Chapter 10 "I am the Mysterious Maiden of Fate of the Nine Heavens, observing..."

After escaping the artificial hill, Shen Lingyue became extra careful and finally returned to her seat without any major incident.

Zhao Lan was chatting and exchanging pleasantries with the ladies she knew at the table when she saw Shen Lingyue sneaking back with her dog. Her brows furrowed involuntarily, and she quickly raised her hand to stroke them.

She turned her head, her lips moving as if whispering, "Why did you take so long?"

Shen Lingyue remained expressionless. "The Duke's mansion is so big! I was so focused on looking at the garden that I almost got lost."

Zhao Lan had just breathed a sigh of relief when her gaze shifted downwards, pausing at the woman's earlobe. "Where's your earring?"

How did one go missing?

Shen Lingyue raised her hand to touch it, and couldn't help but frown.

"I probably dropped it by accident. That's why my ear was itchy earlier."

She took off her other earring, put it in the pouch tied to her waist, and smiled carefree at Zhao Lan: "Oh well, it's not anything valuable anyway, so what if it's gone?"

Zhao Lan thought about it and realized that her daughter had worn a pair of pearl earrings when she went out that morning. They were the most common and ordinary style, so it wouldn't matter if someone picked them up.

She poked Shen Lingyue's forehead helplessly, her voice laced with threat: "Little darling, don't cause me any trouble when you come out, okay?"

Shen Lingyue feigned grievance: "I've been behaving very well lately, what trouble have I caused?"

She ate a few more bites of food, then casually inquired, "I think I just heard someone from the Duke's mansion say that something is missing. Do you know anything about it?"

Zhao Lan looked up and surveyed the room. The guests were all eating and chatting, and everything seemed normal.

She shook her head to indicate that she didn't know, "Even if something is lost, it's the Duke's mansion's own business, so don't worry about it."

"oh……"

Shen Lingyue continued eating, since she had already completed her most important task for the day.

The Duke of Lingguo's mansion put a lot of thought into this wedding banquet. The dishes were plentiful, and they were all delicious and visually appealing. In particular, the hand-shredded spicy and sour beef was tender yet chewy.

As Shen Lingyue chewed, her thoughts wandered uncontrollably.

Knowing that something very important had gone missing from the Duke's mansion, the guards searched everywhere.

She hid in the artificial hill, only to find that there were other people inside.

Since she was there to deliver a letter to Zheng Chunyun, the guy hiding in the rockery who felt pretty good to the touch was most likely the thief.

It was pitch black in the cave at the time, so she couldn't see his face clearly, but she could tell that the fabric of his clothes was expensive, and there was a faint scent of perfume when they touched.

Shen Lingyue's fingers moved unconsciously, making a grasping motion in the air.

He's so tall, and he has such a good feel for things... no, I mean he's very muscular!

So they were definitely not ordinary servants, guards, or attendants, but rather guests who had come to the banquet today.

Shen Lingyue looked across the lake and could vaguely hear the boisterous chatter of the male guests.

When it was almost time for the banquet to end, she followed Zhao Lan to the main gate. Looking at the carriages that were packed into the alley, she took the opportunity to steal glances at the male guests in front, trying to find familiar figures.

Gu Yuan, the groom today, was heavily intoxicated. Standing at the gate seeing off the guests, his face was flushed, and he could only stand by leaning on a servant to keep his balance.

Qingchan suddenly tugged at her sleeve, her voice excited: "Miss, look! The one in the dark blue brocade robe over there is Young Master Pei—"

Shen Lingyue quickly stood on tiptoe and looked around, "Where is it?"

She's been here for so many days, and she still doesn't know whether her future husband is tall or short, flat or round.

Looking in the direction Qingchan pointed, she saw a tall, slender figure, as graceful as a bamboo shoot. He was too far away to see his features clearly, but his profile was well-defined, with a straight nose and a handsome face, making him stand out.

Shen Lingyue curled her lips slightly. The man surnamed Pei was quite good-looking.

