Chapter 138: The Divine Doctor

Ji Shuran raised her eyes to look at Jiang Yuanbai.

At this moment, she was in a daze, as if awake yet also as if asleep. Fear mixed with resentment made her speak without thinking, and it was only when she came to her senses that she realized she had said things she should not have said.

The words were already uttered, leaving no room for retraction. Moreover, words spoken under such circumstances sounded all the more like the unvarnished truth. A sudden, deep despair welled up in her heart.

How had things come to this? Everything today was supposed to be a play, a play that she had orchestrated herself. As for how the curtain would fall and what the outcome would be, it should have been up to her to decide. But to turn it into this desolate mess, impossible to salvage, far exceeded her expectations.

She did not even know how to redeem the situation.

She had never truly believed in ghosts and deities. From the moment before her marriage when she had bought off Ye Zhenzhen's maid to cause Ye Zhenzhen's death, she had held no reverence for spirits or gods. In this world, regardless of the methods used, one had to rely solely on oneself to enjoy everything desired. If one showed weakness, one would be slaughtered by others.

She had never pretended to be a kind and benevolent person, yet hadn't she lived quite well all these years? Those so-called weak and kind souls—whether it was Ye Zhenzhen, Jiang Yue'er, or even her past lover and the child of her flesh—had long since turned to dust. Only she remained, living amidst flourishing brocades and boundless happiness.

Was all of this... finally coming to an end?

"You killed my Yue'er..." Madame Hu's voice was exceptionally shrill. "You killed my Yue'er! You also killed the Mistress! How could you have such a venomous heart!"

Ji Shuran turned her head to look at Madame Hu.

That once-blossoming woman had now been reduced to nothing more than a madwoman afflicted with hysteria. If Jiang Yue'er's spirit had any awareness in the afterlife, why hadn't she come forward earlier to voice her grievances? Now that Madame Hu had nothing left, wasn't she even more wretched than herself?

A vicious smile surfaced on Ji Shuran's face. She said, "How can you blame me? Blame Jiang Yue'er herself for having a short life! Even if I hadn't killed her, she wouldn't have lived many more years! What is so good about being born a concubine's daughter? It would have been better for her to leave early and be reincarnated into a good family in her next life, becoming a legitimate daughter to enjoy endless wealth and glory. You should be thanking me instead!"

"Outrageous! Outrageous!" Old Madame Jiang shook with anger. She pointed at Jiang Yuanbai, "This is the wife you brought home!"

Jiang Yuanbai was left speechless.

What could he say? Just as Old Madame Jiang had said, Ji Shuran was the wife he had chosen himself. He had found her intelligent and gentle, seeming like a soulmate, soft and endearing, possessing a delicate grace completely different from Ye Zhenzhen. This wife, who had entirely satisfied his preferences, turned out to be such an ugly and vile creature. Cloaked in the name of love, she was steeped in filth.

Because of this woman, he had lost his formal wife and his eldest daughter, and had been separated from his second daughter for many years. Jiang Yuanbai felt like a fool, played in the palm of Ji Shuran's hand for all these years. He laughed coldly, "Fine, very well!"

"Master." Ji Shuran looked at him, tears welling up in an instant. She said, "This concubine has failed you, but this concubine was also truly devoted to you. For so many years, could the Master not feel this concubine's sincerity?"

"Yes, after all these years, even a stone should have been warmed through. But," Jiang Yuanbai looked at her expressionlessly, "you make me feel sick."

Ji Shuran then looked at Jiang Youyao, saying, "Youyao, speak for your mother! Help your mother say something!"

Jiang Youyao looked at Ji Shuran and could not help but take a step back, pulling the hem of her dress free from Ji Shuran's grasp. It was not that she did not want to help Ji Shuran, but what Ji Shuran had just confessed was simply too shocking. Jiang Youyao knew very well in her heart that after this incident, her mother would likely face grave punishment. She could not throw herself into the line of fire at this juncture, at least not now. Ji Shuran was already guilty of illicit relations with another and had borne an illegitimate child. If her father began to suspect that she, too, was the offspring of an adulterer and implicated her, she would likely never be able to stand firm in the Jiang residence again.

