Chapter 131.2
Chapter 131: Advancing Step by Step
That night, someone reported back that Jiang Yue Lan fell on the way back from Li Lao Furen’s courtyard and scraped her arm . Li Xiao Ran hurried over and carefully examined her and only felt at ease after confirming that it was not a big deal . When the Jiangs heard the news, they quickly invited a Feng Shui master to see if there was anything that Jiang Yue Lan was incompatible with . This kind of matter is also common, so Li Xiao Ran agreed, and this Daoist Zhao arrived at their doorstep .
Because the reigning Emperor is wholeheartedly spiritual, every household follows in his example . If something happens, they will invite a Daoist master to come take a look . In this manner, things can become even more ambiguous and chaotic . Li Wei Yang didn’t like these people very much, but she did not object . After all, they also put in effort to make a living . As long as they didn’t come and target her, she would not hold it against them .
When Daoist Zhao arrived at the door, the Li family entertained him with good wine and food first . Once he had eaten and drank enough, he patted his belly and said: “Prime Minister Li invited this Daoist to examine Furen’s fetal compatibility?”
Lao Furen was surprised: “How did Daoist master know?”
Daoist Zhao smiled and said: "The moment this Daoist stepped through the door, I saw a purple aura from the east, an auspicious sign! It must be that the Wen Qu Star cast a mortal incarnation down into Prime Minister Li’s home . These circumstances are rarely seen in a millennium, how could I be mistaken?”
Li Xiao Ran is a civil servant and naturally valued a talented son—this child would be the eldest legitimate son and has been described as Wen Qu Star by the Daoist here before he was even born . Even if he suspected that it was an exaggeration, he was still happy and quickly asked: “Is it really like this?”
Daoist Zhao laughed aloud: “Of course, this Daoist has never spoken any nonsense before!”
While Li Xiao Ran was much happier, he was also a little nervous: “But my pregnant Furen’s condition has been unstable . A doctor came and examined her many times, but there is no use, so I invited Daoist master here to help find the reason? Could there be some incompatibility?”
Daoist Zhao nodded: “Proceed with spirit-writing then!”
When Li Xiao Ran heard this, he wrote the questions to be asked on the yellow piece of paper and handed them to Daoist Zhao . He asked the gods for guidance on these questions and for them to be recorded and answered . Daoist Zhao didn’t read them after accepting the paper, gently curling his finger, the piece of paper suddenly caught fire, quickly reduced to ashes .
“I’ve sent Prime Minister Li’s question to the Heavenly Emperor!” Daoist Zhao looked serious . “There will be an answer soon!” Once he said this, everyone saw the brush quietly resting on the sand straighten up without warning, smoothly gliding over the sand table . Everyone’s eyes were fixated on the sand table with disbelieving expressions .
“Third Sister, this person really has spiritual abilities!” Li Chang Xiao whispered in Li Wei Yang’s ear .
Li Wei Yang smiled slightly and said, “Daoist Zhao is a well-known medium, of course he has spiritual powers . ” However, he was still lagging far behind Daoist Zhou Da Shou in the Palace . This was a basic trick that common Daoist masters on the streets had under their belt, so Li Wei Yang hardly paid any attention to it . However, she wanted to know what Jiang Yue Lan ultimately invited this person to do . It would be stupid of Jiang Yue Lan to try and drive Li Wei Yang out of the residence by claiming spiritual incompatibility . Li Wei Yang believed that no one in the Li family currently dared to do so .
Soon, the brush gliding like the dance of a dragon and phoenix eventually wrote a neat vertical line of characters on the sand table . Daoist Zhao was stunned . He knelt down and kowtowed, repeating words of gratitude . Everyone looked at him strangely, not knowing what had been written .
Daoist Zhao turned around and raised his voice to ask: “Prime Minister Li, may I ask if someone has died in this house?”
As multi-generational families, which household hasn’t had someone die, let alone one or two people . If they were to look into it, the true count could be hundreds or thousands of people . Not to mention the yiniangs who died one by one under the hands of Da Furen were resentful souls . Everyone’s facial expressions became strange after hearing his question .
“This—of course there is . ” Li Xiao Ran pondered for a moment before directly saying so .
“So it is indeed, the Yin energy is too heavy and is bad for the Yang energy of Wen Qu Star . If this continues, I’m afraid Wen Qu Star will reincarnate in another place . ” Daoist Zhao said solemnly, and seeing his expressions, Li Wei Yang knew what he said was nonsense but others couldn’t help but believe it .
This is true for everything, it’s better to believe something exists than not!
Li Xiao Ran nodded and said, “Then, according to Daoist Master, what should we do? Move my Furen out of the house?”
