On this day, Yun Xi was on her way to inspect her shops in the carriage as usual. When passing by a vegetable market entrance, she saw a young maid huddled on the roadside, sobbing.
Yun Xi ordered Hong'er, a newly - bought maid beside her, to go and ask. After learning that the girl had her silver for buying vegetables stolen and was worried about being punished when she got back, Yun Xi immediately told the maid to give the girl ten taels of silver.
The young maid was extremely grateful and said she wanted to kowtow to her benefactor. However, Yun Xi left without asking the girl's identity or leaving her own name.
After this incident, Yu Zhu arranged for Hong'er to go shopping for vegetables in the street every day. She often ran into the young maid on the street. After they learned that they were from the same hometown, they gradually became close friends and talked about everything.
The young maid said that her current mistress couldn't get out of bed because of a leg injury and often beat and scolded her to vent her anger.
Even at night, when her leg hurt, she wouldn't let the maid rest, leaving her with dark circles under her eyes every day and her head feeling groggy.
Hong'er felt sorry for her and told the young maid that she knew of a kind of incense that could calm the nerves and help with sleep. She had bought a lot when she suffered from insomnia before and could give some to the young maid.
The young maid was overjoyed. She took the incense from Hong'er and secretly lit one stick in her mistress's room every night.
Unexpectedly, the incense was colorless and odorless, but its effect was amazing!
Since she lit the incense and took the brain - tonic pills Hong'er gave her, she could always sleep soundly until dawn and felt refreshed.
Moreover, her mistress didn't call her in the middle of the night anymore!
After half a month, the mistress also seemed to become much milder. She didn't beat or scold the maid during the day, but she often stared blankly at a certain place in the room.
However, for the young maid, this was a very welcome change.
She couldn't wait to share this with Hong'er, and Hong'er recommended another kind of incense to her. However, on the night she lit it, her mistress went crazy!
She not only shouted that there were ghosts in the house, set the bedroom on fire, but also limped out of the yard!
Jiang's madness threw the entire Prime Minister's Mansion into chaos. Even Old Lady Yun, who had just fallen asleep, was woken up. Furious, she rushed to the burning desolate yard. She ordered people to put out the fire while shouting to arrest the crazy Jiang.
Watching Jiang, who was being held down on the ground by several people and roaring like a wild beast, everyone present was shocked!
The woman in front of them was disheveled and her clothes were in a mess. This was no longer the noble and elegant Concubine Jiang who used to be so glorious. She looked more like a crazy old woman!
"Mother? What's wrong with you? Don't scare me!"
Looking at her unfamiliar mother, Yun Ni was terrified. She tentatively stepped forward, trying to push aside the hair in front of Jiang's face to see her clearly. However, as soon as she reached out her hand, Jiang bit it tightly!
"Ah!"
Yun Ni let out a shrill scream. She tried to pull back her hand, but Jiang refused to let go.
The others looked terrified and immediately tried to pull Jiang away, but to no avail. It was Old Lady Yun who stepped forward and hit Jiang hard on the head with her walking stick. Only then did Jiang faint.
Yun Ni pulled back her hand. Looking at her bloody and mangled wrist, she also fainted!
Looking at the burning yard and the absurd scene in front of her, Old Lady Yun frowned angrily.
First, she ordered people to help Yun Ni down, then called the young maid who was in charge of taking care of Jiang to question. Watching the young maid trembling on her knees on the ground, and an almost - blind old woman kneeling beside her, constantly dozing off, Old Lady Yun knocked hard on her walking stick.
"What on earth is going on? Why did she go crazy for no reason?!"
At first, she suspected that Jiang was pretending to be crazy to avoid punishment. But after seeing her ferocious look when she bit Yun Ni and refused to let go, Old Lady Yun also hesitated.
The young maid was so scared that her face turned white. She stammered "I..." for a long time but couldn't say a single word. It was the old woman beside her who spoke up.
"Madam, you know that our yard is not clean. Plus, the concubine is weak due to her injury, so it's natural for her to be possessed by evil spirits. There's nothing strange about it."
The old woman's words made everyone present shiver. Even Old Lady Yun's face turned pale. She immediately scolded:
"Shut up, old woman! I kept you in the Prime Minister's Mansion not for you to spout nonsense!"
Old Lady Yun naturally knew that this mansion of the Prime Minister's Mansion was bestowed by the former emperor. It used to be the mansion of a foreign prince.
Because he tried to rebel, his whole family was executed. It was said that just before the imperial guards arrived, he locked his princess and concubines in that yard, killed them himself, and finally committed suicide by cutting his throat!
She locked Jiang in that desolate mansion as a punishment for her. But who would have thought such a thing would happen?
But then she thought of all the evil deeds Jiang had done and the many people she had harmed. Old Lady Yun felt that it was Jiang's guilty conscience that led to this retribution!
So, even if she went crazy or stupid, it was not her fault!
At present, her son and grandson were not in the mansion. Only she could take charge. Looking at Jiang lying motionless on the ground, Old Lady Yun was in a difficult situation.
Logically, she should immediately find a doctor for Jiang or set up a Taoist altar in the Prime Minister's Mansion and invite a Taoist priest to perform a ritual. However, if she did so, the words "the Prime Minister's Mansion is not clean" would quickly spread in the capital!
Originally, because of Jiang's affairs, the reputation of the Prime Minister's Mansion had already been in ruins. If there was one more thing like this, it would surely make matters worse, and the Prime Minister's Mansion would become the laughingstock of the whole capital!
The more Old Lady Yun thought about it, the angrier she got. She couldn't help but step forward and kick Jiang twice to vent her anger.
Unexpectedly, Jiang, whose eyes had been closed, suddenly opened them wide. She grabbed Old Lady Yun's foot and suddenly threw her to the ground. Then she pounced on her!
"Kill you! Kill you!"
Jiang's face was as ferocious as a ghost. She growled as she straddled Old Lady Yun and grabbed her neck tightly with both hands!
Old Lady Yun first heard a crack in her waist. The pain instantly spread throughout her body. Then her neck was tightly grasped, and a feeling of suffocation made it impossible for her to even scream in pain! She opened her yellowish eyes wide and tried hard to tear at Jiang's hands. Even though she scratched bloodstains on Jiang's hands, Jiang still didn't let go!
At this time, the stunned crowd finally reacted. Nanny Zhang quickly stepped forward and hugged Jiang's neck from behind, calling on everyone to help.
Finally, with the joint efforts of many people, they managed to save Old Lady Yun from Jiang's hands.
Old Lady Yun leaned against Nanny Zhang and sat on the ground, breathing laboriously. She stared at Jiang in horror with a trembling finger and ordered:
"Kill her immediately!"
She was sure that only one of her and Jiang could survive! She had to strike first!