usatvline Chapter 99 099 So it was you!
Chapter 99 099 So it was you!
Chapter 99 099 It was you all along!
Although Marquis Anshi was in charge of the Anshi Marquis's mansion, at this moment, the one in control was still Old Madam Song, who had just been disturbed by a nightmare last night.
Although Wu Yanzi had a vague feeling that something was wrong, he knew that if he revealed his true colors at this moment, he would probably only face death. So he could only agree and, as before, held the compass and led a large group of people to pretend to investigate around the Marquis's mansion.
They searched westward from the east courtyard, and as they approached the west courtyard where the concubines lived, a very ominous premonition suddenly arose in the heart of Concubine Song, who was in the crowd.
Why did Ye Pianran ask Wu Yanzi to investigate the other courtyards of the Marquis's residence as well? Did she really believe that Wu Yanzi could see things that ordinary people couldn't, and that he was genuinely considering the Marquis's residence's well-being?
No, no! Since Ye Pianran was able to replace the dead cat with the grasshopper Ye Yanxun had given to Ye Yankang, it meant she had already seen through their plan. Perhaps from the moment she entered Ciyuantang with her medicine kit to detoxify the old lady, she had already calculated every step, so this action must have some purpose!
Perhaps her gaze was too direct, for Ye Pianran, who was walking calmly beside Marquis Anshi, turned around, her eyes, visible beyond her veil, filled with a faint smile.
Aunt Song's breath hitched, and she finally remembered a question she had ignored for a long time.
That's right! Where's the dead cat?! Where did Ye Pianran hide the black cat that she had the men in black bury in Lanxin Courtyard? Could it be—could it be—
Aunt Song's expression changed drastically; she could no longer pretend to be nonchalant as she walked through the crowd. She looked around, intending to use the noisy and chaotic environment to quietly slip away and return to the west courtyard via another path, but Ye Pianran, walking ahead, suddenly called out:
"Aunt Song, the west courtyard is just ahead. Where do you intend to go?"
Noticing that everyone around her was looking at her, Aunt Song stopped, turned around and forced a smile at Ye Pian, gripping her trembling fingers tightly, and said, "I'm not going anywhere. I just couldn't find Wen Jin for the time being, so I wanted to turn back and see where she is."
Ye Wenjin was standing right next to Aunt Song, and said inexplicably, "Mother, I'm standing right next to you. You were just talking to me."
Upon hearing this, the people around burst into laughter.
"This good-for-nothing! How could she betray her own mother like this?" Aunt Song was furious and glared fiercely at Ye Wenjin.
Ye Pianran understood her thoughts perfectly and naturally wouldn't let her escape at the last minute. She said, "Aunt Song, the first courtyard in the west wing is yours. Would you be so kind as to allow Daoist Wu Yanzi to enter your courtyard for inspection?"
Aunt Song was Marquis Anshi's concubine. Although her status was not as high as Gongsun Yuan's, she was still Marquis Anshi's woman. Ye Pianran's question at this time seemed to be out of consideration for Marquis Anshi's face.
Marquis Anshi was very pleased with Ye Pianran's thoughtful gesture and immediately made the decision:
"Master Wu Yanzi, I stayed here last night. Please investigate thoroughly and do not overlook any clues!"
Hearing that Aunt Song's courtyard was just ahead, Wu Yanzi was unsure whether to respond or not. She stood there, covered in cold sweat, almost dropping the compass she was holding.
"Taoist Master, please come in." Marquis Anshi ignored his hesitation and gestured for him to enter.
Finally, Wu Yanzi had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow Marquis An Shi into Aunt Song's courtyard.
Aunt Song's courtyard was only slightly smaller than Gongsun Yuan's Lanxin Courtyard, but it was the largest in the entire West Courtyard. It was very spacious, and the house was surrounded by a lush bamboo forest. From a distance, the entire courtyard seemed to be embraced by the bamboo forest, making it very quiet and peaceful.
However, at this moment, walking in such a serene atmosphere, and hearing the sound of bamboo leaves rustling in the wind, the atmosphere inexplicably became eerie and sinister.
As fate would have it, Ye Pianran murmured from behind:
"I read in a book a while ago that although bamboo symbolizes noble character and integrity, it is hollow and easily possessed by wandering spirits. Master Wu Yanzi, is the soul-summoning banner used by your Taiqing Temple for exorcising evil spirits made of bamboo?"
Wu Yanzi suddenly got goosebumps and stammered, "This, this humble Taoist priest can't remember..."
Ye Pianran looked surprised: "How could the Daoist Master have forgotten something so important?"
Aunt Song was afraid that Wu Yanzi would give himself away, so she quickly said, "Daoist Wu Yanzi is busy with affairs all day long, how could he remember such details?"
"Oh, it's me who's been struggling with this for so long," Ye Pianran said with a light smile, then added, "Daoist Master, why haven't I seen you use any yellow talismans since leaving Lanxin Courtyard?"
