TRBDM -Chapter 23 Pricking the Effigy (1/2)

Xie Wanyi hid away in Linshui Courtyard for several days, feeling increasingly stifled and irritable.

Even after the redness and swelling on her face had faded, the thought of her mother’s favoritism still left her indignant and resentful.

She didn’t dare cause a scene at Anhe Courtyard, nor could she go to the main branch’s Ruixiang Courtyard.

It wasn’t that she lacked the courage—but if she went there with a swollen face, wouldn’t Dou Shuxin laugh her head off?

She kept imagining scenes of Dou Shuxin mocking her, replaying them in her mind until she could barely sleep at night.

Over the past few days, she had pulled out flower seedlings in the garden just as they were budding and smashed the koi in the pond to death with stones. Yet none of it eased her anger.

Suddenly, she recalled overhearing someone mention that “pricking a little effigy” could be used to curse someone.

She immediately ordered her maid to make a small cloth doll for her, and on its back they embroidered Dou Shuxin’s name.

But then she remembered that the doll they had made lacked any spiritual potency. Even if she pierced it to shreds, it wouldn’t work.

She would have to take it to a temple known for its efficacy—let it bask in the Buddha’s light. Once it absorbed that spiritual radiance, it would surely gain power.

So that day, she brought her maid along and took a carriage to Tianshan Temple, the closest temple to the Marquis Manor.

Halfway there, the maid tremulously reminded her, “Miss… Tianshan Temple is most renowned for granting wishes of marriage. As for other matters…”

She trailed off, not daring to finish her sentence.

“You fool.” Xie Wanyi flicked the maid’s forehead. “Does Tianshan Temple have Buddha statues or not?”

“Yes.”

“As long as there are Buddhas, there is Buddha’s light. I don’t care about marriage or anything else. I just want Dou Shuxin to die a miserable death.”

A venomous hatred lingered in Xie Wanyi’s eyes, as though only Dou Shuxin’s immediate downfall could satisfy her.

The maid closed her mouth and said nothing more.

At Anhe Courtyard, when Wei Zhaorong learned that Xie Wanyi had secretly gone to Tianshan Temple, her heart tightened.

She had already declined Lin Juehui’s invitation in advance, yet she still hadn’t managed to prevent this ill-fated entanglement.

By now, rushing there would be too late.

Wei Zhaorong’s good mood vanished instantly.

She had never placed much hope in Xie Wanyi, but she also did not wish for her to disgrace the Marquis Manor.

In her previous life, Xie Wanyi had shamelessly insisted on becoming a concubine to Nangong Hai, becoming the laughingstock of the capital’s noble families.

The wives who had once been close to Wei Zhaorong gradually distanced themselves from her.

Her longtime boudoir friend, Lin Juehui, had broken ties with her outright, cutting off all contact.

Later, when disaster befell the Marquis Manor, Wei Zhaorong swallowed her pride and went to the Nanyang General’s Manor seeking help—but their gates did not even open for her.

Wei Zhaorong did not blame Lin Juehui. If there was blame, it lay with her own disappointing daughter.

Lin Juehui’s son had waited years for Xie Wanyi—only to receive such an outcome. The Nanyang General’s Manor had likewise become a laughingstock in the capital.

No matter how magnanimous one might be, they would never forgive what the Marquis Manor had done.

The two families severed their ties completely.

Thinking of all this, Wei Zhaorong’s brows knit deeply, irritation spreading in her chest.

Since Xie Wanyi had already gone to Tianshan Temple, she and Nangong Hai were destined to renew this ill-fated bond. It could no longer be changed.

Tomorrow, she would personally visit the Nanyang General’s Manor and break off the engagement between the two families. The children were still young—ending it now would avoid hurting relations and preserve the General Manor’s dignity.

Wei Zhaorong instructed Nanny Qi to prepare generous gifts from the storeroom to take along the next day. There was no time to lose—Xie Wanyi’s matter had to be clarified with Lin Juehui as soon as possible.

Tianshan Temple sat halfway up Mount Tianshan, and reaching it required climbing a long stretch of mountain steps.

Xie Wanyi disliked climbing. After barely a hundred stone steps, she was already exhausted and itching to curse.

