#21: Exorcism

In the middle of the night, after returning to his residence and changing into a black silk robe with silver threads, Wu Ruian rushed to Zhong Xu’s coffin shop and knocked on his door.

“Knock, knock, knock.” After three knocks, the door creaked open. Zhong Xu stood inside, holding a candlestick, and silently looked at Wu Ruian.

Zhong Xu’s face was lit by the flickering candlelight, and behind him were rows of coffins and paper effigies, creating a chilling atmosphere.

Wu Ruian was initially startled, but after thinking about everything he had experienced over the years, he quickly calmed down. He cupped his hand in a respectful salute and said solemnly, “Master Zhong, please help my mother.”

“Let’s go,” Zhong Xu said without another word, blowing out the candle and placing it on the table. He then followed Wu Ruian out the door.

Zhong Xu was dressed neatly, as if he had been ready and waiting for this moment.

The two of them left South Street together. Although they tried to keep their voices low, they still woke up Di Jiang in the Jiansu Clinic across the street.

Di Jiang gently pushed open her window and watched the two figures hurry away below. She thought about the fact that after the curfew tonight, the number of police officers on the street had tripled, and the Imperial Guards, whom she had rarely seen before, were now patrolling in formation. She guessed that a major change had occurred in the imperial city.

Di Jiang was wide awake. She immediately took a hooded cloak from her cabinet and put it on, ready to follow them. But then, on second thought, she let it go.

With Zhong Xu there, Wu Ruian wouldn’t come to any harm. She should have faith in him.

No, wait. In the eyes of the royal family, Zhong Xu was clearly the one at a disadvantage. Why was she worried about Wu Ruian instead?

Di Jiang adjusted her cloak and suddenly realized that her heart’s balance had tipped to an unbelievable degree... Was this a good or bad development?

Can you truly be happy with a lover without asking if it is fate or misfortune?

Di Jiang lay back down on the bed and couldn’t help but do another divination for Wu Ruian.

Six years later, she found that Wu Ruian’s fate was still the same as before—a dense, unmoving fog. It was as unpredictable as ever...

________________________________________

The expected death of the Empress did not happen, leading to a mix of joy and sorrow.

Half of the guards outside the Daming Palace were withdrawn, leaving only the Imperial Guards stationed there. The off-duty eunuchs and palace maids had also gone to rest, waiting for their normal shift change at dawn.

Inside the Hanguang Palace, Empress Chen had been seen by the imperial physicians. They confirmed that her fever had subsided and the toxins in her body had been cleared. She was now just sleeping peacefully. The people keeping vigil finally felt at ease.

An Suyun and Shi Wenchang hadn’t slept all night. Princes and their sons, such as Wu Yu and Wulong, were arranged to rest in a side hall, while officials like Gongsun Miao had returned to their mansions to await news. Only one-third of the imperial physicians remained, with the rest returning to the Imperial Medical Academy.

The all-night battle was finally over, and a new day dawned as usual.

By the time Wu Ruian and Zhong Xu returned to the Daming Palace, it was already light outside.

The morning light was faint, and the world was hazy.

They walked through the imperial garden, their clothes damp with morning mist. When they entered the Hanguang Palace, they still seemed to carry the lingering fog with them.

When Shi Wenchang saw them, he immediately dismissed everyone. An Suyun, with great understanding, also walked to the door, closed it, and instructed two of her trusted maids to guard the entrance to prevent anyone with ill intentions from eavesdropping.

“Your Majesty, Prince Wu has returned,” Shi Wenchang called out softly by Empress Chen’s ear, and she slowly opened her eyes.

Since she had the talisman from Zhong Xu, her discomfort seemed to disappear in an instant. After drinking a few bowls of medicine to restore her vitality, she was even more energetic.

However, she also knew that she couldn’t recover too quickly. The political situation required her to remain ill.

“An’er, is this the Taoist priest who gave you the talisman?” Empress Chen asked, gesturing toward Zhong Xu.

Wu Ruian nodded.

Zhong Xu bowed and saluted. “This humble Taoist pays his respects to Your Majesty. May you be safe and well.”

“Master, you may dispense with the formalities. Please, rise quickly,” Empress Chen said, then pointed her hand again. “Give him a seat.”

