Chapter 94: Ghost Husband

Midnight.

The night was thick and silent, filled with a cold drizzle. A few paper figures carried a ghostly bridal sedan chair into the He residence through the back gate.

In the dark night, the butler wore a black silk robe and jacket, looking like he was dressed for a funeral, but also for a wedding.

He stepped forward, had the paper figures set the sedan chair down, lifted the curtain, and extended his hand. “Madam, please step out.”

Tonight, they were arranging a wedding for the He family’s eldest son. Calling her “Madam” was just a courtesy; she was actually only a concubine.

The He family was a feng shui lineage with centuries of history. The family head had proposed to the Tan family, who ran a pharmacy in town, wanting to marry their youngest child.

But the Tan family only dealt in medicinal herbs on a modest scale, not particularly large; it was a match far above their station. They weren’t qualified to provide the eldest son’s primary wife, so calling her “Madam” was just being polite.

The person in the sedan chair was dressed in wedding clothes, wearing a large red veil embroidered with the character for double happiness. After a moment of silence, a hand was timidly extended.

That hand was pale and slender, set off by the dark red wedding dress, seeming to carry a hint of chilling cold. It looked like the person wasn’t in good health and was not old.

The butler offered his arm to help the person down. Through the veil, he sized up the new concubine.

The bride was said to be named Tan Yanning, a young master who had studied abroad with progressive ideas. He was initially unwilling to become a concubine and made a fuss at home, even threatening suicide. But now that she was in the sedan chair, she was quite docile and didn’t cause any trouble.

The butler thought to himself that it was indeed shameful for a man to become someone’s concubine. Besides, their eldest son was twenty-eight this year, long past the age for marriage. If it were anyone else, they’d already have children in their teens. So it was normal for the Tan young master to be unwilling.

The butler grumbled to himself, feeling the night breeze was eerily cold. He wiped the cold sweat from the back of his neck and didn’t dare delay any longer, planning to take the new concubine to perform the wedding ceremony.

Under the red veil, Tan Xueci had her small face heavily powdered white and rouge applied. She nervously clutched the red silk, and tucked a packet of fried meatballs into her bosom, which had already lost its warmth.

Actually, the one meant to marry was her brother, Tan Yanning. But Tan Yanning was unwilling, so the family had forced her to take his place.

She had heard of the He family’s eldest son, who seemed to be a military officer, quite old. At that age, who knows how many concubines he’d already taken, and now he wanted another one.

How shameless.

The He family had only sent paper figures to welcome the bride, but the concubine seemed to have a servant, and the servant had a younger brother who insisted on coming along. Since it wasn’t a problem, the butler didn’t refuse.

He turned around and saw that the bride had already entered the gate, but the servant still hadn’t left. He frowned and waved his hand, berating, “What are you still doing here? What are you looking at?”

Lu Qi, with a face like an old monkey weeping in sorrow, watched Tan Xueci leave with the wrinkled butler.

Tan Xueci had been weak and sickly since childhood, even suffering from hysteria. The Tan family had abandoned her, sending her to a sanatorium run by some foreign doctor in the countryside. She had only been discharged this year.

She had finally found a chance to work at the Paradise Club, maybe even become a star, but then she was arranged to marry, and to be someone’s concubine.

Lu Qi’s face was grim and gloomy.

Beside him, his younger brother Jin Chen looked at him with curiosity. Lu Qi had always been a servant for others, and this was the first time Jin Chen had seen him with such a defiant expression.

The butler also stared coldly, wanting to see what he intended to do. Then Lu Qi’s straight back gradually hunched, his hands drooping, and he bent over obsequiously, saying, “I’m seeing you off.”

Jin Chen: “…”

The butler: “…”

The butler snorted, not bothering with him—clearly another one with hysteria.

He turned around to leave with the new concubine, but when he looked back, cold sweat poured out.

He had just seen a vague, pale figure standing beside Tan Xueci, taller than Tan Xueci. A bluish-white ghostly hand covered Tan Xueci’s. He couldn’t see clearly, but he inexplicably felt the figure smiled at him.

