Mama Han opened and examined it, then said to Qin Shi, "This is a talisman for seeking a son. It's commonly sought by young wives in the inner chambers—I've seen a few of these before."
Changfa's wife quickly added, "Poor Concubine Mei's foolish devotion led her to seek such a talisman, all in hopes of bearing offspring for the Lin Family!"
Qin Shi's expression remained indifferent as she asked, "Are there any other talismans?"
Hua Mei hastily replied, "No, no, there's only this one. Daoist Gu Cui is like an immortal—her talismans are especially potent and costly. How could we afford several with so little silver?"
After another thorough inspection yielded nothing suspicious, Qin Shi led the group out.
Hua Mei instantly shed her timid demeanor, a cold sneer playing on her lips as she sat down. Xi Que approached and whispered, "Madam, everyone has left. Should we wash up and retire for the night?A glint of frost flashed in Hua Mei's eyes as she sneered, "Wash up? I need to change clothes again—I'm waiting to watch the grand spectacle."
Meanwhile, Qin Shi went from the eastern wing to Ying Ge's room. Several matrons had already been stationed there to prevent any disturbance. Ying Ge, uncomfortable from her monthly courses, had retired early but struggled up upon hearing commotion, hastily dressing without time to comb her hair. She startled upon seeing Qin Shi enter.
Though Qin Shi disliked Ying Ge's "ailing Xi Shi" fragility, she pitied her honesty and remembered her lost child, saying, "Don't be alarmed or bother with tea. We'll just inspect and leave." She ordered the chests opened and searched, even rifling through the heated brick bed. Sure enough, they found a talisman hidden in a pillow—upon inspection, it was one Ying Ge had bought from Daoist Gu Cui for peace and health.
Trembling as Qin Shi confiscated it, Ying Ge stammered, "Is it something bad? I even got one for my father and sent it home days ago."
Seeing her terror, Mama Han comforted, "It's nothing serious. Don't overthink it, but avoid seeking these in the future—Taitai finds them distasteful... Rest early, alright?" With that, she followed Qin Shi to Luan'er's quarters.
Having heard the earlier noise, Luan'er knew Qin Shi was coming. Though unaware of the reason, her guilty conscience set her heart racing. With two supervising matrons already in her room preventing any action, she could only fret helplessly.
Just as she was scratching her head in anxiety, Qin Shi entered, ordered the candles brightened due to the dimness. Relying on her past favor with the old lady and Qin Shi's praise for her singing, Luan'er smiled obsequiously and asked, "It's so late—what brings Taitai here?"
Qin Shi ignored her, commanding the chests and cabinets be searched.
Luan'er's heart pounded as she ventured another question, "Might I ask why Taitai is here searching? I've never stolen anything."
Previously, Hua Mei had gossiped about Luan'er with Changfa's wife. Resenting Luan'er's aloof arrogance, Changfa's wife seized the opportunity to glare and scold, "Stop your prattling! Did Taitai ask you anything?"Luan'er's face immediately flushed crimson. She wanted to retort but, intimidated by Qin Shi, had no choice but to swallow her anger. Changfa's wife wore a smug expression as she rummaged through the chests and cabinets with even greater vigor, leaving clothes, bundles, and cosmetic boxes in complete disarray. Luan'er's eyelids twitched. Under normal circumstances, she would have long lost patience and scolded the woman, but now her mind was elsewhere. Her face alternated between red and pale, her legs trembling slightly.
Before long, Mama Han indeed found another talisman hidden inside a pillow. She cut open the cloth pouch with scissors and examined it, then froze momentarily before a look of contempt crossed her face. She handed it to Qin Shi. Holding it in her hand, Qin Shi saw that aside from chaotic symbols, the talisman depicted a man and a woman, both naked, entwined in an intimate embrace. Though crudely drawn, the figures were clearly labeled with the names Lin Jinlou and Luan'er.
Mama Han whispered, "Taitai, I've seen this kind of thing outside before. It should be some kind of union charm for men and women. Though it's not exactly a harmful curse, it's certainly not from a proper source."
Witnessing such vulgarity, Qin Shi's willow-leaf eyebrows shot up, her face pale with rage. Having such a private object exposed, Luan'er felt both frantic and mortified. Her face burned scarlet as she buried her head desperately low, shrinking toward the corner of the wall, her heart pounding even more violently.
Qin Shi let out a cold laugh and ordered, "Search again." She paced slowly over to the rosewood table, and Luan'er's heart rose to her throat. Qin Shi touched the scattered rouge, powder, and hairpins on the table, then suddenly pointed at a locked vanity case and said, "Open this."
Luan'er stood frozen in the corner, utterly terrified.
Qin Shi raised her eyebrows and urged, "Open it! Quickly!"
Cold sweat beaded on Luan'er's forehead as her trembling hands fumbled for the key at her waist. After several attempts, she finally managed to pull it loose. Mama Han took the key and unlocked the case. The mirror layer was empty, but the drawer below contained several pairs of earrings and three or four rings. In the bottom compartment was a cloth bundle wrapped in green fabric.
When Qin Shi opened it, she found another talisman inside, this one depicting a green-faced, fanged demon. Mama Han peeked over and was so startled she cried out, "Heavens! This is terrible!"
Qin Shi's face turned pale with fury as she demanded sharply, "You wretched girl! Who gave this to you? Who were you planning to curse with it?"
Seeing the talisman uncovered, Luan'er felt as though she had fallen into an ice cellar. Her hands and feet turned cold, overwhelmed by shock, fear, shame, and regret—a thousand emotions surged to the tip of her tongue. Her legs gave way, and she collapsed to the floor, her eyes rolling back as she fainted.
Furious beyond measure, Qin Shi had no patience to wait for Luan'er to regain consciousness and explain the origin of such sinister objects. She simply ordered the old woman to take her into custody, then headed toward the Main House.Pushing the door open and entering the room, she found two old women already standing guard inside. Qin Shi saw that Xianglan had just finished her toilette, her hair loosely coiled into a bun secured with two or three fine gold hairpins. She wore a round-collared robe embroidered with bamboo leaves and plum blossoms, paired with wide-legged white silk trousers below. Her face was entirely free of cosmetics, yet her dark hair and pale neck accentuated her lotus-like complexion, lending her an ethereal grace. Now fully blossomed, Xianglan possessed even more charm and beauty than before. Qin Shi couldn’t help but inwardly exclaim, “What a delicate beauty!” She sighed softly, seeming to understand why her son insisted on keeping Chen Xianglan by his side. Such a beauty evoked tenderness and affection even in her, and her previous aversion softened slightly. Yet, she recalled the age-old adage that “beauty leads men astray.” While a woman’s beauty is a blessing, excessive loveliness can backfire, turning into a curse. Moreover, this clever maid, if she were to bewitch Lin Jinlou, cloud his judgment, and stir up trouble, the consequences would be dire. At this thought, her expression cooled again as she took a seat on the round stool beside the table.
Thank you to fat wanghua001 for the sachet, qian20051978 and 05111039283 for the Peace Talismans, and also to everyone for the pink votes~
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