Four Seasons Brocade – CH 210

Chapter 210 ☆、

At that moment, Nanny Lu from Hongyao House boldly said, “Your Highness, I do not think Nanny is ill, but rather possessed. Perhaps we should invite a Taoist priest to exorcise the evil spirit, or perhaps a witch to perform a ritual. It must be some villain trying to harm our Nanny.”

The old woman beside her echoed his agreement.

Even the Imperial Physician Feng, standing to the side, nodded in agreement. “In all my years of medical practice, I’ve never seen any illness like this.”

Even though Chu Mao did not believe in ghosts and spirits, after what happened with Ah Wu, he could not help but believe to some extent. So he ordered someone to fetch Master Changchun that very night. Coincidentally, the messenger had just reached the gate when he encountered a bald monk. The monk immediately claimed to see a malevolent aura hanging over the mansion, indicating someone was performing witchcraft to harm people.

Hearing the bald monk’s words, the eunuch, adhering to the principle of “better safe than sorry,” led the monk inside and sent another person to fetch Master Changchun, thus avoiding trouble for both parties.

The bald monk entered without looking at anyone, staring blankly at Ah Wu and shouting, “Were you not already dead?”

Ah Wu was startled by the sudden shout. Looking at the monk’s slanted eyebrows and triangular eyes with more white than pupil, his gaze was sharp and frightening. Ah Wu, already feeling guilty, turned deathly pale upon hearing the monk’s words.

“What nonsense are you spouting? Where did this bald monk come from? Get him out of here!” Chu Mao stepped forward, blocking Ah Wu’s path.

Several old women in the room immediately rushed forward to drag the monk away. Strangely enough, even with their combined efforts, the monk did not budge, as if possessed by divine strength. He muttered, “Your family is strange. Someone is about to die, yet you still make things difficult for me, a monk.”

“Master, who are you saying is dying?” Nanny Lu shrieked.

“This room has been cursed with witchcraft, a death trap set up. How can anyone live here?” Before the monk finished speaking, white foam began to well up at the corners of Nanny Hao’s mouth, her eyes rolled back, and she was clearly on the verge of death.

After speaking, the monk did not wait for Chu Mao to chase him away again and went straight for the door. As he left, he glanced at Ah Wu and muttered, “Hurry up and come with me. This world has no place for a monster like you.”

“Master, Master, please save my Nanny!” Ignoring Chu Mao’s wishes, Nanny Lu rushed to the monk’s feet.

The monk ignored her and walked away. Nanny Lu then turned to Chu Mao and begged.

Chu Mao then spoke, “Go and fetch that monk back.”

The monk returned and led his men to ransack Hongyao Villa, unearthing the cloth figures buried in the four corners and finding a small paper figure under the bed where Nanny Hao slept. Without exception, each figure bore Nanny Hao’s birth date and time.

Embroidery needles were stuck into the four small cloth figures.

Nanny Lu presented these five items to Chu Mao, bowing her head in silence. Nanny Hao, on the bed, finally quieted down.

“Please, Master, take a seat. You saved my aunt; I will surely repay you handsomely,” Chu Mao said.

The bald monk waved his hand. “Monks believe in cause and effect, not in seeking reward. But seeing someone committing evil in this mansion, this old monk, having witnessed it, could not stand idly by.” With that, humming a tune no one could understand, he walked away in his tattered straw sandals that exposed his toes.

“This must be someone harming Auntie. She’s currently unconscious. Ah Wu, I am entrusting the inner courtyard to you. You must find the culprit.” Chu Mao turned to look at Ah Wu.

Ah Wu had already recovered from her shock. Her face was still pale, but she was now fully awake. She immediately took over Chu Mao’s words, saying, “Your Highness, rest assured, I will definitely find the person who harmed Nanny Hao.”

“Your Highness!” Nanny Lu stared at Chu Mao in shock, opening her mouth to speak but hesitating. After a long pause, she knelt on the ground with a thud, saying, “This servant has something to report to Your Highness. The Princess has never managed inner affairs before. Entrusting such an important matter to the Princess will only cause delays. This servant does not mean to belittle the Princess, but the Princess is still young, and Nanny Hao will not have peace of mind until the culprit is found. Your Highness, we need speed now; please reconsider.” Nanny Lu kowtowed repeatedly to Chu Mao.

Chu Mao glanced at Ah Wu, who stepped out from behind him and said slowly, “Nanny Hao is unconscious due to the nightmare demon, and the doll was taken from Hongyao Villa. In my opinion, all the servants in Hongyao Villa are the most suspicious. They should be detained and questioned.”

“Lu Ruoxing, did you hear what the Princess Consort said?” Chu Mao asked.

“Yes, this servant will do it immediately,” Lu Ruoxing replied.

“Your Highness?!” Nanny Lu looked at Chu Mao with a face full of grief and indignation, as if Chu Mao cared for Nanny Hao less than she, a mere servant.

“Nanny Lu, my aunt is currently ill and unable to manage affairs. Organize the household registers, ledgers, and storeroom keys, and hand them over to the Princess Consort. I trust your loyalty to my aunt; you should serve her well,” Chu Mao said calmly, seemingly oblivious to Nanny Lu’s expression.

