Liu Xiyin lowered her eyes to conceal the resentment within them, her hatred toward Mu Yao growing ever deeper.
At that moment, the mocking laughter of the Jiaodao Mama came from behind. “Shiqie Liu, you might as well return with this servant. The eldest young master is troubled right now; you’d best not disturb his worries.”
The word “Shiqie” made Liu Xiyin’s hands clench tighter within her sleeves.
Yet on the surface, she could only feign a gentle and magnanimous demeanor, nodding politely at the Jiaodao Mama.
Watching her put on such an act, the Jiaodao Mama’s lips curled with even greater scorn.
A mere Jianqie, whose standing in the household didn’t even match her own as Jiaodao Mama, still putting on airs like a proper wife—she must be mad with ambition to climb higher!
“Shiqie Liu, this servant would remind you of one thing: you are now a Jianqie appointed by the Emperor himself. Unless His Majesty shows mercy and permits otherwise, even if the eldest young master dotes on you, you remain a Jianqie. Do not covet what you should not!”
Each utterance of “Jianqie” stabbed deeply into Liu Xiyin’s heart.
Coupled with how carelessly Lu Zhi had treated her just moments ago, Liu Xiyin’s resentment burned ever hotter.
But she could only maintain her smile and bow properly to the Jiaodao Mama. “This servant understands. Thank you for your instruction, Mama.”
Mu Yao!
All of this is your doing!
Once you enter Hou Fu, I will make you pay a heavy price!
…
In order to wait for Master Liao Chan, Mu Yao deliberately stayed several extra days at Qingshan Si.
During that time, she naturally heard Ningzhu speak of how the wife of Pingyang Hou had come to apologize to Zhang Gongzhu, only to be rebuffed so sharply that she returned home with a sour expression.
Mu Yao merely smiled faintly.
She had already been on the mountain for three days now, and today she would have to return to the residence.
“Ningzhu, pack our things. I’ll go offer another incense stick at Qingshan Si.”
Mu Yao glanced at the sky—it was already past noon.
Before leaving, she still wanted to try her luck.
“You go ahead, miss. This servant will pack up and come find you shortly.”
Mu Yao nodded, gathered her outer robe, and walked toward Qingshan Si.
Entering the main hall, she devoutly offered a stick of incense, then asked the abbot whether Master Liao Chan had arrived.
Seeing the abbot shake his head, Mu Yao let out a helpless sigh inwardly.
“Thank you, Abbot. I will be descending the mountain to return home today. Please take care of yourself.”
After exchanging a few pleasantries with the abbot, Mu Yao saw Ningzhu approach. Thinking that the carriage driver had not yet arrived and that there was still time, she led Ningzhu toward the rear of Qingshan Si.
Though the rear area was where scriptures were chanted and prayers offered, the incense there was equally thriving. There was even a century-old ginkgo tree in the courtyard.
Now that it was the golden autumn season, the ginkgo leaves had fallen all over the ground, a dazzling expanse of gold.
Standing beneath the tree, Mu Yao watched the red prayer ribbons fluttering in the wind on the branches and reached out to catch a falling leaf.
“Miss, it has been a long time.”
An elder’s hearty voice came from behind. Mu Yao looked around—she was the only one there—and turned to see.
There stood a monk in kasaya robes, with thick white brows and hair, resembling an immortal from the heavens, smiling kindly at her.
“You know me, Master?”
The elder nodded with a smile and casually handed over three fortune sticks. “Miss, choose one at random, and this old man will help resolve your doubts.”
Noticing the mark on the fortune sticks, a flicker of surprise passed through Mu Yao’s eyes. She bowed gracefully to the person before her. “Mu Yao pays respects to Master Liao Chan.”
“No need for formalities. When you were but a child, you once offered this old man a bowl of tea. That makes us fated to meet. This old man knows what you seek, but you must choose your own path ahead.”
Gazing at the three fortune sticks before her, Mu Yao calmed her mind. After closing her eyes briefly, she drew one at random.
“An upper fortune?”
She breathed a sigh of relief inwardly and handed the stick to Master Liao Chan. “Please, Master, guide me.”
