Reborn: Revenge of the Concubine's Daughter

Chapter 262 Ruthless natural disaster with blood and tears

This abnormal celestial phenomenon shocked everyone, and Madam Luo could not care about Luo Baiqiong. She left her on the ground and ran up to ask He Danggui in a panic, “Yi, what’s the matter? How is the sky clearing up? Is this celestial phenomenon good or bad?”

Although Sun Meiniang was frightened, she reminded Madam Luo, “How does she know? She is only a young girl. Fortune-teller Li is waiting in the outer courtyard, let’s ask him to make a divination!”

Luo Baiying looked at the bright white sky outside. Although it was no different from daylight, it was more dazzling than the normal daytime sun. She expressed a more sensible thought, “Look at the sky. The sun suddenly brightened is not only in Luo’s Mansion, but the whole Yangzhou City. We don’t have to panic. This strange astronomical phenomenon will definitely attract the astronomy master of the Imperial Court to Yangzhou City and give an official statement. As for the sunny doll in front of the corridor,” she let out a sneer, “It’s just a coincidence. Don’t believe her.”

Madam Luo asked He Danggui for proof, “Is that so, Yi? You don’t know the changes of the astronomical phenomenon. Your doll is just a coincidence, isn’t it?” For some reason, she suddenly had a bad feeling, as her two eyelids twitching together.

He Danggui blinked her eyes innocently, “Whatever you say. Anyway, nobody trusts me, and I will soon be unjustly sentenced to death.” Then she bypassed the stunned servants and walked to her doll under the porch of the house. She took off the little white doll and put it in her sleeve. Then she came back and stood obediently. She said, “In my dream, my grandfather said that I have a catastrophe. Now it is confirmed. I know that it’s useless to resist. Madam Luo, you can punish me if you want.”

“You dreamed your grandfather?” Madam Luo was surprised, “When was it? Don’t scare me!”

Luo Chuangu was the most intense one, “Yiyi, if you talk nonsense anymore, there will be no place for your Fourth Branch in this house! Don’t even think about living in Sanqing Temple!” He suddenly waved his hand in annoyance and pointed at the people in the house, “Go! Go away! Go to sleep!”

Looking at her husband, Sun Meiniang thought that it was enough tonight, so she directed the servant Li Jiuguang’s wife, “Tie He Danggui and take her to the Depositary of Buddhist Texts. Ask the guard to be closely guarded. No one should be allowed to approach the depositary and give her water and food!”

He Danggui comforted Luo Baiji with a few words, and then obediently followed Li Jiuguang’s wife out of the ancestral hall. She lowered her head and waited to be bound.

The people in the ancestral hall were discussing what this unusual celestial phenomenon showed. They felt it suddenly went dark. Compared to the glorious sky before, there was only a faint candlelight in front of them, and they were dumbfounded. Suddenly, they heard a terrifying scream from the courtyard. They didn’t know what happened and looked at each other in fear. They wanted to take a look at the situation outside the house, but didn’t dare to go alone. Finally, some people went out hand in hand.

When the scene was illuminated by the lantern, several people backed away in amazement. It turned out that Li Jiuguang’s wife was rolling her bleeding and tearing eyes, and she rolled on the ground holding her left calf. She yelled so hard that people could not bear to listen, as if it was not her who was screaming, but her curved calf was screaming! However, Third Miss stood aside quietly with her face covered in white gauze. Her eyes were half-closed, as if everything around her had nothing to do with her.

Madam Luo and others waited anxiously in the ancestral hall. Luo Baiji wanted to rush out for the first time, but was stopped by Madam Luo. With a nervous gaze, the investigator came back carrying Li Jiuguang’s wife. Although her eyes did not seem to have suffered any trauma, a person who knew medical treatment would understand at a glance, that she was undoubtedly blind. Her calf bended out a big arc from the middle part. She was lame and fractured!

When all the people entered the door, He Danggui followed them in with her skirt floating like a lotus. When she looked up the people in the room, her clean and watery eyes were shining with cold light, glancing at everyone’s faces, like a real sword. But this kind of gaze was only for a moment, which made everyone wonder whether they had blurred vision... What kind of gaze was that! That was a ghostly look!

The room was silent for a long moment. Tick, tick, tick… It seemed that there was a clock in everyone’s heart.

Finally, Madam Luo spoke first, “Yi, Yi, what’s the matter? What happened to Li Jiuguang’s wife? And the sky, why is it suddenly dark again? This sunny and cloudy sky has nothing to do with your sunny doll, right?”

He Danggui drooped her eyelids and replied, “Madam Luo, the Sunny Doll is just a doll used to pray for blessings. I used it to pray for the Luo’s Family, grandfather and families, and it is not a magical tool for the immortal in the sky. How can it have anything to do with the darkness and the dawn? As for Aunt Li... just now she was going to tie me with the rope down the steps, but the sky suddenly got dark. I was frightened, holding my head and squatting on the side. I don’t know what’s going on. When everyone lit the lantern, I was as surprised as everyone. How did Aunt Li’s leg break? Why did she go blind? It frightened me!” Her voice was calm and smooth, as if Aunt Li was the name of a bug, and it was okay for Aunt Li to be blind with a broken leg.