Daoist Zhao thought for a while, then said: “No, let me carefully calculate it . ” His finger moved quickly, his mouth moving, mumbling as if he was calculating something, and soon, he said, “There is a way, just find a person with a heavy Eight Characters birth weight to suppress it!”
“Heavy Eight Characters birth weight?” Li Xiao Ran was stunned for a moment, then he looked a little suspicious . “I will write down the Eight Characters of everyone in the house and let Daoist master take a look . ”
“No, the servants are not needed, just the masters of the house . ” Daoist Zhao added . Li Xiao Ran ordered someone to follow suit . Soon, the Eight Characters of all the masters of the house were written down on paper and handed over to Daoist Zhao . After accepting it, he carefully eyed it for almost an hour before slowly saying: “Lao Furen’s Eight Characters is 5 taels and 4 maces . This is the same as the saying, ‘a clear and righteous fate to the end, raising talented and virtuous children, not short of food or warm clothes, that is a truly blessed person in the world’, what good Eight Characters!”
Li Xiao Ran impatiently said: “So whether—”
Daoist Zhao shook his head, “Not good, not good! Still not enough . Hm . . . Prime Minister Li, your Eight Characters are 6 taels and 2 maces, corresponding to the saying, ‘Reputation is a blessing in life, literary efforts will be glorious, purple robes and golden belt of a minister, fame and glory for an entire lifetime!’ Well, it's also a good Eight Characters weight, but it’s not strong enough . ”
Second Furen was anxious: “What about me and my daughter?” She didn’t care about Jiang Yue Lan, but she saw that what the old Daoist said seemed reasonable and wanted to know the destiny of her own household .
Daoist Zhao said: “Second Furen, your Eight Characters are 3 taels and 1 mace, and Second Xiaojie’s Eight Characters are 4 taels and 2 maces . They are not very strong either . ”
There was a dignified look in everyone’s eyes, and Daoist Zhao carefully redid his calculations: “Fourth Xiaojie’s Eight Characters are only 3 taels and 4 maces, not good, not good, too weak!” Then, he saw Li Wei Yang’s Eight Characters and his eyes lit up, “Third Xiaojie—hm, the Third Xiaojie’s Eight Characters is rare in this world!”
Li Wei Yang looked at him coldly and smiled: “Daoist said that it’s rare in this world, so what is it exactly that is so rare in this world?”
“I’m not lying, Xiaojie, your Eight Characters are 7 taels!” In truth, it was off by 2 maces than what Daoist Zhao said . Li Wei Yang’s Eight Characters was actually 7 taels and 2 maces, which should correspond to: ‘a destiny rare in this world, attained after ten virtuous lifetimes, will be born . ’ But such a destiny is only found in an Emperor or Empress, this Xiaojie in front of him was only a daughter of the Prime Minister . Could it be that she will become an Empress in the future? No, that wasn’t right, she initially had the destiny of an Empress, but later on, for some reason, this destiny was changed by anger and murderous intent . Xiaojie's future was rather ambiguous, he could not see much in it, based on this, he feared that the destiny of Empress was no longer there—but, these words Daoist Zhao dared not to say out loud regardless .
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In all fairness, Daoist Zhao cannot be considered a complete swindler . He did not learn or practice at all, he simply had a bit of spiritual insight . His abilities were different from Zhou Da Shou, who is good with the elements and alchemy . His strength is reading destinies, weight of bones, and he can calculate people’s futures based on their Eight Characters . It is not necessarily true that the heavier the character is, the better . Light characters are also very good, but in general, characters of heavier weight are often regarded to be better than lighter ones, so Li Wei Yang’s weight of 7 taels and 2 maces is rarely seen in this world . However, her future is strangely shrouded in a bloody mist . Could it be that she had killed too many? Daoist Zhao felt it was getting stranger and stranger, but he could not openly ask, so he could only say that Li Wei Yang’s Eight Characters was 2 maces lighter, but others were already fearful upon hearing it .
Shocked, Second Furen said: “What? A girl born in February has an Eight Characters weight of 7 taels?! How is this possible!”
Daoist Zhao laughed: “Indeed . Being born in February does harbor a murderous aura . Not to mention, this Eight Characters weight is just right . It will never be tainted by evil traces . ”
“Daoist Zhao means that—” Li Xiao Ran frowned .
Daoist Zhao laughed: “The courtyard where Furen lives has too much Yin energy, and the courtyard where Third Xiaojie has lived in the past couple years is the cleanest—”
Li Wei Yang smiled and said, “Oh, Daoist means to say that I should give the courtyard to my mother?”
Seeing Li Wei Yang’s dark eyes, its depth like a bottomless well, Daoist Zhao felt a little overwhelmed and quickly said: “That’s not necessary . As long as Third Xiaojie is willing to give Furen a room, let her be by your side, soak in the Yang energy and nourish the fetus at the same time, it will suffice . ”
When Li Wei Yang heard these words, she smiled blankly .