"Isn't that unnecessary?" Aunt Song felt an intense hatred for Ye Pianran. "Didn't the Taoist priest manage to dispel the foul air in the other courtyards without using yellow talismans?"
“Aunt Song, Master Wu Yanzi once said that yellow talismans are the most reliable and effective way to exorcise evil spirits. Don’t you want to get rid of all the evil spirits in the courtyard?” Ye Pianran said.
Noticing that both Old Madam Song and Marquis Anshi were watching her, Concubine Song had no choice but to suppress her panic and anger, and grit her teeth, saying something she didn't mean:
"Master Wu Yanzi, please use the yellow talisman you carry to check if there are any evil spirits in this courtyard..."
Having no other option, Wu Yanzi took out a yellow talisman from his sleeve. As soon as the talisman was exposed to the air, it burst into flames.
Upon seeing this, Marquis Anshi's expression immediately changed: "There are evil spirits here too? Quickly, search this place thoroughly for me!" Just thinking about how he had slept here last night sent shivers down Marquis Anshi's spine.
Although Ye Pianran didn't know where Chunyu Yang had buried the dead cat last night, since he said everything was arranged, she wasn't worried at all. Holding Gongsun Yuan's hand, she stood calmly behind Anshihou, waiting for the moment to arrive.
The guards quickly discovered a patch of soil behind Consort Song's bedroom that was a distinctly different color from the surrounding soil. They guessed that something must be buried inside, and without waiting for Marquis Anshi's order, they immediately began digging.
The sound of shoveling echoed all around, the pit growing larger and larger, and a faint smell of blood began to waft through the air. A moment later, the guards dug a blood-soaked bag, as long as an adult man's arm, from the ground. The bag was bulging with something inside.
"What a strong smell of blood." Marquis Anshi covered his mouth and nose, and said to the guard with a look of disgust, "Open the bag and see what's inside. How come there's so much blood?"
"Yes, Your Excellency." The guard used his knife to cut open the bag, and the contents were quickly exposed to everyone.
"What is this? A dead cat?" An Shihou stared in utter shock at the slender, thin-limbed cat carcass in the bag. Suppressing his nausea, he was about to approach for a closer look when Butler Ye quickly stopped him, saying in a deep voice:
"My lord, be careful! This dead cat's belly is very swollen; there must be something hidden inside!" He then winked at the guard, who nodded in understanding and raised his knife again, slicing into the cat's bulging belly. With a "pop," the cat's belly split open, and a blood-soaked doll flowed out with the black blood, making the stench of blood in the air even stronger.
This scene was eerie and terrifying. Even though it was noon, the time when the yang energy was at its peak, no one could feel the heat of the sun. Instead, they felt icy cold all over.
Because the doll that fell out of the dead cat's belly had a name written on it that they were all very familiar with—
Ye Xingguan.
When Aunt Song saw the doll, her legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground, her face deathly pale. It felt as if a large hand was gripping her throat, making it impossible for her to breathe. The dead cat! The dead cat had actually been buried in her yard!
The guards then pulled out one identical doll after another from the dead cat's belly, and without exception, each doll had a name written on it.
The words were written by Madam Song, Ye Bijun, the pregnant Aunt Meng, and even Gongsun Yuan, Ye Pianran, and Ye Yankang. Every word was stained with blood and was shocking.
Taking out the last doll with Ye Shanzhu's name on it, the guard glanced at the dolls on the ground and said to Marquis Anshi, "My lord, apart from Consort Song and the second young lady, the names of everyone in the Marquis's mansion are here."
"No! Impossible! It can't be missing!" Aunt Song seemed to suddenly awaken, lunging forward. The guard couldn't dodge in time and was shoved aside. She knelt on the ground, frantically examining the dolls, screaming, "How could they be missing! How could they be missing!"
Marquis Anshi's pupils suddenly contracted as he looked at Consort Song in disbelief: "Song Yun, this dead cat, and the contents of its belly, were they all prepared by you?"
Aunt Song did not answer, but focused on searching. However, she not only did not see her own and Ye Wenjin's names, but also found dolls with the names of Gongsun Yuan, Ye Pianran and Ye Yankang that could not possibly exist. Knowing that this game had come to a dead end, her soul seemed to have been suddenly emptied. She knelt there with a deathly pale face, her fingers trembling uncontrollably.
Last night she clearly received a reply from the assassin that the mission was completed, and she didn't hear any noise from the courtyard. Why did everything change overnight?
"This...this looks like a cat curse..." someone whispered in the crowd.
"Cat Gu? What is that?"
"Cat curse is the most vicious witchcraft in the world! It is said that you have to kill a black cat in the most cruel way, cut off its head, and use it as a vessel. Then you put the name of the person you want to curse together with the cat's body. In this way, the ghost of the dead cat will think that person killed it, and will become a nightmare and a vengeful ghost to haunt that person day and night, and finally make him die a violent death!"
Hearing this conversation clearly, Old Madam Song flew into a rage, pointing at Concubine Song and sternly saying:
"You bitch, it was you all along!"