The servant sent to find Shu Junyu returned alone, his face troubled. "Steward, Third Young Master is dead drunk at Zuixianlou. The attendants said he started drinking yesterday noon and can't be roused no matter how they try."
The steward stamped his foot in anger. "That irresponsible boy! His sister has suffered such a great tragedy, yet he's off enjoying himself!"
Another servant who had gone to the academy to fetch Shu Caihe also returned, reporting, "Fourth Young Lady said Her Highness the Princess is examining her studies, so she truly cannot get away. She also said since Eldest Young Lady has already passed away, her return would be of no help. It would be better to stay and accompany the princess properly."
The steward felt darkness cloud his vision.
Jiang Yuwei, standing behind the curtain, heard every word clearly. Her heart felt as if it had been violently wrenched.
She knew her children weren't close to her, but she never imagined they could be so indifferent upon hearing the tragic news of their sister and mother.
Could it truly be that she had been too strict in the past, making all her children resent her?
Memories flooded her mind, and Jiang Yuwei felt her chest tighten.
If she had shown her children more tenderness back then, would Nansheng have dared to come home and complain when she suffered grievances at the Fu family, instead of choosing to end her life with a white silk cord?
"It's all my fault…" she murmured to herself, tears glistening at the corners of her eyes.
Just then, Nanny Wu led Abbot Yuantong inside.
The middle-aged monk held a staff, appearing profound and inscrutable.
"Abbot," Jiang Yuwei stepped forward, speaking softly, "do you remember the crabapple tree in Yongxiang?"
Abbot Yuantong's previously calm eyes suddenly flickered as he carefully examined the young face before him. "You are?"
"That year, the crabapple blossoms were in full bloom. Someone stood beneath the tree and recited, 'When flowers bloom, they should be plucked without delay,'" Jiang Yuwei continued, her gaze nostalgic. "Later, that person renounced the world and entered monastic life. I never saw him again."
The staff in Abbot Yuantong's hand trembled slightly. After a long while, he finally sighed deeply. "Benefactor Jiang, it truly is you."
Seeing this, Nanny Wu tactfully withdrew to guard outside the door.
"Pei Chen, I need your help," Jiang Yuwei directly called him by his secular name. "My daughter Nansheng's soul may be inside my original body."
Abbot Yuantong—formerly Pei Chen—nodded. "This humble monk will do his utmost."
He walked to the bedside, formed hand seals, and began chanting incantations under his breath.
Moments later, a faint golden light enveloped the unconscious Jiang Yuwei.
"Wenhunshu can investigate the condition of a soul," Yuantong suddenly said, his expression turning grave. "There is indeed a wisp of remnant soul inside—very faint."
He closed his eyes, concentrating intently.
The "Jiang Yuwei" on the bed suddenly spoke. "Mother… your daughter was wrong… I shouldn't have disappointed you…"
As these words emerged, Jiang Yuwei could no longer hold back her tears.
It was Nansheng's voice, though faint.
"Your daughter is so tired… I couldn't stay in the Fu family… yet I didn't dare return home…"
"If Mother knew her daughter was so useless… she would surely be angry…"
These fragmented words pierced Jiang Yuwei's heart like knives.
She finally understood—Nansheng didn't not want to return home; she didn't dare!
She feared disappointing her mother, feared her scolding!
"It's Mother who failed you…" Jiang Yuwei knelt by the bed, clutching her daughter's hand, weeping uncontrollably.
Yuantong withdrew his magic, his expression grave. "Miss Shu's soul is fragmented and cannot awaken. If we forcibly perform Huanhun, I fear her soul will dissipate on the spot."
Jiang Yuwei abruptly looked up. "Then what should we do?"
"The only solution now is to use your physical body to nurture her fragmented soul," Yuantong said. "Your fate is prosperous, and over the years you have accumulated considerable merit, which greatly benefits soul nourishment."
"Transfer your body to Xianguosi, where I will chant sutras daily to help her Ninghun. Once Miss Shu regains consciousness, we can proceed with Huanhun. It could take as little as half a month or as long as one or two years—it depends on her will to survive."
