Chapter 4: Those Who Have Eaten Blood Buns

Yuetang emerged from the side courtyard and ran straight into the wet nurse and a maid carrying He Xu’s eldest son.

The child was held in the wet nurse’s arms. He was fair and chubby, dressed in fine silk.

He was crying. As he faced Yuetang, she bared her teeth and made a gesture of two fingers digging into eyes at him.

He immediately wailed even louder, prompting the wet nurse to soothe him with repeated murmurs.

Yuetang laughed.

He Jianzhong had originally been a chiliarch, a figure so insignificant he wouldn't even be noticed in the capital region.

But after that night in the dense forest, he had leaped to become a General of Martial Virtue.

Following that, the entire He family began to feast on "blood buns," enjoying wealth and glory. Even a two-year-old child was wrapped in brocade and surrounded by servants.

Yet, that three-month-old infant who had done nothing at all had died under the swords of the He family and ended up in the bellies of starving wolves.

Yuetang brushed back her hair and walked to the corner of the courtyard to poke at the fire in the small stove.

The flames illuminated the corner.

Dawn was approaching.

From the neighboring courtyard came He Jianzhong’s roar: "The facts are right before our eyes. Whether we report this to the authorities or settle it privately, for the sake of the years we’ve worked together, I’ll let you choose!

"In short, I have only one thing to say: she must die!

"She must pay with her life for Xu’er!"

The Zhang family had already arrived.

Human life was at stake. The one who died was the He family’s eldest son, their own son-in-law; they could not escape this.

On the way there, the Zhang family had already heard the ins and outs of the matter and were feeling guilty: "There must be some misunderstanding in the middle. Bring her over so I can ask her..."

He Jianzhong would not hear of it.

Zhang Shaode became even more subservient: "The dead cannot return to life. Even if you kill her, what good will it do?

"She has already borne the eldest grandson for the He family. Do you have the heart to let the child lose both his father and his mother?

"If you send her to a manor or to a temple to cultivate, I will accept it. Will that do?"

He Jianzhong slammed the table: "If he loses his father and mother, he still has his grandparents! I want her dead!"

Yuetang poured new medicinal herbs into the pot, added water, and set it on the stove.

As the water droplets hit the fire with a hiss, the steward rushed into the veranda in a single bound, then sprinted into the neighboring courtyard, breathless.

"Master! The Eldest Young Mistress, she, she has committed suicide!"

The firelight under the pot dimmed slightly, but as more firewood was added, it grew bright once again!

"What?!"

Madam Zhang was the first to rush out from the neighboring room.

Following closely were Zhang Shaode and his son, He Jianzhong, and the second son, He Hui.

Everyone ran toward the main house.

The sky was slightly bright, and a crimson morning glow appeared on the horizon.

"What happened again?!"

Madam He was startled awake and asked through the window.

Yuetang walked to the door: "It seems something has happened to the Eldest Young Mistress. Does the Mistress need me to go and take a look?"

"Go quickly!"

Having suffered such a disaster, how could Madam He still be picky about who she sent?

Yuetang arrived at the main house.

In the room where the lock had been opened, all four windows were tightly shut. Madam Zhang lay in a pool of blood beneath the corner of the table, her eyes wide with rage. A hole the size of a bean in her temple was still oozing blood!

Madam Zhang had long since fainted over her daughter’s corpse.

Zhang Shaode grabbed He Jianzhong by the collar: "You surnamed He, pay me back for my daughter! It was your He family that forced my daughter to her death!"

He Jianzhong, having had his teeth knocked out, spat a mouthful of blood and asked the stewards: "What were you all doing? Why did you let her die?!"

He did want Madam Zhang to pay with her life, true, but for her to die before they had negotiated with the Zhang family was an entirely different matter.

The reason he had insisted on waiting for the Zhang family to arrive before executing her was precisely to prevent the Zhang family from making unreasonable trouble.

Who would have thought that what he feared would come to pass? Madam Zhang had been crying and shouting that she wasn't the one who used the poison, and then she turned around and killed herself! How could the Zhang family not go mad? He Jianzhong was going mad too!

