Chapter 72 Capital 3
◎The Nightmare of the Princess Remarried◎
According to Xiaotao, Princess Jing was not Princess Changning's biological mother, but her second wife.
After the death of King Jing's original wife, King Jing remarried the current Princess Jing, and the couple are deeply in love. But Princess Jing was not in good health and failed to keep the fetus after three pregnancies, so she never had a child of her own.
Fortunately, Princess Changning was innocent, well-behaved, friendly and warm to others, and was very much loved by her stepmother, which made up for her regret of not having children.
Princess Jing started having nightmares since the beginning of last spring.
From time to time she would wake up from her dreams screaming in fear, frightening the timid maidservant into tears. King Jing tried to coax her patiently at first, but after all, he was too old to stand her being so startled, so he slept in a separate room from her.
Seven or eight experts came. Some said that the princess was haunted by a lonely ghost, some said it was a demon, some said the souls of the three fetuses could not rest in peace, and some said it was the vengeful ghosts who had been harmed by the princess coming to seek revenge.
There are many different opinions, but no one has finally solved it.
Three immortal masters had also come to Qingxu Temple. After performing a ritual, they left behind several talismans and covered the doors and windows of the princess' room tightly with them.
But as soon as they left, Princess Jing had a nightmare again. Even the talisman drawn by the Taoist priest of Qingxu Temple was of no use.
Princess Jing became increasingly thinner and had trouble sleeping all night. Recently, she even failed to recognize Princess Changning and Prince Jing. Because she would beat and scold anyone she saw, King Jing had no choice but to lock her up in a courtyard alone and arrange two strong maids to take care of her food and daily life.
King Jing and Princess Jing have a good relationship, and King Jing has never given up on treating the princess. Various martial arts masters and medical experts came to Prince Jing's mansion one after another, but some of them were crazy, some were stupid, some were injured, and some fled, and now there is not a single one left. The situation of the palace has not improved to this day.
Yan Yue drank a delicious sweet drink while listening to Xiao Tao's vivid descriptions of the secrets of the palace. Her stomach felt so full that she finally couldn't resist the urge to urinate.
Unexpectedly, when Fang Jie came back, Xiao Tao was gone!
She asked the waiter who was clearing the table, "Where is the girl from this table?"
The waiter said, "The girl paid the bill and left immediately."
Yan Yue looked at the bag of silver in his hand and sighed again: He is worthy of being a servant of the emperor's relative, he is really particular in his behavior and even rushes to pay the bill after being given the silver!
Since the other person was so generous, Yan Yue felt that she couldn't be too stingy, so she found a well-known dim sum shop, bought several bags of expensive ones, and also bought some candied fruits, and walked back carrying the large and small bags.
From afar, one could see a distinguished man dressed in silk and satin standing in front of the gate of Prince Jing's mansion, surrounded by a group of people who were bending their bodies and hanging their heads like quails. Princess Changning and Butler Cao stood at the front, also looking ashamed, as if they were being scolded.
The man seemed very excited. Yan Yue didn't hear clearly what he said, but he suddenly started coughing violently. The lanterns under the eaves were bright enough to illuminate his face as he coughed violently, which was as red as a cooked shrimp.
Yan Yue came closer and the man's coughing just stopped. She quickly took the opportunity to greet him.
"Hey, what are you busy with?"
These four short words were like pouring four basins of ice water, causing everyone in the room to freeze. Princess Changning stared in astonishment, Butler Cao was also stunned in surprise, and Xiaotao even forgot to close her open mouth!
The frozen atmosphere made the usually slow-witted Yan Yue feel a little at a loss, "Uh... did I... disturb you?"
"Ah! No, no..." Butler Cao was the first to react, and hurriedly said to the coughing man: "Your Highness, this is Master Yue..."
The man seemed dissatisfied, frowned and asked Yan Yue: "Where did the Heavenly Master go?"
It turns out that this person is King Jing. Yan Yue nodded at him and handed him a bag of preserved fruit: "I went to buy some gifts. Your lungs are not in good condition, right? I saw you coughing just now. This bag is made of preserved pears. Soak them in water and drink them to moisten your lungs."
