Chapter 135 Practice
It was already evening when Jiang Li received the news from Jiang Yuanbo.

Jiang Yuanbai did not directly say that a Taoist priest would come to exorcise evil spirits tomorrow, but he did say that everyone in the Jiang Mansion must not leave the mansion tomorrow and must stay inside.

Jiang Li knew what this meant even with her eyes closed. It was nothing more than catching a turtle in a jar. When all the people were present, it would be convenient for the Taoist Chongxu to identify who was the "evil spirit". However, Jiang Li also looked at Ji Shuran with a new eye this time. She knew that it was not right to find a Taoist priest to come to the mansion to exorcise evil spirits for no reason, so she went in the name of Lipin. In this way, from a public perspective, the Jiang family must obey the orders of Emperor Hong Xiao. From a private perspective, Lipin had been murdered by someone using the same method many years ago, so it was reasonable for Lipin to have such thoughts.

Jiang Li stood in front of the window and blew the whistle. This time, she didn't avoid Tong'er and Bai Xue - they would eventually get used to the shocking things they did. Zhao Ke appeared in the room calmly.

Tong'er and Bai Xue were startled. Seeing Jiang Li's calmness, it was obvious that she had done this more than once or twice. They didn't know what expression to use at this moment. They just looked at Jiang Li and asked Zhao Ke: "Have you arranged for the person with outstanding ventriloquism skills?"

"It's arranged," Zhao Ke said, "He will replace a servant in the mansion and will be on guard in the yard tomorrow."

Jiang Li heard this and asked curiously, "How can we replace him? Won't the manager notice that the person is different?"

Zhao Ke only said two words: "Disguise."

Jiang Li suddenly realized, and felt that Ji Heng's subordinates were really powerful. She thought that things like disguise were just a story in the book. To really do it, it was as difficult as ascending to heaven. Zhao Ke saw Jiang Li's expression, and seemed to know what she was thinking, and explained: "It is difficult to disguise normally, but the servant we found is an ordinary person in the Jiang Mansion. He is usually not noticeable and no one pays too much attention to him. Even if there is something different, it will not be noticed. If you disguise yourself as someone who is slightly noticed, you will be discovered immediately."

Jiang Li said, "I see." She felt a little regretful and was thinking that maybe she could use this method to take a shortcut, but now she had to give up the idea.

Tong'er and Bai Xue saw that Jiang Li was talking to the man in black naturally, and they also realized that the man in black seemed to be working for Jiang Li. Although they were afraid, they still said, "Miss, if that charlatan really wants to identify you tomorrow, will the master really sit back and do nothing?"

Jiang Li did not hide it from the two maids, and told them what Ji Shuran might plan for tomorrow. She would most likely be accused of being a demon that harmed the family. The two maids were worried about the handkerchief until now, and since Zhao Ke was still there, they could not help but ask this question.

"Of course." Jiang Li answered frankly.

"But you... you are his daughter after all." Bai Xue couldn't accept it. If someone said she was an evil creature in her hometown, her parents and brothers would definitely not believe it.

"Master Chongxu is a master." Jiang Li was not sad at all. She even smiled and comforted him: "Since he is a master, he must have a good reputation among the people. What he said will naturally be regarded as the truth. Even if my father is not a person who believes in ghosts and gods, Ji Shuran must have come prepared. There are too many doubts about me. If there is no way to explain it clearly, the only way to explain it clearly is that I am a monster."

"How is that possible!" Tong'er blurted out: "Why do they say that?"

Jiang Li's smile faded a little: "Tong'er, not everyone is like you, living with me for eight years. I have been away from the Jiang family for too long, and this little bit of family affection and guilt is really too meager. I can't deny its existence, but I know that it is very fragile and can't stand the test."