At this moment, He Jianzhong took another punch from Zhang Shaode and roared: "This was her committing suicide out of fear of punishment! She knew she couldn't escape, that’s why she sought death!"

"You still dare to spout nonsense? Then I’ll beat you to death first, you old scoundrel!"

Zhang Shaode’s second punch landed.

Madam Zhang’s brother was also furious; he handed his mother to the servants and then swung his fists at He Jianzhong!

How could He Hui stand by and watch?

He rushed up to break up the fight, but who would listen to him? First, he took a punch to the left cheek from Madam Zhang’s brother, then a kick from Zhang Shaode.

Unable to swallow his anger, he raised his hand to strike back!

With Madam Zhang still lying in a pool of blood, the two families were already punching and kicking, locked in a brawl!

Yuetang turned and returned to the upper room, recounting everything she had seen and heard in detail.

Madam He was both shocked and angry: "Preposterous! Simply preposterous! The Zhang family is bullying us too much!"

Yuetang said: "The Zhang family is making false counter-accusations. Do you need to send someone to report this to the authorities?"

"...Go! Go quickly and report it to the authorities! We cannot let them act so lawlessly!"

The maid dared not disobey and scurried off.

Madam He collapsed on the couch, weeping: "That poisonous woman killed my son, and she still has the face to commit suicide? How does the Zhang family still have the face to blame us?!"

Yuetang sat on the edge of the couch and said in a low voice: "Mistress, steady yourself. I have heard that the Master’s official career has been smooth sailing these past few years, and he has had great fortune, which is why the He manor is flourishing. If you were to have any mishaps now, wouldn't this vast family fortune benefit others?"

Hearing this, Madam He had to force herself to pull it together.

The He manor had enjoyed great fortune, and that fortune was also thanks to her.

That year, she had taken out her dowry money to snatch two excellent wild ginseng roots to save the Marquis’s grandson, and later, the Marquis of Guangling thought of employing He Jianzhong when issuing the secret order to intercept and kill Princess Yongjia.

He Jianzhong had taken that mission, successfully killed Princess Yongjia, and by virtue of that merit, leaped from a chiliarch to a fifth-rank general.

Being able to let Princess Yongjia die at the hands of the He family and letting the He family prosper—that was all the blessing she had brought!

If she were to pass away, would He Jianzhong really remain a widower for her?

He was only in his early forties. If he remarried, wouldn't she have been working for someone else’s benefit?

Thinking of this, Madam He propped herself up and looked deeply at Yuetang: "I couldn't tell, you are quite a clear-headed person."

Yuetang sighed: "I have the Mistress’s trust, so I naturally should think of the Mistress in everything.

"It’s just that the Mistress has been ill for some time. You had finally started to recover, and then this matter happened. I wonder if it has offended some deity?

"I have heard that those offended ghosts, gods, or vengeful spirits will use every means to take revenge when a person is weak and sickly.

"The Mistress has treated me well. Tomorrow, I will definitely go to Xiangguo Temple to burn incense for you."

"...Vengeful spirits?"

Madam He, who had just calmed down, tensed up all over again.

Everything was fine, so where would a vengeful spirit come from?

Could it be... Princess Yongjia?!

That Princess, who was born on the same day as the current Emperor and was immensely doted upon by the late Emperor and Empress, had also been prophesied by a high monk to be born with a baleful aura, just like the Emperor.

To avoid the ominous prophecy, the Emperor had gone to live with his maternal uncle’s family in Jiangling Prefecture when he was young, and she had moved out of the Prince’s manor at the age of six to live outside the capital. Since then, she had never appeared in the capital except when summoned by the imperial clan, and even her marriage had been held low-key in the suburbs of the capital.

The child she bore with her matrilocal husband was not only their eldest son but also the future heir to the Prince Duan’s manor, as approved by the late Emperor!

Yet, such a golden and precious mother and son had both died unjustly at the hands of the He family. If one were to speak of vengeful spirits, it could only be them, couldn't it?