Just a Wet Nurse, Just a Plaything? Everyone Wept After My Death - Chapter 72
Chapter 72
The fire that had shocked the entire General’s Manor had only destroyed a remote woodshed in the rear courtyard. It had never reached Tingfeng Courtyard, the main residence where Huo Xiao lived. Yet the acrid stench of charred wood lingered over the General’s Manor for three full days, refusing to dissipate like the curse of a vengeful ghost.
The fire had long since been extinguished, and the ruins had been cleared away.
Everyone believed the little girl, barely over a year old, had been reduced to ashes in the inferno, leaving not even a bone behind.
Huo Xiao was drowning in guilt. Ignoring his mother’s dark expression and his cousin’s tears, he forcibly ordered Shen Yingyue, who had “lost her beloved daughter” and was covered in wounds, to be moved out of the servants’ quarters and settled in the main house of Tingfeng Courtyard.
At that moment, in a lavishly furnished inner chamber on the east side of Tingfeng Courtyard, the heated floor kept the room warm.
Dressed in a brand-new set of plain white silk underclothes, Shen Yingyue leaned against the headboard beneath a thick brocade quilt. The manor physician had carefully treated the whip wounds on her back with the finest Snow Frog Ointment, and scabs had begun to form.
But she looked like an exquisite porcelain doll that had been drained of its soul.
She neither spoke nor cried. She never smiled, and even her eyes rarely moved. She simply stared blankly ahead, clutching a scrap of a child’s bellyband that she had picked up beside the ruins of the woodshed, its edges charred black.
“Yingyue, eat something.”
Huo Xiao entered carrying a bowl of bird’s nest porridge. The sight of her like this made his chest feel as though it had been stuffed with a wad of waterlogged cotton, leaving him stifled and unable to breathe.
He would rather she cried. He would rather she made a scene, or cursed him in a frenzy as she had in front of the burning woodshed that day. Anything would be better than seeing her now, so utterly devastated that she seemed more dead than alive.
“Be good. Open your mouth.”
Huo Xiao sat on the edge of the bed, scooped up a spoonful of porridge, and held it to her lips. His voice carried a cautious, coaxing note that even he failed to notice.
“The kitchen simmered this blood-red bird’s nest for two hours. It’s excellent for replenishing your strength and blood. You’re weak, so at least have a bite.”
At last, Shen Yingyue moved.
Her eyes slowly shifted toward Huo Xiao. Her gaze was terrifyingly calm, without the slightest ripple of emotion. It was as though she were looking at an irrelevant stranger, or perhaps at empty air.
“General, I’m not hungry.”
Her voice was hoarse. With that, she closed her eyes and turned her head away, refusing both to look at him again and to accept the spoonful of porridge held to her lips.
Clack!
Huo Xiao’s patience finally ran out. He slammed the bowl onto the small table beside the bed. Scalding porridge splashed over the back of his hand, turning it red, but he did not seem to feel a thing.
“Shen Yingyue! How much longer are you going to torment me?”
He shot to his feet and paced irritably around the room like a caged beast.
“The child is gone! It was an accident! It was fate!
“I already said I wouldn’t hold the past against you. Not only did I spare you from punishment for starting the fire, I even brought you here to recuperate under my care. What more do you want?
“Do I have to kneel and beg your forgiveness before you’ll agree to go on living?”
At the word “fate,” Shen Yingyue’s fingers trembled slightly beneath the quilt.
No one knew what kind of heart lay hidden beneath the shell of a woman who had lost all will to live, or how fiercely it beat with relief at having survived disaster.
Her daughter was alive. Before the fire had even started, Brother Zhang had hidden her in a swill cart and taken her away. By now, she might already have reached the safety of the countryside and eaten a hot meal.
As long as Shen Yingyue remembered that, she could keep enduring this man-eating General’s Manor.
She had to keep up the act. The more convincingly she played the madwoman driven to despair by the loss of her child, the safer Nuannuan would be out there. Huo Xiao’s guilt was the best shield she had now.
“Please leave, General.” Shen Yingyue kept her eyes closed, her voice as soft as the wind. “I’m tired. I want to sleep for a while.”
“You…!”
Huo Xiao’s face turned livid with rage. Glaring at the thin figure whose back was turned to him, he punched the doorframe hard enough to send dust drifting down.
“Fine! You won’t eat? Then starve! Let’s see how many days you can last!”
With that, he kicked the door open and stormed out, carrying with him all the anger he had nowhere to vent.
Only after the sound of his footsteps had completely disappeared did Shen Yingyue slowly open her eyes.
She pressed the charred scrap of bellyband against her cheek. The emptiness in her eyes vanished, replaced in an instant by an unyielding light.
“Nuannuan, don’t be afraid,” she murmured soundlessly. “Mother will be all right. Mother will hold on to this life and watch those vile people… receive their retribution.”
…
Restless and agitated, Huo Xiao left Tingfeng Courtyard and rode straight to the Northern Camp outside the city. He needed to drill the troops and hear the beat of the war drums before he could quell the nameless fury Shen Yingyue had stirred within him.
