Chapter 6: Is there a female ghost in the ancestral hall of the Duke of Su?

Who are you

The "first family of Jiangzuo" here refers to the Qi royal family. The late Duke of Su was enfeoffed in Suzhou, which is equivalent to having separated from the main lineage, thus it can only be said that they "once were" the first family of Jiangzuo

Ah, the royal family is indeed perilous; a single misstep could lead to the annihilation of the entire lineage.

Upon hearing Zhao Xian's words, Old Huang was momentarily taken aback, but soon regained his composure and said: "Since the young master wishes to pay homage to the ancestors, I shall go and purchase some incense and offerings."

Old Huang nodded with a complex expression, leading Zhao Xian towards the back courtyard of the Prince Su's residence. The courtyard of the residence was deep and expansive, and it took them a while to navigate through it before they finally arrived at a rather solemn and profound courtyard. At that point, Old Huang stopped at the entrance of the courtyard and remained motionless.

The ancestral hall of a family is the most sacred place. When the male members of the family enter the ancestral hall to pay their respects, it is not only the servants who are excluded; even the female members of the household are not easily permitted to enter.

Once the foremost family of Jiangzuo

"Chang" is the generational title of Zhao Gong

Zhao Xian murmured a self-deprecating remark, forcing himself to calm down

The subsequent situation was largely as Xiao Ling'er had described. In the year when Zhao Xian turned fifteen, six of the seven sons of the Prince of Su passed away one after another due to sudden illness, and the seventh son also became mentally unstable. The old prince, Zhao Gong, could no longer bear the blow and fell bedridden. After appointing Zhao Xian as the heir, he passed away, leaving the entire Prince of Su's residence in disarray, with only the deranged heir Zhao Xian and a relatively loyal old servant, Huang, remaining.

God knows whether the ancestral hall is waiting for the vengeful spirits of the Zhao family!

Zhao Gong is the father of Zhao Xian and the first prince of the Suqin Wangfu. Therefore, within the Suqin Wangfu, only his spirit tablet is enshrined, while Zhao Xian's grandfather and others are still worshipped in the Zhao family ancestral temple in the capital.

There is also that seventh blank tablet, which is quite mysterious

If there are more than just the Prince of Su and Huang Bo in the Prince's residence, then it is highly likely that these individuals are from the capital city

Clearly, this seventh plaque is reserved for Zhao Xian

Receiving the imperial grace, soaring above the solemn earth

A solemn bow.

Zhao Xian took a deep breath; based on his relatively good proficiency in classical Chinese, this couplet, regardless of its literary quality or the evenness of its tones, possesses a grandeur that is truly worthy of being displayed in the main hall of the ancestral hall

Zhao Xian's voice was somewhat hoarse. By now, it had been two or three days since he had crossed over, but the events that had transpired in these two or three days were far more thrilling than his more than twenty years of life in the modern era

After closing the book, Zhao Xian lay in bed tossing and turning, unable to find peace in sleep. It was not until the rooster crowed and the sky was still dimly lit that he threw off the covers, groped for his clothes, and got up.

Hiss

It must be said that Old Huang is a competent servant. Even though the residence of the Su King has fallen into such decline, the incense in the ancestral hall has never ceased. The burning of incense and candles produces curling wisps of smoke, adding a sense of solemnity and gravity to this dark-toned hall.

Zhao Xian felt a chill in his heart; he had soul-transmigrated into the body of this mad prince. This meant that he had to bear all the grievances and entanglements of this former self.

Zhao Xian took a few more steps and arrived at the main hall of the ancestral temple. He squinted and surveyed the surroundings, noticing a rather imposing couplet hanging in front of the main hall.

If possible, I will avenge you.

In the row beneath this memorial tablet are the six sons of Zhao Gong, which are the memorial tablets of Zhao Xian's six elder brothers, all presented in a deep black color, exuding an air of solemnity

Am I destined to become a disgraceful time traveler who perishes just three days after crossing over

Bang

Stepping into the main hall, one is greeted by the portrait of Prince Zhao Gong, the Prince of the Su Wangfu, which hangs prominently in the center. The portrait depicts a stern-looking middle-aged man, clad in military attire, exuding an air of great authority.

