Chapter 6 – There’s a Ghost

【Holy crap! A ghost—!】

At the third quarter of the chou hour (around 1–3 a.m.), a sharp scream echoed through the Tang Residence.

To be precise, only Tang Wenzong and Tang Jingrui heard it.

Both men jolted awake from their sleep, sitting upright in terror.

“A ghost? Where’s the ghost?”

Cold sweat drenched Tang Wenzong’s back. The pitch-dark room made his knees go weak.

【It’s right beside you—on your right! Hurry up and move!】

Tang Wenzong turned his head sharply—only to see a long-haired woman in white hovering beside him.

“Ahhh! A ghost—!”

He swung his fist out in panic.

“Ah—!”

The “female ghost” shrieked and tumbled off the bed.

Tang Wenzong scrambled up, half crawling, half running out the door.

“There’s a ghost! Someone—help!”

The guards rushed into the courtyard at once.

Tang Wenzong stumbled toward them, pointing frantically at his room. “There’s a ghost—inside! Inside my room!”

Just then, a woman came running out of the room, clutching her eye. “Master, it’s me! It’s me! There’s no ghost inside!”

One of the guards called out, “Master, it’s Madam!”

Tang Wenzong froze. When he finally recognized Jiang Zhenru, his expression darkened. “Then who was shouting about ghosts just now?”

The guards exchanged confused looks. “We didn’t hear anyone shouting, Master.”

Then he suddenly heard Mu Nanjin’s voice.

【Oh, come on! What are you even doing with those talismans? Use them already! Watching you fumble around is driving me crazy!】

The moment Tang Wenzong heard that, he understood everything.

He nearly choked on his own breath.

Just then, Tang Jingrui appeared in the courtyard. “Father, Mother—are you all right?”

Jiang Zhenru complained bitterly, “Your father almost blinded me!”

Tang Wenzong looked at her bruised eye and forced an awkward smile.

Tang Jingrui turned to the guards. “Go fetch a physician.”

“Yes, Young Master.”

After helping Jiang Zhenru back to her room and settling her down, Tang Jingrui returned to find his father sitting on a stone stool, fuming.

“All because of that wretched girl Mu Nanjin! Shouting in the middle of the night—she nearly scared me to death!”

Tang Jingrui, who had also been startled by Mu Nanjin’s sudden outburst, asked, “Can you hear her voice every night?”

“This was the first time I’ve heard her at night,” Tang Wenzong said, wiping sweat from his brow. “If it happened every night, none of us would be getting any sleep.”

“We can hear her from this far away… just how far does her voice travel?”

When Tang Jingrui first learned that every official could hear Mu Nanjin’s thoughts, he’d been completely stunned. Even more shocking was how much she knew—things even court officials didn’t.

“From what I’ve observed,” he said, “the more emotional she gets, the farther her thoughts seem to spread.”

“Then shouting like that just now… she won’t be in trouble, will she?”

Tang Jingrui turned to head toward Mu Nanjin’s courtyard.

Tang Wenzong snapped, “From that clear, full-throated yell, does she sound like someone in trouble to you?”

Tang Jingrui thought about it and nodded. “Fair point. I’ll head back to my room.”

Thanks to Mu Nanjin’s midnight ‘ghost show,’ no one in the Tang Residence managed to get any more sleep.

After applying medicine, Jiang Zhenru draped her husband’s official robe over his shoulders. “Husband, after observing yesterday, I think the sons of the Deputy Minister of Justice and the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy are both fine young men. Could you ask around after court today—see if either family might be open to a marriage alliance?”

Tang Wenzong recalled Mu Nanjin’s earlier words and shook his head. “Yue’er isn’t suited to marry into either of their families.”

“Not suited? Then which family’s young master is suited, in your opinion?”

“I’ll think about it.”

He put on his official hat and stepped outside.

At the gate, Tang Jingrui and the coachman had been waiting for some time.

Tang Wenzong stopped by the carriage. “Wait for Mu Nanjin.”

Tang Jingrui: “…”

At that moment, Mu Nanjin—who had just finished watching a horror film—strolled lazily out from the back courtyard.

She might be a cultivator who had seen her fair share of demons and monsters, but ghosts? Those still creeped her out. Especially movie ghosts—each one looked scarier than the last.

Fortunately, she had practiced the Emotionless Path since childhood, which forbade outward expression of emotion. Otherwise, she might really have screamed out loud during the film.

【Keeping a straight face every day has its perks—no one ever knows what I’m thinking.】

When she walked through the main gates, she was met with the sight of Tang Wenzong and Tang Jingrui, both sporting dark circles under their eyes, looking at her as if they couldn’t find the words.

Her gaze swept over them. “Didn’t sleep well last night? I didn’t either.”

Tang Wenzong’s fingers twitched—he was this close to smacking her. “Get in the carriage.”

He climbed in first. But when Mu Nanjin didn’t follow, he lifted the curtain. “What are you waiting for?”

She raised a brow. “You want me to ride in the same carriage as you?”

Tang Wenzong snapped, “What, you plan to walk to the palace?”

Of course not. She wasn’t stupid. Besides, she was exhausted and needed somewhere to nap.

With one foot on the wheel, she hopped up and landed smoothly on the roof of the carriage, lying down with practiced ease.

Tang Jingrui frowned. The woman before him felt utterly different from the Mu Nanjin he used to know.

What on earth had happened while he was away from the capital to change her this much?

“Why aren’t we moving?” Mu Nanjin leaned over and said to the coachman, “If we don’t hurry, we’ll be late for morning court.”

The coachman glanced at Tang Wenzong, whose beard was practically trembling with anger, then flicked his whip. With a sharp crack, the carriage rolled out of the Tang Residence.

Half an hour later, Tang Wenzong arrived at the imperial court hall—only to find a crowd of officials surrounding Miao Yuyi, the imperial physician.

“Physician Miao, I’ve been feeling tightness in my chest lately. Could you take a look at me?”

“I asked first! How can you cut in line?”

“Physician Miao, I’m feeling awful—please see me first!”

Miao Yuyi looked utterly helpless. “Please, everyone, calm down. One at a time. From what I can see, all of you look perfectly healthy. Don’t scare yourselves.”

The Censor-in-Chief chuckled. “To tell you the truth, Physician Miao, I’m fine. It’s my household that’s feeling unwell. Would it be convenient for you to visit my residence—or should I bring them to yours?”

Several other officials chimed in. “Yes, yes, we’re healthy! It’s our family members who are ill.”

Hearing that, Miao Yuyi immediately understood—they weren’t here for medical treatment. They were here to propose marriage alliances.

Still, he couldn’t help wondering—why had the usually overlooked Miao family suddenly become so sought after?

Then he remembered what Mu Nanjin had said about him in her “heart voice” the previous day.

He couldn’t help but smile.

Perhaps everyone being able to hear Mu Nanjin’s thoughts wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

TL’s Note: The author sometimes uses “Inner Thoughts,” “Thoughts,” or “Heart Voice” to refer to Mu Nanjin’s inner monologue.