Certainly, the eldest daughter is beautiful and has a good reputation, making her an ideal candidate for entering the palace. However, she has had a marriage engagement with the son of Minister Li since childhood, so it wouldn’t be appropriate for her to participate in the selection for the palace. On the other hand, the second daughter is not as outstanding in appearance as the eldest, and her recent reputation has suffered. If it weren’t for the invaluable favor from the Huanghui Temple, the Qin family would have long abandoned the idea of sending the second daughter to the palace.
As the days drew closer, Madame Qin still felt deeply concerned. She couldn’t help but take a light carriage with a sedan chair and, accompanied by her maids, return to the Huanghui Temple to seek confirmation from Master Liao Chen regarding the authenticity of the favor.
Master Liao Chen was a knowledgeable person and, in the face of the Qin family’s arrival, he seemed unsurprised. After silently reciting “Amitabha,” he scrutinized Qin Manman’s face with his cloudy eyes. He stared at the young girl with an unnatural expression and elusive gaze before politely averting his eyes. His emaciated hand under the monk’s robe made a subtle gesture, and he said, “Half a year ago, Miss Qin had a near-drowning experience, which caused her temperament to become erratic. Mr. and Mrs. Qin sought help from our temple, and at that time, this old monk had the opportunity to meet Miss once and was truly amazed.”
Madame Qin nodded in agreement, evidently deeply impressed by the encounter. After her second daughter’s recovery from the near-drowning incident, the once gentle and shy girl had suddenly transformed into a fiery and unpredictable personality. Any family would suspect that their daughter had been possessed by a water spirit.
“At that time, this old monk gave Miss a fortune-telling, and it was said to be of great significance,” said Master Liao Chen. Miss Qin’s facial features were exceptionally good, with a full Heavenly Palace and a balanced Earth Court. At first glance, it was evident that she had a gentle and honest disposition. After observing her, he had a few more words in mind, such as “accumulating wealth through modest means” and “bearing the appearance of a queen mother.” These were indeed indications of great nobility. However, he refrained from saying too much, as revealing too many details might disrupt the course of events and bring about unforeseen consequences. Thus, he only shared the first part of his thoughts.
“Yes, yes, indeed,” Madame Qin deeply bowed in respect. It was because Master Liao Chen held an esteemed position in the hearts of the common people, and his fortune-telling was considered as authoritative as the emperor’s orders. Therefore, when the master spoke, it was taken as the “golden words.”
Also, because of his divine insights, no matter how audacious and unrestrained Miss Qin acted, no one dared to intervene. Everyone believed what Master Liao Chen had said and believed that even if Miss Qin didn’t become the empress, she would at least hold the title of a noble concubine or a fourth-ranked concubine. This was something that couldn’t be avoided. Otherwise, how could one determine how noble a woman’s destiny should be to truly deserve the title of “of great significance”?
Master Liao Chen let out a deep sigh and said in a hoarse voice, “This old monk is not as skillful as before. After half a year, looking at Miss’s face again, it’s like trying to pierce through thick fog, and it’s difficult to discern clearly. If Madam insists on sending Miss to the palace, it may go against her wishes and bring unforeseen consequences.” In essence, he was saying that after half a year, he couldn’t clearly see Miss’s destiny anymore, and he didn’t recommend entering the palace. Insisting on it might lead to unexpected outcomes.
In fact, although Master Liao Chen was an ordinary mortal, his discernment of destinies was quite accurate. Holding the Beloved Consort System, Qin Manman would indeed have become the empress following the original storyline if Yin Minglu hadn’t caused disruptions. However, over the past half year, Yin Minglu had been secretly causing trouble, coupled with Qin Manman’s own mistakes. The luck of the Daughter of Destiny was gradually depleting, and her facial destiny had become less reliable, shrouded in uncertainty.
Upon hearing these words, Madame Qin was taken aback. It made her reconsider her pursuit of wealth and nobility. She realized that her daughter’s life was more important than pursuing extravagant riches and that it would be better to have her daughter marry a well-off and influential young man from a respectable family. While her life might not be as grand and adventurous as in the palace, it would be stable and peaceful, a far better choice than entering the unpredictable and treacherous depths of the imperial harem.
Seeing Madame Qin’s inner turmoil, Qin Manman became anxious and, disregarding etiquette, blurted out, “How can it be like this? How do you, Master, calculate destinies? It’s even less reliable than the fortune tellers under the bridge who charge eight cents for a divination! You change your fortune-telling like this? Isn’t that irresponsible!”
In reality, Master Liao Chen hadn’t retracted his earlier fortune-telling because doing so would be equivalent to ruining the reputation of the Huanghui Temple. He had only mentioned that after half a year, revisiting the facial destiny had become unclear. Perhaps it truly was of great significance, but the path ahead would likely be filled with hardships and uncertainties. If one chose correctly, it might lead to wealth and nobility; if chosen incorrectly, it could result in a tragic fate.
However, to Qin Manman’s ears, this sounded like a change in the fortune-telling. She knew that ancient people were highly superstitious and tended to have unwavering faith in monks who wore robes and spoke mysteriously. If Madame Qin believed this bald monk and prevented her from entering the palace, wouldn’t that ruin her future? How would she participate in the selection for the palace and win the emperor’s favor to become a highly regarded imperial consort?
So Qin Manman couldn’t contain her urgency and wished she could grab a needle and thread to sew the master’s mouth shut on the spot to make him stop talking. At this moment, she completely forgot that if it weren’t for this master’s fortune-telling earlier, she might not have lived safely until now and might have been burned as a demon by others.
