Wang Zifu was a native of Luodian, Ju County. He lost his father at a young age and was intelligent. He was admitted as a scholar at the age of fourteen and married a Xiao family. He died before marriage, so he has been single.

During the Lantern Festival this year, Wang Zifu and his cousin Wu Sheng went to play in the countryside. They met a girl carrying a maid. The girl was holding a plum blossom in her hand, and she was extremely beautiful. When Wang Zifu saw it, he was stunned and stared at it for a long time.

Fascinated.

The girl walked a few steps over and noticed that the prince's suit was behaving rudely. She said to the maid, "This boy's eyes are so bright that he looks like a thief." She dropped the flower in her hand on the ground and left with a giggle.

The beautiful lady left, and the prince felt unhappy. He bent down to pick up the plum blossoms and returned sadly.

After returning home, the prince couldn't forget the girl. He was so lovesick that he didn't talk or eat. He stared at the plum blossoms every day. His mother was anxious and asked for medicine, but the condition didn't improve. Seeing her son's body getting thinner day by day, she was secretly worried.

.

Soon after, Wu Sheng came to visit, and the Queen Mother asked him to enlighten her son. Wu Sheng agreed and said to the prince with a smile, "Cousin, you are really infatuated to do this for a woman. Don't worry, this matter is easy to handle.

, I will go and find the whereabouts of the girl for you. Since she is hiking in the wild, she must not be the daughter of a wealthy family. If you are not married, I will go and find a matchmaker for you. If you are engaged, we will spend more money on the gift, and we will not worry about it. You take good care of your health.

, wait for my news, everything will be taken care of by me."

When the prince heard this, he smiled happily and was in a good mood, and then he started to eat a little.

A few days later, Wu Sheng came back and Wang Zifu asked, "Has the matter been done?"

Wu Sheng lied and said: "I have found out the news. Whose beauty I thought was, it turned out to be my aunt's daughter, or your aunt's cousin after all. In a few days, I will prepare a betrothal gift and come to propose marriage. Although there are some obstacles to intermarriage between in-laws, but

Tell the truth and everything will be accomplished."

The prince asked, "Where does she live?"

Wu Sheng casually said, "In the southwest mountains, thirty miles from here." After saying a few words, he hurriedly said goodbye and left.

From then on, the prince's food intake increased day by day, and his health became stronger day by day. He touched the plum blossom under the pillow. Although it was withered, it was fortunate that it had not withered. He thought about it and played with it, and it was like seeing a beauty. However, since Wu Sheng passed away, nothing happened, and the prince felt depressed.

Unhappy, I thought, "Thirty miles is not a long journey, so why rely on others? Why don't I come and visit in person." So he hid the plum blossoms in his arms and headed to Nanshan in anger.

We were traveling quickly and came to a valley. We saw green mountains and quiet scenery. Looking at the bottom of the valley, there was a faint village among the red flowers and green trees.

Going down the mountain and entering the village, we passed by a few thatched huts and a courtyard in the north. There were willow trees in front of the door. Inside the walls were fragrant peach and apricot trees, and there were thick bamboos. Prince Fu didn't dare to break in rashly, so he sat down on a nearby boulder to rest.

A woman's voice called "Xiaorong!" came from inside the Er wall. She was listening attentively. A girl walked out from east to west, holding an apricot flower in her hand and gesturing to wear it on her temples. She raised her eyes inadvertently and suddenly discovered that

The prince was a little surprised, and he didn't dare to insert the flowers. He smiled slightly and walked into the courtyard.

The prince took a closer look and saw that it was the girl from the Lantern Festival. He was overjoyed and wanted to catch up with the girl, but was worried that it would be too abrupt. He thought, "If my cousin didn't lie to me, this should be my aunt's house. But my aunt and I have no relationship."

I have no contact with her and I don’t know what she looks like. If I just rush in like this, if I identify the wrong person, wouldn’t it be a big joke?”

He hesitated for a moment and was so anxious that he walked around outside the house, sometimes standing and sometimes sitting, hesitating. I don’t know how long it took. The sun set and the sky gradually became dark. During this period, the girl showed half of her face across the yard.

I secretly peeked at Wang Zifu's face several times and was quite surprised to see that Wang Zifu still refused to leave.