The butler quickly rubbed his eyes and looked again, but there was nothing, as if it were an illusion.

Could it be that he too had hysteria?

The butler rubbed his chilled arms, looked around nervously, and led the concubine away.

Tan Xueci felt as if someone had tugged the other end of her red silk, as if she were actually performing the wedding ceremony with a real husband. But the pressure vanished instantly, leaving her a bit bewildered, thinking she had imagined it.

Tan Xueci didn’t dwell on it. She followed the butler, peeking from under the veil to look at their feet.

The courtyard of the He family’s old mansion was eerie and gloomy. The servants were silent, and the butler and the paper figures moved quickly but without a sound, as if walking like ghosts.

Tan Xueci felt a chill in her heart. The He family was strange, but she…

The butler led her into the front hall. The hall was decorated with red and white silk flowers, with a black coffin in the center. Facing the coffin was an equally black spirit tablet.

Everyone except the bride knew this was a ghost marriage.

They watched the bride perform the ceremony with a rooster, then locked her alone in the funeral hall.

The bride made no fuss, only sobbed softly.

He Wuling, the family head, approached with a grim face and watched from outside with the butler. But as soon as they got close, the butler’s neck was suddenly gripped by an icy ghostly hand.

The eldest son, who was supposed to be dead, stood behind them. He had a faint smile on his lips, but his eyes were empty. Those eyes were pitch-black, ghostly. The other hand reached for He Wuling’s heart. “Who told you to marry me off?” he said.

He Wuling was shocked and threw out several talismans, barely dodging the ghost’s pale, cold hand before retreating.

“Sir,” the butler clutched his torn throat in fear, “what now?”

He Wuling had originally wanted to subdue this evil ghost and use it, but it couldn’t be tamed. Moreover, for some reason, instead of killing Tan Xueci, it came after them.

But now that the wedding ceremony was over, what else could be done?

He Wuling frowned. “Find a matchmaker to teach her the rules. Let’s proceed with the marriage first. We’ll talk later.”

The butler groaned, holding his neck, and went to fetch an old woman to teach Tan Xueci the rules for the wedding night.

After the ceremony, Tan Xueci knelt alone in the pitch-black room, feeling scared. She cried softly for a while, then was about to lift her veil secretly when some servants came and took her away.

Confused, she was led to the bridal chamber.

Then the veil was lifted, but instead of her husband, she saw a fierce-looking old woman.

Tan Xueci looked up blankly. Despite the thick white powder on her face, making her look like a little ghost, her features were still strikingly cold and beautiful. The old woman seemed stunned for a moment, not expecting the Tan family’s young miss to look like this.

But Tan Xueci’s timid, hunched posture wasn’t endearing, and she was only a concubine after all.

She looked at Tan Xueci contemptuously and said, “The master sent me to teach you some rules for the wedding night, so you don’t neglect the young master.”

Tan Xueci nervously clutched her sleeves, not knowing what rules, but she could tell that even though everyone in the He family called her “Madam,” they all looked down on her.

“Wait here a moment,” the old woman pinched her cheek hard, almost twisting it. “I’ll fetch something and then teach you the rules right away.”

She gave her a show of force, then left the room, leaving Tan Xueci alone in the bridal chamber, anxiously waiting.

Tan Xueci’s pale cheek was red from the pinch. She covered her face, her eyes reddening. After a while, the pain faded.

She was a bit hungry, so she took out the packet of fried meatballs and stuffed several into her mouth, puffing out her pale cheeks. The pinch mark looked even more pitiful.

These fried meatballs were from Lu Qi, who had brought them before she came.

Lu Qi was a shepherd. When Tan Xueci was in the hospital, Lu Qi had come to deliver sheep. They met by chance, and after discharge, Tan Xueci stayed at Lu Qi’s place and often helped feed the sheep.

Lu Qi had a younger brother named Jin Chen, who used to perform monkey tricks. It was said he had originally been in university, but then a male classmate in his dormitory, who had returned from studying in England, climbed into his bed in the middle of the night, saying he wanted a free love affair.

Jin Chen was so frightened he nearly fell off the top bunk. Traumatized, he dropped out and went into another line of work.

