The Crown Princess was really having a hard time lately. If she had married an ordinary family, it would be a great big thing to have twins. But she married the royal family, and the situation was quite the opposite.
Births of two boys or two girls were regarded as ominous. The birth of a son and daughter was actually a great auspicious omen, but there were hidden dangers in it. The birth of the dragon and the death of the phoenix were regarded inauspicious, while the death of the dragon and the birth of the phoenix were regarded as great misfortune. Only when the twins were both in good health, would she then be able to have a firm position.
After calculating here and there, it was better to be pregnant with only one child. Whether it was good or bad, it was fifty-fifty. There would be no need to worry excessively.
What made her even more anxious was that even after six years of marriage to the East Palace, the prince only had one son. This was very pitiful compared with other princes who had many offsprings. The Emperor attached great importance to Di and Shu. He had always been concerned that the crown prince did not have a di son. Therefore, he had become increasingly dissatisfied with the Crown Princess over the years.
In addition, Xu Side Concubine's ambition was growing. During her pregnancy, she would frequently spread rumours to disturb her mind. Several sisters-in-law also secretly use underhanded methods to cause her to miscarriage. The dangers and hardships were indescribable.
Although the Crown Princess acted calmly, she couldn't withstand the pressure and went to the Taoist temple to worship supernatural beings. After making the offerings, she stood in front of the Chien Tung for half an hour but did not dare to reach out for it. She had to call Yu Xiang in. If Yu Xiang picked an auspicious stick, it would be fine. If she picked an inauspicious stick, she would comfort herself and say that it was drawn by others and it had nothing to do with her.
After receiving the stick, her fingertips trembled slightly and handed it to the Master without looking at it.
The master of the temple mumbled 'eh?' once. The Crown Princess' back straightened and inquired, "Is it an inauspicious stick?"
The Old Madam held tightly to her buddhist beads and recited "Amitabha Buddha". Suddenly, she remembered that this was a taoist temple and she quickly repented and instead recited 'Boundless heaven".
Yu Si Yu's eyes flickered slightly. She was just waiting to see Yu Xiang having bad luck. Who asked her to be involved in this kind of situation where it wouldn't be good regardless of the results? It could be seen that the wisdom and ability normally praised by her grandmother and elder brother were just an overstatement!
The master looked at it very carefully, then laughed and waved his hand, "No, it's not true. I want to congratulate the Crown Princess. You had actually drawn the only dragon and phoenix stick in this temple. Please have a look." After saying that, he held his hand out.
The Crown Princess immediately beamed and looked at it intently. The top of the Qian was marked with a dragon and a phoenix connected from end-to-end. There were only two sentences in the Qian-- Bamboo turns into a dragon and phoenix soaring the sky, and the daoist rays of light illuminate all evils and disperses them. This implication was very obvious.
The Crown Princess breathed a sigh of relief. She held on the top of the stick and began to laugh. The panic and anxiety that had built up in her heart and was about to consume her dissipated instantly. She exclaimed, "Xiang'er is truly a blessed person."
Yu Xiang waved her hand, "It's not that I'm blessed. It's the Daoist immortals who use my hand to bless Your Highness. In the end, it's still your highness who has a good fortune. I don't have anything to do with it." She must draw the line well. Otherwise, she would be blamed if she didn't give birth to a dragon and phoenix fetus. The royal people were really hard to please.
"You are a child who can speak well. Jiu'er has also come and is sleeping in the side room of the back hall. You can bring her out to stroll around so that she won't sleep in the whole day." The Crown Princess laughed.
Yu Xiang agreed and headed to the back hall under the guidance of the two palace people. The Old Madam breathed a sigh of relief. Xiang'er was indeed a lucky star. She secretly said to herself. She had a small chat with the crown princess for a while, and worshipped Leizu in the hall. Then, she left with Yu Si Yu, who had a lot in her mind.
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Although the size of Baiyun Taoist temple was not comparable to that of Zhengguo Temple, it also occupied the whole mountain top. There was a natural lake on the top of the mountain. The blue water of the lake was a watermark of the light-blue sky, the bright rays of the round sun. It was one of those 'nothing more beautiful could be imagined' sceneries. The lakeside seemed to be the most secluded place. Therefore, the Taoist temple specially built a two-story teahouse and several small pavilions beside the teahouse. It was a perfect place to drink tea or go boating.