Suddenly, an old lady walked out on crutches, looked at the prince's clothes, and asked: "Where did this scholar come from? He has been sitting here since Chenshi. What does he want to do? Are you hungry?"

The prince straightened his clothes and said, "I'm here to visit my relatives."

The old lady asked, "What's your relative's last name?"

Wang Zifu shook his head: "I don't know either."

The old lady smiled, "What a strange news. You don't even know the name, why are you visiting relatives? I think you must be a nerd. It's getting late, why not go into the house with the old lady and have a home-cooked meal. There is also a bed in the room, and

Stay one night and ask questions when I go back. It won’t be too late to come visit my relatives again.”

Prince Fu happened to be hungry, and he wanted to get close to the beauty. He couldn't help but nodded when he heard the words, and happily followed the old lady into the courtyard.

I saw a white stone road inside the door, with colorful petals everywhere. I walked zigzag all the way to an outdoor room, which was also a yard. The yard was full of bean sheds and flower stands.

Walking into the room, you can see that the walls are white and smooth as a mirror, and a crabapple branch stretches into the room from the window. The tables, chairs, and mattresses in the room are very clean.

As soon as he sat down, the prince noticed two figures peeping outside the house. The old lady coughed and said, "Xiao Rong, go cook quickly. Who allowed you to peek outside the house? Haven't you seen a man?" A maid outside the house.

He agreed loudly and went to prepare the meal.

The old lady presented the tea, and the prince took a sip and began to explain his family background in detail. The old lady listened attentively and asked in surprise: "Young man, is your ancestor's surname really Wu?"

The prince nodded and the old lady smiled and said: "So you are my nephew. Your mother is my sister. In recent years, the old woman's family has declined and she has no sons, so she has not interacted with relatives. My nephew has grown so big.

I actually don’t recognize him.”

The prince smiled and said: "I came here specifically to visit my aunt. By the way, you haven't asked me your aunt's last name yet?"

The old lady said: "My surname is Qin. I have never had children in my life. I only have one daughter, who was born to my late husband's concubine. Her mother remarried and left the child to me to raise. The little girl is not stupid, but she lacks discipline and laughs all day long.

I'll ask her to come out to meet the guests later, and your cousins ​​will get to know each other."

Not long after, the maid served a banquet. The dishes were sumptuous, and there was even a fat chicken. After the meal was over, the maid cleared away the tableware, and the old lady ordered: "Go and call Ning Gu." The maid agreed.

After a while, there was faint laughter from outside the door, and the old lady shouted: "Yingning, your cousin is here." There were still sneers outside the door. The maid pushed her into the room, and the girl still kept laughing.

, the old lady frowned and said: "There are guests here, laughing and joking, what are you like?" She pointed at the prince and said: "This scholar Wang is your aunt's son, why don't you bow to your cousin?"

Yingning suppressed her laughter and bowed to Wanfu. The prince bowed quickly in return and asked the old lady, "How old is your sister?"

The old lady had bad ears and couldn't hear clearly, so she asked, "What did you say?"

Wang Zifu had no choice but to ask again loudly, and Yingning couldn't help but laugh again. The old lady said: "I said this girl lacks tutoring, and you have seen it. A sixteen-year-old girl is stupid and crazy, just like a child.

.”

The prince said: "My sister is one year younger than me."

The old lady said: "My nephew is already seventeen years old? Could it be that he is a horse in the year of Gengwu?"

The prince suit nodded.

The old lady asked, "Do you have a daughter-in-law? Which family is she from?"

The prince said: "I haven't married yet."

The old lady said: "My nephew is so talented and good-looking. Why hasn't he married a wife at the age of seventeen? Is his vision too high? Ying Ning just doesn't have a husband either. You two are quite a match, but it's a pity that we are in-laws."

When Wang Zifu heard this, he remained silent and stared at Ying Ning intently.

The maid remembered the scene of the last Lantern Festival and whispered to Ying Ning, "My eyes are burning, but my traitorous look has not changed." Ying Ning just giggled and said to the maid, "Go and see if the peach blossoms are blooming?" She covered her sleeves with her sleeves as she spoke.