Yet though the tree longed for stillness, the wind would not cease.
At noon on the fifth day after Huo Xiao left the General’s Manor, an urgent edict arrived from the capital like a thunderclap out of a clear sky, shattering the manor’s eerie calm.
“An imperial edict has arrived!”
The eunuch’s distinctively shrill voice pierced through courtyard after courtyard, carrying all the way to the main hall.
Though Old Madam Huo was still ill, the words “imperial edict” frightened her half to death. With the help of her maids, she hurriedly changed into her court robes and led Liu Ruyan and the entire household to kneel in the main hall to receive the decree.
The edict had been brought by Eunuch Li, a senior palace eunuch.
Dressed in a deep purple python robe, he had a pale, beardless face and held a horsetail whisk in one hand. His eyes, however, were cold and arrogant.
Eunuch Li unfurled the bright yellow scroll and proclaimed in a long, drawn-out cadence:
“By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees:
“The Ninth Prince is young and frail, yet his destiny is strange and ominous. Born under the Lone Star of Doom, he brings misfortune upon his kin and elders. Since his birth, numerous palace wet nurses and maids have died suddenly, leaving all afraid to approach him. As the prince grows thinner by the day, We are deeply concerned.
“The Imperial Astronomical Bureau has declared that the Ninth Prince is the reincarnation of a true dragon. His baleful aura is so powerful that ordinary mortals cannot withstand it. A woman of exceptionally strong fate and formidable birth chart must therefore be found among the common people and brought into the palace to nurse him. Only by fighting poison with poison can she suppress the prince’s baleful aura and preserve his safety.
“All prefectures are hereby ordered to nominate suitable wet nurses. Birth and status are irrelevant. Any woman whose birth chart is sufficiently formidable and whose fate is sufficiently fierce shall proceed to the capital immediately, without delay!
“All shall obey this decree!”
When the eunuch finished, the hall fell so silent that even a pin dropping would have been heard.
Old Madam Huo accepted the edict with trembling hands, forcing a smile uglier than tears.
“I… accept the decree. Long live His Majesty. Long may he reign.”
After Eunuch Li departed, the atmosphere in Songhe Hall was so oppressive it seemed almost tangible.
“What are we supposed to do? This is enough to worry me to death!”
Old Madam Huo sat on the daybed, turning a string of prayer beads through her fingers. Her brows were knotted tightly.
“Who hasn’t heard the stories about the Ninth Prince? That child is a debt collector sent to claim lives!
“They say he killed his birth mother, Noble Consort Lan, merely by being born. Of the wet nurses who later served him, some suddenly died bleeding from every orifice, while others went out and died in a fall. Not one of them lasted even three months!
“His Majesty isn’t recruiting a wet nurse. He’s clearly looking for a sacrificial lamb!
“Yanzhou is the Huo Family’s territory. If anything goes wrong with the woman we nominate, or if she dies within days of entering the palace, the Huo Family will suffer when His Majesty holds us accountable. But where are we supposed to find a woman with such a strong fate? What ordinary family would willingly send their daughter-in-law to her death?”
Liu Ruyan, who was peeling an orange nearby, paused at those words.
A vicious gleam flashed through the eyes she usually made look so pitiful and innocent.
She knew her once-in-a-lifetime opportunity had arrived.
Although her cousin had spent the past few days at the military camp, he sent his personal guards back every day to ask after Shen Yingyue’s injuries. He had even sent fresh deer antler for her. Liu Ruyan felt more threatened than ever before.
Now that the little bastard who had been such an eyesore was “dead,” Shen Yingyue was no longer burdened by that unwanted child. Instead, she had become the unforgettable woman branded upon her cousin’s heart. If Shen Yingyue used his guilt to regain his favor, there would soon be no place left for Liu Ruyan in this manor.
She had to tear the problem out by the roots.
At that thought, Liu Ruyan set down the orange and leisurely wiped her hands with a handkerchief. A meaningful smile curved her lips.
“Aunt, how could you overlook the obvious?
“The perfect candidate is right under our noses.”
Old Madam Huo froze and turned to look at her. “You mean…”
“Shen Yingyue.”
Liu Ruyan softly spoke the name, her voice gentle yet venomous.
“Think about it, Aunt. What kind of woman did the Imperial Astronomical Bureau say they needed? One with a strong fate and a formidable birth chart, so they can fight poison with poison.
“Is there any woman in this world with a stronger fate than Shen Yingyue?”
Old Madam Huo frowned, seemingly lost in thought.
Liu Ruyan leaned closer and continued coaxingly:
“Just look at her. First, she brought about her former husband’s death and became an ill-omened widow.
“Then she entered our manor, and in only a few months, she threw the entire household into chaos.
“And now she’s gone even further. Even her own biological daughter… was ‘killed’ by her baleful aura in that fire!
“Everyone in the manor knows that when she goes mad, she would even dare to burn her own biological daughter!
