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Ruyi Rouge Pavilion
Yunsheng opened the door and saw Hui Niang standing quietly outside. His brows furrowed as he looked up at the sky and then into Hui Niang's eyes, asking, "What are you doing out here in the middle of the night?"
Hui Niang stared at Yunsheng without saying a word.
Yunsheng sighed and said to Hui Niang, "It's cold outside; come in!"
Hui Niang's eyes misted over as she lowered her head and stepped inside. Taking advantage of Yunsheng closing the door, she reached out and hugged him from behind. Yunsheng was taken aback; his body, which had grown cold from getting up at night, gradually warmed up.
"What's wrong? Did my parents give you a hard time again?"
Yunsheng tried to turn around, but Hui Niang pressed her head tightly against his back. He felt a tingling sensation in his tailbone and straightened his back, letting out a soft sigh. "You can stay here tonight. Tomorrow, we will go back together. Don't worry; with me around, they won't bully you. If you still feel wronged, after the New Year, come with me to Yun Village. We should have a child of our own."
Hui Niang lowered her head and began to cry softly.
Yunsheng looked down at Hui Niang's hands wrapped around his waist and thought for a moment before reaching out to hold them. "Stop crying; it's late at night. If the neighbors hear us, they'll think something spooky is happening!"
"Have you ever seen a ghost?"
Hui Niang choked on her words as she asked from behind Yunsheng.
Yunsheng chuckled lightly, "Of course not! There are no ghosts in this world! People’s hearts are much harder to fathom; they're scarier than ghosts."
Hui Niang ignored Yunsheng's words, turning her face so that her cheek pressed tightly against his back. "But I have seen one! I saw my mother standing in the woods, her hair blowing in the wind, her face pale as death. Behind her was a dark, bottomless cave. In the night, that cave looked like a giant mouth ready to swallow her whole. I heard my mother say she was very cold, very scared, and in great pain. I wanted to rush over and hug her, but then she disappeared and turned into a white skeleton while still calling my name. She said, 'Hui'er, Mother is gone. You must take care of yourself and never trust others easily, especially those who are plotting against you.'"
Yunsheng's expression froze, and his body felt as if it had been paralyzed. He tried to smile but found he couldn't muster any expression at all. Fortunately, he was facing away from Hui Niang; whatever expression appeared on his face at that moment would be unseen by her.
"It must have been a nightmare! It's normal for you to worry since your mother-in-law has been missing for so long. Don't worry; I've already asked someone to look for her. If there’s any news, I will let you know right away." Yunsheng gently pried Hui Niang's hands apart and turned to walk into the room. "It's getting late; you should rest."
Hui Niang stared at Yunsheng's back and asked in a hoarse voice, "Husband, do you really not believe in ghosts?"
Yunsheng paused but did not turn around. "Ghosts and people alike fear evil ones!"
Hui Niang smiled and said, "So what you're saying is that you've seen ghosts but aren't afraid because you're an evil one?"
"Do you think I am a bad person?"
"If you ask me, I would rather say you are a bad person. Being a bad person is great; you don't have to worry about so many things, even if it means hurting those closest to you. You wouldn't feel any unease or guilt in your heart. If possible, I would rather be a bad person too, and be a pair of bad people with you."
"That's nonsense. What's good about being a bad person?" Yun Sheng turned around. He returned to Hui Niang's side, sighed lightly, took off his outer coat, and wrapped it around her. "If given the choice, no one in this world would want to be a bad person. Good people come with purity and leave with peace of mind. Even if they ultimately lie in the earth, that earth is much cleaner than that of others. I know that ever since your father-in-law made a scene at home, my parents have always blamed you. What they owe you, I will repay, alright?"
The mist in Hui Niang's eyes finally turned into tears. She looked up at Yun Sheng and gently shook her head. "Husband! I'm tired!"
"If you're tired, then rest. Tonight, I'll stay with you!"
As soon as Yun Sheng finished speaking, Hui Niang's body softened and she collapsed onto him. Yun Sheng looked at Hui Niang's tightly closed eyes; her gaze was darker than the night itself.
A wind rose in the courtyard, carrying with it several pieces of paper. Upon closer inspection, one would find that they were spirit money used only in the underworld.
"That Yun Sheng is indeed a bit strange!" Xing Ruyi peeked over the wall.
At that moment, if anyone passed by here, they would surely scream in fright because Xing Ruyi was hanging in mid-air against the wall. However, those skilled in magic could see that beneath her suspended feet surged an ethereal aura like clouds.
"Is there anyone from the Yun family who isn't strange?"
A fox appeared on the rooftop and brought Xing Ruyi up along with it.
A light turned on in the bedroom; the light was dark red and looked like a scarlet eye at midnight.
"Will Hui Niang be alright?"