According to Huang Bo, the entire residence of the Prince of Su has become so impoverished that not a single grain of rice remains, thus the fruits in this ancestral hall could not possibly have been arranged by Huang Bo

As the sole heir of the Su Wangfu, he must go to the ancestral hall to take on the identity of Zhao Xian and live well in place of this mad prince

The Zhao family is the royal family of the Qi Kingdom, having established the nation for over one hundred years. By the time of Zhao Xian, it has already reached the seventh generation. Therefore, the family genealogy of the Zhao family is exceedingly complex. He locked himself in his study for a full day, just to flip through these several books. With the addition of Old Huang's oral account, he finally gained a general understanding of the origins of the Prince Su's residence

Zhao Xian came to the ancestral hall merely to ascertain his current situation and to understand certain matters that he, in his position, must be aware of. According to the information he has gathered so far, it seems that the old prince Zhao Gong may have died of natural causes. However, the deaths of his six sons and his own madness over the past few years are undoubtedly the result of human intervention

Zhao Xianshe retracted his neck slightly, but still gritted his teeth and stepped inside

Zhao Xian's father, Zhao Gong, was the younger brother of the late emperor. In the early years, during the late emperor's struggle for succession, Zhao Gong made significant contributions and was thus granted the title of a first-class prince, with hereditary rights. After the late emperor passed away, the current emperor ascended to the throne. Fearing Zhao Gong's considerable influence, he repeatedly suppressed him, ultimately driving Zhao Gong out of the capital and confining him to Suzhou Prefecture

He stood in place, pondering for a moment, then let out a long sigh and knelt before the spirit tablets of Zhao Gong and his six elder brothers, performing a respectful bow.

Zhao Xian was taken aback for a moment, but soon calmed down, took the blank tablet and set it aside.

The horizontal inscription consists of four grand characters: Zhao Clan of Suzhou

Is there a third person in this prince's residence?

He took a deep breath, instructed Lao Huang not to leave the door, then firmly closed his eyes and stepped inside with a large stride

As this sentence was spoken, the gloom that had been lingering in his heart for the past few days also dissipated significantly

As soon as he entered, a gust of cold wind blew out from the ancestral hall, wrapping around Zhao Xian's neck, causing him to shiver involuntarily

Directly below the portrait, there is a dark black spirit tablet, inscribed with: The spirit tablet of Zhao Shisuwu, Prince Changgong.

The overall color of the ancestral hall was a deep black. Zhao Xian glanced at Old Huang, took a deep breath, and stepped into the Zhao family ancestral hall

After surveying the ancestral hall, Zhao Xian discovered that the entire hall was not only clean and tidy, but also that all the offerings of fruits and other items were quite complete, which caused him to furrow his brow

He told himself this in his heart

The ancestral hall of a wealthy family is quite grand and also rather solemn. As a royal family, the Zhao family has constructed this ancestral hall with an imposing atmosphere. Unfortunately, only the main hall still has incense burning, while the smaller rooms have begun to appear somewhat dilapidated

Although it is still early in the day, Old Huang has already risen early and is in the kitchen preparing porridge for Zhao Xian

Seeing the smoke rising from the ancestral hall, Zhao Xian felt an inexplicable shiver in his heart. After all, the seventh son of the Zhao family had already returned to the heavens, and he was merely borrowing the body to return to life.

Zhao Xian's scalp instantly tingled, and the hair all over his body stood on end. He turned around in shock, only to see a pure white figure standing silently behind him like a ghostly woman, with traces of water still on her face

Old Huang, take me to see the ancestral hall

The Zhao family's seven sons, six have died and one has gone mad. If it is said that this is not due to external forces, who would believe it

In the past, Zhao Xian would not have feared ghosts; he was a staunch atheist. However, with the occurrence of phenomena such as time travel, even his previously unwavering materialist beliefs began to waver.

Especially the seven characters in the second stanza, "Once the foremost family of Jiangzuo," are particularly striking. Jiangzuo refers to Jiangnan, also known as Jiangdong. Today, the Zhao family of the Qi state occupies Jiangnan.

Zhao Xian shook his head: "No need, I will just go in and take a look, and offer a few sticks of incense"

A very light footstep sounded behind him, but this sound was particularly pronounced in the silent ancestral hall

At this thought, a chill ran through his heart

What caught Zhao Xian's attention was that there were not only six tablets in the second row, but seven. The seventh tablet was completely blank, which appeared quite strange

Goodness, there shouldn't be anything unclean here, right

Based on the reactions of these local officials, it is highly likely that this person is none other than His Majesty, the Supreme Emperor of the Qi Kingdom

So be it, since I have come here, I shall accept it. Since I am also called Zhao Xian, and heaven has arranged for me to be here, from now on I shall be the seventh son of Prince Su, Zhao Xian.

At this moment, Zhao Xian was in a state of utter confusion, unable to determine whether the person who had targeted the Su Wangfu would be willing to let him live

Then came a clear and crisp female voice