Madam Guo stayed at the manor for two days before setting out on her return journey to Chang’an.
The manor was currently a hive of activity. Whether it was harvesting or planting, every task in the fields required careful management. Ah Jiao’s personal maids and elder nannies occupied the side wings, while the manager’s family moved to the outer courtyard. This left the ten long-term laborers squeezed into a single room.
Ah Jiao noted that the manager’s three daughters were still young and that it was inconvenient for them to live in the outer courtyard with the laborers. She arranged for them to stay with her younger maids, helping with the cleaning and general service.
As Ah Jiao walked around the courtyard, she found the space rather cramped. "The space here is quite small," she remarked. "Why hasn't it been expanded? It does oversee a thousand *mu* of land, after all."
Manager Yao’s wife smiled. "You wouldn't know, Miss, but our house only recently acquired this land. The Old Madam said a makeshift house would suffice for now. She planned to expand the courtyard in a few years. After all... it hasn't been three years since Lord Huikang passed. It wouldn't look good if word got out."
Ah Jiao nodded; she hadn't considered such social optics.
The woman continued with a smile, "It’s the busy season now. If you go out, Miss, please take more people with you so no one accidentally bumps into you. My two girls, Xiaomiao and Xiaosui, are familiar with the area. If you wish to go out, they can lead the way."
Ah Jiao gave a slight nod and decided she might as well go for a walk.
Her wet nurse, Nanny Song, stayed behind to mind the courtyard. Her governess, Nanny Cheng, accompanied her along with Mianfu, Nanke, Xiaomiao, and Xiaosui. The group of six set out on foot toward the fields.
Yunhe followed behind them.
Ah Jiao watched the laborers, dressed in coarse hemp and short tunics, bending over to harvest the crops.
Xiaosui chirped, "Miss, they’re reaping the rice now. Once it's cut, they lay it on the ground, tie it into bundles, and transport it to the threshing floor over there. After threshing, the grain goes to the drying ground. The straw is piled up to be burned for fertilizer, and the dried grain has to be husked before it’s ready..." Xiaosui prattled on incessantly.
Ah Jiao smiled. Back when she was Empress, there was the tradition of "the Emperor plows, the Empress tends the silk." Every spring during the Ritual of Agriculture, Liu Che would personally hold the plow in the fields. She, in turn, would lead the wives of the high officials and marquises to the orchards in the eastern suburbs to gather mulberry leaves and sacrifice to the Goddess of Silkworms. However, Ah Jiao knew well that the few symbolic gestures she and Liu Che performed were useless; the offerings presented in autumn were rarely the products of their own labor.
But it didn't matter.
Ah Jiao crouched down and touched the heavy ears of grain. She couldn't help but miss the rice fields of her maternal grandparents in Yidu—it was only after reaching the Underworld that she had truly learned how to farm.
However, crops in the Yin Realm did not depend on the seasons; they depended on the whims of Lady Nüyi. The growth of everything brought from the human world as funerary offerings was subject entirely to her mood.
"Ah Jiao, Ah Jiao, let's go see the threshing floor!" Yunhe exclaimed, his face full of excitement.
"Let's go take a look at the threshing floor," Ah Jiao commanded with a smile.
Xiaomiao blinked, then hurriedly said, "I'll go call for a litter." A moment later, two laborers arrived carrying a wooden shoulder litter. It had a bamboo frame but no curtains, featuring only a simple backrest and armrests.
Mianfu helped Ah Jiao settle carefully into the seat. Xiaomiao stood by with a fawning smile. "Please don't take offense, Miss. Our manor only has this kind of litter. We usually don't dare sit in it; it's only brought out when the city office comes for inspections. We scrubbed it clean as soon as we heard you were coming."
Ah Jiao smiled and offered a few words of praise. She had never sat in such a shoulder litter before; it swayed precariously, making her fear she might fall off.
Yunhe sat atop the bamboo roof and remarked, "This looks too shabby. Let me conjure a bigger one for you!"
"No, no, no, Lord Yunhe! You must not use magic in front of people," Ah Jiao whispered urgently. "It would be impossible to explain if someone saw."
Yunhe relented. "Fine, then!"
Upon reaching the threshing floor, Ah Jiao was surprised by the sheer volume of rice piled there. Seeing her expression, Xiaosui said proudly, "Miss, all the tenants of our estate thresh their rice here. It’s quite a lot."
"It certainly is." Five hundred *mu*—she truly hadn't realized how much grain such an acreage could produce, nor how large a pile it would make.
Xiaomiao waved her hand in front of Ah Jiao and turned to say, "Miss, it's dusty here. Please use your handkerchief to cover your nose."
