《A Match Made In Heaven (Jiuyue Liuhuo)》


 CH 1.1

    It was the first year of the Shengli1 era, the day after New Year¡¯s Eve, and it was snowing heavily. Buddhist pagodas of different sizes stood unevenly amidst the snow and mist.


    Luoyang appeared like a land for immortals overnight.


    As soon as Ming Huashang raised her head, she could see the golden phoenix entering the clouds from the top of the Vientiane Shrine. Even while shrouded by the thick mist, and heavy snow, none of this could hide the phoenix¡¯s spirit and its fluttering wings which desired to fly.


    Ming Huashang withdrew her gaze and sneezed due to the cold.


    Zhaocai was the same as usual, prattling endlessly to her, ¡°Miss, it¡¯s fine that you like to sleep in, but today is the day to greet the Old Madam. How could you dare to sleep in like usual today as well?¡±


    A bright red cloak covered Ming Huashang from head to toe, and the cloak was trimmed with rabbit fur. The fine and soft fur collar covered most of her face making her voice indistinct.


    Zhaocai thought she heard the girl say something, but when she looked back, that face, which was more delicate and beautiful than new year¡¯s paintings, was buried in the white fur. It didn¡¯t look like she was talking.


    She thought, perhaps it was because the wind outside was too strong, so she misheard. She continued to talk to Ming Huashang like normal, ¡°Miss, you can¡¯t be so undisciplined anymore. You are the eldest di2 daughter of our duke manor¡¯s main branch3, the legitimate daughter of the Imperial Duke4 Zhen. I know you never cared before and no one dares to chide you, but after the New Year, you will be sixteen. It¡¯ll be time to arrange your marriage. Madam left early, so your marriage will have to be arranged by the Old Madam. If you don¡¯t try to warm up to her, how can the Old Madam think of you?¡±


    From greetings to the topic of marriage, it was like Zhaocai opened a chatterbox, filled with never-ending long-winded prattle. First, she weighed some prospective young masters of Luoyang who have yet to begin marriage talks then especially emphasized Ming Huashang¡¯s superior family background, and finally concluded, ¡°Miss, although you never tried to be the best in anything and have always been too lazy to compete for recognition in the four arts5, but with the Duke manor and second young master by your side, you¡¯re guaranteed to have a good marriage.¡±


    Zhaocai really deserved to be her maid. She could embellish both the good and the bad in such a nice way. There were herds of aristocratic families in Shendu6, dukes and marquises all around, and there was especially no shortage of well-bred noble family daughters. Ming Huashang never competed for a reputation in the four arts; was it really because she didn¡¯t want to?


    After weighing the odds, even her most biased maid knew that Ming Huashang¡¯s only advantage was her family background, which proved just how authentic a salted fish7 Ming Huashang was.


    Ming Huashang sighed again. Even Zhaocai had more initiative than herself, which made Ming Huashang feel a tiny bit ashamed. Of course, she wasn¡¯t ashamed about not working hard, but from the guilt that she was probably going to let Zhaocai down.


    Because she didn¡¯t even have the family background advantage anymore.


    Ming Huashang woke up late today, not entirely because she wanted to snooze, but because of a nightmare, she had last night. In that dream, a slender and beautiful woman with a temperament like an orchid came to the Ming family claiming that she was the real daughter of the Ming family. Along with her claim, she presented physical evidence.


    After a period of turmoil, her father, Duke Zhen came over from the back courtyard. It looked like he had found the answer after an investigation, and emotionlessly described a series of events from the past.


    That year, Wang Yulan, the official wife of Duke Zhen, gave birth to a pair of rare fraternal twins. The elder brother was named Ming Huazhang, and the younger sister was named Ming Huashang. Unfortunately, Wang Yulan collapsed from excessive bleeding post-birth and passed out before she could even see the children. This gave an evil servant a chance to cause trouble. When Duke Zhen named the children, he didn¡¯t know that the younger sister of the fraternal twins had been switched.


    This evil servant happened to be Wang Yulan¡¯s wetnurse, Su-shi8. Everyone from the inner courtyard had to respectfully call her momo9 Su. Although momo Su was a noble family¡¯s servant, in fact, she owned land in the countryside, so she had some personal wealth.


    However, this bit of family property was nothing in comparison to the Duke manor. It just so happened that momo Su¡¯s daughter-in-law gave birth to a daughter; she was stealthy and secretly swapped the two children. She let Ming Huashang, who was supposed to be the daughter of a common farmer, enjoy seventeen years of wealth and honor in Luoyang, while the real daughter of the Duke manor lived among the commoners, settled down in the countryside, and became a servant¡¯s granddaughter, Su Yuji.


    Seventeen years later, Su Yuji, a girl raised by a common farmer, yet still grew up to become outstanding, found out the truth and went to the door of the Ming family herself. Only then did Duke Zhen learn that the di young miss who had lived with him for seventeen years was a fake.


    T/N: Since this novel is set in a real period of ancient China, loosely follows that period¡¯s timeline of events, and even uses real historical figures, I thought it would be worthwhile to try and explain how some of these events and people were significant and a little bit of their history in the footnotes.


    Also, I¡¯ll do a daily release for all the parts of Chapter 1, so stay tuned. Enjoy!

 CH 1.2

    After the truth came to light, the entire Ming family was in an uproar. Even Duke Zhen was about to order his servants to set up a carriage on the spot and send Ming Huashang straight back to the commoner Su family. In the end, his shizi1 Ming Huazhang who couldn¡¯t overlook this came forward to stop him. Only then did Duke Zhen reluctantly give up.


    But even so, Ming Huashang was driven to a remote side courtyard and left to fend for herself. The real daughter, Su Yuji, changed her surname back to Ming, recognized her ancestors and returned to her clan. The Ming Huashang in her dream continued to be a salted fish, eating and sleeping every day. She didn¡¯t take things too hard.


    This was very much like Ming Huashang; no matter whether it was in the good or bad times, she would always insist on not making progress. That was why one night with a bright moon after she fell asleep, she died silently.


    She didn¡¯t even know how she died.


    After being startled awake from fright, Ming Huashang remained terrified in the darkness for a long time. That heart-wrenching pain was ever present in her body and lingered for a long time. She stared at her brocade screen for half the night and couldn¡¯t shut her eyes until dawn.


    Not long after, she was awakened by Zhaocai and Jinbao, and went to greet the Old Madam.


    After thinking about it for half the night, Ming Huashang was much calmer when she went out that morning. But she still couldn¡¯t figure it out, who wanted to kill her? Why did they want to kill her?


    Before Ming Huashang¡¯s identity was exposed, she was just an ordinary girl in Luoyang who was part of a family recognized for its meritorious service. Her father, Duke Zhen, Ming Huaiyuan, was a minister under Emperor Gaozong¡¯s2 reign. Now that the Empress was in power, the Ming family could not be placed in an important position, but with the shade of their ancestors there to protect them, they were not considered destitute. There were a bunch of families like theirs in Luoyang, so they were nothing special.


    Her mother, Wang Yulan, was a daughter of the Wang clan from Taiyuan3. She was born to one of the most prominent aristocratic families belonging to the Five Surnames and Seven Families4, and had a very noble reputation. However, under the suppression of Emperor Gaozong and the Empress, these families had already become empty shells with only good reputations to their name. They no longer had any political influence.


    Wang Yulan and Ming Huaiyuan had three children in total. The eldest son didn¡¯t survive and died at the age of two, so their remaining two children were their fraternal twins.


    It was a pity that Wang Yulan also passed away after giving birth to the twins. Ming Huashang and Ming Huazhang lost their mother at birth, and Duke Zhen lost his son and wife. These losses made him use the remainder of his affection to treasure and dote on the twins. For their sake, Duke Zhen didn¡¯t even remarry. All these years, his heart was single-mindedly attached to the brother and sister pair, he didn¡¯t even have any shu children.


    Her father had already inherited the noble title, but since her grandmother Ming, Zheng-Shi, was still alive, the family did not separate. They lived with her second shu uncle, Ming Huaiyuan5, and his third di uncle Ming Huaihan. Both uncles had married wives and started families, each having their own children.


    These were all the members of the Ming family, and it wasn¡¯t considered complicated. Ming Huashang thought, was it the second branch, or the third branch who wanted to kill her?


    It was possible. Since momo Su dared to secretly switch the blood of the Duke manor, with such inferior blood flowing within Ming Huashang¡¯s body, how could she deserve to continue living with Ming family?


    Or was it that real daughter Su Yuji?


    That would make sense as well. After all, Ming Huashang replaced her identity, gained her relatives, and enjoyed wealth and honor in Luoyang, yet she shamelessly stayed with the Ming family. It was reasonable for her to get angry enough to make a move.


    Or was it her father Duke Zhen or her elder brother Ming Huazhang?


    Each of them seemed to have a motive, but neither of them was conclusive. The second branch and the third branch would eventually separate from the manor sooner or later. Momo Su tampered with Duke Zhen¡¯s blood, not theirs, so why would they want to get involved? To put it bluntly, even if their motive was to obtain the title and family property, the second and third branches should poison Ming Huazhang. What¡¯s the use of poisoning Ming Huashang?


    The real daughter Su Yuji made an aggressive return and overthrew Ming Huashang, the fake daughter. Ming Huashang had been swept out like dust, and took shelter in a remote courtyard where she kept to herself and didn¡¯t scheme, so why would Su Yuji feel the need to kill her?


    As for Ming Huazhang, it was even more unnecessary. If he really wanted Ming Huashang to die, it would have been enough to not stop Duke Zhen in the beginning and let her go back to the Su family. If there was an accident on the way there or at the Su family, making her disappear without anyone noticing would be guaranteed. Why would Ming Huazhang make such an unnecessary move, let her continue to live with the Ming family, and then dirty his own space?


    Then could it have been Duke Zhen? Ming Huashang tried to hypothesize it, but couldn¡¯t imagine that her father, who used to grant all her wishes and always let her have her way, could be so heartless.


    After being in a father-daughter relationship for so many years, would Duke Zhen have such an urge to kill her just because she was switched in by her elder and deceived the Ming family? Could it be that her father¡¯s company and indulgence over these years were all pretend?


    Ming Huashang¡¯s head hurt from thinking. She didn¡¯t like this feeling at all, suspecting whether everyone around her wanted to kill her or not.


    It wasn¡¯t that she never doubted the authenticity of this dream, but everything was too detailed, from Duke Zhen¡¯s subtle movements as he spoke in the dream and the behavior and actions of the people around her were exactly the same as in real life! Even until now, Ming Huashang could clearly remember the appearance of the real daughter Su Yuji.


    Could a face she didn¡¯t recognize appear in the dream? Ming Huashang didn¡¯t know. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a forked road beside her, paused slightly, and suddenly changed direction.

 CH 1.3

    Zhaocai was still listing in detail all the marriageable young masters before she came to her senses and found out that the space behind her was empty. She was taken aback and turned her head to see Ming Huashang huffing and puffing as she walked in another direction. She hurried to catch up, ¡°Miss, the Shou¡¯an hall is over here; where are you going?¡±


    No matter how hard she tried, Ming Huashang couldn¡¯t forget the pain of dying in that dream, and she was unwilling to doubt the close relatives who lived with her day and night. She wanted to perform a test to see if the dream from last night was real or not.


    She clearly remembered that after her identity was exposed in the dream, she moved to live in a far-off side courtyard. There was a tall osmanthus tree that filled the courtyard with a light fragrance. Before she went to bed, she especially collected the fallen osmanthus petals and planned to make osmanthus cakes the next day.


    Then, she never woke up again. When she died, the fresh and soothing floral scent of osmanthus still lingered on the tip of her nose.


    Ming Huashang couldn¡¯t bear this kind of suspicion anymore. She wanted to visit the side courtyard in her dream to confirm for herself whether there was an osmanthus tree.


    That place was remote and quiet, few people passed by, and no one swept the snow off the road. Ming Huashang stepped in, and there was enough snow to reach her calves. She was steadfast and continued to stride towards the courtyard in her memory.


    Zhaocai chased after her, struggling to keep up with her footsteps, ¡°Miss, what are you trying to do right now?¡±


    Ming Huashang didn¡¯t speak. In front of her was the side courtyard she was banished to in her dream. She didn¡¯t give herself a chance to hesitate and pushed open the courtyard door.


    The inside was covered with snow making it difficult to open the door. Using all her might, Ming Huashang pushed the door open by a gap. Zhaocai watched anxiously from behind, and quickly stepped forward to help her open the door, ¡°Miss, how did you think of coming to this kind of place? If you like it, I¡¯ll call a manservant over to sweep the snow. Please be careful, don¡¯t fall.¡±


    Ming Huashang didn¡¯t have time to pay attention to Zhaocai¡¯s non-stop chatter. She stared at the scene in front of her and had already lost her ability to speak.


    It was a cold first month of winter. There wasn¡¯t a single hint of greenery in the courtyard, except for the bare tree rooted in front of the window. Although its appearance was poles apart from the scene in the dream, Ming Huashang already recognized some familiar traces on the tree trunk.


    That¡¯s right, it¡¯s right here. She clearly remembered in the dream that while she was shaking the sweet-scented osmanthus she once saw a bowl-sized scar on the tree trunk. The size and location of the scar were exactly the same as in the dream. As well as the furnishings in the yard, the appearance of the house¡­


    Ming Huashang¡¯s shoulders slackened. She knew that she wouldn¡¯t be lucky again. She had been held in the palms of Duke Zhen all these years, so she had never set foot in such a remote and cold courtyard. If she had fabricated the dream with her imagination randomly, then how could she predict so accurately without being a clairvoyant? Was it even possible for her to dream up the actual placements of the scar on the sweet-scented osmanthus tree in the courtyard or the direction of the house?


    That dream was not a fantasy, but a reality. In other words, it was a prophetic dream.


    Behind her, Zhaocai was still nagging about calling for someone to sweep the snow. Ming Huashang exhaled and said softly, ¡°No need.¡±


    Zhaocai didn¡¯t hear clearly, so she leaned in closer and asked, ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to call someone here. It¡¯s quite a waste of their time.¡± Ming Huashang turned around, lifted her cloak, and staggered towards the Shou¡¯an hall, ¡°It¡¯s getting late. Let¡¯s hurry up and go greet grandmother.¡±


    Zhaocai hurriedly went over to support Ming Huashang, and pulled her fur collar tight, ¡°Miss, don¡¯t worry. You are the Imperial Duke¡¯s only daughter and the pearl in the palm of the Ming family. What problem can there be regardless of whether your greeting is early or late? Miss, please walk slowly so that you don¡¯t catch a cold. If you like that sweet-scented osmanthus tree, this servant will get someone to transplant it into our courtyard.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t do that.¡± Ming Huashang hurriedly stopped Zhaocai from speaking further, and said indistinctly, ¡°Zhaocai, you should exercise restraint in the future. Don¡¯t talk about bullying people all day long.¡±


    Zhaocai was taken aback by these words, ¡°Bullying people? It¡¯s just a common matter, how can it be considered bullying?¡±


    Ming Huashang shook her head lightly and didn¡¯t say much. She was still one of the precious dragon and phoenix1 twins of Duke Zhen, so giving her greetings later or speaking domineeringly now, no one will care. But once she is exposed as a fake, that common matter will become a life-threatening mark.


    Ming Huashang still didn¡¯t know how she died, when, where, by what, or who was behind it, she had absolutely no clue. What kind of immortal did she offend to make the other party want to kill her in such haste?


    Oh, right, she remembered that in the dream Su Yuji returned when she turned the age of seventeen. She was the same age as Su Yuji, and she was sixteen this year. In other words, there was at most one more year before she would die.


    Ming Huashang rubbed her face in distress. She was just a mediocre good-for-nothing who decidedly lived a life of indolence. During these sixteen years of her life, she would lie down when she could, nor would she ever compete with others. The only people she offended were probably the ones who taught her the four arts and her needlework and feminine arts teacher. If there was any grievance, couldn¡¯t they discuss it, why would they want to kill her?


    Dwelling on these depressing thoughts, Ming Huashang walked into the Shou¡¯an hall with a dispirited expression. The maid from the main courtyard saw Ming Huashang arrive, so she rushed out to welcome her. She enthusiastically helped her open the curtain, ¡°Second Miss, you are finally here. The Old Madam has mentioned you several times. Oh, why are Miss¡¯s hands cold and red? Please, quickly come inside.¡±


    In the room, Ming Yu knelt beside the couch and helped massage the Old Madam¡¯s legs. Ming Shuo snuggled in the arms of the third madam and acted spoiled. When she saw Ming Huashang come inside, she snorted coldly and stood up reluctantly.


    Ming Huashang took off her snow-covered cloak. After fixing her stance, she bowed to everyone in the room one by one, ¡°I¡¯ve arrived late. Huashang pays respects to grandmother, second aunt, and third aunt. Eldest sister and third sister, hope you are well.¡±


    The Zhen Duke Manor¡¯s Old Madam glanced at Ming Huashang indifferently, then withdrew her eyes, and said calmly, ¡°You may sit down. How are the people below serving you? Why are the second miss¡¯s hands red from the cold?¡±

 CH 1.4

    Although Ming Huashang was the only daughter of Duke Zhen, because the Ming family had not yet separated, she and the sisters of the second and third branches were arranged in order together making her second in that order.


    Zhaocai immediately knelt down to beg for forgiveness. Ming Huashang explained, ¡°Reporting to grandmother, don¡¯t blame them. I was the one who saw the snow on the road and stayed a while because I wanted to play. Just blame your granddaughter for being mischievous. It has nothing to do with them.¡±


    This was the only daughter of her eldest son. She even lost her mother when she was born. It was a tricky situation for Old Madam Ming to handle, so she said, ¡°Since you plead for leniency, then forget it. Baoqin, bring the hand stove, let the second miss warm her hands with it.¡±


    Baoqing bowed, quickly stepped away, and soon came back with a gold-plated grape-shaped hand stove etched with floral and bird patterns. She knelt down in a docile manner beside Ming Huashang, ¡°Second Miss, please raise your hands.¡±


    Ming Huashang looked at her grandmother¡¯s most capable maid, and then reflected on the names of her four maids: ushering in wealth and prosperity (¡°Õвƽø±¦¡± = ¡°Zhaocai, Jinbao¡±), auspicious and fortunate (¡°¼ªÏéÈçÒ⡱ = ¡°Jixiang, Ruyi¡±)¡­she sighed deeply for her uneducated self.1


    Ming Huashang raised her fingers, Baoqin brought the stove over and gently massaged Ming Huashang¡¯s fingers which were slightly stiff due to the cold. In fact, Ming Huashang really wanted to say don¡¯t bother, just pour her a cup of hot tea, but she didn¡¯t dare to be so uncouth in front of her grandmother. So, she silently endured the maid¡¯s refined and meticulous service.


    Before Ming Huashang entered the room, everyone was chatting. Now everyone was back in their seats; the second madam Zhao-shi, hurriedly picked up where they left off, ¡°Mother, I heard that Taiping Gongzhu2 will hold a banquet in Feihong Garden in another two days, even the imperial grandsons and young masters will attend. None of our three daughters are married, Mother, how about this Feihong banquet¡­¡±


    After the second madam Zhao-shi finished speaking, not only did the second branch¡¯s di daughter Ming Yu stop her movements but also the third branch¡¯s mother and daughter pair raised their heads and looked fixedly at old madam Ming with silent expectations.


    Taiping Gongzhu was the most prideful princess nowadays. Not only was she the Empress¡¯s only daughter, but she was also the Wu family¡¯s3 daughter-in-law. She was highly regarded inside and outside of the gates of the palace; even the crown prince and his concubines couldn¡¯t compare. A banquet she hosted, the people from Li and Tang clans wouldn¡¯t dare to not support, and the Wu family¡¯s various wangs4 and junwangs5 would also attend. It wouldn¡¯t be wrong to say that it would be the most ideal occasion for the daughters of Luoyang to choose a son-in-law.


    The second madam¡¯s di daughter, Ming Yu, was seventeen this year, and the third madam¡¯s daughter, Ming Shuo was younger but was already thirteen. They were all in their prime period for marital discussions. If they could attend Taiping Gongzhu¡¯s Feihong banquet and gain the fancy of a certain imperial young master, if they could fly into the imperial family in one fell swoop, then they would be secure for life.


    Four pairs of eyes were burning, anxiously waiting for Old Madam Ming to speak. Even the maids pricked up their ears to eavesdrop. Among the audience, Ming Huashang was probably the only one who was uninterested in this matchmaking banquet. Oh, that¡¯s not right, it¡¯s the Feihong banquet that she wasn¡¯t interested in.


    She was going to die the next year, so what¡¯s the point of marriage? Could marrying into the imperial family save her life?


    No, it couldn¡¯t. She might even die sooner. Now that the Empress was in her late years, the court has been arguing endlessly about whether the crown prince¡¯s surname was going to be Wu or Li. The Empress also never made a clear statement on this matter. If she accidentally married the wrong person, let alone glory and wealth, she was afraid that the lives of her whole family would be at stake.


    Evidently, Old Madam Ming also had this concern. She already experienced the bloody storm of the Chui Gong period6; she still had lingering fears from those years where beheadings and exiles were instantaneous endings in the event of only a bit of disagreement. Now that the Empress was old and the Great Zhou dynasty7 had progressed to a critical point, who knew which side would be favored by fate next?


    Before the situation became clear, Old Madam Ming was not willing to bet prematurely, but even if the invitation from Taiping Gongzhu was a formality, who would dare not go?


    Old Madam Ming felt like she was placed between a rock and a hard place. She glanced at Ming Huashang, who was examining her nails seriously and looking completely unbothered, and made up her mind in a blink of an eye, ¡°Thanking Her Highness Taiping for her favor and sending an invitation to the Ming family. But the mountain road to Feihong Garden is narrow, and difficult to travel by carriages and horses. The young masters can just ride horses, but it¡¯s truly inconvenient for womenfolk.¡±


    The second and third branches all showed regret when they heard this, knowing that they would be unable to go to the Feihong banquet. Unexpectedly, subsequently, Old Madam Ming changed the direction of her speech and said, ¡°Second young master is very skilled at archery and equestrianism and has a reputation for his talent. The banquet is an occasion for him to meet some friends. Second miss, you and your elder brother can go together.¡±


    Ming Huashang was startled, she even thought that she heard wrong, ¡°Me?¡±


    It was also a coincidence that just when Old Madam Ming mentioned second young master, a happy report from the servant girl outside the door sounded, ¡°Old Madam, second young master has arrived.¡±


    The entrance¡¯s curtain was lifted, and the cold wind swept in with the snow, blowing away the heavy fragrance and warmth inside the room. Ming Huashang turned her head and saw a tall and straight crimson figure passing behind the exquisitely carved window. A pair of slender and flawless hands held the glass-beaded curtain. His fingertips were even more radiant than the glazed crystalline beads.


    Multicolored glass beads collided with each other producing a constant ring. The gorgeous bead curtain contrasted the face behind it making it look fairer. The scene looked like white jade plated with gold rims. His jet-black eyes swept the room indifferently, filling the hall with splendor and boundless color.


    The young man ignored the frozen gazes in the room, let down the bead curtain, and slightly cupped his hands towards the Old Madam at the front of the room, ¡°Your grandson Huazhang pays respects to grandmother.¡±

 CH 2.1

    Translated by happysloth


    Chapter 2 Part 1


    After Ming Huazhang came in, even the atmosphere in the room changed. Ming Shuo, who was lying in her mother¡¯s arms, sat properly, trying to put on a dignified and ladylike appearance; Ming Yu still leaned against Old Madam Ming¡¯s side to fulfill her filial piety, but her movements and expressions became more obvious, almost like she wanted to announce that she was a filial daughter.


    Not to mention the servant girls. All of them were shy, smiling tenderly, and giving amorous glances. They couldn¡¯t help but stare at Ming Huazhang one after another. Only Ming Huashang maintained her salted fish appearance almost like even if Mount Tai collapsed before everyone¡¯s eyes nothing you did could affect her. She quietly yawned while no one was paying attention.


    After so many years, she had gotten used to it.


    Dragon and phoenix twins have always been a good omen. After the birth of the pair of fraternal twins in the Ming family, word spread quickly. Almost every time a guest came, she and Ming Huazhang would be called out to say hello to the guest. The other young ladies envied her for having an elder twin brother, but in fact, Ming Huashang and Ming Huazhang were not close with each other.


    Ming Huashang had never met her mother, and Ming Huazhang was taken to an outer courtyard for his upbringing early on. Since Ming Huashang could remember, there were almost no memories of her playing with Ming Huazhang. They only met while paying respects to the elders. The two were not much closer than ordinary cousins.


    This was not because Duke Zhen treated them differently. On the contrary, Duke Zhen was extremely indulgent towards both brother and sister. Whether it was food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, he gave them whatever they wanted. Even their education was thorough; using large sums of money, he invited the best tutors to teach them the Confucian Six Arts1 and the four arts. He whole-heartedly tried to cultivate them into a modest nobleman and a talented young lady becoming a model among all dragons and phoenixes.


    But the brother and sister pair had completely different personalities. The elder brother Ming Huazhang was diligent and self-disciplined. After finishing his studies, he even requested extra classes. From the Four Books, Five Classics of Confucianism, and Confucian Six Arts to equestrian, archery, and martial arts, there was nothing he couldn¡¯t master; in comparison, Ming Huashang was an expert in self-forgiveness, from the four arts to needlework and feminine arts, she learned what she could, but if she couldn¡¯t, she would let it be. Duke Zhen couldn¡¯t bear to force his daughter, and his heart softened whenever Ming Huashang acted spoiled.


    As a result, under such doting, Ming Huazhang grew up to be a renowned jade young master who excelled in both civil and martial arts and was the dream lover of half of the girls in Chang¡¯an and Luoyang, while Ming Huashang grew up to be a salted fish.


    Ming Huashang used to wonder, why was there such a big gap between siblings with the same parents? Now she understood, it turned out the problem was herself. Who could¡¯ve known, the real daughter, Su Yuji, who will soon show up, was also a very talented girl.


    Ming Huashang was letting her imagination run wild and didn¡¯t notice that her yawning action was a bit big. After Ming Huazhang greeted Old Madam Ming and took his seat, the maid served him tea attentively. When he put down the teacup, he nodded slightly to thank her, but his onyx jade-like eyes flit across her without any fluctuations.


    This was just due to his upbringing. As for the tea served to him, whether it was a man, a woman, or even an animal, it doesn¡¯t make any difference. He was as cold as a piece of jade. Even while being in such a warm and fragrant environment, he was still cool. Only when he glanced at the girl across from him, his gaze froze, and the tip of his brows slightly furrowed.


    Because of Ming Huazhang¡¯s actions, everyone in the room looked toward her.


    Ming Huashang was in the middle of a quiet yawn. She barely closed her eyes all night and the charcoal fire in Old Madam Ming¡¯s room was roaring. She felt cocooned by this comfortable warm fragrance, and she became more and more sleepy. But now that she was still paying her respects, it would be too shameful to be caught falling asleep. Ming Huashang pinched herself hard to remind herself not to doze off and then looked up to find that everyone was looking at her.


    Ming Huashang¡¯s expression froze. She scanned her surroundings cautiously in a daze and happened to meet Ming Huazhang eyes.


