The Lesser Exceeding Hexagram (Upper Middle Hexagram)

Chapter 62, the Lesser Exceeding Hexagram (Upper-Middle Hexagram): The Path We Came From, A Reunion

Overnight, the name of Rong Yan, the young mistress of the Marquis's mansion, spread throughout the streets and alleys.

Even Lingyun Temple on Dibao Mountain learned immediately that the female Taoist priest from Hebai Temple had passed the Taoist examination.

Although Chongming found it unexpected, upon closer reflection, it seemed to make sense.

He personally witnessed the splendor of Hebai Temple on the day it reopened.

Although Daoist Chonghuo did not verbally acknowledge Rong Yan's strength, anyone familiar with him could easily discern his true abilities from his expression.

Ultimately, Rong Yan earned a place in the hearts of orthodox Taoists through his Taoist achievements.

It should be noted that Rong Yan not only defeated many of the Taoist priests from Dibao Mountain who were participating in the imperial examinations,

She was the only female Taoist priest to stand out in the entire Northern Song Dynasty, and she even managed to gain a foothold in the fiercely competitive Bianliang, carving out a bloody path for herself.

Daoist Chonghuo stood by the window, gazing at the pine tree outside, and sighed deeply. "Old man, your female disciple is quite remarkable; she passed the Daoist examination. You even asked me to take good care of her? I think you're overthinking it. If you were alive, you'd be very proud..."

As he spoke, his eyes reddened.

Chonghuo Daoren always mocked Gouxiang Daoren, his rival from another mountain, in public. He seemed to look down on him, but in reality, the two were mortal enemies who respected each other. After being at odds for so many years, they had developed a mutual respect for each other.

Gou Xiang claimed to be going to Lingnan to handle worldly affairs, but in reality, he didn't have much time left. Because he had many concerns, he secretly instructed Gou Xiang to take good care of his apprentice.

Although he looked down on the disciples he protected, he still contributed some effort.

"You just won't listen to advice. Why do you worry so much about other people's karma..."

"Look, now there's one less person of my generation..."

His words, like a murmur, drifted in the air filled with the faint scent of incense, eventually disappearing into the dust, unanswered.

Rong Yan's passing the imperial examination shocked the entire city of Bianliang.

Even the people in the Marquis's mansion were extremely surprised, but at the same time, they felt honored.

The Marquis walked with an extra bit of swagger, and no one knew what he had promised Wang Lan, but Wang Lan actually left her house and rekindled their old relationship.

However, Wang Lan seemed to have completely given up hope, giving the impression that she and he were just living together as a couple.

This is fine, but it's nothing more than the affection of a couple who have been married for a day and have received a hundred days of kindness.

She completely disregarded whether he was taking a concubine or keeping a mistress, and even took the initiative to introduce him to someone, but the Marquis refused to accept it.

He never took another concubine.

After Rong Yan passed the imperial examination and became a Daoist official, she was completely bewildered.

She just gave it a casual test, and... she passed?

As a result, her third uncle and aunt were so busy that they could hardly go home. The more famous she became, the better the business of Hebai Temple became.

Many people came specifically for her divination skills.

When she's in a good mood, she goes to consult the oracle; when she's busy, she retreats back to the Marquis's residence.

After all, once you become a Taoist official, things become much more complicated.

They dealt not only with the Imperial Observatory, but also with officials of all ranks who wanted to curry favor.

After all, during the Northern Song Dynasty, Taoist temples were prevalent, and the government attached great importance to Taoism, even becoming obsessed with the pursuit of immortality.

Everyone wanted to get some guidance from the newly appointed Taoist priest, since newcomers are easy to fool and everyone wanted her to take their side.

Rong Yan was so fed up with these ways of officialdom that he simply shut himself away from home.

Having finally secured a mission to promote the Daoist sect, she was eager to take the ultimatum and spread it far and wide.

The Taoist temple was back on track. Du Chunhong had taught the cook Gan what she needed to learn, and Xie Qisheng had done all the repairs and tidying up for the temple. The two elders naturally found a reason to leave with Rong Yan.

Since Rong Yan married into the Marquis's mansion, everything has gone smoothly for her, and everyone in the mansion is overjoyed.

Zhi Rongshu was so exhausted that she was barely recognizable as a human.

Rong Shu had assumed that her sister, destined to be a widow, would ultimately perish with her. But instead, the short-lived Xie Chengzhi survived, and lived a perfectly good life?

