Chapter 3: The Bridal Gown

Madam He relaxed, her breathing becoming a little smoother.

When that incident occurred, this wretched girl hadn't even been born. She had lived in Lu'er Village since she was a child, coming into contact only with the mud-legged peasants of the village. These peasants would brag for days after a single trip to the county seat; none of them had ever been to the capital, Shengjing. Therefore, it was impossible for this wretched girl to know about that matter. The suspicion in Madam He’s eyes grew even more intense.

Xie Qingli said leisurely, "Seven-Star Begonia intoxication. This poison is colorless and odorless, leaving no trace after three hours. It was used quite skillfully."

"However, if you don't want people to know, you shouldn't have done it. Madam He, your jealousy is truly terrifying; you didn't even spare your own kin." In her previous life, Xie Qingli had heard Madam He confessing before the Buddha by sheer coincidence.

Madam He shook her head violently: "It wasn't me, it wasn't me. Song Wenxiu liked Shopkeeper Yang's son and didn't want to be a concubine for Prince Zhong. She killed herself, she killed herself."

"You are trying to trick me! You weren't even born back then, you grew up in Lu'er Village, you couldn't possibly know!"

In Xie Qingli’s original memories, Madam He was as venomous as a scorpion, her methods ruthless, like an insurmountable mountain pressing heavily upon her head. But looking at her now, Madam He was nothing more than a paper tiger; a few words were enough to tear her to shreds.

"Song Wenxiu told me these things herself." Xie Qingli covered her lips and chuckled softly: "I recently saw a female ghost wearing a wedding dress. She said her name was Song Wenxiu and that she was Song Zhaoxing's sister. You know, don't you? Ghosts in red cannot be reincarnated; they all turn into vengeful spirits."

Madam He felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar.

When Song Wenxiu died, she was indeed wearing a red wedding dress—a dress she had embroidered stitch by stitch. Ever since she had pledged her heart to Shopkeeper Yang's son, Yang Peng, she had begun preparing it. In those days, her eyes and brows were filled with joy.

Unexpectedly, Prince Zhong had taken a fancy to her and wanted to take her as a concubine. Since the Yang family was merely a common merchant family, the two families had hastily called off the engagement.

Song Zhaoxing had been very happy. Although it was only as a concubine, by climbing the great tree that was Prince Zhong, he, as the brother-in-law, would surely follow suit and prosper, securing a bright future.

But Song Wenxiu was unwilling. She said that being a concubine meant being carried through the door in a small sedan chair, without the three letters and six etiquettes, and without being allowed to wear red; it wasn't a real marriage, just being a plaything.

Madam He was consumed by jealousy. Even if it was as a concubine, it was Prince Zhong's concubine—silks and satins, gold and silver jewelry, servants in droves, becoming someone above others. Why should it be Song Wenxiu? She herself was no worse than her in any way.

It wasn't until she saw the dowry that the old woman had prepared for Song Wenxiu—so many treasures she had never seen before—that she wished even one piece belonged to her. A voice in her heart kept telling her: kill Song Wenxiu, and those treasures would be hers...

The night before entering the Prince's mansion, Song Wenxiu sat quietly in her room, staring blankly at that wedding dress.

Song Wenxiu thought that since the wedding dress was finished, she should wear it at least once. She calmly changed into it and looked at herself in the mirror again and again. In the mirror, her eyes held a touch of shyness, as if she were a bride about to marry her beloved. She was beautiful.

Madam He brought in a bowl of iced cream, suppressing the jealousy in her eyes, and smiled as she congratulated Song Wenxiu on becoming someone above others.

Song Wenxiu didn't like such flattery, but she hadn't had much of an appetite those days, and the bowl of iced cream suited her taste.

Moments later, the poison took effect. Song Wenxiu collapsed and struggled; she no longer had the beauty of a bride, nor the dignity of someone above others. Madam He watched her coldly, wearing the smile of a victor.

Suddenly, the Song Wenxiu lying on the ground transformed into a terrifying vengeful spirit. She stared at Madam He with a hideous expression, grinning as she stretched out a long tongue, wrapping it coil by coil around Madam He's neck, tighter and tighter.

Memories and hallucinations intertwined, and Madam He fell into complete madness.

……

Prince Zhong, the younger brother of the current Emperor, Emperor Yingtian, was the most powerful prince in the dynasty. The reason the Jiang family had fallen so rapidly in her previous life was due to the behind-the-scenes machinations of Prince Zhong's mansion.

Her enemies were like behemoths, and she was like a humble ant. Xie Qingli tried hard to recall; this was her only bargaining chip.

