Chapter 553 Pei Shisan Niang: The Unspeakable Secret with Governor Ouyang
Pei Shisan Niang had a very long dream.
The dream was intermittent.
Even the last vestiges of clear consciousness, when pieced together, resulted in bizarre and fantastical fragments.
In her dream, she rode in a carriage as usual, draped in an expensive purple-gold shawl that ordinary people couldn't afford even with a lifetime of blood and sweat. She casually looked around as the carriage, surrounded by servants, swaggered along the streets of Xingzifang.
The surrounding people looked at her convoy with awe and consciously made way for her.
In the center of Xingzifang in the distance, a large Buddha statue is slowly rising.
Shen Bingqiang was also there, freely entering and leaving the governor's mansion with her, discussing the Xingzifang statue with the powerful Wei Shaoqi, Lin Cheng, Wang Lengran and others.
At the same time, with the cooperation of the governor's office, she secretly acquired and monopolized other core land properties in Xingzifang at low prices.
Everything is thriving.
The only strange thing was that a clear blue moon always hung in the sky above.
Whether it's day or night, this blue moon is always there.
But the pedestrians on the street, and the people around her, seemed to take it all in stride. No one looked surprised, and no one even looked up. They were all busy with their own things.
Pei Shisan Niang frowned and looked up from time to time.
However, after seeing it so often, one gets used to considering these details and quickly puts them out of one's mind.
Before I could think any further, the scenes before my eyes unfolded like movie clips.
There were images of her swaggering in and out of the governor's mansion, and the fearful looks cast by the officials of Jiangzhou.
At the grand banquets held at Xunyang Tower, she skillfully entertained the dignitaries from various prefectures in Jiangnan Province, and amidst the clinking of glasses, she acted as a lubricant, facilitating power transactions.
Furthermore, under her management, the Xingzifang land after the demolition was transformed into a series of top-tier garden mansions, attracting wealthy merchants and nobles from Jiangnan and turning it into one of the most affluent areas in Jiangnan, a place of extravagance and debauchery every night...
The scenery around her kept changing, and Pei Shisan Niang was overwhelmed with the sights, greatly satisfying the vanity of a merchant's wife.
With Wang Lengran and the Wei family backing her up, no one in Jiangzhou or even Jiangnan could restrict her, and she accomplished everything she wanted to do.
Pei Shisan Niang felt that everything was as beautiful as a dream.
Moreover, this time, she skillfully and tactfully resolved the major trouble caused by the Wang family, earning Lin Cheng's gratitude. In the end, she perfectly assisted Lin Cheng in building the Buddha statue at Xingzi Lake. With the help of the Wei family and Wang Lengran's power, she wielded considerable influence in the Jiangnan officialdom. She even became the richest widow in Jiangnan by virtue of her land in Xingzifang. Her fellow villagers from Yangzhou, as well as wealthy businessmen with powerful backgrounds who had previously looked down on her, all surrounded her, casting awe-inspiring and respectful glances at her in the center of the crowd.
But soon, Pei Shisan Niang noticed something was amiss.
Or rather, a common point of difference.
In these scenes, at the very back of the crowd, there always stood a solitary, slender figure, watching her from afar in the farthest corner. Pei Shisan Niang couldn't see his face clearly; it was all blurry. She could only vaguely make out that he was wearing a scarlet official robe, which looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn't remember him.
It's always the same; that solitary, slender figure, like the blue moon in the sky outside the window, has always been there.
At first, Pei Shisan Niang was so engrossed in her beautiful daydreams that she didn't pay much attention to them until the next familiar scene appeared—in fact, Pei Shisan Niang didn't know why she was so familiar with this scene, as if she had experienced it before.
In the scene, she and Shen Bingqiang swaggered into the Jiangzhou Prefectural Governor's Mansion to discuss important matters. When they came out, they rode in the same carriage, but they got stuck at the gate and encountered an ordinary carriage coming from the opposite direction.
Both sides simultaneously lifted the carriage curtains, and they could vaguely see a tall, slender figure sitting alone in the opposite carriage. His bright red official robes were very striking and looked familiar.
