Ask the Nine Ministers

Chapter 33 The storm arises

The news that Taoist Lingxu came to the mansion spread throughout the Xue Mansion in the blink of an eye.

It was because everyone knew that he had predicted the fortune for the young lady from the Xue family.

The two girls, Xue Yue'e and Xue Yueman, were still young, and their expressions were so vivid that they spoke with great excitement.

"My elder sister is the reincarnation of the Eight Fortunes Star. It was calculated by this Taoist priest Lingxu."

Otherwise, Concubine Xiao might not have chosen Xue Yuechen as Prince Duan's principal wife from among the beauties in the capital.

Now that their elder sister had climbed to a higher position, they also felt proud and their contempt for Xue Sui became even greater.

"What a pity! There is also a Seven Evil Star in the mansion..."

Xue Yue'e deliberately dragged out her tone, spoke in a sarcastic tone, and glanced at Xue Sui.

"You are a jinx, a bad luck ghost. You have done bad things as soon as you came back home. Your uncle is gone. You deserve to be despised."

Xue Yueman also echoed: "With the arrival of Taoist Lingxu, the murderer will reveal his true colors!"

The two of them kept talking, as if the "disaster star" they were talking about was the mud in the pond, the kind of filth that would make people stink if they touched it, and being sisters with her would pollute themselves...

"Sixth sister bought the flowers in vain. This is not a blessing brought by Third Uncle, I think it is the plague god!"

Everyone in the room looked at Xue Sui's face.

But she just smiled faintly, as if she didn't hear anything at all, with the corners of her lips slightly raised, and there seemed to be a cluster of burning flames in her deep black eyes, shining brightly.

Xue Yuelou frowned when he saw her restraint and forbearance.

"Stop talking! You are not the worms in the Taoist's stomach. If you are so intelligent, why don't you become monks and practice Taoism?"

Normally, she can't even make a sound when she hits someone with a stick, so why is she speaking up for Xue Liu today?

Xue Yue'e and Xue Yueman looked at each other and laughed sarcastically.

"If I were your second sister, I would not mind other people's business, and think about how to be a good wife, so that your second brother-in-law can take me home as soon as possible, so that I won't stay at my parents' house for too long without anyone to invite me and be laughed at."

“Shut up!” Old Mrs. Cui’s face became uglier and uglier as she listened. Suddenly, she stood up with the help of her crutches and shouted angrily.

"If anyone says anything else, I'll punish them according to the family rules!"

Xue Sui then spoke up, "Don't be upset, grandma. My eighth and ninth sisters are young and have bad tempers. I won't bother with them."

Old Mrs. Cui looked at her, sighed heavily, and scattered the flowers to the ground.
-
Taoist Lingxu did not come alone, he brought two young disciples with him, and they carried an ancient bronze tripod as a magical instrument and placed it outside the ceremonial gate.

"Wulian Tianzun! Lord Xue, long time no see."

This Taoist priest is said to be 120 years old. No one knows what kind of magic medicine he took, but more than 20 years ago, his white hair turned black and he regained his youth. Now he looks about 40 or 50 years old, wearing a Hunyuan scarf, a black Taoist robe, his hair is tied up meticulously, and his long beard flutters in the wind. He looks like a Taoist immortal.

Most of the monks of his generation had passed away. Therefore, the miracles of Taoist Lingxu were widely circulated among the people, and everyone in the market admired him when they mentioned his name.

Xue Qingzhi is also such a person.

He bowed respectfully, fearing that he might accidentally offend the old Taoist priest.

"Old Immortal, what is the opportunity and fortune for you to visit my humble abode?"

Lingxu had a solemn expression on his face, stroking his beard, "I was giving a lecture at Chongxuan Hall, passing by here, and saw that your house was shrouded in a gloomy aura. I counted with my fingers and found that my old friend's family had suffered a great disaster..."

When Xue Qingzhi heard this, he became even more terrified.

"Master, you have great foresight. Unfortunately, my third brother met with a villain and died."

Taoist Lingxu closed his eyes slightly, held the whisk in his arms, and while making hand gestures with one hand, he looked at the eaves of Xue's house with the other hand, his brows slowly furrowed.

"A few years ago, I met your brother once. Judging from his face, he is not a man who died in vain. He is an evil spirit causing trouble in your house."