Bai Zhi cautiously said: “Forgive Nubi for speaking, Master, but Xiaojie’s courtyard is not very big, so Furen may suffer . ”
“No, it’s best not to disturb Wei Yang! I will be more careful myself!” Jiang Yue Lan, who had been watching on the sidelines, suddenly spoke up . Although she was pregnant, she still had a delicate figure and a touch of sadness on her face . She always maintained the air of the mother of the household, but at this moment, she seemed weak and even more pitiful, as if afraid of being abandoned by Li Wei Yang .
Li Xiao Ran said: “How can this be? Wei Yang’s Eight Characters weight is the only thing that can save you! Can you bear to watch your child encounter misfortune?” He may not actually believe in Eight Characters in his heart, but more importantly, he was worried that there were people in the Li family that did not want this child to be born . Among them, Li Wei Yang was the first and foremost suspect .
She had a younger brother . She naturally hopes that Li Min Zhi can inherit the family mantle in the future, but if there is another legitimate son, Min Zhi will no longer have the right to inheritance . For this reason, Li Wei Yang must hope that this child will not be born . In Li Xiao Ran’s eyes, Li Wei Yang is a deadly and scheming girl, who will act on some vicious means . In that case, it was better to let Jiang Yue Lan stay by her side . If something happened to Jiang Yue Lan, Li Wei Yang will be the first to be suspected . When others learn of it, the crime of harming the official mother is beheading, even if Li Wei Yang was daring there was no way she would do such a thing . Of course, Li Xiao Ran’s concerns also included other wives and concubines in the family who were also looking up to her and envious . In order to suppress them, it was best to live with Li Wei Yang . Even to maintain her reputation, Li Wei Yang had to protect Jiang Yue Lan .
Li Wei Yang looked at her father and a sneer flashed across her lips . This old man still didn’t understand her . She didn’t care about the Li family properties and assets . As for Min Zhi, she was concerned indeed . But the money in her possession now is enough for this child to live out a lifetime or two, if not more, she had no reason to covet what others had . Not to mention, if Min Zhi is capable in the future, everything she prepared would be wasteful . If he had no ability, there is no point for her to fight for him . Unfortunately, Li Xiao Ran did not understand this rationale .
“Wei Yang, your father is begging you . Just set aside a room . Don’t be so stingy . ” Li Xiao Ran said in a humble voice .
Lao Furen looked at Li Wei Yang and frowned: “Wei Yang, I will send someone to check everyday, I think nothing will happen . ”
That being said, Lao Furen also hoped to use her Eight Character birth weight to suppress evil spirits . Li Wei Yang smiled and said, “Since Lao Furen and Father have said so, what else can I say? It’s just that the responsibility of taking care of mother is not a light one, and I fear I cannot do it on my own . If there is a mistake—”
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Li Xiao Ran said: “I will send someone to stand guard there, you can rest assured, don’t waste time thinking it over . ”
Li Wei Yang smiled, “So then I will order people to quickly clean up the room in the east wing, where it’s most spacious and sunny . ”
Li Xiao Ran nodded with satisfaction and said: “Leaving everything to you then . ” The matter was successfully resolved . Li Xiao Ran waved his hand . The steward took out a bag of silver and offered it to Daoist Zhao with both hands: “A bit of money for Daoist to look after oneself, when my young master is born, there will be a gift . ”
“This really is too polite . . . ” Daoist Zhao reached out and accepted it, but when he saw the insincere smile in Li Wei Yang’s eyes, he subconsciously shuddered and forced himself to say, “I bid farewell then . ”
In the afternoon, Li Lao Furen ordered Luo Mama to personally bring yatous to clean up the living quarters for Jiang Yue Lan . Li Wei Yang only left Bai Zhi and Mo Yu in the courtyard while she brought Zhao Yue with her to Tan Shi’s courtyard .
Zhao Yue said: “Xiaojie, it seems that Daoist Zhao really spoke of spiritual powers!”
Li Wei Yang smiled: “Spiritual? What spiritual powers? It’s just some superstitious tricks to fool Father, blocking our eyes with his sleeve as he pulls on the transparent silk thread around his fingers . . . ”
“Huh? Why didn’t Xiaojie expose him?” Zhao Yue was stunned .
“If the plan fails, the other party will think of something else, why should I expose them? She is guarding against me for the child in her belly, I am guarding against her acting on Min Zhi, we’re only guarding against each other . Since she wants to step foot in here, she wants to succeed at all costs . ”
“But Xiaojie, Nubi doesn’t think that Furen simply wants to live here . ” Zhao Yue said . Perhaps she had been following Li Wei Yang for a while now, she had seen many of people’s cunning pretenses and always felt that there was something that did not sit well with Jiang Yue Lan, but she couldn't tell what it was .
