Chapter 2
In the late October of the 29th year of the Yongzhen reign of the Da Min dynasty.
West Warm Pavilion of Yikun Palace.
The maid Biluo walked lightly, carrying a bowl of strong medicinal soup.
"Girl, it's time to take your medicine."
"Um."
Shen Yao lay on the bed, and upon hearing this, she closed the book in her hand, took the soup bowl, pinched her nose, and gulped it down.
The bitterness of the Chinese medicine instantly swept through my mouth, and my internal organs seemed to convulse.
At times like these, I always miss modern times, at least taking medicine doesn't have to be so painful.
Shen Yao has been here for over half a month and is now the owner of this body.
The original owner had already passed away, having been whipped to death with fifty lashes.
It is said that the original owner sent someone to push her husband's concubine into the water, causing her to miscarry. As a result, she was reported and punished.
As for her, she was rather unlucky. She casually said something about "wiping out the two of them," and was chosen by the omnipotent god to come to this evil feudal dynasty.
At this time, the eldest son of the emperor, Wei Luo, had just been established as the crown prince, and there was still a year before he became Emperor Zhaoxuan.
"well."
Could it be that if they really want to kill the Crown Prince, Xu Xuan is also involved?
Murder is illegal. She's never even killed a chicken, let alone two living people!
Shen Yao frowned, looking troubled.
Biluo hurriedly asked, "Does your mouth taste bitter, young lady?"
"Yes, my mouth tastes bitter, but my heart tastes even bitterer."
Shen Yao rested her chin on her arm and looked at her, asking, "Do you know how to make someone disappear quietly?"
Biluo looked puzzled.
Shen Yao explained, "For methods that don't involve bloodshed, it would be best to use some mysterious method, such as witchcraft."
That's how it's recorded in historical books.
The more something is taboo, the more useful it is.
She hadn't believed in such magic before, but since she could travel through time, she figured she might as well give it a try. What if she succeeded? Even if she didn't, there wouldn't be any loss.
Upon hearing this, Biluo lowered her head slightly, then squatted down and reached under the bed to rummage around.
When Shen Yao looked, she had already swiftly taken out a pitch-black wooden box. When she saw what was inside, she immediately gasped.
The small box was filled with paper figures stuck with iron nails. On the back of each paper figure were written the names of two people: Crown Prince Wei Luo and Xu Xuan's concubine Liu Ru.
These are the two people the original owner hated the most.
Shen Yao could understand why he disliked concubines, but why did he hate Crown Prince Wei Luo so much?
Shen Yao then asked, "What grudge do you hold against the Crown Prince?"
Upon hearing this, Biluo was visibly taken aback, and her expression turned strange. "Why would you ask such a question, Miss? You and the Crown Prince are old enemies. You dislike him, and he dislikes you as well."
"ah--"
As if a bucket of water had been poured over her head, Chen Yao felt a chill run through her. "Is there any more?"
"besides……"
Biluo scratched her head and said cryptically, "These are all old, trivial matters. Now that he is the Crown Prince, it's not appropriate to bring them up again."
Judging from her expression, it wasn't anything good.
Shen Yao touched her neck and suddenly felt a suffocating sensation. She coughed a few times, pointed at the paper figure, and asked, "Is there any trick to using it?"
"Take iron nails and keep stabbing until the paper is filled with forty-nine nails. Pray every day and the person will die."
Is that so mysterious?
Shen Yao lowered her eyes, looking at the box full of paper figures, her eyes filled with doubt, "Making so many doesn't seem to serve any purpose."
Wei Luo is still alive and well, Liu Ru is also alive, but the original owner of this body died.
Biluo said, "That's because there's only a name, not a birth date and time."
"Oh?" Shen Yao immediately became interested, her eyes shining. "Tell me in detail."
“I once heard someone say that there was a master in the capital who could write a person’s birth date and time on a talisman, add something else, seal it in a jar, and the person would die after half a month.”
"Is it really that miraculous?"
Shen Yao stroked her chin, lost in thought.
*
A few days later, in Jiangnan Hutong.
