Chapter 114: Arrangement

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Jiang Lan stepped into Jiang Si’s bedroom, immediately greeted by a painting of autumn waters, its mood extraordinary. To the right hung a row of pearl-beaded curtains, attending to two maids. Behind the pearl strings stood a beautiful folding screen crafted from exquisite jade. On the left, a table bore an ancient guqin.
“Young master, sister is here.”
Jiang Lan approached, and the two maids gently drew the curtains, resembling the attendants in the painting. It seemed her younger sister had trained them well.
Inside, the bed curtains were drawn, revealing a faint figure. The steady breathing told Jiang Lan he was truly asleep. Last night must have been rough for him. Her eyes flicked to a jade bone fan lying on the floor.
She stepped forward and picked it up. Chun Ming, standing nearby, quickly covered her mouth and whispered, “Young master, don’t touch that—it’s quite ominous.”
But then she recalled the young master had personally given it to her sister during the day, and hesitated.
“Your maid didn’t mean anything by it,” she added hastily.
Jiang Lan nodded without pressing further.
“This fan wards off evil. Did you see a golden light last night?”
Chun Ming nodded, “Yes, that golden light came from this fan.”
“After the golden light appeared, did any other foul spirits come to trouble you?”
Shaking her head, Chun Ming replied, “No, I stayed awake all night guarding sister, but we saw nothing else.”
“That’s the fan’s effect.”
“So that’s why young master gave it to sister to carry with her?” Chun Ming asked. “Luckily, she kept it under her pillow last night. I wouldn’t dare take it away; otherwise, something terrible might have happened.”
“I have some connections with Master Kong Kong of the White Horse Temple, so I asked him to perform a ritual to bless this item. It’s effective in dispelling evil and bringing fortune.” To avoid suspicion, Jiang Lan reluctantly invoked Master Kong Kong’s name as a cover.
Chun Ming’s eyes brightened with joy. She quickly sought a proper place to keep the treasured object.
“This is a blessed treasure. How should it be kept? Should we make a shrine for it, young master?”
Jiang Lan looked at the excited girl and said, “This must be carried on one’s person to work. Quietly place it under your sister’s pillow. If anything happens again, send Ran Shanfeng to find me immediately.”
“Chun Ming dares to thank the young master on sister’s behalf.”

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“No trouble at all.”
After settling everything in the Si Yuan Pavilion, Jiang Lan went to the main courtyard and found the steward. He arranged for a reputable exorcist to be invited to the residence to drive out any lingering spirits—after all, he had been frightened and haunted.
“Young master, why not use the official invitation from the mansion to summon the imperial inspectors? Master Rong has returned to the capital, and many officials have invited him.”
Jiang Lan waved his hand, “No need. The imperial inspectors are pillars of the state. It’s not worth troubling them for a single incident. We can invite a well-known wanderer’s exorcist; there’s no need for the imperial inspectors.”
“Understood, young master.”
~~
After Jiang Lan fled with his group and the demon, the imperial inspectors spent considerable time subduing the Kui Dragon, but dawn had already broken.
“Master, what is this thing?”
Rong Mu watched as Wen Ren picked up a smooth, lustrous object from the ground. A sudden feeling struck him—it was important, connected to something.
“Bring it here, let me see.”
Wen Ren obediently handed it over.
“Master, look at this jade pendant. The quality is excellent; it’s no ordinary trinket.”
Rong Mu examined the jade pendant in sunlight, observing its grain and texture. “Indeed, it’s extraordinary. This is an imperial object—ordinary people would never see such a thing.”
Rong Mu saw an orchid engraved on it and recalled hearing about four precious jade pieces presented by foreign tributaries. The Empress Dowager had commissioned master craftsmen to painstakingly create four pendants, each square and engraved with one of the Four Gentlemen: plum, orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum.
Though resembling pendants, they were more like seals, just lacking an imprint on the bottom.
Rong Mu carefully placed the jade pendant, broken into two pieces, into his bosom and instructed the disciples nearby not to leave under any circumstances.
“Should the Grandmaster be informed?”
Rong Mu shook his head, “No.”
Seeing Wen Ren’s puzzled expression, Rong Mu hesitated but decided not to reveal the true significance. Wen Ren was still young with a bright future; he must not be entangled in these matters.
“Go check on your senior brother. If he wakes, send someone immediately to report.”
“Yes, master.”

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Rong Mu avoided everyone and returned to his room. After closing the doors and windows, he took out the jade piece he had hidden on him.
These four jade pendants were gifts from the Empress Dowager marking the emperor’s tenth birthday. Later, when the eldest son of the Gu family rendered meritorious service to the people and the nation, the Empress Dowager also presented him one. The last two were said to have been claimed by the Anping King and the Crown Prince of Weiguo, who enjoyed the Empress Dowager’s favor.
Among these four, three had elder brothers who were uninvolved in magic or mystical arts, and the whereabouts of the Anping King’s jade piece remained unknown, making investigation difficult.
However, considering the connections suggested by yesterday’s events, the ill-reputed Crown Prince of Weiguo seemed more likely implicated.
Still, without solid evidence, no premature conclusions could be drawn.
Rong Mu found an exquisite black box to store the broken jade pieces, locked it, and sealed it with a spell.
After thorough checks, satisfied everything was secure, he left the room.
~~
Though yesterday’s events were concealed, the observant had spotted clues.
For instance, early morning street sweepers, night vendors, and those setting up stalls noticed large bloodstains scattered outside the Weiguo Prince’s mansion—some drops, some splattered on walls, others pooling heavily on the ground.
Rumors began to spread wildly and increasingly outlandish.
Initially, it was said that demons haunted the Weiguo Prince’s residence, prompting numerous Taoist priests and even imperial inspectors to exorcise the spirits. Later, the tale grew stranger—that these demons emerged from within the mansion itself, bred there.
Even more fantastical stories emerged, revealing secret tales of the young master’s resurrection. The combination of these two events imbued the incident with a mystical, legendary aura. Some even wove a tragic love story into the mix.
They said the Crown Prince of Weiguo fell for the beauty of the Liang Kingdom’s princess and, unwilling to part, bargained with the King of Hell for a few more years of life. But once life was extinguished, he had to feed on malignant spirits to survive, hoping to win her love and remain by her side.
Whispers spread through the streets and alleys; the court too was stirred with turmoil.
“Absurd! The classics forbid speaking of supernatural forces. Are you abandoning the sages and worthies?” the Duke of Yingguo angrily declared. His own nephew had been repeatedly targeted, recently wrongfully imprisoned in the Jingzhao Prefecture jail, only just released and then nearly assassinated. Yet before he could seek justice for Lan, others were fabricating stories against him.
“Well, it’s certainly quite the spectacle!” the Duke of Yingguo thought to himself.