Xing Ruyi asked worriedly. The fox let out a soft huff, wrapped its arms around her waist, and cast a spell; the two of them found themselves in Yun Sheng's bedroom. Looking at the furnishings before her, Xing Ruyi wasn't worried at all about being discovered by Yun Sheng. After all, the fox's centuries of cultivation were not for nothing; it was merely an ordinary invisibility technique. If Yun Sheng could see through it, he might as well run into a wall.
The bedroom resembled more of a half-storage half-living space. Inside were many garments—both men's and women's, old and young—each carrying an aura of death that could be detected without any ghostly techniques.
"The housekeeper of the Yun family was indeed correct; Yun Sheng must know what his parents are doing. Even these clothes in the Ready-to-Wear Store are mostly stripped from those deceased. I'm just curious—would anyone really buy such dead people's clothes? They even smell like corpses."
The fox chuckled softly as it listened to Xing Ruyi's murmurs and said, "Of course someone would buy them. I don't know who came up with such an analysis before; these cheap clothes will definitely attract some poor families to buy them. Yun Sheng's parents are quite shrewd; just look at these garments—the fabric is top quality and even the styles are recent trends. Those guests staying here may be engaged in unsavory dealings, but they certainly aren't short on money. Bad people always indulge themselves more than good people do; good people often live frugally and suffer throughout their lives."
"Alright, I admit you have a point. So, I, Xing Ruyi, swear that when I return to Rouge Shop, I will become a major merchant. I plan to open a Luxury Goods Store at Rouge Shop, specializing in buying and selling clothes and jewelry that the Aristocratic Families, Noble Ladies, and Lady Qianjin no longer wear. If I'm lucky, I might even find some outfits worn by the Consorts. Oh, I almost forgot, the current Empress is still in power. However, I've heard that her favorites are quite beautiful, each one more charming than Pan An. If I can acquire some of their worn clothing along with corresponding Portraits, selling them on the black market to those lovesick young ladies would be quite a unique business."
The fox listened to Xing Ruyi's grand ambitions with affectionate eyes but couldn't help feeling a headache coming on. Because Xing Ruyi immediately added, "It might be difficult to collect the Empress's favorites' clothing. Fortunately, I am Xing Ruyi; I have a few talents working for me in this shop. Li Mao is a demon after all; even if he can't turn invisible or walk through walls, stealing a few outfits shouldn't be too hard for him, right?"
"Of course!" The fox nodded, feeling both amused and exasperated. "But since Li Mao has already entered the palace, why not steal something else instead of just a few outfits from the Empress's favorites? Wouldn't it be better to take something valuable? For example, treasures from the Empress's palace or perhaps her jade seal."
"You fool! I'm not planning to overthrow the Empress's regime and become the new Empress. Why would I steal her jade seal? Moreover, most treasures in the palace bear marks; not only would it take time and effort to sell them off, but it would also attract unwanted attention. I still plan to live my life well with you; I don't want to end up on the Wanted list across the Golden Tang Dynasty. As the saying goes, a gentleman loves wealth obtained through proper means; although I am a woman, I adhere to rules even more than those gentlemen."
Xing Ruyi winked at the fox.
"I almost forgot that you've been to the Empress's palace. You must have seen her jade seal as well? How does it compare to the one you used when you were the Fox Emperor in Qingqiu? And what about that legendary Empress who is said to have no equal; what does she truly look like? Perhaps you could take me for a stroll in the palace sometime; even if it's just to catch a glimpse of the Empress from afar, it wouldn't be in vain for me to come to this Golden Tang Dynasty."
Xing Ruyi was getting excited when the fox covered her mouth. She widened her eyes and suddenly remembered that they were not at Xing's branch but at Yun Village's Yun Sheng's Ready-to-Wear Shop.
After passing by a row of hanging garments, Xing Ruyi was led by the fox into what was referred to as the Inner Chamber. Ancient people often liked to place Screen Dividers in their rooms; this not only added interest but also served to divide spaces and greatly ensured the privacy of beds. The placement of these Screen Dividers varied depending on different households and personalities. For instance, Yun Sheng had placed a black-framed white Screen Divider in his bedroom. Surprisingly, this Screen Divider had no decorative paintings whatsoever and was purely white. Upon closer inspection, it turned out that this Screen Divider was neither silk nor satin nor any other special material but rather an entire sheet of white paper.
"Yun Sheng is really frugal; even his Screen Divider is made of paper. It seems his Ready-to-Wear Shop isn't doing very well."
"This is not an ordinary Screen Divider!" The fox smiled gently while looking into Xing Ruyi's puzzled eyes. "The one placed before a living person's bed is called a Screen Divider; however, the white paper placed before a deceased person's bed is known as a Ghost Screen."
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