Chapter 281

It was another gloomy day on the verge of rain.

There was not a ray of sunlight in the cloud layer. The wind blew up from some unknown place, passing over high walls and blowing people's faces rigid.

After sending Cousin off, Gu Ying returned to the backyard with a pensive look on her face.

Ning Si was waiting at the courtyard gate, watching her with a smile in her eyes and teased, "Why do you look so dejected after just seeing your cousin?"

Gu Ying raised her little face and smiled slightly, intimately taking her hand, "Come on, Sis Ning, let's hurry up and finish these sachets to give to the Eldest Prince."

Ning Si's eyes shimmered slightly and she didn't say anything.

She knew in her heart that Gu Ying would not really ignore the plague in Yueyang. Otherwise, she would not have brought the medicinal pills to Yueyang beforehand. Gu Ying had many mysteries that puzzled her, such as her mature composure, as well as her frequent foreknowledge. Her understanding of the Eldest Prince being poisoned, as well as her composure in the face of the Yueyang plague, was as if she had known long ago that such disaster would befall Yueyang.

Ning Si didn't ask further. Watching Gu Ying's slender and straight back, her eyes grew more distressed. This was a woman who had just become pregnant for three months!

The two returned to the courtyard and busied themselves with the work in hand.

Before long, the sky gradually darkened. Gu Ying looked at the sachet she had embroidered with pomegranate flowers, her heart full of the image of the Eldest Prince wearing himself out for the sake of the common people.

She silently stared at the sachet in her hand, involuntarily falling into contemplation.

The more she thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong.

Since Jiang Yin had also reborn with her, he would know about the plague in Yueyang city. Why did he still follow Prince Shu here?

In their last life, this plague had killed nearly 100,000 people. More than half of Yueyang City had been emptied. A man with such a deep mind and extreme craftiness would never take such a risk to endanger himself and let Prince Shu fall into danger with him if he was not fully prepared.

Moreover, the plague in their previous life was caused by the corpses of people who died of starvation during the great snow disaster not being properly buried, rotting in the river and triggering the epidemic.

But the plague this time...could not be cured with the medicine she knew of.

If it was not because her rebirth had led to changes, then someone must be secretly manipulating things.

Jiang Yin must be behind this!

Gu Ying narrowed her eyes, clenching her fists tightly.

This man had actually gambled with so many lives of common people.

What was he trying to do?!

Ning Si turned her head, waving her fingers in front of Gu Ying's eyes, "Ah Ying, what are you thinking about?"

Gu Ying bit her lip, stuffed the sachet into her arms, and smiled, "It’s nothing. Let's eat first."

Now was not the time to startle the snake in the grass. She had to quickly figure out a way to see the Eldest Prince again.

Ning Si nodded and ordered the servants to serve dinner.

After the two women finished their evening meal, the night was dark and gloomy. Clusters of gloomy clouds hung in the distant sky, oppressively weighing down the hearts of everyone.

"Ah Ying, you rest first. I’ll be back soon."

"Alright, go ahead." Gu Ying wrapped herself in a thick blanket and sat at the desk, flipping through Yueyang’s Strange Events that she had brought back from Elder Master Ning, "Remember to take an umbrella in case it rains."

She remembered that it had poured rain in Yueyang for several months on end.

Looking at the time, it was about the rainy season.

The rain was coming at an inopportune time. Yueyang had just experienced heavy snows and earthquakes. The incessant rain plunged Yueyang into another extreme of depression and irritation.

Ning Si put on a pink cloak and simply dressed her hair in a bun before going to visit her mother-in-law.

She had heard that her mother-in-law's chronic illness was getting worse. Although she had taken medicine, she felt muddled every day and could only lie in bed sleeping. The servants were all afraid that she had contracted the plague and didn't dare go near her. Only a few old serving women who had attended to her for many years kept watch in the yard. Eldest uncle and cousin were both busy outside with the Eldest Prince and barely had time to return.

Ning Si was extremely anxious. Later, after asking Gu Ying to go take a look, she finally felt relieved.

"Sis Ning, you’ve had a hard time."

"It’s alright. Rest assured, Mother. Ah Ying said it’s just a wind-cold infection. Pay more attention to rest and take medicine, and you’ll get better."

The figure lying in bed had a sickly flush on her face. She coughed for a while before some vigor returned to her expression. "I wonder if your uncle and grandfather have returned."

Ning Si consoled, "Not yet. Don’t worry too much, Mother. Uncle and grandfather are with the Eldest Prince. Nothing will happen. Qingjiang Manor has the best doctors in Yueyang city. The plague will be over in a few days."

"I'm just worried about their safety outside." She coughed again.

Ning Si quickly helped the old madam up and fed her a cup of hot water, "If Mother is worried, Sis Ning will send someone to ask about news later."

"Hmm."

Ning Si accompanied her mother-in-law for a while and sighed. Now the huge Ning Mansion could only rely on her to hold things up first.

Gu Ying would not interfere in the household affairs of the Nings. She would only occasionally give Ning Si some advice.

Although Ning Si was not very old, she had never managed the inner residence before. Every day she diligently sought Gu Ying’s teachings and found that despite Gu Ying’s young age, she was actually a skilled old hand in managing income and expenses as well as accounting.

Ning Si asked respectfully and these days she had actually managed the Ning household properly without any accidents.

When Ning Si returned from her mother-in-law’s courtyard, she saw Gu Ying still reading by lamplight. She took off her cloak and socks and sat cross-legged by Gu Ying’s side, "Ah Ying, what book is this? I’ve never seen it before."

A warm fragrance wafted from the side. The corners of Gu Ying’s lips turned up slightly and she smiled, "It’s about Yueyang. It says that a hundred years ago, Yueyang also suffered an unprecedented severe drought. At that time, countless people starved to death. The common folk even ate their own children. Tree bark was stripped bare. Yueyang was almost destroyed. Later, the imperial envoy sent by the court brought disaster relief money and grain, but they mysteriously disappeared on the way. In the despair of the common people, a fairy taoist appeared."

Ning Si blinked curiously, "Oh? There’s this kind of legend? I grew up here but I’ve never heard such words."

Gu Ying spread the old book between them. Under the dim candlelight, the woman’s tranquil and gentle side profile glowed white. Her jade fingers shimmered a glistening glow in the flickering light. "It says that the fairy taoist pointed the way for the people of Yueyang, saying that disaster destroys the nine yin while fortune comes from the ten directions. To get through this ordeal, they must offer the blood of nine yin nine yang to the Lady of the Earth to appease her before the disaster could pass."

"Nine yin nine yang blood?" Ning Si asked puzzledly.

"Yes." Gu Ying murmured thoughtfully, "The so-called nine yin refers to girls born on three negative days (month, date, and hour). Nine yang refers to boys born on three positive days. The blood of these two must flow together into the offering altar to take effect. That year, in order to survive the disaster, they sacrificed nine girls and nine boys. Using human lives to exchange for human lives...it was too cruel."