Chapter 6: Wu Jingyi

Di Jiang steadied herself against the table and sat down, calming from her initial shock. She then asked, “Are you Princess Zhaohe?”

“You can see me?” Wu Jingyi lowered her gaze to Di Jiang, her eyes flickering with an indiscernible light, revealing little of what she was thinking.

Di Jiang nodded. “You narrowly escaped being captured by Zhong Xu. I thought you had fled, but I didn’t expect you to hide inside the Everlasting Lantern.”

Wu Jingyi fell silent for a moment before speaking in a subdued tone, “I suppose I owe you a favor.”

“A favor?” Di Jiang chuckled. “You’re neither fully human nor fully ghost now—what favors could there be?”

“...” Wu Jingyi bit her lower lip, offering no reply.

Seeing her pitiful state, Di Jiang decided not to press further. Changing the subject, she said, “A few days ago, I saw you at the mansion.”

“That wasn’t me.”

“Not you?” Di Jiang feigned surprise. “Then who was it?”

“It was that wretched maid, Ruan Qingmei.”

“Meijie from the Pear Garden?”

Wu Jingyi nodded, her eyes filled with hatred. “Ruan Qingmei was an actress from the Pear Garden. She admired my brother greatly and got close to him for a while. Later...”

“What happened later?” Di Jiang prompted.

Wu Jingyi shook her head. “I owed her a debt, so I intended to help her fulfill her final wish. But I never expected her to take over my body and plot to harm my brother! If I had known, I would never have agreed to lend her my body!”

Di Jiang took a sip of tea, piecing things together in her mind.

Aside from the fact that Wu Jingyi had willingly given up her body—a detail that surprised Di Jiang—the rest aligned closely with her earlier suspicions.

Ruan Qingmei had been a rising star in the theater scene, her fame sweeping through Taiping Prefecture just two months prior. Then one day, at the height of her popularity, she hanged herself. Rumor had it that she had tied the noose at the southern gate of the Pear Garden, startling many early risers. The news spread for days, and Di Jiang had even lamented her death. Now, unexpectedly, she found herself facing off against her spirit—it was quite the twist of fate.

“Shu Xiang, go wake Wen Yao,” Di Jiang called downstairs.

But soon after, Shu Xiang replied, “Wen Yao isn’t in her room.”

“Not in her room?” Di Jiang frowned. Though Wen Yao was often lazy, Di Jiang had assumed she was still asleep, not realizing she had already left the house.

However, speak of the devil—just as Di Jiang was wondering about this, Wen Yao came bounding in, hopping and skipping. Seeing Wu Jingyi, she showed no surprise, as if she had known all along.

“Did you put her in the Everlasting Lantern?” Di Jiang asked.

Wen Yao stuck out her tongue, tacitly admitting it.

She glanced furtively at Wu Jingyi in the corner, then turned to Di Jiang. “Boss, do you want to hear some gossip?”

“Even if I didn’t, you’d tell me anyway. What have you learned now?”

Wen Yao cleared her throat and deliberately raised her voice. “I heard General Long is getting married.”

As soon as she finished, Wu Jingyi’s entire body trembled. She lifted her gaze to Wen Yao, her eyes filled with confusion.

Di Jiang naturally understood why. Wu Jingyi’s engagement to Long Ming had long been the talk of Taiping Prefecture, and the bridal gown she wore now was likely intended for her wedding to him.

Gossip had it that Wu Jingyi herself had petitioned the Empress for this marriage.

It was said that on that day in the grand hall, Zhaohe boldly declared her love for Long Ming before the assembled courtiers, fearlessly stating that she would marry no one else. The Empress, unable to refuse her beloved youngest daughter, reluctantly agreed and publicly announced the engagement. When General Long returned victorious from battle, preparations for their wedding began in earnest.

Long Ming was of humble origins, with no influential family background. Marrying the Empress’s cherished daughter was considered a blessing he could scarcely dream of. The union became the talk of the town, and everyone anticipated a joyous ending. But to everyone’s shock, Long Ming broke off the engagement with Princess Zhaohe as soon as he returned.

The Empress had promised Long Ming one wish, and he confessed his desire to marry another. Caught between duty and affection, the Empress fell ill from the stress and eventually gave up, leaving Long Ming to do as he pleased.

After the broken engagement, Wu Jingyi underwent a drastic change in temperament.

“Guess who the bride is?” Wen Yao continued.

“Who?”

“Wu Jingyi’s maid, Liu Zhi!” Wen Yao smirked, clearly directing her words toward Wu Jingyi.

Di Jiang parted her lips slightly, her face showing astonishment. Turning back to Wu Jingyi, she noticed her bewildered expression, though Di Jiang couldn’t help but notice how tightly Wu Jingyi’s hands were clenched. On the base of her left thumb, a plum blossom mark glowed faintly in the dim light.

Wu Jingyi’s pain was evident. Di Jiang shot Wen Yao a glare. “Go sweep the dust off the counters. How many days has it been since we last cleaned? Do you want our guests to laugh at us?”

“Yes, I’ll do it right now!” Wen Yao grinned triumphantly, a stark contrast to Wu Jingyi, who stood trembling at the table.

Though Wu Jingyi maintained her regal posture at all times, it wasn’t hard to see the anger and resentment burning in her eyes. Her right hand was clenched so tightly that her knuckles dug into her palm—if she still had one.

