"Oh?"
Li Wanming put down the tea in her hand and tilted her head slightly. Chuntao understood and walked out, standing guard at the door.
Qinglan whispered, "About ten days ago, Mrs. Zhang Wang suddenly found this servant. She said that one of her cousins works as a kitchen purchaser in the Chunyang Taoist Temple in Dingzhou. He once saw a white jade statue of the Goddess of Mercy who bestows sons."
"The Chunyang Taoist Temple?"
Li Wanming frowned slightly and murmured these words softly, a sense of doubt welling up in her heart.
In this dynasty, Buddhism was highly respected. Generally, the ladies of noble families would go to Buddhist temples to pray for blessings.
There were two most famous Buddhist temples near the capital. One was the Longfu Temple in the south of the city, a century - old ancient temple, and the other was the Guiyuan Temple in the west of the capital, known for its serene environment.
If, as Kang Shi claimed, that white jade statue of the Goddess of Mercy was inauspicious and she wanted to find a high - ranking monk to perform a ritual to destroy it, she should have gone to the Longfu Temple or the Guiyuan Temple. Why did she go all the way to Dingzhou instead?
Moreover, sending a Buddhist statue of the Goddess of Mercy to a Taoist temple seemed extremely strange.
"Is the information reliable?"
Qinglan nodded and continued, "Buddhist sculptures are rare in Taoist temples, so this incident was quite strange, and that cousin had a deep impression of it.
"Mrs. Zhang Wang is a careful person. She repeatedly asked her cousin if it was a statue of the Goddess of Mercy with a spiral - coiled hair bun, wearing a cloak - like cassock, with tasseled necklaces on her chest and jade bracelets on her wrists. And there was a little boy holding a gold ingot in her arms, with a page on each side... Her cousin nodded in agreement.
"Qinglan paused slightly, glanced at Li Wanming gently, and her voice became even softer. "Her cousin also said that there were three birth dates engraved on the lotus pedestal at the bottom of the statue..."
Li Wanming's knuckles suddenly turned white as she tightly grasped the armrest of the chair.
That white jade statue of the Goddess of Mercy who bestows sons was the dowry of the Princess of Ning.
Back then, the Princess of Ning gave birth to three sons in succession. Everyone said it was the Goddess of Mercy showing her divine power. A high - ranking monk was specially invited to engrave the birth dates of the three sons on the lotus pedestal of the statue to pray for the gods' blessing and well - being.
However, later, the eldest brother of the Xiao family was humiliated and killed by the king of the old Anluo Kingdom. The Princess of Ning had a premature birth due to shock and gave birth to Xiao Jingnan, who was not yet full - term... This statue of the Goddess of Mercy was gradually regarded as inauspicious and sealed in the storeroom.
Therefore, only the birth dates of the three sons of the Xiao family were engraved on the back of the statue, not Xiao Jingnan's.
"Can you confirm that the birth dates are those of the three elder brothers?" Li Wanming asked carefully.
This matter was of great importance, and she had to confirm it clearly.
Qinglan nodded and said, "Mrs. Zhang Wang said that the year she was sold into the prince's mansion happened to be the year when our princess gave birth to the second young master... So although she didn't know the exact birth dates of the three young masters, she knew the birth year of the second young master. She could confirm that it was that white jade statue of the Goddess of Mercy."
A gust of wind blew outside the window, making the candle flame flicker. The shadows behind the two of them seemed to be dancing wildly, sending a chill down their spines.
"Go on."
Li Wanming stroked the rosewood armrest, her voice so soft that it was almost inaudible.
"Yes." Qinglan replied in a low voice. "According to Mrs. Zhang Wang, the Chunyang Taoist Temple was not a proper Taoist temple. The abbot often did some witchcraft and vengeful magic to earn money... And our mansion's statue of the Goddess of Mercy was a statue that bestows sons, with the birth dates of the three young masters engraved on the lotus pedestal. If it was used for witchcraft and vengeful magic, it would be an excellent weapon..."
"Smack!"
Li Wanming slapped the armrest hard and asked sharply, "Witchcraft and vengeful magic... Who is Kang Shi trying to curse?!"
Qinglan swallowed hard and knelt down.
"On this point... Mrs. Zhang Wang's cousin didn't say. But he said that after the abbot finished the ritual, he returned the white jade statue of the Goddess of Mercy to the client, saying that as long as the client buried the statue in a feng shui acupoint in the house, they would surely achieve their wishes..."
Achieve their wishes?
Kang Shi's greatest dream was for the eldest branch of the Xiao family to have no descendants, so that her son could become the heir apparent and inherit the title of the Prince of Ning in the future!
So, who else could she curse?
Of course, it was Xiao Jingnan!
— This stumbling block on the road to wealth for her son!
"Where is the feng shui acupoint?"
Li Wanming's voice was icy cold.
Qinglan shook her head. "Mrs. Zhang Wang said that her cousin didn't know either. He only knew that the client was quite generous and gave a full five hundred taels of silver to take the statue back."
Li Wanming slowly stood up.
The shadow of the gilded bronze crane lamp danced on her face. Her gaze swept across the Shiyong Studio inch by inch - the rosewood writing desk, the nanmu treasure cabinet, the pear - wood carved bed...
The sycamore trees rustled outside the window, like countless whispers.
If one wanted to curse Xiao Jingnan, what better place than his courtyard?
Day and night, being constantly together.
That cold and gloomy thing must be staying right beside him so openly, becoming a nightmare that made it hard for him to eat and sleep...
However, the Shiyong Studio was not small. There were five main rooms alone, not to mention the side rooms, the auxiliary rooms, the tea - making room, and the front and back yards.
If they searched openly, they would surely alert Kang Shi. If they tipped off the enemy, they would be in a very passive position.
Moreover, even if they found the statue of the Goddess of Mercy, so what? How could they prove that it was Kang Shi who deliberately cursed Xiao Jingnan and wanted to harm him?
With the current partiality of the Prince of Ning and the Princess of Ning towards Kang Shi, if they were not careful, this matter would backfire, and Kang Shi would turn the tables on them. At that time, it would be she who would be at a disadvantage.
"We need to plan this carefully."
Li Wanming slowly sat down, her voice getting colder. "Don't be in a hurry. It has been buried for so many years, and it doesn't matter waiting a little longer." She suddenly smiled. "Moreover, perhaps we can take this opportunity to clear our heir apparent's infamous reputation of being a wife - killer!"
Kang Shi used the statue of the Goddess of Mercy who bestows sons as a vengeful object, so of course, she was cursing the offspring.
Coincidentally, Xiao Jingnan was a well - known wife - killer and bad - luck charm in the capital. If they could expose Kang Shi's conspiracy this time, perhaps the label he had worn for several years could be removed.
"Besides the statue of the Goddess of Mercy, did she say anything else?" Li Wanming asked again.
Back then, the things she had assigned to Mrs. Zhang Wang were not limited to this one.
Qinglan hesitated for a moment and said, "She said that there were so many things in the storeroom, and the previous account books had been destroyed. It would be difficult to find out the deficits inside..."
"I understand." Li Wanming said indifferently. "She is afraid that I will go back on my word and not treat her younger brother's leg."
"Qinglan," she called out. "Tell her that my eldest sister brought back a miraculous medicine from the southern border this time. Whenever she can sort out the accounts of the storeroom over the years, I will ask my eldest sister to go to her house to treat her younger brother. I guarantee that the medicine will work wonders and her younger brother will be able to jump up and down on the ground!"