Uроn hеаring this, the peорle arоund immediatеlу tооk sеvеral steрs back from Han Yan, аs if shе werе somе kind оf рlаgue. Ji Lаn аnd Shu Ноng wаtchеd coldly withоut sаying а word. Wei Rufeng lоoked аt Han Yаn with miхеd еmоtiоns; hе too wаs аmong thоsе whо retrеatеd. Аt this moment, hе аctuаlly felt somеwhat relievеd. If Наn Yan brоught misfortune to hеr husbаnd, аnd he hаd mаrriеd hеr, thеn thе onе suffеring misfortunе now wоuld be him, Wei Rufеng. Fortunаtеlу, he hаdn’t dоnе sо. Thinking of the рossible fate that might bеfall Fu Yunxi, Wei Rufеng felt a hint оf schаdеnfreudе.
Zhuang Shiyang was both fearful and furious. He had never liked Han Yan to begin with, and now he discovered that she brought misfortune to her father. No wonder everything had been going wrong for him—it turned out there was such an ill-fated star casting a shadow over him. At this thought, he felt intense disgust toward Han Yan, wishing she would die immediately.
Han Yan watched the actions of those around her coldly. People were always like this, inexplicably believing what others said, especially slanderous words, as if they had witnessed it themselves. Those who could be friendly on ordinary days would kick someone aside without hesitation once they realized that person could no longer provide what they wanted or would harm their interests. How selfish, how indifferent.
She suddenly smiled. "Is what the Daoist said true?"
Just as Jingxu Daozhang was about to speak, a sharp scream erupted from the room: "Get away! You evil spirits! Get away!"
The one who made this sound was Concubine Mei. Her voice was piercing and shrill, as if she had seen something terrifying. In broad daylight, it sent chills down everyone’s spines. Yet, the more this happened, the more people didn’t want to leave, eager to find out what exactly was causing the disturbance.
Madam Da Zhou looked at Jingxu Daozhang and said, "Daoist... this..."
Madam Zhou also stepped forward. "Does the Daoist have a way to drive away these evil spirits?"
"Yes, yes, yes." Zhuang Shiyang now completely trusted Jingxu Daozhang. The thought of evil spirits in his residence filled him with unease, and he only hoped to expel all these malevolent beings from his home. For a moment, he even forgot about Han Yan.
Jingxu Daozhang closed his eyes, made a calculation with his fingers, and suddenly opened his eyes. "This humble Daoist has deduced that this calamity stems entirely from human actions. Someone in this residence has performed acts to attract evil, which is why the lady was harmed by malevolent energy."
"Does the Daoist mean someone deliberately harmed Concubine Mei?" Madam Da Zhou asked urgently. "Who is it?"
Jingxu Daozhang shook his head. "This humble Daoist does not know, only that the person is within the residence."
"In that case, it’s simple," Madam Zhou said calmly. "Why not conduct a search?"
"Excellent," Jingxu Daozhang replied. "The evil object must be something very conspicuous, easily recognizable at a glance."
The Seventh Prince, who had been watching the commotion all along, suddenly smiled. "Guards, search every room in the Zhuang residence. Leave no corner unchecked."
The guards below responded and began to move, but Han Yan suddenly raised her hand. "Wait."
The Seventh Prince narrowed his eyes. "What else does Miss Zhuang have to say?"
Han Yan smiled faintly. "Your Highness is noble and distinguished, and as a guest today, your attendants may not be sufficient." She clapped her hands, and a guard-like figure suddenly appeared out of nowhere beside her. "Muyan, go find a few people to accompany His Highness’s men in the search. Make sure no corner is overlooked." Muyan was a hidden guard, and because he was trusted by Fu Yunxi, he could command some of the guards below. This was something Han Yan knew."Fourth Miss, this is..." Madam Da Zhou began, puzzled. This sudden appearance was not within her considerations, and at first glance, she seemed somewhat flustered.
"Ah, Muyan." Han Yan glanced at Madam Da Zhou, meeting the Seventh Prince's somewhat gloomy eyes, and said slowly, "Since the assassination attempt, His Highness has been worried about my safety and specifically assigned me his own shadow guard, along with several other guards for protection." She lifted her chin and turned toward Jingxu Daozhang, who stood stiffly to the side. "Daozhang, rest assured, these guards have undergone special training. His Highness’s people are always meticulous and will not overlook any corner. Those with ulterior motives will surely be caught."
Jingxu Daozhang forced a smile. "Yes, yes."
Han Yan had complete confidence in Muyan’s work. Trusting the Seventh Prince’s servants to conduct the search would be absurd—she couldn’t give him even the slightest opportunity to sabotage things. The Seventh Prince’s expression darkened, likely because he hadn’t expected Han Yan to handle things this way, directly and clearly telling him, "I don’t trust you, so I’ll have my own people verify things." This was undeniably arrogant and showed utter disregard for him, the Seventh Prince. Never having been treated this way before, he was naturally furious.
Zhuangshan frowned. For some reason, she felt uneasy, but after seeing Madam Zhou’s expression, she relaxed again.
Madam Da Zhou, however, had been observing Han Yan’s expression all along. Seeing Han Yan standing quietly in place, her smile calm and composed, even Ji Lan and Shu Hong beside her were utterly serene, without a trace of panic, she felt a flicker of unease. But Han Yan shouldn’t know about this matter, should she? Even she hadn’t anticipated things unfolding this way. She, Madam Zhou, and Concubine Mei each had their own plans and had concealed parts of them. Since even those who set the trap couldn’t control the entire situation, how could an outsider like Han Yan know? Or perhaps, did she have some way to turn the tables?
Time flowed quietly by. Before long, the searching servants returned one after another. "We found this."
The leading guard lifted the item in his hand, and everyone could finally see it clearly—a red cloth bundle, bulging and unclear as to its contents. Madam Zhou was delighted, though her expression remained serious. "Quick, let Daozhang see. Is this the source of the evil object?"
Just as the guard was about to speak, Han Yan stopped him. Jingxu Daozhang picked up the cloth bundle, examined it, and confirmed, "This humble Daoist is certain that the evil object was drawn here by the contents of this cloth bundle."
"Daozhang truly has divine foresight," Han Yan said with a faint smile. "Without even opening it, you already know what’s inside. Han Yan admires you."
Jingxu Daozhang coughed lightly twice. "This humble Daoist has encountered many evil objects and subdued quite a few. Young Miss may not know, but evil objects release a sinister aura. This humble Daoist can sense it as soon as I approach."
Han Yan chuckled. "Really? Let’s open it and see."
Seeing Han Yan still acting so nonchalant at this point, Madam Zhou felt a surge of annoyance. But thinking about how she would soon see Han Yan unable to voice her grievances, her heart lightened with satisfaction. She urged Jingxu Daozhang to open it and take a look. "Daozhang, why not see what’s inside?"Jingxu Daozhang reached out to open it, one hand poised to take the item inside the cloth bundle, when his movements suddenly halted. Han Yan smiled faintly: "Why has Daozhang stopped?"
"This... this..." Jingxu Daozhang stared wide-eyed, only gazing at the object inside the cloth bundle without speaking. His posture immediately piqued the curiosity of those around him. Madam Zhou, who had not anticipated such a reaction from Jingxu Daozhang, said with some urgency: "Daozhang, why have you stopped?"
OpenNovel