    She had just finished yawning, her eyes were glistening, and she was dumbfounded like a deer that was trying to play dead after being frightened. Ming Huazhang looked away calmly. Old Madam Ming broke the silence and spoke slowly, ¡°Second miss, what¡¯s the matter? Didn¡¯t you sleep well last night?¡±


    It seems that it was true, whatever you¡¯re afraid of will come. Ming Huashang bit the bullet and squeezed out a smile, and replied, ¡°No, I only had a nightmare, so I was a little dazed. I¡¯ve made grandmother laugh.¡±


    Old Madam Ming didn¡¯t really care about these details, but since it was mentioned, she had to ask a few more questions since Ming Huazhang was present, ¡°What kind of nightmare? Was it serious? Should we prescribe some medicine?¡±


    Once Ming Huashang heard the word medicine she could already taste the bitterness. Please don¡¯t! Now she was most afraid of taking medicine. Ming Huashang politely declined Old Madam Ming¡¯s kindness, ¡°Thank you, grandmother, no need for such trouble. I¡¯ll be better after I go back and sleep for a while.¡±


    Old Madam Ming also knew that Ming Huashang lacked a heart of ambition like a ball of dough; what she did possess was a big heart2, especially when it came to eating well and sleeping well. She nodded lightly and didn¡¯t pursue it anymore. Instead, she looked towards Ming Huazhang who was sitting on the other side, ¡°Second young master, Taiping Gongzhu is going to hold a banquet at Feihong Garden, what do you think?¡±


    Ming Huazhang was the only son of Duke Zhen, but before him, there was an elder brother who died early, so he was ranked second.


    Ming Huazhang nodded, and said plainly, ¡°Grandson knows. I heard that this time the Empress had bestowed favor, permitting the crown prince and his sons to leave the palace to attend the banquet. Grandson wants to go to the banquet to learn a thing or two.¡±


    Ming Huazhang was willing to go, which was exactly what Old Madam Ming wanted, but she didn¡¯t know that the crown prince¡¯s sons were also going to go.


    The crown prince had been under house arrest by the Empress¡¯s order for more than ten years, even his sons and daughters weren¡¯t treated any differently. They were all locked in the palace and couldn¡¯t connect with the outside world. It seemed that Taiping Gongzhu was truly favored because she could make the Empress show mercy.


    Even if it wasn¡¯t the crown prince who left the palace, but his son, that would be enough.


    Old Madam Ming asked, ¡°Which junwangs are going?¡±


    ¡°Linzi Wang and the Baling Wang.¡±


    Old Madam Ming responded with an ¡°oh¡±. Not knowing whether she was disappointed or relieved, ¡°How about the imperial grandson?¡±


    Ming Huazhang sat upright, with his slender hands resting on his knees, and the contrast against his crimson round-neck robe made his skin extremely white. He sat beside the sandalwood table like a jade statue, ¡°The imperial grandson must stay in the palace to fulfill his filial piety, so he cannot leave.¡±


    Old Madam Ming nodded slowly. She subconsciously pondered the meaning of the Empress¡¯ move. However, their Empress had been an Empress3 for twenty-eight years, an Empress Dowager for four years, and an Emperor for ten years. Her scheming was deeper than the sea. There was no way that Old Madam Ming could understand the Empress¡¯ intentions. She sighed and said, ¡°Forget it, it¡¯s a rare occasion to relax at the end of the year, so you should go meet a few people your age and relax.¡±

 CH 2.2

    Old Madam Ming gave up on trying to figure out what the Empress wanted. So many prime ministers and famous officials couldn¡¯t see through her, how could Old Madam Ming accomplish what they couldn¡¯t? Old Madam Ming comforted herself, even if the Empress did not intend to reinstate the crown prince, it would be good for Ming Huazhang to meet some young talents to pave the way for his future official career.


    It¡¯s just that being an official of Gaozong¡¯s reign, Old Madam Ming couldn¡¯t help but feel miserable when she couldn¡¯t envision a prince of the Li family1 gaining power for a long time.


    For the Ming family to come to this point, it had to start with Wu Zhou¡¯s2 usurpation of the Tang dynasty more than ten years ago.


    The current Empress was originally Gaozong¡¯s Empress. Later, she took the throne from her son and proclaimed herself Emperor. After she claimed the throne, the original Li imperial family became a thorn in her side that could destabilize her rule. In the early years from Chuigong to Tianshou3, the previous imperial family was almost slaughtered. Now her son, the former emperor who had ascended to the throne but was dragged down by her, was now the crown prince and had become an extremely awkward existence.


    The crown prince showed filial respect to his mother in the palace, and this filial respect lasted for ten years. Outside the palace, the officials wanted to see him, but at the same time, they were afraid of seeing him. Now, the Empress had finally loosened her hold and was willing to let the crown prince and his son out to get a breath of fresh air. Unexpectedly, it was not the eldest di son of the crown prince who was let out, but the third shu son, Linzi Wang, and the fourth shu son, Baling Wang.


    They weren¡¯t the eldest nor the di sons, they couldn¡¯t represent the crown prince at all, so what¡¯s the use in them coming out to attend the banquet?


    The Zhen Duke manor¡¯s Ming family started from Taizong¡¯s4 generation. Over the years, they had a close relationship with the imperial family and made great contributions. Ming Huaiyuan had also once served as crown prince Zhanghuai¡¯s5 bodyguard.


    This should have been a sure path to a high position, who would have known that an Empress would emerge from the sky and cut off the Ming family¡¯s future. Old Madam Ming sighed again, all that was left of the Ming family were remnants from their disastrous defeat; over the years, Duke Zhen had become an insignificant person in the court, leading some hard and tiring tasks without credit. He couldn¡¯t even make it back this year to celebrate the new year.


    The family was experiencing a downturn, but looking at her grandson, Huazhang, who was a child with splendid prospects made Old Madam Ming feel better. Old Madam Ming said to Ming Huazhang, ¡°I¡¯m an old woman now, I won¡¯t be bothered anymore. Second young master, the Feihong banquet, you can take second miss with you. There¡¯s snow on the mountain, and the road may be difficult to travel, so be extra careful.¡±


    Ming Huazhang had no objections about going to the banquet on behalf of the Zhen Duke manor, but Old Madam Ming specially arranged for Ming Huashang to go as well, naturally, she had thought it through.


    First of all, they were fraternal twins, which was a good omen and would please their superiors; secondly, the storm was coming. While Old Madam Ming did not want to make her bet in advance, they still had to start preparing their recourse. Letting Ming Huazhang go to connect with the young masters and Ming Huashang to scout out news among the womenfolk was neither too enthusiastic nor would it leave a pretext, their position would be just right. As for why she didn¡¯t send her other granddaughters¡­ Of course, it was because Ming Huashang was well-behaved enough to not think about the things she shouldn¡¯t.


    This banquet will be held for three or four days. With so many young boys and girls feasting and playing on the mountain during the banquet if, by any chance, a Ming family¡¯s daughter and a certain Junwang got into trouble Old Madam Ming might vomit blood.


    Ming Huazhang cupped his hands in acceptance. His eyes swept over Ming Huashang, and he did not try to hide his disapproval, ¡°Thank you for grandmother¡¯s reminder. But going together¡­¡±


    Ming Huashang raised her head subconsciously, meeting Ming Huazhang¡¯s eyes.


    Not bad, Ming Huazhang lived up to his jade young master reputation, with sharp eyebrows and starry eyes, a high nose bridge, and slightly pursed lips. He had a very outstanding appearance. But at this moment, his eyes were filled with scrutiny and criticism, like a ball of snow that was hard to please. He made people feel that his being arrogant and disinterested was how he ought to be.


    The eyes from the dream suddenly flashed across Ming Huashang¡¯s mind.


    At that time, he still looked cold and alienated like he did now, but when everyone was pointing at her, he was the only one who stood out and told Duke Zhen who insisted on driving her away, ¡°She didn¡¯t do anything wrong. The fault with the Su¡¯s has nothing to do with her. How can a helpless girl like her protect herself outside, just let her stay in the Duke manor.¡±


    Ming Huashang felt that just based on what he said, she was willing to believe that he was not the one who killed her. Just before the words of refusal were about to come out his mouth, Ming Huashang suddenly interrupted Ming Huazhang, ¡°I want to go to the Feihong banquet to gain some experience, can second elder brother take me with you?¡±


    Ming Huashang was traumatized now, she didn¡¯t know who wanted to kill her, and she didn¡¯t know how she died, so she couldn¡¯t help but start to examine everyone around her.


    The second branch was concubine born, their status was lower, yet they were proud and arrogant and looked down on her as they found her useless. The third branch was the youngest son of Old Madam Ming, and he was very favored. Ming Shuo¡¯s upbringing since she was a child made her arrogant and indulgent, she wanted the best of everything. Even though Ming Huashang was laid-back, she couldn¡¯t avoid having several conflicts with Ming Shuo.


    Before the dream, Ming Huashang only felt that it was expected, it was normal for a family to have quarrels. But now, the once innocuous quarrel has now become a murderous motive. The second aunt, third aunt, eldest sister, third younger sister, and those few cousins, it was as if each of them could be a possible murderer.


    There were also servants and stewards of the Duke manor¡­ without thinking about it carefully, Ming Huashang originally felt that she had great relations with others, but now, she was surprised to realize that she seemed to have offended many people.


    Inside this huge manor, Ming Huashang could only trust Ming Huazhang. These days, Duke Zhen was away suppressing the bandits and had yet to return, and Ming Huazhang was going to attend the banquet, how could Ming Huashang dare to stay in the manor alone?


    Even if she had to climb mountains of swords and enter seas of flames6, she had to go out with Ming Huazhang!

 CH 3.1

    Ming Huashang¡¯s abrupt interruption made Ming Huazhang¡¯s original words get stuck in his throat. He glanced at her coolly, and said, ¡°Feihong Garden is at the peak of Mang Mountain, so it¡¯s not convenient for horse carriages, and it snowed heavily recently, so the road on the mountain may be difficult to travel. Since you are not feeling well, just don¡¯t go.¡±


    The young man frowned as he spoke. He had his usual arrogant and indifferent expression, but his eyes were serious. Among so many people present, Ming Huazhang was probably the most difficult to get close to, but Ming Huashang felt warm inside when she heard his words.


    It turned out that when Ming Huazhang came in and glanced at her several times, he wasn¡¯t doing that because he felt her yawn was disgraceful, but because he was worried that she was feeling unwell.


    Ming Huashang was kept awake by a nightmare for most of the night. Even though she tried her best to pull herself together, her face was still pale, and her mind was hazy. It had been so long since she arrived, and neither her grandmother, aunts, nor her two cousins paid attention. Instead, Ming Huazhang, who was notoriously cold, noticed.


    Ming Huashang felt very moved. It turned out that her elder brother still cared for her. In the past, she was intimidated by Ming Huazhang¡¯s indifference. On top of that, the two of them were twins, but one was excellent, and the other was a good-for-nothing. She felt that Ming Huazhang would definitely look down on her, so she tactfully never bothered him. Looking at it now, it seemed that she had thought wrongly.


    Even siblings needed to maintain their relationship. They didn¡¯t have much interaction with each other in the first place, so if she still doesn¡¯t take the initiative, how could the two ever be on speaking terms?


    Although they were not biological brother and sister, they had lived under the same roof for sixteen years, and Ming Huashang truly regarded him as an elder brother. If the relationship between the two of them became better, and Ming Huazhang was willing to give her more protection, then would the people behind the scenes not kill her if they saw that?


    In the worst case, if she hugged Ming Huazhang¡¯s thigh, even if the real daughter returned to the manor in the future, she could ask Ming Huazhang to send more people to protect her and let her leave the Ming family safely.


    Her biological grandmother momo Su was greedy and inadequate. She disturbed the real daughter¡¯s life. Even if Ming Huashang wasn¡¯t responsible, she owed the real daughter after all. She had enjoyed splendor and wealth that did not belong to her for sixteen years, so she should be content. After Su Yuji returns, she was willing to abdicate and take the initiative to get out of the Duke manor.


    However, she did not initiate the switch of the daughters, so she should not have to owe her life for it. She didn¡¯t care about the wealth and power of the Ming family, instead, she cherished her own life very much.


    She wanted to live well, and if possible, she wanted to catch her murderer.


    To accomplish that, she will do whatever she can. Compared with her safety, what was a mere snowy road?


    Ming Huashang gritted her teeth and said without hesitation, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me, as long as I can follow my second elder brother, it doesn¡¯t matter where we go. Second elder brother won¡¯t think I¡¯m burdensome, right?¡±


    Old Madam Ming frowned inwardly, how could a lady who had yet to leave her boudoir say such things? She was too unreserved. But after considering that the two of them were twins, growing up hand in hand and foot to foot in their mother¡¯s womb, it was understandable that they were closer than ordinary brothers and sisters. So, Old Madam Ming only frowned, and did not say anything.


    In fact, Ming Huazhang still disagreed. He didn¡¯t want Ming Huashang to attend the Feihong banquet, not because the snowy mountain was difficult to travel, but because the Wu family members including Wei Wang, Liang Wang, and Gaoyang Wang were all going to attend. Taiping Gongzhu liked extravagance and indulgence, and there was no imperial censor outside the city to monitor them. The banquet will definitely be tumultuous with the good and bad intermingling. He was not willing to let Ming Huashang confront all of that.


    But Ming Huashang stared straight at him, her eyes were black and round, looking at him expectantly like a deer. Ming Huazhang couldn¡¯t bear to say the words of rejection, so he could only take a step back helplessly, ¡°Alright. But once we¡¯re outside, you must listen to me, and you are not allowed to act on your own.¡±


    Ming Huashang did not expect Ming Huazhang to agree. She was stunned for a moment and then she reacted, overjoyed, ¡°Thank you, elder brother! Second elder brother, you are the best!¡±


    The girl¡¯s joy was straightforward and enthusiastic, without any concealment, and her eyes dazzled so brightly that he had to look away. Ming Huazhang was used to being cold and distant, so he was caught off guard by such a sudden bright smile.


    He only agreed to take her out, was being so happy necessary?


    Ming Huazhang was used to issuing orders, but this time he was the first to avert his gaze. Seeing that her second elder brother, who was usually ice cold towards everyone, actually made an exception for Ming Huashang, Ming Shuo was so angry that she kept wrenching her skirt. Watching the brother and sister from the main branch behave affectionately, they were like thorns in second madam Zhao-shi¡¯s eyes.


    Only Old Madam Ming was very pleased to see this scene. Ming Huazhang was the main branch¡¯s only son and he was very outstanding in both talents and skills and was a master of both the pen and the sword. Furthermore, there were no flaws in his character or appearance. Old Madam Ming was very satisfied with Ming Huazhang and had already regarded him as the succeeding Duke, but it was a pity that this child was too rigid and cold-tempered. Except for Duke Zhen, he was not close to any of the other Ming family members, so it was a good thing that he was willing to talk to Ming Huashang.


    Old Madam Ming would also think more highly of a person that Ming Huazhang liked. Old Madam Ming said unhurriedly, ¡°You brother and sister are fraternal twins. You stayed together in your mother¡¯s womb for ten months. Apart from your father, you two are the closest people in the world. Neither your future bride nor groom can compare to your strong sibling connection. As twins, you two should be closer. The others will also be happy to see that. Baoqin, go and bring that bolt of vermillion brocade with the dragon and phoenix pattern from my dowry for the second young master and second miss to make new clothes. Both brother and sister have good looks and if they wear matching clothes to the banquet, it¡¯ll add some joy for Her Highness Taiping.¡±


    When Ming Yu heard that Old Madam Ming had even taken out that brocade from the bottom of her dowry chest, she gave Ming Huashang an obscure and resentful glare. Old Madam Ming clearly said before that bolt of brocade would be reserved for their dowries, but now she gave it all to Ming Huashang just because of a banquet?


    Ming Huashang thanked her and asked Zhaocai to take the fabric. She noticed that the gazes of the second and the third branches directed at her were not friendly. She snorted inwardly, thinking that they only knew how to bully the weak. Did they forget Ming Huazhang, why didn¡¯t they dare to glare at him?


    From the beginning, Old Madam Ming wanted Ming Huazhang and Ming Huashang to attend, so now that everything was going the way she planned, Old Madam Ming could relax. She said, ¡°Although Feihong Garden is an imperial garden, it still can¡¯t compare to home after all. Once you go there, it¡¯ll be for a few days. Quickly go and pack your things then. As for the second and third branches, you can take the girls back too, don¡¯t delay yourselves here with me.¡±


    Everyone stood up and saluted, and after their greetings, they put on their shoes and stepped back. Ming Huazhang put his clothes on the quickest. He casually put on his cloak and lifted the curtain and left. Ming Huashang hurriedly put on her boots and chased after Ming Huazhang.

 CH 3.2

    There were only the second and third branches left in front of the hall. Ming Shuo endured it for a long time, and at this moment, she finally couldn¡¯t bear the grievance. She tugged on the third madam¡¯s sleeve and said, ¡°A¡¯Niang1, Taiping Gongzhu¡¯s invitation was for the Ming family, not just for the main branch. For what reason can¡¯t we go, yet Ming Huashang can go out with second eldest brother?¡±


    The third madam quickly glanced at the mother and daughter pair of the second branch, and gave Ming Shuo a meaningful look, ¡°A¡¯Shuo, you cannot be rude. Your eldest uncle is an Imperial Duke, so naturally, the main branch should take priority in all matters. It¡¯s snowing too much outside, and you still haven¡¯t fully recovered from last year¡¯s cold. Even if your grandmother let you go, I would worry about letting you go out. Let¡¯s go, it¡¯s time to go back and drink your medicine.¡±


    Ming Shuo was dragged away reluctantly by the third madam. Ming Yu was the last to go. Only when all the maids and servants of the third branch left did she snort and say to her mother, ¡°A¡¯Niang, third aunt is really calculating. She takes us for fools. She¡¯s not willing to make the first move, instead, she¡¯s trying to urge us to come forward.¡±


    ¡°Your grandmother is still inside, so speak less, alright.¡± The second madam said indifferently, ¡°Besides, what she said is correct. Doesn¡¯t this Zhen Imperial Duke manor belong to the main branch?¡±


    They belonged to the concubine-born second branch. The position of the first branch was stable and with Ming Huazhang being renowned all over the capital city, no matter what, this title would not fall on them. Ming Yu had never coveted the position as the daughter of the Imperial Duke, she just wanted to prepare as much dowry as possible for herself before the family separated.


    Regrettably, Old Madam Ming was biased. Being biased towards Ming Huazhang was reasonable, but that good-for-nothing never did anything, so for what reason could she get everything just because she was Ming Huazhang¡¯s younger sister?


    Ming Yu was unwilling to concede and said, ¡°Occupying such a good position, yet she is still ignorant and incompetent. There is no young lady in Luoyang who is more shameful than her. Clearly, the names of the girls in our generation are supposed to contain ¡°Å®¡±, but only hers gets to use the boys¡¯ character.¡±2


    ¡°Okay, let¡¯s not say anymore.¡± The second madam said, ¡°Who let her be a dragon and phoenix twin and be inseparable from the second young master. She was naturally born to be closer to him than others. Let¡¯s go, it¡¯s time to go back.¡±


    According to the genealogy of this generation, women should follow the ¡®female¡¯ (Å®) character, like Ming Yu and Ming Shuo, while only the men can use the ¡®hua¡¯ (»ª) character. But who told Ming Huazhang and Ming Huashang to be born together? When Duke Zhen named them, he didn¡¯t care about the genealogy order. Instead, he found the names Huazhang (»ªÕÂ) and Huashang (»ªÉÑ) from a phrase in the Book of Songs, ¡°ÉÑÉÑÕß»ª£¬Ü¿Æä»ÆÒÓ¡£ÎÒêíÖ®×Ó£¬Î¬ÆäÓÐÕÂÒÓ¡±: wishing them to be bright and flourish without losing their propriety and principles.


    With one glance, these two names were obviously a pair, filled with expectation and love. Even strangers could tell that the person who named them loved them deeply. Ming Yu was very indignant, stomped her feet vigorously, and followed her mother away.


    At this moment in the pure white snow and wind, Ming Huashang followed Ming Huazhang, not minding how cold Ming Huazhang expression was, and chirped, ¡°Second eldest brother, thank you for being willing to take me out. Where is Feihong Garden? Is it far away? What do I need to bring? Will it be cold on the way there?¡±


    Ming Huazhang got a headache from the noise. He was very helpless in his heart. She was one of only two people he had ever met who despite knowing he was cold-faced yet still approached him ¨C the other was Xie Jichuan. Except Ming Huashang was not the same as Xie Jichuan. Xie Jichuan was rough-skinned and thick-skinned, so he could show his displeasure and leave whenever he wanted, but Ming Huashang was a girl, so Ming Huazhang couldn¡¯t really leave her alone.


    Ming Huazhang said, ¡°You don¡¯t even know where Feihong Garden is, so why do you have to go? How about I tell grandmother that you will stay in the manor¡­¡±


    ¡°No.¡± Ming Huashang jumped up as if her tail was stepped on, and firmly grasped Ming Huazhang¡¯s sleeve, almost hanging onto him, ¡°No, no, you have already promised me, you can¡¯t go back on it!¡±


    Ming Huashang was already used to doing this kind of thing, so she grabbed Ming Huazhang¡¯s cuff with familiarity, and looked up at him pitifully.


    The two of them were the same age, but the boy was much taller than Ming Huashang. His structure retained the slenderness of a young man, but his shoulders have broadened, and his legs were long, and his limbs were lanky. Standing under the eaves, he was as slender and straight as a new bamboo shoot after the rain. Even after raising her head halfway, Ming Huashang could only see Ming Huazhang¡¯s chin.


    She was a mess at learning the four arts, but she had a lot of experience in acting spoilt to avoid punishment. Duke Zhen would often surrender to her gaze. Facing her glistening, abandoned puppy eyes up close Ming Huazhang didn¡¯t know what to do. He tried to pull back his sleeves, but Ming Huashang thought he was going to refuse, so she hugged his arm tightly, aggrieved, and leaned on him, ¡°Brother3!¡±


    Ming Huazhang felt the sudden warmth and softness on his arm, he couldn¡¯t help it, and said, ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to go back on it, you get up first.¡±


    Ming Huashang¡¯s eyes were wide and round, and she looked at Ming Huazhang suspiciously, ¡°Really?¡±


    The young man almost sighed, ¡°Really.¡±


    Ming Huashang happily let go, and Ming Huazhang heaved a sigh of relief, only then did he have the ability to answer her previous question, ¡°Feihong Garden is located south side of Mang Mountain. Taiping Gongzhu spent tens of thousands of gold to build a villa at the peak in order to have a panoramic view of Luoyang. Once you enter Mang Mountain, you will see her garden as soon as you look up. The scenery there is nice, but the road will not be easy to travel, and it will be colder on the mountain than in Luoyang. You should prepare more thick clothes, blankets, and a stove. Don¡¯t worry about the weight of your luggage. Bring as much as possible¡­¡±


    ¡°Wait, second brother, speak slowly!¡± Ming Huashang hurriedly turned her head, ¡°Zhaocai, hurry over and memorize what we need to bring!¡±


    When Ming Huazhang heard this name, his brows twitched uncontrollably. He glanced at Ming Huashang with a subtle and complicated expression but gave up in the end.


    Forget it, she can call her whatever she likes, the name Zhaocai¡­is pretty good too.


    Ming Huazhang slowed down and started talking about the items they will need to bring on the road. Zhaocai was fully concentrated on remembering, and Ming Huashang who had successfully transferred the pressure onto someone else had nothing to do. Her eyes wandered about looking for something interesting to see.


    In the courtyard filled with wind and snow, the most beautiful thing to look at was Ming Huazhang. The young man stood under the eaves with his hands behind his back. His crimson clothes reflected the snow outside the corridor, emitting an aura of beauty.


    She knew that Ming Huazhang was good-looking before, but looking at him closely today, Ming Huashang discovered that it made sense for him to be the white moonlight and the person of all the Luoyang girls¡¯ dreams. Ming Huashang noticed that Ming Huazhang¡¯s collar was out of place; it was probably tousled by her just now.


    Ming Huazhang was beautiful like the moon above the clouds, and he himself was as cold and arrogant as the moon. Now that his clothes were messed up, it really affected his beauty and temperament. Ming Huashang stretched out her hand naturally and straightened Ming Huazhang¡¯s collar.


    Ming Huazhang was startled and immediately took a step back. Ming Huashang met those cold and clear eyes, and raised her hands embarrassedly, ¡°Second elder brother, your clothes were out of place¡­¡±


    Ming Huazhang glanced quickly and pulled his collar back in place with one hand.


    His expression was so apprehensive and inviolable that even Ming Huashang felt a twinge of guilt because she felt like she acted like a hooligan. She picked at her fingers, feeling a little embarrassed. Ming Huazhang pursed his thin lips, still looking as upright and noble as usual, ¡°After I go back, I will ask someone to prepare a list and send it to you. If there is nothing left, I will leave first. ¡°


    Ming Huashang thought of something and subconsciously wanted to ask, but she hesitated after seeing that Ming Huazhang had an ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk to you¡¯ expression. Ming Huazhang could tell that she was hesitating to speak, and asked, ¡°What else is there?¡±


    Ming Huashang bit her lip, embarrassed to ask, ¡°Well, will there be enough food at the banquet?¡±

 CH 4.1

    After she asked the question, the atmosphere seemed to turn silent, only the whirl of wind and snow outside the corridor could be heard. Zhaocai couldn¡¯t bear to look anymore, and quietly pulled Ming Huashang, ¡°Miss¡­¡±


    Ming Huashang flicked away Zhaocai¡¯s hand, and spoke righteously, ¡°Don¡¯t make trouble, this is very important. It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t know that those banquets in Luoyang are always stingy, the snacks they serve are like bird food, they disappear in one bite. I can bear with it for one meal, but that¡¯s all. However, this banquet will last three days; if there won¡¯t be enough food then we¡¯ll have to bring some in advance.¡±


    She spoke with such fervor and eloquence that unexpectedly Ming Huazhang couldn¡¯t come up with an answer because he really didn¡¯t know if there would be enough snacks at the banquet.


    The ones hurrying to attend the banquet probably aren¡¯t going with the intention to eat. Ming Huazhang hesitated for a moment, and said, ¡°Your worry is justified, I was negligent. You can bring whatever you like to eat.¡±


    Ming Huashang accepted delightedly. Thinking of the dream from last night, she felt that Ming Huazhang was the least suspicious. If he was going to be her life-saving talisman in the future then Ming Huashang felt that it was necessary to establish a good relationship with Ming Huazhang so she asked flatteringly, ¡°Second elder brother, what do you like to eat? I know all the snack shops in Luoyang. What flavor do you like? I¡¯ll bring some for you!¡±


    ¡°Thank you, but no need.¡± Ming Huazhang refused without hesitation. Ming Huashang thought that Ming Huazhang was embarrassed, and said generously, ¡°Second elder brother, you don¡¯t have to be polite with me. I heard that there is a new shop in the southern market. The plum blossom cake is sweet and refreshing and is often sold out. If you want to eat, I will ask Jinbao to line up early tomorrow, and I will definitely buy it for you.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t surprised to learn that she had a maid named Zhaocai and another maid named Jinbao. Ming Huazhang looked at her and knew with certainty in his heart that it was her who wanted to eat it. Ming Huazhang originally wanted to remind her to be cautious with her words and actions at the Feihong banquet, not to get close to strangers, so as not to become involved in the internal strife between the Li and Wu families, but looking at Ming Huashang¡¯s shiny eyes, as if she really was going to attend a normal banquet, he felt that there was no need to say anymore.


