Zheng, and was one of the people they had discussed in the Imperial Study that morning.
Oh, then my Eastern Pearl will be of use. I immediately told Ah Shi to drive the carriage out of the palace.
When we arrived at the Zheng residence, I handed the pearl directly to the gatekeeper: "Go, take this to your master, and he will know."
Before long, Lord Zheng arrived. He was dressed in plain clothes, respectfully opened the door, and then returned the pearl with both hands before inviting me in.
Ah Shi looked shocked beside me. I hadn't brought him with me when I went to the Imperial Study that morning, fearing that the emperor would lose face and implicate Ah Shi. Seeing such a grand display of force, he was quite surprised and secretly tugged at my sleeve: "Aunt, what did you give him?"
I leaned closer to him and whispered, "I'll tell you when we get back. Let's take care of business first."
After Lord Zheng escorted us to the main hall and tactfully inquired about our purpose for being there, I spoke frankly: "There is an old matter in the palace that I need to ask your wife about, which is why I have taken the liberty of disturbing you."
"Oh," Lord Zheng breathed a sigh of relief, "My wife is in the backyard, I'll have her come over right away."
“No need,” I shook my head. “We can go find her ourselves. Just take us directly to the backyard.”
"Alright, please." After saying that, Lord Zheng got up and led the way.
I specifically looked at the flowers, stones, plants and trees along the way, and there was no trace of them being tainted by yin energy or ghostly aura. The entire Zheng residence was very clean.
When they reached the backyard, they saw a woman sitting quietly in the yard embroidering. She occasionally chatted and laughed with the servants beside her. There was nothing unusual about her, and she didn't seem to have any resentment.
Lord Zheng pointed to the woman: "That's my wife. Our daughter married a few years ago, so now only you live in the inner courtyard." He then walked over and greeted Madam Zheng: "Madam, there's a distinguished guest from the palace who wants to ask you about some old palace matters..."
Upon hearing about the old stories from the palace, I clearly saw a dark gray glint of malevolence flash in Madam Zheng's eyes, but it vanished in the blink of an eye.
Ah Shi gasped and leaned closer to me, whispering, "Auntie, this aura of hostility is a bit too strong!"
I nodded to indicate that I understood, then walked over to Lord Zheng and said, "Lord Zheng, what I mainly want to know about the ladies' quarters is..."
"Oh, oh," Lord Zheng nodded, "Alright, then I won't bother you any longer." After saying that, he patted Madam Zheng's hand and left briskly.
After Lord Zheng left, Madam Zheng looked at me with a kind expression and asked, "What would you like to know, sir?"
"Oh, it's nothing, just something that happened when you were young at Chuanguang Hall."
As soon as the words "Chuanguang Hall" were uttered, Madam Zheng's expression immediately changed, and a fierce look appeared in her eyes. However, after about three breaths, Madam Zheng's expression returned to normal, and the fierce look in her eyes disappeared.
She smiled kindly at me again and asked, "Which matter at Chuanguang Hall are you referring to, young lady?"
"It's the story about how you tried to seduce the emperor but failed, and instead the imperial concubine broke your little finger and kicked you out of the palace."
"You!" The old servant behind her pointed at me, about to unleash a torrent of curses, but was stopped by Madam Zheng raising her hand.
She looked at me, her smile gone, but the hint of hostility was gone: "Back then, I was young and ignorant, which is why I made such a shameful mistake. I'm quite grateful to the Imperial Concubine. If she hadn't woken me up, how could I have met such a good husband?"
This...this statement sounds so high-sounding, and no matter which side I'm on, I can't find any fault with it. Having been the matriarch of the household for so many years, her way of speaking is different.
I looked at her and said, "Alright, you had a finger bone broken back then, and you're full of resentment. You've been a force to be reckoned with in the Chuanguang Hall for over ten years now. Come with me to the palace to deal with it!"
"Oh?" Madam Zheng retorted, "What can a mere finger bone accomplish? What exactly is your purpose, young lady? Please speak frankly."
"Yes, I also think that a piece of finger bone can't amount to much, but it has indeed become a strong source of resentment that has plagued Chuanguangtang for more than ten years. It's time to deal with it."
"Oh? If what you say is true, then I can't help you."
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