Zhao Ke, who had been listening silently, looked at Jiang Li in surprise. She was only fifteen or sixteen years old, but she seemed to have no hope for human nature. She was the most indulgent and tolerant of her own family. On the surface, she seemed to be indifferent, but in fact, she was cold. She was very similar to her own master. But her own master had such a temperament because of his background. Although Miss Jiang was also very pitiful, she would not be to this extent.

It was as if he had finally attained enlightenment.

Jiang Li looked at him, and he quickly lowered his head again.

"Miss, I think Taoist Chongxu is capable of such a thing, so he must not be a real master, but a charlatan. Moreover, he has treated Lipin before, so he might have been her man for a long time. Tomorrow, shall we... shall we expose his true face?"

Jiang Li said: "No hurry. Of course, a slap in the face should be done under the watchful eyes of the public. But you are right, Taoist Chongxu is a charlatan."

Zhao Ke got the news quickly. Although Taoist Chongxu was quite famous in Yanjing City, he came to Yanjing City many years ago because he was involved in a murder case. When he was in his hometown, he had an affair with a married woman. He was discovered by the woman's husband and killed her during the argument. He and the woman buried the man and fled overnight. He hid his identity along the way and later met the wandering Taoist Chongxu. He pretended to practice Taoism and became his disciple.

The Taoist priest died in a battle. Chongxu borrowed his master's name and came to Yanjing City. From then on, he cheated people in Yanjing City. He was very good at deceiving people and looked like an immortal. Many people really thought he was a master. Later, after he became famous, he encountered the Lipin incident.

Although it is difficult to investigate the matter of Lipin now, Jiang Li guessed that it might have been manipulated by Lipin. The concubine who framed Lipin at that time was competing fiercely with Lipin and was also quite favored by the emperor. If it were not for the matter of the art of defeating evil, it is hard to say what position she would have won now. Just because of the appearance of Taoist Chongxu, the biggest enemy of Lipin in the harem at that time disappeared just like that.

This might not be a tacit conspiracy between Taoist Chongxu and Concubine Li, but Taoist Chongxu was really too bold to even get involved in such harem affairs.

"Since Lipin believes in Taoist Chongxu so much, and both times she was saved by Taoist Chongxu, everyone in the palace knows it. This way, when Taoist Chongxu's identity is discovered, Lipin will be even more ashamed. She also needs to explain to the emperor why this is so?"

"The most important thing is that I have to make Ji Shuran regret it." Jiang Li said gently, "Ji Shuran is not asking for help, this is inviting a wolf into the house. I want her to play with fire and get burned. Because of this expert, she will be exposed. Then, let her know that this expert is fake."

Zhao Ke's heart shuddered, he felt that the seemingly gentle and harmless Second Miss Jiang's methods of torturing people were not as kind as she looked.

It’s better to avoid trouble.

……

The second day arrived quickly.

On this day, Jiang Li got up at a perfect time, neither too early nor too late. Unfortunately, the weather today was extremely bad. It always snowed heavily in winter in Yanjing City. It didn't snow today, but when she got up early in the morning, the sky was very gloomy, with thick black clouds pressing down on the sky, almost hanging on the roof of the house. It was so depressing that it was clearly morning, but it was as gloomy as evening.

Tong'er hid in the house and looked outside, whispering, "This weather is too weird." She felt a little uneasy. Today was the day when Taoist Chongxu brought people to Jiang Mansion to "exorcise evil spirits". Although she had been prepared for a long time, Tong'er still couldn't completely let go of her worry, as she was still a little scared.

In comparison, Jiang Li seemed much calmer. She even asked Bai Xue to put a bun on her head. She was pretty and beautiful, which made her look more like a lotus fairy child in the fairyland. Tong'er pondered her for a long time before shaking her head and sighing, "If Ji and that Taoist priest really accused the girl of being a monster, it would be hard to convince people. How could there be such a monster? Aren't the monsters in the storybooks all wearing bright clothes, and they seduce people as soon as they appear, making people lose their minds?"

Bai Xue heard it and answered seriously: "The one you are talking about is Duke Su."