He opened his mouth and walked out the door in small steps. As soon as he got outside the door, he couldn't hold back anymore and started laughing heartily.

The old lady also stood up, and ordered the maid to make the bed for Wang Zifu, and said: "My nephew rarely comes here, and he will stay for three to five days before sending you back. If you feel bored, there is a small garden behind the house, where you can relax as you like.

If you like reading, you can go to the study room, where there are many books."

The next day, Wang Zifu came to the back of the house. Sure enough, there was a half-acre garden with beautiful flowers and green grass. He was walking around. Suddenly he heard the rustling sound from the trees. When he looked up, he saw that it was the baby.

Ning was playing in the tree, and when he saw the prince uniform, he couldn't stop giggling.

Wang Zifu was worried about her safety and shouted: "Don't move, it will fall down now."

Ying Ning smiled sweetly as she climbed down. When she was about to reach the ground, she accidentally fell down and finally stopped laughing. Wang Zifu stepped forward to help her and took the opportunity to touch her palm twice.

He laughed so loudly that after laughing, his stomach ached and he couldn't walk, so he had to lean against a tree to catch his breath.

When Wang Zifu waited for her to laugh enough, he took out the plum blossom from his sleeve and showed it to her. Ying Ning took it and held it in his hand, saying, "The flowers are withered, why do you still keep them?"

The prince said: "My sister threw it away during the Lantern Festival, so I have been keeping it."

"What's the use of saving it?"

"When I see a beautiful woman, I miss the person I am in love with. I will never forget my love. Ever since I met my girl during the Lantern Festival, I have missed her every day. I have become sick with lovesickness and thought I would not live long. I didn't expect that today you and I would be destined to meet again. Please make sure to help me, girl."

"This is not a big deal. You and I are relatives, so there is no need to be polite. You like flowers, don't you? There are many in the yard. When you go back, I will ask the old servant to fold a big bundle and give it to you."

The prince couldn't laugh or cry, "Girl is not stupid."

"Why am I stupid?"

"I don't love flowers, but I love the people who hold them."

"We are relatives to begin with, and we are already very affectionate."

"The love I'm talking about is not the love of relatives, but the love of husband and wife."

"Is there a difference?"

"Of course there is a difference. Husband and wife can sleep in the same bed."

Yingning lowered his head and thought for a long time, then said, "But I don't like sleeping with strangers." Before he finished speaking, the maid came over quietly, and Wang Zifu hurriedly ran away.

After a while, Wang Zifu and Yingning went to the old lady's place. The old lady asked, "Where have you been?"

Yingning said: "I'm talking to my elder brother in the garden."

The old lady said: "The rice is almost burnt. What can't you say that you can't finish talking about for so long?"

Ying Ning said: "Brother wants to sleep with me." Before he finished speaking, the prince was so embarrassed that he stared at her with his eyes. Fortunately, the old lady had poor hearing and didn't hear clearly.

After eating, Wang Zifu scolded Ying Ning in a low voice, "There are some things you shouldn't say nonsense."

Yingning asked, "Shouldn't I say what I just said?"

"Of course you shouldn't say it. Only you and I can know this kind of thing. You must hide it from others."

"Hide it from others? But my mother is not an outsider, how can I hide it from her? Besides, sleeping is normal, what's the taboo?"

When Prince Fu heard this, he could only smile bitterly. This Ying Ning was so ignorant that there was really nothing he could do to her. Suddenly, he heard the sound of a donkey braying outside the door, but it was because he had not returned for a long time, so his mother sent a servant to look for her.

Prince Fu also missed his family a little, so he went to say goodbye to the old lady and said, "I want to take my cousin Ying Ning home, and I'd like to ask my aunt for permission."

The old lady smiled and said, "I've wanted to visit my sister for a long time, but I'm old and can't walk far. It would be great if you take your cousin back and get to know your aunt." She called Yingning and told her carefully: "Your cousin

I want to take you back to your aunt's house, pack it up, and set off now. Your aunt's house has a lot of land, and I don't care if I have an extra person for you. There's no need to rush back. When you get to your aunt's house, you should learn more poetry and etiquette, so that you can serve her better in the future.

In-laws, by the way, please ask my aunt to arrange a marriage for you and find a good husband."