In this year of her previous life, she had been bedridden, her memories blurred. However, a major event that shook Dongling occurred on the Cold Food Festival, known to all: the Crown Prince of Dongling, Chu Yuncang, was murdered in Jiazhou Prefecture.

It was rumored that the Second Prince of the Nanjing Kingdom, Xiao Yan, had snuck into Dongling privately. He had encountered the Dongling Crown Prince, Chu Yuncang, in Jiazhou city, followed him secretly for several days, and then assassinated him at the Yunlai Inn.

But before Dongling could make a move, a diplomatic letter from Nanjing arrived in Shengjing first.

In the letter, the Nanjing Emperor denounced the Phantom Pavilion, a martial arts organization rooted in Dongling, for kidnapping the Nanjing Second Prince, Xiao Yan, in broad daylight in Cangwu City. The Nanjing Emperor had sent men to track them to the border of the two countries, but all traces had vanished. The Nanjing Emperor requested that the Dongling Emperor Yingtian assist in rescuing the Nanjing Second Prince, Xiao Yan, and eradicate the Phantom Pavilion.

This diplomatic letter made the truth even more confusing.

However, regardless of the truth, the fact remained that the Dongling Crown Prince had died. Emperor Yingtian was furious, massing troops at the border of the two countries; war was imminent.

In this life, if Crown Prince Chu Yuncang did not die, it was unknown whether the Third Prince's faction would still be able to ascend the throne. The Cold Food Festival was still more than a month away.

Xie Qingli twirled a strand of hair around her fingertip. This might be an opportunity to break the deadlock. However, she had to resolve the people and matters before her first.

She glanced at the now-quiet Madam He and the half-dead Song Tianbao, wishing she could kill them immediately. In her previous life, she had been abused by these two every day, and the fact that she had ultimately died at the hands of Xie Qingyao was largely due to them.

But they were merely ants; killing them would be as easy as turning over a hand. However, they were ironclad proof of Xie Qingyao's true origins; they were more valuable alive, as they were the people Xie Qingyao least wanted to see.

Xie Qingli reached out and patted Madam He's head, and Madam He instantly felt her mind clear a little.

"I ask, you answer. For every refusal to answer or lie, I will cut Song Tianbao once." Xie Qingli picked up a kitchen knife and slammed it onto the corner of the table with a loud *thud*.

The severed corner of the table rolled twice on the floor. Madam He and Song Tianbao shivered in unison.

Xie Qingli held up the swaddling clothes: "Madam He, whose swaddling clothes are these?"

Madam He looked at Xie Qingli in terror and answered cautiously: "They, they are Tianbao's."

Xie Qingli moved to raise the knife, and Madam He hurriedly waved her hands in a panic: "No, they aren't Tianbao's, I remembered wrong. They are yours, yours. When Zhaoxing brought you back, you were wrapped in them."

Xie Qingli sat back down slowly and said coldly: "Don't let it happen again."

Madam He hurriedly agreed.

"At that time, along with these swaddling clothes, there was a jade pendant engraved with the three characters 'Xie Qingli'. Where is that jade pendant?"

Madam He frowned, trying to remember: "I don't know, I really haven't seen it. Zhaoxing might know, but he never told me."

Seeing that her expression didn't look like she was lying, Xie Qingli continued to ask: "Where is Song Zhaoxing? What does he do? When will he return?"

"He is a clerk at Jibaozhai in the prefecture city. Last time he said he was going to Nanjing to buy goods and would be back in a month or two," Madam He answered honestly.

Xie Qingli furrowed her brows. Recalling that Song Zhaoxing was quite mysterious, she knew very little about him. Song Zhaoxing only returned once every month or two, which didn't look like the work of a clerk. She wondered if what Song Zhaoxing told Madam He was even credible.

Xie Qingli stopped speaking, and Madam He felt very uneasy. After a long while, Xie Qingli’s red lips parted slightly: "Get out."

Madam He felt as if she had been granted amnesty. She quickly packed her belongings, hired a mule cart from the neighbor next door, loaded Song Tianbao onto it, and fled as if her life depended on it.

……

That night, Wuwang Mountain, Taiqing Temple.

The moon was in the middle of the sky.

A Taoist priest sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, his hair and beard white, possessing the air of an immortal.

The priest held up a jade cup, waved away the talisman paper stuck to the lid, muttered something, and finally opened the lid, saying gently: "Go!"

A faint blue light flew out of the jade cup, speeding toward the direction of the capital, Shengjing.

The priest stood with his hands behind his back and sighed softly.

Those who are outside the world do not involve themselves in worldly affairs.

Whether it is to set things right and restore order, or to face ten generations of chaos and suffering for all living things, it all depends on their fate...

(End of chapter)