Chapter 134 Exorcism
Jiang Li slept very uneasily that night.

Ji Heng's words echoed in her ears like a curse. Ever since she became the Second Miss Jiang and re-entered the Jiang family, she thought that the Jiang family was nothing but cold-hearted and the unique way of flattering the superior and putting down the inferior. Now, it seems that the dirty things in the rich and powerful families are more horrifying than those in ordinary families. The life experience of the Second Miss Jiang is far more complicated than she imagined.

And the environment she was in was even more dangerous. If Miss Jiang Er really knew about Ji Shuran's scandal, or if Ji Shuran thought Miss Jiang Er might know about it, then Ji Shuran would have a reasonable reason to pursue her relentlessly for so many years. Ji Shuran wanted to reassure herself and wanted to cut the grass and root it out.

This is a war, it's either you die or I live. It's not just for Jiang Li herself, but also for the dead Ye Zhenzhen and the second Miss Jiang who has no idea where her soul has gone, and Jiang Yue'er who died in an unclear way.

The news brought by Ji Heng suddenly gave her another idea. As for Ji Shuran's next plan, if Ji Shuran wanted to kill someone with a borrowed knife, she might not be able to go with the flow. As for who will have the last laugh, it depends on who has a better method.

Because she was thinking about things at night, she fell asleep very late. The next day, Jiang Li woke up late. Tong'er and Bai Xue saw that she rarely woke up late, so they didn't call her.

After Jiang Li had breakfast, Tong'er came over and asked, "Miss, did Ji go to the palace again today?"

"Oh?" Jiang Li put away the papers on the table that were blown all over the place by the wind and said, "She is very diligent in going to the palace."

"I heard that Concubine Li is not feeling well, and seems to be ill. Ji came to the palace early in the morning and said that she wanted to go see her sister." Tong'er said with disdain: "Everyone knows that she has a sister, Concubine Li, but they don't usually have such a good relationship. It's really a big deal."

"You," Jiang Li turned sideways and tapped Tong'er's forehead, "you are becoming more and more outspoken. You can only say this in front of me, but don't let others hear it."

"I know, I know my limits." Tong'er asked, "Ji brought Jiang Youyao into the palace without informing you. Is this a disgrace to me?"

"How can this be considered as losing face? We are not a family, and we have no blood relationship," Jiang Li said indifferently, "If you really let me go, it would be disgusting."

Tong'er nodded: "That makes sense. Then let's just ignore them." She happily helped Bai Xue collect morning dew again.

Jiang Li stood in front of the table, her hand made a circle on the collected paper, but her eyes were looking out the window. It was no accident that Ji entered the palace early this morning. Li Concubine fell ill just after seeing her. It seemed that the other party was coming with great force, not giving her a chance to breathe, and just doing it recklessly.

But if she was afraid, she would not be Jiang Li. She wanted to see what excuses Ji and Lipin would use to invite the famous Taoist Chongxu from Northern Yan to Jiang Mansion. She promised to give him a gift that he would never forget.

"Tong'er, take the hand warmer. Let's go sit in Aunt Hu's yard." She smiled slightly.

……

In the palace, in the side hall, there was only the lingering aroma of medicine, with a bitter taste.

On the couch, the woman was half sitting and half lying against the pillow. She had her hair uncombed, and her long hair was slightly messy and scattered behind her head, which made her face look even paler and her lips look bloodless.

Overnight, she seemed to have lost a lot of weight and became haggard. She felt weak all over, and seemed to have nightmares at night, waking up several times. In the end, she hardly slept. She just sat there until dawn.

After hearing the news, Emperor Hong Xiao rushed to see Concubine Li after the court session. However, the smiling Concubine Li looked seriously ill today and didn't even have the strength to get out of bed. The imperial doctors from the Imperial Hospital came to see Concubine Li and confirmed that there was nothing wrong with her pulse and she didn't have any symptoms. As for why this happened, the reason was unknown.