Li Wei Yang only smiled and said, “No need to monitor her . ” Then, she entered Tan Shi’s courtyard .
Tan Shi was praying in the small Buddhist hall . When Li Wei Yang entered, Tan Shi was kneeling on the ground with her hands clasped in sincere prayer . She is praying for the Heavens to bless her two children to be safe and happy .
Li Wei Yang saw Tan Shi’s sincerity and reverence and looked up at the sitting Bodhisattva above, the kind face watching over all sentient beings . Unfortunately, even now, not everything is equal . She laughed aloud . To her, the Heavens and gods did not change anything . She doesn’t believe in anyone, she only believed in herself . Every path she walked on was one that she chose . In this world, the only thing people could always rely on was themselves .
Tan Shi continued to sincerely pray . Her words drifted along with the incense in the house . She turned around to see Li Wei Yang standing at the door . She quickly got up and said, “Wei Yang, why are you here?”
Li Wei Yang slowly began: “Da Furen wants to move into my courtyard, so Luo Mama brought people to make arrangements . It was too noisy, so I went out . ”
Tan Shi furrowed her brow, “Why does she want to stay with you? This really isn’t proper!”
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Li Wei Yang smiled, “Maybe the feng shui of my courtyard is good?”
“This child, how can you still persuade me like this!” Tan Shi raised her voice .
“It’s just that my Eight Characters birth weight is heavy and can overwhelm evil . It’s nothing serious . ” Li Wei Yang tentatively said in a small voice .
“No! How could they do this! This is simply—” Tan Shi is an honest person after all . She couldn’t say anything more, but she thought that this was not right . Although she felt that the new Furen is a good person, why would she move in to live with Wei Yang? She had a bad feeling .
"Wei Yang, I’m afraid you won’t be able to take good care of Furen . Since she got pregnant, if she isn’t refusing food, then the fetus is disturbed every couple days . If she is with you, wouldn’t you be forced to take responsibility? No, absolutely not!” Although Tan Shi was simple-minded, she genuinely felt that this matter was inappropriate and worried her daughter would be involved .
Li Wei Yang smiled gently, “Don’t worry, Mother . Lao Furen has taken charge of this matter . She has spoken, so how can I decline? Moreover, Da Furen may be living in my courtyard, but there will be specific people who look after her . I won’t have to do anything at all . ”
Li Wei Yang can tolerate Li Lao Furen and Li Xiao Ran’s unreasonable demands, but she will never let herself end up in danger, protecting herself is her first and foremost consideration . Perhaps, the more trouble Jiang Yue Lan caused, Li Wei Yang will treat it like she wants to die sooner . Yet no matter how Li Wei Yang tried to reassure her, Tan Shi continued to worry . Li Wei Yang no longer said much and carefully checked up on the guards in the courtyard and instructed the people by Tan Shi's side to carefully check Fourth Young Master’s food and everything he may come in contact with . Only then did she leave .
In the evening, Jiang Yue Lan had moved to the room in the east wing along with four yatous to serve her and two old, experienced Mamas . The entire courtyard suddenly became much more animated . That Rong Mama kept intentionally fussing over the pillow and quilt, the tea, the room, there was ultimately nothing that she was satisfied with from beginning to end, difficult to please .
Zhao Yue stood guard in the gallery and vigilantly watched her opponent’s movements . Rong Mama coldly glared at her and slammed the door shut .
In the house, Mo Zhu gently extinguished the candlelight and quietly complained: “Their room over there is too bright, it’s hard for Xiaojie to sleep with so many candles lit like that . ”
Li Wei Yang softly laid down on the bed without saying a word .
Mo Zhu was on duty tonight . Frustrated by the noise outside, she lowered her voice to say: “Xiaojie, Furen is so arrogant, teach her a lesson for once and for all!”
Mo Zhu’s intention was only to teach her a lesson, not make her miscarry . However, in the darkness of the night, Li Wei Yang expressionlessly said: “When you do something, you may leave behind traces . If you aren’t careful and someone grasps your flaw, you will lose more than what you gain . In any case, Jiang Yue Lan is living with me now . If something happens to her, everyone will immediately suspect me . ” This was also Li Xiao Ran’s true intentions, a selfish old man indeed, Li Wei Yang scoffed .
She thought to herself, what exactly does Jiang Yue Lan want to do? Like Li Xiao Ran, want to protect her by herself? Still afraid of murdering her? No, Li Wei Yang felt that it was not that simple . Or she wants to make trouble for each other, but a pregnant woman, especially this child is also related to her future status in the Li family . Will she take such an important child to risk?
Translator: Chau
Editor: Chau
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