The noble madams gathered outside the hall and stretched their necks to see from time to time. When they saw the Old Madam finally came out, they quickly surrounded her.
The Crown Princess invited the Old Madam to take a seat beside her and ordered someone to prepare pastries for Yu Xiang. Then, she said slowly, âOld Madam Yu, did you receive a satisfactory answer from Master Kuhai?â As for what the old madam asked, she had no intention to pry. After all, she was from an aristocratic family, and she was raised that way.
The Old Madam said with a smile, âSatisfied, very satisfied. I donât dare to ask random questions in these circumstances, and only asked about the safety of Yanâer. It has been said that he has narrowly escaped death, and that he would return safely.â
For Yu Pin Yan to earn military merits, it was equivalent to adding on to the Crown Princeâs power. The Crown Princess laughed delightedly after hearing that. The noble madams knew that the Old Madam valued her grandson more than anything else. They would be surprised if she didnât ask about her grandson who was fighting for his life and survived after facing great dangers in the battlefield.
Thus, they enquired about each otherâs well-being again.
Yu Xiang tolerated for a moment but could no longer sit still. She tugged the hem of the Old Madamâs dress and whispered, âGrandmother, I want to go to Mahavira Hall to pray for blessings for my elder brother. Can I head out first?â
âAlright, go ahead. Grandmother will come later.â The Old Madam stroked her head lovingly.
After Yu Xiang left, the Old Madam and the Crown Princess continued to talk for a while, before walking towards the Mahavira Hall together. They saw the little child kneeling on the futon. Everytime she recited a scripture, she kowtowed devoutly. It has only been half an hour, and her forehead was already so swollen and red such that it was unsightly. She looked towards the Buddha statue devotedly, praying that he would bring her elder brother back safely.
The Old Madamâs tears started rolling down her cheeks as she saw the scene before her, and she quickly used a handkerchief to wipe away the tears.
The Crown Princess sighed and spoke, âOld Madam Yu, having this granddaughter isnât a loss! Siblings who could be as affectionate and close like those from your family are very rare.â
The Old Madam smiled with her lips pursed together. There was pride in her voice. âIndeed, what the Crown Princess has said is true. My familyâs Xiangâer is great in every area. She is filial, sensible, courteous and intelligent.â
The Crown Princess chuckled and left the hall for the grandmother and granddaughter who sincerely prayed for safety.
After reading scriptures for a day in the hall and donating five hundred catties of sesame oil, the pair of grandmother and granddaughter went down the mountain under the setting sun. The Old madam and Ma Momo boarded the first carriage and the carriage behind was for Yu Xiang and her maidservant. ăă
After being exposed to the sun for half a day, the mud on the road had dried out. The road was much more stable when they had just left, but the Old Madam felt more uneasy. Master Ku Haiâs comments were stuck in her head, and could not be eased no matter what. She took those words apart one by one, broke them up, crumpled them, and then placed them back together again. The discomfort that she tried to deliberately ignore was magnified infinitely.
Sure enough, her blood-related granddaughter was a jinx!
Ma Momo also kept thinking about it. After hesitating for a long time, she then spoke softly, âOld Madam, Master Ku Hai said that Young Miss and Marquisâ fate opposes each other, and if they were siblings, they would be against/fight with each other and couldnât coexist. What do you think of this?â Should we look for her and bring her back? What should we do if she jinxed the Marquis?
Fighting with each other and couldnât coexist. In other words, her granddaughter would compete with her grandson in fate. But if her granddaughter has a strong bazi[1], it would be impossible for her grandson to acquire a peaceful end? The Old Madam was frightened by her conjecture and shivered for a long time.
But after all, she was not as indifferent and heartless as Lin Shi and she was unable to let her granddaughter roam outside and fend for herself. When her mood was not so flustered, she tiredly spoke, âNaturally, we still need to find her. When she is back, we can let the siblings stay far apart from each other, and then arrange a marriage as soon as possible so that she can marry far away.â
âBecause of Young Missâs fate, finding a good spouse for her to settle down with is a bitâŠâ Ma Momo didnât dare to say it explicitly. To bring a jinx to another familyâs house wasnât a blessing but gaining enemies!
The Old Madam pondered and spoke, âNaturally, we canât bring harm to others. We should find someone who has an equally strong Bazi, regardless of it being a step-mother or a poor family. If both families are safe, it would be fine as long as we, Yongle Marquis manor, can give more dowries, so as to ensure her prosperity.â After saying that, she heaved a long sigh.
âWhat the Old Madam said was that if two people with strong Bazi are together, you wouldnât jinx me and I canât jinx you either. Then there would be no issues.â Seeing that the Old Madam was in a foul mood, Ma Momo tried her best to banter with her, âBut you donât have to worry about it. Isnât there still a treasure in our family? Miss Xiangâer is here. Nothing will go wrong in the Marquisâs house! Any plant Miss Xiangâer wishes to plant, that plant would live. When she wants to travel far away, god will open his eyes. She has even picked out the âEmperor stickâ that no one in thousands has gotten! Sheâs very lucky!â
When the Old Madam heard this, she was in a better mood. She nodded and said with a smile, âThe Shen family is really at a loss. What a lucky star, and yet she was brought to my Yongle Marquisâs house. Itâs reallyâŠâ
As she said this, she immediately stopped herself and she was slightly crafty. Yes, the lucky child of the Shen family was taken away to the Yongle Marquis house. Yongle Marquis houseâs jinx had been taken away by the Shen family. Then, what was the situation in the Shen family now? Were they continuously facing disasters? She shouldnât think any further. The more she thought about it, the more guilty she felt!
The Old Madam covered her mouth and coughed.
Ma Momo had also thought of this and her expression was a little embarrassed. In her heart she thought, Madam had said that she is made to suffer by the Shen family, but she doesnât know that the Shen family are the real sufferers! Bodhisattva is still partial to our Marquis Yongle manor. Amitabha, very good, very good indeed!