When the scenery was good, there were very few people that visited there. When Yu Xiang came to the tea room with Ninth Princess and Fan Jiao Jiao, the seats on the second floor by the window were full, and only a small table at the entrance of the stairs was vacant.
The Ninth Princess was twelve years old this year. She would soon be thirteen. Even though she wasn't as beautiful as Yu Xiang, she was pretty and adorable. In addition, she exuded an eminent and noble aura. She could deceive people as long as she didn't open her mouth and say something stupid.
Fan Jia Jiao was the youngest amongst the three, but also the tallest and the strongest. She had a thick eyebrow and big eyes looking quite heroic. She wore a snake tail whip around her waist. She would pull it out without further objections if anyone dared to disrespect the Ninth Princess. The girls in the capital nicknamed her "hired thug". When she heard it, she wasn't ashamed but instead proud.
Due to the large number of people in the temple, the master of the temple gave the tea room to the female guests in order to prevent people from running into distinguished guests. Several small pavilions beside the lake were used to entertain the male guests, but both were suitable.
As he wiped the table with a cloth, he invited the three people to sit down.
The Ninth Princess pointed to the window and said, "I want to sit there."
Fan Jiao Jiao immediately walked over, took out the whip from her waist and 'cracked' it on the table, snorted and said, "Did you hear that? The Ninth Princess wants to sit here, quickly scram." After the persistent teachings of Yu Xiang, she was becoming more and more like a tigress, and that disposition was fierce no matter how you look at it.
The four girls stood up in humiliation and moved to the stairway. The rest of them stood up and saluted. The Ninth Princess walked forward without glancing at them, picked up the pastry that the four people didn't touch and nimbled on it. The crumbs of the pastry immediately made the distinguished aura that she had exuded became a foolish aura.
Yu Xiang glanced at her and sighed. She turned her head to look towards the bright spring rays outside the window.
"What's the matter with you? Eat!" The Ninth Princess picked up a piece of osmanthus glutinous rice cake[1] and handed it to her politely.
"You can eat by yourself. Slow down and don't choke. You didn't eat before leaving the palace?"
"I did. My appetite increased lately. Imperial sister-in-law and Mother Empress forbid me to eat so much. They say that if I'm as fat as I was when I was young, I won't be able to get married next year." Ninth Princess' cheeks kept moving like a hamster.
"They are scaring you. How are you fat when you are so young?! That's called chubby, which is good-looking!" These years, Fan Jiao Jiao had become even more sophisticated in her flattery. She didn't purposely say this. She was just straightforward and was really fond of the Ninth Princess, which made her words very corny.
Yu Xiang listened and nodded her head deeply.
[1] 云片糕(yúnpiàngāo)- Osmanthus glutinous rice cake. Literal translation of this would be cloud cake.
After chatting for a while, the tea room suddenly stirred up and a girl screamed, "Ah, the top scholar is here!"
The crowd looked towards the direction her fingers were pointing. In the pavilion that was about three or four metres away, several young scholars were sitting around drinking and chatting. Coincidentally, they started to sing loudly as they picked up their chopsticks and knocked on the edge of the bowl.
The dark green willow branches were hanging down in all directions as they rose and fell under the breeze. It was as if they were dancing in harmony with the song, which was quite charming.
However, the top scholar's handsome and unique features were more elegant and charming. Whether he chuckled, frowned or indifferent, they were all captivating.
The Ninth Princess forgot to swallow the pastry that was in her mouth. She mumbled, "So charming, he is as charming as Lotus cake." As she spoke she stood up and kept leaning out to see.
With her as the lead, the rest of the girls forgot to be reserved. They all crowded around the window to look at them, and from time to time there was an exclamation of admiration.
Yu Xiang averted her eyes and was slightly surprised. The legendary most talented top scholar in the nation was actually the despondent young man who tried to crash into the carriage and seek death. It was only two months, but he truly achieved meteoric success in his career.
After eyeing him for a few times, her attention was drawn to the tall figure with his back to the teahouse. If one were to compare the scholars to bamboos, this figure was like a pine tree. Moreover still, this person was at the apex of Linyusong's cliff. He had a perseverance and heroic aura. He didn't need to show his face. He was the most special being in Yu Xiang's eyes.