Before Tan Xueci left, Jin Chen heard she was to marry a man nearly ten years older as a concubine. His face darkened, and Lu Qi was also worried.

Lu Qi had bribed a servant of the Tan family to take his place and escort the bride.

Tan Xueci had been timidly eating the fried meatballs, but when she realized no one else would come for a while, her small face suddenly fell, dark and gloomy.

As if showing her true colors.

She looked down at her wedding dress and was shocked to find it was a woman’s style.

Well, that made sense. Becoming a concubine was usually for women. Because the family forced her to take her brother’s place, they had assumed the He family was taking a male concubine.

What if Tan Yanning was actually a woman?

She had been sent away to a sanatorium at around seven years old. She had been with Tan Yanning for a few years, but she never pulled down her brother’s pants to check. Who knew if he was male or female?

Tan Xueci’s eyes darkened with resentment. She stuffed another few fried meatballs, greasing her painted lips, her pretty face turning even more bitter.

Male or female, what did it matter?

She heard Tan Yanning had studied at many schools and even returned to herd sheep? So what if he studied in the city? He’d still end up herding sheep like her.

The old woman picked up a red-lacquered tray and went to find Tan Xueci.

On the tray were several white handkerchiefs, a small ceramic bowl of aphrodisiac broth, and a tin box containing a soft white ointment like grease.

She had to prepare Tan Xueci properly.

But before she could push open the door, she felt a sharp pain in her chest. Dazed, she looked down to see a bony, pale ghost hand piercing through her chest, covered in blood. The hand held her still-beating red heart and squeezed it until it burst.

She didn’t even have time to scream before she fell to the ground.

The evil ghost wore a well-tailored black military uniform, which accentuated his broad shoulders and long legs. His dark, cold peach-blossom eyes were shadowed under the brim of his military cap, his complexion overcast with gloom.

He lifted his black boot and kicked the old woman aside.

Tan Xueci, who had been silently cursing everyone, heard the commotion outside. She quickly wrapped up the meatballs and hid them in her bosom, then sat up straight with the veil on.

She expected it to be the old woman, but when her lashes fluttered, she saw a pair of black boots stop beside him. She froze, swallowed the remaining meatball in her mouth, and nervously gripped her skirt.

It seemed… it seemed to be her husband.

The evil ghost lowered his eyes. His gaze was gloomy as he coldly observed his so-called wife.

Whether wife or concubine, he didn’t need such a useless thing. He Wuling had only brought her to control him.

Killing her would be best.

The ghost’s long, elegant fingers were still dripping with cold blood, slowly reaching toward his wife.

Tan Xueci, still under the veil, didn’t know what the man was doing. She only sensed that after entering, the man hadn’t spoken, had stood silently like a ghost, seemingly staring at her.

His heart pounded, and her palms started to sweat. She remembered what Lu Qi and Jin Chen had told her before.

Jin Chen thought being a concubine to a man was a great humiliation and gave her a packet of arsenic, promising to collect her corpse.

Lu Qi hadn’t said anything at first, but that night he secretly found Tan Xueci and taught her a few things.

Brother Lu often told her: if others scold you, let them scold; if others hit you, let them hit.

This time, he taught her something new.

“If he wants to bend you over,” Lu Qi had said mysteriously and somewhat mournfully, “don’t stick your butt too high.”

He heard it wouldn’t hurt so much.

Tan Xueci: “…”

Tan Xueci thought Lu Qi made more sense, so the two of them had huddled together and discussed the matter all night.

The evil ghost’s pale face was half hidden in the darkness, exuding a chilling aura. His overly long fingers lacked nails, and they were about to touch the bride’s red veil.

But his gaze suddenly stopped.

This wife, who had studied abroad, was said to be very fiery, championing monogamy, unwilling to be a concubine, and even tried to hang herself.

Yet her slender, pale hand timidly reached up, soft and boneless, resting on his wrist. Her small face under the veil seemed to lift as well. She opened her mouth, the address was quite feudal, and her voice was soft, timidly calling him, “Husband?”

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