Cai Ping tilted her head and thought for a moment. "I don't know his original name, but I’ve heard that General Shen changed his name to Shen Mieyue a few years ago."
Shen Wei swayed her silk fan, smiling as she thought to herself that this General Shen was quite a man who held grudges.
The mistress and her maid were strolling by the lake when, suddenly, a mournful wail drifted over from outside the courtyard walls.
The sound was eerie and sorrowful, like a lament that sent chills down one's spine.
"Wuuu... Wuuu..."
A woman's hoarse voice cried out, "I’m so miserable... I’m so full of resentment..."
"Men in this world are heartless..."
Under the cold moonlight, the woman's cries seemed both distant and close, dissipating the warmth from Shen Wei's body and leaving her spine tingling with cold.
Cai Ping shivered in fear.
Shen Wei, however, sat calmly on a chair in the pavilion, leisurely fanning herself as she waited. Before long, a "splash" was heard from outside the courtyard. Moments later, Ji Xiang and De Shun dragged in a net and threw it onto the ground.
"Master, we’ve caught the ghost," Ji Xiang announced as he untangled the net and pulled out a slender woman dressed in white.
Pushing aside the disheveled black hair, Fang Er's pale face was revealed.
Fang Er was still in a state of shock, but as she realized her predicament, she belatedly tried to cover her face.
Shen Wei, sitting in the pavilion, continued to fan herself gently. "No need to hide. I already know it’s you."
Fang Er collapsed to the ground, her entire body trembling with fear. She looked up at Shen Wei, who sat gracefully on a rosewood chair.
Shen Wei wore a light green silk dress, her hair adorned with a white jade hairpin, exuding an air of elegance like a lotus in clear water. The rhythmic swaying of her fan carried an invisible pressure that weighed heavily on Fang Er.
Fang Er's eyes flickered with terror. She knew Shen Wei was no ordinary woman—this was a mistress with a cunning mind.
Now that she had fallen into Shen Wei's hands, she feared her life would end tonight.
Shen Wei spoke plainly, "Let’s not beat around the bush. Become my informant and keep an eye on Zhang Yue's movements for me."
Fang Er clenched her teeth. "I won’t betray my mistress. Don’t even think about it. Now that I’m in your hands, do whatever you want with me!"
Shen Wei smiled. "Your wrists are covered in scars. Life in the Rose Courtyard must be hard. Cai Ping, give her a bottle of wound medicine."
Cai Ping handed over a small medicine bottle.
Fang Er hesitated, her body trembling, her eyes still defiant.
Shen Wei calmly added, "Cai Ping, give her one tael of silver."
Cai Ping placed a tael of silver in front of Fang Er, who clenched her fists. "I won’t become your lackey."
Shen Wei raised the offer. "Two taels."
Two taels of silver now lay before Fang Er. Her eyes wavered, but she still shook her head firmly. "I won’t agree. You’re not doing this out of kindness."
Shen Wei took a sip of tea. "Three taels."
Cai Ping added another tael, but Fang Er remained stubborn.
Shen Wei: "Four taels."
Fang Er's fists tightened, her gaze involuntarily drawn to the four taels of silver. Zhang Yue was out of favor, and Fang Er's monthly allowance had been cut. Four taels was more than half a year’s wages for her.
She wanted the money but didn’t dare to reach for it.
Shen Wei set down her teacup. "Cai Ping, take back one tael."
Cai Ping immediately removed one tael, leaving only three in front of Fang Er. Fang Er's eyes widened, but she remained silent.
Shen Wei continued leisurely, "Cai Ping, take back another tael."
The three taels became two. If Fang Er didn’t make a decision soon, all the silver would be taken back.
This was a psychological tactic, slowly breaking down Fang Er's defenses.
As expected, before Shen Wei could speak again, Fang Er lunged forward like a hungry tiger, grabbing the remaining two taels and the medicine bottle tightly.
Fang Er tucked the silver away and kowtowed twice. "This servant is willing to serve Mistress Shen."
Fang Er had long been dissatisfied with Zhang Yue. The woman was petty, withholding her maids' wages, arrogant, and often abusive.
To show her sincerity, Fang Er revealed Zhang Yue's sinister plot: "Mistress Shen, Zhang Yue not only had me pretend to be a ghost to scare you but also buried a cursed doll in Fangfei Courtyard to frame you for witchcraft against the Prince."
Shen Wei paused her fanning, a faint smile curling at the corners of her lips.
It seemed fortune favored her. The evidence to bring down Zhang Yue had fallen right into her lap.
Shen Wei stood up and placed another three taels of silver into Fang Er's hands, smiling gently. "Do your job well, and I won’t treat you poorly."
Fang Er clutched the newly acquired silver, her eyes filled with determination as she kowtowed twice with a loud thud.
...
...
Late at night in the Rose Courtyard, Zhang Yue paced around the small courtyard, walking in circles.
She gazed at the broken courtyard walls and the dark, desolate surroundings. The southwestern corner where the concubines lived felt like a graveyard at night.
A sense of irritation stirred within her.
In the past, Shen Wei had lived next door in Fangfei Courtyard, where the lights were warm and laughter filled the air. Zhang Yue's Rose Courtyard had felt less lonely then.
Now that Shen Wei had moved away, Zhang Yue felt as though she were trapped in a tomb, surrounded only by the cold, eerie whispers of the wind.
In such a suffocating and dark environment, it was no wonder that the concubines who had fallen out of favor either died or went mad.
"Mistress," Fang Er returned under the cover of night.
Zhang Yue eagerly asked, "Did you manage to scare Shen Wei?"
Fang Er hid her disdain and replied respectfully, "Of course. That Shen woman is as timid as a mouse. She nearly fainted from fright."
Zhang Yue clapped her hands in delight. "Excellent! You’ve done well."
Fang Er looked at Zhang Yue expectantly, hesitating before speaking. "Mistress, pretending to be a ghost was exhausting. My hands and feet are all scraped..."
She hoped for a reward, but Zhang Yue only snapped, "Once Shen Wei is brought down, my time will come, and then I’ll reward you."
Fang Er lowered her head humbly and said nothing more.
In her pocket, she carried five taels of warm silver and a bottle of high-quality wound medicine.
As the lowest-ranking maid in the Prince's household, Fang Er despised empty promises.
Zhang Yue's vague promises were meaningless, while Shen Wei's direct rewards earned Fang Er's loyalty.
Zhang Yue, completely unaware of Fang Er's betrayal, continued to gloat. "In a few days, I’ll report Shen Wei to the Princess Consort. Burying a cursed doll in the courtyard—Shen Wei’s days are numbered."
Fang Er kept her head down, hiding the flicker of disdain in her eyes.
