Chapter 32
### Chapter 32: Haunted Again?
Cai Ping tilted her head in thought. “I don’t know her real name, but I do know that General Shen changed his name to Shen Mieyue a few years ago.”
Shen Wei waved her silk fan, a smile dancing on her lips. This General Shen was quite the vengeful man.
As the two of them strolled, they reached the edge of the lake when suddenly, a wailing cry echoed from outside the courtyard wall.
It was a mournful, eerie sound, like a lamenting spirit.
Wuu...
A woman’s hoarse voice drifted in: “I’m so miserable... I’m so resentful...”
“There are so many heartless men in this world...”
The moonlight was chilling, and the woman’s cries seemed to come from both far and near, driving away all warmth from Shen Wei’s body, leaving her spine icy.
Cai Ping trembled in fear.
Shen Wei sat calmly in a chair at the water pavilion, leisurely fanning herself as she waited. Soon, a “thud” echoed from outside the courtyard. Moments later, Jixiang and Deshun dragged a net into the yard and tossed it down.
“Master, we’ve caught the ghost,” Jixiang said, pulling the net apart to reveal a slender woman in white.
As the tangled black hair was pushed aside, Fang’er’s pale face emerged.
Fang’er looked shocked, and as she realized her predicament, she instinctively tried to cover her face.
Shen Wei, still seated in the water pavilion, gently waved her fan. “What are you hiding for? I know it’s you.”
Fang’er slumped to the ground, a chill running from head to toe. She trembled as she raised her head to look at Shen Wei, who sat elegantly on a rosewood chair.
Dressed in a light green silk gown, her hair adorned with a white jade hairpin, Shen Wei exuded an elegance akin to a water lily. The fan in her hand moved with a calm grace, an invisible pressure emanating from her.
Fear flickered in Fang’er’s eyes. She understood that Shen Wei was no ordinary mistress; she was cunning and calculating.
Now that she had fallen into Shen Wei’s hands, it seemed she would meet her end tonight.
Shen Wei said, “Let’s not beat around the bush. You will be my informant, keeping an eye on Zhang Yue’s movements.”
Fang’er gritted her teeth. “I won’t betray my mistress. Don’t even think about it. Now that I’m in your hands, you can kill me or do whatever you want!”
Shen Wei smiled. “Your wrists are all bruised. I imagine you’ve had a rough time in the Rose Garden. Cai Ping, give her a bottle of wound medicine.”
Cai Ping handed over a small vial.
Fang’er hesitated to take it, trembling all over, her eyes still filled with defiance.
Shen Wei remained composed. “Cai Ping, give her a couple of silver coins.”
Cai Ping placed two silver coins in front of Fang’er, who clenched her fists. “I will never be your lapdog.”
Shen Wei calmly raised the offer. “Three silver coins.”
Cai Ping added another coin, but Fang’er stubbornly shook her head.
Shen Wei continued, “Four silver coins.”
Fang’er silently clenched her fists, her gaze uncontrollably drawn to the four silver coins. Zhang Yue had fallen out of favor, and Fang’er’s monthly allowance had been cut. Four silver coins were worth more than half a year’s wages for her.
She wanted the money but was too afraid to reach for it.
Shen Wei set her teacup down. “Cai Ping, take back one silver coin.”
Cai Ping immediately complied, and the four silver coins in front of Fang’er became three. Fang’er’s eyes widened, speechless.
Shen Wei leisurely added, “Cai Ping, take back another silver coin.”
Now, three silver coins had turned into two. If Fang’er didn’t respond soon, all the silver would be taken back.
This was a psychological tactic, a subtle way to break down Fang’er’s defenses.
Sure enough, without waiting for Shen Wei to speak again, Fang’er lunged forward like a hungry tiger, grabbing the remaining two silver coins and the wound medicine tightly in her hands.
After securing the silver, she kowtowed twice, saying, “I’m willing to help you, Mistress Shen.”
Fang’er had long been displeased with Zhang Yue. That woman was petty, cutting the maids’ wages, arrogant and often beating and scolding Fang’er.
To show her sincerity, Fang’er eagerly revealed Zhang Yue’s malicious schemes: “Mistress Shen, Zhang Yue not only had me dress as a ghost to scare you, but she also buried a cursed doll in the Fangfei Garden to harm the prince, hoping to find an opportunity to report you.”
Shen Wei paused in her fan-waving, a smile slowly spreading across her rosy lips.
Just when she needed a stroke of luck, the opportunity to bring Zhang Yue down had fallen right into her lap.
Shen Wei personally stood up and placed three silver coins into Fang’er’s hands, smiling as she said, “If you do your job well, I won’t treat you poorly.”
Fang’er clutched the newly acquired three silver coins, her eyes resolute, and bowed deeply twice.
...
...
In the dead of night at the Rose Garden, Zhang Yue paced in the small courtyard, walking in circles.
She gazed at the crumbling courtyard wall, peering into the dark yard beyond, where the maids lived in the remote southwest corner, the night feeling as eerie as a grave.
A flicker of irritation stirred within Zhang Yue.
When Shen Wei had lived next door in the Fangfei Garden, it had been filled with warm lights and laughter. The Rose Garden, where Zhang Yue resided, seemed to have caught that spirit, and the nights were no longer lonely.
Now that Shen Wei had moved away, Zhang Yue felt as if she were in a tomb, surrounded only by the chilling whispers of the wind.
In such a stifling, dark environment, it was no wonder that those once favored maids had either died or gone mad.
“Master.” Fang’er returned, stepping quietly through the night.
Zhang Yue quickly asked, “Did you scare Shen Wei?”
Fang’er suppressed a laugh, her face maintaining a respectful demeanor as she replied, “Of course. That Shen is as timid as a mouse; she nearly fainted from fright.”
Zhang Yue clapped her hands in approval. “Good job! You did well.”
Fang’er looked at Zhang Yue with eager eyes, hesitating for a moment before saying, “Mistress, dressing as a ghost was really exhausting; my hands and feet are all sore...”
She hoped for a reward from Zhang Yue, but Zhang Yue merely replied irritably, “Once Shen Wei is out of the way, my time to shine will come. I’ll definitely reward you then.”
Fang’er lowered her head, saying nothing more.
She had five warm silver coins in her pocket and a bottle of good-quality wound medicine.
As the lowest-ranking maid in the prince’s residence, Fang’er despised her mistress’s empty promises.
Zhang Yue’s verbal rewards were nothing but illusions; Shen Wei’s direct payment was what would keep Fang’er loyal.
Zhang Yue remained blissfully unaware of Fang’er’s betrayal, still reveling in her own schemes. “In a couple of days, I’ll report Shen Wei to the princess. Practicing witchcraft in the courtyard without permission? Shen Wei’s time is up.”
Fang’er kept her head down, hiding the fleeting disdain in her eyes.
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