The Heroine Fell Deeply For Her [Quick Transmigration] 144

Chapter 144: Taken Home by the Princess Part 32

Confucius said, “Do not speak of strange powers, prodigies, disorder, and spirits.” While such beliefs persisted, they weren’t mainstream or openly discussed.

Initially, people dismissed the rumors of Prince Yong’s residence being haunted as mere gossip. After all, it was the residence of a powerful prince, heavily guarded.

Seeing the maids and servants going about their daily routines, seemingly unconcerned, they didn’t take the rumors seriously. Then someone saw the prince’s Grand Historian invite a Daoist priest through the back gate.

The story spread, and everyone started to believe the rumors.

Prince Yong, who hadn’t invited any specialists, was furious, smashing several tea sets and ordering his men to find the source of the rumors, to expose the person behind this charade.

This caused quite a stir in the residence, but ultimately, nothing was found.

The purged residence, with no spies or suspects, was even more unsettling, increasing the anxiety, everyone afraid of what might happen next.

One night, while reading in his study, Prince Yong was startled by a ghostly knock, the wails echoing through the residence. Refusing to believe it, he slammed the table, grabbed his sword, and stormed out.

Prince Yong: “Who are you?! How dare you cause trouble in my residence?!”

A gray shadow flashed before his eyes, accompanied by a creepy cracking sound, and a sharp pain in the back of his neck, then everything went black.

Li Ji slowly retracted her hand, glancing at the unconscious Prince Yong lying face down, then grabbed the mechanical puppet and quickly left.

#The highly skilled Guard Li is up to her sneaky tricks again#

Like a gentle breeze, she disappeared into the night.

“Your Highness!”

When Prince Yong’s advisors arrived, swords drawn, they only found him lying on the ground, a tooth knocked out from the fall, blood staining his mouth.

The rumors persisted, even Prince Yong experiencing the ghostly knocking, and the stories became even more widespread.

Finally, unable to withstand his wife’s constant crying, Prince Yong agreed to invite a specialist.

Seeing the Grand Historian invite several Daoist priests and Buddhist monks into the residence, the commoners, although unaware of the details, spun tales of intrigue and mystery.

Uninvolved, they watched from afar, curious about what was happening behind the high walls of the prince’s residence.

That night, the priests and monks were thrown out. While they were performing their rituals in the front courtyard, the ghostly wails and knocking came from the prince and princess’s bedchambers.

Prince Yong, furious, thinking they were charlatans, threw them all out, the incident a great embarrassment.

The ghost became even more audacious, ignoring the talismans plastered everywhere and the patrolling guards, haunting the residence every night.

Prince Yong couldn’t understand, what kind of powerful spirit could withstand even the most skilled priests and monks?

Li Ji also thought that if it weren’t for her lightness skills, the princess would have to find a way to break her out of the prince’s prison.

Specialists were invited to the residence one after another, only to be thrown out, and eventually, the nearby temples and monasteries learned of the troublesome presence in Prince Yong’s residence, refusing to send anyone, no matter the Grand Historian’s pleas.

The commoners gossiped and speculated.

“This ghost is so powerful, even so many masters couldn’t subdue it.”

“I heard it wears green, a green sha, only slightly weaker than a red sha, still incredibly powerful.”

“Why is the prince’s residence haunted? He’s a benevolent ruler, this shouldn’t be happening…”

“Perhaps he… did something against the will of heaven, and this is a warning?”

“Bang!”

The storyteller on stage slammed his gavel, and the audience looked up.

He sat there, stroking his beard, narrating the story he had adapted about the haunted residence.

Being in Yongzhou Prefecture, and only wanting to earn a living, not risking his life, he changed the setting to the residence of an official from the previous dynasty.

Storyteller: “It is said that the ghost appeared silently in the middle of the night, wandering through the vast residence of the Prime Minister. A guard, returning from relieving himself, sensed something amiss, hearing faint cries. Following the sound, he saw a woman in green, her long hair covering her face, weeping in a corner.”

“Her figure was ethereal and elegant, and the guard, captivated, forgetting he was in the Prime Minister’s residence, approached her and asked, ‘Why are you here so late, Miss?’ The woman continued crying, and only after being asked again did she slowly turn around, revealing a face, half beautiful and full, half skeletal…”

The audience listened intently, their faces a mixture of fear and fascination.

On the third floor, two young women sat facing each other, also looking down, occasionally tossing silver coins onto the stage as the story reached its climax.

A young boy behind the storyteller quickly collected the coins, bowing and thanking them: “Thank you for your generosity, esteemed guests!”

Tao Ning leaned against the railing, continuing to listen.

Qin Yang put down her chopsticks, also looking down: “With all this commotion, Prince Yong probably won’t notice my arrival.”

“He must be too preoccupied,” Tao Ning said, realizing Qin Yang’s previous trip hadn’t gone smoothly, no wonder she had returned to Guang’an in the middle of the night.

Qin Yang continued, “I didn’t leave any trace last time, and the people I used were completely reliable, but Prince Yong’s residence was heavily guarded, and he even used the excuse of searching for a thief to seal off the city gates for a few days, I almost couldn’t leave, something isn’t right.”

Tao Ning understood the implication: “You think someone in the capital leaked the information?”

News of Princess Regent Qin Yang leaving the capital hadn’t been widely publicized, just a simple excuse of illness and seclusion, but the Grand Council and several high-ranking officials knew about it.

The princess ruled with an iron fist, and they knew better than to overstep their boundaries, only true rivals understanding their opponent’s strength.

But they weren’t mortal enemies, each with their own agenda, except for a few stubborn ones, most were just observing, waiting for an opportunity.

Qin Yang didn’t deny the suspicion, her gaze falling on the figure below: “Therefore, this investigation of Prince Yong must be swift and decisive.”