After that, there was another long silence. Sun Meiniang suddenly opened her eyes and shouted with one hand on her hip, “You are the murderer! You have a personal grievance with Li Jiuguang’s wife, so you made her eyes blind and crippled her leg under the cover of the sky darkened. You are inflicting bodily injury, and I will send you to the government for punishment!”

He Danggui smiled silently. People could not see her smiling lips, but only saw the white veil rolling over the ripples like wrinkled spring water. Luo Baiji came out again to defend her, “Second Aunt, how can you frame her up? What grudge does Third Sister have with Li Jiuguang’s wife? Last time, Li Jiuguang’s wife dropped a flower pot from the second floor, and almost killed Third Sister. I ordered the old servant to apologize to Third Sister, but she was so arrogant that she would not even kowtow to apologize. Third Sister just passed over her.”

Sun Meiniang gave a shrill laugh and clapped her hands, “Isn’t this a grudge? This is simply a deep grudge! This is her motive for the murder!” As she said, she had already regarded Li Jiuguang’s wife who was wailing as a dead body.

Ding Rong’s wife also immediately stood up to help, “Last year, Second Young Master Peng sent a batch of high-quality silk to Third Miss. There was so much silk in the Tao Yao Yard at night, and some silk was stolen by a theft. The theft was exactly Li Jiuguang’s wife. Third Miss, are you so forgetful?”

He Danggui laughed out loud, “How can I forget it? Qing’er asked Young Master Peng Jian to purchase it from the capital, but it was placed in my courtyard. If it is lost, I really don’t know how to explain to my friend. During the day, Bo He told me that there was a familiar aunt who was walking around the entrance of the courtyard and kept looking inside. I was afraid that there was something wrong, so I asked the girls who guarded at night to stay alert. Then they caught the theft, Li Jiuguang’s wife. I heard that Second Aunt treated her servants generously. Why did the servant in her yard steal things from my Tao Yao Yard? I’m just a young lady and have no money.”

Ding Rong’s wife choked for a while, and snorted, “Third Miss, don’t divert the topic. This is a sign of your grudge against Li Jiuguang’s wife. If the above two things are not enough, do you remember that Second Mistress Luo bound your feet? It was also Li Jiuguang’s wife who bound the cloth on your feet. Later, you could not walk on the ground for a few days and go to school. Didn’t you hate her? You are obviously retaliating and blinding her. You are so vicious!”

He Danggui was silent for a moment. Grudge? Of course, she had a grudge against the old servant. Vicious? Not vicious enough.

Li Jiuguang’s wife did have a life-long feud with her. In her previous life, before she married and was living in the West Lateral court, Li Jiuguang’s wife often came to steal things. She even stole the clothes hanging in the sun. When she was caught on the spot, Li Jiuguang’s wife cried and pleaded for mercy, saying that her son was a gambler, and the family was deep in debt before she did this deception. At that time, she kindly let go of this woman, and did not take her to Madam Luo for punishment.

Later, she was framed by the Sun Meiniang and punished to kneel. After a few hours, she couldn’t hold it anymore, begging Li Jiuguang’s wife to help her, but only to get a mouthful of sputum. That was not a big deal. After a while, she heard from the maid that Li Jiuguang’s wife sold her stolen dress and bellybands to the servants and grands.

If these were just old grudges, then the old feud in the previous life between her and this woman couldn’t be settled. During the last few years when her mother lived in Luo’s Mansion, this woman was the steward in her mother’s yard. Later, Sun Meiniang came into her mother’s house with a bowl of poisonous medicine, which was also provided by this woman... The blind eyes and broken leg were good for this woman, not to mention that blindness was caused by herself, so it was none of her business.

When Luo Baiji saw He Danggui not answering, he helped her, “Administrator Ding, how could you have the nerve to mention the matter of bounding feet? I accidentally heard about you soaking Third Sister’s feet cloth in lime water. I came to Li Jiuguang’s wife, who was responsible for this matter, and secretly gave her ten liang silver to let her change the cloth into a clean cloth. She promised me and accepted the silver, but she went back on her words. She wrapped the cloth soaked in thick lime water around Third Sister’s feet. Third Sister felt pain, but Madam Luo oversaw said that it was natural to feel pain at the first time, and it would be better afterwards, forcing Third Sister to wrap the cloth. You are always bullying Third Sister. How has she ever provoked you!”

Ding Rong’s wife laughed loudly, “Because she has accumulated a lot of resentment in the past, she will kill Li Jiuguang’s wife in a dark place! This matter has been proved. Madam Luo and Second Mistress Luo, it’s time to report Third Miss to the government!”

Madam Luo didn’t expect that there were so many inside stories behind the foot-binding. She couldn’t help but frown, as her impression of Li Jiuguang’s wife got worse, and she was angry that Sun Meiniang was not sensible to bully Yi, a poor girl who had no care of her mother. Madam Luo glanced at Li Jiuguang’s wife, who was wailing on the ground. She didn’t want to be fair to this woman as a servant’s life was not valuable. Besides, Li Jiuguang’s wife was a treacherous woman who disrespected the master and had sticky fingers. However, Madam Luo still asked as usual, “Yi, what do you want to say? Did you hurt her?”

He Danggui nodded and replied, “Well, it depends on how you rule.”