At four o'clock in the morning, only a few dim lights were left in the sleeping mansion, casting a few dim lights on the cold and dark stone path. At this time, a pair of small feet wearing plain satin shoes stepped on the bluestone slabs and walked forward very quickly. The pendulum of her horse-faced skirt kept sweeping the flowers and plants that stretched out diagonally on the side of the path to the ground. The cold moon was like a hook, slowly stretching her figure on the stone path, and then slightly twisting with the swaying lights.

Her footsteps were quick and light, and not a sound was made in the long, silent night. She seemed to be holding a bag in her hand, but it was too far to see clearly. The clear wind blew the bag open, and only then could she vaguely see a black thing that looked a bit like human hair. However, she quickly put the bag back in her hand, and it drew an arc with the night wind.

She walked while looking around vigilantly, and finally reached the door of the Buddhist hall. She pushed open the beast-head lacquered door in front of her, and the moonlight slipped in with the cold wind. Under the cool moonlight, there was a person kneeling on a cushion, who seemed to be shrunken by the cold wind blowing in from outside. She heard the sound and turned her head suddenly. There was a frost between her lovely eyebrows. It was Madam Zhao, who had been fasting and chanting here all year round, and half of her face was rotten!

The visitor hurriedly walked in, and the door of the Buddhist temple slowly closed again. The deity behind the door remained silent, hiding his compassionate eyes in the thick shadows...

"What happened next?" Xiao Qing sat up straight, his face full of urgency.

"How would I know?" Aunt Wang lazily picked at the candle wick with a golden hairpin, her delicate face reflecting the fiery red in the candlelight. "Later, the door was closed, and no one knew what happened inside. I had just entered the house at that time, so I didn't dare to look too much or think too much. But..." She looked at the bright red nail polish on her fingers in the candlelight and smiled proudly, "They must not have thought that after so many years, the truth would eventually be revealed."

Xiao Qing also showed a playful smile on her face and said, "In that case, it is worth looking forward to. But mother, are you really sure that her secret is still hidden in the Buddhist temple?"

Aunt Wang snorted coldly and said, "You saw it too. When she heard that the temple was going to be disturbed, she became so anxious that she even pretended to be a ghost to prevent outsiders from entering. What do you think she was hiding? It's a pity that the maid interfered last time. Otherwise, if she could have dealt with that slave, it would have been like cutting off an arm for her. Tomorrow's good show will be more enjoyable to watch."

Xiao Qing smiled and tapped the table with her knuckles. She said, "So mother is taking advantage of the opportunity of the Dragon Boat Festival tomorrow to have father invite the senior monks from the Galan Temple to come to the temple to perform a ritual. She is also inviting relatives from other branches to worship the gods together. In name, she wants to completely clear up the rumor that the temple is haunted, but in reality, she wants to expose her true colors in front of everyone."

"That's right!" Aunt Wang's eyes flickered, and she said, "Tomorrow I will expose her scandal in front of the old man and all the clan members!" A hint of resentment flashed in her eyes, and she said, "She thinks she is a phoenix high above, and I am lowly as mud. This time, I will let her know what it feels like to fall from the clouds and be despised by everyone!"

Xiao Qing seemed to find this very interesting, and his face showed excitement. Aunt Wang glanced at him, then said with a frown, "Shiqin came to me again yesterday. Qing'er, when can you improve yourself and win some face for me? Otherwise, you can become a concubine properly, and stop doing shady things with those lowly maids all day long. She always comes to me crying, and it makes me upset."

Xiao Qing's expression changed, and he turned his head to one side impatiently and said, "Humph, what else can she do besides crying and complaining? She can only do these useless things."

Aunt Wang shook her head and said, "After all, she is your legal wife and my cousin, so you should give her some face." She sighed, tears flashed in her eyes, and said, "Mother knows that you are suffering. Don't worry, mother will definitely fight for you..."

