Dead?
Gone?
Chu Ruoyan’s brow twitched. Lin Yunshi gasped and hurried forward. “Master, this can’t be! The Great-Grandmother passed away, yet our Lin family never received any notice of her death?”
The abbot shook his head. “This humble monk knows nothing for certain. About two or three days ago, the Feng family sent someone, saying they wanted to bring Old Lady Feng back to reunite with them. But unexpectedly, she passed that very night. Since she suffered from tuberculosis, the Feng family didn’t take her back. They hastily held a simple ritual and buried her on the back hill.”
Lin Yunshi’s eyes blazed with anger. “Just buried on the back hill? No mourning announcement, no condolences, no funeral hall set up? Even the humblest households wouldn’t be so careless!”
The abbot was at a loss for words, lowering his head to fidget with his prayer beads.
Chu Ruoyan asked, “Master, what about the Feng family? I mean Elder Feng, General Feng, and their children—did any of them come?”
The abbot’s face grew increasingly awkward. It was obvious—none of them had come.
Not a single one!
Lin Yunshi trembled with fury, nearly unable to hold back her urge to demand an explanation. Chu Ruoyan patted her shoulder gently. “Then, Master, please lead us to pay our respects.”
The abbot chanted Buddhist prayers, his heart heavy with sorrow.
In truth, they had their grievances about this matter. But Feng Huan was the Northern Commanding General, a man of great merit to the court. Besides, the dark secrets within such noble families were nothing new to them. So the abbot instructed the junior monks not to spread the matter outside the temple.
Who would have thought that an old woman in the back house, stricken with tuberculosis, would die with no family or friends coming to mourn—and instead, it was a great-grandniece and an outsider, barely connected, who came to pay respects...
With a sigh, the abbot led them up the back hill.
Before a newly made grave, wild grass still uncut, the rough engraving read: “Wife of Old Master Feng, Lady Lin.” Lin Yunshi’s eyes reddened as she knelt down. “Forgive me, Great-Grandmother. Yunshi is late!”
Chu Tingfeng knelt beside her, striking three deep bows.
Chu Ruoyan’s heart grew heavy.
With Old Lady Feng gone, the events of the past would become even harder to uncover.
The few clues they had painstakingly found were abruptly cut off.
After offering three incense sticks, Chu Ruoyan prepared to leave when suddenly a shadow appeared, staring solemnly at the grave mound.
“What’s wrong?”
The shadow didn’t reply. Moving closer, he bent down.
Suddenly, hearing something, he abruptly looked up, pointing below and then to his mouth.
“You mean there’s movement beneath?” Chu Ruoyan’s expression turned grave, her eyes flashing coldly at the abbot.
The abbot trembled and hurriedly said, “This humble monk knows nothing... The Feng family buried her without any help from the temple monks!”
Chu Ruoyan pondered for a moment. “Sister-in-law...”
Lin Yunshi guessed what she was about to say and gritted her teeth. “Open the coffin!”
The abbot was shocked. “That must not be done! Disturbing the spirit would bring unrest to the entire household!”
Chu Tingfeng looked at the young woman with concern, but she bit her lip and said each word clearly, “If we don’t get to the bottom of this, Great-Grandmother will never have peace!”
Chu Ruoyan declared, “Very well! Someone, get to work!”
The shadow immediately led several men to start digging. Within the time it took for two incense sticks to burn, the coffin was lifted out.
Everyone held their breath, and sure enough, faint “tap, tap, tap” sounds could be heard coming from inside the coffin.
“Great-aunt, is that you?”
Lin Yunshi called out in a trembling voice as several shadowy figures worked together to lift the coffin lid.
The moment the lid was lifted, everyone was stunned.
Inside lay a tiny old woman, her hair completely white, her body emaciated and shriveled like a mummy.
Her mouth was stuffed with cloth, her hands and feet bound with ropes, and she could only use her elbows to strike the coffin’s wooden surface again and again.
No one knew how long she had been hitting, but the sleeves covering her elbows were worn through, even stained with blood...
“Great-aunt!!”
Lin Yunshi collapsed onto the coffin, tears streaming down her face.