At first, the palace servants suspected that Lipin had been poisoned, but after a thorough investigation of the entire palace, they found nothing unusual in Lipin's food and clothing. However, Lipin's sudden illness was so severe that even the queen mother was alarmed. She came to visit her in person, but Lipin continued to weaken rapidly with alarming changes and was about to die.

When the Ji family heard the news, they all rushed over. Chen Ji held Lipin's hand and said, "What happened? How could this happen suddenly for no reason?"

"Yes, I came to see the Empress the day before yesterday, and she was fine. How come she became like this in such a short time?" Ji Shuran also wiped her tears with a handkerchief.

At this moment, Hongzhu, the maidservant beside Lipin, knelt in front of Emperor Hongxiao and said, "I have something to say to Your Majesty."

Emperor Hong Xiao said, "You say."

"A few years ago, the queen also encountered this situation. At that time, the queen was in danger, but it was... Taoist Chongxu who found the reason and saved the queen. Now, for no reason, the queen has suffered this misfortune again, but no reason can be found. This servant looks like it is similar to the time many years ago. I dare to ask Your Majesty to ask Taoist Chongxu to come to the palace to diagnose the queen. Is there a nightmare demon in the palace that has haunted the queen?"

After saying this, Hongzhu kowtowed to Emperor Hongxiao several times. Seeing this, Lvwu also knelt down.

Many years ago, Lipin was envied and resentful by other concubines in the palace. The concubine got Lipin's horoscope from somewhere and used the art of aversion to make Lipin thinner and thinner day by day, and she almost died. It happened to be the Queen Mother's birthday, so she invited Taoist Chongxu to come to the palace to clean up, and found something wrong. She found the doll that was placed there. The Queen Mother was furious that someone dared to do such a thing in the palace. The concubine was given a cup of poisoned wine, and the outside world was told that she died of illness. Lipin saved her life and gradually got better.

At this moment, Hongzhu suddenly talked about what happened back then.

I thought that after hearing this, Emperor Hong Xiao would be immediately delighted to find a new method. But after a long time, there was no answer from Emperor Hong Xiao. For some reason, Hong Zhu felt uneasy, and cold sweat gradually seeped out of her forehead. Just as she was hesitating whether to kowtow a few more times, the voice of Emperor Hong Xiao came from above her. He said: "Master Chongxu has been traveling everywhere, and now I don't know where he is..."

"Your Majesty, are you talking about the great Taoist Chongxu?" Chen Ji stood up and looked over here, saying, "I heard three days ago that a great Taoist came to the Taoist temple in Yanjing City to perform a ritual. It seemed to be Taoist Chongxu. So, Taoist Chongxu might still be in Yanjing City."

"Really?" Emperor Hong Xiao's voice was unrecognisable. He waved his hand, and Eunuch Su hurried forward: "Pass on my order, and immediately summon Taoist Chongxu to the palace to examine Concubine Li."

Eunuch Su took the order and left.

Ji Shuran was still leaning in front of the bed, but she tightened her grip on Lipin's hand slightly. A barely perceptible smugness flashed in her eyes, and then two tears fell.

Taoist Chongxu arrived at the palace an hour later.

This Taoist has reached the age of 50, and he looks thin and resolute, with a bit of immortal spirit and upright demeanor. He also carries a peach wood sword on his back, a whisk hanging on his body, and a Taoist robe and cloth shoes. When he entered the palace, he saluted Emperor Hong Xiao, neither humble nor arrogant.

"After not seeing you for so many years, the Taoist priest is still the same." Emperor Hong Xiao's brows relaxed.

"I am honored to have your Majesty's concern." Taoist Chongxu said, "I heard that your Majesty summoned me here. Is it because Concubine Li has something to ask?"

"That's right." Emperor Hong Xiao said, "The imperial doctors in the palace are helpless and can't find the cause. Lipin's maid begged me to come and find you for a try. I just happened to hear that you are still in Yanjing recently. So I want to find you to come to the palace and let Lipin take a look."

