The Angry Ghost

Come morning...

Maria...now Beiyue woke up to a door slam.

It was Dongling, rushing in with whip welts and her clothes were torn because of the whipping.

'Dongling?!'

'Miss!'

Dongling was a year older than Huang Beiyue.

'Did you get bullied again?!' Beiyue rushed to aid Dongling who stumbled to the floor as she rushed in. When Beiyue picked her up, she was weak and cold.

'I heard what happened yesterday...I begged for mercy, but...' Dongling croaked out weakly. She too, was malnourished. Otherwise she would have been a delicate beauty herself, Beiyue thought.

'It's alright...I just got back from the Ancestral Hall.' Beiyue reassured and comforted her in her arms. 'I'm OK.' she has to be strong for this girl. Dongling tried her best and Beiyue felt that as a responsible adult, she must look after this child. She picked up Dongling who was stunned that her miss could carry her, nevermind put her to bed?! She who can't even lift a bucket of water before?

Ehhhh?

xxx

Meanwhile...at Blue River Courtyard...

That morning when Xiao Yun woke up, she felt so weak! Breathing has become so hard! What's going on?

She struggled to get up because how weak and easily breathless she was she got nauseous at the simple act of sitting up her bed.

'M-Mother!' she called out, fear seeping into her bones as she had no idea what was happening to her as she tried to stand up. 'Mother, help me!' and she staggered before her weakness caused her to stumble forward. 'Ugh!'

'Yun'er? What's the matter?' Concubine Xue and Xiao Zhonglei, her son went into Xiao Yun's room, finding her collapsed on the floor. When Concubine Xue picked her daughter up, Xiao Yun was pale-faced and fell limp into her arms. And she was shivering.

'I feel so...weak...I can't...breathe!' Xiao Yun choked out.

'Lei'er, go get your father!' Concubine Xue cried in horror as her son ran out the door. 'Yun'er stay strong! Yun'er!'

xxx

Zhonglei barged into his father's residence while annoyed at finding Concubine Qin having breakfast with him. Its clear to the fourteen year old why she was here. 'Father! Something's wrong with sister!' he cried. 'Please call a doctor!'

'What happened to Yun'er?' Yuancheng frowned at his son's pale-faced expression.

'Sister...we heard her calling out to mother in fear and when we got to her room, she was on the floor collapsed!' Zhonglei cried. 'When mother picked her up, she was limp and white as a corpse!'

'WHAT?! I'll go summon a doctor! Keep an eye on your sister!'

"Hoooo? Something happened to that uppity brat?" Concubine Qin put up a panicked expression to hide her glee as Yuancheng left the dining room, still reeking of last night's loving.

Speaking, she should take a bath and get dressed.

xxx

Yuancheng has every good reason to be worried.

His clan has a star in Xiao Yun, the child who inherited his father's prodigiousness and a three-star at the age of fifteen and she fell ill she really did almost look like a corpse.

Concubine Xue smelled a familiar smell in her husband, inwardly annoyed he was with Qin last night and not her, but at least he came for Yun, she thought.

'She was just fine yesterday, excited about today with Anguo Gong and his handsome son visiting us today.' Concubine Xue sniffled. 'He will repudiate Beiyue today and choose Yun'er for sure and this happens!' she cried in dismay.

'I already had Butler Zhou summon the doctor.' said Yuancheng. 'Hopefully he knows how to treat Yun'er.' he said anxiously.

Soon, the doctor arrived to diagnose Xiao Yun.

'...she was well yesterday and then she is this ill to an extent in a matter of hours?' the doctor frowned as he took a blood sample and took out a bottle, poured some on a table before dropping blood on it, and it turned a foul greenish black. 'She must have offended someone...she's poisoned.'

'WHAT?!' the incensed couple burst out in horror.

'Yun'er, did you anger someone in school?' Yuancheng asked Xiao Yun in horror who was in no condition to answer. 'They chose to attack today, your big day to get back at you!' he cried before turning to the Royal Doctor, '-is there any way to cure her?' the doctor looked at the liquid on the bedside drawer's surface, before shaking his head.