Zhao Ke, who was hiding in the dark, was listening to the noises in the room out of boredom. He almost fell to the ground when he heard the words. He stared at the mansion, not knowing what to say. He was the only master in the world! If the little maid talked about him here, if the words were spread to the Duke's Mansion, I wonder if the master would want to strangle the person who was talking inside to death.

Jiang Li was also stunned when she heard Bai Xue's words. When she came to her senses, she couldn't help but burst out laughing and said, "What you said makes sense."

Ji Heng is good at bewitching people. You should know that the first time you saw Ji Heng sitting on the eaves of the nunnery, it was the season when peach blossoms were in full bloom. A peach-colored mist was spreading everywhere, and he sat there in a leisurely manner. He was so beautiful that he was almost mean, and Tong'er almost thought he was a flower demon.

At that time, she recognized who Ji Heng was at a glance, and was still wondering why Ji Heng would come to such a place. Now it seems like a lifetime ago. She had long since left Qingcheng Mountain, and her relationship with Ji Heng had become a delicate balance. They were not friends, but they were definitely not enemies. They both knew that they could not get any closer, because it would be dangerous if they got any closer, and the future was unknown, so they kept it that way.

Things in the world play tricks on people.

"Let's eat something first." Jiang Li smiled slightly: "Master Chongxu is coming, we have to wait for a while."

When an expert is present, he is used to putting on airs. Especially this expert who has been to the palace and saved Lipin's life twice. If he comes too quickly, it will seem like he is rushing to get ahead and lose face. Although Jiang Li didn't quite understand, she didn't care.

"Miss, the things you want have been arranged." Bai Xue said, "They are all placed in the grass in the garden. Brother Zhao has replaced all the ones left by Ji Shuran's people."

"Okay." Jiang Li smiled: "I can rest assured now."

……

An hour later, the maidservant beside Old Madam Jiang came over and asked Jiang Li to go to Wanfeng Hall.

Seeing that it was almost time, Jiang Li took her cloak and went to Wanfeng Hall with Tong'er and Baixue.

Before I even reached Wanfeng Hall, I heard Jiang Jingrui's voice coming from inside, saying, "Tsk, our house is fine, why are we exorcising evil? What evil is there to exorcise? It's inexplicable."

Then came Lu's voice to stop him: "Jingrui, shut up, this is His Majesty's order."

Jiang Jingrui remained silent.

Jiang Li walked in, and the discussions inside stopped abruptly. Everyone looked at her.

Jiang Youyao stood beside Ji Shuran, and the nanny was holding Jiang Bingji. Lu and Jiang Yuanping from the second room had arrived, and it was hard to tell what they thought about this. Jiang Jingyou was still the fat man with a smile, just like Jiang Yuanbo. As for the third room, the whole room was much quieter. I don’t know if it was because of Jiang Yu’e, but now the relationship between the third room and the other two rooms has become very awkward. Even when they meet, they don’t talk much. Jiang Yuyan was cowardly and timid. She just glanced at Jiang Li and quickly looked away, looking down at her toes.

In addition, the master of the mansion today, including the concubines and maids of each room, big and small, favored and unfavored, all issued a ban last night, and no one in the mansion, including servants and maids, was allowed to leave the mansion. It seems that this is to ensure that Taoist Chongxu can perform his duties.

Jiang Li also saw Aunt Hu.

Aunt Hu stood alone outside the crowd with her only maid holding a zither, as if she had been forgotten, looking particularly pitiful. The thin cotton robe she wore was already old and yellow, and she did not have any jewelry. Among the young concubines, if no one spoke, she would definitely be mistaken for a servant serving Aunt Hu.

Her eyes briefly crossed with Jiang Li's in the air, then quickly left and fell into the void. She always looked so dazed, and people were willing to show her sympathy and tolerance. They were all hysterical people with unclear minds, so what else could they ask her to do?