Then she heard Qingchan add, "...It's the young master Pei that Miss Zhou is going to marry."

Is it Pei Da?

Is the Pei Jingyi that Yan Yi is going to marry?

Shen Lingyue's eyes widened instantly, scrutinizing her from top to bottom with an X-ray-like intensity.

Tsk, he's quite tall, but what's the use of being tall? He's like a bamboo pole. Is he going to be sickly?

His face is so pale, his lips so thin, he looks like a womanizer...

See? He's talking to other girls and even smiling at them!

Shen Lingyue gritted her teeth, finding fault with Pei Jingyi from head to toe.

—It's decided. I'll go back and find some recipes for food combinations that are incompatible with Yan Yi, so she can become a widow as soon as possible!

In the distance, Pei Jingyi was talking to his cousin when he suddenly felt a murderous gaze coming from behind him.

He turned his head alertly, but only saw a group of female guests waiting for their carriage, nothing unusual.

"What's wrong, Jingyi?" His cousin asked when he suddenly turned around. "Is there something else?"

Pei Jingyi withdrew his gaze and shook his head.

He watched his cousin board the carriage and said slowly, "Don't worry about your brother-in-law. As long as he's not involved in the case of embezzling military supplies, I will definitely not let him be implicated."

My cousin nodded repeatedly, "Your brother-in-law is the most honest person. He only listens to his superiors. How could he have the guts?"

The carriage rumbled forward, and Pei Jingyi, who also intended to ride back to his residence, looked around, frowned slightly, and asked the guard, "Where is the Second Young Master?"

"It seems the second young master ate something bad and left early."

Pei Jingyi frowned even deeper, and after a moment of silence, he said, "Let's ignore him and go."

*

Inside the new house, Zheng Chunyun sat there until the lanterns were lit, when a servant from Gu Yuan's side came to report: "The second young master is drunk and has already rested at the second young mistress's place."

The maidservant was dismissed, and the door was closed tightly. Her voice trembled with anger as she said, "Miss, they are bullying us too much!"

Yes, Zheng Chunyun is nominally the wife of the eldest son of the main branch, but Gu Yuan said he would also inherit the family line. Even if he doesn't stay overnight in the main branch, he should at least come over in person and lift the veil, right?

"It's alright."

Zheng Chunyun was not surprised by this answer. She raised her hand and took off her veil, giving the maid a faint smile: "Come and help me remove my makeup, this phoenix crown is so heavy."

Finally, after taking off her elaborate phoenix coronet and wedding robes, she asked her maid to fetch some light and easily digestible food from the kitchen.

She hadn't eaten all day and was almost fainting from hunger.

Taking advantage of this moment, Zheng Chunyun went to the private room behind the screen to wash up.

She opened the trunk and took out a change of clothes, only to find a letter falling out.

Who put this in there?

Zheng Chunyun opened the blank envelope with a puzzled look, and her expression changed after reading only the beginning.

"Vast heavens above, boundless earth below, I am the Mysterious Maiden of Fate of the Nine Heavens. I see your destiny is perilous; your death is imminent—"

The maid returned with the food box and, finding no one in the room, called out "Miss" twice. She went around the screen and saw Zheng Chunyun standing blankly beside the bathtub, looking dazed and pale.

"Miss, what's wrong? Don't scare me!"

Zheng Chunyun snapped out of her daze, immediately folded the letter back into the envelope, and clutched it tightly in her hand.

"I'm fine... Let's set the table."

She found the meal utterly tasteless.

Late at night, Zheng Chunyun hid in her bed curtains, her trembling hands gripping the letter, repeatedly looking at the prophecy that seemed to be dripping with blood, almost as if it were being deeply etched into her mind.

Zheng Chunyun waited until dawn, then got up, dressed, and washed up as if nothing had happened before going out to pay her respects to the Duchess of Lingguo.

We'll soon be able to verify whether what's said in that letter is true.