Ying Ning didn't say anything, just laughed back and forth. The old lady glared at her and sighed: "What kind of happy event can't get enough laughter? If you don't laugh, it will be perfect."

When Ying Ning and the prince returned home, the Queen Mother came out to greet her. She was very surprised to see Ying Ning's beautiful appearance and asked, "Who is this girl?"

The prince said: "Her name is Ying Ning, she is the daughter of my aunt."

The Queen Mother quietly said to her son, "I don't have a sister, how can I get a niece? Everything Wu Sheng told you before was all lies." She then asked Ying Ning, "Son, who is your father?"

Ying Ning said: "My father's surname is Qin. When he died, I was still in my infancy and I can't remember many things."

The Queen Mother nodded and said, "I do have a sister who married someone named Qin, but she has been dead for a long time. How could she still be alive?" She then asked Ying Ning what her biological mother looked like. Ying Ning said, "My mother has a black spot on her face.

mole."

The Queen Mother nodded and said, "Yes, what you said is absolutely correct."

While they were talking, Wu Sheng came to visit. Ying Ning didn't want to see a stranger and hurriedly avoided entering the inner room. Wu Sheng had never seen Ying Ning before, so he couldn't help asking questions. After some questioning, he finally knew what happened. Suddenly, there was a loud sound.

He yelled and said, "Is this girl really called Ying Ning?"

The prince nodded and said, "Yes."

Wu Sheng murmured: "What a coincidence. I had an aunt who married into the Qin family and died soon after. My uncle was single and was fascinated by the fox spirit. He gave birth to a daughter named Ying Ning. When she was a child,

I have met before. Later, my uncle died, and the fox spirit missed the old relationship and often visited the house. The family was afraid, so they asked the heavenly master to put many spells on the wall, and the fox spirit left with her daughter. Could it be that girl Yingning just now?

Was it born from a fox spirit?"

The three of them looked at each other, hesitating and unable to make a decision. At this time, Ying Ning's laughter came again in the room, and she kept laughing endlessly. The Queen Mother smiled and said: "This little girl is too coquettish and naive." As she spoke, she sent her subordinates.

When someone asked her to come out to meet the guests, Yingning suppressed her laughter, walked out of the room and saluted Wu Sheng, then returned and entered the room, laughing loudly again.

The prince's suit entrusted Wu Sheng to go to Nanshan to investigate. When he came to the valley, he found that the small mountain village disappeared out of thin air, leaving only withered grass and scattered flowers. Wu Sheng thought of the place where his aunt was buried, which seemed to be nearby, and he couldn't help but feel a little suspicious:

Could it be that Ying Ning is not a human, but a ghost?

After going back, he told the Queen Mother about his experience. The Queen Mother also suspected that Ying Ning was a ghost. She went into the house and told Ying Ning what Wu Sheng had seen and heard. Ying Ning was not afraid. The Queen Mother felt sorry for her because she had no home, and Ying Ning was not afraid either.

Sad, she just smiles naively all day long, and no one can figure her out.

The Queen Mother asked her youngest daughter to live with Yingning. Yingning went to greet the Queen Mother every morning. Her needlework was extremely exquisite. She just liked to laugh, and no one could stop her. Although Yingning smiled casually, it was very special.

She is good-looking, everyone likes to see her smile, and all the neighbor girls are vying to interact with her.

The Queen Mother planned to choose Ji Ri to marry Ying Ning for her son, but she was always worried that Ying Ning was a ghost. Once she secretly observed Ying Ning under the sun and found that Ying Ning's shadow was no different from that of a normal person, so she felt relieved.

On the day of their wedding, Yingning put on a phoenix crown and harem, and kept laughing while praying to heaven and earth, which made the wedding ceremony impossible and had to end hastily.

Because Ying Ning is cute and naive, the prince is afraid that she will reveal the private affairs of the house. However, Ying Ning is not ignorant. The secrets between the couple are never mentioned to outsiders. Whenever the Queen Mother is worried or unhappy, as long as she hears Ying Ning's laughter,

The mood immediately relaxed. And when the slaves made mistakes, they all knew how to intercede with Ying Ning. The Queen Mother loved her very much. As long as Ying Ning opened her mouth, she would always be accommodating.