“Aunt, just imagine how powerful her baleful aura must be and how ruthless her heart is. She’s the living embodiment of the Lone Star of Doom!
“Send her to nurse the Ninth Prince, and it will be a perfect match of two equally formidable forces. Who knows? She might truly be able to suppress that prince’s sinister nature.”
Old Madam Huo’s heart pounded as she listened, but she had to admit that Liu Ruyan made a compelling argument. In everyone’s eyes, except Shen Yingyue herself and the unsuspecting Zhang Dashan and his wife, Shen Yingyue was an ill-fated woman whose accursed fate had doomed her entire family.
“But…”
The Old Madam still had reservations where her son was concerned. She hesitated before saying, “She belongs to Xiao’er. And these past two days, Xiao’er has been feeling guilty toward her. If we send her away behind his back, I’m afraid he’ll turn the entire household upside down when he returns from the military camp.”
“Make a scene? Would he defy His Majesty for a wet nurse? Or would he turn against his own mother for some woman?”
Liu Ruyan sneered. Taking Old Madam Huo’s hand, she continued in an earnest, urgent tone, “Aunt, you must see reason!
“Don’t you understand yet? That woman is a lunatic now! If she remains in the manor, she’ll ruin Cousin sooner or later!
“We should submit her name while Cousin is away. Once the imperial edict arrives, it will be a done deal. Surely Cousin wouldn’t dare defy an imperial decree.
“More importantly… the imperial palace is a fathomless place where few emerge alive.
“Once she enters, she’ll never be able to leave and pester Cousin again. If her luck runs out and she dies in the palace, that will simply be her unfortunate fate. What would it have to do with us?
“In time, Cousin will forget about her. He’ll eventually understand that you did this for his own good, and he’ll turn his attention back to the proper path of taking a wife, having children, and carrying on the family line.”
Every word struck hard, hitting Old Madam Huo exactly where it mattered most.
The Old Madam had always considered Shen Yingyue a thorn in her side. The woman was lowborn, her past was dubious, and now the “loss of her daughter” had driven her half-mad. Sooner or later, keeping her around would invite disaster.
This imperial edict was practically a blade delivered straight into her hands by Heaven itself!
“You’re right.”
The last trace of hesitation vanished from Old Madam Huo’s eyes, replaced by cold resolve born of concern for the family’s interests.
“Better a short pain than prolonged suffering.
“For Xiao’er’s future and the peace of the Huo Family, I will be the villain!”
She slammed her palm against the table and barked, “Steward!”
The chief steward, who had been waiting outside the door, hurried in with his back bowed and cold sweat beading on his brow. “What are your orders, Old Madam?”
“Go. Draft a memorial.”
Old Madam Huo closed her eyes. The prayer beads in her hand spun faster and faster as she murmured the Buddha’s name, yet the order she gave held not a trace of compassion.
“Write that… the Huo Manor has a Wet Nurse Shen whose birth chart carries an exceptionally baleful fate.
“She doomed her husband and lost her daughter. Her destiny is one of extraordinary ill omen, and she recently survived a great fire. She is therefore the ideal candidate to ‘fight poison with poison’ and suppress the evil aura.
“Seal the memorial immediately and deliver it to the courier station. Have it rushed to the capital at full speed!”
The steward froze for a moment, then asked instinctively, “Old Madam, what about the general…?”
“There is no need to tell him!”
Old Madam Huo’s eyes snapped open as she declared sharply, “Once the imperial edict arrives, it will be a done deal. Would he dare defy it? Now go!”
“Yes! I will see to it at once!” The steward did not dare say another word. He accepted the order and departed.
Watching his retreating figure, Liu Ruyan lifted her teacup and took a delicate sip. At that moment, the bitter tea tasted sweeter than honey on her tongue.
Shen Yingyue, oh, Shen Yingyue.
Did you think you could escape disaster by playing mad and burning your daughter to death?
You survived the inferno in the General’s Manor woodshed, but let’s see how you fare in the imperial palace, a place that devours people whole and leaves nothing behind!
Go serve that Ninth Prince who has doomed countless people to their deaths.
With any luck, that Little Monster will curse you to an early grave. May you rot in the mud beneath the palace walls and never appear before Cousin or me again!
Meanwhile, in the eastern wing of Tingfeng Courtyard…
Shen Yingyue leaned against the headboard, staring blankly at the overcast sky beyond the window.
A sudden gust of cold wind blew the window open with a deafening crash.
She shuddered, her fingers tightening instinctively until her nails nearly pierced the charred scrap of the infant’s bellyband.
An intense sense of foreboding surged through her.
It was as though a vast, invisible black net was descending from every direction, poised to drag her out of the hell known as Huo Manor and into an even deeper, darker abyss.
But in the next instant, her lips curved into the faintest of smiles, one colder than ice.
What did another abyss matter?
Her heart had died long ago. She was now a vengeful ghost who lived for revenge alone.
Where in this world was not hell?