But Jiang Li knew that the opportunity that Aunt Hu had been waiting for for so many years was coming. Only Jiang Li saw the pleasure and expectation that flashed across Aunt Hu's lips.

They are all waiting for the truth to be revealed and the day of revenge.

"A Li," Jiang Yuanbai said, "Today is the day when Taoist Chongxu comes to the mansion to exorcise evil spirits. Everyone in the mansion must go through this." He explained. Jiang Li's face showed a hint of surprise, and she seemed a little puzzled, but she didn't ask any more questions. She nodded quickly and said, "I know, father."

Jiang Youyao wanted to say a few words to Jiang Li, as she had always disliked Jiang Li. However, Ji Shuran had warned her in advance today not to cause trouble, so she didn't need to say a word, as someone would naturally come to deal with Jiang Li.

Ji Shuran's thoughts were also very simple. Although she was the one who set up the situation today, she was not the mastermind from beginning to end. Whether it was Lipin who suddenly fell ill in the palace, or Taoist Chongxu who came to Beijing by chance, the people who came here step by step to exorcise the evil spirits were all accidental. In other words, Jiang Li was a weird little hoof. If Taoist Chongxu failed this time, he would definitely not blame her. Because this matter had nothing to do with her.

Of course, Taoist Chongxu will definitely not fail.

At this moment, the servant outside came to report: "Master, Taoist Chongxu has arrived."

Madam Jiang said, "Let's go out and take a look."

This was the first time Jiang Li met Taoist Master Chongxu. Speaking of which, when she was in Qingcheng Mountain, she also met many masters in the temples and nunneries. For example, the beautiful monk Liaowu was handsome, but noble and had no evil spirit. It was also sad that after the incident between him and Master Jing'an, it was unbelievable. This Taoist Master Chongxu was born with a sense of mystery.

He was wearing a Taoist robe and cloth shoes, and he looked good. More importantly, he looked very righteous. The moment Jiang Li saw Taoist Master Kongxu, she seemed to understand why when Concubine Li was "murdered" by someone using the art of aversion, Taoist Master Chongxu discovered the clues, but no one in the palace suspected that Taoist Master Chongxu was a liar. It was just because people's eyes are easily deceived by appearance, and Taoist Master Kongxu happened to have a confusing face.

After Taoist Chongxu entered the Jiang family's gate, he remained neither humble nor overbearing when faced with Old Madam Jiang and such a large group of people. He only asked the little Taoist boy beside him to set up the Taoist platform.

The little Taoist boy agreed and went. Taoist Master Jiang Yuanbo Chongxu greeted him and said, "Master, you have come here specially to exorcise the evil spirits in your house today. I am very grateful."

"Master Jiang, there is no need to be so polite." Taoist Chongxu responded: "This is my job."

"You really know how to exorcise evil spirits?" Jiang Jingrui crossed his arms and said provocatively, "You're not a liar, are you? There are a lot of liars like this in Yanjing City, like the kind that tell fortunes on the street. Eight out of ten of them are fake."

"Jingrui!" Lu hit him on the back. It was fine that the little bully of the Jiang family was outspoken, but this was a Taoist priest recognized by the emperor and the lifesaver of Lipin. If this was told to Lipin, and Lipin whispered something to Emperor Hong Xiao, what would happen if Jiang Jingrui didn't tell and Jiang Jingyou wanted to enter the officialdom? Even though Lipin was a member of the Ji family, Lu knew that she and Ji Shuran didn't get along, so how could Ji Shuran think well of her?
Thinking about it, she felt aggrieved and could only sulk in her anger.

Jiang Yuanping had no choice but to come out to smooth things over, saying, "My son is ignorant, I hope the Taoist priest will forgive me. I'm sorry for making fun of him."

"Nothing." Taoist Chongxu looked cheerful and said with a smile, "Your son is so straightforward and honest, which is very rare."