"Enough!" Xiao Qing stood up suddenly and said, "Why do you bring up all this for no reason? Anyway, no matter what I do, I can't compare to my useless elder brother. How many people in this marquis's mansion really respect me? I have been relying on Marquis Xuanyuan for my entire life. Fight? What is there to fight for!" After he finished speaking, he swung the bronze mirror on the table to the ground and walked out angrily. The mirror, which was covered with countless cracks, reflected the torn and resentful face of Aunt Wang.

The next day was the Dragon Boat Festival. As it was close to the summer solstice, the weather became humid and sultry. In the streets and alleys of the capital, every household had moxa leaves and cattails planted in front of their doors. Children tied colorful ropes and happily shared the delicious rice dumplings. Passing by the tall gilded bronze gate and the majestic beast ridge, the Xuanyuan Marquis's mansion was filled with the sound of chanting scriptures. Many monks in blue-gray robes were standing in front of the Buddhist hall, clasping their hands and closing their eyes to recite scriptures devoutly.

Behind them, Xiao Yun stood in the front with a solemn expression, Xiao Du and Madam Zhao stood beside him, and behind him stood Yuan Xi, Xiao Qing and other younger generations and two concubines, and further back stood all the Xiao clan members, all standing with their heads bowed devoutly.

After the chanting session, the abbot, Master Zhengyun, who was wearing a monk's robe and appeared among the monks, walked up to Xiao Yunjing and said, "Old Master, you can go in and start the sacrifice."

Xiao Yunjing nodded and led the group in. The temple was filled with sandalwood incense, and the gods and Buddhas were sitting or standing in the room, silently looking down at the people. Although the temple had been thoroughly cleaned, some people still remembered the tragic scene that day, and felt that this place, which should have been a solemn place for meditation, had become extremely eerie and terrifying.

Yuan Xi secretly raised her head and looked at the golden Arhats with ferocious faces above. She couldn't help but frowning and wondering what had happened that day. These Arhats were just dead objects covered in gold and mud. How could they shed tears of blood for no reason?

She thought for a while, but she caught a glimpse of Madam Zhao holding onto Nanny Yu's arm tightly, her face pale. Aunt Wang behind her saw this scene and showed an expression of uncontrollable excitement.

Master Zhengyun bowed to all around, took out a talisman, pressed it under the altar in front of him, and began to mutter scriptures with his eyes closed. Xiao Yunjing hurriedly ordered his servants to bring up the livestock and fruits for the sacrifice. Several monks carried the offerings to the altar, and just as they turned around, the talisman paper pressed on the altar suddenly burned up!

Master Zhengyun opened his eyes suddenly and said in shock: "How could this happen! Someone has tampered with this temple!"

The people below were already somewhat uneasy, and when they heard this, they turned pale with fear, and looked at each other in panic. Xiao Yunjing hurriedly stepped forward, frowned, and asked, "Master, what do you mean?"

Master Zhengyun turned around hastily, his face heavy, and said, "The old marquis said before that strange things happened in this temple, and I felt something was wrong. Today, the talisman for warding off evil actually ignited on its own, and I am more and more convinced that this temple must have been set up by someone with ulterior motives. If the evil formation is not removed, I am afraid that the foundation of your family will be unstable, and your descendants will not prosper!"

The people below were getting more and more terrified when they heard this. Xiao Du snorted and said, "Master, why do you have to be so alarming? I don't see any bad things happening in our house."

The mage said solemnly, "If I am not mistaken, the Marquis and your brother have not had any children yet!"

Xiao Du was still disdainful, but Xiao Qing's expression suddenly changed. At this time, Aunt Wang had already shouted anxiously: "What should we do? Master, do you have a way to break it?"

Xiao Yunjing glared at her and said, "Don't be so presumptuous!" Aunt Wang was so frightened that she quickly retreated. Master Zhengyun said, "The plan now is to find the evil formation. As long as the evil formation is broken, the mansion will be able to regain peace."