She had painstakingly seized the power of managing the household affairs, toiling day and night for the entire Marquis's mansion, yet receiving no reward whatsoever. Meanwhile, her own sister, with a few casual divinations and a few casual words, seemed to predict everything accurately, earning the respect of everyone and effortlessly winning their favor with just a few words?

Even the examiner could easily predict the war between the two countries with a simple divination, and even the emperor himself came to bestow a reward?! Rong Shu almost couldn't catch her breath. In the past, everyone in the Rong family wanted to be Rong Shu.

Now, everyone in Bianliang wants to be Rong Yan. Whatever they crave, their third aunt, a royal chef, will feed them; whatever they want, their third uncle, a master craftsman, will provide. Even unexpected requests are thoughtfully provided by their in-laws!

She became increasingly angry, realizing that all her hard work had been for nothing!

No one knows what Xie Chengzhi and her husband discussed, but it caused him to be unusually drunk for three days. At his most intoxicated, he blurted out, "The position of young marquis is rightfully mine. I don't need your charity. If it weren't for the fact that you married such a good wife..."

Rong Shu: !!

After that, she fell seriously ill for more than a month, and the power to manage the household affairs returned to the Lady of the Marquis's hands.

On the day of their departure, Rong Yan stood in front of the house with everyone and asked, "Do you really want to come with me?"

"That's natural."

Du Chunhong, Xie Qisheng, Yu Ling, Hua Li, and Wang Mama left the Marquis's residence together.

Xie Chengzhi was nowhere to be seen in the crowd.

However, Xie Chengzhi prepared all the things for her trip.

Even her carriage was twice the size, which was enough.

She glanced back at the Xie family mansion one last time and realized that this trip would likely mean she would never be able to return to the capital.

The last time the Emperor visited, she divined the outcome of the war between the two countries, predicting a victory for him.

But soon, the historical process of candlelight and shadows will inevitably come, and turbulent political times are about to arrive, with even the maritime allies beginning to cause trouble.

Once everything at Hebai Temple was on track, she stepped down from her post in promoting Taoism after three years.

As she gazed at the location of Tianbao Mountain, she seemed to still be able to see the image of the Taoist priest from Gouxiang looking at her.

Master.

The most accurate divination you ever performed was the one that predicted your own life and death.

I know you are no longer here. I can never repay your kindness in this life. The only way I can do this is to preserve Hebai Temple.

Senior brother, you won't blame me for keeping you confined to the mortal world, will you?

Although she was not skilled in physiognomy, she could tell that the aura of a king or general was hidden between his eyebrows. He was an expert in this art and probably intended to conceal it, so for so many years she had pretended not to know.

If he didn't say anything, she didn't ask.

He stayed at Hebai Temple, and she didn't want to know whether it was for the old feelings between the two senior and junior brothers, or for some other scheme.

None of that matters anymore.

She lifted the carriage curtain and saw Xie Chengzhi sitting inside, resting with his eyes closed, the sky curled up at his feet.

She was taken aback.

"You... what are you doing here?"

Xie Chengzhi looked up at her and said, "You are the wife I married with all the proper rites and betrothal gifts. How could I, as your husband, let you go on an adventure alone?"

After Rong Yan got into the carriage, he said, "Let's not beat around the bush. You've dumped all the burdens of the Marquis's mansion on Xie Zhezhi. You're just using me to escape, aren't you?"

Xie Chengzhi seemed to want to say something, but then remained silent. "Yes."

The sky looked up and glanced at Xie Chengzhi, a rare occurrence for Cang Qiong, seemingly with some disdain for him.

Rong Yan opened the food box and found a letter from the old lady inside.

"You two can also consummate your marriage outside."

Rong Yan: ...

The Marquis's family had known about Xie Chengzhi's background for a long time. The Marquis had already tacitly approved of Xie Chengzhi as the eldest son. Although he had always wanted to have an heir but could not, he seemed to have repented because of the incident involving Concubine Zhou.

"I say, you Xie family members are all extraordinary. It seems like I can hide anything from you. But, young master, are you willing to sacrifice your reputation as Mr. Qian and leave with me?"

Given his reputation as Mr. Qian, he must have kept a lot of silver in his bank.

His wealth is probably more substantial than that of the entire Marquis's mansion.

Isn't this just a blatant, mobile money exchange?

Fine, fine, let him follow if he wants.

Since he seemed to like her, she reluctantly agreed.

Thinking of this, she smiled gently, and Xie Chengzhi lowered his eyes and chuckled softly as well.

The road to winning back his wife is long and arduous.

Farewell to the road we came from.

If fate allows, we will meet again in another era.