Chapter 13: Sweating Because It’s Too Hot?
He Jianzhong gnashed his teeth.
Madam He saw him still standing without moving and suddenly pushed him: “Say something!”
He Jianzhong said: “Is everything you said true?”
“Of course it’s true!” Madam He screamed sharply, “Think about all the events. Didn’t they start from the day she entered the mansion? Wasn’t it because of her that Xu’er argued with Zhang Shi? Wasn’t it because of their argument that we all believed Zhang Shi had a motive for murder?
“They premeditated it, coming straight for murder! She is Liu Shi’s helper, and yet you still want to bring Liu Shi back!”
“These are two different matters!”
He Jianzhong roared and then paced quickly: “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?!”
“From Xu’er’s murder until now, it’s only been two days total. Yesterday I said she was ghostly, but you didn’t believe me. How much earlier do you want me to tell you?!”
He Jianzhong stopped, raising his voice to roar: “What about Lin Shi? Summon her to me!”
……
Yue Tang returned to the He Family and had just stepped through the gate when two old women came face-to-face with her.
“Lin Shi, Master and Madam summon you. Come with us to the main chamber right now!”
As they spoke, they had already moved to her left and right rear, looking as if they would immediately beat her down if Yue Tang dared not comply.
Yue Tang recognized them as the old women from the main chamber who had tussled with Nanny Li yesterday. She did not struggle with them and followed them to the main chamber.
The people under the main chamber door had clearly been replaced; even the serving old women had been swapped for servants holding clubs.
She only stood for a moment under the corridor, then steadily entered the door as usual.
Madam He sat on the bed, He Jianzhong sat on the chair by the bed, and both looked as if they wanted to devour her alive.
“Bold shrew! Kneel down!”
He Jianzhong slammed the table, and Madam He without a word called the old woman beside her to come forward and hold her down.
But at that moment, the old woman guarding outside the door suddenly came in: “Master! Trouble, the storeroom is on fire!”
The storeroom held almost all of the He Family’s family fortune. He Jianzhong’s face paled in shock: “Why aren’t you hurrying to call people for firefighting?!”
The old woman hesitated, looking toward the room: “What about here…”
“Less nonsense, go quickly! All of you go, call more people!”
The old women standing in the room also followed along.
After He Jianzhong roared, that restless anxiety that had been plaguing him these past few days surged up again. One thing after another, it really made it impossible not to suspect something ghostly!
But thinking of this, he suddenly came to his senses. The “ghost” they had just mentioned—wasn’t it the Lin Shi right in front of him?
Yue Tang saw his expression suddenly freeze and immediately smiled: “Does General He feel puzzled? How could the storeroom suddenly catch fire? But it seems you’ve already guessed it—the fire was set by me.”
He Jianzhong exploded in rage, slamming the table and rising, but Madam He was faster, rushing over in a few steps and raising her hand to slap her face: “Bitch!”
She thought this slap used twelve parts strength and was fast enough to absolutely knock out Yue Tang’s teeth!
But just as she reached halfway, her outstretched arm was caught by an iron arm that shot out from the side!
A masked black-clad man flipped in through the window almost at the instant Madam He lost control, then blocked between her and Yue Tang like a phantom!
Madam He’s face drained of all color, and she collapsed to the ground.
After a moment of stunned shock, He Jianzhong opened his throat and shouted: “Men!”
As the sound left his mouth, his face paled again.
Yue Tang curled her lips: “Realized you called too late, right? There’s no one left in the courtyard. Not only the courtyard—all the people should have run to the storeroom for firefighting by now.
“After all, they all know the He Family ancestors had no accumulation, and how hard it was for you to acquire this family fortune.
“If anything happens, they will face your wrath.”
He Jianzhong flew into a rage: “Where did this shrew come from, daring to run wild in this general’s mansion?!”
He turned and charged, rushing under the wall to grab his sword!
Xiao Huo raised his sword to meet him, perfectly pressing it to his throat just as he lifted his.
His master Wei Zhang had received elite palace training from a young age and was selected as an outstanding one to be assigned to Yue Tang’s side.
Huo Yun, as his disciple, was naturally no slouch.
He faced off against He Jianzhong, while Madam He, now freed, rushed madly at Yue Tang to kill her.
Yue Tang lifted her right foot, kicking squarely into her chest!
Madam He fell to the ground and looked toward her like she had seen a ghost: “Bitch! You’re so bold—do you have no regard for the law?!”
Yue Tang laughed loudly: “I am originally a part of the law!”
Madam He paled, blurting out: “Who exactly are you?!”
Yue Tang walked to her side, half-squatting down and grabbing one of her hands.
With her other hand, she pulled the golden hairpin from the terrified woman’s head and then stabbed it into her arm!
A bloody hole immediately appeared on that forearm adorned with two or three heavy bracelets.
Madam He screamed in pain!
Yue Tang raised a finger: “Shh.” Then said: “Who am I? Watch closely.”
She pulled out the golden hairpin and, with the blood, wrote a “Yue” character in her trembling palm.
The character written in blood was glaringly displayed before the couple.
Madam He gasped, and looking at Yue Tang’s face again, her soul fled in terror!
Yue is the imperial surname.
“Shall I continue writing?” Yue Tang asked.
Madam He’s whole body began uncontrollably jumping on the floor!
“Ghost, ghost, you really are a ghost…”
She shrank back, crawling to He Jianzhong’s feet.
Yue Tang stood, twirled the hairpin between her fingers, and walked to He Jianzhong: “What about you? Shall I continue writing?”
He Jianzhong also began retreating!
There were plenty of people in the realm bearing this surname, but at this moment, with this age and appearance before them, only one person came to their minds!
Someone who should have become a ghost three years ago!
He kept muttering: “Impossible, this is impossible! You’re not her! She died, her corpse stabbed to pieces by Xu’er! I saw it with my own eyes!”
“Yes, he was quite decisive.” Yue Tang’s gaze turned cold. “Otherwise, how do you think it fell to him, He Xu, to be my first victim of the blade?”
The two words “He Xu” stabbed like two knives straight into the couple’s hearts!
Madam He’s face was ashen as gold paper, and she crawled up from the ground again.
She widened her eyes like copper bells, staring deathly at the person before her!
“I don’t believe it! I don’t believe you’re her!”
Yue Tang slowly crumbled a piece of jujube paste cake from the plate into powder and said: “Twenty years ago, the Empress and Princess Duan were both pregnant. At labor, they both suffered pain for two days without delivering.
“The Former Emperor summoned the abbot of Xiangguo Temple into the palace to pray for blessings for them, but after praying, the abbot informed them that the reason for the delayed birth was that the fetuses in their abdomens were all entwined with malevolent energy, unable to emerge.
“Later, with the combined efforts of the entire imperial hospital, the Empress and Princess Duan finally gave birth safely.
“However, Princess Duan gave birth to dragon-phoenix twins, and the boy among the twins died midway through the difficult labor.
“The old monk then said that with divine spirits’ protection, the young prince who died for Princess Duan had taken on this mass of malevolent energy.
“But the Second Prince and little Princess who were born were still affected. They must avoid appearing in public or even appearing at all before turning sixteen, so that the remaining malevolent energy would gradually dissipate as they aged and their true essence solidified.
“Otherwise, no one would live past sixteen.”
At this point, Yue Tang looked toward the two who had fallen utterly silent and smiled again: “I’ve only told a story, so why are you sweating so much? Is it because this deep autumn day is too hot?”
