Chapter 2 A person who cannot reincarnated

Two months later, Xianyue Towel of the Mansion was on fire. Xie Qiaofeng and a couple of maidservants died in the fire before they could escape. Later, Zhou Jinglan began to manage the household affairs again.

“My Lady, My Lady, something terrible happened!” Being panic, Xu Siniang closed the door and said, “I went to the Water Dungeon yesterday and found that woman was still alive!”

Zhou Jinglan opened her eyes wide, looking confused, “That’s impossible! She should have starved to death. Did anyone else bring her food?”

Xu Siniang shook her head, “It’s said that she was good at swimming. She floated in the water for a few days, holding her daughter’s swaddling clothes all the time. There was a baby’s crying at first. But the crying died down later… The watchman found that the swaddling clothes was gone. Only He Danggui floated in the water as she was eating raw fish and shrimps…”

“Eat raw fish and shrimps?” Zhou Jinglan couldn’t help exclaiming and asked irritably, “What should I do? I cannot eat or sleep well as long as she’s still alive! She would definitely revenge herself on me!”

Xu Siniang suggested, “We have Hedinghong Poison and gelsemium elegan. Tonight, we can use them to…”

“Absolutely not!” Zhou Jinglan stood up angrily, “If people find that she was poisoned, I would be the prime suspect!”

Xu Siniang bowed her head and kept silent. Also, Zhou Jinglan leaned on the couch with her eyes closed, playing a pair of stones decorated with dove blood. After a while, she sat up suddenly and said, “Go and dig out the jar under the osmanthus tree. Tonight, I’ll meet her in person!”

There was a deep well in the backyard of the Mansion, and the well water was sweet. It was said that the well water led directly to the moat. In the early years, a girl committed suicide in the well. Since then, the well was closed and only used to detain the wrongdoers occasionally. People in the Mansion called it “Water Dungeon”. At this moment, a thin woman with long hair leaned against the wall of the dungeon, making people shivered in the howling night wind.

“Sister, I haven’t seen you for a long time. How have you been?” Wearing a red cloak, Zhou Jinglan suddenly appeared above the Water Dungeon. She smiled and waved to the figure below.

The white figure was motionless. She looked more like a ghost than a living thing. Zhou Jinglan squatted down and continued to say, “Oh, I forgot that you cannot speak anymore. Alas! What a pity! Are your ears still working? At least you can listen. A few days ago, there was a letter from Luo’s Mansion in Yangzhou City. The letter said that your mother became increasingly ill when she learnt your misfortune and died later…”

The figure in the Water Dungeon shook slightly. Zhou Jinglan smiled complacently, “I’m supposed to keep it from you. But on second thoughts, given the mother-daughter relationship, I think you should mourn your mother’s death.”

The figure continued to tremble. Consort Zhou wiped the corners of her eyes with a silk handkerchief and sighed, “Sister, don’t blame me for being cruel. As a woman, you should understand what a husband’s love means to a woman. I’ve married Lord Ning for twenty years. But I’ve never seen him take more interest in a woman than he does in you. The more he likes you, the more I fear…”

“My Lady, here you are.” Xu Siniang handed a porcelain jar to Zhou Jinglan.

After taking the jar, Zhou Jinglan opened it with her nails and continued to say, “So, I planned the trick painstakingly to remove both you and your daughter. Actually, I was too careless last time. There were still many loopholes in the plan, and Lord Ning was such a smart person. I thought it would take me much more time and energy to succeed. But, unexpectedly, Lord Ning didn’t investigate it deeply and just punished you directly. Obviously, Lord Ning didn’t want to see you alive anymore, and I just fulfilled his wishes.”

After opening the jar, Zhou Jinglan wiped her hands with a silk handkerchief, and lowered her voice, “The person on the throne have changed twice. However, Lord Ning is still on his position steadily. I know it was you who helped him silently. But as a woman, you’re so clever that he felt uneasy. He was afraid that one day you’ll spill the beans. Although he really likes you, don’t forget, he’s the First Founder’s son. You haven’t forgotten what the First Founder did after he ascended the throng, have you?”

The figure at the bottom of the well trembled and caused ripples. Zhou Jinglan smiled as she poured the stuff from the jar into the well. Suddenly, He Danggui started struggling violently and she was thrashing around in the water.

“This kind of Xiaoyao Poison will make you ache for an hour at first, and it will make you ache again an hour later. By analogy, the pain would last longer and longer. By the third day, you’ll die of pain. It is said that the person who died in this way cannot reincarnated.” Zhou Jinglan turned around and waved her handkerchief to say goodbye, “Sister, enjoy it.”

