Even after nightfall, Shangjing remains bustling with activity, its vibrant streets ablaze with lights and teeming with pedestrians.
The court recently received news that General Wei Jingzhuo led the Jin army in battle against the terrifying demon army and ultimately defeated them, leading Southern Chu to decide to negotiate peace. This means that the Great Jin has finally ended its protracted war and gained a hard-won peace.
The people were overjoyed and went out for a stroll after dinner. From the elderly to children, almost everyone was talking about how the Jin army had defeated the demon army.
The capital was far from Southern Chu, and news could only be relayed through postal stations. What could be confirmed at present was that the defeat of the demon army was orchestrated by the General's wife.
The elders, with their vast experience and wisdom, mostly exclaimed in admiration: "The general is truly blessed." The children, too young to understand, said the girls: "When I grow up, I want to be a goddess." The boys, most often, said: "When I grow up, I want to marry a goddess."
As for how it was specifically defeated, it was spread by adults.
As always, when people talk about what they know, they embellish it, and the story becomes more and more exaggerated.
The initial rumor came from a restaurant, saying that the general's wife, the goddess Su Wan, had come up with a solution. As for the specifics, no one knew, only that it was a solution that could suppress the ghost army.
Everyone felt it wasn't enough; it was too general and lacked detail.
Then the innkeeper across the street dropped a bombshell: the goddess Su Wan had used magic to instantly annihilate the demon army. The evidence? The battle with the demon army ended abruptly—what else could it be but magic?
Everyone immediately became excited and swarmed over, almost collapsing the restaurant, demanding to know what kind of magic the manager, Su Wan, had used.
The shopkeeper said it was a guest from the south who told him, but he didn't know the specific name of the spell. However, the guest had already left, leaving him with a hundred autographed copies of the goddess's spell. The truth he didn't tell everyone was that it was actually his six-year-old daughter who admired Su Wan and had written them privately.
Everyone went crazy. Someone who could cast spells was a god! The Great Jin Dynasty had never produced a god before... Regardless of whether it was true or not, they bought it first.
Each signature fetched a price of ten thousand taels of silver, with the lowest being several thousand. They would take the items home, place them on the altar, and burn incense sticks as thick as an arm as offerings. The restaurant owner made a fortune, enough to last ten lifetimes, and that very night he and his family celebrated a prosperous new year.
The very next day, another batch of Su Wan's "autographed" items appeared on the market. They were said to have been transported from Nan Chu and were snapped up in a frenzy.
The restaurant across the street, knowing the inside story, was green with envy. There are too many fools these days, and not enough con artists. So they made up a story: the goddess Su Wan summoned heavenly soldiers and generals to sweep across Southern Chu. To attract everyone, they even described in detail the armor worn and weapons carried by those heavenly soldiers.
To put it simply, if you make up a few more things, it could be turned into a novel.
The wealthy gentry in the capital were sleepless, collectively petitioning the emperor to immediately build a temple to worship the goddess. They even came up with a title: Greatly Compassionate and Merciful High Heavenly Holy Jade Pool Great Immortal Venerable Mysterious Vault Goddess.
Su Wan almost spat out her food when she heard this title.
I tried so hard to hold it in, but I still managed to spit it out in the end.
She rode a giant eagle and flew to the capital in just two hours, comparable to an ancient high-speed train. Not wanting to attract attention, she disguised herself as a man and went to a restaurant for a meal, only to hear such hilarious news.
The entire restaurant fell silent.
Everyone stared at her, their eyes saying the same thing: How dare she disrespect the goddess! The old man sitting opposite her even put his finger to his lips and shushed her frantically: "Young man, stop laughing. This is a great disrespect to the goddess!"
Su Wan didn't care about that. She laughed to herself until she was done, then stood up, clutching her stomach, and said, "Uncle, I just couldn't help it. Actually, her method for dealing with ghosts and monsters is quite simple."
She placed the chili oil on the table in front of the old man: "This is what we use."
After saying that, she slipped down from the restaurant.
The old man stared at the chili oil for a moment, then said, "That's utter nonsense. This child looks quite handsome, but he doesn't say a single reliable word." He then clasped his hands together and prayed to the sky: "Greatly Compassionate and Merciful High Heavenly Jade Pool Great Immortal Venerable Mysterious Vault Goddess..."
Su Wan left the restaurant, walked through the bustling streets, and as the number of pedestrians gradually decreased, she arrived at the gate of the Duke's Mansion.
When the Gui River breached its banks, she gave the Duke and his wife a large bathtub. The tub was quite sturdy and shouldn't tip over. If the two elderly people escaped, they should send word to the Duke's mansion.
One more thing, maybe we can find out about Bai Zhiyi here.
I remember last time I came, at least some lights were on. This time, not a single light is on; the entire Duke's mansion is pitch black. Anyone who didn't know better would think it was a long-abandoned haunted house.
She arrived at the gate and, by the moonlight, saw that the gate was sealed with tape in a crisscross pattern.
The Duke's mansion was actually seized.
She was standing there in a daze when a shout came from behind her: "Who is it, daring to spy on us here?"
She turned around and saw a group of soldiers carrying torches approaching. The officer in charge said, "This place has been sealed off. Are you sneaking around trying to steal something?"
Su Wan said, "No, my... sister works as a maid here. I came from the countryside to visit her."
The officer walked up to her and looked her up and down. Seeing that she was slender and not carrying any weapons, he felt relieved.
"You're from the countryside, you probably don't know, but Bai Zhiyi of the Duke's Mansion assassinated the late Emperor. The crime is undeniable, and His Majesty has ordered the imprisonment of all people in the Duke's Mansion until the General returns to deal with them. If you want to find your sister, you'll have to go to the prison."
Su Wan asked, "Why did you imprison everyone in the Duke's mansion after Bai Zhiyi assassinated the late emperor?"
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