The Changchun Palace team travels back in time to Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace

Chen Dashou did not sit down.

He raised his hand to stop Agui, who was about to stand up and bow, and said coldly, "Besides keeping female entertainers, Madam Shui, you wouldn't be involved in the business of harvesting and mutilating live animals, would you?"

Nen Cai smiled lazily: "This isn't Jiangsu. If I really broke the law, the officials and yamen runners would naturally come to my door. Oh, I forgot that Lord Xiao A from the Ministry of Justice is sitting right here. But Lord Xiao A doesn't seem to be here to interrogate me."

She poured the tea herself, picked up the teacup, and gracefully walked to Chen Dashou. She slightly bent her knees and raised the teacup, saying, "Back in Jiangnan, a cup of this tea would cost a hundred taels of silver. Lord Chen is so honest and upright, I admire you greatly and will not accept a penny. Please have some tea, Lord Chen."

Ah Gui, who was trying to hide her embarrassment by drinking tea, almost spat it out.

Chen Dashou sneered: "Those who dine at your tea house and buy concubines are not just doing it for beauty and elegance. What you can give is worth thousands or tens of thousands of taels of silver. But I don't know why Madam Shui would abandon her business in Jiangnan and instead hold all-night banquets in the capital, spending money like water, and even creating a 'bottle girl' to attract attention?"

The young woman smiled charmingly: "Lord Chen is pretending to be confused with me. You've gotten what you wanted, so why don't I find somewhere else to avoid the limelight? Am I supposed to wait for an embarrassing person to come to my door?"

Chen Dashou said, "As expected, it was you who provided the information." He then countered, "In that case, isn't the capital the awkward place?"

Nen Cai said, “It’s easy to find someone hiding in a secluded place, but hard to find someone hiding in a noisy place. Although I am a lowly shady woman, I am quite well-known among the officials and nobles in Jiangnan and the capital. The capital is under the emperor’s nose. If someone were to suffer disaster just because they slightly flaunted their wealth, wouldn’t that make people uneasy?”

Chen Dashou let out another cold laugh before sitting down and taking the teacup.

Seeing that the two had been speaking in riddles, A-Gui had some guesses, but still kept silent.

Nen Cai sat back down and said to the two men, "I know you two gentlemen are full of doubts. Buddhism speaks of predestined relationships. Since you have come to this nunnery, you are destined to meet. Please listen to some stories from the past, which may help to clear up your doubts."

She took a sip of tea, her gaze distant, lost in memories.

"When should we begin... perhaps, in the sixth year of the Yongzheng Emperor's reign?"

"In the sixth year of Yongzheng's reign, the Jingren Palace and the Third Prince's faction had not yet fallen. At that time, I was an unknown and insignificant person. What is worth mentioning is the niece of the Jingren Palace, the eldest princess of the Narbu family, who later became the Qing Fujin and Consort Xian."

She spoke with sarcasm: "When the eldest princess participated in the selection of the third prince, there was a family of fortune tellers named Lu who were well-known. Narbu invited them to perform a ritual for his daughter so that she could be selected. I heard that what happened afterward has been brought to light. You two have been officials in the capital, so you must have heard about it."

The two nodded without saying a word.

Nen Cai continued, "Then let me tell you some of the little-known details. At that time, Jingren Palace and the Third Prince had already shown signs of defeat, and they couldn't afford to have another case of a relative of the mother's family killing someone. Fortunately, Narbu had a disciple who was quite capable, so Narbu asked him to quell the matter."

Agui swallowed.

Nen Cai said, "I met that man at a banquet held by Jingren Palace’s nephew to win over the officials. However, he was not a guest at the banquet, and I was not initially a courtesan entertaining the guests."

Before that, the eldest princess's personal maid was known for her impetuous nature. Ulanara originally intended to marry the maid off to a servant and have a commoner replace her, but the eldest princess said she considered the maid family and didn't want to be separated from her.

Chen Dashou spoke up to remind her, "Mother Shui, be careful what you say. Are you talking about the empresses in the palace now?"

Nencai showed no fear and laughed, "This lady has nothing to do with this story, so I won't talk about her. Anyway, the matter didn't work out. At that time, I hadn't been disfigured yet. I'm not bragging, but I was quite pretty. The Ulanara clan thought of sending me to Anxiang Garden to train me to be a courtesan."

Agui exclaimed, "Isn't this forcing a good woman into prostitution?!"

Nen Cai said, "Yes, this is forcing a good woman into prostitution. The woman was unwilling, but she couldn't escape and was caught halfway. In their eyes, this was disloyalty and betrayal, and naturally there would be family law to punish her. So they subjected the woman to cat torture."

"The so-called cat torture involves putting a person and a cat together in a sack, tying the sack tightly, and then whipping the sack. The cat, in pain, will run around and scratch wildly, and the person being tortured will be scratched until there is no good flesh left."