Ah Wu never expected that at this crucial moment, Chu Mao would entrust her with the management of Prince Qi’s mansion as well. Before it was determined who had harmed Nanny Hao, the faction with the biggest conflict with Hongyao Villa was undoubtedly Yulan Hall. Naturally, she was the first to be suspected, which was why Nanny Lu repeatedly prevented Ah Wu from thoroughly investigating the matter.

However, judging from the current situation, the biggest beneficiary of this matter was undoubtedly Ah Wu. The annoying Nanny Hao was ill and had lost her power over household affairs; even if Ah Wu were to investigate, she would be the first person Ah Wu would investigate.

Ah Wu hesitated, glancing at Chu Mao. She did not know if he believed her or was plotting against her, hoping she would become complacent and reveal her true colors. Unfortunately, she was not responsible for this, so she had no clues to hide. But framing others was commonplace, and Ah Wu’s first priority upon returning was to check if Yulan Hall had shown any unusual activity recently.

“It’s late. You should go back to sleep. I will stay here and watch over Auntie,” Chu Mao said softly, turning to Ah Wu.

Ah Wu looked into Chu Mao’s eyes again, unable to read any emotion. “Shall I stay with you and keep watch over Nanny Hao?” Ah Wu said.

Chu Mao did not speak, only looked at Ah Wu. Ah Wu could only tactfully leave first; clearly, His Highness Prince Qi disliked anyone going against his wishes.

As soon as Ah Wu returned to Yulan Hall, she sent Zi-Shan to invite Nanny Gong over.

Greeting her so late meant Nanny Gong naturally understood that something serious must have happened. Therefore, she did not bother to tidy herself up thoroughly, quickly putting herself in order before rushing to the east side room. “Your Highness, has something serious happened?”

She told Nanny Gong in detail about the Hongyao Villa incident. “Nanny, I am only worried that someone is framing me. You must thoroughly investigate the people of Yulan Hall, especially those who have dealings with Hongyao Villa. It’s better for us to find out than for them to find out.”

“Does His Highness trust Your Highness?” Nanny Gong asked. The key here was who Chu Mao trusted.

Ah Wu smiled helplessly. “The biggest beneficiary here is me. If you were His Highness, would you believe me?”

The old nanny was taken aback. “But there are too many flaws here. It’s such a coincidence that the person who went to fetch someone ran into a bald monk the moment they stepped out and immediately found the demonic artifact. Is the person who set this up not incredibly stupid? His Highness will surely see that the Princess Consort has been framed.”

“Nanny, the one who used this method is not stupid but rather incredibly clever. They know me too well,” Ah Wu said with a wry smile.

“If His Highness has not noticed the flaws here, then I am undoubtedly the prime suspect in the case of Nanny Hao’s demise. Whether I am there or not does not matter; His Highness already has a thorn in his side. The most intriguing thing is that the last time I was unconscious and medicine could not cure me, I heard that it was Zen Master Huitong of Daci Temple who chanted scriptures for me and brought me back to consciousness. So, the explanation of Nanny Hao being possessed makes sense. Nanny Hao usually has difficulty walking, but today she’s acting like a normal person. That monk is also somewhat strange. If this is not explained by possession and supernatural powers, it really does not make sense. There are few coincidences in this world,” Ah Wu analyzed.

Nanny Gong nodded. “But I still feel there are too many suspicious points.”

Ah Wu nodded. “Yes, but I am certain I did not do it, and the other party probably knows it too. If I am not mistaken, the person I eventually find will definitely be from Hongyao Villa. This whole thing was clearly a play orchestrated by Nanny Hao to frame me.”

“Yes, definitely,” Nanny Gong said.

“But, when I was little, something happened in my family.” Ah Wu looked at Nanny Gong and slowly began to tell the story of Concubine Wang.

“Concubine Wang did not use witchcraft to harm my grandmother. I placed the doll in her room, but it framed her for bewitching my father,” Ah Wu said. “So…”

“So, thinking about it more deeply, it could also be that the Princess placed the doll in Nanny Hao’s room, but it framed Nanny Hao for bewitching herself,” Nanny Gong continued.

Ah Wu remained silent, tacitly agreeing.

“But how would others know about this?” Nanny Gong asked.

“I do not know either, but I have to be on guard, I have to prepare for the worst.” Ah Wu rose and walked to the window. “If I am not mistaken, Yulan Hall should be clean. I trust your methods, Nanny. But precisely because it’s so clean, without any flaws, it seems more like I did it. Because the truth is, I am the biggest beneficiary.” Ah Wu tilted her head back, feeling the cool breeze from the window, which slightly eased the restlessness in her heart.

“So, regardless of whether we find evidence or not, Yulan Hall is the one at fault?” Nanny Gong gasped. “This person is so cunning.”

“Yes, that’s why she can protect His Highness in the deep palace. No one else has that ability.” Ah Wu sighed.

“But, since we cannot find evidence, His Highness cannot do anything to the Princess. What benefit does she gain?” Nanny Gong asked.

“As long as His Highness harbors suspicion towards me, any future troubles will easily be pinned on me. She’s very patient,” Ah Wu said softly. “Regardless, Nanny, you should still investigate Yulan Hall. What if she wants to strike a fatal blow? I also need to get some sleep and think this through.”

Ah Wu felt utterly exhausted, both mentally and physically.