Xue Qingzhi's expression changed, "Please give me some advice, old immortal."

Taoist Lingxu: "Wait for me to perform a ritual to make the evil spirit reveal itself!"

Xue Qingzhi naturally agreed.

At the same time, he sent a servant to help Lingxu's disciple set up an altar in the middle of the courtyard.

At the same time, he sent people to various courtyards to inform them and invite everyone in the mansion to come.

The altar was set up and everyone in the Xue residence had arrived.

"Open the altar!"

Xue Sui stood next to the sisters and watched what would happen.

The square table was covered with bright yellow brocade, and there was a copper basin of water, several ceramic bowls filled with grains, and various magical instruments. Green smoke was curling up from the copper tripod, candlelight was flickering, and yellow paper talismans covered with runes were flying everywhere.

Lingxu was seen holding a whisk in his hand, sitting cross-legged on a cushion, muttering to himself.

"May the heavens and earth bring forth their true colors. May all evil spirits reveal their true forms."

Lingxu chanted a string of spells, suddenly stood up and walked steadily towards the altar, drew out a peach wood sword, dipped it in clear water, quickly wrote characters that no one could understand on the talisman paper, and then danced slowly with the Bagua steps...

"All evil spirits retreat, ghosts stay away! No evil spirit dares to approach me!"

Strangely enough, the talisman was picked up by his peach wood sword and thrown into the air. It seemed to be controlled by an invisible force and slowly burned...

"break!"

"Certainly!"

Everyone in the Xue Mansion, including the maids and servants who were cleaning the house, stood in awe, holding their breath, as if they were under a spell, not daring to breathe.

At this moment, Taoist Lingxu suddenly opened his eyes wide, and leaned over with the wooden sword, pointing the sword directly at Xue Sui's face.

"is her!"

The crowd was in an uproar.

Xue Sui didn't move, with a faint smile on his face.

Xue Qingzhi looked at her and bowed to Taoist Lingxu.

"Master, this is my daughter..."

Lingxu said: "Minister Xue, the third master was not beaten to death, but was harmed by evil magic. The purple bruises on his body are the result of evil spirits gnawing at him and sucking away his essence. Now his soul has nowhere to go. This woman is the culprit!"

Xue Qingzhi's pupils dimmed.

The old lady was so upset that she couldn't stand still.

"Old Third! My poor Old Third..."

In the courtyard, there was a burst of crying.

Everyone stared at Xue Sui, as if they could see some evil shadow on her face.

Lingxu turned his head slowly: "Minister Xue is confused! The Seven Evil Stars are the most evil. Even if she doesn't kill her family, they will die because of her."

Xue Qingzhi looked at his daughter, pointed at by the peach wood sword, with a complicated expression. Others did not know the truth of Xue Qingxiu's death, but Xue Qingzhi knew it.

How can the trap set by the fourth girl be blamed on the sixth girl?
"Master, is there a solution?"

Lingxu put away his sword: "There is no solution."

Xue Sui sneered and walked straight towards Lingxu.

"Master, have you seen it clearly? This is a matter of life and death. Do you want to find the immortal king in heaven to confirm it again?"

Her eyes were clear and sharp.

But Lingxu didn't take the little girl seriously.

"I have received the true teachings of the Three Pure Ones. I know the stars, understand the principles of fate, know the yin and yang, and can predict good and bad luck. I have also glimpsed the secrets of the underworld and know the mysteries in the Book of Life and Death. How could I be wrong when I have the secrets of heaven in my hands?"

The corners of Xue Sui's mouth curled up slightly, as if he was smiling.

"Master, have you never made a mistake?"

"Hmph!" Lingxu stroked his long beard, revealing the aura of Taoism, "Wulian Tianzun! Everything is in accordance with the Tao of Heaven, how can there be any mistakes?"

Xue Sui slowly curled his lips, "Master, since you are so good at catching demons and ghosts, why don't you go with father to Jingzhao Yin, or the Ministry of Justice or the Dali Temple to look through the files, and bring out those old and major cases of injustice to open the forum, find the murderer, and relieve the worries of His Majesty and eliminate the troubles for the people?"

Lingxu shouted angrily: "How dare you! How can you disclose the secrets of heaven so easily?"

