The sky was just beginning to brighten, not yet reaching the mao hour, when Madam Gu was awakened by Granny Tong.
The Dou family's rear courtyard housed a small Buddhist chapel, where a white jade Guanyin was enshrined. On the first and fifteenth days of each lunar month, Madam Gu would rise early to personally clean the chapel and offer incense, praying for divine protection.
Today was no exception. The moment she stepped over the threshold, she noticed the chapel had already been spotlessly cleaned, with even the edges of the purple-gold incense burner polished to a shine.
A delicate figure glided in lightly. Dou Mingyan smiled, "Mother, you're here?"
Madam Gu's expression softened with kindness. "Your health is frail—you don't need to accompany me every time!"
Dou Mingyan smiled gently. "Mother, my devotion to Buddha is sincere. I was delayed by illness recently, but fortunately, the Bodhisattva won't hold it against me."
Madam Gu glanced at the incense burner. She was always so thoughtful—cleaning the chapel early and leaving the first incense offering for her.
Warmth flooded Madam Gu's heart, her expression deeply moved as she picked up the three incense sticks prepared nearby.
But no matter how many times she tried, she couldn't light them. Turning her head, she saw Dou Mingyan's incense had already been lit, smoke curling upward as it burned vigorously.
She took three new sticks and tried several more times before finally lighting them.
Her brow relaxed as she murmured prayers, bowing repeatedly before inserting them into the incense burner.
Yet the moment she placed them, the three incense sticks snapped cleanly in the middle.
Madam Gu's face turned deathly pale, her body swaying unsteadily.
Offering broken incense to Buddha was a grave disrespect—in the next life, it could lead to separation from wife and children at best, or the destruction of one's family and extinction of descendants at worst!
She feared not the afterlife, but retribution in this present life.
Four years ago, she had encountered this same situation once before.
Dou Mingyan's breath hitched. "Mother, did you make any improper wishes?"
Madam Gu's heart tightened, her eyes filled with distress. "How would I dare entertain any wild thoughts? I only wished for our family's smooth fortune, peace, health, and happiness…"
Dou Mingyan met her gaze, hesitating before speaking. "Mother, have you forgotten what happened last time?"
Madam Gu's face drained of color, her heart pounding with terror. How could she ever forget?
Four years ago, she had also encountered this broken incense—the day before Dou Wenyi's incident.
Dou Wenyi had accidentally knocked over Second Wife Yang, causing her to miscarry. Refusing to accept this, Yang filed a lawsuit demanding Wenyi pay with her life.
Later, only under Old Madam Dou's pressure did the second branch cease their pursuit.
Thanks to Master Xuanming's guidance, she had acted decisively, personally sending her fourth daughter to Yuqing Monastery, ensuring the Dou family's safety!
Master Xuanming's words still echoed in her ears: "Madam, heaven's will cannot be defied. The fourth young lady's fate 'brings disaster to all six relatives'—her calamities will inevitably manifest. Wrongdoings must be sincerely remedied. As a mother, you cannot be too selfish; you must make sacrifices and consider your other children."
Seizing the opportune moment, Dou Mingyan suggested, "I heard Master Xuanming will soon visit Tianning City. Why don't we invite him to perform a ritual to dispel the bad luck?"
Madam Gu's mind was in turmoil. She sighed deeply. "Very well."
There was no bad luck in the household—only a star of disaster.
Who knew what trouble Dou Wenyi would stir up next!
At least the Xie family was already discussing betrothal dates. Once they sent this trouble away, all would be well.
News of Master Xuanming's arrival at the residence soon reached Yi Lan Courtyard.
Cuizhi was attending to Dou Wenyi's toilette, her eyes filled with concern. "Miss, what should we do?"
That Master Xuanming hadn't spoken a single kind word, implying everywhere that their young mistress was some 'star of disaster' who 'brings misfortune to all relatives', claiming she must 'live under others' roofs' to remain safe!
Staring at her reflection in the bronze mirror, Dou Wenyi remembered – before her reputation was utterly destroyed, there had been one other 'minor incident' she would never forget.
"Where's Bihe?"
Cuizhi shook her head. "I haven't been able to find her lately either."
Lost in thought for a moment, Wenyi instructed, "Tomorrow, keep close watch on the backyard pond. Pay special attention to those koi fish. Report immediately if anything seems unusual. And don't tell anyone about this!"
Those fish were Second Uncle Dou Zhongyuan's prized possessions – besides the golden and silver arowanas, there were several exquisite butterfly koi sourced from distant lands, all extremely valuable!
Cuizhi nodded, thoroughly puzzled. "But why? Don't we have dedicated caretakers for them?"
Dou Wenyi smiled faintly. "Do you think I'm really a star of disaster?"
Cuizhi shook her head anxiously. "Miss, you're clearly kind-hearted… It's all those people gossiping and spreading rumors."
Dou Wenyi had once attributed her misfortunes to having an unlucky fate.
But all of this was actually man-made.
Someone was deliberately framing her with the crime of 'bringing misfortune to all relatives'!
Dou Wenyi took out a silver ingot and handed it to her. "Give this to the coachman. Tell him when he fetches Father tomorrow, avoid Xihua Road and take the detour through Tianshui Lane instead."
Cuizhi's eyes widened, but she accepted the task.
Squinting slightly, Dou Wenyi then wrote a letter and quietly instructed her to deliver it.
The next day, as the sun dipped westward.
The scent of fish filled the air even before Dou Wenyi approached the pond, where maids and matrons were already whispering among themselves.
All the fish in the Dou residence's backyard pond had turned belly-up, every last one dead.
"…They were perfectly fine yesterday, how could they all die?"
"Haven't you noticed? Things haven't been peaceful since she returned."
"Don't you know? When a star of disaster descends, bringing misfortune to all relatives, our household is doomed to suffer!"
"You're all talking nonsense! That's not true at all!" Cuizhi shouted in rebuke.
The servants froze upon seeing who had arrived, falling into unanimous silence.
Hostility surrounded them from all sides – fearful glances, pitying looks, schadenfreude, and avoidance – as if she truly were the star of disaster.
Having endured too much in her previous life, Dou Wenyi remained composed.
Just then, Dou Mingyan and Madam Gu arrived in haste.
Madam Gu stared at the dead fish floating on the water, her heart trembling. "What are you doing here, causing a scene? Go kneel in the ancestral hall at once!"
"Mother, I don't understand. What have I done wrong to deserve kneeling in the ancestral hall?" Dou Wenyi met her gaze directly.
Seeing her still appearing ignorant and fearless, Madam Gu felt exasperated. She grabbed Wenyi's wrist, attempting to drag her away from the scene.
"Someone saw you lingering near this pond for a long time today. You're becoming more undisciplined as you grow older. Go back now, I'm only doing this for your own good…"
As expected, she remained unchanged – pushing her into the abyss under the guise of concern, without even inquiring about the circumstances.
Her mother had never believed in her, deep down convinced like everyone else that she was the star of disaster.
In this lifetime, the Zhang family did not come to cause trouble, her father was not demoted, his carriage would not be hit, and her reputation would not be ruined.
Even if someone tried to deceive the public with wild rumors, they could no longer pin the blame on her!