“Who is it?” Shao Yanru was overjoyed and asked hurriedly.
“Taoist Priest Xiushui. She’s good at this, and it’s convenient for her to get in and out of the inner courtyard.” Puming Nun said with a smile.
“Is it Taoist Priest Xiushui of Baiyun Taoist Temple?” After thinking for a moment, Shao Yanru immediately remembered such a person and said with delight. Even the old maid beside her looked joyful.
Taoist Priest Xiushui was the abbess of Baiyun Taoist Temple and had always been a well-known Taoist nun. It was said that she had great power in exorcism, but it was not easy to ask her to conduct a religious rite. It was said that she accepted an offer under three terms and turned down an offer under three terms, which brought her great fame.
Almost everyone in the capital city had heard of this Taoist Priest Xiushui, but very few of them could actually ask her to conduct a religious rite.
“Exactly!” Puming Nun said with a smile.
Shao Wanru glanced sideways at Puming Nun, who looked very benevolent and trustworthy. As the one, whom Shao Yanru had begged in a hundred ways, Puming Nun looked increasingly credible.
Taoist Priest Xiushui? Shao Wanru compressed her lips slightly, waved the round fan in her hand slightly, and had thought of this person while casting a fluid glance.
Taoist Priest Xiushui was now only known by most people in the capital city. However, what happened later made her known around the country!
“I heard that it is extremely difficult to ask Taoist Priest Xiushui to conduct a religious rite. Even aristocratic families may not be able to do that.” Shao Yanru frowned and said in distress.
“It doesn’t matter. I’m acquainted with her. If I write her a letter to ask for a favor, she will agree!” Puming Nun said.
“Thank you, reverend. Thank you, reverend!” Shao Yanru was so joyful that she repeated this sentence and kowtowed to Puming Nun heavily.
After making a few polite remarks, Puming Nun stood up, came up to the desk, picked up the writing brush, and began to write the letter. After a while, she finished. After drying the paper off, she took out an envelope, put the paper into it, wrote the words “for Taoist Priest Xiushui only” on it, and then handed the letter to Shao Yanru.
“First Miss Shao, just send her the letter. After that, your grandma can ask her to your mansion at any time!”
“Thank you, reverend. All members of our Duke Xing’s Mansion will definitely remember your kindness for saving our lives!” Shao Yanru said so excitedly that her eyes turned red. She wanted to kowtow again but was stopped by Puming Nun.
Since Puming Nun had come up with a solution, Shao Yanru and Shao Wanru left. When they walked outside, the old maid, who had passed out, was woken up and left with them.
Shao Yanru did not bother someone else and directly instructed the other old maid to deliver the letter.
Hearing that she could leave the Yuhui Nunnery right away, the old maid picked up the letter and ran away wildly, as if she were chased by a ghost. The longer she stayed here, the greater danger she thought she was in as if she would lose her life at any time.
“Fifth Sister, go and have a rest. We have to ask grandma to make a decision on this!” Shao Yanru said with a tired face. Such a big problem had been out of the reach of them, two unmarried young ladies who chatted while watching the old maids clean up.
Shao Wanru nodded in silence, didn’t ask any more questions, and went back with Yujie.
Shao Yanru went to see the old maids left. Hearing that one of them had passed out, she hurriedly sent for a doctor and then asked several young nuns beside her to chant scriptures for the fainted old maid. They made quite a big scene.
The officials of the Ministry of Justice had already been disturbed. Someone was sent to inquire about it and then reported it to Wen Xichi.
“It’s said that the Fifth Miss Shao’s bracelets contain evil spirits. Other bracelets are normal, while something weird only happened to the Fifth Miss Shao’s bracelets. It’s said that the old maid, who dug out the bracelets, has passed out and looked awful at that time. She hasn’t woken up yet and is probably not in good shape. Besides, there’s another old maid, who passed out in Puming Nun’s place.”
One of Wen Xichi’s subordinates reported to him in full detail. The officials of the Ministry of Justice had never believed in these supernatural beings, but now hearing the words of several old maids, they got gooseflesh and felt that the air seemed to be colder and gloomier than usual. Could it be true?
“How did the two Misses of Duke Xing’s Mansion do?” Wen Xichi put down the writing brush in his hand calmly and asked. He was drawing a chrysanthemum outside the window. He, who didn’t expect to see such rare chrysanthemums in the Yuhui Nunnery, felt the itch to exercise his painting skill, picked up the writing brush and began to paint. At this moment, he had just finished an outline after a few strokes.
“The First Miss Shao was very calm when dealing with the matter and arranging for the old maids of Duke Xing’s Mansion. Moreover, she told the old maids not to talk about it, not to guess about it wildly and not to talk about the affairs of the Fifth Miss!” The subordinate reported.
According to the subordinate’s words, Shao Yanru was not only a good elder sister but also dignified and decent. Even in this case, she could still keep calm. She did deserve the reputation as a great Miss from an aristocratic family in the capital city. Her tactics were worth praising.
“What about the Fifth Miss of Shao’s Mansion?” Not hearing a word about Shao Wanru, Wen Xichi asked another question.
“The Fifth Miss Shao went to have a rest. It was said that she was frightened. But I saw the Fifth Miss Shao leave indifferently with a light and natural foot. She didn’t seem to be frightened at all. Getting involved in such big trouble, she could still go to have a rest. It’s so weird!”
The subordinate said. As a member of the Ministry of Justice, he had always been very careful in observation. He, who specially watched the Fifth Miss Shao’s actions, thought that she was really inadvertent. Was she careless or too young to be aware of the consequences of this matter? Wen Xichi’s subordinate couldn’t tell it.