Chu Tingfeng clenched his fists tightly. “This is sheer madness!”
In this world, even enemies were rarely buried alive—let alone a wife or family member!
Mrs. Feng’s cloudy old eyes finally flickered with a faint light when she saw them.
From her throat came two weak, desperate sounds, like a plea for help...
Chu Ruoyan glanced at the abbot with icy eyes, though a smile played on her lips. “Master, it seems even this sacred Buddhist temple isn’t free from hidden evils.”
The abbot’s face changed immediately. He ordered someone to carry Old Lady Feng out. “Amitabha, venerable Mrs. Feng, we at Huguo Temple have failed in our duty to protect you. Please forgive us!”
A grand royal temple, a holy Buddhist sanctuary, yet such a crime occurred here—what reputation could it possibly maintain if this got out?
The abbot then instructed, “Go to the capital at once and summon a divine doctor to treat venerable Mrs. Feng!”
Chu Ruoyan scoffed coldly. By the time anyone arrived, the city gates would likely be closed—and in her current state, the old lady wouldn’t last until tomorrow.
She turned to Nanny Zhou. “Do we still have the heart-protecting pills that Old Divine Doctor Qin gave?”
Nanny Zhou immediately produced two pills and fed them to Old Lady Feng.
Before long, the old woman’s ashen complexion visibly improved, and a spark returned to her eyes.
Lin Yunshi wept with joy. “Great-aunt, it’s all right now. I’ll take you back to your room...”
As she moved to lift her, the abbot hurriedly warned, “This lady is afflicted with tuberculosis!”
Tuberculosis was like a plague, highly contagious. That was why only Auntie Xi, the old lady’s longtime maid, had been allowed to care for her.
Lin Yunshi’s expression darkened, anger rising, but Chu Ruoyan handed her a face mask.
“County Lady?” the young girl asked in disbelief.
Chu Ruoyan said calmly, “If you want justice for your great-aunt, you must protect yourself first.”
Lin Yunshi bit her lip and put the mask on. Old Lady Feng stared at her blankly. “You... who are you?”
“Great-aunt, I am Lin Yunshi of the Lin family’s fourth branch, your great-grandniece... Do you remember me? Your elder brother Lin Xian is my grandfather!”
“Ah, ah!” Old Lady Feng seemed to recall something and grew excited, suddenly sitting up. “I remember—your elder brother’s granddaughter is already this grown?” She lovingly stroked Lin Yunshi’s face. “Is your elder brother well? Cough, cough... I remember he had four sons. Are you from the fourth branch? How is your father?”
Lin Yunshi’s heart ached as she listened.
Old Lady Feng still held them in her thoughts, unaware that in the entire Lin family, no one remembered her except her grandfather...
"Very well, Father is fine, Grandfather is fine, Old Lady Feng, just wait, Yunshi will take you back to see them..."
She spoke as she prepared to carry her on her back. Old Lady Feng gave a bitter smile: "It's too late... I... I can't go back... Child, can you do one last thing for me?"
Lin Yunshi nodded through tears. Old Lady Feng trembled as she searched her bosom, pulling out a gold lock and a letter: "Good child, please take this gold lock to the Earl of Pingxi's Manor, to my daughter Yunniang... I heard, cough cough, I heard she gave birth to a son. This longevity lock is for him... and, also this letter."
The old lady closed her eyes to rest for a moment. When she opened them again, a chill had settled deep in her gaze: "You must deliver this letter to Minister Cao Yang of the Ministry of Justice... Do not open it yourself, only give it to him... And avoid the Feng family at all costs. They must never find out..."
By the end, she was gasping for breath, only able to stare at her with wide, desperate eyes.
Lin Yunshi wept like a flood: "Yes, your great-grandniece remembers everything, remembers it all!"
With that promise, the breath she had clung to for two or three days finally slipped away.
Old Lady Feng collapsed into her arms, the gold lock and letter dropping to the ground...
"Great-Grandmother!!"
Lin Yunshi threw herself over the body, sobbing uncontrollably. Chu Tingfeng’s heart ached deeply; he could only bend down and hold her tightly.