Di Jiang examined her closely and realized that the plum blossom mark on the base of her left thumb was actually a burn scar. The wound had formed the shape of a plum blossom when burned, which wasn’t unattractive.

Still, it must have hurt terribly when it was branded.

Just thinking about it made Di Jiang shiver.

“If General Long truly marries Liu Zhi, what will you do?”

Wu Jingyi remained silent for a long, long time. Just as Di Jiang was about to drift off, Wu Jingyi finally spoke in a soft, distant voice. “Ever since I was young, I watched Father surround himself with so many women. I watched them fight, watched Mother fight, watched her sit alone under the lamp until dawn. After seeing so much, if I were asked to flatter a man or cater to his whims, I simply couldn’t do it.”

“That’s an interesting thing to say,” Di Jiang chuckled behind her hand. “You’re a princess, the cherished jewel of both the late Emperor and the current Empress. You’ve always gotten whatever you wanted without needing to flatter anyone. But if you had nothing, wouldn’t you have to claw your way up like everyone else? Otherwise, where would all these fine silks and jade ornaments come from?”

“Some people spend their entire lives chasing silks and jade, but others are different,” Wu Jingyi said, looking directly at Di Jiang. “These things mean nothing to me. I would never harm another woman for the sake of a man.”

“How noble of you, Your Highness. I’m impressed.” Di Jiang had initially wanted to argue, but upon reflection, she decided it wasn’t worth the effort.

Whether Wu Jingyi’s words were true or not, Di Jiang only knew that having her lingering around her room, steeped in ghostly energy, made her uncomfortable. She just wanted to get rid of her as soon as possible.

“You don’t have much time left in this world. Are there any unresolved wishes?”

Wu Jingyi fell silent again. After a long while, she finally lifted her head and said, “I want to see Long Ming one last time.”

Di Jiang thought for a moment, then nodded. “Alright, I’ll take you to see him.” Reaching into her sleeve, she pulled out a blood-red jade and held it out to Wu Jingyi. “Come here.”

Though Wu Jingyi hesitated, she extended her hand. As her fingertips touched the jade, a flash of red light enveloped her, and her figure vanished without a trace. Only Di Jiang and Wu Jingyi knew that although she was now within the jade, her eyes could still see the world around her.

Di Jiang took Wu Jingyi out of the shop, and Wen Yao insisted on tagging along. Di Jiang let her come.

“Just keep your mouth shut and don’t say anything reckless,” Di Jiang reminded Wen Yao as they walked.

Wen Yao nodded vigorously. “I’ll just watch quietly. Pretend I’m not here—I won’t ruin anything.”

“I hope so.”

Di Jiang and Wen Yao took a detour and arrived at Lord Rui’an’s mansion, where Princess Zhaohe was coincidentally about to leave. They met head-on.

“Citizen Di Jiang greets Your Highness,” Di Jiang greeted her naturally. Upon seeing them, ‘Wu Jingyi’ immediately furrowed her brows.

“Our seven-day agreement hasn’t passed yet. Why are you here?”

“We were passing by. Please don’t misunderstand, Your Highness.”

“Is that so?” ‘Wu Jingyi’ narrowed her eyes.

“The medicine I prescribed for you, Your Highness—have you been taking it on schedule?”

“How dare you mention medicine to me? It’s nothing but worthless angelica, yet you charged me a hundred taels of gold. Do you not fear that I’ll charge you with deceiving royalty?”

“Your Highness wrongs me!” Di Jiang feigned shock, blinking innocently. Her expression was the picture of委屈 (grievance).

“Save your tears. Let’s not beat around the bush.” ‘Wu Jingyi’ sneered coldly, clearly unwilling to dwell on the matter.

Seeing this, Di Jiang smiled apologetically. “Where is Your Highness headed?”

“What concern is it of yours?” ‘Wu Jingyi’ closed her phoenix-like eyes, exuding arrogance.

“The weather is nice today. If Your Highness is bored, why not join me for a walk?”

‘Wu Jingyi’ glanced at the overcast sky, which looked ready to rain. After scrutinizing Di Jiang for a moment, she finally nodded. “I’ll see what tricks you’re up to. Lead the way!”

“Yes!” Di Jiang beamed, leading her to a jewelry shop in the eastern part of the city.

“This shop is famous for its goldware. Common women come here to buy dowries—it’s honest and trustworthy,” Di Jiang explained as they walked.

“Do you think I care about common women’s trinkets? Everything I wear is either gifted by Mother or crafted by the imperial artisans. Why would I look at such trifles?” As ‘Wu Jingyi’ spoke, she suddenly froze. At the same time, Di Jiang felt the blood-red jade in her chest jump abruptly.

Following ‘Wu Jingyi’s’ gaze upward, Di Jiang saw a pair of elegant figures standing on the second-floor balcony of the jewelry shop.

“General Long has excellent taste. This golden hairpin originally came from the palace—it suits Miss Liu beautifully!” The shopkeeper, Master Tong, beamed with delight. However, the man opposite him was unimpressed.

“No, it’s too ostentatious.” The man shook his head and placed the hairpin back on the tray.

His voice was steady, his features strong and resolute. He exuded an air of valor and dominance.

Di Jiang felt the blood-red jade thumping rapidly in her chest. She understood now—this was the newly risen star, General Long Ming. And the woman beside him must be his fiancée, Liu Zhi. But she appeared to be nothing more than an ordinary woman—far from the three-headed, six-armed demon described in rumors.