At daybreak, Mama Zhao outside the ancestral hall let out a long sigh.
"What rotten luck, to be picked for keeping vigil."
Mama Yang yawned, her face full of impatience. "Exactly. The younger they are, the more inauspicious it is. Ninth Miss was only sixteen. They say her eyes were still open when they fished her out of the lake—just thinking about it gives me the creeps."
"You didn’t see it, but Old Madam turned pale with anger when she heard. She didn’t even want to hold a funeral. If not for fear of her restless spirit, they’d have buried her straight away yesterday morning when she was found."
Under the eaves, a funeral lantern cast a ghastly white light. The two mamas sat on low stools by the door, the basin of spirit money at their feet long since cold.
Inside the hall, a solitary bier stood.
Upon it lay a young girl clad in plain white funeral garments, her eyes closed, hair disheveled, her face ashen—long since departed.
Yet a closer look at her features revealed an exceptionally delicate and refined beauty.
"When she was first sent here by the main branch, Old Madam said she was an ill omen. Otherwise, why do you think she’s been treated so poorly all these years? Now that she’s dead, Old Madam can finally rest easy."
Mama Zhao rubbed her aching back and continued, "She brought misfortune upon her own parents. Who’d want to raise her? Isn’t that why the main branch avoided her? Now that she’s gone, the second branch of the Qin family is left without heirs. Who knows what the main branch will say."
Mama Yang shook her head. "What can they say? She jumped into the lake herself. Can they blame the third branch?"
She sneered. "What a joke. Governor Huo’s son rejected her, so she threw herself into the lake. If word gets out, who knows how the people of Jinzhou will gossip about our Loyal Marquis Manor..."
"Exactly," Mama Zhao chimed in. "That’s why Old Madam is so angry—both inauspicious and fodder for rumors."
It was late summer, early autumn. Mama Yang shivered in the night chill, pulling her collar tighter. She glanced toward the courtyard gate and snorted. "Where’s that wretched Fuling? Fainting earlier must’ve been an act! She just didn’t want to keep vigil!"
Mama Zhao gloated. "Fuling was always loyal, serving her since childhood. But now that her mistress is dead, she’ll have to find another path."
"What path? After serving Ninth Miss for so long, which master would take her? She’ll likely be sold off." As she spoke, Mama Yang glanced toward the bier—and her eyes suddenly widened in horror.
"Did you see that?!"
She grabbed Mama Zhao’s arm, her voice trembling.
The sudden question startled Mama Zhao to her feet. "See what? Don’t scare me—"
"Her hand... I thought I saw it move..."
Rubbing her eyes, Mama Zhao stared hard at the bier, then glared at Mama Yang. "What nonsense! You must be seeing things!"
Mama Yang looked again and exhaled deeply.
"Must’ve been mistaken. Keeping vigil this long has worn me out."
Frowning, she turned toward the west. "No, I won’t let Fuling slack off. I’ll drag her out. She even said she’d follow her mistress in death! Hmph! If she’s so loyal, she ought to mourn and keep vigil properly! I won’t let her off easy—"As Mama Yang finished speaking, she headed toward the courtyard gate. Mama Zhao, left alone, felt a pang of fear and wanted to call Mama Yang back. Yet she also wished to have Fuling take over so she could rest. In her hesitation, Mama Yang had already stepped out.
Though dawn was breaking, the presence of a corpse in the room sent chills down Mama Zhao’s spine despite her years of experience. She stole another glance at the bier before quickly turning away, unable to bear the sight.
The moment Mama Zhao averted her gaze, Qin Guan’s eyes snapped open.
The ashen pallor of death still clung to her face, her pupils dark as an abyss. She stared fixedly at the ceiling, a fleeting glint of sharp clarity flashing in her eyes...
But soon, her gaze dimmed completely.
She had regained consciousness hours earlier. At first, she thought it a bizarre dream on the brink of death, but as time passed, she realized—this was no dream.
If not a dream, then what?
Loyal Marquis Manor, the Qin family, the second branch, the third branch, an orphaned girl, Ninth Miss, jumping into the lake...
She was unfamiliar with the second and third branches or Ninth Miss, but she knew of the Qin family of Loyal Marquis Manor.
In the Great Zhou Dynasty’s two centuries of rule, noble houses were countless, yet there was only one Loyal Marquis Manor—and the Qin clan was its name. A prominent family in the capital. Could this truly be the Loyal Marquis Manor of Great Zhou?
She couldn’t be certain, but one fact was undeniable: she, who should have been dead, had come back to life.
Memories of her parents’ love flashed through her mind, and her eyes reddened.
Her father had spent his life overseeing justice, absolving others of wrongful accusations—only for his own family to meet a tragic, unjust end!
Just as tears threatened to spill, she clenched her jaw and forced them back.
In their place, a chilling intensity took hold.
It seemed the heavens knew she had died with grievances unavenged!
As she pondered, hurried footsteps suddenly echoed in the courtyard. Mama Zhao, standing beneath the eaves, jerked her head up to see Mama Yang’s terrified face rushing back.
“Old Zhao! That... that dead girl... she really followed her mistress...”
Mama Zhao stood. “What? Followed who?”
Mama Yang looked ready to weep. “Fuling! She hanged herself! In the west backyard!”
“What?!” Mama Zhao’s eyes widened. “How... why would she...?”
Mama Yang trembled, the image of Fuling dangling from the beam still vivid. “I... I went to fetch her for the vigil. When I opened the door, there she was, hanging from the rafters. She was loyal—must’ve lost the will to live after her mistress died. She was already stiff... Old Zhao, go inform the front courtyard. Two deaths at once, this...”
With elders and seniors in the household, the death of a junior was already inauspicious. Now even her maid had died—such ill tidings were the last thing Mama Yang wanted to report. The masters would be furious to wake to such news.
A maid’s death was no great matter. Mama Zhao, ever shrewd, quickly steadied herself after the initial shock.
She stepped forward. “Just a servant. Dead or alive makes little difference—her fate was sealed anyway. Pretend you never went to the west backyard. Most will be up soon. Let someone else discover her.”Mama Yang was so flustered she was at her wits' end. Trembling, she said, "Alright, let's do as you say... You have no idea how terrifying it was. Not only did I see that ill-fated wretch, but I also came across someone who hanged themselves. Do you think Fuling's ghost will come after me..."
After saying this, Mama Yang paced anxiously around the courtyard, her fear growing. She had heard many stories of hanged ghosts seeking vengeance, and the image of Fuling in hemp clothes, hanging lifeless, kept haunting her mind.
"Where is Fuling?"
Suddenly, a hoarse voice sounded from inside the door.
At first, Mama Yang thought it was Mama Zhao asking the question, but soon a chill ran down her spine—how could Mama Zhao not know where Fuling was?
With this thought, Mama Yang stopped in her tracks and turned toward the source of the voice.
The moment she looked, Mama Yang let out a piercing scream!
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