    Her mind was filled with eating and drinking, so how could she have spare thoughts to care about those Junwangs? Ming Huazhang sighed lightly, and said, ¡°I don¡¯t eat sweets or pastries. Just prepare your own things. You don¡¯t have to bother about me. I will send someone to check your luggage the day before our departure. Is there anything else?¡±


    Ming Huazhang¡¯s face was cold and upright, noble and benevolent, Ming Huashang shook her head slightly, not daring to cling anymore.


    She was a little frustrated. She hadn¡¯t been close to Ming Huazhang all these years, so she wasn¡¯t able to ask the right considerate questions to please him. She didn¡¯t even know that Ming Huazhang didn¡¯t eat sweets.


    How can anyone in the world not like sweets?


    After Ming Huazhang finished explaining to Ming Huashang he turned around to leave. Only when he walked far away did Zhaocai dare to come over and whisper, ¡°Miss, second young master is so stern. I didn¡¯t dare to speak when he was here just now.¡±


    Ming Huashang shivered, wrapped her fluffy fur collar tightly, and said, ¡°You¡¯re right, that is what you call natural grace, and commanding presence. *Ah-choo*, let¡¯s go back quickly, I¡¯m going to freeze to death.¡±


    Ming Huashang almost ran back to her courtyard. After returning to her room, while carrying a stove in her arms, she ate a plate of pastries and drank half a cup of ginger tea before she finally felt alive again.


    She was wearing a long silver and red dress and a white jacket with a fringe at the neckline. She was slumped on the long pillow in a completely laid-back manner. Surrounded by the warm scent of wisteria, Ming Huashang yawned, feeling sleepy.


    In the past, she would have gone back to catch up on sleep, but today there was still business to do. Ming Huashang boosted her energy and called loudly, ¡°Ruyi.¡±


    A maid who had her hair combed in a yuan bao bun responded and quickly ran to Ming Huashang¡¯s side. Her voice was sweet and crisp, ¡°Miss, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    The four maids Ming Huashang had at her side were called Zhaocai, Jinbao, Jixiang, and Ruyi. Among them, Zhaocai took care of her clothes and jewelry and accompanied her on the days she went out; Jinbao had culinary talents, so she was responsible for food, and when Ming Huashang craved something she would make Jinbao cook something or go out to buy snacks; Jixiang was steady and down-to-earth so she was in charge of the valuables both inside and outside Ming Huashang¡¯s courtyard; Ruyi was clever and resourceful so she was responsible for scouting out information for Ming Huashang and building connections.


    Ming Huashang hooked her finger and Ruyi understood tacitly and leaned closer. Ming Huashang ordered in a low voice, ¡°Go outside and ask the elderly maids to see if anyone knows a momo surnamed Su, who was my mother¡¯s wet nurse and who used to serve in the main courtyard.¡±


    In the dream, she foresaw that Duke Zhen categorically stated that Ming Huashang was a fake and that Su Yuji was his real daughter. Her father¡¯s statement was so absolute that Ming Huashang didn¡¯t doubt the authenticity of this matter. However, since she could remember, she had never heard of momo Su¡¯s existence.


    Even on the day when the truth was exposed, Su Yuji was the only one who came to their door to present the evidence. Duke Zhen simply accepted it after an investigation and did not try to find the culprit, momo Su, and confront her. A wet nurse who had the ability to swap the daughter of the Duke manor should have had a high status in the inner courtyard, but why didn¡¯t Ming Huashang have any impression of this person?


    Ruyi accepted the order and left. Ruyi was indeed a social butterfly, and she figured it out in just one afternoon.


    Under the lamp, Ming Huashang was sipping on Gan Zi Su while listening to Ruyi explain: ¡°¡­the person Miss asked about is from a long time ago. This servant ran around all afternoon and asked about ten people before finally finding someone who had heard of momo Su. But she didn¡¯t know her well, she only knew that momo Su used to be the most trusted wet nurse of the Duchess. She accompanied the Duchess from Taiyuan when the Duchess came over for marriage. She returned home sixteen years ago, and never appeared again.¡±


    Sixteen years ago? Wasn¡¯t that the year Ming Huashang was born? Ming Huashang hurriedly asked, ¡°Why did she return home?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, it seemed that her grandson was intelligent and was a talented scholar, so she went back to her hometown to concentrate on supporting her grandson¡¯s education.¡±


    Ming Huashang groaned without saying anything. Raising her grandson was a convincing reason to retire and return to her hometown, but Ming Huashang felt that the matter could not be that simple. Momo Su wasn¡¯t a tutor so what could she teach her grandson when she returned? According to a normal person¡¯s line of thought, wouldn¡¯t it be more helpful if she let her grandson study hard in her hometown while she stayed in Luoyang to save some money and build connections for her grandson?


    Moreover, even if momo Su really wanted to retire, why didn¡¯t she leave a year earlier or a year later? Instead, she just had to leave the year Wang Yulan gave birth. Momo Su was Wang Yulan¡¯s wet nurse. It was impossible that momo Su didn¡¯t know about the dangers a woman faced while giving birth, and the high chance a baby could die after giving birth. It was really suspicious that she left at the moment when she was needed the most.


    Ming Huashang asked, ¡°Who allowed momo Su to leave the Duke¡¯s manor?¡±

 CH 4.2

    Ruyi frowned, tried to recall, and said with uncertainty, ¡°It should have been Duke Zhen, right? At that time, the Duke¡¯s manor was still located in Chang¡¯an, and Madam¡¯s pregnancy was not stable when she was pregnant with Miss and second young master. At the same time, the situation outside the manor was not peaceful, as the court was searching for rebels every couple of days. Duke Zhen was afraid of frightening Madam, so he sent Madam to the villa on Zhongnan Mountain to recuperate. Madam gave birth to second young master and Miss in that villa, but unfortunately, Madam could not hold on and passed away right after giving birth. Once the Duke brought young master and Miss back to the manor, no one had seen momo Su since. Since Madam died from excessive bleeding, even if momo Su wanted to retire and return home, she couldn¡¯t have asked her, so only the Duke could have agreed.¡±


    Ming Huashang didn¡¯t know that so many things happened in the year she was born. Combined with the scene in the dream, Ming Huashang hazarded a guess.


    Could it be that because Wang Yulan gave birth in the villa outside the city where there were fewer rules than in the Duke¡¯s manor, it gave momo Su an opportunity. After she quietly switched the two children, she had a guilty conscience, so when Wang Yulan died and Duke Zhen didn¡¯t know the truth, she ran away in the name of returning home?


    It was very possible, but Ming Huashang had a lingering feeling that she had overlooked something. Ming Huashang asked, ¡°Who else followed my mother to the villa to prepare for the labor?¡±


    Ruyi shook her head, ¡°This servant doesn¡¯t know.¡±


    This happened sixteen years ago, and Ruyi only entered the manor twelve years ago, so how could she know what happened during the Yonghui1 period? Ming Huashang said, ¡°Go ahead and inquire about the people who accompanied my mother to the villa. When you find them, keep quiet and report to me first, and then quietly bring them here.¡±


    Ruyi accepted the order, then she paused, and asked cautiously, ¡°Miss, why are you investigating this?¡±


    Of course, it was to save her own cheap life. If it wasn¡¯t for her life being threatened by unknown people, who would be willing to investigate these old matters? Ming Huashang exhaled and said, ¡°I¡¯m curious about some things. You are not allowed to tell others about this. After leaving this door, you must not mention this to anyone, not even to my father or second elder brother, do you understand?¡±


    It was rare for Ming Huashang to be so severe, Ruyi was taken aback and hurriedly agreed.


    After Ming Huashang finished asking her questions, she asked Ruyi to retreat. Sitting alone in the room, she looked at the flickering candles, and suddenly felt a sense of bewilderment.


    She was Ming Huashang, but she was not the Zhen Duke manor¡¯s Ming Huashang. When the real daughter returns next year, where can she go?


    Or should she take advantage of this year to quickly find a good man to marry?


    This idea only appeared in Ming Huashang¡¯s mind for a moment before she rejected it. Wasn¡¯t the bride¡¯s status the most important factor in the marriages between nobles and officials? What they wanted to marry was a symbol that would act as a proxy for the wealth and kinship of the other party¡¯s clan, so the marriage alliance person herself was the least important thing. Even her own father, who regarded her as a treasure, gave up on her immediately after learning of her true identity. Why would she trust that a man she had just met would never leave her?


    The idea of staying with the Ming family was crossed out by Ming Huashang early this morning; she didn¡¯t want to be killed inexplicably again. Maybe she should go back to her real family, the Su family?


    Ming Huashang also didn¡¯t think this was a good choice. In that family, there was a grandmother who could exchange her own granddaughter with the daughter of the duke for money. Would such a household be a good family? Not to mention that momo Su also had a very promising grandson, and the whole family supported this son¡¯s education. Who knows if they would sell Ming Huashang when she returns?


    She couldn¡¯t stay in the Zhen Duke manor, and she couldn¡¯t go back to the Su family, so she could only find a way to establish herself. But independence was not as simple as buying a house. She was a woman, and if she wanted to survive independently without a father, brother, or husband, she could only establish a female-headed household. However, there were various harsh conditions for establishing a female household, so it was not easy to accomplish.


    Even if she found a way with the government and successfully set up a female household, how will she survive in the future for she was just a good-for-nothing who was incompetent at all four of the arts?


    Thinking about her gloomy future, Ming Huashang sighed deeply for herself. Seeing that the Gan Zi Su in her hand was getting cold, she drank the rest in one gulp.


    The sky was great, and the earth was great, but eating and sleeping were the greatest. Fortunately, there was still one year left so she could make arrangements slowly. The top priority was the upcoming Feihong banquet.


    Ming Huashang pulled out a list and carefully noted what food she wanted to bring. The plum blossom cake from the southern market was tough to buy, so she had to get Jinbao to prepare quickly.


    In a blink of an eye, the fourteenth day of the first lunar month had arrived. The curfew in Shendu was lifted, and the whole country celebrated for three days, with no restrictions. Red lanterns were hung up high on the Vientiane Shrine, and the streets and alleys were filled with colored lanterns. Even the cold and compassionate Buddha statues seemed infected by the warmth of the world. People from surrounding regions and counties came to Luoyang to watch the Lantern Festival with their families. At the same time, there were many precious horses and magnificent carriages leaving the city against the flow of people.


    Taiping Gongzhu was hosting the Feihong banquet on Mang Mountain and invited all the talents in the capital to Mang Mountain to trek in the snow and enjoy the lanterns. Ever since the Empress came to power, the saying that a woman¡¯s virtue was to have no talent became ironic. In front, there was the Empress who ruled the world, and behind was Shangguan Wan¡¯er2 leading the way. With the two of them as models, there was a series of female officials who participated in politics and who became lords and officials. These positions were no longer exclusive to men. More and more women have stepped out of the boudoir and participated in the fields where only men used to be. The same was true for Taiping Gongzhu¡¯s banquet. Not only did they invite talented young masters from aristocratic families, but they also invited many noble and talented women.


    ""


    Momentarily, luxurious horse-drawn carriages adorned Mang Mountain¡¯s roads. Ming Huashang was worried that the road up the mountain would be difficult, but she didn¡¯t expect that the snow would be flattened by the continuous stream of carriages, so she reached the top of the mountain smoothly. After getting out of the carriage, Ming Huashang was stunned by the scene in front of her.


    People dressed in beautiful clothing and a hall filled with wealth; probably all the dignitaries of Luoyang were present, right? Ming Huashang had been a salted fish for sixteen years, so it was the first time she saw such a big scene. She subconsciously went to Ming Huazhang, ¡°Second elder brother.¡±


    Ming Huazhang was leading the horse and was talking about something with the person at the door. Seeing that Ming Huashang looked over, he handed the reins into his attendant¡¯s hand, and said briefly, ¡°Lead the horse to the stable. Don¡¯t use their fodder, use our own, and go supervise it yourself. There¡¯s no room for mistakes.¡±


    The attendant accepted the order and led the horse away. Ming Huazhang walked towards Ming Huashang and asked, ¡°It took longer than expected to go up the mountain. Are you feeling uncomfortable?¡±


    Ming Huashang shook her head, ¡°I¡¯m fine, I had food and drinks in the carriage, how could I be uncomfortable? On the contrary, second elder brother rode the horse all the way here, you didn¡¯t feel cold, I hope?¡±


    She even had the mood to eat then she seemed to be alright. Ming Huazhang replied, ¡°This distance is nothing to me. Since you are fine, I will take you to your living quarters first.¡±


    Ming Huazhang and Ming Huashang were about to leave, when suddenly, a clear voice containing a smile came from behind them, ¡°Jing Zhan.¡±


    Ming Huashang didn¡¯t notice that her elder brother Ming Huazhang¡¯s eyebrows twitched, and he showed a very helpless look. She followed the direction of the voice, turned her head, and saw a man dressed in a long and slender blue robe standing under the cedar tree. When he saw Ming Huashang, he raised his eyebrows in a smile, his countenance unbridled and flirtatious, ¡°Jing Zhan, is this your second younger sister?¡±

 CH 5.1

    Chapter 5 Part 1


    When Ming Huazhang saw the young man, his gaze remained unmoved, but the young man didn¡¯t mind Ming Huazhang¡¯s indifference and walked up to Ming Huazhang with a smile, ¡°Jing Zhan, why didn¡¯t you let me know beforehand that you were coming? I thought I was the only one attending the banquet, and I even regretted it for a long time on the way here. I didn¡¯t expect you to come too. The banquet will be much more interesting then.¡±


    As the young man spoke he looked at Ming Huashang, and said with a smile, ¡°I guess this is your fraternal twin younger sister? I have known about you for a long time, but today¡¯s the first time we¡¯ve met; second younger sister is much cuter than I imagined.¡±


    Ming Huazhang glanced at the young man coldly, ¡°Is younger sister something you can call? Second miss, don¡¯t worry about him, let¡¯s go.¡±


    The young man didn¡¯t mind Ming Huazhang¡¯s cold treatment. His peach flower eyes were slightly bent, and he smiled warmly and charmingly, ¡°I forgot to introduce myself to second younger sister. I am Xie Jichuan, your elder brother¡¯s good friend.¡±


    Ming Huashang had already guessed it. She crossed her hands together and saluted to Xie Jichuan, ¡°Young master Xie.¡±


    Xie Jichuan bowed to return the salute, and said kindly, ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so polite. You are Jing Zhan¡¯s younger sister, so you are also my younger sister, just call me elder brother.¡±


    Ming Huashang accepted while feeling flattered. Unlike her, who was a salted fish, Xie Jichuan and Ming Huazhang were well-known far and wide in Shendu, and everyone in the officials¡¯ circle knew about them.


    As previously explained, if Huazhang was the object of the dreams of half of the girls in Luoyang then the other half dreamt of Xie Jichuan. Xie Jichuan belonged to the great aristocratic Xie family. His family was a branch of Chen county¡¯s Xie family1, a noble aristocratic family more ancient than the ¡°Five Surnames and Seven Families¡±2.


    Even though the Xie family withered during the war, fell into a slump, and no longer boasted the glory it had from the Wei and Jin dynasties, the Xie clan¡¯s good name and reputation had been passed down through the ages, so this surname was still the white moonlight of many people.


    Xie Jichuan was the eldest son of the current generation of the Xie family. He was famous for his talent since he was young: he could recite at the age of three, he could write at the age of six, and he could write essays at the age of ten. He could write quickly and excellently making his reputation as a child prodigy spread far and wide. Furthermore, his appearance and conduct were impeccable. No matter whether one¡¯s status was high or low, he treated others the same. He was always gentle and kind, neither too humble nor overbearing; he was the epitome of a young master from an aristocratic family and had captured the hearts of many women.


    Excellent people always made friends with excellent people. Xie Jichuan and Ming Huazhang had a very good relationship. The two often attended banquets and wrote essays together. They were known as ¡°Shendu¡¯s Pair¡±.


    Even a homebody like Ming Huashang had heard of Shendu¡¯s Pair¡¯s reputation. When the girls of Luoyang got together, they couldn¡¯t avoid talking about these two people. One of them was as pure and coldly arrogant as the moon, and the other was as laid-back and charming as the spring breeze. Both had their fans, and now, both were standing beside Ming Huashang. Ming Huashang could already feel gazes pierce her like sharp needles from all directions.


    Ming Huashang had known about Xie Jichuan¡¯s existence for a long time, but she was not even familiar with Ming Huazhang, let alone her brother¡¯s friend, so they had only officially met today. She felt wronged by bearing the murderous gazes of girls and women, so she said tactfully, ¡°It¡¯s a bit windy here, why don¡¯t we go inside and talk?¡±


    Xie Jichuan understood her intention, and said, ¡°It¡¯s because I was so happy to see Jing Zhan and second younger sister, I lost my comportment for a moment. Let¡¯s find our living quarters first, and not let younger sister freeze.¡±


    Originally, only Ming Huazhang was going to escort Ming Huashang, but now there was another Xie Jichuan. Ming Huashang failed to refuse him, so she could only search for her guest courtyard in the company of two beautiful youths while withstanding the eyes of envy and jealousy all around her.


    With Ming Huazhang and Xie Jichuan present, Ming Huashang only needed to hold her stove. Xie Jichuan curiously looked at the large and small bags in the hands of the servants, and asked, ¡°What did second younger sister bring? Why is there so much luggage?¡±


    Ming Huashang said embarrassedly, ¡°Actually, it¡¯s not much. The main thing I brought was a little bit of food, so it only looks like a lot.¡±


    A little bit? Ming Huazhang raised his eyebrows but did not comment.


    Probably more than that.


    Xie Jichuan was stunned when he heard that Ming Huashang even brought her own food, and said as he broke into laughter, ¡°Second younger sister really thought things thoroughly; how could I have forgotten about this?¡±


    Ming Huashang waved her hand, ¡°Brother Xie you¡¯re flattering me. You and second elder brother have poems and books on your minds, so both of you brought ink. I only have food and drink on my mind, so I can only eat wherever I go. Brother Xie, do you like pastries? I brought a lot of flavors; if Brother Xie doesn¡¯t mind, we can eat them together.¡±


    Xie Jichuan responded ¡°okay¡± with a smile, and sighed, ¡°Second younger sister is so cute, she¡¯s not the same as Jing Zhan at all.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean ¡®okay¡¯?¡± Ming Huazhang glanced at Xie Jichuan coldly, ¡°She is a girl, is her room somewhere you can enter?¡±


    Xie Jichuan could not fathom where the issue was, ¡°We are best friends. In my heart, she is the same as my own younger sister. What is there to avoid?¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t work either.¡± Ming Huazhang remained unmoved. Xie Jichuan was quite speechless when he saw Ming Huazhang¡¯s strong stance, ¡°Jing Zhan, you are only sixteen years old, why are you so rigid like an old scholar?¡±


    Afraid that the two of them would quarrel, Ming Huashang hurriedly said, ¡°It¡¯s okay, it¡¯s okay, I have also prepared food for the second elder brother. It¡¯ll be fine as long as I send Zhaocai to second elder brother¡¯s room when the time comes.¡±


    Xie Jichuan was stunned for a moment, thinking that he had heard wrongly, he slowly raised his eyebrows, ¡°Zhaocai?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Ming Huashang waved her hand behind her, ¡°Zhaocai, come quickly and greet Brother Xie.¡±


    Zhaocai scampered over and gave Xie Jichuan a hand-crossed salutation, ¡°This servant pays respect to young master Xie.¡±


    Xie Jichuan found that Zhaocai was indeed the ¡°Zhaocai¡± he had imagined. He couldn¡¯t laugh or cry and looked at Ming Huazhang with his peach-blossom eyes. Ming Huazhang shook his head lightly at him, signaling him not to say too much, and to respect the name Ming Huashang came up with. Xie Jichuan held back his laughter and said to Ming Huashang, ¡°Why didn¡¯t I get to know second younger sister earlier, younger sister is so interesting.¡±


    After he said that he rolled his eyes at Ming Huazhang, ¡°Not like Jing Zhan at all, serious and boring.¡±


    Ming Huazhang didn¡¯t bother to respond to Xie Jichuan. The two of them had known each other for many years, and they were used to belittling each other, so he had long been used to it. But when Ming Huashang heard this, she defended Ming Huazhang very seriously, ¡°Brother Xie, you can¡¯t say that. My second elder brother abides by the virtues of a gentleman; a gentleman cannot be awe-inspiring if he is not self-respecting. It is also for my own good.¡±


    Xie Jichuan was surprised again. He raised his eyebrows and glanced at Ming Huazhang. He saw that even Ming Huazhang was a little surprised. He obviously didn¡¯t expect Ming Huashang to say such a thing. Xie Jichuan sighed softly, and said, ¡°It¡¯s nice to have a younger sister, you¡¯ll always be protected. Why didn¡¯t I get a younger sister?¡±


    Ming Huazhang was about to reprimand Xie Jichuan to stop putting on a show here when suddenly his expression froze. He pulled Ming Huashang behind him with one hand and raised the other hand to block the front.

 CH 5.2

    Ming Huashang didn¡¯t even realize that something happened. She seemed to catch a glimpse of a yellow shadow out of the corner of her eye, and before she could see what it was, she was pulled away by Ming Huazhang.


    Ming Huashang staggered two steps back and if it wasn¡¯t for Ming Huazhang grasping her wrist, she would have almost fallen. She looked up in astonishment and saw Ming Huazhang standing in front of her. The young man was holding a scabbard with one hand, and the red dragon and phoenix-patterned round-neck robe fitted him perfectly. His waist was tied tightly with a black leather belt, which outlined his broad shoulders and straight back. His limbs were slender and his waist was strong and lean.


    The scabbard was holding back a strange animal that looked like a cat but was much bigger than a cat. It had thick, long, and vigorous limbs, and a body covered with light brown long fur. Ming Huashang¡¯s and the cat¡¯s cold and cunning green eyes met, and they were both stunned. At this time, Ming Huazhang spun the scabbard violently. Taking advantage of the moment when the big cat lost its balance, Ming Huazhang raised his leg and kicked it hard on its belly, and kicked it far away.


    This set of movements was clean and neat, and by the time Ming Huashang reacted, the big cat had already been thrown into the snow. She blinked, and asked indistinctly, ¡°This is¡­¡±


    ¡°A lynx.¡± Ming Huazhang retracted the scabbard and looked back at Ming Huashang, ¡°You didn¡¯t get hurt, right?¡±


    Ming Huashang shook her head like a rattle drum. She walked past Ming Huazhang curiously and looked at the snow behind her. The lynx got up from the ground, lowered its forelimbs, and snorted threateningly toward them, but it dared not come any closer.


    Ming Huashang truly experienced what it meant to excel in both civil and military arts, and what it meant to be bold and careful. Ming Huazhang¡¯s reaction speed and attention to movements were too impressive, she didn¡¯t even see where the lynx was hiding!


    Maybe it was because Ming Huazhang was beside her, Ming Huashang was filled with self-confidence and not worried about her own safety at all, and was in the mood to observe this big cat, ¡°Why is there a lynx here?¡±


    Xie Jichuan also leaned over, looked at the footprints on the snow, and said, ¡°Probably a certain guest brought it here.¡±


    Ming Huashang couldn¡¯t believe it, ¡°A guest? Who brings such a big cat when they go out as a guest?¡±


    Although Ming Huashang called it a big cat, the lynx was much more lethal than a cat. Half of Taiping Gonzhu¡¯s guests were womenfolk. If a woman bumped into it, a bite or a scratch would be enough to kill her.


    If it wasn¡¯t for Ming Huazhang just now, Ming Huashang would have been the first victim.


    Whatever you¡¯re afraid of will come; another group of guests came behind them, and they happened to be womenfolk. The women cried out in fright when they saw the long-haired animal resembling a cat or a leopard lying in the snow. Ming Huazhang frowned, and handed Ming Huashang to Xie Jichuan, ¡°Look after her, I¡¯ll catch the lynx over there.¡±


    Xie Jichuan nodded, took half a step forward, and stood in front of Ming Huashang. Ming Huazhang was about to leave when suddenly a spear flew over and stabbed heavily into the snow.


    The lynx was frightened by the scattered snow and took two steps back. A woman in red shouted, ran over quickly, and kicked the red-tasseled spear in the snow back into her hand, ¡°You evil creature, how dare you hurt people?¡±


    Ming Huashang¡¯s eyes widened, watching this scene in shock. When staying at the Gongzhu¡¯s villa for a banquet, some brought lynxes, and some even brought spears.


    This was an eye-opener for her. Ming Huashang suddenly felt that she was really ordinary to have only brought food.


    The force of the woman in red¡¯s shot was like a tiger¡¯s roar, stirring up layers of snow and fog. Ming Huazhang retracted his scabbard, and when he turned his head, he saw Ming Huashang leaning closely behind Xie Jichuan. Frowning calmly, he held her wrist and pulled her towards him, saying, ¡°Okay, it¡¯s all right now. Go put away your luggage now.¡±


    Ming Huashang didn¡¯t know if it was because she didn¡¯t go out much and didn¡¯t know much, she looked at the woman fighting the lynx curiously, and asked, ¡°Who is that? That lynx looks so fierce, don¡¯t we need to help her?¡±


    Xie Jichuan shook his head with a smile, and said, ¡°No need. You don¡¯t go out much younger sister, so you might not recognize this lady. She is quite well-known in Shendu. She¡¯s the orphan daughter of the Pingnan Marquis manor ¡ª Miss Ren, Ren Yao. This lynx is not her opponent. Instead, I think it is the owner of the lynx who should worry.¡±


    Ming Huashang had been a salted fish for too long, so she didn¡¯t recognize many faces, but she still recognized her once she heard the name. She leaned out and looked behind again. It turned out that this was Ren Yao, Marquis Pingnan¡¯s daughter and the successor of the renowned Ren family spear arts.


    Ren Yao was also very famous in the capital, but unlike Ming Huazhang and Xie Jichuan, her reputation was not that good.


    The sons of the Pingnan Marquis family all died on the battlefield. Everyone said that the Ren family no longer had a successor, which was a pity for the Ren family spear arts. Ren Yao was the only living child of Marquis Pingnan. Not to be outdone, she practiced marksmanship relentlessly since she was a child, and vowed to carry on the Ren family¡¯s unique skills, take over for her father and elder brothers, and step out on the bloody battlefield to kill the enemy.


    Such a woman was naturally unpopular in the social circle. Ming Huashang had only gone out a few times, and she had already heard the noble girls gather to speak ambiguously about Ren Yao, and even jokingly called Ren Yao ¡°Female Marquis¡±.


    Even if Ren Yao was indeed the remaining bloodline of the Pingnan Marquis, a woman cannot inherit a title. That name undoubtedly mocked that all the young men in Ren Yao¡¯s family were dead, so she had no father or brother.


    When Ming Huashang first heard about her, she felt that it was a good thing for a woman to have the ambition to inherit the mantle of her father and brothers. Why did they laugh at her? She didn¡¯t bother with those ladylike talks. After meeting Ren Yao¡¯s in person today, she found that Ren Yao¡¯s spear skills were truly excellent, not inferior to men at all.


