Chapter 30: Mid-Ghost Festival Fright
This novel is translated and hosted on bcatranslation.
“Go kneel in the ancestral hall. Without my permission, you are not to come out,” Madam Xu ordered sternly, clutching her daughter tightly.
Lu Yuan Xiao slumped his head in defeat, responding with a sullen, “Oh.” He quietly headed toward the ancestral hall to kneel.
Deng Zhi’s legs were still weak from the fright earlier, only now beginning to recover her composure.
[Mother, please don’t blame Brother. Chao Chao wants to go out so badly…]
Smack! Lu Chao Chao planted a big, wet kiss on Madam Xu’s cheek.
Madam Xu glanced at her carefree daughter and sighed. “Today, you seem to be the happiest. You nearly scared me to death, though.” Just thinking about it filled her with lingering fear.
“Young Master Yuan Xiao only meant well for his sister, Madam…” Deng Zhi tried to intercede on Lu Yuan Xiao’s behalf. Usually, he was sweet-tongued and never acted with the airs of a noble young master, endearing him to the maids.
Madam Xu gave her a sharp look. “Enough. Let him kneel until after dinner.”
Deng Zhi’s face brightened immediately, and she bustled off to arrange for dinner an hour earlier than usual.
“Madam, you seem to be in high spirits,” Deng Zhi remarked with a sly grin. If Madam Xu weren’t in such a good mood today, Young Master Yuan Xiao would surely have faced a more severe punishment.
Madam Xu pressed her lips together to suppress a smile.
Earlier that morning, everything stolen from her private treasury was recovered, along with a substantial amount of compensation. Years of enduring grievances were at least somewhat repaid in gold.
The Marquis Zhongyong’s Manor was now nothing but an empty shell.
“Hmm, Old Madam’s eyes were dark-rimmed this morning. She claimed she was going to the temple to pray,” Deng Zhi commented indignantly.
“I suspect she went to check on that side,” Deng Zhi added, her tone bitter.
“Madam, why don’t we…”
“Divorce?” Deng Zhi had pondered these words countless times before finally daring to utter them.
Lu Chao Chao instantly sprang up in her mother’s arms. [Divorce, divorce, divorce!]
[New daddy, new daddy!]
“See? Even Young Miss is thrilled at the idea,” Deng Zhi said earnestly, unwilling to see Madam Xu suffer further.
Just imagining the past seventeen years of living a lie filled her with resentment on Madam Xu’s behalf.
Madam Xu’s expression grew distant. “Deng Zhi, I have three sons and one daughter. Traditionally, a woman who divorces and returns to her family does not take her children unless the husband willingly gives them up.” Right now, Lu Yuan Ze lacked sufficient bargaining chips to abandon the children.
Seeing Madam Xu’s silence, Deng Zhi dropped the topic and instructed the servants to prepare dinner.
By evening, Old Madam and Lu Yuan Ze returned to the manor, their faces weary and tinged with anger. Madam Xu’s actions had completely disrupted their plans.
“That daughter-in-law of yours is utterly malicious! She actually intended to ruin Jing Huai!” Old Madam exclaimed.
“Jing Huai is the pride and hope of the Marquis’s Manor! Did you see the forlorn look on his face today? It broke my heart!” She dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Even her confidante, Nanny Lin, had been sacrificed to take the fall for this mess. The blow to Old Madam’s faction was severe.
“How could she be so cruel? She’s a mother too! How can she be so heartless and venomous?” The Old Madam punctuated her words by striking the ground with her cane.
Lu Yuan Ze frowned deeply. “Mother, please watch your words. They are not bastards; they are my children!” His tone wavered with hesitation.
Old Madam’s cane came down with a loud crack on his head. He clutched his head in pain as blood seeped through his fingers.
“Fool!”
“If it were Yan Shu from back then, it would be different. But now, he’s a cripple! A useless cripple who can’t even take care of his own basic needs!”
“Keeping him alive only brings shame to the Marquis’s Manor!”