Master Liao Chan took the stick and examined it before raising his eyes to Mu Yao. “Miss Mu has now escaped the sea of suffering and will surely ascend to a high position in the future. However, if Miss Mu is determined to uncover the truth, a fatal tribulation awaits you in your fate.”
Mu Yao’s eyes trembled, and her hands hidden in her sleeves unconsciously clenched. “Is there a way to resolve it?”
Master Liao Chan slowly tucked the fortune stick away. “There is, but it requires the aid of a noble benefactor. As for who this benefactor is… Miss Mu will have to seek them out herself.”
A noble benefactor?
Mu Yao stood in place, deep in thought. When she wanted to ask more, she looked again…
Master Liao Chan was already gone.
After standing in contemplation for a long while, Mu Yao finally let out a sigh. “Ningzhu, let’s return to the residence.”
Back at the courtyard, the carriage driver happened to arrive as well.
As the carriage gradually pulled away, Mu Yao slightly lifted the curtain—and suddenly met the dark eyes of a man not far away.
She froze, then quickly lowered the curtain and turned back.
“Miss, this servant noticed that Chu Wang also seems to be returning today. Come to think of it, we haven’t seen Chu Wang at all these past few days.”
Ningzhu’s words made Mu Yao’s mind wander for a moment, and she suddenly recalled the rumors she had heard in the temple these past days.
They said the Emperor intended to arrange a marriage for Chu Wang, so he had specially sent Chu Wang to Qingshan Si to divine his matrimonial fate.
For some reason, Mu Yao felt that their circumstances were somewhat similar.
“Ningzhu, how are Granny Wang’s preparations coming along?”
Casting those scattered thoughts from her mind, Mu Yao focused on the matters she had arranged before coming.
The little maid’s face was full of joy as she lowered her voice, “Granny Wang sent word this morning that the Xiangqin Yan has been arranged, and we only need to wait for you to return, Miss, before it can be held.”
“They say that when the Pingyang Hou’s wife learned that many had sent invitations, she was so angry she threw things around the house!”
Mu Yao let out a cold laugh. “Driven by interest, those people naturally won’t let the Pingyang Houfu get off so easily.”
As Ningzhu had said, many had indeed sent invitations to the Xiangqin Yan.
But after two consecutive days of matchmaking meetings, even someone with as good a temper as Mu Yao felt a heavy weight pressing on her chest.
Especially those young men from prestigious families who kept going on about obedience—it gave Mu Yao a splitting headache.
“How is the Pingyang Houfu faring?”
Taking advantage of a brief pause before the next guest arrived, Mu Yao rubbed her temples and asked in a low voice.
“There’s been no movement these past few days. I had Uncle Wang send someone to investigate. When Lu Da Gongzi heard that you had held a Xiangqin Yan, he cursed and swore at home, and not only that—he sent invitations to those close to him, telling them they must not come.”
Hearing this, Mu Yao glanced toward the Second Son of the Wang family she was about to meet, and gave a mocking smile.
“He said they mustn’t come, yet here they are anyway.”
As she finished speaking, the figure of Wang Er Gongzi appeared beyond the screen.
But the words he spoke were no different from those who had come before.
Still, watching Wang Er Gongzi’s furious retreating figure, Mu Yao signaled Uncle Wang to spread the news.
That way, Lu Zhi would stop keeping such close watch on her.
As dusk fell, Mu Yao returned to her room. Looking at the two names she had reluctantly circled on the list, she ultimately crossed them out with her brush.
“Miss is not satisfied with any of them?”
Mu Yao reclined half-lying on the chaise lounge, eyes closed in rest. “Mm.”
“But Miss, time is running out. If we can’t find someone soon, we’ll be in trouble.”
Mu Yao knew well that time was short, but these men… she didn’t want to escape one fire pit only to fall into a wolf’s den.
At that thought, a face suddenly flashed through her mind, startling her so much that she sat up at once!
“Miss?”
Ningzhu was startled, but seeing Mu Yao frowning in deep thought, she knew her mistress was pondering something and quietly withdrew from the room.
No one knew how long passed.
In the flickering candlelight, Mu Yao’s eyes gleamed faintly, as if she had made some kind of resolution.
Since no one else would do, why not be bolder—and go ask that man!