At daybreak, the leaden morning mist still shrouded in the chill of dew, the sound of footsteps echoed on the bluestone pavement in the west wing of the General's Mansion. Chen Weiwan sat crookedly at her pearwood dressing table, letting Chuntao wind her twisted, dark-colored hair into a double bun. The bronze mirror reflected her slightly raised brows. The distant wails outside the courtyard gate had begun half a cup of tea earlier than the precise time of 3:45 AM yesterday.
"Miss, that sounds like Madam Liu throwing a tantrum at the corner gate." Chuntao tightened her grip on the wooden comb, the carved teeth tangling a strand of hair from her temples. "You just stopped her from asking for the storeroom key yesterday, and you're here this morning to settle accounts?"
Chen Weiwan's fingertips brushed against the red-gold, jade-inlaid hairpin on her dressing table. It was this very thing that had lured her into a trap in her past life. She curled her lips in the morning light reflected in the mirror, the pearl tassels in her hair casting tiny shadows as she moved. "She's here, just in time. It saves me the trouble of inviting her. Go, bring me the basin of jasmine water I brewed yesterday. I want to see what tricks this 'kind-looking' aunt can pull to make her makeup look ruined."
Before she could finish her words, the carved wooden door creaked open, and Liu, with disheveled hair, squeezed in. Her moon-white gauze blouse was worn inside out, the collar hanging askew on her shoulders. A jade hairpin stuck askew in her bun, a few strands of wet hair clinging to her sweaty forehead, making her look like a hen just pulled out of a water tank.
"My dear niece!" Liu plopped down on her knees on the blue brick floor, slapping her thighs with her hands and howling. Tears mixed with rouge formed two grooves on her cheeks. "You must help me! Is there any law in this world? I have worked so hard for the general's mansion that my hair has turned white, and now I can't even open the storeroom door..."
Shen Weiwan slowly stood up, her moon-white skirt sweeping across the ground, stirring up a gust of wind. She paused at the threshold, tilting her head to examine the person on the ground. The cinnabar mole at the end of her eye shone in the morning light, causing Liu's heart to skip a beat. This girl had always been timid when she saw her, so why were her eyes so bright today, as if they had been quenched by ice?
"What's going on, Auntie?" Shen Weiwan raised her hand and stroked the tassels on her temples, her voice sweet as honey. "You're kneeling here with your hair disheveled so early in the morning. Could it be that some evil spirit possessed you last night? I even noticed two of the freshly pickled mustard greens in the kitchen were missing yesterday. Could it be that you, Auntie, were trying to eat them in the dark and got chased by a mouse and fell?"
The maids sweeping the area burst out laughing, then quickly covered their mouths with handkerchiefs. Liu's face turned blue from choking, her nails scratching white marks in the cracks of the bricks. "You... you little bitch, what are you talking about! I'm only here because of the storeroom..."
"Warehouse?" Chen Weiwan opened her eyes wide in feigned surprise, the silver bells on her cuffs jingling as she moved. "Oh, Aunt, if you hadn't told me, I would have forgotten. The other day, I asked the blind Liu Banxian from the west of the city to tell my fortune. He said that there was a ball of black air hanging above the warehouse. It was the souls of the soldiers who died in the battle that year. He also specifically told me that this key must not be given to others, otherwise it would offend the evil spirit. At the very least, I would lose my hands and feet, and at worst..." She paused deliberately and lowered her voice, "At worst, the whole mansion would suffer retribution!"
Liu instinctively shrank back, remembering the sudden death of the storehouse manager last month. A chill ran down her spine. But then she thought of the silks and jades piled high in the storeroom. She gritted her teeth and kowtowed against the nearby pillar. "Forget it! My old bones are nothing but an eyesore. I'd rather die and apologize to the general in the underworld!"
"Hey, hey, hey, aunt, please don't!" Shen Weiwan exclaimed, stepping forward, but not to pull anyone away, but to wink at Chuntao. Chuntao immediately understood, turned around and brought a half-person-high elm square stool from the side room, and stood in front of Liu.
"Look, Auntie," Chen Weiwan smiled, her eyes curved, and she reached out to help Liu stand on the stool, "It's so hard to bang your head against the pillar while standing. Step on this stool and bang it with all your strength. It will definitely go away quickly and painfully. Do you want me to help you remove the jade hairpin on your head? I heard that poking your temple with the tip is easier than banging your head against the pillar!"
Liu was so frightened that her soul was about to flee. Her head, which had been resting on the pillar, swooshed back, and the jade hairpin in her hair clanged to the ground. She looked at the innocently smiling girl before her, and suddenly felt that her face was terribly unfamiliar. This was no longer the foolish legitimate daughter who had allowed herself to be manipulated by her, but a little demon in human skin!
"You've rebelled! You've gone completely mad!" Liu tumbled to her feet, her legs caked with dust, the hem of her silk gown. "I'm going to tell the old lady and have her discipline you, this unruly creature!"
"Aunt, take care." Shen Weiwan leaned against the door frame with her arms folded, watching Liu's staggering figure leave. Her voice was clear enough to penetrate the morning mist. "By the way, Aunt, I'll have the servants sprinkle some glutinous rice on the spot where you kowtowed just now, so that you don't bring any dirt back!"
The maids in the corridor could no longer hold back their laughter, covering their mouths with their hands and laughing so hard that their shoulders shook. Chun Tao handed over the handkerchief, looked at the cold light in her young lady's eyes, and whispered, "Young lady, I'm afraid Liu Shi has suffered a loss and she won't let it go."
"Of course she won't give up." Shen Weiwan took the handkerchief and wiped her fingertips, which still had the scent of perfume from when she helped Liu Shi. "Go and invite the old housekeeper over. I have something important to tell you."
At three quarters past noon, the old housekeeper walked in, hunched over, clutching a set of copper keys to the warehouse. Shen Weiwan pointed to the pearwood table by the window, where a yellowed land deed lay spread out. "Housekeeper, Liu came yesterday to ask for the keys. Guess what she said? She said the warehouse had been in disrepair for so long that it would collapse if the door wasn't opened."
The old butler's cloudy eyes suddenly widened. "Nonsense! We just had a craftsman inspect it last month, and the warehouse foundation is solid!"
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