Jiang Jingrui snorted and turned away. Jiang Li looked at Taoist Chongxu. This man was very good at talking. No wonder he could coax Lipin into praising him. After all, this man made a lot of reputation in Yanjing City by relying on Lipin, and it was also his own merit. Looking at this appearance, he was bright and handsome. If he learned some other skills, he might be another Jiang Yuanbai.

Jiang Li found it funny.

Taoist Chongxu didn't even look at Jiang Li. He just stared at his own Taoist platform. His expression became more serious. He said to Jiang Yuanbai, "Master Jiang, to be honest, when I saw your wife in the palace last time, I felt that Madam Jiang was corroded by evil spirit. That's why I had the idea of ​​coming to the Jiang family to take a look. Today, before I even arrived at your house, I found out..." He hesitated and didn't say anything else.

Before Madam Jiang could speak, Ji Shuran could not help but ask, "What did the Taoist find out?"

"There is a dark cloud lingering in the sky above your mansion. I'm afraid there is a great evil. If it is not removed, there will be a bloody disaster."

"Ah." Jiang Youyao screamed in fright. Jiang Yuyan was also a little scared, but she just stood behind Yang, with only half of her body exposed, and her eyes looked a little uneasy.

Everyone was silent for a moment.

Originally, as for the matter of gods and ghosts, there are either believers or non-believers. But in fact, there are only a few people like Jiang Yuanbo who do not believe in ghosts and gods. Most people still believe in them, especially timid women.

In addition, Taoist Chongxu's words were very convincing and did not seem to be false, so some people believed him to some extent.

"Master, are you saying that there is an evil spirit in our house?" Mrs. Lu asked, "But nothing strange has ever happened in our house."

"Just because it hasn't happened doesn't mean it doesn't happen," Taoist Chongxu swept his eyes over everyone in the yard, not even the servants and maids. Those who were noticed by Taoist Chongxu couldn't help but lower their heads, not daring to look directly at him, for fear that this master would say that they were also possessed by evil spirits.

"Looking at the black air in your house, the evil spirit must have existed in your house for a while. I heard from Madam that no strange things have happened in your house, and it seems that no one has died recently." Taoist Chongxu frowned, pondered for a while, and then said: "Therefore, this evil thing has been lurking in the house for a while, but not for a long time. If it exceeds a year, the evil spirit will take shape and ruin the family fortune of the house, and there will be a bloody disaster. In other words, everyone in your house may be in danger of losing their lives."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's heart felt cold again.

"Then... why did the evil spirit appear in the mansion out of nowhere?" Ji Shuran asked: "As the Taoist priest said, it seems that the evil spirit has been here for less than a year. Could it be that it was brought in from outside?"

"That's very possible." Taoist Chongxu waved his whisk and said, "Maybe someone invited them from outside, or maybe someone brought something unclean, which attracted the evil creatures above to follow their trail."

Everyone looked at each other.

Jiang Li just watched coldly. With this alone, she could only coax the servants and at most make people panic, but she couldn't make them completely believe in Taoist Chongxu. At least Jiang Yuanbai didn't have a look of disbelief on his face at this moment. Jiang Li knew that this was not only because Jiang Yuanbai didn't believe in ghosts and gods, but also because Jiang Yuanbai thought that Chen Ji's meddling in the Jiang family's affairs was a slap in his face.

But there is no difference.

Lu asked: "Master, what should we do now?"

"Nothing." Taoist Chongxu said, "Let me first find out where the evil spirit came from."

At this moment, the platform had been set up, and the Taoist boy put the peach wood sword, copper coins, red thread, cinnabar, yellow paper with strange runes, bells and other things back to their respective places. There was a square in the middle, with thin copper pillars inserted at the four corners, and red thread dyed with cinnabar was stretched between the pillars. It just formed a square, and under each thread, there was a small bell hanging.

There was no wind at the moment. Taoist Chongxu stood in the middle of the square, holding a long sword made of copper coins in one hand, sitting on the ground leaning against a Bagua mat, closing his eyes, and muttering something unknown.