The monks of the Protectorate Temple clasped their hands in prayer: "Amitabha."
Chu Ruoyan looked at the letter, her heart heavy with sorrow.
Old Lady Feng had no idea that her uncle was no longer at the Ministry of Justice.
She didn’t even know that last year, during the hundred-day banquet at the Earl of Pingxi's Manor for the child, they had already received over a dozen gold locks. The child’s mother thought it was excessive and had even melted some down to craft gold jewelry...
No one thought of her, no one cared about her.
She lived like the withered grass and fallen leaves on the back mountain—ignored and forgotten, quietly slipping away without a trace.
"County Lady... my great-grandmother was killed by the Feng family!!"
Having cried her tears dry, Lin Yunshi lifted her head, her eyes blazing with fury: "The Feng family buried the rightful wife alive—this crime is unforgivable! Minister Cao is your great-uncle. I want to give this letter to you, begging you to seek justice for my great-grandmother!"
Chu Ruoyan only asked, "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure. Whatever you ask me to do, I will do it!" The girl’s eyes shone with unwavering determination.
Chu Ruoyan nodded and took the envelope.
Upon opening it, nothing surprised her. Every line was a damning indictment of the Feng family’s crimes.
In the second year of Qingfeng, during the imperial examinations, Feng Ping accepted bribes totaling five million taels.
In the fourth year of Qingfeng, during the southern floods, Feng Ping colluded with the Ministry of Revenue to embezzle thirty million taels of disaster relief funds.
In the fifth year of Qingfeng, when the court launched a thorough anti-corruption investigation, Feng Ping had embezzled fifty million taels. He then sought help from the Jiang Family in Yangzhou but was refused. In a fit of rage, he kidnapped a Jiang daughter and committed a heinous act. On the way home, I discovered this and was sent away under the pretense of recuperation...
Every word confirmed the suspicions they had held.
Chu Tingfeng growled in anger, "Just because he didn’t get the money, he ruined the reputation of his aunt and sent the rightful wife away. Truly worse than a beast!"
But Chu Ruoyan felt something was amiss.
If they truly wanted to vent their anger, the officials could have used any means to make the merchants’ lives miserable.
Why risk offending the Duke of Chu's Mansion? It simply wasn’t worth it!
She flipped through the letter twice more, unable to find the slightest clue. Nanny Zhou beside her muttered, “The Jiang Family is truly unlucky. Fifty million taels—it’s like a hole in the sky…”
Suddenly, her heart stirred.
Yes, the Jiang Family!
Feng Ping, or Elder Feng, wouldn’t act rashly out of spite against Lady Jiang the Younger, but it was very likely he would target the Jiang Family!
After all, they were the only ones capable of covering the fifty million tael debt. If the Jiang Family’s daughter’s honor were ruined, wouldn’t that be hitting the snake’s head with a stick? He could then use it to threaten his maternal grandfather into filling the gap for him!
“Nanny Zhou, I remember the Jiang Family had, besides mother and aunt, a young aunt as well, right?”
Nanny Zhou hesitated briefly. “Yes, but sadly, that beauty met a tragic fate. She died in childbirth ten years ago…”
Chu Ruoyan already had a clear idea. She turned around and called out, “Abbot.”
The abbot hurriedly stepped forward. “Yes, County Princess Changle, what are your orders?”
“I want to ask if, fifteen or sixteen years ago, the ladies of the Jiang Family from Yangzhou ever stayed overnight at this temple. Do you recall?”
The abbot thought for a moment. “Yes! At that time, the Jiang Family’s second and third young ladies came to the temple. The second sought peace and safety, while the third prayed for love and marriage!”
“Oh? How do you remember such an old matter so clearly, Abbot?”
“Honestly, I’m ashamed to say that back then I wasn’t even the abbot of Huguo Temple yet. I was just a novice monk who helped with the fortune sticks. I accidentally mixed up the fortunes for the two young ladies, and the third young lady scolded me quite harshly, so it left a deep impression.”
Chu Ruoyan nodded slightly. “Since that’s so, did anything unusual happen when the two young ladies left the temple?”