Chen Dashou gripped his teacup tightly, and Agui also looked somber.

Nen Cai smiled and said, "However, I am quite lucky. I was rescued after only taking two blows. It was that disciple who released me. I heard him say that he agreed. However, I only found out about his promise several years later."

Her tone was so calm, as if she were telling someone else's story: "Perhaps he mistook the commoner for his daughter at the time."

"From this point on, I lost all hope and entered the world of pleasure. Fortunately, although I am disfigured, I can still cover it up somewhat with floral decorations. Moreover, I have some unorthodox skills, but since you two are gentlemen, I will not reveal them to offend your ears."

Chen Dashou sighed and said, "It was the Ulanara clan who used unorthodox methods, not you."

Agui also said, "That's exactly right."

Nen Cai feigned surprise: "I never expected Lord Chen to be so considerate."

She made a sarcastic remark, then continued, "Soon after, the Jingren Palace fell from power, and her nephew was imprisoned for being part of the Third Prince's faction. The eldest princess became Prince Bao's concubine. At that time, although the Ulanara clan seemed to be on the verge of collapse, they still retained some dignity thanks to the influence of the Qing Consort. At this point, the banquets that had once won people over became their means of making a living."

Ulanara used this method to act as a middleman for a while, and it was during this time that I became the backbone of the banquet, helping them train people. Of course, women like me, who did this kind of work often, inevitably became pregnant. So I also took on the job of helping people with abortions. Those stone statues of children outside all died at my hands, and they are all very resentful. Didn't you two see that even the cats dare not approach them?"

Agui felt a chill run down her spine. Chen Dashou said, "Mother Shui, the Master did not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits."

Nen Cai said, “Lord Chen doesn’t believe me? Then let me tell you about the origins of the Bottle Girl. Back then, although the eldest princess entered Prince Bao’s mansion, she wasn’t very influential. Ulanara could only make a living this way. When her coffers ran dry, she could barely afford to buy even decent maids, let alone raise and train entertainers. She was only barely managing by relying on a group of people she had bought earlier, so she kept a close eye on them. One of those people became pregnant and went astray. She came to me for help, saying she would rather be kicked out than not give birth to the child. I was too soft-hearted at the time, so I took her to the estate under some pretext. However, this matter could not be kept secret.”

"At that time, the Ulanara clan were furious and said they must punish her severely as a warning to others. In the end, the woman, who was eight months pregnant, was dragged to the Dark Fragrance Garden, and her belly was tied with a strip of cloth, forcibly pulling the child out. The woman bled to death within a few hours. Although the child came out alive, its bones and tendons were broken, and it could only exhale but not inhale."

The woman learned of a secret technique: placing the child in the ground and nourishing her with a method of corpse-nurturing, she managed to save her life, but only as a living dead. Now, only the child's head is growing; her body remains that of an infant. The woman has brought her out to see people, partly to provide for her, and partly because of that secret technique—bringing this living dead close to human yang energy would further prolong her lifespan.

Although Agui found this hard to believe, he had previously handled the case of the remnants of the Ulanara clan and knew that some things that sounded eerie might not be untrue. He suddenly stood up and roared, "Beasts! Absolutely beasts! Isn't there any government intervention for such bestial acts?"

Nen Cai said, "Those people were all bound by death contracts and usually did not have contact with the outside world. The only people who would know about their deaths were the guests. Why would those people care? Besides, the Ulanara family had a concubine of Prince Bao. Who would dare to offend them? Furthermore, not long after, the late emperor suddenly passed away and the current emperor ascended the throne. The upper echelons were busy and could not attend to matters below, so of course they covered it up."

Chen Dashou and Agui were speechless for a moment.

After a long pause, Agui broke the silence first: "I would like to ask, do you know the name and identity of that disciple?"

Nen Cai said, "I know. But Lord Xiao A, that person did commit sins for the Ulanara clan, but I have seen many demons and beasts in the Ulanara clan. He is the first person I have ever met, so I don't want to say more. Actually, rather than asking that person, perhaps you should ask me what my name is?"

Agui was somewhat surprised.

Nen Cai chuckled lightly, looking at the tea leaves floating in the teacup: "The Ulanara clan has no important ministers from the previous dynasty, only women in the harem."

Agui looked shaken, and after taking a deep breath, he said, "I understand. As for the woman you mentioned, where are her bones buried? If an examination reveals injuries to her pelvis and ribs, perhaps there will still be a chance to seek justice for her."

Nen Cai took out a slip of paper from her sleeve and handed it to him: "Many years have passed, and it may be difficult to find out the truth, but I still want to thank Lord Xiao A on behalf of the wrongfully deceased."

Agui expressed his remorse, took the note, and then bid farewell to the two of them.