Ji Shuran had always felt that Jiang Youyao lacked composure and could not fully analyze pros and cons. This time, however, Jiang Youyao was able to weigh the situation rapidly and make a decision. Yet, this growth did not bring Ji Shuran any comfort; instead, it chilled her to the bone.

Was this the daughter she had cradled in the palm of her hand?

Jiang Bingji had long since been frightened to loud wailing by the sudden turn of events, but this time, Old Madame Jiang, who usually doted on him, did not immediately pull him into her arms to comfort him. Instead, with a cold expression, she instructed the wet nurse to take Jiang Bingji back to his room.

Jiang Li stood up.

She had kept her head lowered while speaking all this while, but now she suddenly raised her head, expressionless like an avenging ghost, and stepped closer and closer to Daoist Chongxu. Daoist Chongxu retreated in terror until he tripped and fell flat on the ground, supporting his body with both hands as he scrambled backward.

Jiang Li did not stop her steps, walking toward him step by step. Daoist Chongxu, seeing her as if a vengeful soul had come to claim his life, cried and snot ran down his face in utter wretchedness. He blurted out, "This humble one was merely trying to make a living... It was... It was Consort Li who sent this humble one to the residence to perform an exorcism! This humble one never meant to offend Your Excellency! I beg all you brothers and sisters to show mercy and let this humble one go..."

The crowd looked at him in astonishment.

What was going on? The things this daoist priest was saying made him sound like a complete fake!

The members of the Jiang family, however, suddenly understood. What Daoist Chongxu left unsaid was that Consort Li sending him to perform an exorcism was no coincidence. Why would they need an exorcism? Most likely, the target from the very beginning had been Jiang Li. This priest was indeed a fake, yet he had unexpectedly run into a genuine haunting today—though the haunting seemed to be caused by someone who originally belonged to the Jiang household, or someone murdered by Ji Shuran.

Jiang Li suddenly stopped walking and her body went limp, collapsing softly to the ground. Tong'er gave a startled cry, quickly stepping forward with Baixue to support Jiang Li, only to find Jiang Li's eyes tightly closed, as if she had lost consciousness.

"Master, My Lady has fainted! Please have a physician come and examine My Lady," Tong'er cried out. "My Lady cannot afford any more mishaps."

Only then did Jiang Yuanbai snap back to his senses. "Fetch the post haste and invite a physician immediately!" He had already lost one daughter; he could not afford to lose another. Furthermore, the matters of the past were entirely his own failure toward Jiang Li. Now that the truth had come to light, he had no face left to look upon Jiang Li. How could he possibly let anything else happen to her?

With this, the dark clouds scattered, and the incense candles in the courtyard were blown out by the wind. The wind dispersed the clouds and brought forth the light. The courtyard brightened considerably, losing its previous ghostly aura as if vitality had returned. The bizarre atmosphere was swept away, and under the bright light, there seemed nothing left to fear.

Only the weeping of people remained.

Madame Hu was crying, and Baoqin was crying as well. Jiang Bingji's cries drifted faintly from the room in the distance, and Ji Shuran was weeping too. The entire courtyard was filled with the wails of ghosts and the cries of mortals, lively in a most desolate way. Yet not a single person felt happy about it.

Daoist Chongxu hid behind a tree, his heart pounding wildly with terror. He had never imagined that this household would harbor so many dark secrets. In the past, when he performed exorcisms for wealthy families, he was essentially banishing the internal demons in people's hearts. As long as those people believed that Daoist Chongxu had removed the vengeful ghosts for them and that the victims they had harmed would never have the chance to exact retribution, the ritual was foolproof. Even so, Daoist Chongxu had never actively pried into other people's secrets.

The more one knew, the faster one died. Yet today, he had heard so many dark secrets of the Prime Minister's household. Even if he repeatedly swore never to leak the matter, his life would likely be forfeit. And then there was... his crime of deceiving the Emperor.

He had to flee Yanjing City and leave the Jiang residence immediately to save his own life.