Wen Xichi showed an elegant smile on his handsome face with his hands clasped behind his back and said lightly, “She probably won’t allow herself to be seized without putting up a fight!”
“Your Excellency, what do you mean?” The subordinate did not understand for a moment and asked in astonishment.
Wen Xichi restrained the smile on his face. Knowing that he had got carried away just now, he coughed in a low voice and said, “Keep an eye on them. Report to me if anything happens. Was it a punishment from God that the hall was struck by lightning and burned down? No. It was obvious that someone set the hall on fire and deliberately distracted others with lightning and thunder that night.”
“Your Excellency, do you mean that the so-called evil spirits are nonsense? In this case, why did something weird happen to the pair of bracelets only while nothing bad happened to other bracelets? Moreover, there were so many ants. It’s really unbelievable!” The subordinate said hesitantly. At this moment, he did not know what he should believe, because some of his convictions had been shaken.
“Let’s wait and see. If they don’t turn to us, we’ll leave it aside!” Wen Xichi didn’t explain much to his subordinate, waved his hand and said.
This kind of thing was not in the charge of the Ministry of Justice. Since Duke Xing’s Mansion intended to exorcise the evil spirits with the power of Buddha, he would just wait and see.
The Ministry of Justice was not in charge of this kind of thing. He would like to see how this matter would be settled…
Shao Wanru returned to her silence room as usual and had a peaceful lunch. After that, she took a break and then had a nap. When Shao Yanru came back, she had not woken up yet.
Hearing that Shao Wanru was taking a nap, Shao Yanru, who had been busy for a long time, looked concerned, asked about Shao Wanru’s situation, and then asked Yujie and Qu Le to take good care of Shao Wanru and told them to report to her immediately if there was anything wrong. Besides, she said that Old Madam would probably send someone to inquire about it later.
The two maids answered repeatedly and seemed to be frightened.
Shao Yanru went to her room on her own. When she entered her room, the gentle and dignified smile on her face disappeared at once. She showed a gloomy and sarcastic smile.
Shao Wanru could still fall asleep peacefully when she had to face with imminent death. Of course, it might be the last time that Shao Wanru could sleep so soundly, so she wouldn’t disturb her.
After a late lunch, Shao Yanru didn’t feel like taking a nap, so she just waited in her room.
The one sent by Old Madam came here soon, and it was Nanny Yu, the personal maid of Old Madam, followed by four strong old maids. They came directly to Shao Wanru’s room.
Shao Wanru had already gotten up and was combing her hair at the moment. Hearing that Nanny Yu was here, she immediately invited her in. In the next door, Shao Yanru also got the news and hurriedly came over with Shuqi.
“Fifth Miss, Old Madam said that she wanted to see the longevity lock she gave you before. Please find it out and show it to me!” After greeting two Misses, Nanny Yu went straight to the point.
“Longevity lock?” Shao Wanru said with a frown and looked back at Yujie, seeming to be unable to recall it at the moment.
“Miss, it’s the longevity lock Old Madam sent up to the mountain. Didn’t you let Rui’an Great Elder Princess take it away before?” Yujie recalled it at once and said.
Hearing her words, Shao Wanru seemed to recall it. She nodded at once and said regretfully, “Nanny Yu, I had the longevity lock taken down the mountain by my maternal grandma. I was afraid it was not safe to keep it here, so I asked my maternal grandma to keep it for me!”
“Wasn’t the longevity lock in your hand?” Nanny Yu asked anxiously with her eyebrows twitching hard a few times.
“No, it isn’t!” Shao Wanru said decisively.
After walking in circles, Nanny Yu stamped her feet helplessly and said. “What should I do? Old Madam told me that I must take it back, but… but now…”
“Why did grandma want to see it?” Shao Wanru asked in surprise.
“Puming Nun helped us to ask Taoist Priest Xiushui to conduct a religious rite. Taoist Priest Xiushui said that she wanted to see the real objects. The bracelets have been taken down the mountain, and the Fifth Miss’s longevity lock is the only thing we lack now. Only by comparing the longevity locks and silver bracelets of the young masters and Misses can Taoist Priest Xiushui find out the truth and conduct a religious rite to ensure the safety of our mansion!”
Even Rui’an Great Elder Princess couldn’t stop them when it came to the safety of the entire mansion.
Shao Wanru was frightened by her words. For a moment, she did not know what to say. She opened her mouth but did not say anything.
Shao Yanru, who was standing beside Shao Wanru, gently put forward a suggestion for Shao Wanru, who was in a state of utter stupefaction at the moment, “Fifth Sister, you can write a letter to Rui’an Great Elder Princess or send someone down the mountain to fetch it from Rui’an Great Elder Princess’s Mansion. After getting it, you can ask Nanny Yu to take it to our mansion and show it to grandma!”
“Okay, okay! I’ll instruct Qing’er to go down the mountain.” Shao Wanru nodded repeatedly and said hurriedly. She couldn’t turn it down for the sake of the safety of the entire mansion.
This was a good idea. Nanny Yu also nodded. After Shao Wanru gave Qing’er some instructions, Qing’er went down the mountain with Nanny Yu.
Shao Wanru and Shao Yanru especially went to the door of the courtyard with them.
“Fifth Sister, you’ve taken a nap. I am tired at this moment and want to have a rest!” Seeing that they had gone far away, Shao Yanru turned her head to glance at Shao Wanru meaningfully and suddenly showed a smile as bright as a flower. After that, she turned around and left with Shuqi without waiting for Shao Wanru’s answer.
The outcome seemed to be a foregone conclusion, so she didn’t have to be polite to Shao Wanru anymore!