    Ming Huashang was a salted fish herself, but she respected those who have ambition and can put it into practice, such as her brother Ming Huazhang, such as Ren Yao. Ming Huashang turned her head a few times, and couldn¡¯t help tugging Ming Huazhang¡¯s sleeve, ¡°Miss Ren¡¯s marksmanship is really good, should we stay behind to say hello?¡±


    ¡°You are the jewel in the palm of the Zhen Duke manor, so you can make friends with anyone you like.¡± Ming Huazhang really stopped, and he called on the trembling guide attendant who was hiding behind a tree and ordered, ¡°Go to the courtyard where the Jiang¡¯an Marquis manor is staying and announce that the lynx raised by their eldest son has escaped. Tell them that he will only have to collect the corpse if he doesn¡¯t come over soon.¡±


    Ming Huashang heard a familiar name again, ¡°Shizi of Jiang¡¯an Marquis? Second elder brother, how do you know this is Jiang Shizi¡¯s pet?¡±


    With a chuckle behind her, Xie Jichuan rolled up his sleeves and said with a smile, ¡°Second younger sister, it seems that you really don¡¯t like to go out. The Western Regions presented a batch of lynxes and leopards to the Empress, and the Empress gave them to Taiping Gongzhu. Marquis Jiang¡¯an loves his son like his life, so he especially went to ask Taiping Gongzhu for grace, and asked for a lynx and a leopard for the Shizi. Jiang Ling brings these two treasures with him everywhere when he goes out. Who in Shendu still doesn¡¯t know that the Shizi of Jiang¡¯an Marquis adores his pets?¡±


    Jiang Ling, the Shizi of Jiang¡¯an Marquis, was also a well-known playboy. Ming Huashang sighed slowly. Although she turned a deaf ear to outside matters, she knew at least that Marquis Jiang¡¯an was Taiping Gongzhu¡¯s right-hand man. Jiang Ling was the only son of Marquis Jiang¡¯an, and his doting rivaled Duke Zhen¡¯s love for Ming Huashang.


    If it was him, no wonder he was able to bring this dangerous animal into the villa.


    Ming Huashang secretly clicked her tongue. One was Ren Yao, and the other was Jiang Ling, both were hot-headed and stubborn. When the two of them face off, she was afraid it wouldn¡¯t end well.


    As soon as she thought of this, a resounding wail of anguish came from behind, ¡°Baobao, who beat you up like this!¡±

 CH 6.1

    When Ming Huashang heard the word ¡°baby¡± being called out in that sonorous voice, she immediately felt uncomfortable all over. She looked at Ming Huazhang and Xie Jichuan in surprise. Xie Jichuan smiled and pointed to the grinning lynx in front of her.


    This lynx was four feet long, and when it leaped, it was tall as a person. Its four claws were sharp and pointed; one claw could take out one Ming Huashang. In what way exactly did such a ferocious and agile killer look like a baby?


    Ming Huazhang explained to Ming Huashang in a low voice, ¡°This Jiang Ling person¡­ isn¡¯t very well read. After he got the lynx and leopard, he loved so very much that he named one Baobao and the other Beibei1.¡±


    The corners of Ming Huashang¡¯s mouth twitched, and she suddenly understood how Ming Huazhang felt when he heard her maids¡¯ names.


    With Jiang Ling¡¯s naming ability, only her Zhaocai and Jinbao can compete.


    When Jiang Ling got the message from his servants, he ran out in a hurry and found someone actually persecuting his Baobao. Jiang Ling was so angry that he gritted his teeth and shouted angrily, ¡°Who are you, how dare you do something to this Shizi¡¯s beloved pet? Stop immediately!¡±


    Usually, this trick of Jiang Ling¡¯s never fails; as long as he announces his name, the opponent will either bow down to please him immediately, or quickly stop to raise their white flags and still their drums in surrender. After all, Jiang Ling was the only son of Marquis Jiang¡¯An, and offending Marquis Jiang¡¯An was akin to offending Taiping Gongzhu, and if Taiping Gongzhu was unhappy and casually says something in front of the Empress, then their whole family can just wait to get sacked.


    But today Jiang Ling¡¯s trick did not work. After he announced his identity, the opponent didn¡¯t stop. Instead, the spear attacks became more intense. Jiang Ling thought that this country bumpkin didn¡¯t recognize his face, so he called again clearly, ¡°This young master is Jiang Ling, the Shizi of the Jiang¡¯An Marquis, so why don¡¯t you quickly kneel down and beg for mercy?¡±


    What Ren Yao disliked most of all were annoying hedonistic sons. Especially Jiang Ling who was ignorant and incompetent, a piece of trash who got it all just because he was a man. She drew back the spear with a twirl and rested the red-tasseled spear on her back and said with a sneer, ¡°Turns out this evil creature belongs to you then this Miss will eliminate it on behalf of the heavens!¡±


    As she spoke, she swung her arms and raised the red-tasseled spear high. Just by looking one could tell that the force would not be light. The lynx sensed the danger and ran towards Jiang Ling, but Ren Yao would not let it escape. She let out a loud shout and launched the red-tasseled spear at the lynx heavily with all her strength.


    Just now, Jiang Ling only saw someone playing with a spear making it whistle in the wind, and he subconsciously thought it was a man. Only now did he see clearly that it was a woman! Jiang Ling¡¯s eyes widened, and he watched in shock as the woman threw the spear at the lynx with strength that was not at all like a woman¡¯s.


    Ren Yao¡¯s shot was full of momentum giving the people of the Jiang¡¯an Marquis manor no time to stop it. Jiang Ling watched helplessly as the tip of the spear approached his beloved Baobao and his mouth opened wide unconsciously.


    Just when Jiang Ling began to despair, a golden light flashed across the snow, and then there was a sharp clang. The tip of the spear was deflected a few inches, scraping past the lynx¡¯s fur, and pierced deeply into the snow.


    The barrel of the spear shook violently and the red tassel sank into the snow, its bright color stung the eyes until they hurt. It was only at this moment that Jiang Ling realized that he was holding his breath. He inhaled deeply, and quickly held his hunting pet, ¡°Aiyo Baobao, are you okay? Let me take a look. Why do you have so many wounds on your body, even a patch of fur has fallen off, aiyo¡­¡±


    Jiang Ling hugged the lynx and sighed in grief, but unfortunately, except for the servants of the Jiang¡¯an Marquis, no one cared about Jiang Ling¡¯s mood.


    It was the middle of the day at this moment, and there were many distinguished guests, so the villa was already full of people coming and going. Their area was very active, and it quickly attracted a lot of attention. When everyone saw the scene just now, they were all surprised and shocked, and for a while, no one spoke.


    In the silence, Ming Huashang fixed her somewhat loose bun, and said hesitantly, ¡°That, my hairpin¡­¡±


    It was pure gold and quite valuable. Can she get it back?


    Just now, Ren Yao¡¯s spear was aimed at the lynx and in that moment of imminent peril, Ming Huazhang pulled out Ming Huashang¡¯s hairpin and threw it towards the tip of Ren Yao¡¯s spear. He caused the red-tasseled spear to deflect by more than an inch, just enough to save the life of the lynx.


    Ren Yao had been training in the art of the spear for many years, and the Ren family spear was her conviction and her pride. Yet today a young man nonchalantly countered it.


    He didn¡¯t even use a weapon but pulled out that hairpin from the girl next to him. For Ren Yao, this was a great shame and humiliation.


    Ren Yao drew her spear with a cold face, and asked Ming Huazhang, ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°This is Ming Huazhang.¡± Ming Huazhang didn¡¯t feel that what he had done just now was formidable at all. To him, it was as if he had just picked a flower in passing. He crossed his hands behind his back and said calmly, ¡°This is Taiping Gongzhu¡¯s villa. The fifteenth has passed, so it¡¯s not suitable to see blood. The lynx is more or less a life. Since it didn¡¯t hurt anyone, it¡¯s enough to punish it slightly; there¡¯s no need to kill it.¡±


    Ren Yao¡¯s expression was extremely ugly. She exerted strength with her arms, and the tip of the spear made a swift and fierce gust of wind, quaking the snow off the ground. She pointed it at Ming Huazhang and declared, ¡°My Ren family¡¯s spear would rather be broken than bent. I swore an oath in front of my patriarch¡¯s monument, and I dare not lose without a fight. Your distinguished self can force my spear away, so I can tell that you are not an ordinary person. Please enlighten me.¡±


    Ming Huazhang was about to speak when someone grabbed his arm suddenly. He was taken aback, subconsciously looked back, and saw Ming Huashang grabbing his sleeve, shaking her head at him with eyes that seemed to speak. Then she walked towards Ren Yao with a smile, and her tone was relaxed and happy, ¡°Meeting for the first time is like fate, why should we battle and kill? Miss Ren, thank you for saving me just now. You are very skillful with the spear; I have never seen such majestic marksmanship.¡±


    Ren Yao could unceremoniously challenge Ming Huazhang to a battle, but when a delicate, pretty and smiling young miss walked over, Ren Yao didn¡¯t think that keeping a cold face nor starting a fight were right, so she said stiffly, ¡°This is between me and him. Don¡¯t come over here. Knives and swords have no eyes, so if you get hurt, I won¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°My second elder brother was just being kind-hearted, so he couldn¡¯t bear it. He didn¡¯t mean to target Miss Ren. Is Miss Ren also going to put away your luggage? Which courtyard are you staying in? Maybe we are going the same way.¡±


    Ming Huashang didn¡¯t pay attention to the gleaming and cold tip of the spear in Ren Yao¡¯s hand and walked towards her with a smile. They say you don¡¯t hit a smiling face; Ren Yao felt bad about pointing the spear at Ming Huashang, so she could only put away the red-tasseled spear and say, ¡°Wuyin courtyard.¡±


    Ming Huashang¡¯s eyes widened in surprise, and then she said happily, ¡°It happens to be the same courtyard as mine. Miss Ren, let¡¯s go together. If you have time, can you teach me some self-defense skills¡­¡±


    Ming Huashang took Ren Yao¡¯s arm affectionately. Ren Yao had always regarded herself as a man all these years. There were many women who hated her and mocked her, but there were very few women who approached her proactively like Ming Huashang. Ren Yao froze and was dragged away by Ming Huashang somewhat helplessly.


    It was only when Ming Huashang touched her that she realized how big the difference was between a heroine and a good-for-nothing like her. Ming Huashang pulled Ren Yao with great effort, not forgetting to give Zhaocai a meaningful look.


    Her hairpin was still stuck in the snow, be sure to get it back!

 CH 6.2

    When passing by Ming Huazhang, Ming Huashang slightly raised her small face and revealed a sweet smile, ¡°Second elder brother, Brother Xie, I happen to live in the same courtyard as Miss Ren; I will go with her, so you don¡¯t have to see me off.¡±


    Ren Yao challenged Ming Huazhang just now, but now she was being pulled before the opponent, even her expression was frozen. Ming Huazhang gave Ren Yao a glance, then lowered his eyes to look at Ming Huashang. His eyes were filled with worry. Xie Jichuan pressed Ming Huazhang¡¯s shoulder calmly and said with a smile, ¡°Then I will have to trouble Miss Ren. Second younger sister is weak, so Miss Ren, please take care of her for the next three days.¡±


    Xie Jichuan delivered the polite speech with familiarity; he spoke naturally as if Ming Huashang was really his younger sister. After Ming Huashang and Ren Yao left, Ming Huazhang pushed away Xie Jichuan¡¯s hand and looked at him with a frown, ¡°What are you doing? She seldom goes out, and she¡¯s so foolish. How could you let her go alone?¡±


    Xie Jichuan said, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it. I think second younger sister is smarter than you think, she can handle it herself. I heard that Linzi Wang and Baling Wang have arrived, aren¡¯t you going to greet them?¡±


    Ming Huazhang was indifferent when he heard these two names; his eyes were still as calm as a clear lake. Jiang Ling finally noticed that there were other people. Ming Huazhang had stopped the tomboy just now and even stood up for Baobao, as a result, Jiang Ling felt that he was one of his own.


    He strode over and said, ¡°Second young master Ming, thank you for saving my Baobao just now. In the past, my father always praised you, and I thought you were as hypocritical as the others from aristocratic families. I didn¡¯t expect you to be an open-minded person. Ai, this is¡­¡±


    Xie Jichuan looked at Jiang Ling with a smile, and said, ¡°Eldest son of the Xie family, Xie Jichuan.¡±


    Ah, his surname is Xie¡­ Jiang Ling choked for a second, realizing that he had just scolded the sons of aristocratic families. Then he brushed it off and laughed heartily, ¡°Since you two helped me today, you are my, Jiang Ling¡¯s, friends. If you encounter any problems in the future, just look for me. I, Jiang Ling, will not hesitate!¡±


    Ming Huazhang still looked cold and disaffected and Xie Jichuan smiled at Jiang Ling; the smile seemed warm, but there was no warmth in his eyes.


    Although they have heard of each other¡¯s family names, Ming Huazhang and Xie Jichuan, and hedonistic sons like Jiang Ling really had little contact with each other, so they only officially met today.


    Jiang Ling was still angry when he thought about what happened just now, but the other party was a woman, so he couldn¡¯t settle accounts with her. He could only keep Ming Huazhang and Xie Jichuan with him to release his bitterness.


    Ming Huazhang¡¯s eyes were indifferent, and he didn¡¯t bother responding to him at all. Only Xie Jichuan kept smiling, answering with a sentence from time to time.


    Jiang Ling recalled how Ming Huazhang threw the hairpin just now, and said with admiration, ¡°I always heard people call you a master of the pen and sword. I thought my father was exaggerating. I didn¡¯t expect you to be really good at it. How did you throw it so accurately just now? I couldn¡¯t even see clearly when you shot that tomboy¡¯s spear away!¡±


    Ming Huazhang was silent the entire time, and only now did he answer indifferently, ¡°That was the Miss of Pingnan Marquis¡¯ manor, you should not act discourteously.¡±


    The expression on Jiang Ling¡¯s face froze. Obviously, he didn¡¯t expect that after that woman pointed a spear at Ming Huazhang in provocation, not only was Ming Huazhang not angry, but he even criticized him. Xie Jichuan smiled and mediated, ¡°Jing Zhan is just a magnanimous person, how could he care about such trivial matters? I only wonder how many girls will lose their hearts to Jing Zhan after today.¡±


    Ming Huazhang glanced at Xie Jichuan, his clear and cold eyes were unambiguous, neither proud nor disgusted, ¡°Save it. Matters concerning women¡¯s reputation, do not speak nonsense.¡±


    At the same time, not far away, Ren Yao was also scolding Jiang Ling in front of Ming Huashang, ¡°That hedonistic son, only fit for guzzling and boozing, is a complete waste! He can¡¯t even pass a single move under my hands, yet he flaunts himself around the city and without doing anything he becomes a Shizi. Really, the heavens are blind!¡±


    Ming Huashang thought of Ren Yao¡¯s desire to inherit the Marquis title but was unable to succeed due to her identity as a woman, so she understood her resentment towards Jiang Ling. It wasn¡¯t convenient for Ming Huashang to comment on the matters related to the Pingnan Marquis manor, so she smiled and pointed in front of them joyfully, ¡°Miss Ren, look, we¡¯ve arrived at the Wuyin courtyard.¡±


    This was the courtyard that Taiping Gongzhu prepared for them. There were a lot of people participating in this banquet, so male guests and female guests naturally stayed separately. Except for those wangyes and junwangs who had separate courtyards, everyone else stayed in the courtyards in pairs.


    Even so, with so many guests today, plus the servants they brought, she was afraid that thousands of rooms had to be arranged.


    Ming Huashang thought that with so many people and being on the mountain, the living environment would not be good. Unexpectedly, after opening the gates they saw richly ornamented buildings, neat stone roads, two spacious and bright main rooms on the north side, and a row of side rooms on the east and west ends for servants and luggage. There were also flowers and trees planted in the courtyard. Although the two would live together, the conditions were no worse than those in Luoyang.


    Ming Huashang exclaimed, ¡°Even the guest rooms are so tidy. Taiping Gongzhu¡¯s financial power is too impressive!¡±


    As the only daughter of the Empress, one of the few members of the Li Tang imperial family who could enjoy glory and wealth, also the daughter-in-law of the Wu family, how could Taiping Gongzhu¡¯s reputation as incomparably rich be just for show?


    The servants of Zhen Duke manor and Pingnan Marquis manor moved their luggage to the courtyard. They hesitated when they saw the two main rooms side by side in the north.


    Currently, the left side was the most respected, so the room on the left was more noble than the room on the right. Which of the two misses will stay in the left room and who in the right?


    In terms of title, the Duke was of course more noble than the Marquis, so Ming Huashang should be on the left. But with Ren Yao¡¯s thorny personality, could she bear to be inferior to others?


    Ming Huashang was very sensitive to the atmosphere. She quickly realized what the servants were struggling with, and said, ¡°I felt close to Miss Ren as soon as I saw her. Miss is one year older than me, can I call you elder sister?¡±


    Ren Yao had never been so intimate with a woman of the same age. She was a little at a loss and nodded tensely, ¡°Okay.¡±


    Ming Huashang¡¯s eyes smiled into crescents, and they were warm and bright, ¡°That¡¯s fantastic. I feel an attachment to the right side. Sister1 Ren, can you let me pick first?¡±


    Ren Yao had treated herself like a man all these years, always reminding herself not to be inferior to men. She spent too much time practicing martial arts causing her to lack social abilities, so she couldn¡¯t get along with the girls in Luoyang at all ¨C naturally, she didn¡¯t want to associate with those ladies either.


    But even with Ren Yao¡¯s slow mind, she realized that Ming Huashang was giving her way out of this awkward situation, using a very comfortable way to let everyone have face.


    Ren Yao became more and more at a loss. This was the first time she felt kindness from someone close to her age. Her male cousins and similar aged young men were her competitors. The young ladies laughed at her for being rough and like a man. In the past seventeen years, only her grandmother treated her well.


    But her grandmother was getting old, so her tough, wise, and omnipotent grandmother also started to say things like ¡®get married quickly¡¯ and ¡®find a good family for protection¡¯. Ren Yao had always been lonely and tense. She thought that women in this world were either like dodder flowers and only knew how to rely on others; or like the Empress and her grandmother, possessing an unyielding stratagem, swift and decisive, like a violent flame, burning everyone around them, including their own family members.


    It was the first time she met a woman like Ming Huashang, who was as beautiful and lovely as those ladies who she regarded as dodder flowers, yet she was as gentle and transparent as water, soothing everything silently.


    Ren Yao delayed a few beats before nodding. Ming Huashang thanked Ren Yao with a smile, and then entered the room on the right with Zhaocai and Ruyi.


    Ren Yao was stunned for a while, and the servant girl of Pingnan Marquis manor stepped forward and asked cautiously, ¡°Miss, is there anything you are dissatisfied with?¡±


    Ren Yao returned to her senses and shook her head with a low voice, ¡°No.¡±


    After she finished speaking, she realized that she was hesitating. She pinched her arm hard to harden herself again, and said, ¡°Put away the things quickly. Taiping Gongzhu will hold a reception banquet tonight. Such a good opportunity must not be missed.¡±


    The maid crossed her hands in salute and cautiously agreed, ¡°Yes.¡±

 CH 7.1

    On the fourteenth day of the first lunar month, guests arrived at Feihong Garden one after another. Although the official feast of the Feihong banquet would occur the next day, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, there was going to be a reception banquet tonight, which was an opportunity for everyone to get to know each other and prepare for tomorrow¡¯s grand event.


    This time, Taiping Gongzhu invited the aristocracy and spent extravagantly, hoping to make the Feihong banquet surpass the palace banquet. Feihong Garden was bustling with activity. Talented men and women participated in lantern riddle guessing games and poetry competitions and the noble sons who couldn¡¯t put up with these academic activities did archery and hunted. Those who were incapable of both academics and martial arts played chess and threw arrows into a pot. There was a way for anyone to have fun.


    Except for a salted fish like Ming Huashang who didn¡¯t want to go out or socialize.


    Ming Huashang moved into her guest room at noon. Zhaocai and Ruyi were arranging their valuables. Ming Huashang sat on the couch and watched them busy about. If it wasn¡¯t for Zhaocai¡¯s reminder, Ming Huashang could even sleep on the couch.


    Just now Zhaocai heard the door of the next room open; presumably, the miss from Pingnan Marquis manor had gone out. She looked at her miss again, who was drowsy and yawning continuously, and was disappointed that iron does not turn into steel, ¡°Miss, many young masters of prestigious families will attend today, which is a great time to choose a husband. Such a good opportunity, how can you sleep?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Ruyi also persuaded, ¡°Miss, even if it¡¯s not for marriage, but at least for the Duke¡¯s manor, you should make more connections.¡±


    Ming Huashang knew that she had to go out now, so she stood up reluctantly, ¡°I know, but it¡¯s already the afternoon, and I haven¡¯t eaten yet.¡±


    Zhaocai wanted to shake her Miss¡¯ head vigorously to throw eating and sleeping out of her mind, ¡°Miss, Taiping Gongzhu is a member of the imperial family, so there must be food at the banquet. You can just eat at the banquet.¡±


    Seeing that Ming Huashang was still dressed in the same outfit she wore on the road this morning, Ruyi hurriedly said, ¡°Miss, the first impression is the most important when meeting others. How can you go out in this outfit? Zhaocai, the clothes you brought from the Duke¡¯s manor, quickly take them out and change Miss¡¯ clothes.¡±


    ¡°No need.¡± Ming Huashang stopped the overly excited maids, stretched out her arm to look at the dress on her body, and said, ¡°Who knows of Shendu¡¯s Ming Huashang, everyone only knows that Ming Huazhang has a twin sister. This bolt of dragon and phoenix patterned brocade was given by my grandmother. It is festive and solemn, and with one glance one can tell it¡¯s a match with second elder brother¡¯s clothes, which is suitable for today¡¯s occasion. Don¡¯t worry about it, I think this outfit is very good.¡±


    What Ming Huashang said was also reasonable, but Zhaocai could not be outdone. She re-did Ming Huashang¡¯s buns and carefully matched them with filigree gold and silver hairpins.


    Ming Huashang was unlike Ming Huazhang¡¯s cold and noble appearance. Her cheeks were smooth and soft, her eyes were big and round, her red lips are full and shiny, and she looked like she was smiling even before speaking. She was exquisite and beautiful like the Guanyin little girl in the painting. After her hair was combed into buns, her superior forehead was undoubtedly revealed, fully round, it was very pleasing to look at.


    Zhaocai carefully adjusted the position of the hairpins and was finally satisfied, ¡°Done. Miss is so beautiful; she will definitely amaze everyone at the banquet and find a good husband.¡±


    Ming Huashang smiled perfunctorily.


    It got dark sooner in winter, so by the time Ming Huashang finally went out, the sky outside had already turned dark. Ming Huashang wrapped herself with a cloak and headed for the banquet with a lantern in her hand. When she arrived, the banquet hall was already full of people. It was lively like a big drinking feast.


    Taiping Gongzhu was born the noblest princess. She was accustomed to extravagance and pleasure, loved to play, and knew how to play. Her banquet this time was not held inside the hall but had a semi-open style. The reception pavilion connected to the verandahs and other pavilions, and not far away were snow fields and the mountain forest, making for an elegant yet wild backdrop.


    Servant girls holding gold plates filed through the corridors, luxuriously dressed men and women chatted together in groups, poets and painters improvised, floating lanterns covered the snow-capped mountains and jade halls, and clusters of jewel-adorned buns stood out. The atmosphere of a prosperous period engulfed her.


    After Ming Huashang came in, she found Ming Huazhang easily. For no other reason than that even in a banquet full of talents, Ming Huazhang¡¯s demeanor was too outstanding. Standing with the snow-covered pine forest behind him, he didn¡¯t need decorations, and the room filled with brocade clothes and mink fur suddenly became his foil.


    Temperament was hard to put into words, but when a group of people stood together, even if others beside him were dressed up and carefully crafted, they couldn¡¯t be more eye-catching than him with his hair done up with a simple jade hairpin.


    Ming Huazhang was tall, he felt someone approaching, and when he turned around, he saw Ming Huashang. Xie Jichuan followed Ming Huazhang¡¯s line of sight and said with a smile, ¡°Yo, second younger sister has arrived.¡±


    The young masters standing on both sides saw that Ming Huashang and Ming Huazhang were wearing the exact same clothes and asked, ¡°This is¡­¡±


    Ming Huazhang was a little surprised that Ming Huashang actually came. He motioned for Ming Huashang to stand beside him, and introduced her to the others, ¡°This is my twin sister, second miss.¡±


    Ming Huashang saluted with crossed hands, ¡°Greetings, young masters.¡±


    The young masters didn¡¯t have much impression of the second miss from Zhen Duke manor, but once it was mentioned that she was Ming Huazhang¡¯s twin sister, they understood. Their faces showed their understanding, their eyes glanced at Ming Huashang, and they were very surprised, ¡°The second miss is really mysterious, why haven¡¯t I met her before?¡±


    In front of Ming Huazhang, it was difficult for them to comment on Ming Huashang¡¯s appearance, but it was clear that Ming Huashang¡¯s appearance was far beyond their imagination. The pair of dragon and phoenix twins from the Zhen Duke manor was very famous in the capital. Before, they could only see the dragon but not the phoenix, so they assumed Ming Huashang was ugly, that¡¯s why she was embarrassed to go out. They didn¡¯t expect her to be very delicate and lovely.


    Ming Huashang was embarrassed to say that she was too lazy to go out because she didn¡¯t want to push herself, so she tried to find a decent way to explain, ¡°I have a quiet temperament that¡¯s why I rarely go out and about. I¡¯ve made everyone laugh.¡±


    Facing such a sweet and lovely girl, who could bear to blame her? The young men immediately expressed that being gentle and quiet was good. One of them wanted to probe whether Ming Huashang was engaged, and joked, ¡°Jing Zhan, you really are stingy. You have such a cute younger sister, yet you are hiding her at home, and didn¡¯t even let us know.¡±


    Ming Huazhang didn¡¯t even move his eyebrows and eyes. He was surrounded by the hustle and bustle, but his eyes were pitch-black and cold. His slender double-eyelids were like distant mountains drawn out by ink, the inner corners hooked and outer curled, and the tails of his eyes were straight and slightly provocative. When he didn¡¯t speak, an atmosphere of condescending coldness surrounded him.


