Chapter 252: The State Preceptor and the Blessed Girl, Who Is Right?
Chapter 252: Chapter 252: The State Preceptor and the Blessed Girl, Who Is Right?
Shen Ningning instantly stepped forward.
"What are you doing!" the little one snapped angrily.
No matter how shrewish Wang Qiao’er was, when she turned her head and saw it was Shen Ningning, her arrogant demeanor deflated by half.
"I... what could I be doing? You bullied my Ba, so I’m here to settle the score." Wang Qiao’er’s words lacked any real conviction.
This was especially true when she saw the wolf pack on the mountain. Hearing Shen Ningning’s sharp cry, they began to emerge from the forest one by one, slowly making their way down.
Wang Qiao’er grew even more frightened and took two steps back.
Shen Ningning turned to see the old village chief being supported by two people. His face was deathly pale, his lips were a dark purple, and he looked dangerously overwrought.
"Grandpa Village Chief?" Shen Ningning cried out in alarm.
Having studied medicine with Sima Han for so long, she didn’t need to feel for a pulse to see that the old village chief was in a bad way.
The little girl quickly told Uncle Deng and Chen Ye to help the old village chief back into his house.
In his dazed state, the old village chief kept muttering, "Such wickedness... such wickedness..."
Shen Ningning asked the villagers around her what on earth had happened.
Sister-in-law Liu glared hatefully at Wang Qiao’er.
"What else could it be? Someone worse than an animal snuck over while we were asleep last night and dumped a pile of broken coffins in our village fields."
In the eyes of the villagers, this was a transgression as serious as a curse or witchcraft!
Those coffins dumped in the fields had once held the dead.
This was a terrible omen for Xiangyun Village.
By now, Heiwa Zi, Uncle Liu, and a group of strong young villagers had already dragged the coffins out of the fields with a trailer.
They shoved them right in front of Wang Qiao’er.
Even Wang Qiao’er herself recoiled, covering her nose and mouth in disgust.
Shen Ningning glanced over. The coffins were all dilapidated and ancient, and some of the bleached bones inside had even spilled out.
’Wang Qiao’er really is a vicious woman. To get revenge on Xiangyun Village, she must have dug up all these unclaimed remains from who knows where.’
Shen Ningning stared at her. "You’re the one who dumped the coffins?"
Wang Qiao’er was initially afraid of the little girl, but she wouldn’t be satisfied until she vented her anger.
So, she planted her hands on her hips and shouted, "It was me! So what? If you have the guts, go report me to the authorities. Get me arrested."
"I’d like to see who can prove I’m the one who dumped these coffins. And even if I admit it, what can you do to me?"
"Hmph! Princess Funing, you cut off our livelihood! You’re the real villain here."
The villagers formed a protective circle around the little girl and pointed at Wang Qiao’er’s nose, fuming. "How dare you!"
Wang Qiao’er jutted out her chin. "What did I say that was wrong? Just because your Xiangyun Village wanted to buy winter clothes and supplies, you drove the prices way down."
"All those goods my Ba acquired, we can’t sell them now! We have to sell them at a loss. If that’s not cutting off our livelihood, what is?"
Shen Ningning understood now.
A while ago, Ba Deshun had come to Xiangyun Village trying to sell cotton cloth at an exorbitant price. When he failed, he boasted that plenty of people in the city would gladly pay that much.
But Shen Ningning had immediately asked the Meng Family to intervene and lower prices. The businesses in the Capital City acted in unison, and the profits of a small merchant like Ba Deshun were naturally squeezed until he had no room to operate.
Not only did he lose his initial investment, but he also had to sell at a further loss just to offload his inventory.
No wonder Wang Qiao’er had come here to raise hell.
Once the little girl understood the situation, she became even more calm and composed.
Her soft, sweet voice carried an air of authority. "So, these coffins are a gift for us?"
Wang Qiao’er spat and rolled her eyes. "They’re for you, you despicable lot."
Everyone was furious. The burly men looked ready to roll up their sleeves and beat her.
Just as tensions were about to boil over, Shen Ningning, to everyone’s surprise, happily stepped forward and felt the texture of a coffin.