Xue Sui said, "You only leaked the news about the Xue family. Does the Xue family have a grudge against you?"

Lingxu saw the mockery in the woman's eyes, but didn't take it seriously.

"Minister Xue, if your mansion harbors the Seven Evil Stars, there will be endless disasters in the future. This is all I have to say. We will meet again later. Qingchen, Qingxuan, let's go."

The two young disciples responded and packed up their magic tools to leave.

"Master, please stay."

Xue Sui ignored Xue Qingzhi's warning, slowly stood in front of Lingxu and exchanged glances with him.

"I ask you again, Taoist priest, did my third uncle really die because of me?"

Lingxu snorted coldly, "Is this true? Your Third Uncle was not destined to have a calamity. If it weren't for you, the Seven Evil Star, how could he have been beset with misfortune and die?"

Xue Sui said softly, "Then why don't you swear a poisonous oath in front of everyone, saying that if you take money from others, help others to eliminate disasters, disrupt the will of heaven, and talk nonsense, then you will die without a burial place, and in the next life you will be reborn as an animal forever, your soul will not be able to be reborn, and you will suffer the pain of reincarnation..."

Lingxu had never thought that a little girl could be so tough, and was stunned.

Xue Qingzhi was afraid that she would offend the master, and he became furious.

"Xue Liu, don't make trouble!"

Lingxu slowly raised his whisk and uttered a Dharma name: "Minister Xue, the evil has already entered your bones. It is difficult to remove the evil. This girl cannot be kept."

Everyone's eyes were on Xue Sui's face and they were whispering to each other.

Xue Lan came out, staring at Xue Sui fiercely, and said to Xue Qingzhi, "Father, for the peace and prosperity of the Xue family, for the health of my grandmother, and for the rest of my third uncle's soul, please expel this evildoer from the family."

Xue Qingzhi frowned and said, "I have my own opinion on this matter, and you don't need to ask."

"Father!" Xue Lan raised his voice.

"The Taoist priest has made it very clear. Even the third uncle is gone. Do you want to wait for a few more people in the mansion to die before you are willing to give up this scourge?"

"How dare you!" Xue Qingzhi's face darkened.

He was not defending Xue Liu, but Xue Liu knew everything that happened last night. If he really wanted to put the blame on her, she would definitely go all out and tell the truth.

The incident became known to everyone and damaged the reputation of the Xue family.

It would be better to find a reason to send her away later.

"Father!" Seeing his father hesitant, Xue Lan grabbed his half brother.

Xue Rui is only sixteen years old this year. He has a young face and a childish look. He looks timid and has no opinion of his own.

"Father, please expel Xue Liu!"

The sons expressed their opinions, and the girls from the Xue family also stood up.

Especially the Eighth and Ninth Girls, when it was time to discuss marriage, they were afraid of being implicated by Xue Liu, and each of them spoke more quickly than the other.

"Father, ever since my sixth sister came back home, the three katydids I kept in my house have died for no apparent reason."

"Yes, father. My thrush was kept in a cage and flew away yesterday for some reason..."

"I put my new hairpin in my makeup box, but after just one night, it suddenly cracked for no apparent reason..."

"And I, my hands were pricked by the embroidery that day..."

"I fall even when I walk on flat ground."

Seeing the crowd's outrage, Xue Lan became so angry that his face turned red.

"Father has heard it all. Strange things have happened since the disaster star returned home. Now that grandma is old, we must not keep her here any longer!"

Accusations came one after another, all groundless and as cold as the salt-soaked sticks and whips from ten years ago, hitting him again.

Xue Sui listened quietly, smiling slightly.

No more pain.

It won't hurt anymore.

"Shut up! You're getting more and more outrageous." Xue Qingzhi suddenly spoke up.

He wanted to chase her away and put an end to it all.

But there are the emperor's admonitions and the prince's eyes above, and Prince Duan's warning below.

And Xue Liu has the leverage over her, how can he touch her?

Xue Qingzhi pondered for a moment and waved his hand.

"Take him away! Confine him to Lixiangyuan and wait until the truth of the case comes out before making a decision..."

"Father!" Xue Lan wanted to argue again.

Then Xue Qingxiu's attendant came running over, shouting in surprise and joy.