As soon as Zheng Chunyun entered the room, the Duchess of Lingguo grasped her hands, and a troubled look appeared on her kind face.

"Chunyun, there's something your mother wants to discuss with you."

Zheng Chunyun feigned a hint of panic at just the right moment: "Mother, you're exaggerating. What is it?"

Lady Ling hesitated before speaking, "This morning, Zhengzheng suddenly had a nightmare, saying that there were ghosts in her dream whose faces she couldn't see, and they kept chasing her. I remembered that the jade ruyi that the Imperial Concubine gave you was blessed by a high monk at Dacheng Temple. Why don't we send it to Zhengzheng's room to help her ward off the evil spirits?"

The tension in Zheng Chunyun's mind snapped instantly.

...That letter predicted everything!

The day after her wedding, Qin Zhengzheng took the jade ruyi bestowed upon her by the palace, and it was never returned until her death.

Seeing that Zheng Chunyun hadn't spoken for a while, the Duchess of Lingguo was somewhat dissatisfied. She patiently said, "You are Zhengzheng's sister-in-law and have always been the most understanding. Can't you even lend her the jade ruyi for a few days?"

Zheng Chunyun slowly raised the corners of her lips, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"I will follow my mother's arrangements."

*

"Now Zheng Chunyun should believe it, right?"

As soon as Shen Lingyue opened her eyes in the morning, she said something that Qingchan couldn't understand.

She put down the still-steaming copper basin, picked up a towel, and walked over. "Believe in what?"

Shen Lingyue stretched and winked at her, "I believe the Duke of Ling's mansion is a huge pit of fire."

She and Yan Yi revised the letter several times, filling it with many details unknown to outsiders, pretending it was a divine intervention, and containing warnings, advice, support, and encouragement.

She believed that her granddaughter, who had been personally raised by the former Minister of Personnel, would not be a resigned fool.

It was a beautiful day, and Shen Lingyue was in a good mood. After a delicious breakfast, she sat on the veranda, enjoying the breeze and watching the little girls in the courtyard playing shuttlecock.

It wasn't until Shuangxu returned from outside that she whispered in his ear, "There's news from the eldest son-in-law's side."

Shen Lingyue quickly invited her inside to explain in detail.

Previously, Shen Yuanjia had taken her daughter back to her parents' home for three days. Her brother-in-law, Han Zhihuan, eagerly followed her over, drinking and admiring paintings with his father-in-law, and humbly making promises to his mother-in-law, saying that he would not take a concubine. Only then did he manage to coax Shen Yuanjia back to the Pingxi Earl's Mansion with him.

“These days, my second brother and a few friends from the street take turns following the eldest son-in-law. At first, everything was normal. He would go to the yamen to report for duty every day, go home on time, and occasionally buy snacks for Heng-jie on the way. On his days off, he would accompany the eldest young lady to the temple outside the city to burn incense.”

Shen Lingyue snorted coldly, "And then? After pretending for so many days, you finally showed your true colors?"

The frost-like flakes nodded.

“It wasn’t until a few days ago that my second brother found out from another driver that the government office where my eldest son-in-law worked had a back alley entrance that made it easier for them to go to other government offices. It was very hidden and most people didn’t know about it.”

Shuangxu's second brother kept watch over the back alley for a few days and discovered that Han Zhihuan would sneak out every three to five days in the afternoon, only for about an hour, and then return with a beaming smile.

Shen Lingyue asked, "Did he go to a brothel? I'm going to write an anonymous letter to report him!"

Shuangxu shook her head. "The eldest son-in-law went to Bitao Lane. It seems he has set up a second home there."

Shen Lingyue slammed her hand on the table and stood up. "Prepare the car, let's go!"

A note from the author:

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Yuezai's view on Yanyan: My best friend is beautiful, talented, gentle, generous, knowledgeable, and perfect! (A thousand words of flattery omitted here)

Yuezai looks at Pei Da: He's a person too (indifferent face).

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