Shi Wenchang quickly brought over a carved sandalwood armchair. Zhong Xu sat on it in his coarse cloth robes, looking a bit out of place.

Normally, if Empress Chen had seen him, she would have at most thought he was a good-looking young Taoist and wouldn’t have given him a second glance. In fact, with her status, she would never have met such a person.

But now, because of that one talisman, Empress Chen was deeply impressed with Zhong Xu’s mastery of Taoist magic. She treated him with great respect.

Zhong Xu did not engage in pleasantries. He got straight to the point. “Your Majesty, your palace is not clean.”

Everyone present knew what had happened and immediately understood what he meant by “not clean.”

Empress Chen’s expression turned cold, and she frowned. “What is in my palace?”

“A mei,” Zhong Xu said calmly. “The imperial city is protected by imperial energy, so ordinary demons and ghosts cannot enter. But the mei that grows from within the palace cannot be stopped.”

Empress Chen pondered for a moment. “Did someone deliberately try to harm me?”

Zhong Xu shook his head. “The mei is a condensation of your own thoughts. It would be inappropriate to say someone deliberately tried to harm you. However, some people cannot be absolved of responsibility for allowing the mei to grow to this extent.”

Zhong Xu thought for a moment and continued, “There are two possibilities. The first is that the person allowed the mei to grow, and even helped it become more powerful to achieve a secret goal. The second is that their magic is too weak, and they couldn’t even detect the existence of the mei.”

After Zhong Xu spoke, a long silence fell over the hall.

Empress Chen’s expression was complex, and Wu Ruian was visibly amazed, his face filled with admiration.

Finally, the head eunuch, Shi Wenchang, was the first to break the silence. He bowed and asked, “Master, do you have a way to get rid of it?”

Zhong Xu nodded. “The method is very simple. Burn the host of the mei, and the mei will be completely annihilated, disappearing forever and never causing trouble again.”

“Where is the host of the mei?” Wu Ruian asked anxiously. “I’ll burn it right now to prevent it from bothering Mother Empress again!”

Zhong Xu did not answer Wu Ruian. Instead, he looked at Empress Chen and said, “Your Majesty, I have said all this. What is your will?”

From the moment Zhong Xu began to talk about the origin of the mei, Empress Chen had already guessed what was influencing her in her palace.

But if it were something that could be easily given up, a mei would never have been created from it in the first place.

“What will happen if we don’t burn it?” Empress Chen asked, her voice almost pleading. “Can we seal it or put it somewhere else?”

Zhong Xu shook his head. “The mei has already formed, which means it is an inseparable part of your heart. If you don’t completely get rid of it today, it will one day reappear in a way no one can predict. At that time, it will magnify the evil in your heart infinitely until you are consumed by it. You will not be able to escape until you die.”

After Zhong Xu finished speaking, he saw that Empress Chen was still hesitant, so he continued to persuade her. “Your Majesty, I hope you will deal with it as soon as possible, while you still can. This will save a lot of trouble. Otherwise... I cannot guarantee your safety.”

“...”

Empress Chen’s mouth was slightly agape, and she still looked dazed.

“Mother Empress, what is it that you can’t bear to part with? Is it more important than your life?” Wu Ruian asked.

“Yes, Your Majesty, your servant begs you to make a decision soon.”

“Your maidservant also begs Your Majesty to make a decision quickly.”

An Suyun and Shi Wenchang both knelt on the ground. Empress Chen thought for a long time before letting out a long sigh and saying, “Alright. Burn it. It’s probably for the best...”

When Empress Chen said this, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

“Thank you, Your Majesty,” Zhong Xu said, standing up and walking to the left side of Empress Chen’s bed. He pulled back the curtain and went inside.

The imperial bed was an elaborately carved canopy bed with many small compartments for ventilation, but these compartments could also be used to store long, scroll-like objects.

The host of the mei was a painting hidden in one of these thousands of compartments.

Zhong Xu took out the scroll and gently unrolled it.

On the painting was a person in a white robe, with a face of breathtaking beauty. In the bottom right corner, a blooming red peony was painted.

Although it was clear that the flower and the person were not painted by the same artist, the crimson peony and the man in the painting complemented each other, making up for his solitude and coldness.

The entire painting was graceful and lifelike.