Jiang Li watched this scene with interest. Xue Huaiyuan was also a person who did not believe in ghosts and gods. In the past, Tongxiang was poor, and there were only two barefoot doctors in the whole village. The poor people could not afford medicine. Sometimes when a child was seriously ill, they would go to the so-called "witch". Those witches would ask for compensation based on the family conditions of the poor, and all they could do was to "perform rituals" in people's homes, chant some incomprehensible things, and force people to drink talisman water mixed with incense ash. Xue Huaiyuan hated this kind of thing. You know, many children were delayed in the opportunity to treat their illnesses and died.

After Xue Huaiyuan took office in Tongxiang, he banned the emergence of such "fortune-tellers" in Tongxiang. At first, those fortune-tellers still secretly went to people's homes and did not change their bad habits. After Xue Zhao found out, he secretly played pranks on them, making those scams nowhere to hide. After many times, the people realized that the fortune-tellers were just tricks to deceive people, and they stopped being fooled.

Although Xue Huaiyuan always blamed Xue Zhao for being naughty, he always turned a blind eye to Xue Zhao's teasing of the witch. Seeing Taoist Chongxu like this, Jiang Li somehow recalled the past. She thought that if Xue Zhao was here, she didn't know what kind of prank he would come up with to make Taoist Chongxu reveal his true face.

But... her expression gradually grew colder. Xue Zhao was no longer around, and she would not interrupt Taoist Chongxu's "ritual" with a prank.

She had to watch him use all his tricks.

Taoist Chongxu muttered to himself for a while, and suddenly, for some reason, the bell hanging on the thin string stretched on the pillar began to move slowly.

There was no wind at the moment, and everyone standing in the yard could feel it clearly. But they just stared at the bell, which started with a slight shake, then gradually became faster and clear enough for everyone to hear, and it became louder and louder.

Jiang Youyao timidly grasped the corner of Ji Shuran's clothes. She didn't know what would happen today. She only knew that Jiang Li would be unlucky today, so she watched Jiang Li get into trouble with a gloating mood. She was a little scared when she heard Taoist Chongxu say that there was an evil spirit. Now, she was even more scared when she heard the bell ringing for no reason. She just felt that the yard was cold.

The weather today was strange, with dark clouds. The incense lit by the Taoist boy in the yard was even more spooky with the smoke. The servants couldn't help but stand a little closer, and even Tong'er and Baixue felt goose bumps on their backs.

Behind the crowd, Aunt Hu couldn't help but clench her fists. She felt sticky between her palms. She was too nervous and sweated too much. However, she was still uneasy and looked in the direction of Jiang Li again.

Then she saw Jiang Li standing beside Jiang Yuanbo, her expression still calm and gentle. She didn't know if it was the light of the burning fire that illuminated her face. Aunt Hu felt that there seemed to be a fire burning in the girl's dark eyes. She was not fierce or impulsive, but burning quietly.

Then burn it all.

The bell sound did not stop, but became louder and louder. At the same time, a gust of wind suddenly blew up from the flat ground. But this wind seemed to have its own rules. It blew for a while and then stopped.

Taoist Chongxu had already loosened his grip, but the copper coin sword did not fall down. Instead, it stood up tremblingly.

There was another round of exclamations from all around.

The copper coin sword is a treasure that can exorcise evil spirits and slay demons. Now it stood up in full view of everyone. Does it mean that there is really an evil spirit in the mansion?

This time, Jiang Yuanbai frowned.

Jiang Li sighed in her heart.

Without some special skills, how could Taoist Chongxu dare to deceive even the emperor? This magic trick is truly superb.

The next moment, the copper coin sword suddenly changed direction, with the tip of the sword pointing at Jiang Li, and rushed towards her!
　I feel so uncomfortable when I have a fever. I would like to remind you all that the weather is hot recently. Don’t turn the air conditioner down very low right after coming in from outside, otherwise you will end up like me…

　　
　
(End of this chapter)