After transmigrating into the book, I helped my mother reconcile with her divorced husband.

Hearing their strange conversation, Lu Zhiyuan stopped and turned to look at the couple with the child. Only after they had walked away did she ask, "What is the Black Lady? Is it a child sacrifice, where a living child is used for the sacrifice? Does such a thing still exist in Beiliang?"

The crown prince looked to Zuo Yi, who immediately sought out someone to ask, and it took a long time to get an answer.

The Black Lady whom the townspeople worship is not a god, but a female ghost whose body was drowned in the river. The ghost's real name was He Niannian, and she was originally a wealthy young lady from the capital. While out in the street with her maid, she was robbed and lost the gold bracelet her mother had left her.

During the chase, they encountered a hero named Liu, a native of Chunfeng Town who worked as a bodyguard for a security escort agency in the capital. The two became acquainted through this encounter.

He Niannian was the only daughter of the He family and was deeply loved because her mother died early. Master He couldn't bear to see her marry far away, so when she came of age, he announced that the He family would only accept sons-in-law who lived with their wives.

Good marriages are hard to find. As time went by, He Niannian turned twenty, the year she met Liu the镖师 (bodyguard).

She met Liu the bodyguard because of the bracelet. After they developed feelings for each other, Liu the bodyguard became the son-in-law of the He family.

They were indeed very happy for the first few years of their marriage. Liu, the bodyguard, was not only good to his wife, but even better to his father-in-law, always maintaining a respectful attitude. It was said that when Master He was seriously ill, it was Liu, the bodyguard, who served him personally, doing everything with even greater devotion than He Niannian, his daughter.

When word got out, Liu, the bodyguard, was even commended by the imperial court for his filial piety.

After Master He passed away, Liu, the bodyguard, became the true head of the He family. However, he did not change the name of the He family to the Liu family and still considered himself a son-in-law of the He family.

Liu, the bodyguard, and He Niannian had been married for many years but had no children. They consulted a doctor who said the problem lay with He Niannian. Perhaps feeling guilty, or perhaps wanting the Liu family to have an heir, He Niannian arranged for Liu to take a concubine.

The concubine was very well-behaved, always putting He Niannian first, and never bothered with Liu the镖师 (bodyguard/escort). Whenever the three went out, the concubine, dressed plainly and without makeup, followed behind, even when pregnant, behaving like a maid in the He household. Even so, He Niannian still couldn't tolerate the concubine, and on the day of her delivery, drove her out. The poor concubine, in the pouring rain, dragged her newly given-birth body and knelt before the He household's gate, pleading desperately, hoping that the mistress would allow her to stay in her womb and care for the child as a servant; she would never tell the child that she was the child's birth mother.

The concubine, so lowly, was met with a beating from He Niannian without any explanation. Seeing this, the bodyguard Liu, claiming He Niannian had gone mad, sent her out of the capital to the Liu family's old residence in Chunfeng Town.

Lu Zhiyuan pondered for a moment, then interrupted Zuo Yi: "Something's not right about this!"

The crown prince turned to the side and asked, "What's wrong?"

"This son-in-law, Liu the bodyguard, is excessively good. It's not that there are no filial people in this world, but how could outsiders know about his filial piety? Truly filial people don't publicize these things. In their view, these are things that should be done and should be done, just like who they eat with every day."

The Crown Prince frowned: "Perhaps it was a servant in the manor who told the story."

Lu Zhiyuan shook her head: "That's the He family. Everyone from top to bottom is a servant of the He family. As a son-in-law, whatever Liu the bodyguard does is just what the He family servants should do. They will only point out his mistakes and never praise him."

"Does Madam mean that these things were told by Escort Liu himself?"