'Had the results not shown more black than green, she could be cured if its green or a lighter shade of green...but given this result...there are poisons with no cure.' came the doctor's damning words to the horror of the couple.

'N-no...' Concubine Xue lost strength in her legs and slumped to the floor. They almost had it! Her husband is so useless she was stupid to jump the gun when he became Princess Consort, thinking he can use Huiwen's money but the fact is, he has no access to his wife's wealth. And he has no brain to think for himself. Yeah, it came in handy to getting what she wants, but she wants more! Yun'er was chosen by Xue Che, the son of Anguo Gong to be his furen and wishes to repudiate that trash brat whom she made trash for real with her cunning. When Yun becomes a duchess, she can perhaps seduce the widowed Anguo Gong and live the life of a duchess! But now that ambition was shattered, all because someone poisoned her daughter!

'Her body is deteriorating from the inside at a rapid rate. She really shouldn't have angered someone in school. This usually happens if one offends a noble with resources. She's not the only case like this I've handled. Some I could save, some not, based on quality and type of poison used on them.' he tut-tutted. 'Now then, my fee of 100 gold coins.'

'There's no way we can engage Yun'er to Anguo Gongzi now...all that will happen is Beiyue's repudiation.' Yuancheng shook. 'I'll have to write him a letter.' why must his daughter done something stupid at a time like this? Did she brag her good fortune and someone who wants the gongzi got angry and jealous and sent poison her way? That can only be it!

xxx

Later after breakfast, a shaking maid delivered a letter to Anguo Gong residence. She had to give it to the guard, saying she'll wait for a reply.

'Xiao Yun got poisoned?' Anguo Gong frowned as his family was just finishing breakfast when he got an urgent letter.

'Eh? Who on earth would poison that girl?' Xue Meng, his daughter inquired. 'Its not even public news yet that brother chose her for her genius in Summoning...'

'They have no idea either and there's no cure.' Anguo Gong tut-tutted. 'Well, I'll just meet Yuancheng in his workplace today to draft a repudiation letter. Too bad Che'er, find a bride elsewhere.' Xue Che, his son sighed.

'Oh well, that's too bad but I'm not marrying a ruined woman anyway. She must have done something to warrant that.' Xue Che frowned. 'But there's no other girl with prodigious talent worthy of marrying into our family.' he grumbled.

'Fetch me paper and brush.' Anguo Gong instructed a nearby maid. 'Xiao's maid is waiting outside for a reply after all.' he wrote down his reply.

xxx

'Dongling, I'll go out for a bit, OK?' Beiyue told Dongling. 'I'll try to find medicine for you somehow.' she said, opening her closet to grab a black hooded cloak, and using cantus to cause some coins to travel underground, following her. And once outside, about a thousand gold coins made its way into her sleeves and she left through sprinting.

Among all her friends, she was a master of flying, and speedy sprinting through cantus. So roofhopping came easy for her. She can manipulate matter and fly, but she sucks at everything else that require mental images though.

That was Mamoru's forte through his drawings.

She's now in Bugi'er Bazaar.

The Bugi'er Bazaar in the east of the city is the largest trading market in Nanyi Country. It not only trades various medicinal materials and treasures, but also Mercenary Unions. There are hundreds of mercenaries every day. Come here to pick up tasks, or to resell the materials you have obtained.

The buildings on both sides of the main road are magnificent. The wide street can accommodate more than ten horse-drawn carriages side by side, and shops on both sides are bustling and lively.

"Nicer marketplace unlike back in Kamisu 66. Just as clean though." Beiyue thought with a smirk. She went to the herbs shop where yeah, there's large crates, but so few of them in it or not much...? They running out of stock?

Not really...spirit herbs are difficult to harvest. Yan informed her. Martialists specializing in procurement of materials risk their lives to get even a mere pittance, sell it to the bazaar who in turn sells them to customers.

"Yeowch, that can't be good for business?" Maria thought with a cringe. Selling so few stuff would harm livelihood wouldn't it?

Look at the prices. Maria looked, and some herbs cost three, five, eight or even twenty gold coins...apiece. Twenty gold coins is about the equivalent of the Chairman of Ethics Committee's salary of 15 million yen a month!

Her soul left her body in shock.

