Empress Xie breathed heavily, staring intently at Nanli. "Beihan said you must be able to help. You’re versed in matters of yin and yang and can open the Nether Path to send people to reincarnate. Surely you can help Yan’er escape the Abyss Hell sooner and send him to reincarnation, can’t you?"
Before Nanli could finish, Empress Xie, heedless of everything, knelt down before Nanli in front of everyone.
"Empress!" The chief nanny was stunned and tearfully pleaded, "Ninth Princess, the Empress has knelt to beg you. Out of consideration for how she treated you well in the past, please help her."
Empress Xie’s voice was choked with tears. "Sixth girl, I have only this one son. He made mistakes and has paid the price. As his mother, I only want him to be freed from suffering and reincarnate sooner. For that, I’m willing to sacrifice my own life..."
Nanli looked at her calmly, her expression unchanging and unmoved. "One must bear the consequences of their actions alone. Ye Chengyan took many lives that day. The merit you’ve accumulated won’t help him much."
"When he has served his punishment, he’ll be able to reincarnate."
"And I will not help him."
Even when that time comes, he’ll suffer bitterly, even if he is reborn.
"If you won’t help him, then I’ll kneel here forever!" Empress Xie declared. "Sixth girl, I beg you this one last time... just this once..."
Nanli sighed softly. "Empress, even if you kneel for a lifetime, I cannot help you."
With that, she turned back to instruct the young Daoist disciples, "For practitioners, never go against the laws of the Nether World or disrupt the balance of heaven and earth. At best, it will reduce one’s life; at worst, it will damage one’s soul."
Cangan and the others hurriedly noted it down.
With Empress Xie kneeling there, the lesson couldn’t proceed, so Nanli and Ye Siheng returned to the manor first.
After they left, Empress Xie remained kneeling, refusing to stand.
Ming Chong came to persuade her, "Empress, your son is suffering in hell to pay for his sins. Even the Hell Lord can’t bend the rules there."
Empress Xie’s voice was faint and desolate, "If pleading with the Hell Lord doesn’t work, then who else can I turn to?"
"Pray to the Death God. He’s the ruler of the Nether World," Ming Chong suggested.
But the Death God governed the Nether World, so he had few worshippers, and there were hardly any temples built for him.
Empress Xie’s eyes brightened.
"Then I... I will go home at once and pray to him, pray to the Death God..."
She said this, then motioned for the chief nanny to help her up.
Just then, Xie Beihan and Fan Yunxi arrived.
Empress Xie, her knees in pain and her legs numb, stumbled forward.
Xie Beihan hurried forward to support her, "Aunt!"
Fan Yunxi also helped her with a worried expression.
As soon as Empress Xie saw them, she grabbed Xie Beihan’s hand. "Find a Death God temple for me. I want to beg the Death God, to plead with him..."
Xie Beihan was thoroughly confused.
The Ninth Prince had sent word saying his aunt was causing a scene at Xuanzheng Temple and refusing to get up. How had things changed so suddenly?
"Aunt, I’ve never heard of any Death God temple," Xie Beihan replied.
"If there isn’t one, build one!" Empress Xie demanded. "Quickly! We must be fast so Yan’er can suffer a little less..."
Xie Beihan looked troubled.
Due to the recent snow disaster, his aunt had wanted to earn merit, so she not only gave away her own belongings but also d items from Marquis Zhenbei’s residence.
Although the Xie family still had properties, after the calamity, they were all struggling, and there was no income from the lands below.
He said, "Aunt, building a temple isn’t easy. We’ve already d so much silver, and there’s barely enough for expenses now. We can’t afford to divert more money for a temple."
Empress Xie glared at him, "So you’re unwilling? You’re the one who killed Yan’er, and now you want to ignore him?"
Xie Beihan looked embarrassed. "Aunt, I’m not ignoring it; I’m only suggesting we wait a while before building the temple."
"No! It must be built immediately!" Empress Xie insisted firmly. "Beihan, you know well how I’ve treated you. Don’t tell me your conscience has been eaten by dogs, that you wouldn’t even help your aunt raise a little silver?"
She knew what kind of person Emperor Muwu was. The court was strapped for money now; he certainly wouldn’t provide any.
Empress Xie covered her face, sobbing, "Beihan, every night I dream of Yan’er suffering in hell, being whipped, or beaten with iron rods, or even thrown into boiling oil... He’s your cousin. How can you bear to see him suffer like that..."
The chief nanny, unable to bear it, suggested, "Marquis, perhaps you could ask Second Young Master Chu for help? You’re close to him, and he would surely lend you a little silver."
Empress Xie thought this made sense.
To her surprise, Xie Beihan’s expression changed, and he immediately said firmly, "No! He has already d a large amount of silver to buy grain, and now he’s setting up a school. He’s struggling himself. I won’t trouble him."
Moreover, this was a family matter. No matter how demanding his aunt’s requests, he could do his best to fulfill them out of familial duty. But he would never bother anyone else.
Fan Yunxi bit her lip and, after some thought, said, "Aunt, I received tens of thousands of taels as my dowry when I married. I’ll use it to start building the temple..."
Empress Xie’s gaze softened as she looked at Fan Yunxi.
Before she could speak, however, Xie Beihan snapped, "Keep quiet! This is between my aunt and me. Why are you meddling?"
That was Fan Yunxi’s dowry. How could he touch it?
He shouted in such an agitated manner, hoping to make it clear to Empress Xie that their relationship wasn’t good, so she wouldn’t set her sights on Fan Yunxi’s dowry.
Fan Yunxi was stunned, her hands and feet going cold.
It felt as though that affection he’d shown her was nothing but an illusion.
Her gaze dimmed. "Forgive me for speaking out of turn."
"Beihan, Yunxi is your wife, part of the family. If she wants to help, why shouldn’t she?" Empress Xie pressed urgently.
She no longer cared about the state of Xie Beihan’s marriage; her only concern was how to save her son from suffering.
Fan Yunxi took a deep breath and added, "Yes, Marquis. We’re family, and I wish to do what I can."
Xie Beihan coldly replied, "Aunt, have you forgotten how I came to marry her? She and I can never be a family, and I will not touch her dowry."
He looked back at Fan Yunxi. "Stay out of this matter."
It was unclear whether she understood his intentions.
Fan Yunxi felt a sharp pain in her heart, her face turning slightly pale, and after a moment, she nodded.
She silently retreated to the side.
If he didn’t want her involved, she would be wise enough to comply.