Sister-in-law Liu cried out, "Ningning, don’t touch that! It’s bad luck!"
But Shen Ningning said, "What’s unlucky about it? The spirits are just. They know who dug them up, and they know who to go after. It has nothing to do with us."
Her dark, lively eyes swept hauntingly over Wang Qiao’er.
A chill ran down Wang Qiao’er’s spine when she heard that.
A cold wind blew, carrying with it a few specks of snow.
Her voice trembled. "Don’t you try to scare me with that nonsense! I’m not afraid."
Shen Ningning smiled sweetly. "You’d better not be. Lock your doors and windows tight when you sleep tonight. After all, the saying goes: a clear conscience fears no knock at midnight."
"But since your conscience isn’t so clear, I can’t say what might come knocking."
Wang Qiao’er’s face went white with fury and fright. "You—!"
Shen Ningning ignored her and turned to Uncle Liu. "Uncle Liu, could I trouble you and a few of the other uncles to grab some axes and chop up these coffins?"
"I just took a quick look, and they’re mostly empty. If you find any remains, please collect them and set them aside."
"We’ll find another spot in the forest to bury them. Besides, even these departed souls wouldn’t be comfortable in such dilapidated coffins."
The villagers and Wang Qiao’er were all stunned.
Sister-in-law Liu asked, "Ningning, why are we chopping up the coffins?"
Shen Ningning’s round eyes glistened. "For firewood, of course! How could we possibly waste such good kindling?"
"You know we haven’t stockpiled enough firewood yet. Wang Qiao’er may not have had good intentions, but in a way, she just delivered us more resources."
Wang Qiao’er was left completely dumbfounded.
’This Shen Ningning... has she gone mad?’
’She’s even making use of wood from coffins. Could it be that the heavenly disaster is really on its way?’
With Shen Ningning’s words, the people of Xiangyun Village instantly found their resolve.
They hurried home to grab their axes, and with fierce chops, sent splinters flying everywhere.
Shen Ningning stood to the side, pointing one small finger at Wang Qiao’er before turning to the skeletal remains in the coffins.
"Venerable predecessors, remember this well. It was this person who dug you up and disturbed your peaceful journey on the Yellow Springs Road. When you come looking for someone tonight, don’t get the wrong person."
Wang Qiao’er let out a terrified shriek and turned to flee.
"Hurry, hurry! She’s a blessed girl! Don’t let her actually summon something after me!" she urged the Ba Mansion servants.
But in her panic to get onto the carriage, she missed a step and slipped.
CRACK! Her face slammed into the carriage shaft.
When Wang Qiao’er was helped up by her maid, her mouth was full of blood. She spat, and a broken front tooth clattered to the ground.
Sister-in-law Liu howled with laughter from the side. "Talk about swift retribution! Serves you right!"
Wang Qiao’er’s face was a ghastly mix of colors. Terrified and in no mood to argue further, she scrambled into her carriage and fled in disgrace.
Finally, Shen Ningning had the villagers gather the bones and bury them together in a scenic spot of green hills and clear streams behind the village.
It was a short distance from Wolf Mountain, backed by the great mountain and facing a stream.
It was a rather pleasant spot.
Soon, word spread throughout the Capital City that the blessed girl was calling on the people to stockpile supplies to combat a coming natural disaster.
Remembering how Shen Ningning had summoned a great rain to end the drought, everyone believed her words without a doubt.
And so, everyone began to follow her example, stockpiling winter supplies and equipment.
Furthermore, thanks to Shen Ningning’s prior request, prices in the Capital City remained remarkably stable, with only a slight increase in the price of grain.
However, just two days later...
The Imperial Guard from the palace suddenly began posting royal proclamations everywhere.
The State Preceptor had read the celestial signs and declared that there would be no snow disaster this winter.
It urged the populace not to panic.
The common folk, who had just bought heaps of winter supplies and stockpiled firewood, were dumbstruck.
This included no small number of high-ranking nobles and wealthy merchants.
The blessed girl had said there would be a snow disaster, but the State Preceptor, after observing the stars, had declared there would be no disaster this year.
Could it be that the blessed girl, Shen Ningning, had been wrong?!