After breakfast, Shen Wan sent Shanhu to Huguo Temple to find a Taoist priest, while she took Hongxiu to pay her respects to the Old Madam.
Shen Wan distrusted Hongxiu and didn’t want to bring her along, but Hongxiu was someone Shen Wan had asked the Old Madam for, and not having her around often might arouse suspicion. She had to endure it, thankfully not for long.
Shen Wu was punished by copying the family rules in the Buddhist hall, making Shou’an Hall much quieter. Ye Caiwei and Shen Yao chatted and laughed around the Old Madam.
However, as Shen Wan was leaving, Ye Caiwei called out to her outside the courtyard gate, “Third Cousin is being punished by copying the family rules, let’s help her copy them.”
After the peony banquet at Princess Shunyang’s residence, Ye Caiwei, was initially afraid of offending Shen Wu and wanted to copy the family rules to appease her, even hoping to drag her along. Did they really think she was easy to talk to?
A cold smile crept across Shen Wan’s face, but she remained outwardly composed. “I also want to help Third Sister, but it’s Grandmother who’s punishing her. Fourth Sister, Fifth Sister, and I helping her copy the family rules is disobeying Grandmother. Cousin, it’s different. You won first place at the Peony Banquet, Grandmother is overjoyed with you. Even if Grandmother finds out you’re helping Third Sister, she won’t do anything to you.”
Speaking of which, Shen Wan looked at Shen Yin and Shen Yao, “What do Fourth Sister and Fifth Sister think?”
Shen Yin and Shen Yao nodded repeatedly, “Second Sister is right.”
Ye Caiwei suggested helping Shen Wu, and Shen Yin and Shen Yao dared not refuse. Now they had a reason to refuse, who would be so foolish as to enjoy copying the family rules?
“Then I’ll trouble you, Cousin.”
Ye Caiwei had shot herself in the foot. She didn’t want to help Shen Wu copy the family rules either, but Shen Wan found excuses for Shen Yin and Shen Yao to be exempt, not only not helping her but also saying it was okay for her to copy them.
She had already offended Shen Wu, if she could help but didn’t, Shen Wu would only be more furious if she found out.
Ye Caiwei could only grit her teeth and go back to help Shen Wu copy the family rules.
Shen Wan returned to her room, drank a cup of tea, and, having nothing to do, went to the flower hall to embroider a hundred longevity symbols. The gold bracelet hadn’t been a waste. Seeing her impatience with the embroidery, Hongxiu said, “Let me do it.”
Shen Wan decisively put down her needle and needle, saying, “Thank goodness for you, otherwise I would have been bored to death.”
Shen Wan was in a good mood, so she rewarded Hongxiu.
She rewarded Hongxiu with a pair of silver earrings, although not gold, it was enough to make Hongxiu happy for several days.
Shanhu left early in the morning and didn’t return until lunchtime. Shen Wan asked, “Why did you take so long?”
Shanhu looked back to make sure no one was in the room before whispering, “Luckily, Miss sent me in time. I almost finished speaking with Taoist Qingyuan, and then Marchioness of Zhaoping went right after. I was curious, so I stayed to watch for a while, which made me late.”
Shen Wan had thought that the Heir of the Marquis of Zhaoping would struggle for at least a few days, and might even give up. After all, marrying a divorced woman would definitely draw criticism. However, since it was she who proposed it, even if the Heir could give up, she couldn’t let things fall apart. So she sent Shanhu to find a Taoist priest. She hadn’t expected the Heir to be so impatient, she had truly felt his affection for his elder sister.
Shen Wan asked, “How did Marchioness react?”
“Angry, and somewhat sad.”
Shanhu didn’t feel sorry for Marchioness Zhaoping. If it weren’t for her lingering resentment over the eldest daughter falling into the water and being rescued by the heir of the Marquis Yongqing, and her subsequent attempt to break off the engagement, the eldest daughter wouldn’t have married the heir of the Marquis of Yongqing. She and the heir of the Marquis of Zhaoping would have been a perfect couple.
Shanhu told Shen Wan everything about her trip to Huguo Temple to see Taoist Qingyuan.
Because Shen Wan had used Taoist Qingyuan to avoid being schemed against by Xiao Yun, Taoist Qingyuan’s reputation had soared. Countless people had been going to Huguo Temple these days to have their fortunes told and to avert disasters.
Even though Shanhu arrived so early, there were still several people queuing at his fortune-telling stall.
Shanhu said she was Shen Wan’s maid, and the eight words, “Serving me, my name will be remembered for eternity,” immediately dispelled Taoist Qingyuan’s suspicions.
Upon hearing about Shen Wan’s help, Master Qingyuan’s forehead throbbed with worry. He then found a wooden board and wrote a few words on it.
Just as he finished writing, Marchioness Zhaoping arrived.
Her son’s marriage was already a source of great anxiety for her. The head maid had said that the Taoist priest outside Huguo Temple was a skilled fortune teller, and suggested she consult the fortune teller for the heir of the Marquis of Zhaoping. So she came.
Knowing she was Marchioness of Zhaoping, the Taoist priest asked her to write down the heir’s birth date and time. He calculated carefully for a while, then hesitated, as if about to speak.
Marchioness Zhaoping was already uneasy, and seeing this, she became even more anxious. “How is it?”
The Taoist priest took out the wooden sign he had written.
It read:
Overturning a stall: Ten taels of silver.
Assault: One hundred taels of silver.
Murder: Imprisonment.
Marchioness Zhaoping said, “Why are you showing me this? I’m asking about my son’s marriage prospects.”
The Taoist priest said, “Your son will marry a divorced woman. If you obstruct this, he’ll likely spend his life in seclusion.”
Hearing this, Marchioness Zhaoping’s face turned incredibly ugly.
She was truly ready to overturn the stall.
Her son was the heir of the Zhaoping Marquis’s mansion, how could he marry a divorced woman?!
The Taoist priest said, “Their horoscopes are somewhat unfavorable, but everything else is good. Your family will receive a promotion within seven days.”
But this didn’t cheer Marchioness Zhaoping up, she was filled with regret.
After leaving the fortune-teller’s stall, the Marchioness of Zhaoping burst out angrily, “Yan Chuan truly resents me, his own mother! I ended the engagement without his approval, and now he’s intentionally marrying a divorced woman just to provoke me…”
The head housekeeper also thought this was something the heir was capable of, but she dared not speak.
She regretted urging Marchioness Zhaoping to come to Huguo Temple, advising her, “That Taoist priest’s predictions might not be accurate. Didn’t he say our household would have a promotion within seven days? If that’s not true, Madam, don’t believe his nonsense.”
Even if she was regretful and afraid, it wouldn’t be too late to worry after seven days.
Marchioness Zhaoping suppressed the matter. Since she was at Huguo Temple, she would definitely offer incense and pray for blessings.
However, when she returned home, she saw Marquis Zhaoping hurriedly leaving. Marchioness Zhaoping asked, “What are you rushing off to, my lord?”
Marquis Zhaoping replied, “The old lady of the Vice Minister of Revenue’s residence has suddenly fallen seriously ill. I just received the news.”
Without time to say more to Marchioness Zhaoping, Marquis Zhaoping quickly left.
The Vice Minister of Revenue held real power and a lucrative position. Many people in the court were eyeing it, he needed to find someone to recommend him quickly to ensure everything went smoothly.
Watching Mrquis Zhaoping ride away, Marchioness Zhaoping was unsure whether to be happy or sad. If Marquis Zhaoping really did get promoted, wouldn’t the Taoist priest’s words that her son would marry a divorced woman or would spend his future life with the ancient Buddha and the dim lamp also come true?