But since the temple was somewhat crowded that day, she restrained herself.

At last, she made it to Tianshan Temple and found a pavilion to sit and rest.

Her maid fanned her while wiping the sweat from her brow.

The pavilion where Xie Wanyi sat stood at a high vantage point. Looking down along the slope, she caught sight of Nangong Hai reading beneath a corridor.

The mountain wind was strong, lifting the hem of Nangong Hai’s robe. A few loose strands of hair brushed past his nose. Xie Wanyi stared, entranced, forgetting even to breathe.

“What did you say Tian Mountain Temple is most effective for praying for?” Xie Wanyi asked.

“Replying to Miss—praying for marriage.”

“Marriage—”

By the time Xie Wanyi came back to her senses, Nangong Hai had already left.

She sprang to her feet, casting aside the soreness from climbing the mountain, and hurried in the direction he had gone.

Tian Mountain Temple was vast. Xie Wanyi dashed through the temple grounds without a care for her appearance, completely forgetting about the matter of letting the little effigy receive Buddha’s blessing.

After running past a main hall and turning a corner, she nearly collided with a woman coming from the opposite direction.

Without even lifting her head, she brushed past the woman’s shoulder and hurried away.

In her haste, the little effigy that had been tucked into her sleeve slipped out and fell to the ground.

The maid trailing behind Xie Wanyi only had time to give the woman a quick bow before chasing after her mistress.

“Madam, that seemed to be the second young lady of the Mingde Marquis Manor. Why is she in such a rush?” the personal nanny of Lin Juehui asked softly.

“Perhaps something urgent,” Lin Juehui replied.

As she stepped forward, she felt something beneath her foot.

The nanny bent down to pick it up and handed it to Lin Juehui.

Lowering her gaze, Lin Juehui saw that it was a small effigy pierced with needles. She immediately flung it away.

“What is this? How unsettling.”

The effigy rolled a few times on the ground, revealing the words written on its back.

Sensing something amiss, the nanny stepped closer to take a look and found three characters written there: Dou Shuxin.

“Madam, it’s an effigy of the Second Young Lady of the Prime Minister’s Manor.”

The Nanyang General’s Manor did not have close ties with the Prime Minister’s Manor, but she had long heard of the Dou family’s second young lady.

She was the model of noble young ladies in the capital—her looks and talent were both outstanding and beyond reproach.

Who could possibly dislike her so much as to make such an effigy?

Lin Juehui was a devout Buddhist with a kind heart. “Put the effigy away.”

She had already made up her mind.

When she had passed by earlier, the ground had clearly been empty. There was only one possibility—the effigy must have fallen from Xie Wanyi.

“Ah…”

Lin Juehui suddenly found herself in a difficult position.

Today she had intended to invite Wei Zhaorong to have a master examine the birth dates of the two children. Now, it seemed she would have to postpone it.

Wei Zhaorong doted greatly on her youngest daughter and often praised Xie Wanyi in front of Lin Juehui.

A girl said to be unmatched under heaven—how could she commit such a deed as secretly pricking an effigy behind someone’s back, something that harmed one’s virtue?

The Nanyang General cherished his reputation and disciplined his children strictly. Xie Wanyi likely did not meet the standards expected of a daughter-in-law in the General’s Manor.

Lin Juehui sighed, deeply troubled.

She and Wei Zhaorong had been close friends since girlhood. A marriage alliance between their two families had almost seemed a certainty. How was she to open her mouth and refuse?

It was truly too difficult.

That night, Lin Juehui slept poorly, tossing and turning. Whenever she thought of the malicious effigy, it felt as though a heavy stone weighed on her heart.

The next morning, while she was still washing up, someone came to report, “The Old Madam of Mingde Marquis Manor has arrived.”

Lin Juehui’s heart plummeted—then soared.

“Why has A-Rong come? Quick, help me dress.”

By the time Lin Juehui reached the side hall, Wei Zhaorong was already sipping tea. Her expression appeared no different from usual. When she saw Lin Juehui, a smile curved her lips.

Yet it was not her usual smile—it seemed to be suppressing some unbearable emotion.