Emperor Hong Xiao couldn't make it too clear. Since ancient times, all the incompetent emperors believed in ghosts and gods and prayed to gods. Emperor Hong Xiao naturally didn't want to be a incompetent emperor and leave people with something to talk about. But now that Lipin was like this, there was really nothing he could do. Besides, Taoist Chongxu was not arrogant. He kept his name secret and mostly traveled around to practice in seclusion. Just like when he found out that someone in the palace used the technique of suppressing victory to deal with Lipin, no outsiders knew about it.

It can be seen that he is trustworthy.

Taoist Chongxu bowed to Emperor Hongxiao and said, "In that case, I will show it to Concubine Li first."

Hongzhu and Luwu hurriedly welcomed Taoist Chongxu in.

Lipin was helped to sit on the couch, her face pale, as if she had to use a lot of effort to say a word. She looked at Taoist Chongxu and said, "I'll have to trouble you to come here in person..."

Taoist Chongxu waved his hand and said, "Empress Li, you are too kind. It is my blessing to share the worries of Your Majesty." After saying this, he frowned and stared at Concubine Li's surroundings, as if he saw something else. His eyes were sharp and he slowly took out a small bell from his bag.

Looking closely, it was a palm-sized drum, surrounded by a circle of red bells. He held the bell in one hand and shook it slowly, then faster and faster. The sound of the bell changed from gentle at the beginning to rapid and crisp, even to the point of being piercing.

Lipin suddenly bent down and coughed violently, as if the breath in her chest was cleared. She took the handkerchief from Hongzhu's hand and wiped the corners of her mouth, and it seemed as if she had spit out something invisible.

Seeing this scene, the women present were a little scared. Concubine Liu patted her chest and said, "Oh, I'm so scared, what on earth is this?"

Taoist Chongxu did not speak, but turned around and walked quickly to the table in the hall, took out the yellow talisman paper from his bag again, grabbed a handful of cinnabar and poured it on the table, then pulled out a gourd-like object, took a big sip, and sprayed it all on the cinnabar, and the hall was immediately filled with the smell of alcohol. The gourd should contain an unknown strong liquor.

The strong liquor mixed with cinnabar and slowly melted into a deep red. Taoist Chongxu took out a wooden pen, dipped it in cinnabar liquor, and wrote a string of unclear runes on the yellow talisman paper.

He spread out the talisman paper to dry, then folded it into a triangle in a few seconds. He handed it to Lipin and said, "Your Majesty, please have someone string this talisman paper with red thread and keep it carefully. After a month, it will be safe."

His actions were so swift and resolute that people could not help but believe him. He was indeed a man of real ability, not a liar. The Queen Mother asked, "I don't understand why Concubine Li is in this state. Did the Taoist priest just do something to suppress Concubine Li?"

Taoist Chongxu turned around and said, "Your Highness, the problem with Concubine Li is not that someone in the palace used a curse. It has nothing to do with what others did. Concubine Li was invaded by evil spirits. This evil spirit is difficult to control and is almost sucking Concubine Li's energy dry. However, I have just exorcised the evil spirit for Concubine Li and suppressed it with talisman paper. There will be no problem next time."

"Evil spirits invading?" Concubine Liu took a step back and said in panic, "What do you mean? Is there still evil spirits in this palace? Taoist priest, please don't talk nonsense."

The Queen Mother interrupted her: "Don't be rude to the Taoist priest." She looked at Taoist priest Chongxu and spoke more politely than Concubine Liu. "Master, what's going on?"

"Please rest assured, Queen Mother, this evil spirit did not grow in the palace. Your Majesty is the supreme ruler, and you have a real dragon protecting you, so you are immune to evil. If there is any evil spirit in the palace, it will only slowly dissipate and will not become a big problem."