“Unusual? Hmm…”
The abbot racked his brains for a moment, then suddenly said, “I think the two young ladies took the wrong carriages. Yes, that’s it! Because the third young lady said since I had mixed up the fortunes, they might as well ‘go with the flow’ and swap carriages too. That way, perhaps their wishes for peace and marriage would both come true!”
Chu Ruoyan’s eyes brightened.
So it was exactly as suspected!
Elder Feng originally intended to target Lady Jiang the Younger’s younger sister, but by a twist of fate, the two sisters accidentally switched carriages, and the wrong sister was harmed!
With this letter, plus the abbot’s testimony, Elder Feng had nowhere to run!
At the Northern General’s Mansion.
News from Huguo Temple arrived, and Elder Feng slammed a cane down, knocking someone to the ground. “Useless! A bunch of useless fools! You couldn’t even finish off an old woman properly—what good are you?”
The man, bleeding from his forehead, struggled to get up. “We—we were useless! We thought that after being buried in the coffin for a few days, she would be dead. Who would have thought she was still alive? And we never expected County Princess Changle to open the coffin. We deserve to die, we deserve to die!”
Elder Feng’s eyes darkened. “When you handled her, how come you didn’t find the letter on her?”
The man hesitated, stammering.
Elder Feng hadn’t yet lost his temper when Feng Ying stepped in to take over the conversation. “Grandfather, I’m not sure, but that old woman had been bedridden with a lingering illness for years, emitting a foul stench. I suspect the servants were negligent, thinking that strangling the maid by her side and burying her in the coffin would be enough. That’s probably why they didn’t even search her body. As for why the coffin wasn’t nailed shut, allowing the old woman to cling to life for a few more days—most likely, someone showed a shred of mercy, unwilling to let her suffocate like that.”
Elder Feng leaned heavily on his cane and said, “Is that so, or not?”
The man before them was so frightened he kept kowtowing repeatedly. “Miss, you’re right, you’re right! A frail old woman weighing barely sixty or seventy pounds, once the matriarch of the Feng family—anyone with a shred of conscience wouldn’t have dared harm her.”
But some people had no conscience at all.
Elder Feng waved his hand dismissively, and immediately someone stepped forward to break the man’s neck before dragging him away.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Elder Feng sighed, “Ying’er, what do you think we should do about this? When we dealt with that five-thousand tael deficit, I already invoked the ironclad decree once. If this matter blows up again, I’m afraid it won’t end well…”
Feng Ying replied calmly, “Grandfather, there’s no need to rush. It’s just a letter, and the old woman is already dead. How could anyone possibly compare handwriting with a corpse?”
Elder Feng waved his hand. “It’s not just the letter. Didn’t you hear? The abbot of the Protectorate Temple can also testify…”
“What of it? That abbot can only confirm that the Jiang sisters switched carriages. What does that have to do with you?” Feng Ying said softly. “But if you’re truly worried, I have a plan that can ease your mind.”
“Oh? Do tell.”
Feng Ying leaned in and whispered a few words. Elder Feng’s face lit up with joy. “Good. Let’s do as you say.”
Before long, Feng Huan hurried in, his face etched with shock and pain. “Father, did you really… as Ying’er said, lay hands on the Lady of the Chu State?”
Elder Feng’s face hardened. “So what if I did? The mistake is made. Do you want to see your father thrown in prison?”
Feng Huan trembled all over, covering his face as he whispered, “Father, you’re being foolish!”
What kind of woman doesn’t have her flaws? Yet you had to provoke the Chu family.
Moreover, this matter has already drawn the attention of the Empress Dowager and the Emperor. It’s not something that can be easily covered up.
Taking a deep breath, Feng Huan suddenly realized that Feng Ying’s plan might be the only way out.
“Father, for the sake of the Feng family and yourself, you must not admit to this. Ying’er is right—I will go to the palace right now and confess to the Emperor and the Empress Dowager!”
Feng Ying’s lips curved into a slight smile as she exchanged a glance with Elder Feng. Both wore satisfied expressions.
