While the grandmother and granddaughter were talking, Mammy Dou announced from outside that someone had come from Lady Gu’s quarters. The gist of the message was that Lady Gu had arranged a courtyard for Deng Youning and wanted her to move her things over.
Han Qiongyue, curious, asked which courtyard it was. The mammy’s expression changed instantly, and she stammered for a long time. Seeing Han Qiongyue’s growing displeasure, she finally knelt in fear and said, "Replying to... replying to the Old Madam, it is Qiyue Water Pavilion..."
At these words, everyone in the room paled. Han Qiongyue, whose mood had just settled, was so enraged that her face turned bright red.
"What?!" She slammed her hand against the small table on the kang, a mouthful of stagnant blood surging to her throat, which she spat out in a violent spray. Seeing the Old Madam vomit blood, everyone rushed to surround her.
Deng Youning knew better than anyone what kind of place Qiyue Water Pavilion was. According to her memories from her past life, Lady Gu had never arranged any lodging for her at all. Could it be because she had "saved" Deng Xuelian’s life in this lifetime?
"Grandmother, don’t get worked up. Take your time, there’s no rush."
Seeing the sensible Deng Youning, Han Qiongyue’s heart ached for her. Such a wonderful girl—why couldn't her daughter-in-law see it?
"Miss has just returned, so you don't know," Mammy Dou explained to Deng Youning on Han Qiongyue’s behalf. "Although the scenery at Qiyue Water Pavilion is beautiful, a life was lost there. The one who died was a concubine of your father’s, and they say she was carrying a child at the time. One corpse, two lives—it is considered a place of great misfortune."
"That mindless Lady Gu! How could she let her own biological daughter live in such an unclean place?!" Sparks of fury shot from Han Qiongyue’s eyes.
In her past life, Deng Youning had lived with Han Qiongyue in Fushou Hall. Although it wasn't exactly crowded, living with an elderly person had its inconveniences. In this life, she hadn't expected the Deng family to bestow a courtyard upon her at all. It was already an unexpected windfall.
"The scenery is beautiful?" Deng Youning was good at focusing on the important parts. "I love beautiful views. Since it's a water pavilion, it must be built near the water, right? It must be very comfortable to live there." She said this happily, her eyes reflecting a simplicity that Han Qiongyue and the others rarely saw.
"Grandmother, Ningning wants to live there. I know martial arts; whether it’s human or ghost, they won’t be able to hurt me." Deng Youning held Han Qiongyue’s hand, hoping she would relent.
She remembered that the courtyard was located against the easternmost outer wall of the State Protector Estate. Living there would make it convenient for her to climb over the wall, and it would also be easier for the secret guards from Ten Thousand Serpents Valley to find her. Besides, it wasn't far from Fushou Hall, so it wouldn't interfere with her daily morning greetings to her grandmother.
Han Qiongyue sighed helplessly. After all, the girl had come from the valleys and hadn't seen much of the world; she considered that dilapidated courtyard a treasure!
"You, why haven't you thanked the Second Miss yet?" she said coldly to the mammy sent by Lady Gu. "This time it is because Ningning likes it herself, so I will not punish you. Why don't you hurry and send people to clean the courtyard for the Second Miss?"
The mammy offered endless thanks before bowing her head and leaving.
"Yingshi, from now on, you will be the head maid in Ningning’s courtyard. I am entrusting her to you; you must take good care of her!" Han Qiongyue called Yingshi over and assigned her to follow Deng Youning.
Yingshi had known Deng Youning since their time in Nanxin, and throughout the journey, she had become very clear about the Second Miss’s character. To follow a mistress who was so loyal, clever, and highly skilled in martial arts was her great honor. However, a small matter had been weighing on her mind, and she wasn't sure if she should report it to the Old Madam. After much deliberation, she decided to clarify it with Han Qiongyue while Deng Youning was away. After all, her primary mistress was the Old Madam, and then the Second Miss.
As soon as Deng Youning went to the side room to rest, Yingshi spoke to Han Qiongyue.
"You say Ningning has half a jade pendant that she treasures very much?" Han Qiongyue was puzzled after hearing the gist of it. Who could have given her a jade pendant? And only half of one at that!
"Did you see clearly what the jade looked like?" Han Qiongyue continued to ask.
Yingshi recalled with difficulty, "It looked like something from Nanxin, of superior quality and quite extraordinary."
This made Han Qiongyue even more perplexed. Could it be that Ningning knew royals or nobles from Nanxin State? After all, she belonged to the Dongji State Protector Estate; if she became entangled with Nanxin nobles in the future, it might lead to trouble! Han Qiongyue felt a headache coming on. Many things would have to wait until they happened; everything now was just speculation.
"In a while, when you follow the Miss to Qiyue Water Pavilion, all of you must keep your eyes open. Whatever she lacks, you must provide it promptly. Mammy Dou, Yingshi, you two go to my private storehouse, take several sets of jewelry and ornaments, and several bolts of silk, and take them all to Qiyue Water Pavilion." Han Qiongyue had already realized that she couldn't rely on her son and daughter-in-law to prepare anything. If she didn't provide for the girl, Ningning would truly have nothing.
*
Qiyue Water Pavilion lived up to its name. The scenery was indeed, as Mammy Dou had said, breathtaking. It was no exaggeration to call it one of the most beautiful spots in the estate. Looking out from the small lattice window of the attic, one could clearly see the lotus pond. There was also a large terrace on the second floor, perfect for enjoying the moonlight.
After taking a tour, Deng Youning was very satisfied with the place. But apart from Yingshi, the maids who came with her were in low spirits. They really didn't want to live with ghosts! Deng Youning understood their concerns; during her two years in the estate in her past life, she had also heard the rumors about this place. They said that at night, one could hear the wailing of a female ghost.
But in this life, Deng Youning had martial arts to rely on; in fact, she wanted to drag out whoever was playing god and acting like a ghost.
Later that evening, the Deng family sent over one thousand taels of silver. Deng Youning had Yingshi hide it securely. It was the first time in two lives that she had seen so much money.
"Here, a reward for you. On the journey back, you took good care of me. Since Grandmother gave you to me, from now on, you are my person. We must be of one heart and one mind as mistress and servant!" She casually picked up a silver ingot and tossed it into Yingshi’s arms.
Yingshi caught it gracefully; it felt heavy in her hand, and she guessed it weighed at least fifty taels. That was worth half a year of her wages!
"Miss, taking care of you is what this servant should do. I cannot accept this silver."
Deng Youning’s gift wasn't just out of gratitude. She wanted to win Yingshi over to be loyal only to her, so that she wouldn't report everything back to the Old Madam. She also knew that this bit of silver was far from enough. Human relationships required time to build.
"Take it. This is just an appetizer; we will certainly prosper in the future! There will be as much silver as you want!" Deng Youning arched her eyebrows, appearing as if the whole world were under her control. Her confident and imposing manner made Yingshi’s hair stand on end. She didn't know what this newly returned Second Miss intended to do, but she knew that the Second Miss was no ordinary person. She was merely a dragon coiled in the abyss.
As the night grew late, Deng Youning lay on the soft bed under the moonlight, covering herself with a silk quilt as she drifted off to sleep. In her past life, she had spent three or four months in that dilapidated shed in the garden, starving, eating rotten food, and drinking water mixed with soil... She knew she was still far from the end of her suffering. Therefore, even in her sleep, she dared not relax, nor could she truly let her guard down.
Around the third watch, she faintly heard the sound of sobbing drifting through the courtyard. The rumors of the haunting seemed to grow legs and burrow into her mind.