King Jing took the snacks in a daze. Before he could respond, Yan Yue handed another paper bag to the equally stunned Princess Changning: "This peach blossom pastry is said to be able to invigorate blood circulation and nourish the skin. I picked it especially for you. And these dried plums are sour and sweet and appetizing."
"Butler Cao, this lotus seed paste cake is heat-clearing and contains kumquat candied fruit, which is just right for you."
"Xiao Tao, I couldn't find you when I turned around. Luckily you're back. This is jujube paste cake, it's good for replenishing qi and blood. I wonder if you like it?"
"Like, like it..." Xiao Tao looked a little panicked. When she raised her hand to take it, she secretly glanced at Princess Changning.
Yan Yue felt relieved and nodded to the others, saying, "Then I won't disturb you all. I'll go back first."
Everyone was completely petrified as they watched her carry the remaining two bags of snacks and walk briskly towards the guest room courtyard!
Butler Cao turned to King Jing carefully and said, "Your Majesty, this..."
King Jing looked at the oil-paper bag in his hand and coughed twice to hide his embarrassment: "It seems that the Heavenly Master is just strolling around. I am worrying too much. Let's go about our business!"
King Jing walked into the gate, then suddenly stopped, turned around and called out, "Changning."
Princess Changning took two quick steps and held onto her father's arm, listening to King Jing's instructions: "It's good that you entertained the Heavenly Master for your father. But you must be more careful next time and never lose him again. The Heavenly Master is here to treat your mother, so you must not neglect him."
Princess Changning smiled innocently: "Don't worry, father. I will definitely entertain the Heavenly Master well!"
As soon as Yan Yue returned to her room, Princess Changning came and expressed her sincere gratitude for the snacks she sent. She also affectionately changed her address to "Sister Yue" and asked Xiaoqin to go to the kitchen to bring her a bowl of bird's nest.
Although Yan Yue couldn't eat such precious tonic, she was still grateful for the princess's enthusiasm.
After seeing the princess off, she finally had time to give the snacks to Xiaoqin.
Xiaoqin held the snacks in her hands, her eyes red. Yan Yue only then realized that Xiaoqin had to use her monthly allowance to subsidize the family, and she simply could not afford to buy things from such a famous store.
Seeing that Xiaoqin was reluctant to eat it and seemed to be planning to leave it for her family, Yan Yue stuffed her with the bag of candied dates she had kept for herself, and then opened a bag of snacks she had kept for herself and gave her a piece.
The package of dim sum contained eight mixed flavors, each of which was extremely exquisite.
Yan Yue couldn't help but sigh: "The snacks you make in Beijing are so beautiful! This peach blossom pastry is made to look like peach petals, and the lotus seed paste cake is a round lotus seed..."
"Girl..." Xiaoqin hesitated for a long time while holding the snack she had taken a bite of. Finally, she mustered up her courage and said, "Run!"
Yan Yue was stunned: "Ah?"
Xiaoqin secretly glanced out the window and said in a low voice, "Prince Jing's Mansion is not clean!"
Yan Yue nodded: "I know! They invited me here from far away, isn't it just for this matter?"
Xiaoqin was a little anxious: "Miss, you don't know, the evil spirits in this mansion are very powerful, and some of the masters we invited before were scared crazy!"
"Is it a ghost?" Yan Yue asked in a low voice in cooperation.
Xiaoqin felt a chill on the back of her neck and shook her head, "I don't know." She paused, as if she was afraid Yan Yue wouldn't believe it, and then added, "But many people in this mansion have experienced it. They said that lanterns floated in the air by themselves in the middle of the night, and some people even heard ghosts crying!"
Yan Yue asked: "Have you seen it?"
Xiaoqin shrank her neck and said, "No. I'm timid. When I heard any strange noises, I covered my whole body with a blanket and blocked my ears."
Yan Yue nodded: "That's a solution!"
Seeing that she didn't seem to take it seriously, Xiaoqin became even more anxious: "Miss, I really didn't lie to you. Those old people in the mansion who have saved some money even spent money to redeem themselves! Most of the people in the mansion have been replaced in the past year. Otherwise, with my family's situation, how could I come to work in the Jingwang Mansion?"