    He had a fair complexion and was wearing red clothes, making him look even more cold and beautiful. Ming Huazhang didn¡¯t pay attention to the jokes made by the people around him at all. He lowered his eyes and said to Ming Huashang, ¡°You just came, you haven¡¯t met the host yet, right? I¡¯ll accompany you to meet Her Highness Taiping Gongzhu.¡±

 CH 7.2

    Ming Huashang was not very familiar with Ming Huazhang, but she could instinctually feel that Ming Huazhang was a little unhappy and wanted to take her out of there. Ming Huashang smiled at Xie Jichuan and the other young men, and responded crisply, ¡°Okay, thank you, second elder brother.¡±


    The brother and sister pair turned and left. They both wore the same color, but one was tall, and the other was short. One was a simple cut robe, and the other was a gorgeous dress. Walking side by side, they looked perfect together. The rest of the young masters watched from behind and sighed, ¡°Having a twin brother or sister is great. No matter where you go, with one meeting you can tell that they came from the same place. They were born to be closer to one another than others.¡±


    ¡°But having said that, I thought Ming Huazhang¡¯s younger sister would also be a cold beauty. I didn¡¯t expect her to be the complete opposite. Both her appearance and temperament are very sweet.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, although they are fraternal twins, they don¡¯t look alike at all.¡±


    Xie Jichuan looked away from the crowd, smiled lightly, and said, ¡°It seems that the poetry competition over there is very lively, why don¡¯t we go and have a look?¡±


    All the young masters agreed, and the group of people walked towards the lantern stand in high spirits. In the completely opposite direction from Xie Jichuan and the others, Ming Huazhang led Ming Huashang down the corridor and asked, ¡°Why did you come?¡±


    Ming Huashang replied, ¡°After coming up the mountain with great difficulty, I can¡¯t stay in the room all the time. At least, I should come out to greet the host.¡±


    Ming Huazhang said, ¡°I will take you to see Taiping Gongzhu first, and then bring you to the Nuan Pavilion. Most of the unmarried womenfolk are there. You girls will have more things to talk about.¡±


    In fact, Ming Huazhang and Ming Huashang were the same age, but he constantly regarded himself as an elder, saying ¡°you girls¡± every time. Ming Huashang nodded obediently, ¡°Okay.¡±


    Taiping Gongzhu was currently resting in the palace hall in the back. With her identity, she didn¡¯t need to socialize with other people at all. If she wanted to talk to someone she could just call on anyone she wanted to see. Ming Huazhang arrived quickly. He glanced over at the closed doors and windows, and said to the maid calmly, ¡°This is Ming Huazhang from the Zhen Imperial Duke manor bringing my younger sister to greet Taiping Gongzhu. Please pass it on.¡±


    After a while, the maid came back and led the way, ¡°Gongzhu is inside, young master, miss, please.¡±


    Ming Huashang followed her elder brother into the hall, almost sneezing from the warm fragrance in the hall as soon as she entered. She wrinkled the tip of her nose, quietly suppressing the itching. When Ming Huashang was saluting, she glanced around the hall from the corner of her eye and unexpectedly found that besides Taiping Gongzhu, there were two young men present.


    Ming Huazhang cupped his hands calmly as if he hadn¡¯t noticed them, ¡°This subject pays respects to Taiping Gongzhu, and pays respects to Linzi Wang and Baling Wang.¡±


    Ming Huashang was surprised. Weren¡¯t these two the crown prince¡¯s sons, Linzi Wang, and Baling Wang? She didn¡¯t dare to show her thoughts on her face, and hurriedly followed her brother to salute, ¡°This subject¡¯s daughter pays respects to Her Highness Gongzhu, Linzi Wang, and Baling Wang.¡±


    Despite having reached middle age, Taiping Gongzhu looked more graceful and luxurious than ever. Her bun was raised high, with big red silk peony flowers on it, her skin was fair and lustrous, and all aspects of her displayed how pampered she was.


    She glanced over at the young girl and boy wearing the same clothes in the hall, paused, and asked, ¡°I heard that Zhen Duke manor gave birth to a pair of dragon and phoenix twins, could it be you two?¡±


    Ming Huazhang¡¯s eyelashes were lowered, his shoulders were straight, and he said neither humbly nor overbearingly, ¡°It is this subject and younger sister.¡±


    Dragon and phoenix twins were an auspicious omen, and at this moment a beautiful boy and girl pair in scarlet clothes was standing in front of them, it was extremely joyous. Taiping Gongzhu gradually showed a smile, and said, ¡°I often see the elder brother, but this is the first time Bengong1 has met the younger sister. Come closer, Bengong will take a good look.¡±


    Ming Huashang looked at Ming Huazhang instinctively, and Ming Huazhang nodded slightly to her. Ming Huashang walked up the steps in fear. She was extremely nervous in her heart, but when she faced the others, she still had a smile on her face, ¡°This subject¡¯s daughter greets Her Highness the Gongzhu, and wishes Her Highness everlasting health and safety.¡±


    Ming Huashang had a sweet appearance and when she bent her eyes as she smiled, she almost melted peoples¡¯ hearts. Taiping Gongzhu held Ming Huashang¡¯s hand, looked left and right, and the more she looked, the more she cherished her: ¡°A pair of children is good, no matter how you dress them up, they are pleasing to the eye. Duke Zhen is truly blessed to have such a son and daughter pair.¡±


    Upon hearing this, Linzi Wang said, ¡°How can Duke Zhen¡¯s luck be comparable to aunt¡¯s? Aunt is the most blessed person in the world because she has a noble status, both sons and daughters and a harmonious family.¡±


    Ming Huashang thought to herself, was the competition starting now? She laughed so hard that her face almost stiffened, and said in harmony, ¡°Exactly, when I saw Gongzhu today, that¡¯s when I realized that someone as noble, beautiful, talented, and perfect as Her Highness exists in this world.¡±


    Taiping Gongzhu was used to flattery, but no one disliked too many nice words. The smile on her face deepened, and she said, ¡°You guys, you just know how to make me happy. I only heard about it before, but today I finally got to meet both twins. Bengong didn¡¯t prepare anything, but this pair of gold inlaid jade armbands were blessed in Yongning Temple. I¡¯ll give these to you today as a meeting gift.¡±


    Ming Huashang was taken aback, and quickly declined, ¡°This is too valuable, this subject¡¯s daughter would be ashamed to accept it.¡±


    But Taiping Gongzhu had already taken off the armbands from her pure white and smooth wrist, and cuffed them on Ming Huashang¡¯s wrist, ¡°Bengong can reward whoever Bengong likes, so what is there to be appropriate or not? You wear them just right, just keep them.¡±


    Taiping Gongzhu smiled and spoke kindly, but it was the kindness of the most favored gongzhu, how could anyone refuse? Ming Huashang could only accept it, and bowed uprightly, ¡°This subject¡¯s daughter, thanks Gongzhu for the honor.¡±


    After Ming Huashang stood up properly, Taiping Gongzhu was about to ask a question when a maid wearing a blue half-arm dress walked quickly into the hall, approached Taiping Gongzhu, and said, ¡°Your Highness, Ding Wang, and Wei Wang have arrived.¡±


    Ming Huashang saw with her own eyes that the smile in Taiping Gongzhu¡¯s eyes froze for a moment, and then she smiled like a spring breeze, and said, ¡°Third Lang, Fourth Lang, you go out first, Bengong will talk to you another day.¡±


    Linzi Wang and Baling Wang who was sitting on the side got up and said, ¡°Aunt, wishing you many fortunes, nephew will ask to be excused.¡±


    How could Ming Huashang not understand this social cue, she retreated below the platform and left with Ming Huazhang. They fell behind the two Junwangs, and when they went out, they happened to meet a group of people.


    The man in the lead was tall and imposing, and the man beside him was not so aggressive, but his appearance and demeanor were extremely outstanding. Three waves of people met at the door. Linzi Wang and Baling Wang visibly suppressed their expressions and raised their hands in salute, ¡°Greetings, Wei Wang and Ding Wang.¡±


    Ming Huashang and Ming Huazhang also saluted. Ming Huazhang¡¯s posture was calm, and his voice was as smooth as jade, just the same as when he greeted Taiping Gongzhu just now, making him appear more magnanimous than the two Junwangs. Relying on being blocked by her elder brother, Ming Huashang quietly observed the people in front of her.


    It turned out they were the Empress¡¯ nephew, Wei Wang, Wu Chengsi, and Taiping Gongzhu¡¯s husband, Ding Wang, Wu Youji.


    Wei Wang was the leader of the Wu family and had a voice that was louder than the crown prince. He was also planning to depose the crown prince and persuade the Empress to make himself the crown prince. Now that Wei Wang and the crown prince¡¯s sons have collided, how could the word insidious be enough to describe this scene?

 CH 8.1

    When Wei Wang saw Linzi Wang and Baling Wang, he smiled and asked, ¡°I was looking for both Junwangs just now. It¡¯s rare for you to leave the palace, so why didn¡¯t you attend the banquet, and come to the back instead?¡±


    This was the Empress¡¯ most trusted nephew. He raised the issue several times in front of the Empress that the crown prince wasn¡¯t loyal and wanted to abolish the Zhou and restore the Tang Dynasty. If it weren¡¯t for the old officials headed by Old Di who vouched for him strenuously, the crown prince and his sons would most likely already be dead.


    Even the crown prince constantly lived in fear, living from hand to mouth, so when Baling Wang saw Wei Wang, he instinctively felt afraid. On the contrary, Linzi Wang was quite calm, and he said with reason, ¡°My fourth younger brother and I were ordered by our Imperial Grandmother to leave the palace, and we dare not neglect our filial piety. Aunt Taiping and my father have a deep sibling relationship, so we only visited our aunt to fulfill our filial duty, we do not dare to be careless. ¡°


    On the surface, Linzi Wang¡¯s words seemed submissive, but every sentence contained soft spikes. First, he brought up the Empress to warn Wei Wang not to act rashly, and then he pulled out Taiping Gongzhu, implicitly reminding Wei Wang that the crown prince, Taiping Gongzhu, and the Empress were blood-related next of kin, which was an entirely different relationship from one with nephews, like Wei Wang, which was separated by a whole clan.


    Wei Wang watched Linzi Wang closely, his gaze was very dark. Ding Wang looked around, and suddenly cast his eyes on Ming Huazhang and Ming Huashang, and asked, ¡°Who are these people?¡±


    Ming Huashang was on edge observing the confrontation between the Li family and the Wu family when suddenly the attack was directed at her; she was stunned. Fortunately, Ming Huazhang stood in front of her the whole time. The young man¡¯s back was slender and straight, shielding her from the indiscernible scrutiny. He cupped his hands and answered, ¡°This is Ming Huazhang of the Zhen Imperial Duke manor, this is my younger sister.¡±


    Hearing the Zhen Imperial Duke manor, Ding Wang had a slight impression, and asked curiously, ¡°Could it be that you two are the dragon and phoenix twins?¡±


    Ming Huazhang nodded slightly, ¡°Exactly.¡±


    When Ding Wang was young, he was famous for being a handsome man. Now that he was middle-aged, his appearance and figure were still very good, and even gained a bit of elegance and calmness that young people didn¡¯t have.


    His gaze swept over Ming Huazhang. He hadn¡¯t attended a banquet in a long time, so he had no idea when such a handsome young man appeared in Luoyang.


    In fact, both men and women of the Wu family were good-looking, and the Empress¡¯ ¡°beautiful appearance¡± from when she was young deserved a special mention in the official records. But this young man was different. His good looks belonged to the type that was noble and aloof. He was born with contemptuous good looks, completely different from the soft and charming appearance of the Wu family as if he was born to be worshiped by others.


    His temperament reminded him of a person from the past¡ªTaiping Gongzhu¡¯s first husband, her deceased husband Xue Shao.


    Ding Wang noticed that the young man had been subtly blocking the girl behind him, he smiled lightly and said, ¡°Dragon and phoenix twins are good. Gongzhu likes such auspicious omens the most, have you two seen Gongzhu yet?¡±


    ¡°Replying to Ding Wang, this subject has already greeted Gongzhu.¡±


    When Taiping Gongzhu heard that Wei Wang had run into Linzi Wang and Baling Wang, she had already rushed out of the hall. She was holding a big red cloak on her arm, and as if she hadn¡¯t noticed the obviously strange atmosphere on Wei Wang¡¯s side, she walked over with a smile, ¡°Wei Wang, Fuma, why didn¡¯t you two come inside after arriving? It¡¯s windy outside, and it¡¯s probably going to snow again tonight. No wonder it¡¯s so cold. Come in quickly, just in time to accompany me in a match of backgammon.¡±


    Once Taiping Gongzhu appeared, Linzi Wang quietly relaxed his shoulders, knowing that he was safe for the time being. Sure enough, Wei Wang couldn¡¯t make trouble after seeing Taiping, and walked towards the hall and asked half-jokingly and half-probingly, ¡°There are so many young talents here today, so why are you staying here alone playing backgammon instead of visiting the poetry gathering, your Highness?¡±


    Taiping Gongzhu giggled, and her eyes were charming, ¡°Well, didn¡¯t Wei Wang come to visit? Fuma, don¡¯t take sides today, I want to have a proper match against Wei Wang.¡±


    Wei Wang laughed and said, ¡°What you just said was incorrect. When it comes to picking sides, who knows which side Youji will choose. Youji, tell us, where does your heart truly lie, on my side or the Gongzhu¡¯s?¡±


    Ding Wang, Wu Youji, just smiled gently, escorted by his group of attendants and maidservants, he walked into the spring-like inner hall.


    The curtain was lowered, and the laughter inside the hall could no longer be heard. Only then did Ming Huashang finally dare to raise her head. She found that Ming Huazhang was looking in the direction of the palace gate, his eyes were as lacquered as black jade, cold and focused.


    Ming Huashang called cautiously, ¡°Second elder brother?¡±


    Ming Huazhang regained his senses, retracted his gaze indifferently, and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Ming Huashang nodded silently. Linzi Wang and Baling Wang also looked like they had survived a calamity. Ming Huazhang came forward to greet them. The two Wangs didn¡¯t dare to offend anyone at this moment. They returned the gesture politely, but they really weren¡¯t in the mood to exchange pleasantries. The four of them walked together part of the way then parted ways at the fork in the road.


    After Linzi Wang and Baling Wang left, Ming Huashang hugged the hand stove, quietly approached Ming Huazhang, and said, ¡°Second elder brother, don¡¯t you feel that Wei Wang was too aggressive today, as if he has some kind of resentment?¡±


    Ming Huazhang was surprised for a moment, apparently he did not expect Ming Huashang to say this. He paused and asked, ¡°How do you know?¡±


    Ming Huashang tilted her head slightly, pouted, and said, ¡°I can¡¯t describe it, I just have a feeling.¡±


    Ming Huazhang didn¡¯t take Ming Huashang¡¯s words to heart, and said, ¡°Wei Wang has always hated the crown prince. Don¡¯t be afraid. No matter how much they fight, it won¡¯t affect you. The Nuan Pavilion where the womenfolk are gathered is in front of us. I¡¯ll take you there first. ¡°


    Ming Huashang also didn¡¯t care about the fate of the Wangyes who stood at the top of the dynasty. Whether the next Emperor¡¯s surname will be Wu or Li, and the official name of the nation be Zhou or Tang, how did either matter to her?


    She was just a fake daughter, with no wealth, no power, no support, and she will rejoin the commoners in a year. Regardless of who becomes emperor at the top, weren¡¯t the people below living every day just the same, just making a living?


    Ming Huashang did not hesitate to forget what she had just heard and what she saw. Soon, they arrived at the Nuan Pavilion which was filled with unmarried womenfolk. It was inconvenient for Ming Huazhang to stay for too long, so he turned around and left after watching Ming Huashang enter.


    When Ming Huazhang came over, the Nuan Pavilion became quiet. The womenfolk acted like they were doing their own thing, but in fact, they were all looking at Ming Huazhang from the corner of their eyes. When Ming Huazhang turned around, all of a sudden, the Nuan Pavilion exploded.


    ¡°That was second young master Ming? He really is extraordinary.¡±


    ¡°Who was the girl next to him? She could even get second young master to escort her personally.¡±


    Immediately, a group of people rushed up and surrounded Ming Huashang. She was already used to this kind of treatment, and explained calmly and familiarly, ¡°That¡¯s my elder brother, yes, I¡¯m his younger fraternal twin sister.¡±


    The gazes of the women which initially looked like they were judging a love rival immediately turned into flattery. They examined up and down and were very satisfied with Ming Huashang, the younger sister-in-law. They surrounded Ming Huashang and asked all sorts of questions, but the topic always revolved around Ming Huazhang.


    Although Ming Huashang was too lazy to socialize and scheme, that didn¡¯t mean she couldn¡¯t understand it. Who Ming Huazhang married was Ming Huazhang¡¯s own business. At the very least, it was the business of the Zhen Imperial Duke manor, which has nothing to do with her.


    Ming Huashang didn¡¯t want to be a tool for this group of women, nor did she want to accompany them in acting out the scene of sisters-in-law interacting in harmony. She glanced around but didn¡¯t see Ren Yao, so she changed the subject and asked, ¡°Where is Miss Ren from Pingnan Marquis manor?¡±

 CH 8.2

    When the miss next to her heard the name, she curled her lips, slowly waved her fan, and said, ¡°That is a very busy person, different from ordinary people like us. Knowing her, she must be making contacts now.¡±


    When the misses not far away heard it, they burst out laughing, ¡°She is a woman, what contacts can she make? Everyone is only considering the faces of Old Madam Ren and the late Pingnan Marquis, that¡¯s why they can¡¯t bear to reject her. Does she actually regard herself as an important character?¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± The young ladies agreed one after another, ¡°For the sake of Old Madam Ren, the imperial court still keeps the gates of Pingnan Marquis manor open. Once Old Madam Ren passes, Pingnan Marquis manor has no heirs, so wouldn¡¯t they have to withdraw from the nobility? I heard that Old Madam Ren has even brought back the shu1 branch which separated from the main branch many years ago. In my opinion, if Ren Yao is smart, she should build a good relationship with her shu uncle and cousins, in case the shu branch really has a chance to inherit the Marquis title. If she flatters the new Marquis, at least they will prepare a dowry for her, and she¡¯ll have a natal family to return to in the future. Otherwise, no one will care about her if she is wronged by her husband¡¯s family.¡±


    The woman who spoke first covered her lips and smiled, ¡°With the way she is, who would dare to marry her?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± The noble ladies laughed together, and Ming Huashang was listening on the side felt very uncomfortable.


    Ming Huashang couldn¡¯t take it anymore, stood up suddenly, and said, ¡°This hall is a bit stuffy; I¡¯m going outside for a walk. Everyone, please stay seated. Excuse me, I will be going now.¡±


    Seeing that Ming Huashang was about to leave, the womenfolk tried to persuade her to stay, but Ming Huashang ignored those people and walked out of Nuan Pavilion quickly, entering into the dark snowy night.


    It was sunny during the day, and at night the westerly wind blew again, and snow particles fell from the sky. Perhaps it was going to snow again. Ming Huashang wore a thick and heavy cloak, held the gold-plated hand stove in her hand, and walked slowly across the deep corridor without carrying a lantern.


    When Ming Huashang listened to those young ladies make sarcastic remarks about Ren Yao, she imagined what it will be like for her a year later. They hug her now and act affectionately, but Ming Huashang knew that they didn¡¯t sincerely want to be friends with her. They just wanted to use her to curry favor with Ming Huazhang.


    After another year, when the real daughter returns to the Zhen Duke manor, how will they talk about her behind her back? When she died alone in a remote courtyard in the middle of the night, in the eyes of Luoyang¡¯s nobles, did they think that she deserved it?


    Ming Huashang exhaled a turbid breath, and at this time she turned the corner. Ming Huashang raised her head, and suddenly saw a deathly pale face who was also wearing a red dress; she was terribly startled.


    Unexpectedly, the woman in red before her also staggered two steps and screamed, ¡°A ghost!¡±


    Ming Huashang recognized that she was just a servant girl, and her face was illuminated by the light, which made her look especially eerie. Ming Huashang breathed a sigh of relief, and said, ¡°I¡¯m not a ghost, I¡¯m the second young miss Ming of Zhen Duke manor.¡±


    The girl on the opposite side held her lantern and carefully illuminated Ming Huashang¡¯s silhouette then her expression relaxed, ¡°So it¡¯s young miss Ming. Forgive this servant for acting discourteously. Miss Ming, it¡¯s so dark outside, why don¡¯t you carry a lantern?¡±


    Ming Huashang deliberately shook off the servant girl who had led the way, not wanting to be disturbed. She said, ¡°It¡¯s rare to see such heavy snow. I wanted to see the snow¡¯s glow, so I didn¡¯t light a lantern. By the way, do you know where Miss Ren from Pingnan Marquis manor is?¡±


    The servant girl dressed in red frowned and thought for a while, then said, ¡°She seems to be over there. When this servant came over, this servant saw Miss Ren standing under the rockery motionlessly; it was quite frightening.¡±


    Ming Huashang thanked her, lifted her skirt, and walked in the direction the servant girl pointed to.


    There was snow outside the corridor, and the snow reflected a burst of brightness. Even without additional light, she could still find her way. Ming Huashang walked along the servant girl¡¯s path and soon saw a dark figure leaning on against the rockery in the corner, staring blankly at the snow falling from the sky.


    Ming Huashang struggled to lift the large and heavy hem of her clothes, and called out, ¡°Sister Ren!¡±


    Ren Yao turned her head and squinted for a long time before recognizing Ming Huashang, ¡°Why is it you?¡±


    Ming Huashang ran over and said with a smile, ¡°I¡¯m appreciating the snow here. I heard the servant girl say that you were here, so I came to chat with you. Why are you standing in the snow? Is it cold? My stove has just been refilled with charcoal, and it is still hot, here you go!¡±


    Ren Yao glanced at the steaming hand stove and then looked at Ming Huashang¡¯s bright eyes, and for some reason, she became even more downcast, ¡°No, I¡¯m used to training in martial arts, so this kind of coldness is nothing at all. You look delicate, so you should keep it for yourself.¡±


    Ming Huashang let out an ¡°oh¡± and silently took the hand stove back, but still stood beside Ren Yao, chatting with her, ¡°I heard about what happened at the banquet. This world will always have more people who can¡¯t watch others succeed than people who sincerely wish you well, so don¡¯t pay too much attention to it.¡±


    Ren Yao snorted lightly and said, ¡°A group of young misses who depend on others for food, clothing, shelter, and transportation, why should bother about what they say? I just find it difficult to bear. I don¡¯t want to become like them. All these years, I¡¯ve been practicing martial arts relentlessly only for the day when I can finally depend on myself. But, I¡¯ve realized that there is no way for women to rely on themselves in this world.¡±


    Ming Huashang listened silently. If her downcast mood was caused by others who sneered at her then Ming Huashang could explain in a way to make her feel better; but what Ren Yao cared about was the invisible oppression by this society to which Ming Huashang couldn¡¯t say a word.


    Ren Yao forgot that the girl in front of her was someone she had known for only a day, and the frustrations that have accumulated in her heart for many years rushed out, ¡°After my father and brothers¡¯ old friends heard about what happened, they all sympathized with me and said that they would definitely take care of me in the future. But whenever I mentioned wanting to inherit the Marquis manor, they acted like they heard a fairy tale, as if they couldn¡¯t understand how I came up with such a bizarre idea. Everyone agrees that my shu uncle who only eats, drinks, enjoys prostitutes, and gambling is not a good person, but they still take for granted that the Marquis manor should be handed over to a man, if not my shu uncle, then a young cousin who can be adopted and raised by me. There are still men in the Pingnan Marquis manor, so why should they hand the title over to me, a woman?¡±


    ¡°But, that¡¯s obviously my home! When did living in my own home and keeping my parents¡¯ property become someone else¡¯s favor?¡±


    Ming Huashang was silent for a long time, walked down the steps, and silently held Ren Yao¡¯s hand. Sure enough, her hands were cold, who knew how long she had stood in the snow?


    Ren Yao didn¡¯t cry when she practiced martial arts rigorously in the hot summer or cold winter; she didn¡¯t cry when she was punished by her grandmother to kneel in the ancestral hall; she didn¡¯t cry when she repeatedly faced rejections at banquets; but now, being held with warm hands, she was suddenly defeated. Ren Yao lowered her head, and her tears fell, she choked up and whispered, ¡°If women can be emperors, then why can¡¯t they inherit a Marquis title?¡±


    Ming Huashang understood the bitterness in Ren Yao¡¯s heart, but she still had to remind her, ¡°Sister Ren, speak cautiously.¡±


    Ming Huashang¡¯s voice was deep and soft, and at the same time as she spoke, a piercing scream resounded through the night sky, completely overpowering her voice: ¡°AH, a ghost!¡±

 CH 9.1

    Chapter 9 Part 1


    Disclaimer: This chapter contains graphic scenes. Reader¡¯s discretion is advised.


    Ming Huashang and Ren Yao heard the scream, looked at each other, and hurried to where the sound came from.


    They didn¡¯t bring lanterns when they came, so they could only rely on the dim light from the snow to find their way. Ren Yao was faster than Ming Huashang. She ran across the corridor, and when she looked up, she seemed to have seen something terrifying and let out a short cry. Realizing that she was screaming, she forced herself to hold back.


    Ming Huashang followed closely behind. She turned the corner and first saw a touch of red.


    A woman in red was hanging from the beam, her waist-length hair was loose and scattered. At this moment, a gust of wind blew, her body swayed from side to side and her hair was blown away by the wind, revealing her face underneath.


    Seeing the condition of her face, Ming Huashang gasped and took a step back.


    Red blood flowed out of her eye sockets and dripped down her face. The most frightening thing was that there were no eyeballs in her eye sockets, but two bloody black holes.


    When Ren Yao saw the woman¡¯s face, she could no longer remain strong, and asked in a trembling voice, ¡°What is this? Who is playing tricks here!¡±


    Ming Huashang saw two women who had fallen over at the other end of the corridor. The palace lantern was on the ground, candle oil dripped onto the paper, and it was already burning. Ming Huashang said, ¡°There are two people behind there. I don¡¯t know whether they are alive or dead. Sister Ren, let¡¯s go and check on them together.¡±


    Outside the corridor was a small pond, which was covered by snow, so Ming Huashang couldn¡¯t determine if there was a hole below. She dared not tread on the ice rashly. She pressed her back against the wall, carefully avoiding the woman hanging from the beam, and walked quickly to the back.


    Ren Yao¡¯s scalp went numb when she saw Ming Huashang brushing the corpse of the woman in red. But she had already claimed that her courage was not inferior to that of a man, so how could she lose to a delicate and weak boudoir lady now? Ren Yao could only bite the bullet and walked to the back by pressing herself against the wall.


    Ren Yao didn¡¯t know how Ming Huashang walked so steadily, she didn¡¯t even dare to look up. She closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and fumbled forward. She couldn¡¯t perceive the environment, and the few short steps seemed infinitely elongated. She felt that she had arrived, her eyes barely opened a gap, yet she saw a red hem drooping on her body. Her eyes instinctively followed along that hem and just happened to face head-on with the two black holes where the woman¡¯s eye sockets were.


    Due to extreme fright, she couldn¡¯t even make a sound, and Ren Yao¡¯s legs immediately went limp. Ming Huashang squatted at the end corridor, stretching out her hand to feel for the breath of the people on the ground. Fortunately, they only fainted from fright.


    Judging by their clothes, they should be a young miss and her maid. The two of them were strolling outside when they happened to bump into this terrible scene. The scream just now should be from them before they fell unconscious.


    Since everyone was okay, Ming Huashang was relieved. It was not suitable to stay here for too long, and it was better to call someone over quickly. Ming Huashang noticed some time had passed and Ren Yao still hadn¡¯t come over, so she turned around only to find Ren Yao trapped halfway down the corridor, staring blankly face to face with the female corpse, as if she had been paralyzed.


    Ming Huashang hurriedly called out, ¡°Sister Ren?¡±


    Ren Yao didn¡¯t know what was wrong. She felt as if those empty bloody eyes had seized her. She couldn¡¯t look away even though her mind was screaming. She vaguely heard someone calling her name, and then a pair of warm hands held her arms and pulled her forward.


