In the eighth month of the second year of Qiyuan, Wu Junru went into labor in the middle of the night. After a day and night of labor, she finally gave birth to a baby boy.
The entire household celebrated. Xiao Ying finally had his second son, a true “legitimate heir” in every sense.
While Madam Xiao and others were busy preparing for the newborn’s third-day celebration and full-month ceremony outside, Xiao Jingduo knelt alone in the main hall of Qingze courtyard, copying Buddhist scriptures to observe mourning for his mother.
This was the darkest time of his life. His mother, whom he had relied on since childhood, had passed away, while his birth father was celebrating the birth of his second son outside. His stepmother was overbearing, and the servants of the marquis’s mansion were disrespectful.
He was alone, groping his way forward in the darkness, not knowing where the path ahead led.
Qiuju came in from outside and gently closed the door for him.
“Young master, you’ve been up for a whole day. Please rest,” Qiuju said, placing new clothes beside Xiao Jingduo. “The young master has been born, and the Marchioness has ordered new clothes to be made for the entire household. These are the mourning clothes that were just delivered. Young master, please try them on.”
Xiao Jingduo glanced at them briefly, then turned his head and continued copying the scriptures.
Qiuju sighed and continued to persuade him, “Young master, I know you’re grieving over the madam’s passing. But you’ve already done your best. The madam didn’t want to stay here and suffer. Her departure is a kind of liberation. If she were here, she wouldn’t want to see you like this.”
Xiao Jingduo finally put down his pen and looked up, sighing deeply: “I know. I just don’t know what else I can do.”
“Young master, the Marchioness just sent a message. She said that the newborn young master is very fragile right now and can’t tolerate any disturbances. She wants you to go to the Buddha Hall to observe mourning and copy scriptures for the madam. She’s afraid that outside, you might…”
“It doesn’t matter. It’s all the same wherever I am.”
Seeing Xiao Jingduo’s cold face, almost devoid of expression, Qiuju felt indescribably sad. Intending to cheer him up, she pretended to be excited as she unfolded the new clothes, showing them to Xiao Jingduo: “Young master, look, don’t these new mourning clothes fit you perfectly? Tomorrow, when you wear these new mourning clothes to observe mourning for the madam, she’ll surely be happy to see you!”
“Alright, you can put them down.”
Qiuju immediately deflated: “Young master, don’t be like this. At least smile a little. You weren’t like this when you first came here.”
“Oh?” Xiao Jingduo finally showed some interest, turning his head to look at Qiuju. “What do you mean by that?”
“I remember when you first came to the marquis’s mansion, you were full of spirit and energy, your eyes shining like fire. But now, you neither speak nor smile. It’s as if you’ve wrapped yourself in a thick shell, with sharp thorns all over the outside.”
“Is that so? I hadn’t noticed,” Xiao Jingduo smiled faintly. “But people always change. When I first came, I was fearless in my ignorance. Now, after experiencing so much, how could I be the same?”
Xiao Jingduo didn’t want to say more. He reached out for the clothes, seemingly wanting to take them out to change. When he touched the mourning clothes, he frowned very quickly.
“What’s wrong, young master?”
“It’s nothing.” Xiao Jingduo looked at the set of clothes, a strange feeling rising in his heart. “The fabric feels odd, as if it’s a bit sticky.”
“Really?” Qiuju also picked them up and examined them carefully. “Now that you mention it, young master, it does seem that way. Never mind, I’ll wash them again today, and they’ll be ready for you to wear tomorrow.”
Xiao Jingduo looked at Qiuju, feeling guilty: “I’m troubling you again. You’re so efficient, you shouldn’t be wasting away in Qingze courtyard.”
“How can you say that, young master!” Qiuju stood up, pretending to be annoyed. “If you keep talking like this, I’ll get angry!”
Xiao Jingduo was grateful to Qiuju, but he wasn’t a talkative person, so he didn’t say much more, only remembering this kindness in his heart. The next day, wearing the washed and dried mourning clothes, he went to the Buddha Hall in the southeast corner to copy scriptures.
The Buddha statue was placed high on the altar, with wisps of incense smoke around it, making the Buddha’s expression seem even more enigmatic, looking down on the mortal world with a mix of sorrow and joy.
Xiao Jingduo bowed once to the Buddha statue, then walked to the east side of the hall. He knelt on a rush cushion to copy Buddhist scriptures for his mother, wishing her a joyful life in her next incarnation.