For the moment, no one paid attention to Daoist Chongxu. Jiang Yuanbai, with a stern and cold face, ordered Ji Shuran to be taken away and placed under close confinement, forbidden from stepping out of her room even a single step. He then sent someone to fetch a physician to check on Jiang Li and find out what was wrong. Since Jiang Li had already collapsed and the eerie, unexplained voice had ceased, it seemed the haunting had departed. Even if it hadn't entirely left the Jiang residence, there would be time later to invite someone else to perform rituals.

Too many things had happened today.

Madame Hu was supported by Baoqin as she returned to her courtyard. As she walked, she clutched the small toys belonging to Jiang Yue'er that Jiang Li had dug out from the flower bed, her steps unsteady. Jiang Yuanbai watched her retreating figure, as if wanting to say something, but in the end, he only sighed and swallowed the words meant to call her back.

He had indeed failed her. As a husband and a father, he was a complete failure.

When the physician came to examine Jiang Li, he was startled; Jiang Li's face was stained with blood from her nose and mouth, looking quite terrifying. Yet after taking her pulse, the physician was baffled—there was nothing wrong with Jiang Li physically, except that her body was somewhat weak and she appeared to have suffered a fright. As for the cause of the bleeding, it remained unclear. In any case, it had already stopped, and drinking some nourishing herbal soup would set her right.

Yet Jiang Li slept for a full day and night.

When she finally woke up, only Baixue was keeping vigil by her side.

The room was filled with the sweet fragrance of medicine—medicine meant to nourish the body, sweet and not particularly bitter. Jiang Li propped herself up to sit. Baixue was dozing off at the table, but seeing Jiang Li wake up, her sleepiness vanished instantly. She exclaimed, "My Lady! You're awake!"

Jiang Li glanced outside; it was already dusk. She asked, "How long have I been asleep?"

"A full day and night," Baixue said worriedly. "This maid was afraid My Lady would just keep sleeping and was terribly worried. Master brought several physicians to examine you, and they all said nothing was wrong. Fortunately, My Lady has woken up now, so this maid's heart can finally settle back into her chest."

It was rare for the usually taciturn Baixue to speak at such length, showing just how frightened she had truly been. Jiang Li smiled. "I'm fine." Prior to this, she had concealed a wax pellet in her teeth, containing a drug that induced deep sleep. Although she could have simply feigned fainting on her own, she felt that putting on such an act without a prop would be too much trouble, and laziness felt more authentic.

She looked around. "Where is Tong'er?"

"She went to the Old Madame's place to fetch some things. While My Lady was asleep, the Old Madame and the Master sent over a lot of things—fabrics, restorative herbs, and food. The Master even had a box of silver notes sent over," Baixue said. "This maid was completely stunned."

After Ji Shuran's past crimes were exposed before everyone, Old Madame Jiang and Jiang Yuanbai inevitably felt a sense of guilt toward her. These items were nothing more than compensation. At this thought, Jiang Li felt a twinge of regret; if the true Second Miss Jiang could have witnessed this scene, she probably would have been very happy. Unfortunately, until her death, the Second Miss Jiang had never been able to clearly voice her grievances to the Jiang family.

Perhaps she had spoken, but no one had believed her.

The truth had arrived too late; sometimes, once missed, it was gone for a lifetime. Jiang Yuanbai wished to make amends, but for the rest of his days, he would never have the opportunity again. This was heaven's punishment for him.

Just as Jiang Li was about to ask if anything else had happened in the past couple of days, she suddenly noticed a white flower pinned to Baixue's hair. She froze, reached out to touch it, and asked, "Why are you wearing this?"

Seeing Jiang Li's gaze, Baixue lowered her head, hesitating for a moment before speaking. Jiang Li's brows slowly furrowed. "What happened?"

"Madame Hu..." Baixue said, "Madame Hu is gone."

Jiang Li's eyes widened. Right before she fainted, Madame Hu had been perfectly fine. Now that the truth of what Ji Shuran had done to Jiang Yue'er back then had come to light, how could she be gone?

"Madame Hu returned to her courtyard that night, and the next morning when Baoqin got up, she found that Madame Hu had hanged herself. Before she left, she a left a letter for the Master. After reading it, the Master said nothing and locked himself in his room, refusing to let anyone in." Baixue sighed as she spoke. "After finally surviving the hardships and helping the Eldest Miss find the true murderer, how could she fail to see things through?"