It was the same blurry figure who had stood by the crowd, watching coldly from behind, in all the previous scenes.
Pei Shisan Niang, who had been indifferent, was instantly drawn to it.
Shen Bingqiang, standing beside him, continued his usual sarcastic remarks, while the tall, slender figure inside the carriage opposite remained motionless and composed.
Pei Shisan Niang vaguely heard the words Shen Bingqiang was saying and suddenly realized what was going on.
This person was none other than Ouyang Lianghan, who was demoted to the position of Sima of Jiangzhou and was the former Chief Secretary of Jiangzhou. He was a key figure who resolutely opposed the high-end renovation of Xingzifang and the construction of statues at Xingzi Lake.
Before Pei Shisan Niang could react, the two had already brushed past each other, and that blurry, calm, slender figure disappeared at the end of the street.
Before Pei Shisan Niang could feel regret, she soon found herself standing at the completion site of the Donglin Buddha, witnessing the merging of the Buddha's head with Wei Shaoqi, Lin Cheng, Wang Lengran, Shen Bingqiang, and others, and witnessing the complete completion of the Donglin Buddha.
She had even prepared in advance the ribbon-cutting banquet to celebrate the completion of the project.
With a "thump".
In view, the Buddha's head and body have completely merged.
The whole audience cheered and jumped for joy. Pei Shisan Niang was also excited. Just as she was beaming with joy and looking forward to the future.
The blue moon, which I had grown accustomed to and assumed would remain unchanged throughout the ages, suddenly fell from the sky above.
Yes, it fell down.
The light magnified in her rapidly shrinking pupils as she looked up, growing larger and larger... and then it descended upon the Buddha's head, and their heads as well.
Wherever the blue moon goes.
The head of the majestic Buddha statue has been placed on the ground.
One by one, her companions also fell dead, including several influential figures whom she held in the highest esteem and whom she looked up to with utmost humility.
Wei Shaoqi, Lin Cheng, Wang Lengran, Shen Bingqiang beside him, and everyone else standing on the field.
Their heads slid off their necks. Before the Blue Moon, all living beings are equal.
In an instant, at the foot of the Buddha, heads rolled and blood flowed everywhere.
Finally, the blue moon hovered above her head.
Under the blue light, the blood, like paint on a wall, began to spread across her entire field of vision.
Pei Shisan Niang was stunned, and suddenly felt her eyes sting.
She raised her hand to wipe her eyes, only to find that her companion Shen Bingqiang's blood had splattered from his neck into her eyes, staining the world before her eyes red.
Just as the world was soaked and occupied by blood, she tried to open her eyes wide and saw that among all the heads that had fallen to the ground, there was still a figure standing alone in the distance, seemingly watching coldly.
It seems to be... Ouyang Lianghan.
The next instant, the upside-down blue moon fell down on her head.
Pei Shisan Niang was heartbroken.
Suddenly, everything went dark.
...
"Ah—help—!"
Pei Shisan Niang woke up in the darkness with a start, looking around, her lips trembling: "Where...where am I?"
She looked confused as she found herself lying on a dark bed.
Two female officials were waiting nearby; one was tidying up a tray, and the other was preparing to light a lamp. At that moment, they turned their heads curiously to look.
Suddenly, Pei Shisan Niang felt a chill down her spine, which was already soaked with cold sweat. She looked down and saw that she was wearing a white undergarment, which was quite tight and accentuated the plump curves of a widow in her thirties. In particular, her kneeling posture at this moment further highlighted the peach-shaped buttocks covered by the undergarment.
But she couldn't care less about that. Her mouth tasted bitter like rust. She turned her head blankly and found that the medicine bowl in the tray that the female official had cleared was empty. She must have just been fed Chinese medicine.
"Oh, you're awake?" a female official exclaimed in surprise, leaving one person behind while the other quickly went out.
Pei Shisan Niang looked surprised and uncertain. Only after being patiently comforted by a gentle female official beside her did she regain her senses. The official said softly, "President Pei, this is the Supervisory Council. You are safe now."
