The husband I snatched halfway through his life is strange.

Chapter 433 Miao Spells
Dusk was falling.

The atmosphere inside the carriage was eerie.

Yu Tingwan remained silent the entire way. As soon as the carriage came to a stop, she threw down the military treatise in her hand and stepped out of the carriage. After getting off the carriage using the footstool, she climbed the steps without looking back.

The military treatise was a thick volume, covered with Wei Zhao's dense annotations and occasional musings on strategy.

Do you understand it?

can't read.

Is she a hard-working person?
No.

Wei Zhao noticed the book that Yu Tingwan had carried all the way without ever turning a single page.

He knew he was doomed.

After entering the mansion, Yu Tingwan was not in a hurry to go back. She first questioned the old woman guarding the gatehouse.

Has your mother-in-law returned yet?

The old woman bowed respectfully and said, "Yes, Madam replied half an incense stick ago."

"However, the mistress changed her clothes, not the ones she wore before leaving the house. I heard that the hem of her clothes got wet while she was boating on the lake."

The old women in the Duke of Shunguo's mansion are all very perceptive and have excellent observation skills.

"Although the weather is warm, it is still damp at night. The maidservant who serves the mistress ordered someone to brew a bowl of ginger tea and send it over."

Yu Tingwan understood.

"It's not that she caught a cold, but my mother-in-law wasn't in good health before. She's been taking care of herself these days, and her face has gotten fuller. She looks more energetic, and her pulse is stable. But it's rare for her to go out for a day, so she must be tired."

Everyone knows that Ning Suchan has a regular schedule; she goes to bed early and her mealtimes are fixed every day.

Yu Tingwan calculated the time of day.

"Tell the servants in the main courtyard to sweep the dust gently tomorrow morning and let my mother-in-law sleep in a little longer, so as not to disturb her. In the kitchen, try to make breakfast light and easy to digest."

"Yes."

Yu Tingwan then walked inside.

Before they even entered Lan Garden, they saw servants waiting outside the courtyard with something to report.

Yu Tingwan didn't stop walking and nodded to the person.

The other person followed her inside and said respectfully.

"I shouldn't be disturbing the young mistress at this hour, but... there are a few things I feel I should mention to you."

The Duke's mansion was vast, and there were many trivial matters to attend to. The stewardesses who were in charge of the matters were allowed to make decisions, but some still had to be reported to their superiors.

"explain."

The stewardess said respectfully, "There are ten shops in a good location on Jinxiu Road in Jiangnan, all connected together. Years ago, the mistress decided to open them all up to do fur business."

Upon hearing this, Yu Tingwan paused in her steps.

she knows!
That shop is making a lot of money!!!
Unlike her previous nonchalance, she was very serious now.

"What? Is someone causing trouble?"

"No one dares to cause trouble at the shops under the Wei family's name. Even when bandits targeted the goods during the transport before the New Year and tried to rob them, they were so scared that they ran away in a panic when they learned that the goods belonged to our Duke of Shun's mansion."

The stewardess said, "Madam must know that top-quality furs are hard to come by, and the process is complicated, involving cleaning, tanning, dyeing, etc. Not to mention the high transportation costs and the fact that they are easily damaged."

“Our business is steady and reliable. We never do one-off transactions. Although the prices are high, the quality is worth the price. Even the empresses in the palace and the imperial relatives in the capital are willing to buy from us.”

"This old servant received news from Jiangnan that he recently acquired a silver fox pelt. It is smooth and soft, perfect for making a cloak."

But that's where things went wrong.

"The Fifth Prince's wife somehow got the information and specifically asked to buy it."

"Just before that, news came from the palace that Consort Li, who was pregnant, had also taken a liking to him."

One was a favored concubine in the palace, and the other was the wife of the fifth prince.

Consort Li was always competitive and eager to outdo others, and she became arrogant and complacent because of her pregnancy.

The Fifth Prince's wife was not the type to be modest; she was always petty. How could she allow a lowly concubine who knew nothing to climb above her?

"And that's how the stalemate started."

Both sides put pressure on the shopkeeper.

The stewardess said, "The shopkeeper is afraid of offending people and doesn't dare to make a decision. Selling it is not an option, and not selling it is not an option either. So he specially sent a message to include the cloak, so that you, young mistress, can choose." As she spoke, she presented the silver fox fur on the tray in her hand.

Yu Tingwan wanted to say, "Don't worry about it."

If even the emperor is in trouble, would those two still dare to fight over a cloak?

But when the words were about to come out, he felt that these two really needed to be given a warning.

Yu Tingwan raised her hand and touched it.

"Tan Jiang, accept it."

Tan Jiang should have, and took the tray from the stewardess.

Not long after Yu Tingwan returned to her room, Wei Zhao came in carrying a bunch of trinkets he had bought from the stall.

Yu Tingwan suddenly looked up and smiled gently at him.

Wei Zhao paused for a moment.

Choose to take a step back.

"I……"

He had only uttered one word when Rong Di returned, his face grim.

Business matters.

Wei Zhao composed himself: "How is it?"

“The palace is heavily guarded, but when something happens, chaos ensues everywhere.”

Rong Di dared not venture out, fearing he might run into those shadowy figures.

But others can do it.

Several high-ranking officials from the court have entered the palace to thoroughly investigate the cause of the fire. It is not difficult for the Grand Tutor to see Baopu.

“When Baopu saw the box sent by the Grand Tutor, he glanced at the talisman on the lock and said that there was something strange about it.”

Bao Pu also opened and studied the box.

"Inside there was a doll that looked about eight-tenths like the lady. The doll had blood on its lips, a distorted expression, and the lady's name was engraved on its back. It also had dozens of silver needles stuck in it."

"The talismans inside the box are densely packed. According to Baopu, they are Miao witchcraft. The person who cast the spell is quite skilled."

"This kind of spell is prone to backlash, so not many people dare to cast it."

It's clear that either Yang Jingshu gave too much, or the other party owed her a favor, or that person... was overconfident in their strength and thought no one could break through.

Unfortunately, he encountered Baopu.

“Bao Puyan will take a few more strands of the young mistress’s hair and have the person behind her perform a ritual. This will complete the covenant. If the puppet is too close to the young mistress, over time, their senses will become connected.”

Of course, this is only true if Yu Tingwan is not wearing a peace charm.

So this thing is completely useless to her!
"At that moment, the Grand Tutor's expression changed, and he ordered Baopu to break the spell."

"They've made new puppets, replacing the old ones with new ones."

After a series of operations.

"It has been buried in the palace."

As for the doll whose curse had been broken, the eight characters on it had been scratched off and taken away by Rong Di.

"I went to find Elder Ge."

"Old Master Ge glanced at it and said, 'Acupuncture can save lives, but it can also harm them. The medical text 'The Classic of Acupuncture and Moxibustion' emphasizes that 'puncturing the five internal organs will lead to death.' Those needles involved vital organs such as the heart, liver, spleen, and lungs, and they were inserted too deeply. Not only would they cause dizziness and chest tightness, but over time they could easily cause... serious problems. The silver needles had also been treated, but they were still contaminated with venom, making them prone to infection and suppuration.'"

Wei Zhao's eyes suddenly turned cold, his knuckles clenched until they turned blue, and the pressure around him was like a cold blade being drawn from its sheath.

"understood."

Rong Di sent another letter.

"This was sent by someone from Prince Yan's side; you need to reply, General."

Wei Zhao pursed his lips and opened it.

Yu Tingwan saw it all.

That's amazing! The way she opened the letter was so natural; you couldn't tell she was injured at all.