Not that simple, no?

"Y'know what? Fuck this world." Beiyue sighed, so done with it all. "As I'm still concealing cantus from Dongling, what's useful here?"

xxx

Back home...

Beiyue got the herbs needed to help Dongling. The herbs she got are weak, but will encourage regeneration and warming up a cold body. So she began boiling the herbs to extract medicinal components into a tea, and had Dongling drink it while she put away her cloak in the closet.

'You'll feel better when its worked its way around.' Beiyue reassured Dongling. Dongling was grateful.

'Thank you so much miss, but where'd you get the money? The herbs are too expensive for us right now...'

'Well...I pickpocketed.' Beiyue lied, making Dongling's eyes pop and her jaws drop. 'I used everyone's arrogance against them so we have a bit of money right now.'

A bit. Yan snorted snidely, aware that Maria robbed back what the Xiaos took from the deceased princess.

"Can it, you." Beiyue snickered. 'For your safety, buy us goods at night. I'll have breakfast ready.'

'Eh?! M-missy?' Dongling squeaked as Beiyue went to the back of the house...to cook vegetable tofu hotpot on the 'hot' side, but 'not spicy', to warm up a pair of cold and hungry bodies. Its also filling, but there's one big BUT.

Yan thought that Maria in Beiyue is actually a HORRIBLE cook as she never cooked past roasting meat in the wild with her power. Her actual gourmet skills are worse than garbage as given that he saw how she made her soup, he cringed in his prison. It's a flavor disaster!

But for two girls who suffered stale expired steam bread or rice, this was luxury for at least, Dongling, while Beiyue whimpered at her first bite, as she remembered her mother's cooking was better than this mess she had made.

"Had I known we'd be set up to die, I should have learned from mom before she allowed me to die due to the rules..." Beiyue thought miserably. She'll have Dongling buy a cookbook soon... "Saki, learn how to cook before you die so if you're reborn like I did, you'll be OK!" she thought desperately. THIS SUCKS!

Yea, that'll be a good idea, Yan thought wryly. Beiyue really should learn.

xxx

That night...

Beiyue, because Dongling was ill, purchased cookbooks herself as well as steamed pork buns with sauce. Dongling was feeling better when a servant came in.

'Oi trash! The master summons you to the main hall!' the maid yelled grumpily.

She was killed for her trouble, wilted dry, twisted and broken and flung to said main hall, crashing through the roof, stunning Lord Xiao and Anguo Gong.

'...didn't you just send her to summon the princess?' Anguo Gong's squinted eyes opened out of shock at the brutality of the corpse that nearby maids squealed in fright and some people vomited. The maid who was once Qinghua was squashed and twisted beyond belief. Her bones shattered just to make her a twisted piece of flesh her eyeballs hung out from their sockets.

Lord Xiao sent another maid, and ended up the same way!

'I think you angered someone big time.' Xue Che shuddered. 'Xiao Yun is poisoned and now your servants are being killed! Who did you piss off beyond your paygrade?!' its clearly bad to do business with the Xiao Clan, both father and son thought as Xiao Yuancheng was pale-faced at what's going on at this display before an Imperial Dukedom. He's lost face twice now! Yun'er and whoever this is attacking them!

What happened next?

Everything turned to dust, even the very chairs they sat on. All except the ancestral hall and Flowing Cloud Courtyard. In Blue River Pavilion, Concubine Xue gasped as her beautiful home and furniture turned into a pile of sand! She then saw that they were in open air and where the Main Hall was, something shocking had happened.

'Uwaaaa what's going on?! Who did you piss off?!' Xue Che was absolutely flabbergasted as those sitting fell on their butts on a small pile of sand.

The pile of sand then transformed into the killed Pei Xiang and her boyfriend how they appeared as corpses. Sand then took on the form of the angry Princess Royal to their horror. The servants, knowing full well what they've done, feared the retribution of the ghost.

"That can't be...I killed her that night." Concubine Xue frowned. "She can't be alive!"

Words then appeared in the form of sand.

