SGEIRS -Chapter 247 Paranoia

Yongchang Marquis’s Mansion.

Madam Sun had been through so much lately that she had lost a few pounds, and the wrinkles at the corners of her eyes had deepened. She seemed to have aged nearly ten years.

As the saying goes, beauty fades and love wanes.

It had been a long time since Meng Dongyuan had properly spoken to her. On the rare occasions they met, she wanted to act coquettish and confide her grievances to her husband, but when she saw the disdain in his eyes and the impatience on his face, she felt angry but didn’t dare to act on it.

Madam Sun stared blankly at the tea in her cup and murmured softly, “Nanny Qiao, tell me… given my condition, how many years do I still have?”

Nanny Qiao quickly replied, “Madam, what are you saying? You will live a long life, a hundred years even.”

Madam Sun, however, felt somewhat pessimistic and sighed. “You don’t need to comfort me. I can feel it myself—my health is deteriorating day by day. I feel weak all over. Who knows? One day, those two filthy things might come and take me away.”

Now, not only did Concubine Du come to visit her at night, even Meng Jinyao’s biological mother, Madam Zhou, had appeared.

She regretted it. Back then, for Meng Dongyuan, she had blood on her hands from a few deaths, and now she was haunted by ghosts—but what she received in return was Meng Dongyuan’s change of heart.

Meng Dongyuan felt no pity for her being haunted, and despised her as an old and worn-out woman, spending every night with his concubines. If she didn’t have some tricks up her sleeve, those flirtatious women might have already become pregnant.

Madam Sun wept in grievance, choking back her sobs. “I can see it now. Meng Dongyuan must have already lost his heart. That’s why he had me use my dowry to make up for Madam Zhou’s. Now I have nothing. When A-Yu gets married, I won’t even be able to give her a proper dowry.”

Nanny Qiao remained silent. The atmosphere grew heavy.

After a while, Madam Sun suddenly said, “Right, the Luo family has been transferred back to the capital. They should arrive today. Add the Luo family to the guest list for the old lady’s birthday banquet.”

The Luo family was the in-laws of Meng Dongyuan’s eldest sister, Meng Shuzhen. She had been the first child of Old Madam Meng and the old Marquis. Unfortunately, she passed away young. After marrying into the Luo family, she gave birth to the legitimate eldest son, Luo Yong’an, and died of illness before her child was even two years old—she was only eighteen at the time.

Nanny Qiao hesitated. “Master Luo has remarried and is now estranged from the Marquis’s mansion. If we send them an invitation, will they come?”

Madam Sun replied, “Although my eldest sister-in-law passed away, he is still a son-in-law of our Meng family. Luo’s eldest son is the old lady’s legitimate grandson. For the grandmother’s birthday, even if his father doesn’t come, as the grandson he has to attend.”

Nanny Qiao nodded. “You’re right. I didn’t consider that just now.”

Madam Sun smiled faintly and continued, “I’ve already had someone inquire. Yong’an’s stepmother is the daughter of a merchant, but she had a clever son. This year, the boy passed the imperial examination for the juren degree. He hasn’t been betrothed yet and is two years older than A-Yu. I think they would make a good match.”

Hearing this, Nanny Qiao was momentarily stunned. “Second Master Luo with Second Miss?”

Madam Sun replied, “Now that my eldest brother-in-law has been promoted, and Luo Shian has passed the juren exam, the conditions are acceptable for A-Yu. While I am still alive, I must make plans for her. As for Chengxing, he is only twelve; there’s no rush. When he achieves success later, there will be plenty of girls vying to marry him.”

Nanny Qiao remained silent. Second Master Luo was indeed a suitable match for their second daughter, but their second daughter might not meet the Luo family’s expectations. Unless the eldest daughter maintained a good relationship with her natal family and could gain the Marquis’s support, a daughter from the now-impoverished Marquis’s mansion would be inferior to daughters from other well-matched official families.

Afterward, Madam Sun continued chatting idly with Nanny Qiao. Likely due to a sleepless night, she became extremely tired, and without realizing it, she dozed off while sitting on the chair, nodding off little by little.

Nanny Qiao stayed by her side.

Less than half an hour later, Madam Sun suddenly said, “Don’t come near me!”

As her words fell, she abruptly opened her eyes, terror filling her face as she stared ahead. Seeing Nanny Qiao in front of her, concern written on her face, she urgently asked, “Did you see that wretched Zhou? She… she said she would join Concubine Du in killing me!”

Nanny Qiao patiently soothed her. “Madam, don’t think too much. It’s just a dream. It’s not night yet. How could she have come out?”

Madam Sun’s expression was dazed, unable to distinguish dream from reality. She muttered, “Am I dreaming?”

At that moment, a gust of autumn wind blew in through the window, bringing a chill. Then another stronger breeze swept through.

Madam Madam Sunvered instinctively, feeling a cold wind pass over her. She trembled and said, “They’re coming… they’re coming! Stop them! Quickly!”

Nanny Qiao grasped Madam Sun’s hand, calming her. “Madam, it’s broad daylight. There are no ghosts. Even if they wanted to come, it would be at night.” She pointed toward the sunlight streaming through the window. “Look, there’s still sunlight. Ghosts fear the light the most. How could they appear in the middle of the day?”

Feeling the warmth of her hand, Madam Sun’s panic subsided slightly. Following the direction Nanny Qiao indicated, she saw a clear sky outside, sunlight pouring down and illuminating the ground.

It wasn’t dark yet.

Madam Sun gradually calmed herself. “Nanny Qiao, accompany me for a walk in the rear garden.”

Nanny Qiao nodded, accompanying her.

Because of the ghostly incidents, Madam Sun had grown fond of sunlight. Whenever she felt guilty or afraid, she would go outside to bask. In the sun, yang energy was abundant, and spirits feared it. As long as she was in a sunlit place, they would not appear.

Her mental state was poor, and after a sleepless night, she grew tired after only a short walk. She rested in the pavilion, chatting idly with Nanny Qiao.

As the sun set, Madam Sun returned to her courtyard. Walking along the corridor, she suddenly stopped. “Did you hear something?” she asked Nanny Qiao.

Nanny Qiao shook her head. “I heard nothing. What is it?”

Madam Sun concentrated, listening carefully. After a while, she turned abruptly to look back. The space behind her was empty. She shook her head, murmuring, “Impossible… didn’t you hear Concubine Du’s voice?”

Nanny Qiao shook her head again. “Madam, I really didn’t hear anything. Could it be your imagination?”

Madam Sun pointed to the spot behind her, voice trembling. “She was just behind me, saying she would take revenge on my Chengxing for Chengyu. No… no, Chengxing mustn’t be harmed! I have to find Chengxing.”

With that, she turned and headed toward Meng Chengxing’s courtyard.

Seeing this, Nanny Qiao had no choice but to follow.

It had to be admitted—the eldest miss’s scheme was clever. It left Madam Sun in a state of mental instability, anxious and fearful, constantly suspicious and paranoid. Even in the daytime, without using that incense, Madam Sun could experience hallucinations or auditory illusions.

Add to that the occasional harmless “little incidents” between the second miss and the heir, and it further convinced the guilty Madam Sun that the dead had returned as ghosts to take revenge.

The Madam’s anxiety for her children pushed her psychological endurance to the limit. She was on the verge of collapse but dared not confess to the Marquis, for he did not know the true cause of the eldest master’s death.