Chapter 39: Chapter 38 Pretending to Be a God, Playing the Ghost_1

The master of the Ke Mansion has nearly gone mad recently.

The cause of the trouble was a mysterious row of wet footprints that appeared in his study.

One day, Master Ke was taking a nap in his study, and when he woke up, he found a row of wet footprints belonging to a woman inside his room. Furious, he demanded to know from the maids in the courtyard which one of them it was, but after checking everyone’s feet, he couldn’t find the owner of the footprints. Even those with similar footprints were working in the outer court that day, and had not even entered the room.

Unable to find the owner of the footprints, Master Ke seemed to have developed an obsession. Initially, he was convinced that a servant was playing tricks in the courtyard, but as time went on, he became as if possessed, insisting that there were ghostly disturbances in the mansion. He ignored Lady Qin’s objections and insisted on inviting a Taoist to perform an exorcism.

The Taoist walked around the Ke Residence and claimed that it was enveloped by an ominous aura that needed to be exorcised. So, he set up an altar in the courtyard and conducted a grandiose exorcism for three days. After receiving five hundred taels of silver offerings and service fees, he left.

Since the ritual was conducted for the good of the Ke Mansion, the silver naturally had to come from the public funds, which greatly displeased the steward Lady Qin. Behind Master Ke’s back, she complained to her own maidservant: "With just one mention of a ghost, the master has thrown out five hundred taels of silver. Those Taoists may claim to exorcise spirits and catch ghosts, but I see them as nothing but swindlers. After indulging in several feasts of meat and fish, they walked away with a hefty sum of silver, how can the master be so muddle-headed!"

Thinking it over, the maidservant said, "Lady Ke, don’t take offense at my boldness, but are just a few wet footprints enough to scare the master to such an extent? Whether or not ghosts exist in this world is one thing, but the way the master looks, doesn’t it seem rather strange?"

On hearing this, Lady Qin’s face changed.

Lady Qin wasn’t one to believe much in ghosts and spirits; her father was a government official, and giving too much credence to such things would only invite criticism from his colleagues and impede his career. Although the wet footprints had indeed troubled her, she couldn’t fathom becoming as frightened as Ke Chengxing.

Bringing someone in to perform the ritual in such a hurry seemed like an act of someone with a guilty conscience.

The maidservant reminded her again: "Speaking of which, the previous lady of the house, they say she went mad before she drowned herself. Could it be..."

"Nonsense!" Lady Qin rebuked. "How dare you speak out of turn. It was Lady Lu’s own short life that was to blame, how can you fault the master for that?"

Yet, despite rebuking the maidservant verbally, Lady Ke couldn’t help but feel some doubt in her heart. Therefore, when she saw Master Ke that night, Lady Qin brought up the matter of Lady Lu, asking Ke Chengxing, "Speaking of which, Lady Lu drowned herself, didn’t she? She seemed fine, how could she have suddenly become so despondent?"

Master Ke had just picked up a cup of tea and hadn’t yet taken a sip. Upon hearing Lady Qin’s words, his expression stiffened, and his tongue seemed to tie up. It took him a while to respond, "Why bring up Lady Lu all of a sudden?"

Lady Qin watched his face, "Didn’t the Taoist say that our mansion was haunted? I thought it might be..."

"No!" Before she could finish, Ke Chengxing interrupted her sharply, "Lady Lu has long been dead, and for two years this house has been at peace. How could it be her!" He spoke quickly and urgently, as if trying to convince both Lady Qin and himself. After speaking, he put down the tea cup on the table, "It’s getting late. I will go see Mother."

Ke Chengxing hurried out of the room, his departure resembling more of a flight than a walk. Lady Qin, looking at the tea that had gone cold on the table, felt inexplicably uneasy for some reason.

On that note, Ke Chengxing first went to Madam Ke’s quarters after he left the room.

Madam Ke had caught a chill a few days ago.

Perhaps it was the unpredictable weather, with the sun glaring one moment and cold rain the next, that easily led to catching a chill from the shifting temperatures.

Feeling unwell, Madam Ke had been resting in her room these past days. As soon as Ke Chengxing entered the room, Nanny Li was massaging Madam Ke’s legs and greeted him with a "Master."

Ke Chengxing’s eyes were filled with irritability, and he simply asked Nanny Li to step out.

Understanding his intentions, Nanny Li called all the maids and young servants out as she left, leaving only Madam Ke and Ke Chengxing in the room.

Madam Ke coughed a few times and frowned at him, "Xing’er, what have you been up to these days? I heard from Lady Qin that you’ve invited a Taoist to conduct rituals in the mansion, turning the courtyard into a place full of dark smoke. What are you thinking?"

Master Ke had not told Madam Ke about the wet footprint incident. On one hand, Madam Ke was suffering from a cold, and he didn’t want to worry her and potentially exacerbate her illness. On the other hand, Ke Chengxing himself doubted whether he was being paranoid, suspecting someone was plotting behind his back and not daring to jump to conclusions.

But now, he was truly scared.

Ke Chengxing looked terrified and whispered, "Mother, save me! Lady Lu... Lady Lu has come back!"

"Lady Lu?" Madam Ke’s face turned cold, "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"I am not speaking nonsense," Ke Chengxing said, his face full of panic. "These past days, wet footprints keep appearing in the house. I thought at first it was the maids, but none of their foot sizes match the footprints! And that’s not all, sometimes when I wake up, I find that my clothes have been folded. The way the corners are tucked in, it’s Lady Lu’s method of folding..."