The laughter of the girls attracted the young people by the lake to look up one after another. Although it was not obvious on the surface, they were a little proud and the voice reciting the poetry unconsciously increased a lot. Only the man turned a deaf ear and turned a blind eye to it. He placed his hand on the knife handle at his waist. His back was upright and the muscular figure hidden under the official robe was faintly visible.
Yu Xiang stared at him intently for a while. Seeing that he didn't notice her, her eyes turned and took out a few red beans from her purse and threw it at him. Then, she immediately bent down to hide under the window sill.
There was the sound of something piercing through the air reaching his ears. Yu Pin Yan dodged quickly. He saw a few red beans when he looked down. He turned to the teahouse and found that the Ninth Princess was holding half a piece of pastry in her mouth, foolishly staring at Shen Yuan Qi. Fan Jia Jiao waved her hand to him and was trying to signal to him something.
Yu Pin Yan raised his eyebrows and pretended not to care. He continued to stare at the Crown Prince in disguise in the pavilion.
Yu Xiang covered her mouth and snickered. Then, she took out some red beans and threw it towards him again. She found that her elder brother turned around quickly, glanced at her with a smile, and mouthed his word as he scolded, "Being naughty again!"
Yu Xiang leaned on the windowsill and shot a slightly smug expression towards him. She looked like a picture with the glorious spring rays shining on her head. The small cinnabar glistened in the middle of her eyebrows. She was so charming that everyone by the lake looked up at her, and their eyes were full of fascination. In particular, Shen Yuanqi and Fang Zhi Chen, who weren't able to avert their eyes.
Yu Pin Yan's happy expression immediately faded. He picked up a red bean on the ground and hit on the window. The bamboo pole supporting the window lattice was broken and the window fell heavily.
Fortunately, Yu Xiang was very aware of her elder brother's temperament. When she bent down to pick up the red beans, she ran away and pulled the Ninth Princess away from the window. Otherwise, their noses would be crooked.
"Your elder brother is angry again. Every time I see him he is always angry." The Ninth Princess shook her head and said.
"Lord Yu is so powerful! My father said that he is the number one expert in the Han Dynasty. This is true! Expert always has a little temper." Fan Jiao Jiao started bootlicking again.
Yu Xiang didn't care about them and immediately went to lift the window only to find that no one could be seen by the lake and only a team of Dragon Scale guards with swords and halberds hurried past.
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Shen Yuan Qi bid farewell to the Crown Prince and went to Yu Pin Yan. He cupped his hand and said, "Lowly officer greets Marquis. The young lady just now is the Marquis' di younger sister?"
Fang Zhi Chen initially planned to leave. After hearing this, he couldn't help looking at them. In his mind, he kept recalling the girl's bright and beautiful face, which was even brighter than the spring rays. For a moment, he became a little fascinated. He never thought that the crippled di Young Miss would be such a stunning woman. Her face alone was enough to make up for all the imperfections in her body.
"Lord Shen, you have overstepped your boundaries." Yu Pin Yan's tone was gloomy. He put his right hand on the Xiu Chun sword on his waist and gently rubbed the knife handle.
Shen Yuan Qi realised that he was impulsive and promptly bowed down to admit his mistake.
Yu Pin Yan nodded his head expressionlessly and then walked away.
Shen Yuan Qi touched his slightly cold neck, feeling both relief and loss. His only relative was in close proximity but he could not acknowledge her. She was now the di daughter of the Marquis manor. She was deeply loved by her elder brother and grandmother. She enjoyed endless splendor and wealth. If he rushed the door to acknowledge her, he did not know whether it would lead to her resentment.
Forget it, he would just wait and observe. Shen Miao Qi had recently entered the capital. It was estimated that he would soon look for the Marquis Yongle manor. It was very difficult for the Marquis manor to find a merchant family surnamed Shen, but it was very easy for the Shen family to find the Marquis manor. There were only a few marquises in the capital. In addition, the inkling that Marquis was in great trouble ten years ago could be discovered with a little inquiry.
With Shen Miao Qi's nature, she would take back everything that belonged to her. He would wait for her to take action first before making arrangements.