In this lifetime, Shang Qinglan had the fortune to receive the emperor's favor a year earlier than in her previous life. Moreover, just as in this life, once she gained favor, it never waned. The Jiajing Emperor was captivated by her youthful innocence, simplicity, and defenselessness. Being with her felt like taking an elixir—euphoric and transcendent—even making him feel as though he were growing younger!
Everyone's time is limited. As emperor, Jiajing could not magically possess more than twenty-four hours a day, after all, true masters of time management are rare. The more time he spent amusing himself with his new favorite, the less remained for his pursuits of immortality and alchemy.
Furthermore, Jiajing was, after all, the emperor. Though he had neglected court audiences for over thirty years, he still attended to state affairs daily and maintained a firm grip on imperial power and governance. This absentee ruler had never been sidelined by his ministers, a feat that undoubtedly demanded considerable energy and time.
Thus, the emperor's daily routine shifted from state affairs and immortality pursuits to state affairs and entertaining Shang Qinglan. Lan Daohang soon found himself neglected.
In her previous life, Lan Daohang could endure it, believing the emperor's infatuation was fleeting and that he would eventually return to his obsession with immortality.
But that day never came. Shang Qinglan's influence grew steadily, with her rank rising periodically—from Beauty, to Talented Lady, to Noble Lady, to Lady of Bright Deportment, to Lady of Bright Countenance, to Consort. Rumors even spread that she was soon to be enfeoffed as an Imperial Consort. The court, ever opportunistic and fawning, flocked to flatter Shang Qinglan. Even her chief maid, Wei Caiwei, became a rising star in the palace, her influence threatening to surpass Lan Daohang's.
Fearing complete loss of favor, Lan Daohang resolved to reclaim the emperor's grace through illusions and tricks. This time, however, he aimed not only to win back the imperial heart but also to make the new favorite, Shang Qinglan, indebted and devoutly loyal to him, gaining a faithful disciple.
Thus, Lan Daohang fabricated sightings of the Dark Spectre in the palace. Exploiting Shang Qinglan's playful nature, he launched his "thief crying stop thief" scheme on a moonlit evening in August during a hilltop excursion.
Daily, he trained a poisoned-mute greyhound—since legends often depicted the Dark Spectre in canine form—using Shang Qinglan's handkerchiefs to familiarize the dog with her scent and ensure it attacked the right target.
On the day of the operation, he coated the greyhound's fur with a pigment mixed with green fluorescent powder. By day, it appeared ordinary, but at night, it emitted an eerie green glow, akin to will-o'-the-wisp.
That evening, as Shang Qinglan wandered Hare Mountain, the Dark Spectre emerged and charged toward her. Simultaneously, Lan Daohang's accomplices, bribed in advance, discreetly covered their mouths and noses with damp cloths and ignited a black smoke that induced unconsciousness and hallucinations.
According to legend, the Dark Spectre always appeared accompanied by a dark mist.
Wherever the greyhound went, black smoke filled the air. Imperial Bodyguards, palace maids, and eunuchs alike inhaled the fumes—some fainting, others hallucinating. Those trapped in delusions saw monstrous apparitions and fled in terror, leaving no one to rescue Shang Qinglan.
As the Dark Spectre closed in, Wei Caiwei acted decisively, pushing Shang Qinglan into a cave and urging her to navigate through it to descend the mountain and reunite with the guards.Shang Qinglan was so terrified that she didn't think twice before turning to flee. Wei Caiwei, watching the approaching green glow, remained calm. Having never believed in ghosts or spirits and being accustomed to perilous situations, she quickly steadied herself. Strange, she thought. There must be at least a hundred people visiting Rabbit Hill tonight. Why is the Dark Spectre fixated solely on chasing Shang Qinglan?
Steeling her resolve, Wei Caiwei broke off two branches to wield as weapons and stood guard at the cave entrance, determined to block the Dark Spectre from pursuing Shang Qinglan inside. Like a lone warrior holding the pass, she would not let the spectre through.
Just as the Dark Spectre drew near and Wei Caiwei prepared to fight it with her branches, she heard a sharp whistle. The spectre halted abruptly mid-chase and veered toward the source of the sound.
