Chapter 686

February 2, the dragon raises its head.

The matriarch, early in the morning, led all the ladies of the Marshal's Mansion to the temple to burn incense and pray for blessings.

It is said this has been a tradition maintained for many years.

Wherever the Marshal went to battle, the matriarch would burn incense and pray at nearby temples, donating oil money.

It is said that because the matriarch is a Buddhist, she knows that in times of war, a figure like the Marshal inevitably bears too much killing karma, and she does this to accumulate merit for him through her actions.

The Second Young Lady also went along; I took a day off, went straight home to see my parents, had to return before dark, and had class the next day.

But before it got dark, bad news arrived.

The bandits that Zhao Zixun had previously wiped out with his troops somehow had a few survivors who sprang from nowhere, waylaid the Marshal's Mansion's carriage mid-road; the escort fought desperately, ultimately protecting the convoy, but casualties were not few.

The Second Young Lady unfortunately perished.

Upon hearing the news, I rushed nonstop to the Marshal's Mansion.

But when I arrived at the Marshal's Mansion, I saw no corpse at all.

The bodies of the other servants, those with families were sent home for funeral rites, those without were properly buried—this is all reasonable.

But what about the Second Young Lady's body?

The Marshal's Mansion showed no sign of mourning at all; the whole household kept silent, as if the Second Young Lady had never existed.

I was grief-stricken to the point that I once felt my months of association with the Second Young Lady were merely a fleeting dream.

But the severance compensation the steward pressed into my hand told me everything was real.

The Second Young Lady was once a living person!

Leaving the Marshal's Mansion, I was utterly dispirited.

Had my parents not come to fetch me, worried, I would not have known how to make my way back.

That night I wept for a long time; my mother stayed with me, comforting me, and only with difficulty did I finally fall asleep, yet I was plagued by nightmares.

I woke from the dream, clutching the quilt and leaning against the headboard, but my mind remained filled with the dream's scene.

I dreamed the Second Young Lady, covered in blood, reached out her hand to me, begging me to hurry and find Zhao Zixun to have him save her.

I also dreamed that at her deathbed, the Second Young Lady kept urging me: 'Wanwan, help me deliver this sash to General Zhao, tell him… I… I love him…'

Because of that dream, after dawn I went again to the Marshal's Mansion, wanting to find Zhao Zixun and also to obtain the sash embroidered by the Second Young Lady, but alas I was no longer the mansion's tutor and was ruthlessly barred from the gates.

I also never got to see Zhao Zixun.

With such a major incident, he was busy handling the aftermath.

I kept watch at the Marshal's Mansion gate for five days, never managing to see the person I wanted; eventually my body gave out, I fainted, and my parents brought me home.

I fell ill.

Bowl after bowl of medicinal decoction was poured down me, yet there was no improvement.

The doctor said this is a heart ailment; if the heart sickness is not removed, even immortal pills and divine medicines would be of no use.

On the night of the Second Young Lady's seventh day after death, I had another dream.

In the dream, I saw her dressed in a Red Wedding Dress, eyes full of tears fixed on me.

Her lips moved, but no sound came out; her eyes were filled with a plea for rescue.

I finally read her lips and understood she was saying: 'Wanwan, save me…'

I must have truly fallen into a heart demon, for I slipped out of my house in the dead of night and headed straight for the Marshal's Mansion.

By the time I arrived, it was already midnight.

From afar I saw a wedding procession emerging from the rear gate of the Marshal's Mansion.

This wedding procession looked exceedingly strange.

The leading drum and music troupe made motions but emitted no sound.

The eight bearers lifted not a bridal sedan, but a red-lacquered coffin.

Behind them followed two wedding parties: one dressed all in red, very festive; the other clad in mourning hemp…

At that moment I was completely stunned, and it took a while before I came to.

I almost instantly realized that the red coffin held the Second Young Lady's corpse!

The Second Young Lady is dead, yet the Marshal's Mansion does not announce a funeral, but at midnight of her seventh day they intend to… marry her off?

Who are they trying to marry her to?!

No! Absolutely not!

The Second Young Lady loves Zhao Zixun; if she must marry, it should be to Zhao Zixun.

Even if we cannot be husband and wife, I believe the Second Young Lady would also wish her spirit tablet to be enshrined in Zhao Zixun's home!

In my stupor, the wedding procession had already gone far.

I sprang to my feet and gave chase.

The wedding procession had not gone far before turning into another residence.

Seeing the red coffin about to be lifted into that residence's main gate, I opened my mouth to speak.

At that moment, a hand reached from behind, covered my mouth, restrained my body, and dragged me into a dark place.

I struggled desperately, and a familiar voice sounded in my ear: 'Fu Wan, it's me, Zhao Zixun.'

I immediately froze.

Zhao Zixun, however, did not release me; instead he lowered his voice and said: 'This matter is not something we can stop, Fu Wan. Remember, tonight you never came here, you saw nothing amiss, and above all do not spread rumors or investigate further—if you can do that, just nod.'

I did not want to nod.

But if I did not agree, he would not let go.

We remained locked in that stance for a while, and I watched helplessly as the red coffin was carried through the gate, the wedding procession hurrying back.

I saw the plaque above that residence's gate, with flourishing dragon-and-phoenix characters reading 'Huang Mansion'.

I really want to know what exactly happened, and right now, only Zhao Zixun can give me the answer.

I finally had no choice but to nod. When Zhao Zixun loosened his grip on me, I immediately turned around, grabbed his lapel, and demanded: "Who lives in the Huang Manor? Why was the Second Young Lady's coffin brought into the Huang Manor in the form of a wedding procession? Why hasn't the Marshal's Mansion issued a mourning notice? Zhao Zixun, give me an answer!"

Zhao Zixun gripped my shoulders to calm me: "Fu Wan, this is the Marshal's order, even the Senior Lady has acquiesced. What do you think? Even if you knew the truth, what could you change with your abilities? This will only bring you a deadly disaster."

"Fu Wan, if you trust me, listen to me, go home, get a good night's sleep, forget everything you saw tonight, and start a new life…"

"I can't!" I shoved Zhao Zixun away and lowly growled at him: "Zhao Zixun, the Second Young Lady appeared in my dream, begging me to save her! She also asked me in the dream to tell you that she loves you—let's rescue her, okay? At least retrieve her corpse, give her a proper burial, and let her rest in peace, okay?"

Zhao Zixun shook his head: "Fu Wan, I'll see you home."

When he came over again to grab me, I noticed the sachet hanging from his waist and seized it: "Look, you've always been wearing the sachet she gave you, so you must like her too, right? Zhao Zixun, can you really stand by and watch your beloved meet such a fate without feeling anything?!"

Zhao Zixun froze for a moment, then he took off the sachet and shoved it into my hand, saying: "I've always worn the sachet because I recognized the stitching as yours, not for any other reason…"