Supported by the Marquis Estate, the White Cloud Temple enjoyed thriving incense offerings. Being close to the capital, it attracted enormous crowds of pilgrims during the year-end and New Year period.
Consequently, the main mountain path was well-maintained, with two torches placed every hundred meters along the roadside—both to guide travelers and ward off wild beasts.
Lin Ruochu was an excellent horsewoman. Even in the dim night with poor visibility, she could navigate by the distant torchlights.
Gripping the reins, she galloped at full speed, reaching the mountain foot within two hours.
She then spent another hour riding to the capital's city gates.
Though there was no curfew inside the city at night, inspections at the gates were stringent.
Lin Ruochu hid her face with a cloak and presented the Marquis Estate's waist token to the guards at the gate.
She had secretly taken it from Doctor Zhao earlier that day.
As the physician often gathered herbs in the back hills outside the city, he carried the estate's pass year-round. Unlike the vigilant Shoucheng, he was less alert—Lin Ruochu had easily pocketed the token while checking his pulse.
She had no fear of arousing his suspicion. When Doctor Zhao eventually noticed the token missing, he would likely assume he had misplaced it somewhere, never suspecting her.
The guards immediately granted her entry upon recognizing the Yong'an Marquis Estate's insignia.
Leading her horse through familiar streets and alleys, Lin Ruochu arrived before the General Residence.
Seeing the familiar gateposts and name plaque, her nose stung and eyes reddened.
Memories flashed before her eyes.
The last time she had seen this plaque was when she severed ties with her maternal family.
That day, Shao Mu—who had promised to marry her as his official wife—yielded to the Marquis and Marchioness' pressure, welcoming Zhang Jingwan into the estate with a grand procession.
The female ghost controlling her body grew enraged witnessing the lavish wedding parade. She stormed home and confessed everything about her illicit relations with Shao Mu, pressuring her mother to negotiate marriage with the Marquis Estate.
But Zhang Jingwan's bridal sedan had already entered the estate!
What marriage negotiations could remain?
Showing up now would offer no choice but to send her as a concubine.
How could her parents ever agree to make her a concubine?
Even heartbroken with disappointment, her mother still believed she had been seduced by Shao Mu. Suppressing her anguish, she gently comforted:
"No one knows of this yet. We can wait until Li Xuan returns from the border, explain the situation to him, gauge his reaction, and then discuss your marriage."
"That child Li Xuan respects and cherishes you. If he minds this matter, we'll annul your engagement and keep you at home to live freely your whole life—far better than becoming someone's concubine."
Her mother genuinely had her best interests at heart, sincerely seeking a proper path for her.
Yet at that time, she could only weep silently in her cage while the female ghost rampaged using her body.
"No!" the female ghost screamed at her mother.
"I won't marry Li Xuan, nor stay home to grow old alone! I want Shao Mu—only Shao Mu! So what if I'm a concubine? Shao Mu's heart belongs only to me. That Zhang Jingwan will just be a decoration in his household. Even as a concubine, I'll be the one Shao Mu treasures most!"
Her mother never imagined she would utter such shameless words. Overwhelmed with fury, she coughed up blood on the spot.
Her father and two brothers, pacing anxiously outside the door, also stared in disbelief upon hearing these words.
They rushed into the room, taking turns interrogating her—why had she suddenly become like this? How could she shamelessly speak of the disgraceful matter of becoming a concubine as if it were an honor?
The Female Ghost retorted indignantly, "This is true love! What's shameful about it? Those who aren't loved are the ones who should feel ashamed!"
Lin Ruochu nearly spat blood alongside her mother at that moment, but she could only drift like a wandering spirit in the darkness, watching as the situation spiraled further into chaos.
Her brothers burned with humiliation and rage, while her father supported her mother, both heartsick with grief.
She still remembered her mother's pained expression, breathing labored, yet still pleading earnestly, "A momentary mistake means nothing. You're my daughter—I would never harm you."
But how could the Female Ghost listen? She sneered and spat, "You're all outdated fossils who could never understand the value of love or the meaning of freedom!"
Lin Ruochu truly wished she could grab a blade and end her.
Her mother fainted from fury, her second elder brother's old ailment flared up from the agitation, leaving him coughing incessantly. Her eldest brother forcibly escorted them back to their rooms for medical care, leaving only her father to confront the Female Ghost.
She continued clamoring, determined to storm the Marquis Estate's wedding banquet and demand to Shao Mu's face why he would marry another woman.
Seeing her obstinate refusal to see reason, her father fell into despair and declared, "If you step beyond the General Residence's gates today, our father-daughter bond ends. The Lin family will act as if we never had a daughter."
The Female Ghost snorted, "As if I care!" and charged out of the estate without looking back.
That day, she made good on her word—storming directly into Shao Mu and Zhang Jingwan's wedding banquet.
Thus, all of the capital, from nobility to commoners, learned her name.
Lin Ruochu—only daughter of General Xuanwu, blood sister to General Yunhui and the Hanlin Academy Chancellor—had gone mad for the Yong'an Marquis Estate's Heir Apparent.
She disrupted the wedding, loudly proclaiming verses like "In life and death, I pledged to you—to hold your hand and grow old together," flaunting her affection and pressuring the Heir Apparent to grant her status.
Shao Mu, ever the romantic, immediately abandoned his bride, swept her into his arms, and carried her to the inner courtyard. The Marquis turned livid with rage, pursuing them to administer family discipline.
He nearly beat Shao Mu crippled—the heir lay bedridden for three months before recovering.
Everyone sighed at Shao Mu's profound love.
Everyone pitied Zhang Jingwan's bitter fate.
Everyone mocked Lin Ruochu's shamelessness and wanton nature.
The farce concluded.
Shao Mu earned a reputation for reckless yet sincere devotion.
Zhang Jingwan gained sympathy and praise for her virtuous, family-oriented forbearance.
The Female Ghost achieved her heart's desire—becoming the coveted cherished concubine.
Only the Lin family became the capital's laughingstock!
Lin Ruochu couldn't fathom how her family had endured these past two years.
Through every trapped day and night, she never ceased praying—hoping all her wronged loved ones could escape suffering and live peaceful, untroubled lives!
They deserved such a life!
But how could they release their resentment and live contentedly after their beloved daughter and sister had wounded them so deeply?
Staring at the tightly shut gate in the darkness, Lin Ruochu clenched her fists in anguish.
After tethering her horse, she followed the outer wall to the old tree she often used for climbing in and out. Stepping onto the trunk, she scaled the wall and dropped into the courtyard.