Puzzled, Wei Caiwei gripped her branches and pursued the Dark Spectre instead. But suddenly, a cloud of black smoke billowed toward her. She inhaled a scent reminiscent of rain-soaked grass, then succumbed to the dizzying fumes and fell into hallucination.
In her vision, she shrank in size and returned to the place of her eternal nightmare: the birthing room where her elder sister had died in childbirth. Blood soaked the bedding, her sister’s eyes wide and vacant, mouth agape in a soundless scream.
Young and helpless, she could do nothing. Old Woman Wang and Chen Dalao sought to silence her forever. Wei Caiwei fled in panic, running all the way to the Millstone Platform at Rabbit Hill’s summit.
Meanwhile, Shang Qinglan dashed out of the cave and down the hill, only to see the green-glowing, dog-shaped Dark Spectre charging straight at her!
“Help!” she screamed, covering her head as she tried to dart back into the cave. But something tripped her, and she fell to the ground. As the Dark Spectre closed in, she nearly shut her eyes in despair.
“Audacious fiend!”
Lan Daohang arrived just in time, clad in his Taoist robe. Brandishing a peachwood sword and holding a talisman, he chanted incantations: “Heaven and Earth, Mysterious Ancestor, the source of all energy! Ghosts and demons lose their courage, spirits and monsters vanish from form. Within me lies thunder, the hidden name of the thunder god. Insight penetrates all, the five energies surge. Golden light, appear swiftly, shield this true practitioner. The light of heaven, the light of earth, the light of sun, moon, and stars—the universal great light illuminates all directions. I obey the Supreme Elder Lord’s decree with urgency!” (Note 1)
As he finished, a golden light burst from his wooden sword, striking the Dark Spectre. Sparks flew instantly, forcing Shang Qinglan to shut her eyes.
When she opened them again, the Dark Spectre had vanished. Lan Daohang helped her up. “Is Your Highness unharmed? Do not fear—this humble Taoist has eliminated the monstrous Dark Spectre. It will harm you no more.”
Just as Shang Qinglan was about to thank him, a piercing shriek echoed from the mountaintop. She looked up and saw, under the full moon, a woman’s silhouette sprinting wildly across the Millstone Platform, waving branches. Though she couldn’t make out the face, the voice unmistakably belonged to Wei Caiwei.
Wei Caiwei swung the branches, shouting defiantly, “I’m not afraid of you! You killed my sister! Even if you turn into vengeful ghosts, I won’t cower! Dare to haunt me, and I’ll beat you to death!”
As it turned out, despite being trapped in illusion, Wei Caiwei’s inner strength held firm. Pursued all the way to the Millstone Platform by Old Woman Wang and Chen Dalao in her nightmare, her fighting spirit and refusal to surrender were ignited. Against all odds, she steadied herself in the midst of horror and launched a counterattack.In the illusion, Wei Caiwei brandished a tree branch, whipping two malevolent spirits. The spirits retreated repeatedly under her assault. Having turned defeat into victory, Wei Caiwei pursued them relentlessly. Yet this was not entirely a good thing: in her hallucination, she was on the plains of Wuli River in the outskirts of the capital, surrounded by fields as she chased the two evil spirits. But in reality, the Xuanyuan Terrace was located atop the Hare Hill in the Forbidden City, and she was on the verge of tumbling down the cliff.
Shang Qinglan broke into a cold sweat, not even pausing to thank Lan Daohang, and waved her arms while screaming, "Stop! Don't go forward! Don't go forward! Don't go forward!"
But Wei Caiwei in her delusion could not hear Shang Qinglan's cries. How could she, in the midst of a victorious pursuit, let go of the evil spirits that had caused her sister's death?
Back then, I killed both of you with my own hands to avenge my sister. Now, I can kill you again.
Victory is just ahead!
Just as the deranged Wei Caiwei was about to lose her footing and fall from the Xuanyuan Terrace, Eunuch Wang, her eunuch and maid pairing, arrived upon hearing the news. He tightly embraced her and pulled her back from the edge of the cliff, saving her from disaster.
Eunuch Wang carried the flailing Wei Caiwei, who thrashed like a large carp, down Hare Hill. She continued to struggle until midnight, finally collapsing into a deep sleep from exhaustion.