The road was covered in mud and black sewage, and the air was filled with the smells of food and the stench of feces. There were also many beggars crawling on the ground begging.
This is the black market trading place in the capital, where all kinds of illegal transactions, including those involving crimes and offenses, can be conducted.
The master that Biluo mentioned is inside.
The carriage stopped outside the alley, and Shen Yao and Bi Luo got out, each wearing a face mask, and walked in, covering their noses and lifting their skirts.
The plaque reading "Hall of the King of Hell" gleamed in the sunlight.
Shen Yao stopped outside and asked, "Is this the place?"
Biluo hummed in agreement, and the two of them stepped inside.
A large golden Buddha statue sits at the head of the hall, and incense burns in the censer, with wisps of smoke curling around, giving the spacious hall a mysterious feel.
Who comes here?
A hoarse male voice suddenly came from behind the Buddha statue, resounding in their ears.
Shen Yao clasped her hands together and hurriedly said, "Master, we have come to make a wish. May you come out and see us?"
"The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao; the name that can be named is not the eternal name. I do not see anyone, yet you only ask what my wish is?"
Shen Yao exchanged a glance with Bi Luo, and she asked, "I've heard that your witchcraft is very powerful. If I want someone to die, can you do that?"
After a long silence, Shen Yao's heart began to race. Just as she was about to speak again, the man spoke, "Whom do you want to die?"
"A person of high status."
The words were vague, and the master remained silent. Shen Yao then added, "Okay, actually it's my husband."
Let's use Xu Xuan as an excuse for now!
"Fifty taels."
"..."
Asking for money before even offering a solution made Shen Yao uneasy. This seemed like the work of a con artist!
But then I thought, if the master dares to open a shop here, he must have some skill.
Desperate to survive, and with a try-it-and-see attitude, they offered silver, saying, "Master, we'll leave the silver here. Now you can tell us your method."
A moment later, the person inside said, "Simply write your husband's birth date and time on my specially made talisman, along with his bodily fluids, excrement, and personal clothing, place them in a sealed jar, and recite the incantation to it for fifteen minutes every morning and evening. It will take effect after half a month."
It sounds more reliable than pinning someone to commit suicide.
Shen Yao then asked, "What is meant by 'three fluids and one excretion'?"
"Sweat, urine, semen, and feces."
"..."
Indeed, to kill someone using witchcraft, one must resort to extraordinary methods. Although it is somewhat disgusting, it seems to be true.
I've heard before that Miao witchcraft involves using things like bedbugs, so all the methods of harming people in the world lead to the same end.
Shen Yao immediately agreed.
The master told her to go back first, collect these things, and then come back here to proceed to the next step.
Thus, Shen Yao's task became obtaining the Crown Prince's birth date and time, personal clothing, and bodily fluids.
The birth dates and times of princes are usually kept in the Imperial Clan Court. She could ask the Consort's son, her cousin Wei Xun, for help.
In ancient times, excrement and urine were referred to as "dragon's remains" or "holy water" by the emperor, and could be sold at high prices among the common people.
It shouldn't be difficult to bribe the eunuchs in the Eastern Palace with money, given the corresponding "Eastern Palace Legacy" and "Linye" of the Crown Prince.
As for sweat, although the weather turned cool at the end of October, I still sweat when walking around. Whenever I put my underwear down, it will inevitably be covered in sweat.
The only problem is semen, such a private substance, how do I get my hands on it?
Shen Yao asked Bi Luo, "Does the Crown Prince have women?"
"No, the Crown Prince is currently observing mourning for his mother, and there is not a single woman in the Eastern Palace."
Shen Yao couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh, "So how does he usually take care of his physiological needs?"
Biluo was taken aback and stammered, "This... how would I know?"
After a pause, she moved closer to Shen Yao and lowered her voice, saying, "He might be looking for a eunuch to relieve his lust. It's rumored that the Crown Prince is a homosexual."
Shen Yao opened her mouth wide, then thought it made sense. It was well known that men in this dynasty preferred male homosexuality. The Crown Prince was nearly twenty years old, the age when his desires were at their peak, yet he had no woman by his side. So it was not surprising that he sought out a eunuch.
