Farmhouse Green Plum

Luo Yanxing opened her eyes, and her vision became clear. Above her were two kind and anxious faces.

"Song Ying, Xiao Xiang." Her tears instantly rolled down her cheeks.

Song Ying's heart, which had been clenched with worry, finally settled down. Holding her hand, tears welled up in her eyes as well: "It's alright, it's alright. It's our fault for being late."

Luo Yanxing sat up, gripped their hands tightly, and felt their warm body temperature before finally confirming that this was not a hallucination before his death.

They really came to save her!

She burst into tears, as if she wanted to cry out all the shock, grievances, and anger she had felt throughout the night.

Song Ying felt a pang of heartache. She hugged her and gently patted her back, still shaken by the experience: thankfully, they arrived in time; any later, and perhaps…

After crying for a while, Luo Yanxing's emotions finally calmed down a bit. She sniffled and asked in a hoarse voice, "How did you find out?"

“It was Xiao Xiang.” Song Ying wiped away her tears. “She overheard your mother and my second aunt talking…”

She recounted the events of the evening to Yanxing in detail, sharing Xiaoxiang's worries and her own.

Didi's parents conspired with her beloved sweetheart to trick her into a ghost marriage, which would be a huge blow to anyone. She was worried that Yanxing might do something drastic, so she subtly told her how much they cared about her!

At this moment, Luo Yanxing was unaware of her intentions. She only felt that the heart in her chest, which had been stabbed and was bleeding profusely, was slightly healing, but was also throbbing with pain.

Her friends would go out in the dark to investigate and confirm something just because of a strange detail, even though she was heavily pregnant, while her parents conspired with outsiders to take her life.

Even though she didn't have high expectations for her parents, she never expected that they would abandon her!

After Song Ying finished speaking, Yuan Qing said, "Don't sit there, get up quickly, let's go back first."

Luo Yanxing then noticed that there were other people around. She looked up and saw Yuan Qing standing next to Song Ying, with hoes and shovels lying on the ground, and someone sitting on a newly dug mound of earth.

Song Ying followed her gaze and explained, "Time was of the essence. Daoist Yuanrong is familiar with Xishan, and it's fortunate that we were able to find this place so quickly because of him."

"So you're a Taoist priest, thank you."

Master Yuanrong waved his hand, "Don't stay here, the yin energy is too strong. Go to the Taoist temple to rest first."

With the help of Song Ying and Xiao Xiang, Luo Yanxing stood up and his gaze fell on the coffin in the pit.

The corpse inside was so rotten that only bones remained, but the burial clothes on the body were obviously newly changed, and a fish-shaped jade pendant was hanging from the waist.

Song Ying also looked over and saw the jade pendant on the corpse, and was immediately furious.

The jade pendant was exactly the same shape as Chen Yunze's, only it was white.

Clearly, they had made a mistake before; the Chen family's Pisces pendants were not a black and white pair, but rather a pair of white and a pair of black.

She tightened her grip on Luo Yanxing's hand and whispered, "Let's go to the Taoist temple first. Your wounds need to be bandaged. We'll settle the score with the Chen family later. This is murder; they deserve to be executed according to the law!"

Luo Yanxing nodded slowly.

Upon arriving at Qingfeng Temple, Abbot Yuanrong ordered people to bring hot water and hot tea, and also instructed a young boy to cook hot porridge.

As Song Ying treated Luo Yanxing's injuries, her hands trembled as she looked at the broken fingernails, swollen knuckles, and dried blood.

She had treated many injuries and ailments, many more serious than this, but only this time did her hands tremble uncontrollably.

When life is hanging by a thread, even the most delicate person will struggle under the drive of the survival instinct.

Broken fingernails and bleeding knuckles all indicate that Luo Yanxing had been on the verge of death.

She almost lost her best friend.

At 3:45 AM, the sky was still blue.

The servants in the Chen household were already bustling about. Two young servants yawned and dragged bamboo brooms toward the main gate, preparing to sweep up the firecracker debris from yesterday.

As soon as the door was opened, a woman in a bright red wedding dress stood outside. The dress was so bright it was almost blinding. The phoenix embroidered with gold thread trembled slightly in the morning breeze, as if it were alive. The woman's long hair was disheveled, and her face was as pale as paper, but there was a touch of vermilion on her lips, as if she had just drunk blood.

"ah--!"

The older servant let out a scream, slamming his broom to the ground with a "thud," staggering back several steps and nearly falling to the ground. The other servant was even more terrified, staggering backward and slamming his back against the door with a "thud," making the copper bells on the eaves jingle.

After the initial shock, they saw the woman's face clearly and were immediately astonished, their mouths agape.

The younger servant asked, "Manager Luo? What are you doing here?"

The older servant instinctively corrected him, saying, "You should call her 'Young Mistress'."

Then, equally surprised, he glanced at the Chen residence behind him and asked, "Why are you outside?"

Upon hearing the words "Young Mistress," Luo Yanxing felt a sharp pain in her heart. She ignored the two of them and walked straight towards the Chen residence.

Song Ying frowned and followed Yuan Qing inside.

They've come here today to demand an explanation, and violence might ensue. Xiao Xiang is pregnant, so she didn't come along.

Watching the three people go in, the two servants were completely bewildered, but they knew that something serious must have happened.

Upon entering, there was another series of exclamations of surprise from the servants. It wasn't until the Chen family's steward saw them that his expression changed drastically, and he turned and ran inside.

Clearly, they've finally encountered someone who knows the truth.

Luo Yanxing didn't give chase, maintaining her previous pace as she walked further in. Just as she crossed the front yard, Chen Yunze rushed out, "Yanxing, I..."

Luo Yanxing finally stopped, staring intently into his eyes. "Why?"

Chen Yunze opened his mouth, but didn't utter a single word.

“According to the Great Qian Law, anyone who plots murder shall be beheaded, and anyone who aids in the crime shall be strangled,” Yuan Qing said coolly.

Chen Yunze glanced at his indifferent face, then at Song Ying who wished he could kill him, and dejectedly lowered his head.

"I'm sorry for what happened, and I have nothing to say."

Song Ying was so angry she laughed, and said hatefully, "Then your whole family can go to the underworld to repent!"

The laws of the Great Qian Dynasty did not allow for ghost marriages. The "Rites and Sacrifices" section contained an article prohibiting illicit worship: "Any sorcerer or shaman who falsely invokes evil spirits and claims to arrange a ghost marriage shall be punished with one hundred strokes of the cane and exiled to the border."

The actual sentences were even harsher. During the reign of Emperor Taizu, in a case of ghost marriage in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, a wealthy family buried a maid alive to arrange a ghost marriage. The main culprit (the head of the family) was executed by slow slicing, and the matchmaker was beheaded.

During the reign of Emperor Gaozong, the punishment for murder cases involving ghost marriages in Jin was even more severe. All participants were beheaded and their heads displayed to the public, and even the clan chief was implicated.

At this moment, Mr. and Mrs. Chen arrived. Upon hearing this, Mrs. Chen said, "This was all my idea, and has nothing to do with my son."

Song Ying sneered: "Whether it's related or not is not up to you to decide. Do you think he wouldn't know?"