At this time, many people in the crowd had already asked the master to break the formation quickly to ensure the prosperity of the Xiao family. Xiao Yunjing hesitated for a while, then bowed to Zhengyun and said, "Thank you for your help, Master."

Zhengyun returned the greeting and began to search around the temple. Mrs. Zhao's face became more and more ugly, but she could not stop him when she saw that all the clansmen were waiting in anticipation. Just as a young monk walked to the merit box in front of Guanyin, she took a step forward, but was held tightly by Yu Ma behind her, who shook her head and winked at her.

Aunt Wang had been staring at Madam Zhao. At this moment, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly and she suddenly exclaimed, "That box! Something seems to be wrong!"

Madam Zhao turned around and glared at Aunt Wang. At this time, Master Zhengyun had already walked over and carefully examined the merit box. He closed his eyes and muttered something. After a while, he opened his eyes and said to Xiao Yunjing: "There is indeed some evil spirit here. Can you allow me to open it and take a look?"

Before Xiao Yunjing could even open his mouth, Madam Zhao had already rushed forward, stretched out her arms to block the box and said, "There are only the silver coins I usually put down for offerings in here, and there is nothing evil in it!"

Mrs. Zhao was always calm and composed. The people present had never seen her like this before, and they couldn't help but look at her with suspicion. Aunt Wang said coldly, "Sister, why are you so sure that there is nothing else in it? Since it's just silver, it doesn't hurt to open it and take a look."

"You!" Mrs. Zhao was so angry that she coughed a few times and fell to the ground. Xiao Du rushed forward and helped her up. He looked down and said coldly, "Why do you still doubt your mother?"

The crowd murmured again, and an old man came out trembling with a cane and said, "This is a matter that concerns our descendants and bloodline, so we must get to the bottom of it. Lord Marquis doesn't want the Xiao family to fall into ruin."

This person was an old lady from the side branch of the Xiao family, who was well respected by the clan members. When he was asked to speak, Xiao Yunjing said with a cold face, "Since this is the case, please let the master take action."

Mrs. Zhao raised her head suddenly, tears welling up in her eyes. Xiao Du supported her, sighed, and said softly, "Mother, since you have no problem, let them take a look."

Xiao Yunjing then asked someone to bring the key, and Zhengyun opened the merit box, only to find that it was filled with light yellow paper bundles. He was puzzled and was about to take a closer look when Madam Zhao suddenly broke away from Xiao Du's hand, rushed over and slapped him, saying, "Don't look!"

Pale yellow paper sheets flew up in the air amid the burning sandalwood shavings and scattered on the ground. Many people picked them up curiously and found that they were covered with beautiful handwriting.

In October of the Ji Mao year, Xiao Lang had been away on the expedition for three days. I have been unable to sleep all day worrying about his safety. I am willing to observe a long fast, copy Buddhist scriptures, and pray to the Buddha to bless him to return safely.

In the sixth month of the Jiashen year, Xiao Lang has not come for three months. I am worried and have no intention of copying sutras. I beg the Buddha to forgive me.

In the fourth month of the Yiyou year, Xiao Lang has not come for a year. I don’t know why I have such a grudge against him. If the Buddha is still alive, could he please help me? …

Every word and sentence was filled with a woman's unspeakable longing and love for her husband, her endless emotions and sorrows. These should have been buried forever under the green lamp Buddha statue, but now they were cruelly exposed to the public and fell at everyone's feet. Mrs. Zhao finally covered her face and cried helplessly. Nanny Yu rushed up and hugged her, helped her behind everyone, and comforted her softly while crying. The monks were stunned, and Aunt Wang finally woke up from her shock. When she raised her head, she met Xiao Yunjing's eyes full of shock and guilt.

She couldn't help but take two steps back, muttering to herself: "This is impossible..." This Buddhist temple clearly hides a shameful secret, how could it become like this! She looked forward with a dull look, and suddenly found that Mrs. Zhao's eyes, hidden behind her hands, were shining, staring directly at her, and the corners of her mouth were gently raised with a condescending smile.