“’Zōngnǚ’ sounded noble and not to be offended. It could guard against open threats, but it could not guard against those in the shadows!” Wèi Fú let out a sigh. “When petty people make a move, they cause her to lose everything—both herself and her wealth—all wiped out completely!”

“Even the knives in these people’s hands wouldn’t believe such a morally reprehensible thing!” Liu Yuan sneered, “Otherwise, why would Grandfather Yang have gotten into an internal conflict with those people?”

“These ruthless thugs who lick blood from their blades and kill and rob daily wouldn’t believe this; they would only believe the knife in their hands,” Bai Zhu continued, pausing, a subtle expression appearing on his face, “But those people believed this!”

“Born into a noble family, wealth and power are bestowed upon them from the moment they open their eyes at birth!” Lin Fei said calmly. “This wealth and power are not earned by their own hands. To them, they come inexplicably, without reason, without effort, too easily delivered to their doorstep! As a result, they become even more convinced that wealth and status are predetermined. Compared to those common people who struggle daily for a living, they are born different!”

“With this wealth and status, instead of being grateful for the grace of heaven and doing something meaningful, they have embarked on another path!” Lin Fei lowered his eyes and said, “They want to retain this wealth and power even after death, to be high-ranking ghost nobles in the underworld, so they begin to scheme and manipulate such evil arts!”

“Therefore, their tombs must be built to be incredibly luxurious, taking all their wealth and glory with them!” Wei Fu said. “With gold and silver treasures, they also need servants. These vibrant young women become tools for them to enjoy a life of extreme pleasure and luxury after death!”

Under normal circumstances, these people wouldn’t dare to lay a hand on a noblewoman like this; they usually prey on girls from ordinary families like Miss Chang.

“But this zōngnǚ’s birth date and time are too ‘unique,’ so even with this status, they will still try to take advantage of her!” Wei Fu paused here, then continued, “Those people’s status must be on the same level as this zōngnǚ’s on the surface; they can’t act openly, otherwise they wouldn’t go to such lengths to make their move!”

For those vague and ethereal selfish desires, even against a zōngnǚ of equal status, they would use every despicable means to get her, causing her family to be ruined and destroyed. It was truly chilling.

Lin Fei looked at the portrait of the zōngnǚ for a moment, then suddenly said, “This zōngnǚ encountered an accident on her way back to her hometown. Her deceased parents and brothers are still buried in Chang’an City. So… this zōngnǚ should also be included there!”

As soon as he said this, everyone shuddered: “What does Lin Shaoqing mean…?”

“If we are not mistaken, those people came for this zōngnǚ. Even if the villains had infighting and killed this zōngnǚ, they would not let go of a woman born on a ‘yin month, yin day, and yin hour’ so easily,” Lin Fei said. “So… the body buried in the mausoleum is not that zōngnǚ’s!”

If that was really the case, then that zōngnǚ would probably not find peace even in death!

…

The dawn drum had just sounded, and the sky was a hazy gray, but the lights were already shining from the public kitchen!

Those who prepare breakfast naturally have to get up earlier than ordinary people!

“Master Wen doesn’t look too good today!” Ah Bing, who was kneading dough, glanced at Wen Mingtang, who was chopping scallions, and said.

Today’s morning meal was cōng yóu bàn miàn served with fried eggs. This breakfast combination had been made several times already, and Ah Bǐng and Tāngyuán were both very skilled at preparing it. Therefore, Wēn Míngtáng felt quite at ease letting the two of them handle the main workstation in front, while she went to the back to help with the prep work.

Hearing Ah Bing’s words, Wen Mingtang looked up and smiled at him, saying, “I had nightmares all night last night and didn’t sleep well!” She couldn’t help but yawn as she spoke.

Ah Bing nodded, glanced at Wen Mingtang, and said, “I knew it! Why do you look so tired, Chef Wen? Your eyes are a little dark. Chef Wen, why don’t you go and catch some more sleep after you finish making breakfast?”

Wen Mingtang hummed in agreement, not wanting to be a braggart.

She didn’t know when Lin Fei and the others left last night; she only knew that after eating the Suan La Fen and listening to them talk about the case for a while, Lin Fei told her to go back and rest.

Making breakfast required getting up early, so one couldn’t stay up all night!

Lin Fei meant well, but after hearing about the zōngnǚ’s story, Wen Mingtang, though she went back to rest early, didn’t sleep well all night and had nightmares all night!

Thinking about the content of yesterday’s nightmare, her hand, which was chopping scallions, involuntarily paused, and Wen Mingtang’s expression became somewhat dazed.

Perhaps it was because she was also a woman, seeing that a zōngnǚ could be plotted against by villains and have her family destroyed, that it touched her heart so deeply, or perhaps it was because she had looked at the zōngnǚ’s portrait for a long time and engraved her image in her mind, but after going back to bed yesterday, Wen Mingtang began to dream!

It was a quiet and desolate wilderness, with a silver-plated moon hanging overhead, its clear light shining on the wilderness! In the dream, she seemed very familiar with this place, walking forward in the wilderness! She didn’t know how long she had walked, but she saw bamboo shadows swaying in the distance, and among the dark bamboo shadows, there seemed to be a woman in a plain dress standing.

Logically, the sudden appearance of a woman in a plain dress in the middle of the night in a desolate place was indeed reminiscent of the opening scene of ghost stories in scholarly tales.

However, Wen Mingtang felt no fear in her dream. Instead, she quickened her pace, walking forward and calling out, “Miss Li!”

Since the zōngnǚ didn’t hold a title, calling her “Miss” wasn’t wrong!

The woman turned and glanced at Wen Mingtang; she was indeed the woman from the portrait. She looked at Wen Mingtang with a sorrowful expression and continued walking.

The woman walked on, and Wen Mingtang continued to chase!

One walked, the other chased, and after an unknown amount of time, the woman suddenly stopped. Wen Mingtang hurried a few steps, almost catching up with the woman, when the woman suddenly turned back.

The face of the “Miss Li” she had seen earlier instantly changed; her beautiful and dignified face softened, and her gaze towards Wen Mingtang held a loving yet indescribable sorrow!

That face… Wen Mingtang shuddered at the sight, instinctively opening her mouth to utter that word, and then… she woke up!

Upon waking, Wen Mingtang realized she was covered in a cold sweat. After washing up, she tried to go back to sleep, but tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. She finally drifted off, but not long after, she woke up because it was time to prepare breakfast.

“Master Wen!” Tangyuan’s exclamation rang out. A sharp pain shot through her finger, and Wen Mingtang instinctively dropped the cleaver, looking down at her cut finger.

Crimson blood welled up from between her fingers. Wen Mingtang stared blankly at her cut finger, Tangyuan’s murmur echoing in her ears!

“Master Wen, don’t move today! Your hands are our chef’s treasure! You must take good care of them and get better soon… Ah Bing! You chop the scallions, Master Wen, be careful, take care of the wound…”

The murmured voice continued, and suddenly, for no apparent reason, her eyes began to well up with tears. As if by instinct, an overwhelming feeling of grief surged from the depths of her heart.

Tangyuan, who had frantically found gauze, exclaimed in surprise, “Master Wen, why are you crying?”

(End of Chapter)

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