    Ren Yao walked woodenly for a long time, raised her eyes in a daze, and saw Ming Huashang looking at her worriedly. She finally escaped from the horror of being caught by the female ghost, her knees gave way, and she almost collapsed on the ground.


    Ming Huashang quickly supported her and patted her arm lightly, ¡°It¡¯s okay. We¡¯ll find someone right away.¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, a cluster of flames illuminated the courtyard wall, and chaotic voices came from behind the wall. With so many guests at the banquet, most likely those who were strolling at the front heard the screams, so they came together to search.


    A slender crimson figure appeared first, he was holding a lantern, and the firelight reflected on his face, making his complexion more jade-like and his eyes like stars.


    Seeing him, Ming Huashang unknowingly relaxed, ¡°Second elder brother!¡±


    The other party also saw them. He didn¡¯t say a word, strode forward with his long legs, and reached in front of Ming Huashang within two steps. He carefully checked Ming Huashang¡¯s whole body, then glanced at the people on the ground and the hanging corpse in front of them, and asked, ¡°Are you okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡± Ming Huashang pulled Ming Huazhang and said, ¡°Second elder brother, someone died here, and her eyes were gouged out for some reason. The two people on the ground must have fainted from fright. Go and call for the doctor.¡±


    Ming Huazhang put the lantern in Ming Huashang¡¯s hands, went to feel for the breath of the people on the ground first then approached to observe the female corpse hanging from the beam. Ren Yao¡¯s body was still numb. She looked in disbelief: ¡°What kind of life are you and your brother living at home? Are you not afraid?¡±


    Ming Huashang was naturally afraid, but what she was afraid of was not the bloody female corpse, but the danger lurking in the darkness.


    If Ming Huashang was by herself, she would not dare to stay. Fortunately, Ren Yao was with her. During the day, she saw Ren Yao¡¯s heroic stance as she wielded her spear with her own eyes, and believed that even if they encountered hoodlums, Ren Yao would be able to subdue them, that was why Ming Huashang dared to remain. Now that Ming Huazhang was here, she was even less afraid.


    Ming Huazhang looked around examining the woman¡¯s body and finally stopped in one spot. Ming Huashang was curious, and walked over with a lamp, ¡°Second elder brother, what¡¯s the matter?¡±


    It was dark before so Ming Huashang couldn¡¯t see carefully, only now that there was light did she realize that she recognized the woman on the beam. Wasn¡¯t she the maid who showed her the way not long ago?


    However, what was even more ominous were the bloody words on the ground.


    Those who see me, die.

 CH 9.2

    The evening wind blew past, and there was a sudden chill. At this time, screams suddenly sounded one after another from behind.


    ¡°AH!¡±


    Someone died unexpectedly at the grand and magnificent Feihong banquet, which immediately alarmed Taiping Gongzhu. Ming Huashang didn¡¯t know whether Taiping Gongzhu and Wei Wang¡¯s backgammon match had ended yet, but she was currently sitting on the platform with a very ugly expression on her face, ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡±


    With a bit of effort, the identity of the deceased had been ascertained. It was a servant girl named Chi Lan who was serving at Taiping Gongzhu¡¯s manor. Since the Gongzhu planned to hold the Feihong banquet, there was not enough manpower at Feihong Garden, so she was brought over from the Gongzhu manor to help.


    The first young miss who witnessed Chi Lan¡¯s death was still unconscious. Ming Huashang was the first person among those present to arrive at the scene. She bowed to Taiping Gongzhu and replied, ¡°Reporting to Your Highness, this subject¡¯s daughter returned to the Nuan pavilion after greeting you, and many of the misses present can confirm this. Afterward, this servant¡¯s daughter was tired from sitting, so I went out to get some fresh air. On the way, I met the servant girl Chi Lan, and she showed me the way. Then I stayed in the garden with Miss Ren to chat, this point, Miss Ren can prove it.¡±


    Ren Yao nodded, indicating that what Ming Huashang said was true. Ming Huashang went on to say, ¡°From the time I bid farewell to Chi Lan and until I found Miss Ren, it was around the time to brew a cup of tea, and the two of us talked for probably the same amount of time. Then, we heard someone screaming behind us. When we arrived, I saw Miss Zhao and the servant girl passed out on the ground, and Chi Lan was hanging on the beam, her eyes weeping blood, and suffocated to death.¡±


    Ming Huazhang then added, ¡°That¡¯s right, I heard screams outside, and it took at least half an incense stick for me to walk over. When I let the corpse down, the limbs were still soft, and the skin temperature had not yet dissipated. I think she had just died not too long ago.¡±


    Taiping Gongzhu pressed her furrowed brows again with a headache. The Gongzhu manor was full of attendants; she didn¡¯t care about the life and death of a servant girl at all, but when this kind of thing happened at the feast she carefully prepared, it was very disconcerting. Now in front of many guests, if Taiping Gongzhu handled it badly, it will directly affect her reputation in the court.


    After all, if even the death of a little servant girl couldn¡¯t be dealt with, who else in the court would trust her ability and rely on her? It was a critical moment now, so she must not make a single mistake.


    Taiping Gongzhu quickly made up her mind and said, ¡°The Gongzhu manor is vast, and Bengong is unable to attend to other things at the same time so it¡¯s difficult to oversee everything. Maybe she had a grudge against someone, and that person came here to seek revenge by taking advantage of the oversight of the rules at the Feihong banquet. Take that servant girl and properly prepare her burial, choose a date, and give her relatives a hundred guan as compensation. In addition, the patrol of Feihong Garden will be strengthened. Bengong will not allow this kind of thing to happen again.¡±


    Sitting next to her, Wei Wang slowly twirled the jade thumb ring in his hand. The steward behind him frowned and said, ¡°Your Highness Taiping, I heard that when the body was found, there was a line of blood written on the ground, saying ¡®Those who see me, die¡¯, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    Taiping Gongzhu said in a cold voice and a displeased expression, ¡°It¡¯s nothing more than a group of idlers playing tricks. Could it be that there really are strange powers and deities in this world? Even if there were, Bengong¡¯s father was an emperor and mother is the current emperor, eldest and second eldest brothers were crown princes, fourth eldest brother is the current crown prince, and a husband who is a wangye; nobody across the four seas dares not to obey. How could any ghosts dare to approach Bengong?¡±


    There was no other woman in the world more honorable than Taiping Gongzhu. With such a powerful dragon spirit, there was no reason why it couldn¡¯t suppress the ghosts and evil spirits. The steward¡¯s hands were tied and looked embarrassed. Then Wei Wang answered in a timely manner, ¡°He was only worried about the security at the Feihong banquet. After all, there are so many young masters and misses on this mountain. If something bad happens, there¡¯ll be no way to explain it to the Luoyang officials. Taiping, please don¡¯t be angry.¡±


    Taiping Gongzhu pursed her lips, her phoenix eyes sparked with anger, and Fuma Ding Wang tried to mediate and said, ¡°It¡¯s alright now, it was just an accident, and we¡¯ll increase the patrol from now. The criminals will want to flee instead, so how dare they make trouble? Gongzhu has been busy all day and must be tired already, so let¡¯s all disperse.¡±


    With Ding Wang¡¯s words, all the guests could only get up and leave.


    Ming Huazhang was the first to see the corpse, and Xie Jichuan, who was close behind him, realized something was wrong, and immediately asked the guards to seal off the back courtyard, so not many people personally saw Chi Lan¡¯s dead state.


    However, all the guests were pampered and helpless young masters and ladies. Now that they¡¯ve suddenly come so close to a murder case, no one could have fun with peace of mind anymore. Shortly, what happened in the back courtyard spread all around. After each wave of messengers added their own embellishments one after another, the description of the whole situation became more and more bizarre.


    Ming Huashang also left following the crowd. Her emotions had settled down, but Ren Yao was still in shock. As long as Ren Yao closed her eyes, she could only see those two bloody black holes.


    Ren Yao¡¯s condition was visibly unwell, and Ming Huazhang was worried about letting Ming Huashang live alone, so he said, ¡°Second Miss, you and Miss Ren should sleep in the same room tonight. I will move next door and protect you nearby.¡±

 CH 9.3

    Ming Huashang widened her eyes and responded overjoyed, ¡°Okay!¡±


    She was not afraid of the dead but was actually more afraid of the living. After all, the real culprit who killed Chi Lan had not been found yet; who knew if the other party will continue to commit more crimes? She was just worrying about how she¡¯ll fall asleep at night, and she didn¡¯t expect Ming Huazhang wanted to move over. With Ming Huazhang right next door her safety will undoubtedly greatly improve.


    But they weren¡¯t in the Zhen Duke manor and she and Ren Yao were sharing a courtyard. Will Ren Yao mind if a man entered? Ming Huashang looked at Ren Yao, ¡°Sister Ren, what do you think¡­¡±


    Ren Yao put on a firm and tough look, as if she didn¡¯t care about it at all, and said, ¡°Okay, since you are afraid, I¡¯ll let you guys arrange it.¡±


    Ming Huashang glanced at Ren Yao but didn¡¯t expose her. Since Ren Yao agreed, it couldn¡¯t be better. Ming Huashang said with a smile, ¡°Then I will trouble Sister Ren by taking me in tonight. Brother, my room has already been tidied, you can move into my room, and I will stay with Sister Ren tonight.¡±


    Xie Jichuan heard them from not far away, raised his eyebrows, and said with a smile, ¡°Jing Zhan¡¯s worry is justified, so tonight, I will also move over to help be on the lookout for my younger sister.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t.¡± Ming Huazhang coldly refused, and glared at him unkindly, ¡°A woman¡¯s boudoir, how can you moving over be proper?¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m scared.¡± Xie Jichuan countered, ¡°When you¡¯re gone, I¡¯ll be alone in the courtyard. I¡¯ll be too afraid to sleep.¡±


    The whole capital knew that Ming Huazhang and Xie Jichuan had a very good relationship, so when arranging the guest rooms this time, naturally Taiping Gongzhu arranged for the two of them to share a courtyard. Ming Huazhang was dumbfounded for a moment, speechless for a while, then looked at Xie Jichuan with extreme disdain.


    Ming Huashang whispered, ¡°Brother Xie is just being considerate, so there is no need to stick to these formalities. Besides, it is not my boudoir, but Taiping Gongzhu¡¯s guest room. I will go back and prepare it. Brother Xie, you can stay there.¡±


    Ming Huashang was eager for there to be more people in the courtyard. Compared with safety, how did the separation of men and women matter? Although Xie Jichuan looked gentle and weak, he was a man after all, so his stay was extra protection.


    ¡°Look, even younger sister agreed!¡± Xie Jichuan contended on strong grounds. Ming Huazhang didn¡¯t actually want Xie Jichuan to get what he wanted, but when he turned around, he found Ming Huashang and even Ren Yao looking at him expectantly. Ming Huazhang paused and said helplessly, ¡°Alright. But you stay in the outside room, watch where you look, and do not act disrespectfully.¡±


    ¡°Also, she¡¯s not your younger sister. Don¡¯t speak nonsense.¡±


    Xie Jichuan sighed a breath of relief, and waved his hands impatiently, ¡°I know, I know, my Xie family hasn¡¯t fallen to the point of being unaware of social etiquette.¡±


    Ming Huashang suddenly had three additional bodyguards; she could walk even more confidently now. She and Ren Yao went back to pack up their belongings first and Ming Huazhang and Xie Jichuan came shortly after.


    Ming Huashang led Ren Yao out of the palace hall and was currently pushing through the boundless wind and snow. Ming Huashang raised her head, looked at the chaos whirling above, and murmured, ¡°The wind is blowing.¡±


    It was windy and it was snowing. Feihong Garden happened to be built at the peak of the mountain, so the way down the mountain was even more difficult.


    Ming Huashang inexplicably felt that they were all trapped on the mountain.


    Seeing Ming Huashang staring at the night sky without moving, Ren Yao also raised her head and asked, ¡°What¡¯s the matter, is there something up there?¡±


    Ming Huashang shook her head and said, ¡°It¡¯s nothing, I¡¯m just having wild thoughts. Let¡¯s go and get back quickly.¡±


    Ming Huashang thought it should just be her unfounded worries. There were so many dignitaries with them, including Wei Wang and Taiping Gongzhu, how could they be trapped? Ming Huashang didn¡¯t want to attend any kind of banquet anymore. She planned to wait until tomorrow to end her time at the banquet, giving Taiping Gongzhu face. Then she wanted to go down the mountain in the afternoon.


    She didn¡¯t want to know why Chi Lan died, why the murderer killed her so cruelly, nor the meaning of that strange phrase scrawled on the ground, ¡®Those who see me, die¡¯.


    She only needed to endure it for another half a day and then she will be able to return to her daily life.


    Ming Huashang planned well, but unexpectedly, the accident occurred before she could execute her plan.


    At the fourth watch1, Ming Huashang was in a deep sleep when she suddenly heard a muffled rumbling. Beside her, Ren Yao muttered impatiently. Ming Huashang never needed to wake up this early, so she turned over and continued to sleep without burden.


    There was a creaking sound from next door, and someone came out. There seemed to be sounds of whispers coming from outside the window, and then several doors opened and closed. Not long after, there was a knock on their door.


    ¡°Second Miss?¡±


    Ming Huashang opened one eye with difficulty, ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Quickly wake up, there was an avalanche just now and it blocked the mountain road.¡±


    Ming Huashang blinked blankly. Her body was awake, but her mind wasn¡¯t. She couldn¡¯t understand the meaning of what she just heard. The person outside the window sighed and said, ¡°We may not be able to go down the mountain.¡±

 CH 10.1

    Inside the courtyard, Ming Huashang was wearing a silver embroidered vermilion round-collared jacket paired with an apricot-colored rabbit fur-lined cloak and a red-and-white pleated dress. She was leaning listlessly on the couch.


    The guard who had gone outside to inquire about the situation came back, ¡°Reporting to young master, this winter has been cold, and a lot of snow has accumulated on Mang Mountain. Last night, a snow avalanche was triggered, blocking the only way down the mountain. Taiping Gongzhu and Wei Wang sent people to clear out a path, but it just snowed, so the mountain road is very difficult to traverse. Plus, there¡¯s a risk of an avalanche recurrence at any time, so the mountain road may not be cleared any time soon.¡±


    The charcoal fire burned all night, leaving only a few sparks hidden in the embers, and the room was very cold. Ming Huashang shrank back and tried her best to keep her hands in her sleeves.


    At the fourth watch, there was a sudden rumble on Mang Mountain, and an avalanche rushed down without warning. The sound alarmed many people. Even though it was dark and windy outside, the lights in the villa lit up one after another.


    Ming Huashang wanted to go straight back to sleep after hearing about the avalanche. The road was already blocked, and there was nothing she could do to help, so why not focus on the most important thing at this moment¡ªsleep? However, Ren Yao sat up as soon as she heard about the avalanche. Ming Huazhang and Xie Jichuan were already awake in the room next door. Thus, Ming Huashang could only force herself not to doze off and get up.


    People from various households who were sent to inquire about the news rushed out. They were busy until morning1 before the situation finally settled down.


    The way down the mountain was blocked off, so there were only two choices now: either risk freezing to death by finding another path through the ice and snow or stay put at Feihong Garden and wait, then no one could leave.


    When Ren Yao heard that a path wouldn¡¯t be cleared out any time soon, she said angrily, ¡°A bunch of trash, can¡¯t even shovel snow? Where is the place affected by the avalanche, I¡¯ll go!¡±


    ¡°Sister Ren, calm down first.¡± Ming Huashang snuggled in her clothes. Her face was mostly covered by fur, and only a pair of glistening dark eyes were exposed, ¡°Humans shouldn¡¯t fight against nature. The period right after an avalanche is the most dangerous one; if you head out rashly, you might get buried under the snow. If you have the time, why not think about something practical.¡±


    ¡°For example, with so many young masters and young misses, servants, and guards trapped on the mountain, who knows how much food and charcoal needs to be consumed in a day? Are Taiping Gongzhu¡¯s reserves going to be enough?¡±


    After Ming Huashang finished speaking, the room fell into silence. They were pampered children of Dukes and Marquises, so they have never worried about food or clothing, not even once since they were born. Even Ren Yao only worried about her title and never had to worry about her livelihood.


    Ming Huazhang took the lead and said, ¡°I just sent someone to ask the steward of Feihong Garden. This place is built on the mountain, and it is inconvenient to travel here, so stocking up on food was already a routine. In addition, since Taiping Gongzhu planned to have this grand banquet, the food stocks were ready last year. We should not need to worry about food and drink in the short term. As for the charcoal, that is a real problem. After I heard about the avalanche, I immediately asked our steward to go get more charcoal, and I also asked people to bring the charcoal from Xie Jichuan¡¯s and my courtyard. Fortunately, we went early, otherwise, it might not be easy to resupply now. If we use it sparingly, making it last for another seven or eight days shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    Ming Huashang was surprised, ¡°Second elder brother, you guys already made arrangements?¡±


    Xie Jichuan jokingly said, ¡°Second younger sister, otherwise what do you think we were doing when we woke up so early last night?¡±


    Ming Huashang rubbed her hands, and said embarrassedly, ¡°I was short-sighted, I only wanted to sleep at the time. Zhaocai, go and take out our food and pastries.¡±


    Zhaocai responded crisply and swiftly brought out a row of food boxes. Xie Jichuan¡¯s gaze swept across the neatly stacked food boxes, and laughed, ¡°These are all food?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Ming Huashang was quite proud, puffing out her chest, and said, ¡°I was afraid that the dishes at the banquet wouldn¡¯t be filling, so I deliberately prepared a lot of filling food. Don¡¯t worry, even if the reserves in the villa are exhausted, we can still last longer than the others by a few more days!¡±


    Xie Jichuan couldn¡¯t help laughing, and his eyes contained a rare genuine smile, ¡°Fortunately, we have second younger sister who is prepared for a rainy day. From now on, I will rely on second younger sister.¡±


    Ming Huazhang glanced coolly at Xie Jichuan. Xie Jichuan caught it and immediately scorched towards Ming Huashang, ¡°Second younger sister, look, he is glaring at me again. If he doesn¡¯t give me something to eat later, younger sister, you have to stand up for me.¡±


    Ren Yao¡¯s cheeks wrinkled. She couldn¡¯t imagine that this was something that the Xie family¡¯s pride, who was known for his aristocratic character, could say. Ming Huazhang glanced at Xie Jichuan angrily, and then ordered, ¡°Shuli, go and replenish the pot of charcoal.¡±


    Ming Huashang hurriedly asked, ¡°Second elder brother, are you cold?¡±


    Ming Huazhang glanced at Ming Huashang¡¯s pale face, and said, ¡°I don¡¯t use charcoal much in the winter, and I¡¯m used to it. But you can¡¯t.¡±


    Ming Huashang was startled, she had no idea that Ming Huazhang had this habit, ¡°Why?¡±

 CH 10.2

    Ming Huazhang didn¡¯t like to share his own affairs, so Xie Jichuan smiled and said, ¡°Because he believes that warmth and pleasure will corrode his will. To maintain his vigor, he doesn¡¯t use ice in the summer nor charcoal in the winter, he doesn¡¯t even sleep on a soft bed.¡±


    Ming Huashang opened her mouth wide, deeply shocked. Seeing her reaction, Xie Jichuan said, ¡°Do you brother and sister even live under the same roof? He has been doing this for so many years, and you don¡¯t even know?¡±


    Ming Huashang retracted her chin silently; she really didn¡¯t know. She thought back on her life where she was sleepy in spring, tired in autumn, napped in summer, and couldn¡¯t even wake up during the three months of winter1. She deeply spurned herself.


    Especially after Ming Huashang looked around and found that Ming Huazhang was strong and self-disciplined. Ren Yao practiced martial arts all year round, and although Xie Jichuan joked about Ming Huazhang, he himself was sitting in a cold room with only unlined clothes, and he didn¡¯t flinch at all. It could be seen that the Xie family might also use the cold to cultivate their children¡¯s willpower.


    Among the four present, only she was frozen like a dog.


    Ming Huashang felt a little dejected; why were her peers always so outstanding? At this time, she noticed that the attendant brought a pot of fresh charcoal that was burning vigorously and put down a box of pastries beside it. The tip of her nose moved, and she immediately smelled that it was the plum blossom cake from the pastry shop at the southern market.


    Ming Huashang lifted the lid, and sure enough, they were the plum blossom cakes she was familiar with.


    Ming Huashang looked at Ming Huazhang in surprise. Ming Huazhang was a little embarrassed, coughed softly, and said, ¡°You¡¯ve always been thinking about it. When I passed by, I asked someone to buy it on the way.¡±


    Xie Jichuan twitched his brows and gave Ming Huazhang a meaningful look, ¡°Although I don¡¯t eat pastries very much, I¡¯ve heard that it¡¯s hard to get an item from this shop. Why couldn¡¯t I buy any when I passed by?¡±


    How could Ming Huashang not know that Ming Huazhang arranged this, especially for her, so she happily took out the plum cakes and distributed them to everyone with a smile, ¡°Thank you second elder brother! Brother Xie, Sister Ren, you woke up early this morning and haven¡¯t eaten anything until now, so let¡¯s quickly try the most popular treat in Luoyang!¡±


    Ming Huashang handed a pastry to Xie Jichuan, his eyes were crescent-like, and Xie Jichuan didn¡¯t say anything more. He took the small and delicate plum blossom pastry thinking that Ming Huazhang was cold, but his younger sister really knew how to conduct herself. Her ability to read the room was close to perfection.


    After Xie Jichuan took it, Ming Huachang handed another to Ren Yao. Ren Yao was frightened and alarmed all morning. She was indeed a little hungry, but when she smelled the slightly sweet fragrance, she subconsciously wanted to refuse, ¡°I don¡¯t eat overly sweet things¡­¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no harm in trying, maybe it happens to suit your taste.¡± Ming Huashang stuffed the pastry into Ren Yao¡¯s hands, ¡°There¡¯s been an avalanche and we are trapped, I¡¯m afraid the villa will be chaotic for a while. Who knows if the kitchen will prepare breakfast? Let¡¯s snack on some food in advance, then we will have the energy to think of a solution.¡±


    Ren Yao was forcibly given pastries, and she was stunned. Over the years, she practiced martial arts diligently like a tight string, not daring to slack off for a moment. She wanted to prove that she was no worse than a man, so, of course, she shouldn¡¯t like women¡¯s things like rouge powder, pastries, and sweets.


    But now Ming Huashang forced upon her a very ¡°feminine¡± pastry, which was dainty and beautiful, with beautiful petals, and the sweet fragrance floated into her nose like a hook. Ren Yao firmly believed that what she liked were swords, spears, and halberds, not this kind of floral cake, but it seemed inappropriate to throw it back. She told herself that it was just the way of the world, so she reluctantly put the plum blossom cake in her mouth.


    It was really delicious, no wonder it was hard to buy.


    After Xie Jichuan and Ren Yao ate, Ming Huashang looked at their satisfied expressions and was happier than eating it herself. She looked at Ming Huazhang, her eyes sparkling, full of expectation. Ming Huazhang couldn¡¯t refuse, so he could only take a piece as a gesture.


    Ming Huashang became more and more happy, and ordered Zhaocai repeatedly, ¡°Zhaocai, take out the pine flower tea we brought, the pine flower is fresh and complements the fragrance of plum blossoms.¡±


    When Ming Huazhang heard this, he didn¡¯t know what to say: ¡°You even bring your own tea when you go out?¡±


    Ming Huashang was about to proudly proclaim the many benefits of her homemade pine flower tea when suddenly there was the sound of disorderly footsteps outside, and then someone knocked on the door, ¡°Something bad happened, the malicious ghost returned to claim a life, and another person died!¡±


    Ming Huazhang and Ming Huashang and the group of four hurried to the place where the incident happened. Ren Yao gasped, pointed ahead, and said in horror, ¡°Look, what is that!¡±


    It was cold and snowy, the greenery had withered, and only bare tree trunks were left. At first glance, the color of the scene was very monotonous. But at this moment, a patch of bright red pierced through the dreary winter. A woman in red hung from the tallest tree. Her face was already covered in white frost, her body was bound into a strange shape using thorns and swung along the movements of the wind. The most frightening thing was the two bloody black holes on her face.


    Her eyes were also cruelly gouged out.


    Ming Huashang suddenly focused her eyes, carefully identified the woman¡¯s appearance, and then looked nervously at Ming Huazhang, ¡°Second elder brother, this is¡­¡±


    Ming Huazhang also recognized that she was Taiping Gongzhu¡¯s personal maid, and they met once when they went to pay their respects yesterday.


    The crowd gathered around the edge of the woods, noisy and emotionally agitated. People died one after another within two days. Many people couldn¡¯t take it anymore and clamored to go down the mountain.


    Ming Huazhang ignored those yelling people and walked around the crowd. Ming Huashang was startled and instinctively grabbed his sleeve.


    Ming Huazhang shook his head slightly to her, indicating that it was okay, and then strode towards the corpse. The noisy crowd just now fell silent, and everyone looked towards Ming Huazhang as if they had seen a ghost.

 CH 10.3

    Ming Huazhang was unbothered, he examined the entire corpse carefully, and said to Xie Jichuan, ¡°Xie Jichuan, help me. Let¡¯s put her down first.¡±


    Xie Jichuan stood in the crowd, with a face full of reluctance, ¡°When it comes to this kind of thing, you don¡¯t have to think of me.¡±


    Xie Jichuan was about to lift his foot when a shadow rushed out from behind the crowd, ¡°I¡¯ll do it, I¡¯ll do it!¡±


    It was Jiang Ling, that prodigal. Although he was ignorant and incompetent, he happened to be very daring. Xie Jichuan naturally took back the half-step he was about to make. Ming Huashang watched from behind and asked, ¡°Brother Xie, are you not going?¡±


    Xie Jichuan smiled gently and said, ¡°I will stay here to protect you and Miss Ren.¡±


    Ming Huashang glanced at Ren Yao who was stiff but still pretending not to be afraid and said, ¡°Then I have to trouble Brother Xie. I will go find my second elder brother to see if there is anything I can do to help.¡±


    After Ming Huashang finished speaking, she lifted her cloak and walked into the snow. Ren Yao gasped, and couldn¡¯t help but say, ¡°How did this brother and sister pair grow up; are they really not afraid of such bloody things?¡±


    Xie Jichuan smiled softly and said in an inaudible way, ¡°That¡¯s right. Before, I thought that they were not alike at all, but now it seems that there are still some similarities.¡±


    Jiang Ling¡¯s brain was not good, but his physical strength was not bad, so he was barely useful. Ming Huazhang guided Jiang Ling and finally brought the woman onto the ground smoothly.


    The dead body lay on the ground, and the onlookers retreated again, with horror and disgust on their faces. Only Ming Huazhang, as if he didn¡¯t feel anything, squatted halfway in the snow and slowly sifted through the woman¡¯s clothes.