A light fragrance wafted from the incense burner. As Xiao Jingduo stayed in the quiet Buddha Hall for a while, the strange feeling in his heart grew stronger. He put down his pen and walked towards the incense burner on the altar.
The incense burner was shaped like a golden lion, with fierce eyes and bared teeth. Wisps of smoke curled from its mouth.
This scene was truly one of wealth and leisure, yet Xiao Jingduo’s face showed a cold smile.
He had wondered why Wu Junru suddenly asked him to copy scriptures in the Buddha Hall. Now he realized she had tampered with the incense burner. Unfortunately for her, she had miscalculated. Xiao Jingduo had memorized herb lore since childhood and was familiar with common medicinal ingredients. In this golden lion incense burner, hallucinogenic herbs had clearly been added. The Buddha Hall had poor ventilation, and after being exposed to this scent for a while, one would faint within an hour. The hall always burned incense year-round, and with the Buddha incense as cover, ordinary people couldn’t detect that other substances had been mixed in. After the deed was done, they would only need to douse the ashes in the burner, and the scent of the incense offerings to Buddha would naturally cover all traces. It was a perfect plan.
Xiao Jingduo laughed scornfully. He placed his hand on the incense burner’s lid, intending to open it and see exactly what trick Wu Junru was playing.
“Madam, the young master seems to have some knowledge of medicine. Is it really safe for us to add drugs to the incense burner?”
“I’m afraid he won’t be able to smell it,” Wu Junru reclined on a soft couch, smiling as she played with her month-old son. Her words, however, were chilling. “I never act without purpose. When I do act, I strike to kill or at least maim. I know he has some medical knowledge, so I’ve made two layers of precautions. The first is adding drugs to the incense, to knock him out imperceptibly. If by chance he detects something amiss, I have a backup plan waiting for him.”
“Ah, what backup plan?” Nanny Wei helped Wu Junru sit up, asking curiously.
“This is my ultimate move. No matter how clever he is, he’s still no match for me.” Wu Junru smiled smugly. After all, she was from modern times and knew many things not yet discovered in this era. With the advantage of being a time traveler, if Wu Junru truly wanted to deal with someone, it was child’s play. “As long as he lifts the incense burner lid, there’s no escape. Nanny Wei, tell me, if you noticed something odd about the incense, wouldn’t you lift the lid to investigate?”
Wu Junru laughed triumphantly: “This is my real killing move. He thinks he’s seen through my plot, but he’s wrong. I’ve anticipated his every move. At this moment, he’s truly stepping into my trap.”
Nanny Wei was full of admiration after hearing this: “Madam, you’re so clever!”
“Who told him to tattle to the princess and make me lose so much face?” Wu Junru languidly stroked her nails, the bright red polish reflecting a cold light. “If you dare to oppose me, I’ll make you die silently. This is the consequence of offending me.”
“Madam is right,” Nanny Wei said, staying close to Wu Junru and attentively serving her. Wu Junru turned to Nanny Wei and said, “Nanny, you’ve watched me grow up since I was little, and you’ve helped me so much over the years. Among the servants, I only trust you. It should be about time now. Go to the Buddha Hall and check for me. Remember, be very careful and don’t let anyone discover your actions.”
“This old servant understands,” Nanny Wei agreed skillfully. She had been navigating the back courtyards for many years, and was even more adept at these underhanded affairs than Wu Junru.
…
In the Buddha Hall, Xiao Jingduo had already placed his hand on the lid, but suddenly stopped.
“Something’s not right. Why is there a burnt smell mixed with the incense? Is there not enough incense, or is the fire too strong?” Xiao Jingduo muttered to himself. He glanced at the large belly of the golden lion, feeling increasingly puzzled.
Logically, a burnt smell would only appear if the incense burner was too small or if there wasn’t enough incense for the fire to burn. But with such a large belly on this golden lion incense burner, there should be plenty of ash. How could there be a burnt smell?
There was only one explanation: only a small amount of incense ash had been added to the burner. This was intriguing. Why wouldn’t they fill such a large incense burner?
Xiao Jingduo tilted his head, staring at the bronze burner with interest. He pushed it slightly and indeed felt that it was empty inside.
“So they wanted to tempt me to lift the lid.” Xiao Jingduo looked at the incense burner that had almost killed him and smiled softly. “I do wonder what’s inside.”