Hearing her daughter’s disrespectful and rebellious remarks, Madame Qin turned pale with fear. She quickly raised her voice and scolded her daughter, “Manman! Master Liao Chen is a Buddhist master. How can you speak so disrespectfully and even compare him to those swindling charlatans and tricksters under the bridge?” She was on the verge of poking her daughter’s forehead and scolding, “Do you have no common sense? How can you say such things in this situation?”
Qin Manman, feeling indignant, pouted and retorted, “Mother, you’re mistaken. How does that saying go? ‘Small hideouts in the wild, large hideouts in the city.’ The real masters often reside among the common people. Many of those folk practitioners indeed have genuine abilities. At least, the fortune-telling they’ve given me has been consistent and of great significance. They don’t change it randomly, unlike others.”
Moreover, she was a person from a later era and understood the concept of marketing and packaging very well. Master Liao Chen seemed more like an internet celebrity created by both the common people and the royal family for some belief-related purpose. He had a high-end style and appeared sophisticated, but his true knowledge might not be as profound. On the other hand, those folk practitioners who traveled the countryside might not have great fame, but they relied solely on voluntary donations for their divination services, and their detached demeanor resembled that of reclusive experts.
Who needs to ask whom to trust? Over-packaged internet celebrities, can they be compared to those reclusive experts? Qin Manman scoffed at the idea. What’s more, she was well-versed in the tricks used by fortune tellers. If one or two of them said she had a destiny of great significance, it might be considered, but if three or four said the same, it meant her luck was exceptionally good, indicating a noble destiny.
Thinking back to last year when the other party had given her a fortune-telling of great significance, Mr. Qin was overjoyed and donated enough incense and offerings to the temple for two to three years. She thought that Master Liao Chen’s sudden change of stance this time was nothing more than an attempt to squeeze more money from them in the form of offerings. These so-called masters all pretended to have an air of enlightenment, but in reality, they were the most market-savvy. She had seen plenty of tricks like this involving old charlatans in television dramas in her previous life.
Qin Manman was too fed up to bother explaining any further. She wished she could pull her mother’s sleeve and leave right then and there.
However, Madame Qin had no intention of leaving and was exasperated by her daughter’s lack of restraint, especially in such a situation. She scolded, “Shut your mouth! Master Liao Chen is just playing some tricks for fun. Those so-called practitioners will perform some fake acts, spit fire, and amuse you. Can you take their words seriously? You’re supposed to be a well-bred young lady. Don’t you know how to choose your words carefully?”
“No, I won’t! Mother, have you forgotten the incense offerings and the eternal lamps we donated just last year? Doesn’t the master’s suggestion mean we should donate again? They need donations to help us change our destiny!” The young girl sneered as if she had everything under control, and her confidence seemed to come out of nowhere.
This time, Madame Qin had full faith in Master Liao Chen’s fortune-telling. Even if her daughter had a destiny of wealth and nobility, she couldn’t ignore the fact that this unruly mouth could bring trouble.
The tug-of-war between the mother and daughter was observed by Master Liao Chen. Upon hearing the girl’s skepticism, his originally clouded eyes suddenly sharpened, and his hoarse voice became as clear as a bell. “If the two patrons do not believe in my fortune-telling, you are free to leave. I am not an unreasonable person. Disciple, kindly escort our guests.”
“Yes, Master.” A young monk who had been standing nearby stood up, bowed respectfully to the Qin mother and daughter, and recited “Amitabha” before escorting them out.
In front of a crowd, they were escorted out of the master’s meditation room, feeling the curious gazes of those around them. Lady Qin felt utterly embarrassed, as her dignity as a noblewoman was being trampled upon in such a public setting. To make matters worse, several monks in gray robes handed them a money pouch and said, “For the sake of our temple’s reputation, we have come to refund the offerings you made. Please do not come here again in the future.”
This was equivalent to being blacklisted by the Huanghui Temple, placed on a visitor blacklist. The onlookers among the temple-goers immediately became noisy, pointing fingers at the Qin mother and daughter, trying to figure out what the Qin family had done to anger the temple’s master to such an extent that they were blacklisted.
Being treated this way and having their future visits denied, Lady Qin felt a rush of blood to her head and fainted on the spot. Fortunately, her maidservant was quick to react, shouting “Madam” and rushing to support her.
Under the bridge, a group of “enlightened” masters in Daoist robes gathered together, enjoying small glasses of wine and munching on peanuts. They stood or sat in a casual manner. When they spotted an attractive figure approaching from afar, they dispersed in twos and threes, each going about their own business.
Practicing swordsmanship, drawing talismans, and reading divination books… The master, with his smiling expression and an aura of an otherworldly being, truly appeared like an immortal who had descended to the mortal world. This left a deep impression on the young girl, and she couldn’t wait to approach and ask her own questions.
After receiving affirmative answers to her questions, she became even more confident. She thought that coming all the way from East Street to West Street was worth it. Since the masters in both streets had given similar answers, it confirmed the authenticity of the fortune-telling. It was undoubtedly accurate.
Unbeknownst to her, after she left, one of the masters gleefully counted a stack of silver coins and tore off his fake white beard and eyebrows. He thought to himself, “Miss Qin is really not very sharp. She saw us this morning on the east street, and now with a different disguise, she pretends not to recognize us. She’s deliberately testing us, doesn’t she know that we used to be beggars and know everything about the streets and alleys!”
Tut tut, the purse of a wealthy person is so easy to deceive.
On the other side, after Madam Qin woke up, she had intended to tell her husband about what had happened that day and prevent her second daughter from entering the palace. However, she learned that her daughter had already taken the initiative and submitted the list of selected candidates with her name to the palace’s inner supervisor.
The matter of entering the palace was already a done deal, and there was nothing she could do to change it.
So, Madam Qin held her forehead and fainted once again.
Author’s note: Ah, I’m sorry for being late!
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