Chen Dashou had been deep in thought since the beginning, and only after Agui left did he say, "So the story that followed was that the Ulanara clan was involved in a treason case, and you took advantage of the chaos to lead that group of people away from the Ulanara clan and escape to Jiangnan. Since you had no other means of making a living, you went back to your old ways. But this time, you got involved with salt merchants and officials in Jiangnan. Your experience with the Ulanara clan meant that you and Gao Lizhai were not on the same side, so you gave me clues and guided me to find out about his dealings with the salt merchants."

The young man replied, "Yes."

After considering for a moment, Chen Dashou said, "If you encounter any trouble in the capital, feel free to come to me."

Nen Cai said, "Actually, after I arrived in the capital, I felt that no one would have the energy to cause me any trouble. Lord Chen can rest assured."

Chen Dashou asked with some doubt, "Why are you so sure?"

Nen Cai said, “After I came to the capital, I visited many jewelry and clothing shops and learned that since the Emperor ascended the throne, the Empress has been practicing frugality and reducing the use of gold, jade and Jiangnan fabrics. Therefore, the noblewomen in the capital have also adopted a retro style with simple and unpretentious embroidery. Even their headdresses and jewelry have adopted the style of pith flowers and cloisonné ornaments. However, Lord Gao is living a life of extravagance in Lianghuai. His wives and concubines wear expensive gold, silver and kingfisher feather jewelry, and the perfumes and rouge they use often require precious medicinal materials. Do you think the royal family can tolerate someone wearing better clothes and daily necessities than them?”

Chen Dashou said, "So that's how you see the big picture from small details. I didn't know these things and didn't think of this."

The young man smiled and gestured for her to proceed.

Upon returning to the Ministry of Justice, A-Gui immediately dispatched men to search the address for any remains.

The subordinate said that the address was a residence of the Ulanara clan, which had already been confiscated. If they wanted to search it, they would have to submit other documents.

Moreover, if it is a skeleton, an autopsy must be performed using the "steamed bone and red umbrella" method, which is quite time-consuming and laborious and cannot be completed immediately.

Agui had no choice but to prepare the necessary documents first, and by the time he finished writing them, it was already late.

Upon returning home, he first went to pay his respects to his father, Akdun, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel.

As usual, Akdun tested his knowledge. Agui answered a few questions and then reported, "Father, you used to teach your son that if he committed a ten-tenths crime, you would punish him five or six-tenths of it. That was already unbearable. Was that enough? I didn't understand before, but now I understand a little better."

Akdun nodded and said, "It seems you made the right decision to go to the Ministry of Justice. A stick won't teach you anything, but a case can."

In the evening, a middle-aged woman with her hair in a high bun and wearing a black dress returned to Fengling Nunnery, carrying a bamboo basket and a paper umbrella.

Nencai stood in front of the three rows of stone statues, holding a calico cat, while the Bottle Woman stood in front of her.

Just as the middle-aged woman was about to bow, Nen stopped her, saying, "Alright, old lady, people from Zhejiang are below the fourth class, and brothel madams are also of the lowest class. We are all the same, so there's no need for such formalities."

The woman still bowed and said, "You are my benefactor who helped me to the North, to live like a human being in a place where no one knows about the degraded people. How can I not accept this courtesy?"

Nen Cai said, "I was just thinking that if a talented woman from Jiangnan and a prince from the capital can be childhood sweethearts, then why can't a degenerate from Jiangnan become a celestial master in the capital?"

After saying that, he helped the old woman up and asked, "How did that matter go?"

The old woman said, “Please allow me to explain, sir. Reshaping the internal organs by infusing the body with the spirit of an infant requires a significant amount of cultivation. I previously helped someone deal with the remnants of an evil entity, which was extremely powerful. The remnants alone caused me to lose half of my cultivation. Therefore, it will take longer now. Originally, it could be completed in nine full moons, but now only one type of internal organ can be formed every nine full moons. Please take a look, sir.”

She lifted the round lid on the basket, revealing a beating heart inside.

Nencai said with satisfaction, "It's alright, I can wait. The Bottle Girl can live for several more years, so she can wait too. The infant spirits have waited long enough, so it doesn't matter if they wait a little longer."

The old woman picked up the heart, walked towards the bottle-woman, and inserted the heart into the gap between the bottle opening and her head.

Peng Peng, Peng Peng, Peng Peng.

The sound of a heartbeat was amplified by the vase, echoing throughout the nunnery.

All the cats immediately arched their backs, bristled, and darted outside, howling pitifully.

Amidst a chorus of meows, the human head on the bottle's neck opened its eyes wide, its previously lifeless gaze now sparkling with life.

She opened her mouth and called out like a baby who had just learned to speak, "Mom, Mom!"

Nen Cai gently stroked her face, his voice trembling with excitement: "Good, good! You truly have a brilliant mind! I'll call you Shui Linglong!"