Remember these two? While a young girl is forced to kneel whole day and night after a hundred lashings, these two desecrated our resting place by getting it on, not caring if your daughter was inside shivering from her whipping injuries and a dislocated shoulder, illness and the cold! Anguo Gong and Gongzi looked at Yuancheng in disbelief. Sure they disdained Huang Beiyue for her reputation, but even they have limits lest the Emperor kills them for mistreating her to this extent?

What happened next, is to Concubine Xue and Zhonglei's horror.

Xiao Yuancheng, I trusted that you will do my daughter right after my death, you know full well what you've done...so I'll take back from you what you and your women stole from my daughter! I will take Xiao Yun from you just as Xue tried to take Beiyue from the living, and my estate, my daughter's inheritance and money you stole from her! And don't think I haven't seen what your servants did either!

'NO!' Concubine Xue cried in fright, clinging hard to Xiao Yun. 'You bitch! You won't take my daughter from me!' but Xiao Yun already breathed her last and fell limp in her arms. 'Nooooo! Yun'er!' she cried in despair at her daughter's death. She was poisoning Beiyue to her death and now Huiwen poisoned her daughter back!

'XIAO YUANCHENG YOU UTTER BASTARD!' Anguo Gong cried in horror as the servants screamed as they were all tortured by slowly being twisted alive, their bones visibly cracking as the terrified Concubines Qin and Fang hugged their daughters in fear. 'You've got brass balls to incite her wrath?! And one of your wives tried to kill a princess?!'

'Huiwen' then looked at Concubine Qin and raised an arm and both Qin and her daughter were forcefully-separated.

'MOTHER!' Xiao Rou cried as Yuancheng looked at his royal wife's ghost.

'Huiwen please stop! I'll do better!' Yuancheng begged the 'ghost' in horror, but Qin shrieked as she floated up, and received invisible whacks from an unseen whip, her lily-white skin being 'sliced open' by said whippings, by about three-to-four inch cuts per whippings, even tearing her clothes! Once a hundred floggings were done, she was then dropped from a height of thirty feet up that Zhongqi had to catch his mother who was shaking from the pain. She bled so much that it was as if someone splashed dye on her.

Young Xue Che...my daughter clearly didn't deserve you. Huiwen glared at Xue Che and Anguo Gong coldly. No woman deserves you for a husband. I will take away your fertility!

'I'm sorry! Please no! Anything but that!' Xue Che begged Huiwen desperately, fearing for his ability to have children, but she made a come hither motion as something appeared in her hands. Xue Che cried in pain, hands between his legs, buckling in pain and pigeon-toed, before collapsing forward and curled into a ball of pain.

'Che'er!' Anguo Gong realized what it was, that Princess Royal has in her hands, which she crushed. His son's jewels! With one last look of contempt, Princess Royal vanished, the pile of sand used to form her became a pile once more.

The Black Cavalry then came, having heard that Princess Royal's estate turned to sand and what bystanders witnessed...they captured everyone still living, and Flowing Cloud Courtyard was where they found a princess, in a derelict filthy shack...

She was ill in bed when found, being tended to by Dongling and Dongling squeaked when black armored knights came in, led by Crown Prince who was appalled at his cousin's condition. The palace has heard what was witnessed in the estate after everything but the Ancestral Hall and Flowing Cloud Pavilion turned to sand.

'Why now? Why after four long years of missy's suffering in this place? Why do you suddenly care?!' Dongling cried, her accusation was akin to a slap on the young prince.

'I have no excuse for that.' he said. 'But let me do right to make up for it all.' he told her in a sad voice.

'You only bothered when milady's ghost showed up!' Dongling shrieked angrily. 'Would you bother if she hadn't?! You just don't want her revenge!'

Zhanye and the other knights had nothing to say about those piercing words as they took both girls to the palace.

Dongling was in a carriage with her miss.

Dongling recounted the events when Beiyue killed Qinghua before collapsing and only muttering, 'Mother...look outside...' and then what happened afterward, was too surreal when Dongling went out on her lady's orders, and took glee at what she witnessed by climbing a tree to watch from there.

Her lady has no power, but clearly possessed by her late lady to act on revenge.

Everything will be alright, she thought.

Unknown to her, Beiyue was using her cantus to make her hidden fortune move with her underground...