Qin Shi took it and glanced at it, her face instantly turning pale. She shot to her feet, knocking over a cup of tea on the table in her haste. The object was a talisman drawn with cinnabar on yellow paper, adorned with flamboyant, swirling symbols and a green-faced, fanged demonic face. In blood-red characters, it bore the name "Lin Jinlou" along with his birth date, and at the bottom were the words "May you be left with no descendants."
Lin Jinlou had yet to have an heir, and those four words struck Qin Shi right in the heart. Trembling with rage, her legs gave way and she sank back down, her face ashen. It took a long moment before she managed to grit out through clenched teeth, "What vile, heartless beast would do such a thing?"
Wu Mama burst into tears, sobbing, "I found this wrapped in white cloth near the back gate of the Hall of Knowing Spring. I knew it was something foul as soon as I saw it, but I never imagined it would contain such a malicious curse when I unwrapped it!"
Furious and anxious, Qin Shi pressed, "Besides you, has anyone else seen this?"
Wu Mama hurriedly replied, "No one else. I recognized the Eldest Master's name and birth date, but for the rest of the characters, I copied them out and asked Qiangwei from Madam’s room about them—though I never showed her the actual object."
Qin Shi helped Wu Mama to her feet and forced herself to calm down, taking a deep breath. "You found this at the Hall of Knowing Spring. It’s no surprise that someone knows Lou Ge'er’s birthday since we celebrate it every year, but the talisman doesn’t include the exact time of birth, so they likely don’t know that. Who could hate Lou Ge'er so much as to create such a curse?" Her face flushed with anger, her palms icy cold, she seethed, "Lou Ge'er still has no heir, and the children he did have all died young. It must be the work of these black-hearted fiends casting spells on him!"
Wu Mama said, "You’re right, Madam. Perhaps it was Zhao Shi, who was divorced and left with a heart full of resentment. She might have deliberately left this behind before she left."
Qin Shi closed her eyes. Wu Mama stood by, not daring to make a sound. After a long pause, Qin Shi opened her eyes and said, "No, that can’t be. Zhao Shi has been gone for so long, and all the servants who came with her were sent back—not a single one remains. The white cloth wrapping the talisman is still clean, clearly it’s recent. There must be someone in the Hall of Knowing Spring behind this."
Wu Mama suggested, "Perhaps it’s one of the maids or matrons in the Hall of Knowing Spring who, after being scolded or beaten by their master, held a grudge and resorted to such a wicked curse."
Qin Shi declared, "I fear there are treacherous servants hiding in our midst, waiting for the right moment to strike and harm their masters. Using a curse like this shows how malicious their hearts are. We must root them out!"
Though Qin Shi was usually composed and astute, when it came to her eldest son’s safety, her concern clouded her judgment. She stood up, ready to head straight to the Hall of Knowing Spring, but Wu Mama managed to stop her and called in Han Mama, Qin Shi’s trusted confidante, to explain the situation. Han Mama advised, "Madam, please don’t be so upset. We’ve just finished the ancestral rites today, and the Old Master and Old Madam are exhausted and about to rest. If we cause an uproar, it will disturb their rest and only add to their worries. Why don’t we go quietly, inform the Eldest Master, and discuss this carefully to plan our next steps?"
Qin Shi sneered, "As the saying goes, 'A scholar’s rebellion takes three years to fail.' The more we discuss this, the more likely word will leak out, and the culprits will slip away. I’ve been too lenient in the past, and it’s led to this mess. Among the concubines and maids in Lou Ge'er’s household, only a few are decent—the rest are all bewitching charms. It’s high time we straightened things out. Now, gather everyone here. We’re going to get to the bottom of this tonight!"Han Mama immediately went to summon people. Soon, two elderly matrons and four senior stewardesses, all of whom she valued highly, arrived. Among these stewardesses was one called Changfa’s wife, a woman in her mid-thirties with a short, stout build and a fair, oval face. Huamei had always curried favor with her, occasionally giving her small favors and flattering her with sweet words. Thus, Changfa’s wife became friendly with Huamei. Hearing Huamei often lament about how she had fallen out of favor with the Eldest Master, Changfa’s wife would occasionally offer a few words of consolation.
Now, upon hearing that Qin Shi was going to the Hall of Knowing Spring to conduct an inspection, Changfa’s wife immediately sensed an opportunity and said, "Madam should have taken charge of this matter long ago. The Eldest Master’s courtyard is in utter chaos—they’ve even let that girl Xianglan sleep on the master’s bed in the main room! What kind of behavior is this? If word gets out, how will the Lin family ever save face?"
Qin Shi frowned but said, "Lou Ge’er mentioned this to me. He wants her to serve him closely."
Changfa’s wife quickly added, "There’s nothing wrong with having her serve closely, but that Xianglan is a ruthless character. She monopolizes the Eldest Master all by herself, forbidding him from going anywhere. She doesn’t even spare a glance for those who came before her, like Mei Yiniang, Miss Yingge, or Miss Luanr. She struts around the Hall of Knowing Spring, acting even more imposing than a proper mistress."
Qin Shi frowned again. She had never liked that little maid Xianglan, finding her too beautiful and clever—hardly the obedient type. She preferred someone simple and honest like Qinglan. But after all the twists and turns, Xianglan had returned to the Lin family. And since her return, she hadn’t once come to pay her respects to Qin Shi, not even performing a single kowtow. Qin Shi had already been holding a grudge against Xianglan but thought, "Out of sight, out of mind." Besides, given Lin Jinlou’s playboy nature, he might forget about her one day, so she had let it slide. But now, with Changfa’s wife bringing it up again, it was like adding fuel to the fire. Qin Shi’s face darkened.
Seeing the situation turning sour, Wu Mama stepped forward and scolded Changfa’s wife, "Shut your mouth! Do you live in the Hall of Knowing Spring every day? You’re spouting nonsense as if it were the truth. Who gave you permission to gossip here?"
Her rebuke startled Changfa’s wife, who took half a step back.
Wu Mama whispered to Qin Shi, "Madam, this is not true. Xianglan is a good girl…"
Qin Shi waved her hand impatiently and said, "I’ll decide for myself whether she’s good or bad." With that, she stood up and led the group to the Hall of Knowing Spring.
At that time, Lin Jinlou was in his study at the front. When Qin Shi arrived with her entourage, she instructed the others to search the various rooms first while she turned and went to Huamei’s room. Huamei was wearing a casual embroidered spring jacket, her makeup faded, and was about to wash up. Seeing Qin Shi enter, she hurriedly offered her a seat and made to personally brew tea.
Qin Shi said indifferently, "No need." She then gave Han Mama a meaningful glance.
Han Mama immediately led the others to ransack the room. They opened all the trunks and chests, searched under the bed, and even used scissors to cut open the pillow. Qin Shi glanced over and saw Huamei standing meekly by the door, not saying a word or asking questions, looking cautious and submissive.
Before long, one of the stewardesses said, "Madam, we found this inside the pillow." She brought it over to Qin Shi.
Qin Shi saw that it was a small bundle wrapped in red cloth, which seemed to contain a talisman. She asked, "What is this? Where did you get it from?"Huamei twisted the corner of her garment, looking extremely embarrassed. After hesitating for a moment, she finally said: "Reporting to Madam, this contains a talisman. Last time when Taoist Cui came to the inner residence, I asked her for it..."
OpenNovel