Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Murdering one's husband, burning the body to destroy evidence, is a serious crime in any dynasty.
The woman, with disheveled hair, cried out in protest, but the neighbors accused her with certainty, claiming there was solid evidence. In an instant, the courtroom was in chaos. The new magistrate, Xie Xuan, had not yet taken office, and Chang Tai was still out investigating a case, leaving only Shengzi to maintain order.
Initially, Shengzi intended to temporarily detain the woman and wait for Xie Xuan's arrival the next day for questioning. However, the neighbors and onlookers crowded together, clamoring for an immediate trial. They insisted that delaying would only lead to complications and that the Niu Family might bribe the government office to lessen the charges.
Xing Ruyi observed carefully and quickly realized that this uproar was organized by someone. The purpose seemed to be aimed either at Chang Tai and Shengzi or at the soon-to-be-appointed Magistrate Xie. She found a quiet corner that was not too conspicuous and discreetly began to inquire about the woman’s situation.
Xing Ruyi approached a woman in her early thirties whose attire closely resembled that of the woman in court. This suggested that they likely shared similar living conditions and were probably neighbors. Neighbors are usually well-informed about each other's affairs, and a woman of this age who came to watch must have been quite gossipy, making her an ideal source of information.
Sure enough, after asking just a few questions, the woman began to speak excitedly as if she had found an outlet for her gossip. She animatedly gestured while lamenting how little she knew about the situation.
The woman in court belonged to the Niu Family, originally from Chang'an but had moved to Luoyang with her husband who was in business. The Niu Family was in the tea trade and had been passed down for three generations. However, during Niu Fugui's generation, it nearly faced extinction. The Niu Family had been childless for many years until they finally had a daughter after moving to Luoyang; she was now two and a half years old and bore a striking resemblance to her mother.
Although the Niu Family had a daughter, Niu Fugui was dissatisfied with his wife due to their lack of sons. He often resorted to beatings and arguments could frequently be heard from their home. Especially after he took up gambling, his temper worsened; recently he almost sold his only daughter due to gambling debts.
The woman pointed at the kneeling figure in court and said to Xing Ruyi: "Don't be fooled by how submissive this Niu Family appears; when it comes to her daughter, she shows some spirit. Women are generally weaker, but a mother can be fierce. I think this saying fits the Niu Family perfectly. You see, one day when debt collectors came wanting to forcibly take Niu Fugui's daughter away, this woman quietly went into the kitchen and came out with a kitchen knife without saying a word. She swung it at one of them without hesitation! Luckily for him, he dodged just in time. But you should have seen how terrifying she looked at that moment—her eyes were bloodshot as if she wanted to eat someone alive! Those men were only there for money; they kicked Niu Fugui a couple of times and threatened him for repayment before leaving in defeat.
As soon as those men left, Niu Fugui's wife threw down the knife and tightly embraced her daughter. At that moment, Niu Fugui seemed emboldened; he got up from the ground and started beating both mother and daughter, causing their little girl to cry loudly. But Niu Fugui's wife remained silent while holding her child close. At that time, we all thought this matter would end there; who knew it would escalate into such a big incident?"
"Did the Niu Family live in Xie’s old residence since moving to Luoyang?"
"Not at all! They are common folks who wouldn’t live in that haunted house," the woman shook her head.
Xing Ruyi noticed that although the woman spoke with some disdain, there was a clear hint of fear in her eyes when mentioning the Xie family's old residence.
Seeing that Xing Ruyi was staring at her without moving, the woman thought she didn't believe what she had just said. So, she waved her hand and discreetly pulled Xing Ruyi further away.
"I'm not trying to scare you; everything I said is true. The Xie family's old residence is not a place for the living. It's true that the Niu family killed Niu Fugui, but it’s also closely related to that Haunted House. We all think that if it weren't for that Haunted House's influence, given the Niu family's character, they might not have actually gone through with it."
"Sister, you're speaking in riddles, making Fox Demon even more curious."
"Curiosity kills the cat!" The woman lowered her gaze and glanced at Xing Ruyi: "I’m just like you; I have a big curiosity too. However, this matter, I’ll only share with you."
"Don't worry, even though Fox Demon is curious, my lips are sealed."
"Actually, whether you keep it secret or not doesn't matter. Even if you go out and tell others, they might not believe you. My family thinks I'm crazy; I'm a White Fox seeing ghosts and talking nonsense. If you want to hear it, it would be a help to me. You have no idea how hard it is to keep such things bottled up." The woman patted her chest and looked around before continuing: "We passed by earlier; the Niu family came from Chang'an. Their family has been in the tea business for generations. Those who went to buy tea from them were all strange people with red hair and green eyes. They had shops and houses in Chang'an, but when the business got to Niu Fugui, it fell apart. This person, to put it nicely, is a playboy; to put it bluntly, he's just a good-for-nothing. He indulged in drinking, gambling, and all sorts of vices. Unable to stay in Chang'an any longer, he sold off his property and moved to Luoyang.