Ah Jiao did as suggested and followed them inside. The busy workers all seemed to recognize the sisters, stopping to greet them with a "Good day, Miss Xiaomiao, Miss Xiaosui."
Xiaomiao glanced at Ah Jiao. Seeing no displeasure on her face, she addressed the crowd: "This is the Sixth Miss of our house. she is currently recuperating outside the city and came to see our threshing floor today. Why haven't you greeted her?"
The crowd swarmed forward. A tall, sturdy man stepped out from the throng; Ah Jiao recognized him as Manager Yao’s eldest son, Yao Da. Beside him stood his wife, Si Niang.
Yao Da rubbed his hands together, looking flustered. "Miss, why have you come to a place like this? It's dirty. Please, sit, sit." He looked around, his dark face flushing slightly. "Mi—Miss, there's nowhere proper to sit. Si Niang, go quickly and get some clean clothes to cushion the stone for the Miss."
Ah Jiao quickly intervened. "No need, no need. Please, continue with your work. I'm just here for a stroll." As she spoke, she caught sight of Yunhe rolling around on a pile of grain—he truly acted like a child.
Mianfu held Si Niang back, and Xiaomiao smiled at the crowd. "Everyone, get back to work, get back to work."
Ah Jiao walked around for a bit, but seeing how hard everyone was working, she felt awkward loitering and led her party out.
Yunhe followed her out, looking reluctant to leave the fun.
Suddenly, Yunhe stopped in his tracks and stared toward the nearby mountain.
"What is it?" Ah Jiao asked as she boarded the litter.
"There are several wandering souls on that mountain," Yunhe said, frowning.
Ah Jiao spoke to Yunhe in her mind: *Then let's go see.* To her attendants, she said, "The scenery on that mountain looks pleasant. Let's go take a look."
Xiaomiao signaled the laborers to head toward the mountain.
Yunhe walked ahead, and Ah Jiao directed the group to follow him.
The mountain was not high, and the slope was gentle. Upon reaching the top, Ah Jiao stepped off the litter, saying she wanted to walk a bit on her own.
Mianfu and Nanke naturally refused, arguing that Ah Jiao was physically weak and unfamiliar with the terrain.
Ah Jiao had no choice but to let them follow.
As they reached a slope, Ah Jiao finally saw the situation. Three ghosts—one male and two female—were huddled under a tree, looking extremely frail.
Ah Jiao intended to go over and question them, so she insisted again on walking alone. Suddenly, a voice called out: "Xiaomiao, Xiaosui! Where is the Miss? The Eldest Young Master has arrived and wants the Miss to return immediately!"
Xiaomiao ran to the edge of the path. "Miss, it's my second brother. He says the Eldest Young Master is here and wants us to go back."
Ah Jiao frowned. Looking at the three shivering ghosts under the tree, she said to Yunhe in her mind, *Lord Yunhe, let's take them back with us.*
Yunhe nodded. "I had the same thought." With a wave of his sleeve, he swept the three ghosts inside.
Ah Jiao was carried back by the laborers.
While still a distance from the courtyard gate, Ah Jiao saw Chen Yang pacing back and forth. Upon spotting Ah Jiao’s group, he turned and headed into the courtyard.
Once they were seated in the main room, Chen Yang asked, "How has my Sixth Sister been lately? Are you used to living here?"
Ah Jiao smiled. "I've been taking my medicine, and I'm much better. I even felt well enough to stroll through the fields today. Thank you for your concern, Big Brother."
Although the Wei family had fallen slightly out of favor two years ago, the Chen family had gained prominence before Liu Che. Chen Chuo had followed Zhao Ponu on the expedition against Loulan, crushing Gushi and capturing the King of Loulan alive. Zhao Ponu had been enfeoffed as the Marquis of Zhuoye, and Chen Chuo had also received rewards for his merit. Chen Yang himself had been promoted to Grand Palace Grandee over the last two years—the Chen family's momentum was decidedly upward.
How on earth did Jiang Yunji and that old woman Liu Ying come up with such a rotten scheme to trick Chen Wan!
Ah Jiao felt like spitting blood at the thought.
"In that case, we are relieved. Rest well and recover here; the household will fetch you back before the New Year."
"Thank you, Big Brother," Ah Jiao replied, her expression unchanged.
Chen Yang hesitated for a moment before adding, "Recently, do not leave the manor at will." Meeting Ah Jiao’s questioning gaze, he explained, "The Autumn Hunt is approaching, and His Majesty will be visiting Shanglin Park. I have been ordered to come ahead and make preparations. Many people will likely be in the vicinity then; be careful to avoid them."
The Autumn Hunt! She had forgotten! The Emperor held four hunts a year, and it was indeed time for the autumn one.
