"I didn't expect you to know so much about the trivial matters of these families," Ye Xianya said with a look of surprise.

Qi Chengshuo looked a little awkward upon hearing this, and after a moment he said, "It was my mother who told me. At the beginning of last year, the old lady of the Dong family even tried to gauge my mother's feelings, wanting to betroth the third daughter of the Dong family to me."

At that time, he didn't know Ye Xianya, nor did he have a girl he liked.

However, his grandfather had promised him that he would be in charge of his own marriage, and even his mother could not interfere.

His mother sent someone to tell him about this, and even had someone investigate the Dong family.

He was naturally aware of the chaotic things that happened in the Dong family.

Unexpectedly, more than a year later, Dong Yunzhu and her grandmother were poisoned by a Gu curse.

If she hadn't come to ask Ye Xianya to tell her fortune today, she probably would have met with bad luck.

"It seems there are quite a few high-ranking officials and nobles in our capital who want to marry their daughters to you," Ye Xianya joked with a smile.

As far as she knew, there were several.

"Xianya, you're the only one in my heart!" Qi Chengshuo thought this was a golden opportunity and quickly said.

Ye Xianya was taken aback upon hearing this, and after a moment she said, "I... I don't know if I like you or not. Give me some time to think it over."

She didn't dislike Qi Chengshuo; in both her past lives, he was the man she had the most contact with.

In her previous life, Ye Xianya devoted herself to cultivation. In this life, she is busy restoring her strength and trying to find the reason why she was struck by lightning in her previous life. In addition, she is not a real young girl and does not have many girlish thoughts.

Therefore, she doesn't know how to respond to Qi Chengshuo.

She wasn't sure if she truly cared for Qi Chengshuo or simply considered him a friend.

This is something that others might be able to confirm quickly, but for her... it's a bit difficult.

She needs to think things through carefully before making a decision.

"Great!" Qi Chengshuo felt exceptionally happy.

As long as Ye Xianya doesn't reject him outright, that's a good thing.

Xianya is a woman of her word. She said she would think it through slowly, which means she will definitely take this matter seriously.

...

After returning to the mansion, Dong Yunzhu immediately instructed her maid to bring a tinderbox and lit the talisman paper that Ye Xianya had drawn for her.

After the talisman caught fire, it suddenly transformed into a firebird and slowly flew towards the backyard.

A smile appeared on Dong Yunzhu's face, and she quickly led her maids and servants to follow the firebird.

The princess is amazing; she casually drew a talisman, and it transformed into a firebird.

The mystical arts of the Taiyi Sect are indeed as wondrous as the legends say.

Ever since the dynasty had Princess Ye Xianya, who cultivated mystical arts and calculated without error, all the high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital hoped that their children could be as capable as Ye Xianya. More and more people secretly sent their children to the ten major Taoist sects outside the city to learn Taoist arts.

However, most of them lacked talent, going there full of enthusiasm only to return dejectedly.

Dong Yunzhu actually tried, but the Taoist priest said she didn't have the talent for cultivation, so her grandmother brought her back from Biyun Temple.

After passing through the moon gate, the group encountered the matriarch of the mansion, Madam Hua.

Although Hua was a second wife, she was Dong Ming's favorite. Since she married into the family, Dong Ming stopped visiting his concubines and maids and only doted on Hua.

She quickly took control of the entire Dong family and gave birth to three sons for Dong Ming over the past decade, making her position unshakeable.

If she could treat Dong Yunzhu, the legitimate daughter of the first wife, better, the old lady of the Dong family would naturally not target this daughter-in-law.

But for some reason, Madam Hua just couldn't stand Dong Yunzhu. She would rather promote the eldest and second daughters of her concubine than give Dong Yunzhu the slightest bit of kindness.

However, the first wife was Old Madam Dong's niece, so Old Madam Dong naturally protected the third daughter of the Dong family.

As time went on, the story of the discord between the Dong family's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, and the mistreating of the first wife's daughter by the second wife, became common knowledge in the capital.

Dong Ming sided with the Hua family and almost got accused of being unfilial.

"Dong Yunzhu, how dare you use sorcery in the manor!" Madam Hua's face was extremely ugly.

She heard from others that this brat had gone to the princess to have her fortune told.

The princess was known as the greatest fortune teller in the world; there was nothing in the world that she didn't know.

Hua had done something wrong, so of course he was afraid of being exposed, especially by Ye Xianya, since... Ye Xianya was a princess.

If the princess were to tell the Empress about how she had harmed her mother-in-law and the legitimate daughter of the first wife, she would be doomed.

The Empress is in charge of all the noblewomen. If she does this, she will be stripped of her title and sentenced to death.

Unfortunately, she found out a little too late. Just as she was about to stop her, the brat had already returned, and there was a firebird flying ahead of her. It was really too strange.

Hua's family naturally had to strike first.

"Sorcery?" Dong Yunzhu sneered, "Mother actually said that the talisman the princess gave me was sorcery. Is she trying to slander the princess?"

Upon hearing her words, Hua's face turned pale.

Even if she had a hundred lives, she wouldn't dare say that the princess was using witchcraft; she just didn't know, did she?

“Since this is a divine talisman bestowed by the princess, you should treat it with respect, instead of letting this divine bird fly around the mansion,” Madam Hua said somewhat awkwardly.

"The princess said that my grandmother and I have been poisoned by a Gu, and this divine bird will lead me to the Gu master who cast the Gu. Mother, do you want to know who has the audacity to harm my grandmother and me?" Dong Yunzhu said with a smile.

Hua felt a chill run down his spine.

She knew this brat was no pushover.

If it weren't for the old lady stopping her, she would have married this wretched girl off to another place long ago.

Of course, the family she chose only appeared glamorous on the surface, but was extremely filthy behind the scenes.

She dreamed of killing Dong Yunzhu, so of course she didn't want to see her live a good life.

“No one in our household wants to harm you or the old lady,” Hua said through gritted teeth.

"Does Mother mean that the princess miscalculated?" Dong Yunzhu asked with a half-smile.

“Of course the princess wouldn’t miscalculate; I’m just afraid you might make a mistake.” Madam Hua said meaningfully, “Yunzhu, you are the only legitimate daughter in the family. Your father dotes on you even more than his three younger brothers. He has high hopes for you, so don’t let him down.”

Dong Yunzhu smiled upon hearing this.

This woman is using her father to pressure her.

Unfortunately, her father only cared about Hua Shi and her three sons, and ignored her, the daughter born to his first wife.

What right does she have to cover up their crimes?

People say that if one prospers, all prosper; if one suffers, all suffer. But if someone wants to take her and her grandmother's lives, shouldn't she fight back?

She'd rather not have a father like that.

"Thank you for reminding me, Mother." After saying this, Dong Yunzhu ignored Hua Shi and walked forward.

The firebird continued flying backward.