"It's not that she failed to see things through," Jiang Li said. "She was cutting off all of Ji Shuran's paths of retreat."

Madame Hu had likely waited in fear for too long. Ever since Jiang Yue'er's death all those years ago, she had been waiting for an opportunity—an opportunity to exact revenge. Over all these years, she had become a madwoman afflicted with hysteria, unable to accomplish anything, while Ji Shuran had both sons and daughters and sat securely as the mistress of the primary household. If things continued like this, it would make people feel that good people do not live long while evildoers thrive for a millennium.

Ji Shuran was cunning, the Ji family still had Ji Yanlin, and if Consort Li stepped in to rescue her, it was not impossible for Ji Shuran to find a sliver of survival. Therefore, Madame Hu had decided to make her own death the final straw that broke Ji Shuran's back. The deaths of Madame Hu and Jiang Yue'er ensured that Jiang Yuanbai could never find peace again. And the final letter she left for Jiang Yuanbai was meant to ensure Ji Shuran's doom arrived all the quicker.

This woman, who had been a concubine all her life yet possessed no schemes of the inner courtyard, had instead made her own daughter a sacrifice. She had likely used the first and last bit of cunning and strategy in her life to perform this swan song of the inner quarters.

Jiang Li could not describe what she felt. Madame Hu had clearly known early on that Ye Zhenzhen was harmed by Ji Shuran, yet she had chosen to protect herself and remained silent. If she had spoken up from the start, letting people see Ji Shuran's true face earlier, Jiang Yue'er would never have been placed in such danger.

Yet, what use was regret in this world?

"Baoqin, who served beside Madame Hu, said that the night before Madame Hu left, she told Baoqin to properly thank My Lady. She said she could only repay My Lady's great kindness in the next life," Baixue recounted.

"People always shift the things they cannot accomplish in this life onto the next," Jiang Li smiled bitterly. "To carry the debts of this life into the next life—how exhausting that would be."

Thinking of what she herself had often said to Ji Heng about repaying kindness in the next life, how similar she was to Madame Hu?

Yet thinking of Madame Hu, Jiang Li still felt a knot of discomfort in her chest.

She sighed. At that moment, the door was pushed open, and Tong'er walked in from outside.

Seeing Jiang Li sitting up and conversing with Baixue, Tong'er was so happy she almost jumped. She scurried over to Jiang Li's side and said, "My Lady, you're finally awake! You scared this maid to death... Whatever My Lady plans to do in the future, you must let us know beforehand. This maid didn't sleep a wink all night, terrified that something might happen to My Lady..."

Jiang Li smiled and patted her head. "I'm fine. Besides, I'm someone who was once possessed by a ghost—aren't you afraid?"

"Not at all," Tong'er replied righteously. "Even if there are ghosts, the ones whose lives they've come to claim are the wicked people who harmed them. My Lady is such a kind person; if a ghost possessed you, it must have wanted to borrow My Lady's voice to voice their grievances. What My Lady did was an act of great merit."

An ominous event like ghost possession was made to sound like a blessing by this little maid. Jiang Li did not know whether to laugh or cry, and could only say, "You always manage to spin everything into flattery."

"It's true," Tong'er said. "As the saying goes, retribution may be delayed, but it always arrives. Isn't that Ji woman finally reaping what she sowed? I heard the Old Madame intends to severely punish that Ji woman this time. The Ji family came to demand her release, but the Old Madame refused and exposed all the ugly deeds that Ji woman had committed right in front of them. The Ji family tried to argue at first, but the Master declared he would thoroughly investigate the matter to the end and threatened to report it to the authorities, playing the part of a righteous man executing justice on his own family member today. The moment the Ji family heard the Master was going to the authorities, they dropped all talk of taking the Ji woman back and slunk away in disgrace." Tong'er patted her chest. "My Lady was asleep and missed it, but this maid saw it with her own eyes—it was so satisfying!"

"How could the Ji family have the audacity to do such a thing?" Baixue scorned. "They harmed so many people and still wanted to take that Ji woman back as if nothing had happened? Even in ordinary commoner households, a crime like this would cost one's life."