Hearing him say this, Concubine Liu breathed a sigh of relief. Then, she remembered something and asked, "Where did Concubine Li attract the evil spirit from? She didn't leave the palace."

"May I ask..." Taoist Chongxu asked, "Has Concubine Li seen anyone from outside the palace in the past few days?"

There is no evil spirit in the palace. The evil spirit came from outside the palace. Concubine Li cannot leave the palace, and neither can the people around her. The only possibility is that she has met someone.

Lipin stared at Taoist Chongxu blankly, and said weakly: "I have met..." She said to Emperor Hong Xiao: "I have met my sister Shuran before."

Ji Shuran was surprised for a moment, then she knelt down quickly and said, "I did meet Concubine Li a few days ago. We chatted about family matters and stayed for half a day before returning. I...I don't know what happened. I have absolutely no intention of murdering the Concubine. Your Majesty, please understand!"

Her panic didn't seem fake, and Lipin straightened up with difficulty, saying, "I can guarantee that my sister will never harm me." "Yes, yes, yes," Chen Jishi seemed to have just come to her senses, and knelt down and said, "Madam Lipin and Madam Jiang are biological sisters, and they have always had a good relationship. How could they harm others? Your Majesty must investigate this clearly!"

Emperor Hong Xiao frowned: "I haven't said anything yet, why are you so busy kneeling?" He asked: "Master Chongxu, do you have any questions?"

Taoist Chongxu stared at Ji Shuran.

His eyes were sharp, like a sword. Ji Shuran was a little scared by his gaze and could not help but step back. The next moment, Taoist Chongxu sighed, walked up to Ji Shuran, and said, "This lady is haunted by evil spirits. On the surface, she looks healthier than Concubine Li, but in fact, the evil spirits have already entered her body. If she stays here any longer, I'm afraid her life will be in danger."

"What?" Ji Shuran was shocked when she heard this, and said in confusion, "Master, please speak frankly."

"I don't know where Madam has attracted such evil spirits. It seems that only by staying with evil spirits every day can it penetrate so deeply. Has anything strange happened in Madam's house?"

Ji Shuran shook her head: "Never."

"Master," Lipin propped herself up and said, "You mean, my sister is also infected with evil spirits? Was it brought from my sister's house?"

"Nine out of ten." Taoist Master Kongxu stroked his long beard and said, "Think about it carefully. Is there really nothing strange happening in your mansion? Or are there any strange people?"

Ji Shuran thought about it again, and suddenly her face looked strange. This expression fell on everyone's eyes, and Chen Ji asked: "Shuran, what did you think of?"

Ji Shuran stammered, "No... nothing." She seemed to have difficulty speaking, and anyone with a discerning eye could see that she didn't seem to want to say it.

Concubine Liu had had enough of watching the fun. She had also sent several nieces to the palace, but Emperor Hong Xiao only favored Concubine Li, leaving her nieces useless. She thought Concubine Li was going to die today, so she rushed over, but it was all in vain. She also thought that the current queen was not as favored as Concubine Li, and was simply a decoration. Now that Concubine Li had survived the disaster, she was afraid that she would be able to walk sideways in the palace for a while.

Concubine Liu said, "I don't know what you are hiding." She snorted, said hello to the Queen Mother and Emperor Hong Xiao, and went back to her own palace. Concubine Liu has always been arrogant and domineering, just like Princess Yongning, so no one dared to say anything about her.

After Concubine Liu left, Lipin also urged Ji Shuran, "Shuran, what are you struggling for? Just now you clearly had something on your mind but refused to say it. His Majesty is here too, and he will help you if there is anything."

Ji Shuran thought for a moment, shook her head firmly, and said, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty, but nothing special has happened in my house. As for the evil spirit, I don't know where it came from. Living under the same roof with evil spirits is extremely frightening. I don't know what went wrong."

"If it is inconvenient for Madam to speak out," Taoist Chongxu murmured, "you can take me to your house. I will naturally know what went wrong after I take a walk around your house."