※※※

The wind blew the trees and the lamp shadow shook. It was going to rain.

“Zhen Ming, I’m afraid it’s going to rain hard. Call a few people to close the gate of the temple hurriedly.” A Taoist nun walked into the backyard of the hall.

Zhen Ming was a 15-year-old little Taoist nun. She pouted and pulled the other two little Taoist nuns to close the gate. The gate was made of ebony, pig iron, and tree lacquer, weighing more than 100 pounds. So, closing the gate was a kind of drudgery in the Taoist nuns’ minds. Zhen Ming was annoyed, “It’s late autumn now. Why is it raining hard? What a nuisance! Why doesn’t she call me when something good happened?”

“Your Master has always biased Zhen Jing. Everyone knows she is delightful and eager-beaver.” The Taoist nun beside her continued to say, “I heard that in the mourning hall, there was a table full of fruits and sweets. Melons and mangoes are so big!” She gesticulated as she said.

Another girl said enviously, “How lavish the wealthy family is! A dead person who had been thrown out by her family could have so many good stuffs, but none of us alive could eat a bite.”

Zhen Ming rolled her eyes and said, “Well, why not help in keeping vigil beside the coffin tonight? If Master and Uncle Master ask us, we can tell them that Zhen Jing is too timid, so we go there to accompany her!” Hearing her thought, the other two girls clapped their hands in agreement.

Soon, the sky was overcast with clouds and the wind was howling. A flash of deafening lightning was followed by downpour. The Side Palace of the Taoist Temple was arranged as a mourning hall, and those biddies who were sent by the wealthy family had already left out of laziness. Only an 11-year-old little Taoist nun, Zhen Jing, kept vigil beside the coffin there. According to the Master’s command, every time the joss stick was burned out, she would recite the Rebirth Scriptures once and then burn a bunch of joss papers.

It was said that the person lying inside the coffin suffered a lot when she was alive. As a lady, she lived like a maidservant. She didn’t live in the wealthy house until she was 10. But she was not blessed and died within half a year. Looking at the coffin, Zhen Jing burnt joss papers blankly. She felt sorry for the girl who was one year younger than herself. From then on, the beautiful girl could only be buried by the loess. What a pity!

Outside the mourning hall, the chill wind blew. The rain was falling thickly like thousands of strings, making a hurried sound.

“Crack.” A harsh voice suddenly sounded. Zhen Jing was frightened, “Who…Who is there? Come out!”

“Ha-ha!” Laughter and whisper came from the door, “She’s a coward! I wonder why your Master choose her to keep vigil beside the coffin.” “Come on, you’re no better than her.” “But this place… is really horrified.”

Hearing those familiar voices, Zhen Jing was relieved. She complained, “Zhen Ming, Zhen Shu, and Zhen Gong, don’t scare me in this place. It’s not appropriate to play here. You might as well leave quickly.”

Three people walked out of the door. Apparently, they didn’t take Zhen Jing’s words seriously.

Zhen Ming glanced at Zhen Jing, “Who are you? You’re not qualified to teach me what to do!” Zhen Shu went straight to the joss stick table, picked up a lotus cake to eat and laughed, “Thanks to Zhen Ming’s good idea, otherwise, we won’t enjoy the delicious cake like Zhen Jing.”

Seeing this scene, Zhen Jing was very worried. She stopped them, “Sisters, please behave yourselves. Our Master was just worried something like this would happen, so she asked me to keep vigil beside the coffin alone. After the 21th day of the Lady’s death, all of you can enjoy the lavish food!”

Sitting at the joss stick table, Zhen Ming, Zhen Shu and Zhen Gong took their favorite sweets and put them into their pockets as they ate. Zhen Gong threatened Zhen Jing sternly as she put honeydew melons into her pouch worn at the girdle, “If you dare to say this out, I won’t let you stay here happily!”

Zhen Jing bit her lips and begged with a crying voice, “Put them down! Put them down quickly! How can you take food from the mourning hall? The wealthy family trusts Shui Shang Temple, so they entrust us with the funeral arrangement. They not only provided ten fruits and ten dishes as offerings, but also donated a large amount of money to the temple. Don’t you humiliate our elder Master if you eat those offerings?”

Zhen Ming sneered, “Oh! You’re talkative! I don’t believe you haven’t eaten a bite. You must have fed yourself full in here since I didn’t see you at suppertime.”

