Chapter 33 – Lian Guang Temple

Lian Guang Temple was located near the imperial city. Many visitors came to pray for love or for children. Though the temple wasn’t large, it was well-known.

Their carriage stopped in the clearing outside the temple. Before long, Ning Zhaorou stepped down with Shuangwu.

She had never been to this place before, and the unfamiliar surroundings made her more cautious.

Most of the visitors were women. The weather wasn’t good—it was drizzling. A sea of oiled paper umbrellas stretched across the temple grounds. The scent of incense mingled with the rain, making the air heavy and leaving one with an odd sense of unease.

As they walked deeper into the temple grounds, Ning Zhaorou noticed Madam Wu spotting someone and hurrying over with a bright smile.

A voice floated over from that direction, and she could feel someone watching her intently. At first, she thought she had imagined it. But when that gaze landed on her again, she looked back—only to catch the lady speaking with Madam Wu nodding in her direction.

A chill ran up her spine.

She forced herself to look away, turning her attention to the modest-sized temple. Seeing other visitors nearby helped her calm down a little.

Soon, Madam Wu returned and said quietly, “That was the second madam of the Chengyang Bo residence.”

“She invited us to join them for vegetarian lunch. It wouldn’t be polite to decline, so we’ll eat before heading back.”

Ning Zhaorou couldn’t guess what Madam Wu was planning, but a strong sense of unease crept into her heart. Especially after recalling the way that second madam had looked at her—it sent a shiver down her spine. As they stepped up the temple stairs, she casually pinched Shuangwu’s arm.

The umbrella in her hand suddenly tilted, and the next moment, a violent fit of coughing burst forth from her.

Madam Wu and Ning Wanqing turned at the sound, only to see Ning Zhaorou being supported by her maid, coughing so hard it seemed like she might cough up her lungs.

“What’s going on? I thought your cold had already passed?” Madam Wu paused in surprise, then put on a concerned act and stepped forward.

Ning Zhaorou was coughing so hard she was in tears, her head bowed low, one hand pressed to her chest. She couldn’t speak, while Shuangwu, flustered, held her up and patted her back, explaining anxiously, “This morning, my lady caught a chill. On the carriage she said she wanted to breathe some fresh air, so she opened the curtain. Now with the rain and cold, it seems she’s gotten worse.”

Madam Wu cast a skeptical glance at the two of them, but Ning Zhaorou’s coughing was loud and severe. With people all around, she couldn’t make a scene even if she wanted to.

So she stepped slightly to the side and ordered someone to lead them to a side chamber.

“If you’re not feeling well, rest for a while. When lunch is ready, I’ll have someone come fetch you,” she said, giving Ning Zhaorou a reminder. “Don’t go wandering off. It’s your first time here—you might get lost.”

Ning Zhaorou coughed all the way to the side room.

Once the people outside had left, her coughing gradually eased.

Shuangwu kept a close watch at the door, then turned back and nodded to Ning Zhaorou before asking, “My lady… were you pretending just now?”

What was all that for?

Ning Zhaorou didn’t hide it from her. Her voice was hoarse, her hand still on her chest. The coughing earlier had left her eyes red. In a low voice, she said gravely, “I have a bad feeling about this.”

She looked out at the rain falling beyond the eaves and repeated in a low whisper, “I feel uneasy… something’s wrong.”

Especially when she saw Madam Wu speaking with that woman earlier—she had nearly turned and fled right then.

“Then… shall we leave, my lady?” Shuangwu had always trusted Ning Zhaorou. If she said something felt wrong, she’d believe her without question.

Ning Zhaorou thought for a moment. She knew that Madam Wu had come today specifically to offer incense at the temple. With how popular Lian Guang Temple was, they were bound to run into a few familiar faces.

But the longer she stayed here, the more uneasy she felt. Still, if she asked to leave outright, she couldn’t be sure what sort of trap Madam Wu might have prepared for her.

So she lowered her voice and said, “Go see if any of the visitors outside are people we know.”

She had thought it through—if she happened to see someone familiar, perhaps she could ask them to escort her back to the marquis’ residence. In any case, she had no intention of staying here any longer.

But in reality, Shuangwu kept watch for a long time and didn’t spot a single familiar face.

Disappointed, she returned.

Just then, Madam Wu sent someone to fetch Ning Zhaorou to join them for the vegetarian meal.

Ning Zhaorou used the excuse of dizziness to decline.

The maid seemed hesitant, as if she was about to try and persuade her again, but Shuangwu quickly interjected coldly, “My lady’s illness had just gotten better. Who knew it would rain today? And she still came all the way to Lian Guang Temple. She seemed fine earlier, but now she’s taken a serious turn for the worse.”

The maid held back whatever she had meant to say and simply replied that she would inform the madam, then left.

Though the maid had gone, Ning Zhaorou still felt uneasy.

She told Shuangwu to keep watch at the door and to alert her if anyone came.

After a short wait, the maid returned—but instead of calling her to lunch, she said Madam Wu was concerned the chill might worsen her condition and had ordered a carriage to send her back first.

Ning Zhaorou sat up. She truly did not want to stay any longer and nodded, calling Shuangwu to leave with her.

It was still raining when they left. The path was muddy, and aside from her and Shuangwu, only the coachman sat in front, driving the carriage.

Everything seemed fine at first, until suddenly the carriage lurched violently forward.

Ning Zhaorou quickly grabbed the frame to stop herself from falling.

The carriage had sunk into the mud. The coachman—clearly a servant of the marquis’ residence—seemed unsurprised by the situation. Before anyone inside could speak, he rushed to say he would go look for help, then hurried off without waiting for a response.

Rain poured down outside. Inside the carriage, Ning Zhaorou’s mind spun rapidly. Then, without hesitation, she grabbed Shuangwu’s wrist. “We’re getting out.”

The rain was heavy, but Lian Guang Temple was near the imperial city. Even if they had stopped halfway down the mountain, Ning Zhaorou was determined to walk the rest of the way. She was cautious, though—she chose a different route down.

The two of them made their way down the mountain path without pause, unaware that just moments later, a group of people approached the carriage they had abandoned.

A separate carriage stopped a short distance away. A portly man stepped down, dressed in luxurious robes. His eyes glinted viciously as he looked toward Ning Zhaorou’s carriage. Then he kicked the man beside him. “Go. Bring her here.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

The servant fell into the mud from the kick but scrambled back up and walked toward the carriage. He knocked on the frame. “Is Second Miss Ning inside? Do you need any help, miss? Our young master is right behind, and he’d be happy to assist you.”

There was no response from within.

The servant glanced back at the man waiting beside his own carriage, then looked again at Ning Zhaorou’s carriage and repeated the question.

Still, there was no sound.

Then came the sound of hurried footsteps. Suddenly, the servant was kicked aside, and the carriage curtain was yanked open—

There was no one inside.