Lu Zhiyuan shook her head: "There's no need for Liu the镖师 (bodyguard) to speak for himself. He just needs to pay a few people who are good at talking. Besides Liu the镖师, He Niannian's handling of the concubine is also very strange. She is the legitimate daughter of the He family, and Liu the镖师 is her husband. Even if she takes a concubine, the concubine cannot surpass her. She cannot have children, so no matter how many children the concubine has, they must regard her as their mother. To put it another way, even if she wanted to remove the mother and keep the children, she could do it secretly. She wouldn't be so stupid."

The Crown Prince nodded thoughtfully: "Hearing what you say, Madam, it seems that He Niannian was set up."

Zuo Yi raised his hand: "Madam guessed correctly, He Niannian was set up."

Liu, the bodyguard, was a lazy good-for-nothing who was good at acting. He had long been eyeing the He family. The thief who stole He Niannian's bracelet was arranged by him, and the seemingly coincidental encounter was actually his carefully planned scheme.

Liu the bodyguard's kindness towards He Niannian and Master He was all an act; his true aim was to seize the He family's wealth. To gain control of the He family, he tampered with He Niannian's daily diet, preventing her from developing any selfish desires for the family. At the same time, he exploited this weakness to bring his beloved into the He household.

That concubine was his beloved, and also his girlfriend before he became the son-in-law of the He family!

Lu Zhiyuan bought a candied hawthorn, took a bite, and finding the taste unpleasant, casually handed it to the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince accepted it with a look of doting affection. Although he disliked sweet and sour foods, he still ate the candied hawthorn that Lu Zhiyuan had bitten into in front of everyone.

Lu Zhiyuan didn't find anything wrong with it, nor did the Crown Prince. On the contrary, Liu Ying and Zuo Yi looked at each other, as if they had seen something extraordinary. Seeing Lu Yun's expressionless face, Liu Ying gently nudged him with her elbow and asked, "Why aren't you surprised or curious? That's a candied hawthorn that Madam has bitten."

Lu Yun, holding his sword, said lazily, "So what if my wife bit me? That's how a husband should act."

Liu Ying lowered her voice: "My husband is not an ordinary husband, he is the Crown Prince! He is the Crown Prince. How can the Crown Prince eat what other people have eaten? Even if that person is his wife, it is still inappropriate."

Lu Yun watched the Crown Prince's retreating figure. "The one who lives in the Eastern Palace is the Crown Prince, while the one walking on the street is the wife's husband. Even if the Crown Prince lives in the Eastern Palace, food cannot be wasted. Who should eat the food that the wife has bitten? Throwing it away is wasteful, feeding it to cats and dogs is an insult to the wife, and even if it is given to a servant, it depends on whether the Crown Prince is willing to accept it."

The words may be crude, but the principle is sound. His Highness the Crown Prince doesn't want anyone to touch Lu Zhiyuan's things, not even a single bite. Since they are husband and wife, there doesn't seem to be anything wrong with a husband eating what his wife has left over.

Lu Zhiyuan was unaware of their whispers behind her. She was walking with the Crown Prince, analyzing the He family's affairs, and only turned around when she saw that Zuo Yi had not followed.

He Niannian was tricked by Liu the镖师 (bodyguard) and his concubine. Forced to move to the Liu family's old mansion, she was soon robbed and lost her virginity. The Liu family drowned her, and it's said that before she was drowned, everyone in town spat on her. Unwilling to accept this humiliation, He Niannian died with resentment. After death, she became a vengeful ghost, not only taking the lives of Liu the镖师 and his concubine, but also many other people in the town, causing widespread fear and unease.

To appease He Niannian's spirit, they built a temple at the spot where she had drowned, named the Niangniang Temple. Because He Niannian was dressed in black when she died, and was also dressed in black when she came to claim her life, they also called her the Black Niangniang.

"What does this have to do with the sacrifice?" Lu Zhiyuan said, "For ordinary sacrifices, cattle and sheep are sufficient. Why use a girl, and a girl who is over five years old? There is something strange about this. We need to investigate."

Lu Zhiyuan suspected that someone was using ghosts and spirits to commit filthy acts.