"Miss, you must not! You can't go to see the prince!" Mei Zhu stopped in front of Xu Xiuyi.
She is the chief maid next to Xu Xiuyi. She has also studied with Xu Xiuyi since she was a child. She is smart and can see that something is wrong today.
Everything happened so suddenly today, as if it was just to force the eldest lady to leave the house!
After much deliberation, Her Royal Highness was the only one with such a motive, although she did not have any evidence and did not dare to speak out.
Xu Xiuyi closed her eyes and took a deep breath, sheathed her dagger, then took her cloak to cover herself, and said in a deep voice: "Go and prepare the carriage!"
Seeing this, Mei Zhu knew that she could not stop her, so she could only immediately tell the other maids: "Go tell Uncle Chang and ask him to bring ten good guards to accompany the young lady to the Prince's Villa!"
Xu Xiuyi put on a pair of boots but did not change out of her skirt. She did not want the prince to find out that she was a martial artist.
Mei Zhu accompanied Xu Xiuyi on the carriage, and were escorted by guards all the way to the Prince's Courtyard.
Today happens to be the half of July, the Bon Festival, also commonly known as the Ghost Festival.
In July and a half, the gate of hell opens.
Hundreds of ghosts walk at night, going out to find food or visit family members. Children and the weak people stay at home and do not go out.
But the capital is not deserted. The Jinshui River passes through the city. Many people light lotus lanterns by the river to illuminate the way home for the souls of deceased relatives at home.
There are lotus lantern floats on the streets, with people dressed up as all kinds of spooky ghosts and monsters, and Taoist priests holding grand rituals on them, building altars and praying for the salvation of ghosts and wild ghosts.
Just the sound of chanting sutras, the faint sound of crying, the white paper money flying all over the sky, the braziers burning incense and candles everywhere, and people with paper wounds can be seen everywhere on the streets...
Under the pale moonlight, the capital city was filled with a cold and ghostly atmosphere.
The girls who have not left the palace are Yin, so they are detained at home by the elders of the family and are not allowed to go out for fear of provoking unclean things.
Mei Zhu had never been out with her young lady on this day. Looking at everything on the street, she felt a little cold in her heart. She couldn't help but whisper: "Miss, this street looks weird and scary."
I don’t know why, but now I feel very strange and ghostly when looking at the bustling streets.
She remembered the private discussions among her servants. Today was the Ghost Festival. She wondered if the family members had collided with each other, which was why the masters suffered bloody disasters one after another.
Xu Xiuyi sat cross-legged, glanced out the car window lightly, and closed her eyes: "The most terrifying thing in the world is never ghosts, but the human heart."
She would rather fight ghosts than deal with evil people with ulterior motives.
Mei Zhu sat down in silence, and the carriage avoided the scary and gloomy-looking floats and ran along the Jinshui River.
The Prince's Courtyard is not far away. After crossing the bridge in front, you can reach the Prince's Courtyard by crossing another street.
Xu Xiuyi felt a little uneasy and kept thinking about what to do if she encountered various situations once she entered the Prince's Courtyard, for example, what if the Prince forcibly misbehaved with her or...
The carriage suddenly slowed down, and her thoughts were interrupted. She frowned and looked out the window: "What's wrong?"
Uncle Chang, the leader of the Xu family's nursing home, turned his horse's head and looked around for a while before coming over and said: "There is a water and land dojo ahead. Many people are throwing coins on the bridge to the lotus lanterns in the water. Our carriages and horses have to go slowly.
"
It is said that throwing a copper coin into the lotus lantern in the river is to give the deceased ancestors money for traveling.
Xu Xiuyi had heard of this custom. Although he was very anxious, he said gently: "Our people must be careful when crossing the bridge, so as not to hit the people."
Uncle Chang nodded: "Okay."
The carriage walked up to the bridge under their escort.
The restlessness caused by the stop-and-go and the smell of incense candles all over the bridge made Xu Xiuyi very upset.
And on the bridge, there is always an old woman humming old and strange folk songs while burning paper and stabbing people——
The gate of hell is opened, and ghosts appear. The ghosts are suffering, selling tofu, rotten tofu, and spreading eggs. There is a brother sitting in the eggs.
My brother went out to visit the grave, and there was a grandmother sitting in the grave. Grandma came out to burn incense, and there was a girl sitting inside.
The girl came out to light the lamp...
If you fall into the river, you can't come back...
The girl came out to light the lamp...
If you fall into the river, you can't come back...
For some reason, she always felt upset when she heard it, as if something bad was about to happen.