"Don't worry, Big Brother, I'll remember," Ah Jiao said understandingly. "It's the busy harvest season anyway, so it wouldn't be right for me to go out and cause trouble. Staying in the manor to organize the accounts will be fine."
Chen Yang gave a warm smile. "Good. Then rest well, Sister. I've brought some daily necessities from the capital; I've already had Nanny Song put them away. There is also some money. This place isn't like the capital; if you need anything, just have Manager Yao buy it at the nearby village markets. I must return to Shanglin Park now, so I'll take my leave." He stood up.
"Won't Brother stay for lunch?" Ah Jiao rose as well.
"No, there's too much to do there." Chen Yang walked toward the exit. Ah Jiao saw him all the way to the main gate.
Returning to the main room, she saw that Yunhe had already released the three ghosts.
Ah Jiao used the excuse of being tired from her walk to lie down, dismissing all her servants.
"Well? What's the story?" Ah Jiao asked Yunhe.
Yunhe replied, "They say they were originally palace servants from Shanglin Park. They were murdered and buried on that hilltop."
Ah Jiao sat down and took a sip of water, then addressed the three ghosts. "Under whose command did you serve? And for what reason were you killed?" Ah Jiao noted that the two female ghosts were indeed dressed as palace maids, but the male ghost was in ordinary attire.
One female ghost sobbed, "This lowly one is named Ruier. This is A-Si. We were servants tending to the fruit trees at Fuli Palace. One night, for no reason we knew, we woke up to find ourselves dead! Boohoo!"
Ah Jiao then questioned the male ghost. He also wept, saying, "I was an attendant in the Crown Prince's palace. I was killed for offending His Highness the Crown Prince and discarded here..."
Ah Jiao’s eyebrows jumped. "How did you offend the Crown Prince?"
"This servant does not know! Boohoo!" He joined the others in crying.
Yunhe patted Ah Jiao on the shoulder. "Do you want to get involved in this?"
Ah Jiao thought for a moment, then said to the male ghost, "Tell me everything in detail."
The male ghost wept as he explained: his family was poor, so he had been castrated and entered the palace as a child. He first served at the Hall of Longevity in Changle Palace before being selected for the Crown Prince's palace. When asked again how he offended the Prince, he still claimed ignorance.
Ah Jiao smiled but said nothing.
The male ghost stared at Ah Jiao for a moment. As if making a final resolution, he said, "This servant once received the kindness of Lady Xing of the Hall of Fragrant Grass, which allowed me to be selected for the Crown Prince's palace. Once there, I frequently sent news of the Crown Prince back to the Hall of Fragrant Grass." He prostrated himself on the floor. "I suspect the Crown Prince discovered this, and that is why..."
Ah Jiao smiled. "It's not impossible."
The male ghost saw that Ah Jiao remained calm and smiling from beginning to end, which made his skin crawl. After a moment of internal struggle, he added, "Two years ago, acting on orders from the Hall of Fragrant Grass, I posed as an official of the Clan Administration. I went to the home of Gentleman-of-the-Interior Chen to deliver a false command, claiming that Lord Huikang had died in the palace. This caused Gentleman Chen to barge through the Sima Gate."
Chen Yang barged through the Sima Gate? She hadn't known about this. When Ruan Qing came to the Hall of Cool Breezes to care for her, she hadn't mentioned a word of it.
Lady Xing? Gentleman Chen? She had heard Chen Yang was promoted to Grand Palace Grandee six months ago. Ah Jiao smiled and asked, "Tell me, how long have you been dead?"
The male ghost looked blank. The ghost named Ruier hurriedly said, "He died two years ago. I saw them bury the body with my own eyes, right under that tree." As she spoke, her own expression became vacant.
Yunhe explained, "These mortal ghosts didn't make it to the Underworld in time. They've been exposed to the sun in the human world for too long. Over time, their minds become muddled."
Ah Jiao nodded. "Then put them away."
Yunhe swept them into his sleeve with a wave of his hand. "I see you're smiling. Did you already know all this?"
Ah Jiao’s smile grew even softer. "Of course I didn't. But *they* didn't know that I didn't know! By the way, they've actually been wandering the human world for this long?"
Yunhe acted as if this were perfectly normal. "It's been busy these last two years. It's normal for a few ghosts to slip through the cracks. It's always been like that. After all, the Soul-Hooking Department only has so many reapers, and Shen Zhi took a whole group of them over to the Reincarnation Department."
Ah Jiao felt a headache coming on.
The Xing woman, the Hall of Fragrant Grass, the Crown Prince, Chen Yang!
To think such things had happened back then!
***