Then I'll have someone inquire later about which eunuch in the Eastern Palace is handsome.
*
When we returned to Yikun Palace, it was already dark. The palace servants lit up the octagonal lanterns one after another, making the red walls and green tiles shine brightly.
In the evening, the emperor sent word that he wanted to dine, so everyone in the palace was busy preparing the meal, and the place was bustling with activity.
Wei Xun also arrived early and was drinking tea in the hall.
As soon as Shen Yao entered, she saw Wei Xun looking over with joy in his eyes.
The third son of the emperor, Prince Xi, Wei Xun, was the emperor's most beloved son and Shen Yao's cousin. He was seventeen years old, tall and slender, with a fair complexion and delicate features, a typical boy with feminine features.
After recuperating in the palace for many days, the two had become quite familiar with each other. However, this was a feudal dynasty, and he was a prince of noble status. Shen Yao always remembered his identity and etiquette.
First, bow to him, "Your Highness, Third Prince."
"Oh dear, cousin, don't be so polite."
Wei Xun quickly pulled her up, looked her up and down, and muttered with dissatisfaction, "I heard you left the palace, why didn't you take me with you?"
"I'm going out on business, not for leisure."
Upon hearing this, Wei Xun exclaimed "Oh!" and a look of disappointment flashed across his face.
Upon seeing this, Shen Yao couldn't help but sigh.
Silly child, still thinking about playing? Do you know that the Shen family's doom will come in a year?
She shook her head and poured herself a cup of tea.
Wei Xun sat down beside her, turned to look at her, and asked, "Where is the mighty general I gave you?"
It refers to crickets, also known as grasshoppers.
Wei Xun loved cricket fighting, and the original owner, Shen Yao, also loved it. The two often sneaked out of the palace to play in the temple street near Dengshikou.
It was already late October, and the weather was getting colder. Most of the crickets in the countryside had frozen to death, but the palace had an underground heating system, which was equivalent to underfloor heating, so the dozens of crickets that Wei Xun raised were able to survive.
"It's in the warm room, would you like to see it?"
"Okay, take it out quickly."
Shen Yao instructed Biluo to fetch it.
A blue-and-white ceramic basin was brought in, lined with cotton and charcoal ash for insulation, and a majestic general was squatting inside.
Wei Xun lowered his eyes, teased the insect a few times, and when it became excited, he took out a few fresh leaves from his pocket and fed them to it.
The two were engrossed in watching the crickets eat when suddenly the Imperial Concubine arrived. Upon seeing her son and niece teasing the crickets again, her eyebrows shot up, and she shouted, "You dare to bring out this beast again?"
The imperial concubine glared at the two of them and rushed over, seemingly about to stomp the cricket to death. Wei Xun knew something was wrong and immediately grabbed the cricket, holding it in his hand and retreating repeatedly, shouting, "Mother, don't be impulsive! This is something Father Emperor has allowed us to keep."
"You good-for-nothing! Your elder brother studies in the Wenhua Hall all day long, but you are not ambitious and spend your days playing with bedbugs, wasting your time on trivial things."
“My elder brother is the crown prince, so naturally he has to learn how to govern the country. Also, it’s not called a bedbug, it’s called the Mighty General, a title bestowed by my father.”
"Shut up."
The imperial concubine roared, startling Wei Xun. He suddenly clenched his fist, perhaps hurting the cricket, because the insect stung his palm. He then screamed "Ah!" and flung the cricket away.
The crickets, now free, hopped around the room, which angered the imperial concubine even more. She quickly ordered the palace servants to catch them.
However, the insect had been kept in captivity for a long time and had so much energy that it jumped out of the house.
Shen Yao hurriedly followed.
The cricket finally stopped on the threshold. Shen Yao told the palace servants to stop, then lightly stepped down and suddenly squatted down to press it down.
In an instant, the cricket leaped up and was precisely stepped on by a soap boot.
Shen Yao missed her target and fell to her knees. When she looked up, she met a pair of dark, deep eyes.
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