Possessed by a Ghost?

After the family split, Zhao Jingli, who became the head of the household, became increasingly composed, but upon hearing Fushu's words, he couldn't help but raise his voice. "You mean, you think Sixth Miss is possessed by a ghost?"

Zhao Jing'an was startled and quickly reminded him, "Brother, keep your voice down."

He went out to check on them, still feeling uneasy, and found that all the servants had been dismissed and there was no one around, which put his mind at ease.

Fushu wiped away her tears and said, "This servant isn't sure either, but I feel like Miss is possessed. How can someone play the zither without regard for their health? When I talk to her, she often doesn't hear me, and she sometimes just stares blankly, sitting there for ages without moving an inch. This servant... this servant is so afraid to see Miss like this."

Zhao Jing'an frowned and said, "Didn't she say that she wanted to become a student of the academy's teacher, which is why she's practicing so diligently? Sometimes when people become obsessed with something, they can become a little dull. It'll pass after a while."

He didn't sense anything different about Zhao Ruyu Zhao Ruyu he was talking to her, so he didn't believe Fushu's words.

The Master did not speak of strange phenomena, physical prowess, disorder, or spirits. Fifteen-year-old Zhao Jing'an also did not believe in ghosts.

Fushu shook her head. "The academy's teachers have no intention of taking on any students."

Although when Empress Shengyao established the Women's Academy, she set a rule that students were not allowed to bring servants after entering the academy and had to do everything themselves.

However, the students of the Capital Women's Academy were of high social standing and were all raised with meticulous care by a group of servants. How could they possibly do things themselves? Therefore, after the passing of Empress Shengyao, this rule was broken by a princess, and from then on, this rule became a mere formality at the Capital Women's Academy.

When Zhao Ruyu went to the academy, Fushu went with her. She knew the situation of the Capital Women's Academy very well.

Her daughter was indeed talented in music and played the zither exceptionally well. However, the two music teachers were both sycophants. They were patient and enthusiastic with princesses, noble ladies, or students from powerful families; but they ignored students like Zhao Ruyu, even if they were talented and played the zither well.

When Zhao Ruxi became an apprentice of Mister Kumu, Zhao Ruyu had also considered becoming an apprentice of two music teachers. Although they were not as high-ranking as Mister Kumu, they were still much more prominent than the second branch of the Zhao Family family after their separation—both teachers came from prestigious families.

No matter how much she fawned over the two gentlemen, they ignored her. Instead, her classmates ridiculed her, thinking she was crazy for trying to climb the social ladder; at the same time, they looked at her with disdain.

The two gentlemen were not of high status, and the princesses and daughters of dukes would look down on them. The fact that Zhao Ruyu could not even pay respects to such gentlemen further revealed her lowly status.

Fushu had witnessed firsthand the difficult situation her daughter faced at the Capital Women's Academy.

After hearing Fushu's words, Zhao Jingli and Zhao Jing'an exchanged a glance but did not speak immediately.

"Go back now. Don't mention these things to anyone again. If word gets out, your daughter will be doomed," Zhao Jingli said.

Upon hearing this, Fushu's face turned deathly pale.

She was so worried about Zhao Ruyu that she didn't even think about this.

If a woman were to be rumored to be possessed by a ghost, would she have any chance of survival? Not to mention how the masters would view her, the gazes and gossip of the servants in the mansion could kill her.

She knelt down with a thud and kowtowed to the two men, saying, "Young Master, Second Young Master, I didn't think of that. I was just worried about the young lady. Please don't take my words to heart. The young lady must be too obsessed with finding a master to behave like this. She'll be fine soon, it's definitely not what I just said."

"You silly girl, you're quite loyal to your young lady," Zhao Jingli said. "Get up. If word gets out, not only will Sixth Miss's reputation be ruined, but the entire Second Branch's reputation will suffer. So don't worry, we won't say a word. Keep a close eye on her, and be sure to report anything that happens. We won't do anything to harm Sixth Miss, so don't worry."

"Yes." Fushu kowtowed again, then stood up and walked away unsteadily.

Zhao Jingli asked Zhao Jing'an, "What do you think of this matter?"

He had never liked Zhao Ruyu. He only showed her favor because of Zhao Yuanliang and Zhao Jing'an. In this matter, he planned to follow Zhao Jing'an's opinion and did not want to interfere too much.

Zhao Jing'an shook his head. "I still don't believe Fushu's words. Brother, we can't invite monks or Daoist priests to our door, otherwise even nothing will become a rumor, and then Sixth Sister will be doomed."

Zhao Jingli frowned. "Inviting monks and Daoist priests to the mansion is definitely not an option. I think you should take her to a temple to burn incense sometime when you have some free time. Once you're in a temple, all the demons and monsters will have to leave."

Zhao Jing'an's eyes lit up. "That's a good idea."

He asked the servant to bring him the perpetual calendar and said, "The day after tomorrow is the fifteenth, so let's go then."

Fushu returned to the backyard and dared not tell Zhao Ruyu what she had done. Firstly, she was worried that Zhao Ruyu would blame her and sell her off; secondly, if the girl was really possessed by a ghost, wouldn't telling Zhao Ruyu would alert the ghost? Therefore, after returning, she quietly went back to her original position and pretended that nothing had happened.

Zhao Ruyu was completely unaware of Fushu's movements.

She works very hard at playing the piano, not only because she has to keep playing to accumulate points, but also because she has to maintain quality.

If she loses focus and plays poorly, her score will drop, sometimes to two or three points.

She especially hoped to find a renowned teacher to guide her so that her score could increase from six points per song to ten points per song. That way, she could accumulate points much faster.

However, Zhao Ruyu's efforts were interrupted by Zhao Jing'an. The next day, without any room for discussion, Zhao Jing'an took Zhao Ruyu to a well-known temple in the suburbs of Beijing to burn incense.

Seeing Zhao Jing'an's undeniable yet worried gaze, Zhao Ruyu, who had been immersed in the system world for some time, suddenly woke up as if doused with a bucket of cold water.

She quickly said to Zhao Jing'an, "Second Brother, I'm really fine. I just really want to improve my zither skills and find a famous teacher."

To dispel Zhao Jing'an's suspicions, she quickly put on her usual lively self and told Zhao Jing'an some old stories from her childhood.

Zhao Jing'an listened to her words and gradually felt relieved, but he still went to the temple to burn incense.

After returning, Zhao Ruyu became much more restrained and no longer dared to play the zither day and night as before. At the same time, she returned to the Capital Women's Academy to attend classes.