"This..." Ji Shuran was stunned, and Lipin had already taken over the conversation for her. Lipin said: "The Taoist priest will go to Jiang's house. If he sees the evil spirit, he can naturally help to exorcise it. If he doesn't see it, just treat it as a visit, and everyone will be happy. Your Majesty..." She looked at Emperor Hong Xiao: "Can you approve it?"

"Yes." Emperor Hong Xiao said to Taoist Chongxu, "Master, please go to the Jiang family and take a look for Madam Jiang to find out what went wrong."

Taoist Chongxu agreed, and Ji Shuran quickly expressed his gratitude.

"I will go back to the mansion today and explain the matter to the master clearly. Tomorrow I will gather everyone in the mansion to welcome the Taoist priest. This will prevent the evil spirit from being missed." Ji Shuran said.

"Okay." Taoist Chongxu nodded.

The matter was settled. Half an incense stick later, Lipin's face looked much better than before, and she was more energetic. Everyone praised Taoist Chongxu as a god. Although the Queen Mother worshipped Buddha, she also treated Taoist masters like Chongxu with courtesy. After Taoist Chongxu took care of everything for Lipin, he went to the Cining Palace to pray for blessings and purification according to the Queen Mother's instructions.

Ji Shuran and Chen Jishi also left. Because she had to discuss this matter with Jiang Yuanbo, Ji Shuran was absent-minded when she left, and it was Chen Jishi who helped her get on the carriage.

After leaving the palace, Chen Jishi sat in the carriage. Seeing that there were no outsiders here, Ji Shuran swept away her confusion. She took the tea handed to her by the maid, took a sip, and said, "It's done."

"You and my elder sister did something without consulting me beforehand." Chen Ji complained, "Fortunately I guessed it, so I could accompany you in this drama."

"It happened so suddenly, how could I have had time to tell you?" Ji Shuran shook her head: "I was just forced into a hurry by Jiang Li. I always felt that if I didn't get rid of her quickly, I was afraid that something big would happen. Don't blame me for being cruel if she did it on the first day of the month and I did it on the fifteenth day of the month."

"There shouldn't be any evidence left this time," Chen Ji also said, "Eldest sister has always been prudent in her actions."

The two were silent for a while, and Chen Jishi said, "I saw today that the emperor still cares about my elder sister."

"That's right," Ji Shuran said, "I heard from the servants in the palace when I came here that the most favored person in the entire palace is still the eldest sister. With her means and scheming, it won't be difficult for her to consolidate her position."

"But she has no son." Chen Ji's words made Ji Shuran silent.

Not having a son is a fatal flaw for a woman in an ordinary house at this time, not to mention a place like the palace. Not having a son means one less bargaining chip, which means one more danger for herself.

"Father is already looking for daughters of the right age from other distant relatives of the Ji family." Chen Ji said, "If you can't have another son, I'm afraid this favor from father won't last long, and he will have to send a few daughters to the palace."

Ji Shuran frowned: "Big sister has paid so much, and these Ji family women are openly sharing her achievements. Will big sister be willing?"

"So what if she's unwilling?" Chen Ji sighed, "As long as she is the daughter of the Ji family, she has to consider the overall situation. The same goes for you and me."

Ji Shuran stopped talking.

In the palace, the imperial physician came to see Lipin and prescribed several prescriptions for her. Hongzhu took people to boil the medicine, and Emperor Hong Xiao stayed in the side hall and sat beside Lipin's bed.

"Your Majesty has pity on me and ordered Taoist Chongxu to come and examine me. He saved my life again. I am extremely grateful." Concubine Li said.

Because she looked haggard, she did not put on any makeup, but she looked pure and plain. Emperor Hong Xiao comforted her, "You are my woman, and I certainly cannot let anything happen to you."