As he spoke in agitation, Madam Ke became angry, "Ridiculous, isn’t Lady Lu the only one who folds clothes like that? Perhaps it was Lady Qin, or one of the maids in your courtyard."

Ke Chengxing shook his head, "I asked them all, and they all said they haven’t folded my clothes. And the arrangements of my books aren’t right either, placed in the way that Lady Lu used to do. In the middle of the night, sometimes I can even hear someone crying." Ke Chengxing’s complexion was ashen, as if he were a frightened bird, "I won’t hide it from you, Mother, these past days, I often dream of Lady Lu... dreaming that she is soaking wet, coming to claim my life!"

Madam Ke suddenly snapped, "Shut up!"

Ke Chengxing instantly fell silent.

The room was eerily quiet, with the dancing flames in the candlestick casting a faint glow over Ke Chengxing’s face, making his eyes appear even more dreadfully lifeless, as if he weren’t a living person.

Madam Ke only felt a sense of suffocation in her heart.

This son had been spoiled since childhood. Generally, he was alright, but he was a bit too timid. The former old master had scolded him many times for this very reason, always feeling that his eldest son had a woman’s disposition and wasn’t capable of achieving great things.

It was not until the incident with Lady Lu that Ke Chengxing showed a decisiveness and ruthlessness that was completely different from his past behavior.

This had actually reassured Madam Ke. After all, to bear the rise and fall of a family, it’s better for a master to have a harder heart than a soft one.

However, it had been almost two years since the incident with Lady Lu, and now, at this time, Ke Chengxing had gone mad.

It wouldn’t matter so much if he went mad by himself, but now that Lady Qin had entered the household, if she were to discover any hints of this madness and grow suspicious, it would be trouble.

Madam Ke was getting on in years and did not herself believe in ghosts and spirits. The Ke family’s business had reached its current state, and it would be impossible to say that no blood had been spilled. Even if the people were dead, what harm could their ghosts possibly do?

Besides, considering the end Lady Lu met, it wasn’t their Ke family’s fault. There were specific wrongdoers for every grievance, and she should be seeking revenge from the one who started it all.

Seeing that Ke Chengxing still looked as if his soul had been shaken, Madam Ke softened her tone and said, "Xing’er, all this must be someone’s doing behind the scenes. You mustn’t lose your composure. Think about it—if it were really Lady Lu’s spirit, she would have come for your life already. What would be the point of her creating all these mysterious disturbances?"

Her cold had not yet healed, and she needed to pause after speaking a few words to catch her breath, "I suspect someone in this courtyard harbors ill intentions. I’m still ill at the moment, so first I’ll send Nanny Li to help you inspect the people in your courtyard. Once I’m well again, we’ll identify that person, and then we’ll see which little devil is playing tricks."

"You mustn’t panic now and let Lady Qin notice anything amiss. And don’t go seeking out those Taoists to perform rituals anymore. Should you let something slip and word gets out, it could create problems," she warned.

She called out to the still dazed Ke Chengxing, "Xing’er?"

Ke Chengxing suddenly came to his senses, ready to speak, but seeing Madam Ke’s sickly and haggard appearance, he swallowed his words and simply responded in a low voice.

After speaking a few more words with Madam Ke, Nanny Li came in to assist Madam Ke with taking her medicine, and Ke Chengxing finally withdrew.

As soon as he stepped out of the room, Wan Fu, who was waiting outside, came up and asked, "Master, what did Madam Ke say?"

Ke Chengxing slowly shook his head, his voice filled with dejection, "Mother doesn’t believe my words."

Wan Fu was startled, "Madam Ke doesn’t believe Master either?"

Ke Chengxing gave a wry smile, "Mother has always regarded the reputation of the Ke family as paramount. She fears that my cowardly behavior, fearing ghosts and spirits, would spread and make a laughingstock of the Ke family... She has no idea of my predicament!"

Wan Fu hurriedly said, "I understand the Master’s predicament. Don’t worry, Master. Even if I have to break my body into pieces, I will ensure your peace and safety."

After a loyal declaration, Ke Chengxing looked at Wan Fu with a touch of emotion and sighed, "Wan Fu, in this mansion, you’re the only one who believes me now."

Everyone thought he was possessed, but only Wan Fu believed his words without doubt. It was also Wan Fu’s idea to bring in the Taoists to perform rituals. Sadly, the peace only lasted a few days; after the Taoists left, the same disturbances started occurring again.

It must be that Lady Lu’s ghost was too vicious, but now neither Lady Qin nor Madam Ke would likely agree to him seeking out the Taoists again. He would have to suffer Lady Lu’s torment again, with no end in sight.

After some thought, Wan Fu suddenly said, "Master, I have an idea."

"What is it?"

"Isn’t the Green Lotus Festival in a few days?" Wan Fu leaned closer to Ke Chengxing and whispered, "They say the bodhisattvas at Wan’en Temple are extremely efficacious. Why doesn’t Master take advantage of the Green Lotus Festival on the first of April to visit Wan’en Temple and pray to the bodhisattva? Amidst the sacred Buddhist grounds, even Lady Lu’s fierce spirit wouldn’t dare to defy the bodhisattvas, right?"

Ke Chengxing’s eyes lit up, murmuring to himself, "That’s a good idea."

He clapped his hands together in excitement and instructed Wan Fu, "Quickly, have someone prepare offerings like oil, rice, and candles. We’ll head to Wan’en Temple in a couple of days!"

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read