The ancestral hall of the Prime Minister's Mansion was built with the consultation of feng shui experts.
Located in the southwest corner of the mansion, the hall faced south with its back to the mountains and overlooking water. The surroundings were balanced on all sides, designed to bless future generations with prosperity and protect the Nangong Family's long-lasting success.
As night fell, Jiang Ning finished her meal and excused herself to sleep. After her maid Xiao Ru left, she avoided people and climbed up the rockery on the side of the ancestral hall. She then slipped in through a narrow window.
The two guards stationed at the door remained oblivious.
Nangong Muyan was kneeling properly before the altar, writing something incessantly. She didn't seem surprised by Jiang Ning's arrival.
Earlier that day, Nangong Muyan had been taken away by Nangong Ya. Jiang Ning had wanted to follow and watch, but Jin Yao had asked her to return to her own courtyard.
Knowing she'd come back in the evening anyway, Jiang Ning decided to rest in her room and conserve her energy. As night approached, she climbed through the window into the ancestral hall.
"What are you doing?" Jiang Ning walked to Nangong Muyan's side and picked up a piece of paper. It was covered with phrases like "Repay private wishes, acknowledge private favors" and "Be diligent but not frugal, lest wealth stem from extravagance." The words left her confused.
Nangong Muyan continued writing without pause, replying coolly, "The family precepts and rules of the Nangong Family. I have to copy them a hundred times."
"He didn't beat you?"
"He did. Thirty-one lashes. He wanted to continue, but Old Zhong called him away. Sounded like some official business."
Nangong Muyan dipped her brush in ink and continued, "Before he left, he told me to copy the family rules and said I'd have to stay here for a month to properly atone to our ancestors."
"Huh!" Jiang Ning let out a light scoff, her eyes full of derision.
Nangong Muyan glanced up at her, a playful smile on her face. "It seems little sister isn't satisfied with the severity of this punishment..."
Jiang Ning pulled over a cushion and sat beside Nangong Muyan, asking, "Do you know how grave Nangong Muyan's offense was?"
"Do tell," Nangong Muyan replied with a smile.
"There's not much to say. I came back to kill her, but before I could act, she hanged herself. Instead, you showed up..."
Jiang Ning felt frustrated just thinking about it, feeling as if she'd been tricked.
"Well, I'm sorry about that," Nangong Muyan paused, turning to look at Jiang Ning with a radiant smile. "Although you don't seem too happy to see me, I'm quite glad to see you, hehe..."
Knowing the personality of the person before her, Jiang Ning didn't take it seriously and got to the main reason for her visit: "What's the deal with that blood lotus on your chest?"
"I don't know. It seems I was born with it."
When discussing serious matters, Nangong Muyan's smile faded a bit, her expression turning solemn: "It's not a birthmark. Sometimes I can even feel it has some kind of connection with me. That's why when I heard about the blood lotus seed, I asked you to get it. I wanted to see if there was any connection between the two."
"Why haven't I ever seen that mark on you?" Jiang Ning was curious. In her previous life, she had seen Nangong Muyan in low-cut dresses or spaghetti straps many times, but she couldn't recall seeing that lotus on her chest.
As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Ning saw Nangong Muyan looking at her as if she were an idiot: "Did you forget there's something in this world called concealer?"
Jiang Ning: "..."
She really had forgotten.
"I saw many lotus flowers before I died. What about you?" After a while, Nangong Muyan asked.
"Mm, I saw them too."
Jiang Ning replied, lowering her eyes thoughtfully.
She had originally worried that since both she and Nangong Muyan had been resurrected in this world, perhaps others who were present at that time might have come too?
At least now it seemed there was no need for such concern. Nangong Muyan was here because she had some inherent connection to the blood lotus, while Jiang Ning was here because she had swallowed the blood lotus seed. They had both established some mysterious connection with the "blood lotus."
She had her space, but what about Nangong Muyan?
Jiang Ning couldn't help but look over at Nangong Muyan, only to meet her gaze.
"When Nangong Ya was beating me, I roughly learned from him what this person had done before. Dismemberment, disfigurement, poisoning to muteness, sold to a small village..."
Nangong Muyan spoke softly, her affectionate eyes fixed on Jiang Ning's face, not missing a single change in her expression. "You hadn't arrived then, had you? When did you come? It must have been after Nangong Ling's death, right? But even if Nangong Ling died, how come there's not a single trace of her injuries on you? It's quite strange..."
Jiang Ning met Nangong Muyan's gaze calmly, a faint smile on her face, but her eyes were cold.
This woman was very clever and knew her well. Lying in front of her would be self-deception.
The two silently faced off for a long time. After a while, Nangong Muyan chuckled and returned to copying the family rules: "Never mind. You're all grown up now, it's normal to have your own little secrets. I won't worry about it unnecessarily. I'll just focus on being a good young lady."
"You're really okay with that?" Jiang Ning expressed her disbelief.
Nangong Muyan put away the filled paper and took a new blank one before slowly saying: "In the past, I taught you things about killing. This time, let me teach you something good."
Jiang Ning unconsciously sat up straight.
Nangong Muyan began to speak, but unexpectedly recited a Buddhist verse:
"Spring brings a hundred flowers, autumn a bright moon,
Summer brings cool breezes, winter snow that croons.
If idle concerns don't cloud your mind,
This is the best life you'll ever find."
In the dim candlelight, Nangong Muyan knelt upright, holding her brush and writing earnestly. As she recited the Buddhist verse, her gaze remained fixed on the tip of her brush. Her unhurried voice made Jiang Ning think of the phrase "peaceful years."
Jiang Ning raised an eyebrow, looking at the calm and serene Nangong Muyan, unable to shake off the sense of incongruity: "Are you really going to lay down your knife and become a Buddha?"
Nangong Muyan chuckled again: "No, I just mean to live my own life well from now on and not worry unnecessarily."
Before Jiang Ning could respond, Nangong Muyan continued: "But considering I've raised you for so long, I'll say a bit more. People like us can never truly lay down our knives. Having a knife and not using it is different from not having a knife at all. Do you understand?"
"I understand." Jiang Ning's eyes flickered. She thought the same.
The ancestral hall fell silent for a moment. Jiang Ning watched Nangong Muyan fill another sheet of paper and curiously asked: "You don't know Nangong Muyan's handwriting. Aren't you afraid people will notice something's off if you copy like this?"
Hearing this, Nangong Muyan put down her brush, massaged her sore fingers, and then, under Jiang Ning's watchful gaze, rolled up her sleeve.
On her snow-white arm, three or four bright red whip marks were clearly visible. The skin had broken and bled, but the wounds were shallow and had already scabbed over.
"When he was beating me, I deliberately used my arm to block a few times, and I intentionally wrote the characters a bit distorted. This way, if the writing looks different from before, there's an explanation."
Nangong Muyan lowered her sleeve and smiled at Jiang Ning: "Even if he suspects something, so what? Could he possibly imagine that the core inside this skin has been replaced?"
"Besides, I'll be confined here for a month. They say absence makes the heart grow fonder. After a month, when I come out, it would be understandable if my personality has changed greatly, especially if it's for the better. If I become an obedient, sensible, and considerate good daughter afterward, what could he possibly be dissatisfied with?"
Jiang Ning realized she had been worrying unnecessarily. Any problem she could think of, the woman in front of her would have considered even more thoroughly.
"Well then, carry on with your copying."
Having said all she needed to, Jiang Ning stood up and climbed back out through the window she had entered from.