Pei Shisan Niang swallowed hard: "How long have I been unconscious? What time is it now?"
The gentle female historian gave a date, and while she was in a daze, she asked again, "President Pei, do you still remember the scene on the day the Buddha's head was reunited?"
Pei Shisan Niang hugged her knees, her face lost in thought, and did not answer.
Seeing this, the gentle lady took the initiative to tell me what had happened after she fell into a coma, and the current situation.
"Are Young Master Wei, Young Master Lin, and Lord Wang all dead? And Vice President Shen... only I am still alive?"
Pei Shisan Niang murmured to herself, "Vice President Shen is dead, but I am not. I was the only one who avoided him... Also, the one who killed him was Blue Moon... Wait, a dream... a dream?"
A moment later, as if remembering something, she suddenly shivered and tried her best to shrink into the quilt.
As evening approached, it was pitch black outside, and no lights had yet been turned on in any of the homes.
The gentle lady lit an oil lamp and went to open the window.
But Pei Shisan Niang stopped her, her eyes filled with terror: "Don't light the lamps, close the windows, block out the moon, block out the moon, don't let it in!"
The gentle lady frowned, quickly turned off the light, and closed the window at the same time: "Are you afraid of the moon?"
Pei Shisan Niang hesitated, "Who are you under? Who is in charge of the city now?"
"Lady Rongzhen and Vice Supervisor Song, Lady Rongzhen will be here soon, so don't worry."
"That lady historian..." Pei Shisan Niang muttered to herself, then suddenly looked up and pleaded:
"I have fully recovered. Could... could you let me go home? I miss home and want to go back to Yangzhou."
The gentle lady-in-waiting's face turned serious: "No, you are an important witness now. We can only let you go with the Lady-in-Waiting's permission."
Just then, the ward door was suddenly pushed open, and Rong Zhen walked in. Judging from her travel-worn appearance, she must have rushed here urgently.
"Your Excellency, the lamps must not be lit, and the doors must be closed. She seems to have a fear of the moon," the gentle lady-in-waiting whispered.
Rong Zhen frowned and nodded, put down the lantern, closed the door, entered the room alone, came to the bedside, and whispered:
"President Pei, you're finally awake. Don't worry, it's safe here now... You were there the day Lin Cheng and the other three were beheaded by 'Blue Moon.' Did you notice anything strange? Could you tell us about what happened?"
Pei Shisan Niang hesitated, "I...I don't remember much. As for the strangeness...I didn't expect I didn't die...I had a very strange dream."
"It's strange that you didn't die... What kind of strange dream was that?"
She shrank back: "The dream was hazy, I don't remember it very clearly, only some general outlines."
“It’s alright. Tell me the truth. With me here, no one in Xunyang City will dare to harm you.” Rong Zhen held her hand, her eyes brightening slightly. “Actually, in the Yin-Yang School’s knowledge that I possess, these kinds of dreams that the person involved has after the fact are truths constructed by the subconscious, and their accuracy is not low.”
"It was just a dream. I... I'm just saying this for your reference, it's not evidence or accusation..."
“Okay, go ahead.” Rong Zhen leaned forward, her small face serious.
"I dreamt of Blue Moon, and... and..." Just as Pei Shisan Niang was stammering, some noise came from the courtyard outside.
The door was pushed open again, and a tall, slender figure strode in. His crimson official robes were dazzling even in the dim room. He didn't bother to close the door and quickly walked to the bedside, speaking with concern.
"Is President Pei alright?" Ouyang Rong glanced at the beautiful woman on the sickbed, seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, and then turned his head: "Thank you for sending someone to inform me, Ms. Rong. I had something to do just now and was a little late."
“It’s alright.” Rong Zhen shook his head, gesturing for him to sit down with him, and introduced him to Pei Shisan Niang: “This is Prefect Ouyang, you should know him, but he is currently the acting prefect, taking over the duties of Prefect Lin Cheng and Prefect Wang… By the way, continue what you were saying.”