Yan Yue asked: "You are so timid, why do you dare to come to Prince Jing's mansion?"
Xiaoqin smiled bitterly and said, "Prince Jing's Mansion has always been generous in buying servants, and the monthly salary they pay is also high. In addition, Princess Changning is an extremely gentle and kind person, and she has a good reputation in the market. My mother feels that following a master like Princess Changning is already a blessing I have earned in my previous life."
She advised earnestly, "Girl, you are different from me. My family is poor and I have no choice. But you are so young and capable, so you'd better not get involved in the muddy water of Prince Jing's Mansion."
Yan Yue spread her hands and said, "I've already taken the money. I need to understand the situation before I can decide whether I can do anything about it." She smiled at Xiao Qin and said, "I probably can't be afraid of evil spirits. But thank you for reminding me anyway!"
Can't be afraid?
Xiaoqin was confused by these words. If she was afraid, she was afraid. If she was not afraid, she was not afraid. So what did it mean to not be afraid?
Yan Yue had no way to explain. After sending Xiaoqin out, she glared at Zhou Lin and said, "Are you bored? The little girl is timid to begin with, and you're blowing wind on the back of her neck!"
Zhou Lin chuckled: "I just urged her to leave quickly so I can get to know the situation with you!"
Yan Yue told Zhou Lin what she had learned. Zhou Lin had a rough idea in his mind, so he floated out of the door and continued to ask the ghost about the affairs of Prince Jing's Mansion.
As soon as Zhou Lin left, Butler Cao came to invite Yan Yue.
Yan Yue followed Butler Cao to the meeting hall of the palace, where Prince Jing was already waiting.
After the greetings and compliments, King Jing finally got to the point: "I have invited the Heavenly Master from afar because something strange has happened in your mansion.
"Last year, after the beginning of spring, my princess suddenly started seeing ghosts. She cried all day and couldn't sleep at night. I prayed to the gods and used countless instruments and talismans, and even brought statues of the gods to my home, but my princess didn't get any better."
"I heard that the Heavenly Master can hear the voices of the gods and the netherworld, and can talk to the City God. So I'm asking you to take a look at what kind of evil is going on in the palace. Why are the statues and these magic tools completely useless?"
Butler Cao immediately took out a tray from the table behind him, lifted the red cloth, and a palm-sized golden statue almost blinded Yan Yue's eyes.
Yan Yue almost couldn't pick it up with one hand, so he grabbed the statue with both hands and turned it over and over to examine it carefully. Even Butler Cao was shocked! This is a statue of a deity. Isn't it too casual to hold it by the neck and with its head facing down like this?
It is hard to tell what kind of god the statue is. He is not fat, but has a green face and fangs. He does not look like a god, but more like a ghost.
Yan Yue asked: "What kind of god is this?"
King Jing looked at her in surprise, as if he was surprised that she didn't know, but he still patiently answered: "It's the God of the Underworld, the Supreme God of the Underworld, who specializes in suppressing evil spirits."
Yan Yue nodded, as if she had heard someone mention him in a teahouse. He was the boss of the underworld, higher in rank than the King of Hell. She thought that he was worthy of being a royal relative, as he could directly invite the highest-level gods!
King Jing saw that she looked serious and asked quickly, "What's the problem with this statue?"
"Is this made of pure gold?" Yan Yue held the heavy statue and wanted to take a bite of it.
"The center is empty..." King Jing didn't expect her to ask this question, and answered subconsciously. Then an idea flashed in his mind, and he asked hurriedly: "Is it because the center is empty that you are not sincere and fail to invite the underworld god?"
Yan Yue was amazed when she heard this: This is the real "golden body"! Even if the center is empty, this small statue must weigh more than twenty kilograms. How can this be insincere?
She was originally dissatisfied with King Jing's "strong invitation", but now seeing this 20-plus kilogram lump of gold, and the jade, white jade, beads and the like on the other trays, she suddenly felt...
It’s not unforgivable!
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