When she awoke, Shang Qinglan had been keeping vigil by her side, her eyes red from lack of sleep. "You're finally awake. Last night, you nearly fell from the Xuanyuan Terrace. Although the terrace isn't very high, the ground below is full of artificial rock formations. A fall would have been fatal."
Wei Caiwei ached all over, as if she had spent a wild night with Eunuch Wang. Seeing that Shang Qinglan was unharmed, she felt somewhat relieved.
Later, when discussing her experience with Eunuch Wang, Wei Caiwei raised a question: "Before losing consciousness, I heard a whistle, and the Dark Spectre headed toward the sound. Don't you find it strange? How could a supernatural creature run toward a whistle like a dog? I think there's something suspicious about this."
Eunuch Wang, who was then with the Eastern Depot, though afraid of ghosts, chose to believe his wife. Since Wei Caiwei suspected something, he investigated carefully, almost turning all of Hare Hill upside down in search of evidence. Finally, not far from where Shang Qinglan had fallen, a hound barked frantically at a spot and dug at the fallen leaves with its front paws.
Eunuch Wang dug nearly three feet deep and unearthed a greyhound emitting a green fluorescent glow—this was the rumored Dark Spectre.
Lan Daohang had claimed to use magic to eliminate the Dark Spectre and save Shang Qinglan, but the Dark Spectre turned out to be a dead dog.
Not daring to confront Lan Daohang directly, Eunuch Wang arrested several of his disciples. After a round of interrogations, they revealed Lan Daohang's plan to steal by false pretense and cry thief, all to compete for favor.
Eunuch Wang presented the witnesses and evidence to the Jiajing Emperor, who flew into a rage. Lan Daohang had dared to endanger his beloved consort Shang Qinglan—an unforgivable crime. Thus, Lan Daohang was thrown into the Eastern Depot prison.
Just like that, Lan Daohang's nearly decade-long favor dissipated. Ten years of glory and dreams vanished like fleeting clouds. The Daoist priest, whom even Yan Song, the Chief Grand Secretary, had respectfully addressed as the Blue Immortal, had fallen.
Lan Daohang had been promoted by the Jiajing Emperor himself. The sovereign cannot be wrong; the error must lie with the subject. To cover up the fact that the emperor had been "blind and unclear in judgment," the Jiajing Emperor bestowed a cup of poisoned wine to end Lan Daohang's life.
Wei Caiwei personally delivered the poisoned wine. "All who have harmed me meet no good end, Blue Immortal. Time to go."There's nothing wrong with pursuing wealth and power - who in this palace doesn't harbor ambitions for fame and fortune? But harming others is unacceptable.
In this lifetime, Shang Qinglan received imperial favor earlier than before, and Lan Daohang also used the Dark Spectre to frighten her ahead of schedule.
In the previous life, the incident occurred at Tuer Mountain. This time, with sandstorms raging outside for a month preventing Shang Qinglan from going out to play, the Dark Spectre appeared in her Yu De Palace.
Without Wei Caiwei to protect her in this life, Shang Qinglan was frightened into unconsciousness.
Though Yu De Palace is located in the Western Six Palaces, Lan Daohang serves the emperor in the Western Garden and cannot enter the inner palace.
Therefore, there must be Lan Daohang's accomplice within Yu De Palace. That dead dog disguised as the Dark Spectre might still be hidden somewhere in Yu De Palace.
Who was behind this? Where was the dead dog buried? Wei Caiwei's gaze swept over the palace servants attending Yu De Palace.
Author's note: While writing about catching demons at Tuer Mountain, my desk suddenly started shaking violently, with my computer and keyboard trembling along for about five seconds - just like a ghostly occurrence! It scared me so much I broke into cold sweat. After checking, I discovered it was a magnitude 3 earthquake in Laoshan District. Please comfort and soothe me, protect Lan Zhou's fragile little heart.
Caiwei has been formidable in both lifetimes, killing whoever stands in her way and slaying any ghost she encounters. Wang Daxia wouldn't be able to handle this - he's terrified of ghosts, even afraid of his own memorial tablet.
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