"Exactly," Tong'er said. "Do they really think that because they have someone in the palace, they can act above the law regarding the Ji family?"

Jiang Li looked at Tong'er, finding her words rather interesting, and asked, "Oh?"

"Even if they have a consort in the palace, whether she can protect herself right now is uncertain," Tong'er said. "Didn't that so-called Daoist Chongxu admit in front of the entire household that he was a fraud? Afterward, he tried to run, but our people tracked him down hiding in an inn in Yanjing City before he could manage to flee the city. The Master had him bound and, before even sending him to the Magistrate, had an audience with the Emperor today, telling him goodness knows what. This maid figures that with such a major offense, this Daoist Chongxu has committed the crime of deceiving the Emperor, and the Master certainly won't help cover for it. If the Emperor finds out someone dared to deceive him, how furious must he be? Consort Li will inevitably be implicated as well, considering she twice 'saved' her life through him."

Tong'er spoke with playful mockery, and everyone in the room caught the sarcasm in her tone. Jiang Li tapped her forehead lightly. "You're a sharp-tongued one."

"In any case, this time they've lifted a rock only to drop it on their own feet. The Old Madame hasn't decided how to deal with the Ji woman yet. But My Lady, you wouldn't believe how sickening Jiang Youyao is. Even Jiang Bingji pleaded for the Ji woman, but the Third Miss hasn't gone to see the Ji woman even once. Forget visiting, she hasn't even uttered her name once, as if speaking it would dirty her mouth. Even though the Ji woman is venomous, she treated the Third Miss quite well—they are biological mother and daughter after all, yet their bond is colder than that of complete strangers."

Jiang Li's smile was faint. "Ji Shuran treated people with cold indifference in daily life, and Jiang Youyao, influenced by her example, naturally cultivated a selfish and callous disposition. Everything Jiang Youyao did was taught hand-in-hand by Ji Shuran. It's not surprising."

Tong'er puckered her lips, thought of something, and asked Jiang Li, "How does My Lady think they will deal with the Ji woman this time?"

"Illicit relations, harming female family members, harming heirs, and framing the legitimate daughter—take any single one of them out, and Ji Shuran has no path left for survival. Therefore," Jiang Li lowered her gaze, "it is also time for her to pay with her life."

Both Tong'er and Baixue fell silent.

After a long pause, Baixue asked, "Will the Master put the Ji woman to death?"

"He will. But he will cover for her to some extent, fabricating another charge so that the Ji family retains some dignity."

"Then can the blame of her causing the miscarriage be washed away?" Tong'er asked. "Clearly it was the Ji woman scheming against My Lady back then, which pointlessly ruined My Lady's reputation and wasted so many years."

"Tong'er, some things do not have conclusions," Jiang Li said. "If my name were to be cleared, the fact that Ji Shuran had illicit relations and even became pregnant would have to be brought to light. This is a scandal of the Jiang family, and family shame must not be aired publicly. For the sake of the bigger picture, the Jiang family will not go that far for my sake. They will only compensate me privately."

"My Lady is far too wronged," Baixue shook her head. She knew what Jiang Li said was the truth, but her heart still felt a deep sense of injustice for her.

"There are many helpless things in this world," Jiang Li said. "Some can be fought for, while others must be swallowed with broken teeth mixed with blood. At the very least, being able to make Ji Shuran pay with her life this time is already very good. And it goes far beyond that."

"What do you mean?" Tong'er asked.

"Jiang Youyao and Jiang Bingji will likely find it difficult to ever regain Jiang Yuanbai's affection for a very long time." Whenever Jiang Yuanbai looked at Jiang Youyao and Jiang Bingji, he would think of Ji Shuran, of that illegitimate child, and even of the wrongfully murdered Jiang Yue'er. Although people say one should not vent anger on the innocent, Jiang Yuanbai was an ordinary man, not a saint. Having been deceived and kept in the dark by Ji Shuran in his inner courtyard for so long, his self-esteem had been utterly pulverized.