    ""


    Jiang Ling liked adrenaline and danger the most, but he also felt creeped out when he saw the woman¡¯s empty eye sockets. He rubbed the goosebumps on his arms, feeling a bit of pity, ¡°Wei Zi girl looked like such a delicate beauty; especially her eyes, which seem to be able to talk, were dug away. Alas, what a pity.¡±


    Ming Huazhang raised his head when he heard these words, ¡°Do you know her?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Jiang Ling said, ¡°She¡¯s one of Her Highness Taiping¡¯s most capable maids, who often goes to the Gongzhu manor; who doesn¡¯t recognize her?¡±


    Ming Huashang came over, heard Jiang Ling¡¯s words, and asked, ¡°Then have you seen her recently?¡±


    ¡°When Baobao and I first entered the manor, I met her once.¡± After Jiang Ling finished speaking, he blinked his eyes and suddenly realized, ¡°You don¡¯t suspect me, do you? It¡¯s already been confirmed that the serpentine ghost committed the crime, how could it be me?¡±


    Ming Huashang also blinked innocently, and asked, ¡°What do you mean by a serpentine ghost committed the crime?¡±


    Seeing that Ming Huashang didn¡¯t know about it yet, Jiang Ling approached mysteriously and said in a low voice, ¡°It is said that someone brought unclean things to the villa, and the serpentine ghosts possessed people to look for a scapegoat at the banquet. Do you know about the serpentine ghost?¡±


    Ming Huashang shook her head. After Jiang Ling saw Ming Huashang¡¯s beautifully curved distinct eyes, his desire to impress flared, and he began to talk endlessly, ¡°It is said that in the Jizhou area, where the Jiangnan1 West Road is located, there is dense gas and snakes and insects everywhere. Many pedestrians were bitten to death by the snakes. The people who died had resentment in their hearts and gradually became serpentine ghosts. They were trapped in the gas and could not escape without finding a scapegoat. Therefore, when you travel in the mountains of Jizhou, you must not speak to any beautiful woman you encounter, otherwise, once you look into her eyes, you will be bitten to death by a snake and become her scapegoat.¡±


    As Jiang Ling spoke, he deliberately lowered his voice towards the end, trying to create a frightening atmosphere. However, the beauty in front of him was unmoved. She just made an ¡°Oh¡± remark and asked, ¡°You die if you look into her eyes?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡± Jiang Ling said, ¡°Didn¡¯t you see Chi Lan from yesterday, and Wei Zi from today; they both lost their eyes, right? Who knows which malefactor came from the gas and brought back the serpentine ghost, which a guest brought to Feihong Garden? The serpentine ghost got Chi Lan to be its scapegoat. After Chi Lan¡¯s death, it couldn¡¯t let go of its grievances, so it found another person, Wei Zi. After Wei Zi, who will be next?¡±


    Ming Huashang felt that such rumors were too bizarre to be believed, and asked, ¡°How do you know about the matters in Jizhou? It couldn¡¯t be you who¡¯s making this up, right?¡±


    Being underestimated, Jiang Ling said angrily, ¡°How could this young master lie?! Didn¡¯t you hear about the line of bloody words under Chi Lan¡¯s body yesterday? That was the serpentine ghost seeking another scapegoat!¡±


    Ming Huashang wanted to doubt again, and Ming Huazhang, who hadn¡¯t spoken for a long time, stood up and said clearly and coldly, ¡°He didn¡¯t lie, it was indeed a ghost from the Jiangnan West Road.¡±


    Ming Huashang and Jiang Ling were startled, and they turned to look at Ming Huazhang together. Ming Huazhang pointed to the corpse on the ground and said, ¡°The thorns that bound her are blackthorns, indigenous to the Jiangnan West Road, and do not grow here.¡±


    The crowd of onlookers heard what Ming Huazhang and the others said. Even Ming Huazhang said it was true. Then the crowd¡¯s panic got even worse. Suddenly, someone pointed at the tree trunk and said in horror, ¡°That line of words¡­¡±


    The crowd dispersed with a bang, and Ren Yao turned around, only to find that there was blood clotted on the tree trunk behind her, and on top, it wrote:


    Those who see me, die.

 CH 11.1

    The color of the blood wasn¡¯t visible on the tree trunk, plus the hanging corpse was too eye-catching, so everyone¡¯s attention was drawn to the corpse instead of the surrounding trees. Only when someone howled out did everyone realize that something was wrong.


    As soon as she saw the bloody words, Ren Yao felt a chill travel from the soles of her feet to her scalp. She almost suspected that someone had jinxed1 her, otherwise, why did she bump into this kind of thing so often recently?


    From the beginning, she stood by the tree as she didn¡¯t dare to look at the corpse. Ren Yao realized that her clothes might have rubbed against the blood, and suddenly felt her back go numb.


    Compared to Ren Yao, Xie Jichuan¡¯s retreating movements were graceful and calm. If Ren Yao hadn¡¯t heard him whisper ¡°so scary¡± in that same elegant voice, she would have believed his act.


    Xie Jichuan¡¯s voice was very low, coupled with his calm and magnanimous aristocratic style, no one except Ren Yao noticed this scene. Ren Yao glanced at Xie Jichuan at a loss for words, realizing that it would be safer to follow the brother and sister pair.


    At least if something were to really happen, Ming Huazhang would actually step up whereas Xie Jichuan would just calmly hide behind everyone.


    The crowd dispersed hastily, and sure enough, Ming Huazhang went against the current again. He bent down, carefully analyzed the words on the tree, and then gently pressed the surrounding bark. Ren Yao watched as her scalp numbed and asked, ¡°How can you let yourself get so close to such a wicked thing?¡±


    Ming Huashang also came over. She looked over at the branches that hung up the corpse and then at the bloody words before revealing, ¡°These words seem to be in the direction of Wei Zi¡¯s line of sight.¡±


    Jiang Ling rushed over excitedly, ¡°How is it? Is what I said true? Now that we have all seen this line of blood, will the serpentine ghost come to find us?¡±


    Ming Huashang was speechless for a moment; why did it sound like he was even looking forward to it? Ming Huashang pondered, ¡°¡®Those who see me die¡¯, what does this phrase mean? Who was the first to discover Wei Zi?¡±


    A servant girl in the crowd responded tremblingly, ¡°It was this servant. This morning, Miss was hungry, and after waiting a long time and seeing that breakfast still wasn¡¯t delivered from the kitchen, she sent this servant to inquire about the kitchen. This is the first time this servant has come to Feihong Garden. Being unfamiliar with the paths, this servant accidentally went astray and then saw a ball of red from a distance. At first, this servant thought it was a pedestrian, and wanted to ask for directions, but who would¡¯ve known that when this servant got closer, it was¡­¡±


    The little servant girl looked terrified; she was so frightened that she felt her soul fly away when she found the corpse. Then she frantically ran back to the courtyard to report the news. The young lady of their family was also terrified. After sending someone to inform Taiping Gongzhu, she also sent her maid out to inquire about the news.


    The servant girl was obviously scared to death, yet she didn¡¯t dare to leave, which made it easier for Ming Huashang to ask questions. Ming Huashang carefully asked the servant girl when she saw the corpse. The servant girl didn¡¯t know the exact time, so she could only infer from the distance she walked that it was at least around the second hour of Chenshi2.


    Ming Huashang nodded and said, ¡°Although the second hour of Chenshi is early, many people woke up at the fourth watch today. You may not be the first to come here. The handwriting here is different from the one we found yesterday. Possibly, some people deliberately wrote these words on the tree to scare people.¡±


    Ming Huashang¡¯s words made the crowd come to their senses, and a servant of the Gongzhu manor boosted his courage and came over to have a look. The servant suddenly said with a look of horror, ¡°This¡­ this is Wei Zi¡¯s handwriting!¡±


    The crowd screamed, and Ming Huashang breath constricted slightly. Her original intention was to comfort everyone, but she seemed to have confirmed that an evil ghost killed people instead.


    One woman reacted so strongly that her eyes rolled back and fainted. Everyone was startled. When the woman fell, no one dared to help her. Instead, they pushed and shoved her in a panic, ¡°AH, someone died again!¡±


    The woman fell, and her head hit the ground with a muffled bang. Ming Huashang felt pain at the sight, and quickly called out, ¡°It¡¯s not a ghost, she just fainted from fright, quickly come and save her!¡±


    After a moment of panic, the unconscious woman woke up slowly. When she saw the figures around her, she was very frightened and screamed while covering her eyes, ¡°Go away, all of you go away, don¡¯t look at me!¡±


    Ming Huashang sensed that the maid¡¯s reaction was odd, so she hurriedly asked, ¡°What¡¯s wrong? Do you know something?¡±


    The maid tightly covered her eyes, and Ming Huashang could only see her red lips opening and closing as if she was facing an eyeless monster, ¡°I remembered just now. Yesterday, Wei Zi went to find Chi Lan and brought her to a place where no one was around and reprimanded her for a long time. Chi Lan must have held a grudge, so she came back yesterday and killed Wei Zi!¡±


    The maid said some crazy things repeatedly, and she seemed to be out of her mind. Ming Huashang wanted to ask about the details of what happened yesterday, but she couldn¡¯t ask anymore considering the maid¡¯s condition. Ming Huashang could only ask for the maid to be sent back to her room to rest.


    ""


    First, the words of the dead appeared, and now a witness proved that Chi Lan and Wei Zi had met; the crowd immediately exploded. They didn¡¯t dare to watch the excitement anymore, and ran out with their eyes covered, for fear that they would accidentally become scapegoats.


    Xie Jichuan sighed, and said worriedly, ¡°Why was it that the road down the mountain just happened to be blocked last night? I really want to leave.¡±


    It was not just him; everyone in the villa probably wanted to run away now. Two murders occurred in a row, and the theory that a murderous ghost killed the people was rampant. At least, the one who died before was an ordinary maid, but now, the second was Taiping Gongzhu¡¯s personal maid.


    Who knew who the next scapegoat target will be?


    The young masters and ladies no longer cared about their appearance, but the mountain road was blocked, as if the gods were helping the serpentine ghost, trapping them on the snow mountain, slowly admiring the struggle of its prey before death.

 CH 11.2

    Ren Yao remembered that she seemed to have seen Chi Lan before, but she couldn¡¯t remember if she had looked into her eyes. This kind of unknowing state was the most tormenting. Ren Yao kept recalling yesterday¡¯s scene, and the more she thought about it, the more afraid she became.


    Ren Yao didn¡¯t sleep well last night, and now her face was pale, and she started to become absent-minded. Ming Huashang saw that her expression wasn¡¯t right, and comforted her, ¡°Sister Ren, don¡¯t worry, even if there is a ghost, it won¡¯t follow you.¡±


    Jiang Ling was extremely curious, he even disregarded his enmity with the tomboy, and leaned over to ask, ¡°How do you know?¡±


    ¡°I guessed it.¡± Ming Huashang said, ¡°If what the maid said just now was correct that Chi Lan met Wei Zi before she died, it means that the scapegoat will be chosen among the people she met while she was alive.¡±


    Jiang Ling scratched his head, but didn¡¯t understand at first, ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Ming Huashang counted with her fingers as she explained, ¡°Let¡¯s first pretend that we are the ghost, and go through the logic of it picking a scapegoat. First, a certain person came to Luoyang from Jizhou, and for some reason he provoked ¡°us¡±. Then this person went to Mang Mountain to attend Taiping Gongzhu¡¯s banquet bringing ¡°us¡± to the villa. ¡°We¡± killed Chi Lan first, and Chi Lan became a scapegoat, then ¡°we¡± became free. But after Chi Lan was bitten to death by a snake, she became a new serpentine ghost. She targeted Wei Zi, whom she met not long ago and had a bad fight, so she was determined to take Wei Zi as her scapegoat. Now that Wei Zi is dead, according to the previous logic, she should find the person she cares about most, and had met her eyes not long ago.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡± Ming Huazhang said concisely, ¡°The person Wei Zi met recently will be the next target.¡±


    Jiang Ling understood this time, but he felt that something was off, ¡°Imagining yourself as the ghost¡­ Your perspective is really strange.¡±


    Ren Yao didn¡¯t have time to despise this ignorant idiot and quickly recalled whether she had seen Wei Zi in the past two days. She went over her memories three times, and finally breathed a sigh of relief, ¡°Great, I haven¡¯t seen Wei Zi before.¡±


    The first time they met was just now; she didn¡¯t expect their first meeting to be with Wei Zi¡¯s corpse.


    Although Ren Yao was relieved from the heavy pressure, the joys and sorrows of human beings were not intertwined. Jiang Ling snorted coldly and said, ¡°I¡¯ve met her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve met her too.¡± Ming Huashang weakly raised her hand, ¡°Yesterday when I was leaving Taiping Gongzhu¡¯s side, I happened to meet Wei Zi who had returned. I looked up and met her eyes. Moreover, I also saw Chi Lan too.¡±


    In the back hall yesterday, Ming Huazhang stood with his back facing the door, and his eyes lowered, not meeting Wei Zi¡¯s eyes, but Ming Huashang was sure she met them.


    She still remembered Wei Zi¡¯s expression at that time. Jiang Ling¡¯s description was correct; Wei Zi did have a pair of beautiful eyes.


    Xie Jichuan clicked his tongue, half-sighing, ¡°Second younger sister, isn¡¯t your luck too impressive.¡±


    Ming Huashang joked, ¡°Then you guys still dare to stay with me? What if I get entangled by Wei Zi and become a scapegoat, you will be in danger.¡±


    Ming Huazhang didn¡¯t think this joke was funny at all. He said with a sullen face and scolded, ¡°Second miss, don¡¯t talk nonsense.¡±


    Ming Huashang shut up resentfully. Ming Huazhang frowned, thought for a while, and said, ¡°No matter whether someone is pretending to be a ghost or there is a ghost causing trouble, according to the current clues, its next target should be someone who has seen Wei Zi. The most urgent thing is to gather all the people who contacted Wei Zi. I¡¯d like to see what kind of ghost is stirring up trouble.¡±


    Ming Huashang didn¡¯t dare to make jokes anymore, she leaned close to Ming Huazhang flatteringly, and said, ¡°Second elder brother, don¡¯t be nervous. Fortunately, when we went to pay respects to Taiping Gongzhu yesterday, Wei Zi wasn¡¯t accompanying the Gongzhu, so she didn¡¯t meet many people, so it should be easy to investigate.¡±


    After saying this, Ming Huashang froze fiercely, and the rest of the people¡¯s expressions also changed.


    Taiping Gongzhu?


    Ming Huazhang requested to see Taiping Gongzhu but was unsurprisingly rejected.


    ¨C The Gongzhu was unwell and will not meet any visitors.


    It also made sense. After such a thing happened, who would still want to see guests? Now the villa was full of gossip, there were rumors that the serpentine ghost was looking for a scapegoat. Even though the guests were well-educated, and didn¡¯t believe in ghosts and deities, they were still a little frightened.


    One incident after another, could it really be a ghost? All of a sudden, people everywhere declared themselves sick, and the doors and windows of every house were shuttered, and guests were rejected for fear that if they accidentally looked into someone¡¯s eyes, they would become scapegoats.


    After Ming Huazhang was shut out by Taiping Gongzhu, as he walked away from the palace hall, Ming Huashang asked, ¡°Second elder brother, what should we do now?¡±


    Wei Zi was the personal maid of Taiping Gongzhu, and Taiping Gongzhu was most likely the next selected target. But Taiping Gongzhu refused to cooperate, let alone to be inquired, she didn¡¯t even want to see them.


    Ming Huazhang thought for a while and said, ¡°That forest is deserted. Wei Zi, being the most capable maid, probably wouldn¡¯t go to that kind of place on her own initiative. Let¡¯s ask the people who shared the room with Wei Zi last night, maybe they know something.¡±


    Now that the people in Feihong Garden were panicking, when Ming Huazhang and the others arrived at the courtyard where the maid lived, the maids inside screamed in fright and hurriedly closed the door. But Ming Huazhang didn¡¯t give up, so he stopped in front of the door, knocked on the door with his fingers, and said, ¡°I am Ming Huazhang from the Zhen Duke manor. I have something to ask, please open the door.¡±


    Jiang Ling also came over to watch the fun, and shouted, ¡°Yes, we are not ghosts, it¡¯s not like we can eat you. Open the door!¡±

 CH 11.3

    The young master of Zhen Duke manor and Jiang¡¯an Marquis¡¯ shizi came, no maid dared to offend them. After a while, the door reluctantly opened a small crack, ¡°This servant greets young masters and miss.¡±


    Behind the crack of the door was a beautiful maid. She saluted with a dignified and beautiful comportment, but her eyes were fixed on the ground. Even with the jade young master who was famous all over Luoyang in front of her, she was determined to never raise her eyes.


    Ming Huashang thought it was a little funny; this was probably the first time Ming Huazhang received such a cold reception from a woman. Ming Huazhang didn¡¯t seem to care, and asked plainly, ¡°Does Wei Zi live here?¡±


    The maid trembled even more when she heard this name, and she pointed in one direction tremblingly, ¡°Wei Zi is favored, so she doesn¡¯t sleep with us, and lives in a room by herself.¡±


    Ming Huashang followed the direction she pointed in and turned her head, only to see that the door and windows of the house in front of her were tightly shut, and there was a sense of gloom even in broad daylight. Ming Huazhang continued to ask, ¡°Has anyone moved anything in her room?¡±


    The maid shook her head with all her might. Wei Zi became a ghost, who would dare to touch her things? Ming Huazhang asked, ¡°Did you see her go back to the house last night?¡±


    The maid nodded, ¡°That¡¯s right. Yesterday, after that¡­incident happened, the Gongzhu was restless and Wei Zi served by her side and didn¡¯t come back until the first hour of Haishi1. I saw Wei Zi enter the house with my own eyes, and everyone else can testify.¡±


    ¡°Did she come out again after entering the house?¡±


    ¡°No.¡± The maid said with her head lowered, ¡°Wei Zi is haughty and doesn¡¯t like to talk to others. We all know her temper and dare not approach her. When she came back last night, her complexion was not good, and she didn¡¯t come out after entering the house. We didn¡¯t dare to ask and stayed far away from her.¡±


    Standing behind them, Jiang Ling said to Ming Huashang in what he thought was a low voice, ¡°Not coming out after entering the house, yet found hanging in the forest this morning, it really was the work of a ghost.¡±


    Ren Yao was following behind at the very back. She didn¡¯t want to come, but she didn¡¯t dare to be alone, so she could only bite the bullet and follow. When she heard Jiang Ling¡¯s words, she unabashedly sneered and rolled her eyes.


    Jiang Ling gasped, rolled up his sleeves, and was about to fight Ren Yao, ¡°What do you mean? Seeing that you are a woman, I have given way to you every time. Don¡¯t be ungrateful¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright now, just speak less, and don¡¯t interrupt.¡± Xie Jichuan stopped Jiang Ling with the same aristocratic young master smile on his face. Xie Jichuan looked graceful and weak, but when he grabbed Jiang Ling, who lived his life riding horses, raising leopards, and being famous for growing tall instead of brains, he was pulled back with a single tug.


    Ming Huazhang ignored the farce behind him. His face was calm and serious, like freshly fallen ice and snow, untainted, ¡°Then after she entered the house, did you hear any unusual noises?¡±


    The maid seemed confused. She thought for a while, then shook her head slightly, ¡°It should be¡­ probably not. It was quiet last night. Today, at fourth watch, the mountain road was blocked. We were awoken to serve and send news. We didn¡¯t notice anything unusual.¡±


    The maid still didn¡¯t dare to look up, and her body was trembling slightly when she answered. Ming Huazhang knew that they believed in ghosts, so he didn¡¯t make things difficult for them, and said, ¡°Then can I go to Wei Zi¡¯s room to have a look?¡±


    The maid hesitated. Taiping Gongzhu issued an order forbidding entry, but the person in front of her was Ming Huazhang, so she dared not refuse. Thus, she said, ¡°Young master, you can look from the entrance, anymore, this servant cannot make the decision. The Gongzhu ordered, no one can discuss the dead. Young master, please don¡¯t make things difficult for us.¡±


    Ming Huazhang understood. Two servant girls died in the Gongzhu¡¯s villa, and one of them served Taiping Gongzhu closely. The Gongzhu must be in a bad mood now, why would she want to hear about things related to the word ¡°death¡± again?


    Ming Huazhang thanked them. Even if he was facing a maid, his attitude was the same even when facing Taiping Gongzhu or Wei Wang: noble and indifferent, irrespective of the noble or lowly. He walked to Wei Zi¡¯s door and gently opened the door.


    Ren Yao didn¡¯t dare to approach. Thankfully, Xie Jichuan didn¡¯t move, so she stopped as well. Ren Yao didn¡¯t want to know what was inside at all, yet some brainless trash relayed everything in surprise: ¡°Yo, it¡¯s completely clean, even the quilt wasn¡¯t folded. I said it must have been done by a ghost, or else why does it look like there was no movement at all!¡±


    Ming Huashang poked her head out from Ming Huazhang¡¯s side and peered carefully into the room. Indeed, the room was too peaceful. All kinds of small objects were scattered randomly, and Ming Huashang could imagine the scene where the owner put them down casually. There was no sign of fighting or struggling in the room. Half of the quilt was open, and the other half fell to the ground as if the owner got up in a hurry and would come back to sleep later.


    If she hadn¡¯t known in advance, Ming Huashang would never have imagined that this was a dead person¡¯s room. Everything was as natural as if Wei Zi did sleep, got up in the middle of the night, and suddenly disappeared.

 CH 12.1

    Jiang Ling also wanted to have a look inside, so he squeezed forward enthusiastically. Ming Huazhang who was a master of the pen and sword had a solid foundation; no matter how hard Jiang Ling squeezed, he would not budge, but Ming Huashang was different.


    She felt the bump then she lost her balance and was about to fall. Fortunately, a pair of slender hands grabbed her arm in time and pulled her back with a light tug.


    Ming Huashang fell into a broad and solid embrace, and a clean and fresh fragrance engulfed the tip of her nose. Ming Huashang subconsciously grabbed the clothes of the person with her fingers, and Ming Huazhang held her shoulders, keeping her in front of him in a protective stance.


    Ming Huashang was a little dazed. It was the first time she realized that Ming Huazhang had grown so tall. Ming Huazhang shot a cold glance at Jiang Ling and didn¡¯t say a word, but the warning in his eyes made Jiang Ling freeze instantly.


    Ming Huazhang protected Ming Huashang and retreated outside the house, and once they stopped moving, he took away his hands calmly, took a step back, and created a distance, ¡°Taiping Gongzhu doesn¡¯t like outsider interference. We will be fine if we go in, but these maids will certainly be punished. Don¡¯t make trouble for them, let¡¯s go.¡±


    Jiang Ling was reluctant to leave and kept dawdling, wanting to wait for Ming Huazhang to leave before entering himself. Unexpectedly, Ming Huazhang saw through his intentions at a glance. In an effortless manner, he grabbed Jiang Ling by the collar and dragged him straight out of the room.


    Jiang Ling only felt himself being lifted by a strong force and shouted several times in a show of bravado, but the hands pressing against the back of his neck were as ruthless as iron tongs. Jiang Ling even felt himself being lifted down the steps. Ming Huazhang said with a blank face, ¡°Second miss, close the door.¡±


    Ming Huashang responded crisply, and closed Wei Zi¡¯s door neatly, even locking it with the copper lock next to it. Ren Yao looked coldly at the figure that was being dragged down the steps like a dead pig, and said, ¡°What an embarrassment.¡±


    What was even more embarrassing was that after Ming Huazhang let go, Jiang Ling staggered before regaining his footing, yet he didn¡¯t dare to flare up. He straightened his collar vigorously, and said fiercely, ¡°Just wait and see what I¡¯ll do to you in the future!¡±


    Ming Huazhang raised his hand and patted his sleeves, still looking cold and distant, not letting the dirt taint his eyes, he didn¡¯t even bother to look at him.


    Jiang Ling snorted in dissatisfaction, and said, ¡°This young master didn¡¯t even want to see in the first place, who cares about the house where the ghost lived? Humph! So boring, this young master is going back to walk Baobao.¡±


    Jiang Ling walked away swaggeringly. Ming Huashang looked at the quail who was walking away like a crab, and asked, ¡°Second elder brother, what should we do now?¡±


    The maid was hiding in the shadows, with her eyes downcast, her posture almost telling them ¡°All of you should leave¡±. Seeing that they wouldn¡¯t get anything out of her with her being like this, Ming Huazhang sighed silently and said, ¡°Let¡¯s go too.¡±


    Ming Huazhang went out first, followed by Ming Huashang; Ren Yao breathed a sigh of relief and quickly followed.


    Ming Huazhang wanted to investigate the people Wei Zi had met, but now that everyone in the villa was in danger, no one was willing to open the door to answer. In a blink of an eye, when it was Shenshi1, the sky was getting dark, and they still hadn¡¯t made any discoveries.


    In the twilight, Mang Mountain seemed particularly callous, and Ming Huazhang knew that it would be a waste of time to ask any further, so there was no need to squander more. He noticed that Ming Huashang was quietly breathing on her hands. Knowing that she hadn¡¯t eaten well since early morning, and her body must not be able to bear it anymore, he suggested, ¡°We¡¯ve gone to all the places we could, so let¡¯s go back now.¡±


    The atmosphere at Feihong Garden was on edge, needless to say, it was safer to stay together tonight. After the four of them returned to the guest courtyard, they remained silent.


    Ming Huashang once again thanked herself for being a glutton. Before going up the mountain, she did not prepare those impressive-looking but useless clothes, jewelry, poems, and songs, but food.


    Although the Feihong Garden had enough food stored, people were panicking now, and Taiping Gongzhu was already busy taking care of herself, how could she remember to prepare food for her guests?


    Ming Huashang¡¯s food boxes came in handy again. Although the food wasn¡¯t hot, it was preferable because it was clean, safe, and filling. At this juncture, these qualities were more important than anything else.


    The four of them all came from noble families, and even Ren Yao, who seemed most casual, had been cultivated in dining etiquette since childhood. The four finished their food quietly and quickly. Seeing that everyone relaxed slightly, Ming Huashang let Zhaocai put away the food boxes, and asked, ¡°Zhaocai, is the snow I asked you to collect this morning still here?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just the perfect time. Go get the flower dew and the red clay stove. The first snow is clean and crisp, which is perfect for brewing tea. Remember to get the lily dew.¡±


    Zhaocai has long been accustomed to these whimsical ideas of Ming Huashang, so she accepted without surprise. Ming Huashang turned around and said excitedly, ¡°It¡¯s not convenient to bring too much heavy luggage up the mountain, so I only brought a small clay stove, which can at least brew some floral tea. My tea brewing skills aren¡¯t good, but it¡¯ll still be great since the snow on Mang Mountain is fresher. Second elder brother, Brother Xie, and Sister Ren, will you do me the honor of having a drink?¡±


    Ren Yao frowned; she seldom interacted with girls but did the ladies in Luoyang and Chang¡¯an bring their own clay stoves when they go out these days? Xie Jichuan asked curiously, ¡°Second younger sister, can you predict the future? Otherwise, why did you bring so many things?¡±


    Ming Huashang grumbled, ¡°If I could predict the future, I wouldn¡¯t have gone up the mountain two days ago.¡±


    Xie Jichuan nodded, deeply convinced, ¡°That¡¯s true, I also regret it a lot now; why didn¡¯t I put face aside and refuse the invitation when I received it?¡±


    Ren Yao couldn¡¯t hold back anymore and asked, ¡°People have died one after another out there, aren¡¯t you all afraid?¡±

 CH 12.2

    ¡°So what if you¡¯re afraid or not? People will always have to eat and drink.¡± Ming Huashang waved her hand, beckoning Zhaocai to bring the tea set over, and then handled the utensils with familiarity, ¡°The day passes the same regardless of whether you¡¯re happy or sad, so why not choose to let ourselves relax a bit? Or is there something you can¡¯t eat?¡±


    Ren Yao was stunned when she heard this. In her world, it was undoubtedly a sin to be idle. Whether it was practicing martial arts or studying, doing anything was acceptable, except doing nothing.