A knock came on the door, interrupting their conversation, and Qin Yang said, “Enter.”

The person who entered was no longer surprised by the presence of the Junior Minister, simply bowing and saying softly, “Your Highness, General Qi, stationed in Yongzhou Prefecture, has secretly arrived at the residence.”

This residence, officially belonging to a wealthy merchant in Yongzhou, known as the Wu Residence, actually belonged to Qin Yang, who had also stayed here during her previous visit.

Qin Yang and Tao Ning exchanged glances and stood up: “We shouldn’t delay, let’s go meet General Qi.”

They left the bustling teahouse, entering a palanquin and disappearing into the crowd, like a drop of water into the ocean.

After a few days of this commotion, the green sha became even more audacious.

Many people in the prince’s residence were terrified, even injuring the highly paid specialist, who declared himself incompetent and unable to help.

He returned the money he had received and hastily left.

Prince Yong couldn’t stop him, as he had suddenly run away while they were purchasing cinnabar.

Just then, rumors spread of a Daoist priest named Qingxu, who had exorcised a red sha in Guang’an County, witnessed by many. Moreover, this priest was incredibly noble, refusing any reward, disappearing after completing the task.

And coincidentally, he happened to be traveling near Yongzhou Prefecture.

Prince Yong, confirming the rumors, immediately had this wandering Daoist priest kidnapped… no, invited back.

Following the Princess Regent’s instructions, Daoist Qingxu was brought back, bound and gagged, but treated as a guest of honor upon arriving at Prince Yong’s residence.

Prince Yong was anxious, worried about offending the priest, offering him gold, silver, and treasures.

But Daoist Qingxu, ignoring the offerings, like a cat sensing a rat, suddenly became alert: “This aura… is very familiar. I think I’ve encountered it before.”

Prince Yong quickly asked, “Where, Master? Is someone causing trouble in my residence?!”

Daoist Qingxu waved his hand: “Not at all, it just reminds me of a past event, not worth mentioning. Since Your Highness is troubled by this, I’ll naturally assist you, but as for these worldly possessions, I have no need for them.”

The more noble he acted, the more convinced Prince Yong became.

Seemingly a fortunate turn of events, but actually a hidden current, waiting to surface.

Three days later, Daoist Qingxu began the exorcism ritual.

He finally understood why the Princess Regent had prepared everything so meticulously, she must have anticipated this.

This time, he had to deceive a prince, so he had memorized the scriptures and even observed a real Daoist priest performing a ritual, his actions now more convincing.

Last time, Prince Yong had stayed in the back courtyard, but while the monks chanted and the Daoist priest performed the ritual in the front, the ghostly wails and knocking came from the back.

This time, he would stay in the front, surely the ghost wouldn’t dare appear.

Seeing the Daoist priest’s confident and practiced movements, Prince Yong nodded inwardly, thinking this was a true master, unlike the previous charlatans who only knew how to apologize and make excuses.

As night deepened, the ritual continued, and while everyone’s attention was focused on the front courtyard, two figures landed on the roof.

Qin Yang had done a lot of eavesdropping recently, not exactly honorable, but effective.

While the ritual was being performed below, heavily guarded to prevent the priest from wandering around and seeing something he shouldn’t, Prince Yong sat in the main hall, his sword beside him, waiting anxiously.

After watching for a while, Tao Ning tapped Qin Yang’s shoulder, pointing in a certain direction.

Qin Yang nodded, relaxing as Tao Ning wrapped an arm around her waist and led her away.

Prince Yong’s residence, built according to regulations, was similar in layout to other princes’ residences, and someone familiar with the design wouldn’t get lost.

Despite Prince Yong’s caution, Qin Yang’s spies had discovered some clues, but further investigation would risk exposure.

Tonight, with the guards focused on the front courtyard, Qin Yang seized the opportunity to infiltrate the residence.

They landed silently, hidden in the shadows.

“Someone’s coming,” Tao Ning pushed Qin Yang into a cluster of rocks.

Qin Yang’s back pressed against the rocks, hidden in a small crevice, Tao Ning shielding her, neither minding the cramped space, their breathing shallow.

Footsteps approached, a group of patrolling guards, yawning.

“Why are we patrolling this forsaken place?”

“Don’t be lazy, it’s His Highness’s order.”

“In the middle of the night, with the Daoist priest performing a ritual in the front, patrolling this creepy place is unsettling.”

“Stop talking, I need to pee.”

They chuckled, one of them saying, “You’re probably scared shitless!”

“Heh, if that green sha dares to show itself, I’ll let it taste my blade.”

“Don’t jinx it, our captain said the same thing a few days ago.”

And their captain still hadn’t woken up.

This silenced them, and someone said, “Let’s finish this quickly and leave, don’t talk about people during the day, or ghosts at night…”

Although no one replied, they all agreed.

Hidden among the rocks, Qin Yang pondered, wondering where Prince Yong would hide his secrets.

The commotion caused by the green sha had alerted him, and being a schemer himself, he would definitely check if his hidden stash had been discovered.

Rebellion wasn’t a simple matter, it required people, money, and power. Prince Yong had been withholding taxes for years, supporting his troops, but weapons were also essential.

His movements were always closely monitored, and he hadn’t been seen visiting any armories, so was it possible…

That he could confirm the safety of his stash without leaving the residence?

The patrolling guards were approaching, their lanterns a potential risk of exposure.

Tao Ning nudged Qin Yang’s shoulder, gesturing with her eyes, and they silently slipped away, unnoticed, towards an abandoned courtyard.

After the guards passed, Qin Yang, still lost in thought, said, “Let’s go.”

Tao Ning, however, said, “Wait.”