Lipin leaned her head on Emperor Hongxiao's shoulder and whispered, "I know that the whole country cannot covet gods and ghosts. Your Majesty is willing to do this for me... I am satisfied with my life. Even if I die now, I have nothing to regret."

"What nonsense are you talking about." Emperor Hong Xiao scolded with a smile, his tone full of doting. Lipin leaned against him, could hear his gentle words but could not see his cold eyes.

There is not even a trace of warmth.

……

When Ji Shuran returned to the Jiang Mansion, she did not come back alone. Chen Jishi sent her back. When Tong'er told Jiang Li about this, Jiang Li was reading a book at the table. In fact, she was not reading it. Her mind was full of the shocking secrets that Ji Heng told her yesterday, and the conversation with Aunt Hu during the day.

"I heard that when Ji came back, she couldn't even walk steadily, and it was Chen Ji who helped her down." Bai Xue said, "Why did she become so weak? Did she get beaten in the palace?"

"How is that possible? Concubine Li is her elder sister. If she was beaten in the palace, it can only mean one thing." Tong'er said.

"What's the matter?" Bai Xue asked curiously.

Tong'er answered quickly: "Lipin has fallen out of favor!"

Tong'er couldn't help laughing. Jiang Li also found it funny and scolded, "Where did you learn these indecent words? You dare to say anything."

Tong'er glanced proudly and said, "But speaking of which, what on earth did Ji Shi go to the palace for? How did she end up like this? Is she trying to make the master feel bad by inflicting pain on him?"

Jiang Li looked deeply: "What else can I do? Just pretend."

Ji Shuran's actions were faster than she had imagined, so fast that even Jiang Li was a little confused. She didn't know whether Ji Shuran was really too afraid of her and couldn't wait to get rid of her, or whether the Lipin who was helping in the palace was just such a vigorous and resolute person, not giving her a chance to breathe, and pressing forward step by step, wanting to kill her.

But this time, we don’t know who died.

"Master Chongxu is here?" On the other side, Jiang Yuanbo was stunned after hearing the whole story, and then frowned: "Nonsense, what evil spirit! How could there be an evil spirit in our house!"

Jiang Yuanbai was not a person who believed in ghosts and gods, so he subconsciously rejected what Ji Shuran said. Seeing this, Chen Ji said, "Sir Jiang, the emperor personally said that Taoist Chongxu should come to the mansion to exorcise the evil spirits. If you are dissatisfied with the emperor's decision, you might as well go to the palace in person and talk to the emperor. It's not right for you to lose your temper with Shuran."

Ji Shuran just twisted her handkerchief nervously.

Jiang Yuanbo was very dissatisfied. Among Ji Shuran's sisters, he didn't like Chen Jishi very much. Chen Jishi was too strong and often didn't know how to bow her head to show goodwill. When Ji Shuran just got married, Chen Jishi relied on her status as Ji Shuran's sister to interfere in the affairs of the Jiang family. Now that Ji Yanlin's career is more prosperous, Chen Jishi is like a more powerful backer, and she is more fearless.

"Brother, you are just confused." Jiang Yuanping came out with a smile to smooth things over. He said, "So, it is the emperor's order for Taoist Chongxu to come to the mansion to exorcise the evil spirits."

"That's right," Chen Ji said in a bad tone, "This is not just for the Jiang family. Lipin in the palace was almost killed by the evil spirit in your house. She is the queen in the palace! If anything happens to Lipin, you, Lord Jiang, will not be able to escape punishment. So, this matter can be regarded as seeking justice for Lipin."

Jiang Yuanbai was furious. She was just a woman, but she was being treated as if she was some great person. Moreover, she hadn't given birth to a prince yet, and it was unknown how many years she would be favored. She might be banished to the cold palace in a few days. However, he still smiled and said, "Since it is the emperor's decree, I will obey it."

It was said with full sarcasm. Not for Lipin, but because it was an imperial decree, he had to do it!

(End of this chapter)