Jiang Yuwei nodded nervously, and the two entered the courtyard one after the other. The further they went, the clearer the sobbing became.
Jiang Yuwei, recognizing the sound as coming from the main house, patted Ning Huaizhi on the shoulder and pointed towards it. Ning Huaizhi understood and walked straight towards the main house.
"Who's inside!"
Ning Huai kicked open the door and roared.
The sobbing stopped abruptly. Jiang Yuwei frowned and looked around the room. The room was simply furnished, but it didn't look like a room that hadn't been lived in for more than ten years. There was a desk in the center that looked spotless, which seemed quite out of place compared to the dilapidated courtyard.
As Jiang Yuwei walked further in, she saw a bed in the room. She reached out and touched it; the bed was still warm. She immediately understood, looked around, and slowly said:
"No matter who you are, come out now and I'll spare you. This courtyard is now under our control, and you can't escape. If I blow this whistle, everyone in the courtyard will gather here, and then you'll have no chance of escaping!"
Ning Huaizhi looked at Jiang Yuwei with some confusion.
Jiang Yuwei looked around carefully, listening intently to the sounds around her, while smiling and nodding to Ning Huaizhi to signal him to calm down.
Soon, Jiang Yuwei heard a sound coming from a wardrobe. Ning Huaizhi looked in the direction Jiang Yuwei was pointing, instantly understood, put down the lantern, and took a step forward to open the wardrobe door.
In the corner of the wardrobe, a shivering person was crouching, dressed in dirty old clothes, with messy hair that made it impossible to tell if he was male or female.
Seeing this, Jiang Yuwei stepped forward and said softly:
"Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you. Come out first."
The man raised his head, his eyes meeting Jiang Yuwei's gentle gaze. His body was no longer trembling as before. He slowly climbed up, supporting himself on the wardrobe door, and walked out of the wardrobe barefoot and cautiously.
Only then, by the light of the lantern, did Jiang Yuwei get a clear look at the person in front of her. She was a sallow-faced, thin woman with a dirty face. Seeing that she seemed to be unable to support herself, Jiang Yuwei reached out to help her. However, the woman seemed to be frightened again and started trembling all over.
Seeing this, Jiang Yuwei quickly let go of his hand and comforted him:
"Don't be afraid. I told you I wouldn't hurt you. Go sit down at the table."
The woman glanced back at Jiang Yuwei, then at Ning Huaizhi standing beside her, swallowed hard, nodded to Jiang Yuwei, and sat down in the chair.
Jiang Yuwei also sat down. Ning Huaizhi, fearing that this person might be hiding a concealed weapon, stood next to Jiang Yuwei and stared intently at her.
Jiang Yuwei looked at the woman and said:
"Now that the Emperor has given this house to our family, would you mind telling me who you are?"
Upon hearing the word "Emperor," the woman was so frightened that she slid off her chair and knelt on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I'm innocent! I'm innocent! My father was framed! Don't kill me! Don't, don't kill me!"
The woman kept crying out these words.
Seeing this, Jiang Yuwei could only sigh softly.
"Huaizhi, I think this man has suffered a shock and his mind is not right now. He might be a descendant of the Sun family. What do you think we should do now?"
Ning Huaizhi looked at the person kneeling on the ground and frowned, saying:
"She just cried out that she was innocent. Could it be that the Sun family has really been wronged?"
Jiang Yuwei pondered for a moment, then spoke:
"I want to keep this woman here and raise her in this courtyard for now. Don't tell anyone else. I want to try to cure her. She might be useful in the future."
Ning Huaizhi looked at Jiang Yuwei, then glanced at the woman kneeling on the ground, and said calmly:
"Alright, if you want to keep it, then keep it. So, what about today's matter?"
"Just say we've caught the ghost and the courtyard is clean now. Tomorrow I'll find workers to repair the courtyard, and then I'll have Tiezhu come here to keep an eye on things after you take me to court every day."
Ning Huaizhi nodded and said:
"I'll do whatever you say."
Jiang Yuwei helped the woman who was kowtowing on the ground to her feet and said softly:
"From now on, you can live peacefully in this courtyard. I'll give you a name. From now on, you'll be called Qiuyue. When others ask you about it, you can't give the wrong answer."
Qiu Yue quieted down considerably after hearing Jiang Yuwei's words, and looked up at Jiang Yuwei with a confused expression, murmuring:
"Qiuyue, my name is Qiuyue..."
Jiang Yuwei took Qiuyue's hand and took her pulse.
"Fortunately, although this illness has been going on for a long time, it is treatable. I'll write her a prescription later and have Xia Yue brew it in our yard and bring it over. She should be fine after drinking it for a while. Once she's more lucid, we can ask her about what happened at the Sun family that night."
After saying that, Jiang Yuwei helped Qiuyue onto the bed and covered her with the quilt. Then she and Ning Huaizhi left the room, closed the door, and went to the gate of the house, where they blew a whistle.
After searching everywhere without success, everyone rushed over upon hearing the whistle.
Jiang Yuwei took out some loose silver from her purse and handed it to the leader, smiling:
"The ghost in the courtyard has been caught tonight, and we've taken care of everything. Thank you all for your hard work. Go buy some wine for yourself tomorrow. We'll head back now."
Everyone was overjoyed. They had gotten the money for wine without lifting a finger and hadn't encountered any ghosts. The matter was thus resolved, so they all happily followed Jiang Yuwei back to her residence.
Ning Wu and the others drove the oxcart back to Fish and Bird Lane alone.
The next day,
Jiang Yuwei wrote a prescription for Xia Yue early in the morning.
"Xia Yue, take this prescription to the pharmacy and get ten doses of medicine. Decoction one dose each day and send it to our house outside."
Xia Yue's expression changed upon hearing this.
"Madam, are you suggesting I go by myself?"
Jiang Yuwei nodded with a smile.
“There are no ghosts in that courtyard, so you don’t need to be afraid. There’s just a girl who’s gone mad living there. I’ve named her Qiuyue. From now on, you’ll take her medicine there every day and make sure she drinks it. Also, bring her some food.”
As she spoke, Jiang Yuwei looked Xia Yue up and down, and continued:
"Oh, by the way, bring her some clothes too, she's about the same size as you."
After hearing Jiang Yuwei's words, Xia Yue nodded, slightly relieved:
"Yes, madam, please rest assured, I will make sure she drinks the medicine."
Jiang Yuwei looked around and then whispered to Xia Yue:
"This matter must be kept secret. Until that girl's mental illness is cured, I will secretly keep her in that courtyard and not let anyone else know."
Seeing this, Xia Yue nodded nervously in agreement, picked up the bamboo basket and the silver, and walked outside.
Jiang Yuwei tidied herself up and prepared to go out. Yun Qing, who was waiting outside, quickly followed her.
"Madam, where are you going? I'll take you there in a carriage."
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