Ying Ning loved flowers so much that she planted flowers everywhere in the yard, and even pawned her gold and silver jewelry to buy flower saplings and tree seeds. There was a woody tree in the backyard, next to her neighbor's house to the west. Ying Ning often climbed on the tree to play.

, the boy from the Xi family saw Ying Ning's beauty from a distance, and couldn't help but come forward to tease her. Ying Ning didn't shy away, but just kept laughing. The boy from the Xi family mistakenly thought that Ying Ning was interested in him, and his behavior became more and more wild.

Ying Ning pointed to the corner and left with a smile. The boy from the Xi family thought she was giving directions to the date. In the evening, he happily went to the appointment. As expected, he saw Ying Ning waiting in the corner. He immediately came forward and hugged her, with her lower body thrusting back and forth. Suddenly, her life was at the root of her body.

There was a sharp stabbing pain in the heart, which made me howl and roll around on the ground. When I looked carefully, I saw that there was no Yingning there, it was just an old tree stump.

The young man's father heard the cry and came to investigate. He saw a hole in the tree stump with a poisonous scorpion hidden inside. The reason why the young man was injured was probably because the scorpion had bitten his vital part. He returned home and died soon after.

The young man's father went to the government and exposed Ying Ning as a monster. Since the prince's reputation was very good, the county magistrate quickly closed the case: The old man of the Xi family falsely accused a good person, ignored him, and went back and forth wherever he went.

When the Queen Mother heard the news, she secretly advised Ying Ning, "You always love to laugh, so I knew you would cause trouble. Fortunately, the county magistrate is reasonable. If he encounters a corrupt official, he will definitely summon my mother-in-law and daughter-in-law to the court for confrontation. If that is the case,

, I’m too embarrassed to see anyone.”

Yingning swore: "I will never laugh again from now on."

The Queen Mother said: "How can people not laugh? It's just a matter of distinguishing the occasion and place."

But no matter how much the Queen Mother tried to persuade her, Ying Ning never laughed again after that time. Sometimes her family members teased her intentionally, but she didn't laugh either, but she was still carefree and didn't know what worries were.

That night, Ying Ning suddenly became serious and cried to her husband. Wang Zifu was very surprised and asked quickly, "What's wrong?"

Yingning choked up and said, "In the past, I didn't get along with my husband for a long time, so I didn't dare to tell my life story. Now my mother-in-law and my husband are very good to me, and I can't hide it anymore. In fact, I am not a human, I was born of a fox. My mother

Before leaving, she entrusted me to the ghost mother, and we have been together for more than ten years before we are here today. I have no brothers, so I can only ask my husband for help with one thing. The ghost mother lives alone underground and is very lonely. Last night, she entrusted me with a dream, hoping that she could help me.

Buried together with his father. If my husband does not mind the trouble and expense and fulfills the ghost mother's wish, Ying Ning will be grateful."

The prince agreed: "Okay, leave this matter to me. It's just that the ghost mother's grave is buried in weeds, so it's not easy to find it."

Yingning said: "Don't worry about this."

A few days later, Wang Zifu prepared the coffin and went to Nanshan with Ying Ning. They exhumed the old lady's body and buried it. Then he found the grave of his uncle, Mr. Qin, and buried them together.

That night, the old lady entrusted Wang Zifu with a dream and thanked him. After Wang Zifu woke up from the dream, he told his wife about the incident. Ying Ning said, "I also saw the ghost mother last night. She asked me not to scare you."

The prince asked: "Why don't you ask the old lady to stay?"

Yingning explained: "She is a ghost. There are many living people here and the Yang energy is strong. How can she dare to stay for a long time?"

Wang Zifu asked about Xiao Rong's current situation again, and Ying Ning said: "She is also a fox demon, the most cunning. My biological mother left her to take care of me and fed me often, so she often misses her. The ghost mother told me last night that she

Already married."

From then on, every year during the Cold Food Festival, Wang Zifu and his wife would go to the Qin family cemetery to pay homage and sweep without interruption. A year later, Ying Ning gave birth to a baby boy. When he was still in his infancy, he was not afraid of strangers at all.
Chapter completed!