“Jing Huai is brilliant, renowned throughout the capital! Jing Yao, even more so—foretold by the Abbot to have an extraordinary destiny! And Jiao Jiao? She has lived without status or title by your side for seventeen years!”
“That venomous woman, Xu Shi Yun!” Old Madam’s eyes burned with hatred.
This time, the plan almost led to the complete ruin of Lu Jing Huai’s reputation and an utter loss.
“Her family is powerful,” Madam Xu said with a calculating tone. “My original plan was that if this child of hers passed away prematurely, we could raise Lu Jing Yao under her name. Once she grew attached, she would lower her guard. This would create opportunities against the Xu family and Xu Shi Yun herself. Later, when Lu Jing Yao would righteously sever ties with her, she’d even earn a good reputation!”
Yet, things didn’t unfold as planned.
“If only Lu Jing Yao stayed with us, we could alleviate some of our longing. Such a fine granddaughter, yet she must live in secrecy, unable to bask in the light.”
Lu Yuan Ze’s gaze flickered slightly, but he remained silent.
The sky darkened, and the servants of the manor hurried to shut doors and windows, ensuring that the protective door god talismans were firmly in place.
At the hour of the rat…
White mist began to surge on the horizon, obscuring everything in its path. Within the mist emerged ghastly creatures of various forms—some headless, aimlessly searching for their missing heads; others, dismembered and grotesque, their gaping maws dripping with terror. These horrifying figures floated ominously in the sky, accompanied by eerie, sharp cries echoing faintly in the ears of all who listened.
Madam Xu wrapped herself tightly in her robe, her voice trembling as she addressed Deng Zhi by moonlight, not daring to light an oil lamp.
“Madam, rest assured. Door god talismans have been placed everywhere, and the walls have been doused with black dog’s blood. Everything is secure.”
She glanced at the peacefully sleeping Lu Chao Chao, who had kicked off her quilt in the heat, revealing her small, snow-white belly. Madam Xu gently pulled the child’s clothes to cover her.
“It seems that only Chao Chao can sleep soundly tonight.”
“Has Yuan Xiao returned? Did he have anything to eat?” Madam Xu asked with some embarrassment.
Jue Xia chuckled lightly, lowering her voice. “Don’t worry, Young Master Yuan Xiao returned earlier to rest. Before he left, I had someone send him snacks. By now, he’s probably participating in the street procession.”
The wind outside howled, interspersed with faint, bone-chilling wails, making everyone’s hair stand on end.
“Every year during the Ghost Festival, people are on edge,” Deng Zhi sighed. “Tonight feels even more dreadful than in past years. The mist is so thick it’s impossible to see one’s hand in front of their face.”
In previous years, simply shutting the main gates allowed some freedom of movement within the courtyard. But this year, the white mist had seeped into the manor itself, bringing with it a sense of unease.
“Have all the servants retreated indoors?” Madam Xu inquired. Despite the summer heat, an icy chill gnawed at her bones. She rubbed her arms, goosebumps rising as she spoke.
“I instructed everyone to return indoors in the afternoon. There shouldn’t be anyone left in the courtyard now.”
“It seems we’ll have to wait until dawn for this to pass.”
Madam Xu’s brows knitted with worry. “My eyelids have been twitching incessantly. I can’t help but wonder if Yuan Xiao is alright.” This was Lu Yuan Xiao’s first time participating in the street procession to expel evil, a ritual allowed for scholars aged eight and above in Northern Zhao. Participation was voluntary.
“Why haven’t I heard the chanting of the scholars yet?” In previous years, the deafening recitation of scriptures filled the streets, dispelling the darkness and bringing a glimmer of light. Deng Zhi’s expression mirrored Madam Xu’s unease.
“Things are different this year,” Deng Zhi said softly, attempting to reassure herself. “But there are still enlightened monks overseeing the ritual. Everything should turn out fine.”
Even Ying Xue and Jue Xia, the two maids, clung to each other, trembling in fear.
Suddenly—
A piercing creak echoed, sharp enough to make eardrums ache.
Everyone’s heads snapped towards the door, their breaths caught in their throats. The creaking persisted, and it seemed as though something outside was desperately trying to force its way in.