“You’ve wronged me! Aunt Liu gave me two steamed buns at dinner, and I ate them here.” Zhen Jing cried with tears full of her eyes. She continued to shout, “I might as well let others come to see what you did here! Miss He will be epiphanic and she’ll punish you for disturbing her soul!”

Just then, a flash of lightning split the sky in half, and there was a rumble of thunder.

“Shut up! You’re talking nonsense!” Zhen Gong threw the food of her pouch and shoved Zhen Jing hard, “How dare you call someone in? Believe it or not, I’ll punish you now!” Zhen Jing was pushed to the ground. Suddenly, her eyes opened wide as if she had seen something frightening, and her whole body froze.

Zhen Gong cursed, “How dare you put on an act?” Zhen Ming and Zhen Shu looked in the direction of Zhen Jing’s gaze, then both of them sat on the ground in terror suddenly. Being anxious, Zhen Gong asked, “What happened to you two?” But neither of them moved, as if someone had bewitched them. So, Zhen Gong also turned around to see what happened.

“Ah!—Ahh!!—Ahhh!!!” A sad and miserable cry echoed throughout every corner of Shui Shang Temple.

The biddies who went to sleep earlier were immediately awakened. They ran to the mourning hall but drew back at the sight of Miss He. After a while, Master Tai Xi, Master Tai Shan and Master Tai Chen were drawn to see the situation.

Master Tai Shan frowned and approached the mourning hall. From a distance, the lights and candles in the room all went out. The bowls on the joss stick table were messy and the fruits were scattered all over the ground. However, Seeing Zhen Ming trembling and sitting on the ground, Master Tai Shan thought the little Taoist nuns were caught because of stealing offerings. So, she cursed angrily, “Poor thing! What did you steal this time?” Then, she was stunned immediately when she glanced inadvertently above the nuns.

Among the plain white silk brocade, the person in the coffin who was supposed to lie…was sitting up now. A gust of wind blew the silk, making the person in the coffin sneeze. Then everyone drew back in fear.

When Zhen Ming came here to steal desserts, He Danggui had already opened her eyes. She heard the quarrel among Zhen Jing and other nuns clearly, and she also heard Zhen Jing said something about Miss He. She looked around subconsciously and found herself…in somewhere like a mourning hall? What happened? Wasn’t she supposed to die in the Water Dungeon?

Feeling weak, He Danggui sat up with difficulty, trying to see what happened here. After a gust of wind, she shivered and sneezed.

After seeing those people’s faces clearly, He Danggui stared at them strangely, as if she saw ghosts.

If she remembered correctly, these people in front of her were the nuns who lived in “Shui Shang Temple” during her childhood. How could this happen? Zhou Jinglan had killed her. What she said was still haunting in her ears, “People will die of pain. It is said that the person who died in this way cannot reincarnated.” However, if it was a long nightmare, why did she see the people she had known 18 years ago?

Eighteen years ago, He Danggui was 10 years old. She lived in “Shui Shang Temple” for half a year and was subjected to all kinds of bullying. She looked forward to being picked up by her family every day;

When she was 14 years old, she married into Lord Ning’s Mansion gloriously because she saved Madam Nanny;

At the age of 16, she was favored by Lord Ning. Then she gave birth to a daughter at the age of 28. But later, her mother, she and her daughter were all framed to death.

Eighteen years had passed. She couldn’t believe her eyes to see Zhen Jing, Zhen Ming, Tai Shan, Tai Xi and others again. They all looked the same as she first saw them at 10. How could this happen? If she remembered correctly, Tai Shan should have died 13 years ago!

He Danggui took a subconscious glance at her hands. They were thin and slender, clearly a child’s hands! Her eyes dilated out of fear.

Zhen Jing gathered her thoughts firstly. She knelt on the ground, knocked her head and said, “Miss He, we’re terribly sorry for disturbing your soul in the mourning hall. Also, we know that you’re reluctant to leave the real world at the age of 10. Please show some mercy to forgive all the crimes we have committed. I’ll burn joss papers and recite the scriptures every day for you. Hope you’ll show mercy to us and go to the place where you belong…” Hearing this, Zhen Ming followed her and knocked her head loudly. Although Zhen Shu and Zhen Gong wanted to do the same to send away the ghost, they could not move.

He Danggui looked at the joss stick table in front of the coffin. The smell of the crunchy sugar, fingered citron, mango and peach made her sober. She finally realized that it was not a dream! It was not a dream! It was definitely not a dream…

She had a strong feeling that she travelled 18-year back to “Shui Shang Temple”.

As for herself, she, was still alive!