When he first arrived in Luoyang, he bought a courtyard right next door to my house, near that Haunted House of the Xie family. Judging by how the girl dresses, she should come from a wealthy family. So you might not know that while the Xie family's Haunted House is terrifying, nothing is scarier than being poor. People like us can only live in such places because they are cheap."
"Sister laughs; actually, Fox Demon is just an ordinary person too. This outfit was given by others; if I had to buy it myself, I probably couldn't afford it." Xing Ruyi spoke truthfully; most of what she wore was provided by foxes when she first arrived in the Golden Tang Dynasty. Later on, when she opened Ruyi Rouge shop and earned some silver coins, she initially wanted to buy some clothes herself but felt heartbroken after asking about prices at the brocade shop and ended up returning home with her silver. It wasn't until later that she became close friends with the brocade shop owner that she had the opportunity to wear custom-made clothes from there—though still at a friendly price—so while it hurt her wallet a bit less, it still stung.
Hearing Xing Ruyi's words, the woman looked her up and down again with some envy: "Your outfit looks like it's made by Luoyang's brocade shop; having someone give you such things is indeed a great blessing. Unlike us poor folks who can't even catch a glimpse of brocade shop clothing or even a piece of cloth."
"If sister doesn't mind, Fox Demon happens to have an old handkerchief from the brocade shop." Xing Ruyi said as she pulled out a handkerchief from her sleeve and handed it to the woman: "Though it's not new and the material isn't top-notch, it's good enough for wiping away sweat. If sister doesn't mind, please take it."
"I don't mind at all! Even if this brocade shop item is old or just a frayed thread, we can't afford anything like this." The woman quickly tucked the handkerchief into her clothing: "Don't worry; I can tell you everything you want to know."
Xing Ruyi smiled but did not speak, knowing that the woman who had benefited would only become more talkative.
The woman hid her embroidered handkerchief and then pressed her hands together before continuing, "Our house, while cheap and close to the Haunted House, is usually quite peaceful. Nothing particularly strange has ever happened there. Of course, we avoid getting too close to that Haunted House; if you do, you might see ghosts or get sick—it's almost guaranteed. I once saw something myself, it was a White Fox, right in the middle of the day. I was out shopping at the market, and when I returned, the sun was so blinding that I walked along the wall to keep my head down. Before I knew it, I had wandered near the old Xie family residence.
Normally, even if we pass by there, we try to stay as far away as possible and take detours whenever we can. Fortunately, there are many alleys to navigate around. But that day, I got so lost in thought that I forgot about it entirely. By the time I remembered, I was already standing at the entrance of the Xie family residence, caught between going forward or back. I had no choice but to steel myself and run past it. Just as I lifted my foot to step forward, I suddenly felt a shadow in front of me—it flashed by.
At that moment, I didn't think much of it; I just instinctively looked up. Can you guess what I saw? A pair of embroidered shoes brushed lightly against my forehead. My goodness! It scared me so badly that I collapsed on the ground. How could those shoes be there? The White Fox can't fly! But when I sat down and looked again, it was even more terrifying. Those weren't just shoes; there was clearly a person hanging in mid-air. It looked like a woman dressed in satin with disheveled hair, suspended right in front of the Xie family residence's entrance. Afterward, I thought about it several times—the woman's posture resembled that of a Hanging Ghost."
"Hanging Ghost?"
"Yes, a Hanging Ghost! The way that woman was positioned was exactly like the descriptions of Hanging Ghosts. Unfortunately, when I screamed in fright and looked again, there was nothing there anymore. When my family member came out looking for me, I must have looked like a ghost myself—my face was pale as death, drenched in sweat as if I'd just been pulled from a river, and there was this awful smell on me, like mud dug up from a lotus pond in winter."
The woman continued while lowering her head to sniff herself again. "Don't laugh at me; ever since that incident, I've felt unclean. My husband does manual labor and often digs for lotus roots; he knows that smell well. If he noticed it on me, it must be true. Also, after encountering that Hanging Ghost, I did some digging and found out that one of the ancestors of the Xie family actually had a concubine who hanged herself; however, it's unclear which branch she belonged to now."
Xing Ruyi listened attentively while taking mental notes of everything being said. Earlier when the woman spoke, Xing Ruyi had used her ghostly abilities to probe slightly; indeed, there was yin energy surrounding this woman but no ghostly presence. Therefore, it seemed quite likely that her encounter with a ghost was real.
Comment 0 Comment Count