SGEIRS -Chapter 199 Panic and Unease

The fortune-teller seemed like a recluse from beyond the mortal world. After saying those words, he turned and left, disappearing in no time.

When Madam Sun turned to look, she saw his figure already some fifty zhang away, soon vanishing around a corner.

Seeing that Madam Sun’s face had gone deathly pale and that her hands were trembling slightly, Nanny Qiao could tell she was badly shaken. She asked with concern, “Madam, are you all right?”

Receiving no response, Nanny Qiao raised her voice and called again, “Madam?”

Madam Sun finally came back to her senses and stared blankly at her, clearly having not heard the earlier question.

So Nanny Qiao asked once more, “Madam, are you all right?”

With a dull expression, Madam Sun shook her head. “No… I’m fine. In broad daylight, I don’t believe those filthy things would dare come out and harm me.”

Nanny Qiao then asked, “Madam, are we still going to Lingyun Temple to offer incense?”

As she spoke, she glanced at Madam Sun, saw her hesitation, and hinted meaningfully, “In my opinion, perhaps it’s better not to go today. Nothing has gone smoothly since we left. The carriage wheel broke, and you even hit your forehead. If it had been worse, you’d have been bleeding badly. If something else were to happen, it probably wouldn’t be so simple.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Madam Sun’s body visibly trembled in the sunlight.

She couldn’t help recalling the fortune-teller’s words about a bloody disaster.

Earlier, she and Nanny Qiao had been sitting in the same carriage. Nanny Qiao was perfectly fine, yet she herself had hit her head.

Wasn’t that a sign of impending calamity?

If she continued on to Lingyun Temple, perhaps she really would encounter a bloody disaster.

Her heart began racing. Panic surged through her.

“No… we’re not going. We’ll go another day,” she said hurriedly, shaking her head.

About half an hour later, the coachman finished repairing the wheel. Madam Sun boarded the carriage, and they headed back home.

Sitting inside the carriage, she felt deeply uneasy. The fortune-teller’s words replayed again and again in her mind.

Suddenly, she looked at Nanny Qiao and murmured, “I regret it.”

She truly regretted it.

If she had listened to her father back then and married the top scholar of that year, would she have ended up in such misery?

If she hadn’t married Meng Dongyuan, she wouldn’t have been stained with so many deaths, nor would she be haunted by ghosts.

Back then, Meng Dongyuan had loved her so much that he even concealed the truth about Madam Zhou’s death for her sake.

Now, however, he despised her for being haggard and unattractive, and for “seeing ghosts.”

How was she supposed to satisfy that filthy thing now?

Was she supposed to die?

No. She couldn’t die.

After doing so many things, how could she die?

But how was she to resolve this bloody calamity?

If she lost her life, and her two children were also claimed by ghosts, what would happen to them?

Fear, regret, resentment—countless emotions flickered across her face.

Nanny Qiao watched her with mixed feelings, yet secretly felt fortunate that although she had helped Madam Sun do bad things, at least her own hands were not stained with blood.

After a while, she comforted her gently, “Madam, don’t think too much. Things will sort themselves out in the end. It’s still a long way back to the Marquis’s residence. Why don’t you rest for a bit? Otherwise, you won’t sleep well tonight either.”

To Madam Sun, these words were like a knife to the heart.

A good night’s sleep had already become a luxury for her.

At night, she was haunted by ghosts. During the day, when she tried to catch up on sleep, she was plagued by nightmares and often woke up in despair.

Steadying herself, she leaned against the cushion and decided to nap for a while.

If she kept sleeping so poorly, she was afraid her body would give out one day.

And if she died, and her husband remarried, what would become of her children?

“No… no… don’t hurt my children!”

After sleeping for a short while, Madam Sun suddenly jolted awake from a nightmare, drenched in sweat and pale with terror.

Seeing Nanny Qiao watching her anxiously, she realized it had only been a dream and finally let out a sigh of relief.

Nanny Qiao asked, “Madam, what’s wrong?”

With a trembling voice, Madam Sun said, “I dreamed of Concubine Du. She wanted to hurt Chengxing.”

Nanny Qiao hurriedly reassured her, “Madam, dreams are usually the opposite of reality. It’s broad daylight now—what could she possibly do? The Young Master will be fine.”

But Madam Sun was not comforted.

She no longer had any desire to sleep and sat there absentmindedly.

After returning to the residence, she suppressed her fear and pretended to be calm. She went to the side hall, summoned the stewardesses, and handled household affairs as usual.

By evening, when dusk had settled, she finally left the side hall and returned to her courtyard.

While passing by the rockery, she saw her daughter walking toward her.

Everything seemed normal, yet suddenly, her daughter stumbled and fell on flat ground.

At that sight, Madam Sun felt as if her blood had frozen.

Her entire body turned cold.

Once again, she remembered the fortune-teller’s words.

She couldn’t help suspecting that her daughter’s fall was caused by ghosts nearby.

That filthy thing truly wanted to harm her children.

Overwhelmed by terror, she could no longer bear it.

Her vision darkened, and she collapsed on the spot.

Changxing Marquis Residence, Weirui Pavilion

After entering the room, Qingqiu quickly walked up to her mistress, bowed, and reported, “Madam, news has come from over there. It’s done. Madam Sun firmly believes the fortune-teller’s words now.”

Meng Jinyao was not surprised. She sneered softly.

“People who have done too many guilty things are the ones who believe in this kind of stuff the most. It’s like those who burn incense and worship Buddha every day—either they truly believe, or they’re seeking comfort for their guilty conscience.”

Qingqiu agreed wholeheartedly and then asked, “Madam, are you really going to make a move against the Young Master and Second Miss?”

“No.”

Meng Jinyao shook her head without hesitation. She lifted her teacup, took a sip, and said calmly,

“Those two siblings aren’t good people, and they’ve relied on their elders to bully me plenty of times. But their crimes don’t deserve death. Of course, while I won’t take their lives, I will use them to help me achieve my goal.”

Qingqiu understood at once.

Meng Jinyao narrowed her eyes slightly. A cold, vicious light flickered within them.

With a low, chilling voice, she said, “A stepmother is still a mother. If I sue her, I’ll be charged with unfilial conduct, go to prison, and get beaten with rods. It’s not worth it. But I must make her crimes known to the world—through her own mouth.”

Qingqiu said, “Madam, that day will come soon.”

A cold smile curved on Meng Jinyao’s lips as she began plotting her next move.

Just then, Gu Jingxi entered from outside.

At a glance, he saw the young woman sitting there with a chilly expression, murderous intent flickering in her eyes, as if deep in thought. She hadn’t even noticed his arrival.

Qingqiu saw him, bowed, received his signal, bowed again, and withdrew.

Gu Jingxi sat down beside her and asked gently, “What is my wife thinking about?”

Hearing him, Meng Jinyao came back to her senses and slowly turned her head.

Only then did she realize that he had sat beside her at some point. She was momentarily stunned, then replied,

“Nothing much. Just thinking about some matters from my natal family. Since you’re back, I’ll go tell the maids to prepare dinner.”

Gu Jingxi did not press further.

Since she hadn’t gone into detail, it meant she didn’t need his help.