    But Ming Huashang was the opposite of her. Even while staying in such a tense haunted mountain villa, she could still bring out a clay stove and go through the trouble just to boil some water for drinking.


    It seemed remarkably easy for her to be happy.


    Xie Jichuan supported his chin with one hand as he quietly observed Ming Huashang setting down the tea utensils. He always maintained a partial smile, but at this moment he put away that smile, and said seriously, ¡°¡®The enemy is approaching, yet the fun and chatting will continue¡¯1. I think second younger sister embodies more of the Xie clan legacy than me.¡±


    These words were too heavy, and Ming Huashang hurriedly declined, ¡°Brother Xie is flattering me too much. I am just an ordinary little girl and dare not insult the Xie clan¡¯s distinguished and accomplished history. Zhaocai, watch the fire, Ruyi, go fetch the snow.¡±


    Ruyi accepted crisply. When Xie Jichuan heard this, he looked back at Ruyi, and joked, ¡°Her name is Zhaocai, so I thought your name was Jinbao.¡±


    Ruyi replied seriously, ¡°There is indeed a Jinbao, but she didn¡¯t come this time.¡±


    Xie Jichuan intended to joke, but he didn¡¯t expect it to be true. He covered his eyes, and laughed hard, ¡°Second younger sister, you really are an incredible person.¡±


    Ming Huazhang sighed slightly, and said to Ming Huashang, ¡°You, if you put one-third of the attention you put towards eating and drinking to your studies, would Father still need to worry?¡±


    Ming Huashang shook her head pitifully, and said, ¡°That¡¯s different. I¡¯m happy when I¡¯m eating and drinking, but I¡¯m not happy at all when I¡¯m learning the four arts. Besides, isn¡¯t there second elder brother?¡±


    Ming Huashang was well versed in this comeback, and Ming Huazhang was stunned when he met her gaze which he couldn¡¯t tell was acting spoiled or complaining.


    Xie Jichuan gave Ming Huazhang an interesting look, and then said with a smile, ¡°Second younger sister, the water is boiling.¡±


    Ming Huashang hurriedly looked down, and sure enough, the water was already boiling. She skillfully ground the tea, poured over the boiling water, and added the flower dew. It appeared that she has done this set of actions countless times.


    Lily had a sweet and bitter taste that soothed and calmed the mind. It was most suitable for today¡¯s occasion. She skimmed off the froth, poured out the first cup of tea, and offered it to Ming Huazhang first, ¡°This first cup is a toast to my second elder brother. I am ignorant and incompetent and haven¡¯t achieved anything. In the future, I ask my second elder brother to please take care of me more.¡±


    Ren Yao had no siblings, so she couldn¡¯t stand these corny scenes the most. She hissed, feeling her teeth get sore, ¡°When you brother and sister are at home, is this how you talk?¡±


    Ming Huashang kept a smile on her face, looking at Ming Huazhang expectantly. Ming Huazhang raised his hand slowly and took the teacup. Ming Huashang filled another cup and handed it to Ren Yao, ¡°Sister Ren has helped me a lot these past two days, I toast Sister Ren with this cup.¡±


    Ming Huashang didn¡¯t answer Ren Yao¡¯s words. If they were biological siblings, they wouldn¡¯t need to be so polite, but they weren¡¯t. Now she only hoped to have a good relationship with Ming Huazhang, so that when the real daughter returns to the manor in the future, he will at least let her live.


    Ren Yao had just made a sarcastic remark about them, but in a blink of an eye it was her turn, and she felt embarrassed instead. She pulled back her fingers a bit, but in the end, she took the teacup nonchalantly, and said, ¡°It¡¯s no big deal, it didn¡¯t take much effort, there¡¯s no need to say such cringy words.¡±


    Finally, Ming Huashang solemnly served a cup, and handed it to Xie Jichuan under his teasing gaze: ¡°I toast you with this cup, Brother Xie.¡±


    Xie Jichuan deliberately asked, ¡°I am the last?¡±


    ¡°Good tea is not afraid of being late, it¡¯s not the gift that counts, but the thought behind it.¡± Ming Huashang knew that Xie Jichuan was just teasing her, but she still said seriously, ¡°I have heard about Brother Xie¡¯s good name for a long time, and now I finally get to see him. Your demeanor truly suits the description ¡°orchids and jade trees¡±2. It¡¯s really my loss that I didn¡¯t meet Brother Xie earlier. I hope that after seeing that I have lost a lot, Brother Xie will not be upset with me.¡±


    Hearing Ming Huashang say this much, Xie Jichuan would be unreasonable if he didn¡¯t accept. He sighed, took the tea from Ming Huashang with both hands and said, ¡°Second your sister really knows how to talk. I¡¯m starting to get jealous of your future husband.¡±


    Ming Huazhang was taking a light sip of tea, but when he heard these words, he immediately shot him a sharp look, and with the lingering mist from the tea hovering in front of his eyes and brows, he looked bitingly cold.


    Xie Jichuan felt wronged by this glare, and shouted, ¡°Second younger sister is going to get married eventually, so I¡¯m just telling the truth; you don¡¯t even like to hear that?¡±


    Seeing that something was wrong, Ming Huashang hurriedly said, ¡°It¡¯s alright, I¡¯m still young, and I¡¯ve never thought about marriage. Second elder brother, do you really think it was a serpentine ghost who killed the people?¡±

 CH 12.3

    It was getting dark now, so it was inconvenient to go out, but it was too early to go to bed now; that was why Ming Huashang prepared calming tea, to discuss while brewing the tea.


    Ren Yao was just about to finish the cup of tea when she suddenly heard the word ¡®ghost¡¯, and her movements immediately became stiff. She looked at Ming Huazhang with a tense face, not knowing if she wanted to hear him say yes or no


    Ming Huazhang pondered for a moment, and said, ¡°Death is like a lamp going out. If ghosts and spirits could kill people, how can miscarriage of justice continue to occur in this world? Rather, I think some people have ghosts in their hearts, and they¡¯re using ghosts and deities as a cover to manipulate people¡¯s hearts.¡±


    Ren Yao hesitated, ¡°But, everyone saw it this morning. Wei Zi¡¯s bloody characters, and the blackthorns that don¡¯t belong to the capital. If it wasn¡¯t a ghost, how could these things appear?¡±


    ¡°These happen to be the logical flaws.¡± Ming Huazhang explained, ¡°If it really was the ghost of Chi Lan who killed Wei Zi according to the scapegoat theory, then how could Chi Lan, a maid who has never left Luoyang, have known about the blackthorns and deliberately use them to bind her?¡±


    Ren Yao seemed to realize something, ¡°You mean¡­the other party did it on purpose?¡±


    ¡°Obviously.¡± Ming Huazhang snorted coldly. The young man had a slender neck, an icy figure, and disdainful eyes, like a rare Persian cat with different colored pupils who ought to be haughty, ¡°There are so many ghost folktales out there, with only one death, instead of a rumor involving a mountain ghost or a snow ghost, it¡¯s one with a serpentine ghost from thousands of miles away. If it weren¡¯t for the manipulation of some people with intentions, how could this rumor spread all over the villa overnight? Although blackthorns are a specialty of Jiangnan West Road, but the West Road is so long, why did the rumors focus on Jizhou?¡±


    It was as if someone couldn¡¯t wait to convince the people in the villa that there are ghosts in Jizhou.


    What was so special about Jizhou that it was worth taking two lives, and going through so much trouble?


    Xie Jichuan stared at the tea and remained silent for a long time. Ming Huashang was not very familiar with the geography of the Great Zhou Dynasty, let alone the difference between blackthorns and ordinary thorns. She was only interested in what she saw during the day: ¡°According to the servant girl witness and the maids who stayed in the same courtyard as Wei Zi, Wei Zi¡¯s time of death was between the fourth watch and the second hour of Shenshi. I remember that when I saw Wei Zi yesterday, she was wearing a blue half-sleeve paired with a pine green dress. When I saw her room today, the colors inside were mostly cold hues. Then why was she wearing a bright red dress when she died in the end?¡±


    Ren Yao didn¡¯t understand how this mattered, ¡°It¡¯s just clothes, maybe the murderer changed them for her, so what¡¯s the big deal?¡±


    Ming Huashang bit her lips and remained silent as if she had fallen into a mystery within a mysterious world. In this world, she was not Ming Huashang, but a murderer with a blurred face and an unknown gender.


    What on earth was she thinking leading her to change Wei Zi¡¯s clothes?


    Ren Yao didn¡¯t care about these small details and said regretfully, ¡°It¡¯s a pity that after the accident last night, Taiping Gongzhu asked people to wash away the handwriting and blood at the scene of Chi Lan¡¯s death. Otherwise, we might¡¯ve discovered some clues by comparing the handwriting.¡±


    Ming Huazhang¡¯s eyebrows twitched when he heard this and looked at Xie Jichuan. Xie Jichuan pretended not to understand, but Ming Huazhang¡¯s eyes were burning brightly. It was useless for him to pretend to be dead, so he could only sigh helplessly, ¡°So unlucky, can¡¯t something good happen when you think of me?¡±


    Ming Huazhang was impassive and said, ¡°He has been known as a child prodigy since young. He has a photographic memory and can reproduce another person¡¯s handwriting with just one look. Shuli, get a pen and paper.¡±


    Ren Yao was taken aback, she never expected that someone could possess the talent that only existed in books: ¡°Really?¡±


    Xie Jichuan frowned in disdain, really hoping that this situation wasn¡¯t real. Ming Huazhang carried pens and ink with him everywhere he went, just like how Ming Huashang always carried food, and Shuli quickly fetched the paper. Xie Jichuan knew that he couldn¡¯t avoid it, so he resigned himself to his fate and dipped the pen: ¡°Careless in making friends, really careless in making friends.¡±


    As soon as Xie Jichuan finished writing, there was a faint sound of something being knocked over outside the courtyard. The sound was very soft, but Ming Huazhang heard it, and his gaze suddenly became sharp: ¡°Who is it?!¡±


    Ming Huashang was awakened from that strange state. She didn¡¯t understand what had happened but felt a gust of wind passing by the tip of her nose, and then the wind and snow suddenly poured in from behind. Ming Huazhang¡¯s figure had already rushed into the snow curtain.


    Ren Yao also gritted her teeth, stood up, picked up her spear, and ran out, ¡°Which scoundrel is playing tricks here, scaring this great aunt so that she couldn¡¯t sleep well all night? Scoundrel, I¡¯ll take your life!¡±


    Ren Yao also rushed out briskly. Ming Huashang froze in place, and asked blankly, ¡°What happened?¡±


    Xie Jichuan stood up and said, ¡°Maybe we caught the ghost. Let¡¯s go out and have a look.¡±

 CH 13.1

    Ming Huashang didn¡¯t dare to stay alone, so she quickly got up and went out with Xie Jichuan.


    Ming Huazhang noticed someone eavesdropping and immediately chased after the person. The eavesdropper seemed to know the terrain very well; he beelined left and swerved right, making full use of the lush woods and walls in the villa. As he ran into the woods, he kept looking behind him. Seeing that no one was there, so he thought he had left that young man behind.


    The man let out a long sigh of relief. He was about to leave when a figure jumped down from the wall next to him. The figure was light and fast, deft like falling snow, but the movement of his leg was extremely powerful as he kicked right at the man¡¯s waist.


    This attack appeared like a ghost. The man was completely unprepared and was hit directly. The man fell heavily, rolled on the ground, and before he could cry out in pain, another attack followed.


    Ming Huazhang predicted the man¡¯s movements, so instead of chasing after him, he pretended to lose him and readied an ambush from behind the wall ahead of time. Sure enough, as he expected, the man took a shortcut here and was caught by Ming Huazhang.


    After Ming Huazhang subdued the man, he was about to apprehend him when unexpectedly, the man who seemed to lay on the ground without any strength to fight back suddenly raised his hand and sprayed white powder at Ming Huazhang. Ming Huazhang was worried that it was poison, so he retreated immediately. The man took this opportunity to get up from the ground and fled.


    A person¡¯s terrifying potential would burst out at the critical moment between life and death. Even though the man was injured, the speed of his escape was like flying. He turned his head while running desperately and saw that the young man stayed in the same place and didn¡¯t try to chase him. Just when he became complacent, a sudden gust of wind whooshed in front of him; its speed was so fast that the air buzzed with vibrations.


    The man instinctively dodged to the side. Only then did he see the red tasseled spear right in front of him. Before he could even process the situation, he saw a flash of silver from the tip of the spear, and then it hurtled towards him with the momentum of a dragon.


    Weapons were carefully selected based on their size: one inch longer was one inch stronger. The spear was celebrated as the king of all weapons such that a wielder of the knife or sword faced danger before an expert of the spear, let alone a man who was unarmed and half-baked.


    The tip of the spear was swift and powerful, and the snow scattered layer by layer whenever the spear passed above. It punctured through the snowy mist making the red tassels appear and disappear like a snake, and its direction was completely unpredictable. Soon the man was unable to dodge and fell. He tried to get up, but just when he moved, a gust of wind rushed towards his throat, finally landing dangerously and precisely on his skin.


    The man was so frightened that his whole body was paralyzed. Ren Yao turned the tip of her spear and looked down at the man condescendingly: ¡°Hey, keep running. Let¡¯s see if you can keep playing tricks.¡±


    Ming Huazhang walked over slowly from behind and said, ¡°We haven¡¯t completed the investigation of the matter yet, so keep him alive.¡±


    While Ming Huazhang was lying in ambush behind the wall just now, he happened to see Ren Yao chasing right behind him. He gestured to Ren Yao, signaling her to encircle the escapee from the front. For this reason, when the man used the unknown powder to maneuver against him, Ming Huazhang didn¡¯t chase after him.


    When he pretended to be caught by the medicinal powder, it was part of the plan to lure the enemy. Ming Huashang and Xie Jichuan chased after the sound of fighting. Xie Jichuan was breathing calmly, but Ming Huashang couldn¡¯t. She asked while out of breath, ¡°Did they catch him?¡±


    As soon as she finished speaking, she saw a man in brown clothes being pushed to the ground with a spear.


    With all the chasing and fighting other people were alarmed. Not long after, Ming Huazhang and the others appeared in the hall and explained to Taiping Gongzhu, Wei Wang, Ding Wang, and the other Junwangs sitting at the head of the hall, ¡°Your Highnesses, this person was eavesdropping outside our house, and his behavior was very suspicious. This subject suspects that the ghost haunting case from these two days has something to do with him.¡±


    Wei Wang let out an ¡°Oh¡±, and asked inexplicably, ¡°You mean, the strange things that happened today and yesterday were not caused by ghosts, but by someone playing tricks?¡±


    Ming Huazhang lowered his eyelashes halfway and said, ¡°This subject is not an official of the imperial court, so I dare not speak falsely. But this person behaves suspiciously. Interrogating him strictly may lead to rewards.¡±


    The hall was filled with people who came to inquire about the news. The bolder young masters and young ladies were there in person, and the timid ones sent their confidants and maids. Everyone whispered: ¡°Really? Are there no ghosts? Was it all pretend?¡±


    Taiping Gongzhu¡¯s complexion was not good. Even if she was dressed in extravagance, her poor complexion couldn¡¯t be hidden.


    Taiping Gongzhu claimed that she didn¡¯t believe in ghosts and deities, but she was still frightened by the maids around her being killed by ghosts one after another. Taiping Gongzhu was furious at the thought of someone playing tricks around her, scaring her so much that she dared not go out and caused such an embarrassing mess in front of so many guests. She slapped the armrest hard and ordered, ¡°Speak, what is going on?¡±


    After the master spoke, the brown-clothed man who was kneeling on the ground finally dared to speak, ¡°Your Highness, this one was wronged! This one only went to the courtyard of the Zhen Duke manor and Pingnan Marquis manor misses to inquire about the evening meal and was seized for some reason. This one was just fulfilling errand duties and honestly serving the Gongzhu¡¯s manor. This one dares not have the slightest disloyalty. How can this one have the ability to play tricks? Please see clearly, Gongzhu!¡±


    The man wept bitterly and looked the part perfectly making the onlookers uncertain again. ¡°Well, then who is speaking the truth?¡±

 CH 13.2

    Ming Huashang, Xie Jichuan, and Ren Yao were standing behind the captive. She looked at her elder brother who was standing alone in front. He suggested softly, ¡°Your Highness, ¡®listen to both sides and you will be enlightened; heed only one side and you will remain ignorant¡¯. Why don¡¯t Your Highness ask another person to come up and question this person about what he did these past two days? Who is right and who is wrong, you will know after listening to his answer.¡±


    At this moment, Taiping Gongzhu couldn¡¯t think of another idea, so she raised her hand and asked someone to call the steward. The steward came over quickly, and raised his hands in trepidation, ¡°This old servant pays respects to Gongzhu and Wangyes.¡±


    Taiping Gongzhu waved impatiently, ¡°Alright. Bengong asks you, do you recognize this man on the ground?¡±


    The steward glanced at him and replied cautiously, ¡°This old servant recognizes him. His name is Yang Er. He was originally doing odd jobs in the Gongzhu manor. The Feihong banquet was short of manpower, so he was brought here. These days, he should be running errands in the kitchen.¡±


    His response happened to be consistent with what Yang Er said. Taiping Gongzhu asked again, ¡°Then what did he do these two days?¡±


    The steward frowned and thought for a while, then said, ¡°When the guests first arrived yesterday, there was a shortage of manpower everywhere. This old servant didn¡¯t pay attention to what he was doing. After what happened last night¡­Gongzhu didn¡¯t want people to wander around outside, so this old servant sent them back early on. Then there was an avalanche on the mountain this morning, and all the distinguished guests came to get charcoal. He was busy moving and delivering things until dusk. This old servant saw that he was familiar with the paths to each courtyard and asked him to inquire the distinguished guests to see what they would like to have for dinner so that this old servant can instruct the kitchen to get ready.¡±


    The surrounding audience nodded. They had indeed met Yang Er when he came to ask what they wanted to eat. Ming Huazhang asked, ¡°Everyone went back to their rooms last night and stayed in until today at the second hour of Chenshi, where was he during that time?¡±


    Yang Er hurriedly cried out in grievance, ¡°Young master, this one is being wronged; this one was sleeping in the room the whole time. The seven people who live in the same room can all testify!¡±


    Taiping Gongzhu sent someone to investigate, and the person who came back reported, ¡°Reporting to Your Highness, Yang Er¡¯s words are true. After returning last night, he stayed in the room and did not go out. Until the warehouse was short of manpower at the third hour of Chenshi, the steward called for him to help at the warehouse. After that, he stayed with the people in the warehouse and did not leave by himself.¡±


    This development was far beyond Ren Yao¡¯s expectations. She was confident that she had caught the bandit, so she didn¡¯t expect that there were witnesses for this person last night. Wei Zi died between the fourth watch and the second hour of Chenshi. If Yang Er hadn¡¯t gone out, then who was the killer?


    Was it really a ghost?


    The surrounding crowd also became agitated. They thought they had caught the culprit that¡¯s why they dared to come out. After all this trouble, was it a lie? Ren Yao couldn¡¯t accept this situation and said, ¡°Maybe they colluded together to give a false testimony! When Chi Lan died, she left writings on the ground; just make him write and compare the handwriting to know if it¡¯s him!¡±


    Someone frowned and said, ¡°Those were clearly words left by the ghost¡­¡±


    Ren Yao said sternly, ¡°If he killed the person, then he must be the one who left the words behind!¡±


    Ren Yao scowled fiercely, like the murderous female Asura in a Buddhist Hall, many people were intimidated by her aura. However, the steward showed a perplexed expression, and said, ¡°Miss Ren, you may not know, but this Yang Er has never read a book, he doesn¡¯t even know how to read, how can he write?¡±


    Ren Yao was stunned. She thought she saw Yang Er show a flash of smugness which quickly changed into a look of panic. He said in fright, ¡°Miss Ren, please spare me, this one really can¡¯t read, please don¡¯t force me to do something I can¡¯t.¡±


    The facts proved that it was all just a misunderstanding, but everyone in the hall, including Taiping Gongzhu at the head, did not look relaxed. Instead, their expressions looked even worse. The crowd dispersed with a bang. They were guarded and hostile: ¡°I thought you discovered something. It turned out to be just your imagination! The ghost is still lurking around out there searching for the next scapegoat. Did you guys deliberately lure us out for your own safety?¡±


    Ren Yao blinked hard. That Yang Er in front of her still had a frightened expression, but Ren Yao was sure that he really laughed just now! Furious, she pointed at Yang Er and shouted, ¡°It must be him! Even if it¡¯s not him, it¡¯s his accomplice. If we just interrogate him, we will find out the truth!¡±


    Yang Er maintained a look of suffering from injustice due to being forced to plead guilty, knelt on the ground, and kept crying, asking Taiping Gongzhu and Ding Wang to decide. Ren Yao couldn¡¯t articulate a reason and was so angry that she wanted to find a spear to interrogate the bandit herself.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough.¡± Taiping Gongzhu shouted with an unkind expression and stood up coldly: ¡°Bengong¡¯s hall is not a street market where you all can mess around. Detain Yang Er and take him back to Da Li Si1 for interrogation once the mountain road is cleared. This matter is still a part of Bengong¡¯s family affairs. Outsiders are not allowed to point fingers or interfere, the rest of you should leave.¡±


    It was obvious who this ¡°outsider¡± referred to. Ren Yao was so angry that she wanted to say more, but Ming Huashang held her arm and shook her head slightly at her.


    Ren Yao held back her anger and went out, stomping as if she had a grudge against the floor: ¡°I clearly saw it, why didn¡¯t anyone believe me?¡±


    ¡°I believe you.¡± Ming Huashang said softly, ¡°But we have no evidence. Those who forcibly interrogate the Gongzhu manor¡¯s people will only offend Taiping Gongzhu and Ding Wang. Sister Ren, we don¡¯t need to hit a stone with an egg. Just be patient for a while.¡±

 CH 13.3

    Although Ming Huashang didn¡¯t see any abnormal expressions on Yang Er¡¯s face, she understood Ren Yao¡¯s character. Even though they had only known each other for two days, she had figured out that Ren Yao was a hot-tempered person who wouldn¡¯t tolerate anything that compromises her principles and bottom line. She pointed at Yang Er angrily, most likely because she really saw something.


    However, without evidence, it was useless to say anything. Ren Yao stopped talking, but she still had anger and had nowhere to vent, ¡°Then can we only let this matter go?¡±


    Ming Huazhang walked behind them. Unlike Ren Yao, who was filled with righteous indignation, his expression remained calm and indifferent, as if creating more trouble for himself despite his efforts did not affect him.


    Ming Huazhang said, ¡°Of course, we can¡¯t let it go. Looking at the time when the two cases occurred, the murderer is most probably an insider. I am sure that the murderer resides inside this mountain villa, and the murder instrument and evidence must still be near.¡±


    ¡°That is where the difficulty lies.¡± Xie Jichuan poured cold water on the side, ¡°This happens to be Taiping Gongzhu¡¯s villa. Do you dare to offend the Empress¡¯s favorite youngest daughter by forcibly searching her people and property?¡±


    The situation seemed to have become an endless loop: as long as you search the villa, you can find the murderer, but if you are not sure who the murderer is, who had the guts to search Taiping Gongzhu¡¯s territory?


    However, Ren Yao became more and more furious as she listened, wishing to beat that trick-playing b*stard behind the scenes to death with her fist. The four of them discussed as they walked then they heard the sound of footsteps behind them.


    Hearing the loud footsteps, Ming Huashang could already guess who it was. Sure enough, Jiang Ling¡¯s familiar loud voice came from behind, ¡°Second young master Ming, second young miss Ming, don¡¯t go, wait for me!¡±


    Without needing prior agreement, the four of them quickened their pace at the same time, but Jiang Ling still caught up to them. He chased them halfway across the garden, and was out of breath, ¡°You guys walked so fast! How did you guys catch Yang Er? What¡¯s your basis for thinking it¡¯s him?¡±


    Really, mentioning the pot that doesn¡¯t boil 1. They were already worrying about this matter, but Jiang Ling just had to mention it. Ren Yao was already very angry, and this prodigal still wanted to come over and mock her. She kept walking with a cold face, without giving any face.


    Jiang Ling glanced at her departing back and asked baffled, ¡°Why did she leave?¡±


    Ming Huashang kept smiling, thinking that Jiang Ling deserved to be the first and second ancestor of Luoyang; he never needed to care about other people¡¯s faces, and he had no self-awareness when offending others.


    She understood that Jiang Ling was purely just asking, and didn¡¯t mean to seem taunting, but in this situation, combined with his words, what would the listener think?


    Ming Huashang engaged in some simple small talk and then hurried after Ren Yao. Behind her, Jiang Ling who still couldn¡¯t read the room was equally perplexed. One out of the four left in anger, one found an opportunity to run away, and the other was a cold master who didn¡¯t bother to socialize. What could Xie Jichuan do, he could only deal with Jiang Ling with a smile.


    It was getting dark while they were making tea, and afterward, they captured and interrogated someone, so it was already late when they left Taiping Gongzhu¡¯s hall. Ren Yao strode forward, and Ming Huashang jogged behind until she finally caught up with Ren Yao outside the courtyard.


    Ming Huashang held the courtyard gate, panting from exhaustion: ¡°Sister Ren, your walking pace is too fast!¡±


    Ren Yao¡¯s face was neither flushed nor was she out of breath. She was no longer interested in drinking tea, so she pushed open the door to her room and walked in, ¡°I just can¡¯t stand that prodigal. Even staying with him makes me feel that the air is dirty. Why did you come after me?¡±


    Ming Huashang gasped for breath. Her biggest gain from this Feihong banquet was realizing how useless she was. She was hesitating whether she should work harder when she got back, and at the same time, she explained to Ren Yao while out of breath, ¡°It¡¯s just strangers coming together by chance at a banquet. We will never see him again when we return to Shendu, so why bother being angry? Sister Ren, calm down, it¡¯s not worth it to anger yourself.¡±


    Ren Yao also understood this principle, but her hereditary violent temper just couldn¡¯t be controlled. She went back to her room angrily and found that her bedsheets were dangling down for some reason.


    She couldn¡¯t help muttering who was so careless, the corners of the quilt were hanging to the ground. She went over to straighten out the quilt, as she casually spoke to the outside, ¡°I know, but he still¡­ AH!¡±


    Ming Huashang was wiping her sweat when a scream came from the room. She was so frightened that her hand trembled, and her handkerchief fell to the ground. She didn¡¯t have time to pick it up, and rushed into the room, ¡°Sister Ren, what¡¯s wrong?¡±


    When Ming Huashang saw the scene inside, her pupils contracted tightly.


    On the bed, the brocade quilt that she and Ren Yao slept on yesterday was slightly raised, and where half the quilt was lifted, a woman in red was revealed.


    She lay stiff on their bed, blood soaking the bedding. Her head was tilted outward, with a faint smile on her face, but the most frightening thing was the two dark holes above.


    Her eyes were gouged out, and she stared at the door motionlessly. In her short period of absent-mindedness, Ming Huashang even thought that the woman was trying to look into her eyes.