Leaving aside Jiang Bingji, with Jiang Youyao's temperament—lacking in forbearance—she would soon harbor resentment toward Jiang Yuanbai. Without Ji Shuran behind her to guide her, Jiang Li could foresee that the path Jiang Youyao walked would not lead to any good destination.

However, she was not kind-hearted enough to go out of her way to remind her.

After chatting with Tong'er and Baixue for a while, fearing they might disrupt Jiang Li's rest, the two maids said they would first report to Old Madame Jiang and arrange for everyone to meet Jiang Li the next day.

After Tong'er left, Jiang Li sat leaning against the couch, turning over the events of the past few days in her mind to confirm that no flaws had been left behind.

However, the ventriloquist expert Zhao Ke had found had indeed performed even better than she had imagined. As for those magical billowing black clouds, the wind blowing from nowhere, and the dancing paper figures—those were not the work of Daoist Chongxu; presumably, that expert had casually added them in. It was precisely because of those illusions, which struck terror into people's hearts, that everyone under the circumstances had firmly believed in the reality of the haunting.

In truth, doing so was quite risky, because Jiang Li herself would henceforth carry the past of having been "possessed by a ghost." If word spread, people would give her a wide berth. But for the time being, no one outside the Jiang household knew of this, and she figured Old Madame Jiang would tidy everything up so that the secret wouldn't leak.

Jiang Li had been forced into this path out of necessity; Ji Shuran's offenses were simply too numerous. To recount them one by one would have wasted far too much time. And she did not have the luxury of spending too much energy on the inner courtyard of the Jiang family—Princess Yongning might strike at her at any moment, Shen Yurong was steadily rising in rank, and Prince Cheng was lurking with predatory intent.

She needed to reserve her energy for far more formidable opponents.

Just as she was thinking this, a tapping sound came from the window: "Tap, tap, tap."

Jiang Li walked over and pushed the window open to find Zhao Ke standing outside.

"I didn't blow the whistle," Jiang Li said.

Zhao Ke seemed momentarily choked by her words before saying, "My Lord asked this subordinate to bring a message to the Second Miss."

Ji Heng? Jiang Li asked, "What is it?"

"Tomorrow afternoon at the Ye residence, My Lord is waiting for you."

Hearing this, Jiang Li asked in astonishment, "The Ye residence?" The Ye residence was where Ye Shijie lived; how had Ji Heng ended up there? Had he dragged Ye Shijie onto his pirate ship as well? Thinking of this, Jiang Li's expression turned somewhat serious. "How did Ye Shijie end up with your master?"

Zhao Ke: "..." Why must the Second Miss wear such a disgusted expression? As if his master were some inescapable, sticky nuisance? Even if Ye Shijie truly served the Lord, he ought to feel honored—what kind of reaction was this?

He said, "No, it's probably just that the Ye residence happened to be convenient."

Jiang Li: "Does he treat the Ye residence like the Jiang residence too?"

Zhao Ke: "...Perhaps."

Jiang Li felt stifled; Ji Heng truly was a lawless and willful person. He could enter and leave the Jiang residence as if no one were there, and naturally he could do the same at the Ye residence. But she wondered how Ye Shijie and Ye Mingyu would feel if they found out.

"What on earth does your master want with me?" Jiang Li asked. "If it's official business, you can pass the message for me. I already have quite a few legal troubles hanging over my head with many people watching me closely; I'd rather not bring trouble upon your master."

Zhao Ke: "..." Although the Second Miss spoke with absolute solemnity as if she meant it, he could clearly read between the lines: if there was nothing important, he shouldn't bother her.

"Regarding Daoist Chongxu, please thank your master for me." Feeling that what she had just said might have been a bit too blunt, Jiang Li paused and added by way of remedy, "When I have some leisure time, I will certainly make a personal visit to thank your master with a generous gift."

"The Lord invited the Second Miss to the Ye residence not to listen to the Second Miss's thanks." Zhao Ke felt it necessary to clarify on behalf of his master. He said, "The Lord wishes to introduce someone to the Second Miss."

Jiang Li paused. "Who?"

"The Number One Divine Physician of Northern Yan," Zhao Ke said. "Perhaps he can cure Assistant Magistrate Xue."