But Pei Shisan Niang on the bed ignored her. When she saw Ouyang Rong's face and the bright moon hanging high in the sky behind him, her face froze for a moment, and then she fell backward and fainted.
"..."
Rongzhen and Ouyang Rong looked at each other in bewilderment.
The gentle lady quickly ran to close the door: "She... seems afraid of the moon."
Rong Zhen was speechless and ordered her attendants, "Check it quickly!"
Ouyang Rong turned around, glanced at the moon outside the door, and looked thoughtful...
Half an hour later.
Ouyang Rong paced back and forth in the corridor outside the door, occasionally glancing at the ward door not far away, his expression calm.
Pei Shisan Niang fainted again not long ago. The female doctor examined her and said there was nothing wrong, just that she was too frightened. Rong Zhen and the female doctor are currently inside examining her body, and it is not convenient for a man to enter.
At this moment, Rong Zhen walked out of the ward, and Ouyang Rong saw her and frowned slightly: "She's awake. I asked her a few questions."
Ouyang Rong asked calmly, "What did you say?"
"She said her head hurt a lot and her memory of that day was blurry. She couldn't even remember if the sword came out of the Buddha's head first."
Ouyang Rong nodded calmly: "You don't even remember this? What about the others?"
"I don't remember. When I asked her if she had ever done anyone a favor, she knew nothing... Ouyang Lianghan, why don't you go in and take a look? You should know her before. Although her switching allegiance to Lin Cheng was indeed unethical, you two are acquaintances. Be magnanimous and try to appease her..."
“Okay.” Ouyang Rong nodded and immediately went into the ward to visit him.
Arriving at the bedside, Rong Zhen trustingly pointed to Ouyang Rong and comforted Pei Shisan Niang, saying:
"It's alright. His Majesty and the officials of the Council of State have appointed Ouyang Sima as a scholar of the Xiwen Academy and acting governor of Jiangzhou, giving him full authority over Jiangzhou and the statue-making matters. With Governor Ouyang and I in Xunyang City, it's absolutely safe. If there's anything you're uncomfortable saying, you can tell us, and Governor Ouyang and I will definitely stand up for you!"
The plump and beautiful woman held the medicine bowl, taking small sips as she listened. Upon hearing the man's string of official titles, she lowered her head even further, stammering, "Thank you... thank you for your concern, Governor Ouyang. I am much better now, and there is nothing I cannot say."
"You were confused too?" Rong Zhen pressed. "Yes, I'm timid. My mind went completely blank at the time, and I don't remember anything..." Pei Shisan Niang timidly looked up and saw Ouyang Rong casting a calm gaze. She forced a smile and answered respectfully.
Rongzhen suddenly asked curiously, "Did you mention before that you had a dream that you wanted to tell me?"
"No, it's nothing, just a normal dream. I forgot about it as soon as I woke up and turned over."
She spoke softly, her eyes fixed straight ahead, not glancing at the young man in crimson official robes who was calmly listening nearby.
After a short while, Pei Shisan Niang, having recovered somewhat, once again spoke with great conviction in front of Rong Zhen and Ouyang Rong, saying that many of her memories of the scene were hazy, and she had even forgotten how the blue moon appeared. Just thinking about it gave her a headache... In short, she knew nothing about the situation.
Rong Zhen sighed softly and turned to give Ouyang Rong a helpless look. Ouyang Rong returned the look with a comforting one.
"Okay, you can continue to rest."
Rong Zhen frowned, her face full of regret. She comforted Pei Shisan Niang in a low voice, then turned and gestured to Ouyang Rong before the two of them walked out of the ward together.
As he was leaving, Ouyang Rong suddenly turned to look at the sickbed in the darkness.
Hidden under the covers, Pei Shisan Niang stared intently at his back. When he noticed her, she forced a humble, desperately flattering smile onto her pale, haggard face, her eyes filled with pleading for submission.
Ouyang Rong turned and left, raising an eyebrow slightly.
(End of this chapter)
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