Jiang Yuwei nodded without hesitation. "Let's proceed as you say."
She immediately summoned Nanny Wu and instructed, "Go and make preparations. Say that I am going to Xianguosi to pray for the Eldest Young Lady and will stay at the temple for a few days."
Nanny Wu promptly went to arrange everything.
Yuantong looked at Jiang Yuwei with a complex expression. "Have you thought this through clearly? Once you go, it is uncertain when you will be able to return to your own body."
"As long as Nansheng can live, what does it matter if I spend the rest of my life in her body?" Jiang Yuwei's tone was resolute. "This is what I owe her."
…
As night deepened, several carriages were prepared at the back gate of Zhaopinghoufu.
Just as Nanny Wu was about to order the coachman to depart, a figure suddenly rushed out from the shadows and blocked the path of the carriage.
"Nansheng! I know you're inside!" Fu Jiuque spread his arms to block the way. "Can we talk properly?"
Nanny Wu's face darkened, and she was about to reprimand him when Jiang Yuwei's voice came from inside the carriage. "Nanny, come inside and speak."
Nanny Wu boarded the carriage to find Jiang Yuwei sitting upright with a calm expression.
"Madam, this old servant believes that simply divorcing would be letting the Fu family off too easily," Nanny Wu whispered. "Moreover, the Eldest Young Lady would be left with a reputation for jealousy, which truly isn't worth it."
A cold smile curled at the corner of Jiang Yuwei's lips. "You're right, Nanny."
"Nansheng's Yanghun will take time, and that time is enough for me to accomplish many things. Since the Fu family dared to bully my daughter like this, I will make them pay the price."
Nanny Wu nodded. "What does Madam plan to do?"
Jiang Yuwei whispered a few words into Nanny Wu's ear, and surprise flashed in Nanny Wu's eyes.
"This old servant will go and handle it immediately." Nanny Wu bowed and exited the carriage.
Standing on the carriage shaft, she looked down at Fu Jiuque. "Young Master Fu, by order of the Hou Madam, you have repeatedly harassed our young lady. Today, you must be taught a lesson!"
Fu Jiuque was stunned, and before he could react, seven or eight skilled Hou Fu servants suddenly rushed out from all sides.
"What are you doing?" Fu Jiuque's servant cried out in alarm, trying to protect his master, but was immediately knocked to the ground by one of the servants.
Fu Jiuque, being a military man, assumed a fighting stance, ready to confront them.
However, he was no match for these well-trained servants. In just a few moves, he was pinned to the ground.
"Shu Nansheng! Are you just going to watch them beat me?" Fu Jiuque shouted toward the carriage.
Fists and kicks rained down like a storm. At first, Fu Jiuque endured it, but the pain soon became unbearable, and he began to plead. "Stop! I'll leave, alright!"
But the servants showed no sign of stopping, deliberately targeting the fleshy parts of his body.
"Nanny Wu! Make them stop!" Fu Jiuque, bruised and swollen, shouted desperately.
Nanny Wu looked at him coldly: "Young Master Fu, I advise you not to come seeking trouble again in the future. The Lady of Zhaoping Marquis has already taken the young lady to the temple and will not be receiving any outside guests for this period."
She paused, her tone growing even more severe: "The good deeds your Fu family has done, the Lady of Zhaoping Marquis remembers them all. Today's beating is to teach you, an unworthy descendant, a lesson on behalf of the Fu family's ancestors! Go back and think carefully about how to be a responsible man!"
These words involuntarily reminded Fu Jiuque of the time when he had sought to marry Shu Nansheng.
Back then, he stood before the Lady of Zhaoping Marquis, his posture humble, not even daring to breathe heavily.
"I know I was wrong…" Fu Jiuque finally conceded.
Only then did Nanny Wu raise her hand to signal the servants to stop.
Fu Jiuque and his attendant helped each other up.
"Get out!" one of the servants shouted.