Nanny Wei carefully made her way to the Buddha Hall, avoiding everyone.
The Marquis of Dingyong’s mansion had a special courtyard for Buddhist worship. At this time, a maid was guarding the courtyard entrance, dozing off.
Nanny Wei stood in front of the maid and coughed loudly.
The maid suddenly woke up. Seeing Nanny Wei, she quickly stood up, repeatedly apologizing: “Please forgive me, Nanny. This servant was careless and fell asleep. Please spare me…”
Nanny Wei was Wu Junru’s right-hand woman and also had the status of a wet nurse, giving her a very high position in the household. Servants would always be careful and smile pleasantly when encountering her. Now that the young maid had been caught dozing off by Nanny Wei, she was terrified, her stomach trembling with fear.
Nanny Wei frowned and scolded the young maid with a stern face: “How can you be on duty like this, falling asleep in broad daylight?”
“It’s this servant’s fault. Please forgive me, Nanny.”
“Alright, don’t let it happen again,” Nanny Wei waved her hand magnanimously. “The madam has called for you, why aren’t you hurrying?”
The young maid hadn’t expected to escape punishment so easily. Overjoyed, she quickly responded and hurried to leave. After a few steps, she hesitated and pointed at the Buddha Hall: “Nanny, what about the Buddha Hall?”
“I’ll watch it for you. Go take care of your business first.”
“Thank you, Nanny!” The young maid left happily.
Nanny Wei craned her neck, watching the maid walk away, then gave a cold laugh. She thought to herself that by now, things should have been settled in the Buddha Hall.
Nanny Wei paced around for a bit, when suddenly she heard a loud crash from the courtyard, as if something had fallen over. Nanny Wei’s heart skipped a beat, and she immediately pushed open the door to enter.
After the initial crash, the courtyard was silent, with only the scent of sandalwood drifting from the Buddha Hall. Nanny Wei quietly lifted the window a crack, her triangular eyes peering inside. After not seeing Xiao Jingduo for a long time, she smiled and opened the doors and windows fully. She waited outside for a while, and only after confirming there was nothing unusual did she walk into the room.
The Buddha Hall was very deep, with no outside light penetrating, making it seem even more shadowy and unfathomable. Nanny Wei almost immediately spotted the figure next to the Buddha statue. Though obscured by curtains, Xiao Jingduo’s white mourning clothes were striking enough. Now, that white shadow lay motionless on the ground. Next to him, an incense burner had fallen over, with ashes scattered everywhere. Even the burner’s lid had fallen to one side, clearly the source of the earlier crash.
Nanny Wei quickly walked towards the Buddha statue. She abruptly pulled back the curtain, then let out an unexpected scream.
On the ground was only the new set of mourning clothes, stuffed with miscellaneous items. There was no sign of anyone.
Nanny Wei was stunned by this turn of events. She quickly squatted down to examine the clothes, wondering where Xiao Jingduo had gone. Just as she started to rummage through them, she heard the sound of metal clashing, followed by a barely audible buzzing.
Nanny Wei turned her head in disbelief, only to see Xiao Jingduo standing behind her wearing only his undergarments, holding a thin rope in his hand.
“How did you…” Nanny Wei was terrified, but before she could finish speaking, she felt a slight sting on the back of her hand. Looking down, she saw several bees flying around the mourning clothes. Being close, Nanny Wei had been stung by one of them.
“So that’s how it is…”
Nanny Wei heard Xiao Jingduo mumbling. She wanted to stand up and scold him for his audacity, but as she started to move, she felt dizzy. Her body swayed, and her robust figure tilted to the side uncontrollably, crashing to the ground.
Lying on her back, Nanny Wei shakily pointed at Xiao Jingduo: “You, you…”
Xiao Jingduo raised his eyebrows as if surprised: “It’s acting so fast. Wu Junru really went to great lengths to kill me.”
“What did you do? How is this happening…”
“That’s not important,” Xiao Jingduo stood at a distance, smiling at Nanny Wei. “You only need to understand that you’ll be dead soon.”
Nanny Wei’s breathing became rapid. She stared maliciously at Xiao Jingduo, spitting out a vicious threat: “There’s only the two of us here. If you kill me, you won’t escape blame. Save me, or else, even if I die, you won’t have a good outcome.”
“Save you?”
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