Wu Wang Hexagram (Lower-lower ...

Chapter 25 Wu Wang Hexagram - The Inauspicious Hexagram - Entering the Palace

Upon hearing this, Madam Fang gave a soft scoff, and the maid in the corner of the room noticed her lowered head.

They had seen Rong Yan's expression, which was clearly feigned mystery, and her disdainful look was all too familiar to them. So when Fang's mother showed such an expression, they knew what she was thinking.

They exchanged a glance. Ever since Rong Yan became the mistress of the house, she had never made things difficult for them, the maids.

Therefore, deep down, they also hoped that Rong Yan would have a good outcome and be respected by others.

In this way, they could serve her and have someone to rely on, preventing them from being bullied by the other households.

However, Mr. Qian of Fenglelou had studied feng shui for decades to achieve his current success. The old lady was only ten or sixteen years old. It was impossible for her to have any extraordinary feng shui skills.

After all, those who could perform geomancy for the Marquis's residence were all top-tier masters. How could she possibly compare?

Wang: "What do you mean by that?"

Madam Wang: "Madam can say whatever she wants, both good and bad, and I'm completely confused by what she says."

Rong Yan didn't mind Xiao Wang's bluntness, and just smiled, "I think the most appropriate explanation here is the divination method."

"The art of house selection?" Upon hearing this, everyone felt it was somewhat profound and looked confused, as they had never heard of this art even from Mr. Qian.

"The house layout was calculated based on the fact that Aunt Zhou is the owner of the courtyard. Aunt Zhou's surname is Zhou, and according to the five notes of the pentatonic scale (Gong, Shang, Jiao, Zheng, Yu), the five notes correspond to the five elements, and the five elements correspond to the five surnames. The house layout is based on a person's surname. Aunt Zhou's courtyard is located in the west, which is the Shang direction. There is nothing wrong with it; it is very suitable for living. However, Shang is associated with metal, and fire overcomes metal. Zheng is associated with fire, and the surnames of the house owner, Fang Mama, clash with hers. Therefore, it is best to stay in her courtyard in the future. The problem can be solved by not having anyone live in the south-facing alley of her courtyard."

Everyone: !!!

Everyone present was astonished. Although most people underestimated Rong Yan, they were surprised to hear her speak so professionally, and it did not seem like she was making things up at all.

Fang's mother: ? ? ?

With a forced smile, Madam Fang said, "So, according to what Madam said, I'm the only old woman in the whole house who's incompatible with her... well... oh dear."

She appeared embarrassed, but in reality, she was implying that Rong Yan was mistaken.

"Well... I know I have offended you, Madam, but if you speak of me like this, then I will be more careful."

"Well, it's not just you. It's just that in the inner courtyard, you're the only one who often comes and goes freely. I was just saying that casually, so please don't take it to heart, Madam Fang."

The maids below were secretly delighted. The lady's reply was so tactful. If you listened carefully, wasn't she implying that Madam Fang had no manners at all?

Mrs. Fang naturally understood what was going on, and she was extremely angry and upset!

Madam Wang glanced at Madam Fang and then at Rong Yan, smiling with great satisfaction.

Fang's mother was all too familiar with Wang's smile, and was slightly startled, realizing she had made a mistake.

She's truly blinded by greed! To Madam Wang, it doesn't matter whether Rong Yan is right or wrong; what matters is that she can curb this concubine's arrogance and prevent her from moving to another courtyard!

She just didn't expect that Rong Yan could so easily drag her down into the mire and get her involved too!

Sure enough, Wang said, "In that case, Madam Fang, you must not enter Aunt Zhou's courtyard again. Aunt Zhou, did you hear what the eldest mistress said? From now on, don't act so disrespectfully. You are going to be a mother now!"

Although Aunt Zhou was reprimanded by Madam Wang, she was still unhappy.

However, she didn't have anything to be angry about.

As long as she has achieved her own goal, that's fine.

She came to cause trouble not because she wanted to cause trouble, but because she was thinking about the baby in her womb.

After all, only with him could she have a peaceful second half of her life.

As long as it's good for the child!

Madam Fang was somewhat displeased, but she couldn't argue back in public. Seeing that all the maids in the room were laughing at her and making her lose her dignity, she was very annoyed!

After everyone left, Wang kept Rong Yan behind.

"Yanyan, I apologize for many things I did wrong in the past. I always judge people based on the issue, not the person, so you don't need to feel that I made things difficult for you. I hope you will be more considerate in your actions in the future, and I won't cause you any trouble. The past is the past. Let's get along well from now on. Come and learn from me when you have time. The affairs of the inner quarters will eventually be handed over to you. Be careful when you go to the palace tomorrow. I see that the eldest young master's health has almost recovered. Thank you for your help during this time. I will not treat you unfairly in the future. If you can help the eldest young master win the title of heir apparent one day, the title of heir apparent's wife will be yours."

The title of heir apparent mentioned by Wang was simply because marquises in the Northern Song Dynasty did not have the right of succession. If Xie Chengzhi wanted to inherit the title of Marquis of Runan and become a junior marquis, he would definitely have to be granted the title of heir apparent by the court.

She wanted her to enter the palace tomorrow, perform well, and also to fight for Xie Chengzhi.

As the matriarch of the imperial clan, Lady Wang was indeed shrewd and perceptive.

To Rong Yan's surprise, it was Madam Wang who bowed to her, simply saying that the past was past and that was that. She even offered to let Rong Yan learn from her how to manage the household affairs.

This truly shocked Rong Yan.

She was unsure how much of what she said was genuine. "Thank you for your kind words, Mother. I am still young and incapable. Mother is so young, she can still manage things for many years to come. If I were to learn from you so early, people who didn't know the situation would think that you were going to retire. In my opinion, it is feasible to postpone this for a few years."

She was afraid of dying, so the Lady Hou abandoned her and left the job to her, but the Lady Hou thought she was flattering her.

"Don't think that the affairs of the inner quarters are simple. I can see that you have no experience at all. You'd better learn from me as soon as possible."

Rong Yan: ...

"However, the Taoist temple is almost finished being renovated, and I will be offering incense and praying for the young master every day from then on..."

Upon hearing this, Lady Hou paused, "Well, the eldest son's affairs are more important. If you have free time after you finish dealing with his matters, you can come to my courtyard and ask me for advice."

Rong Yan smiled gently, "Yes, Mother."

Wang then said, "There is something I'm unsure whether to say or not. As Daoheng's mother, I hope you..."

She pointed to her belly halfway through her sentence, "I hope you can give the eldest son an heir as soon as possible. If the eldest son has an heir, it will be a good thing for his condition. I hope you can understand me as a mother. I believe your belly will definitely be very fertile."

As expected, Wang's tactic of giving a piece of candy to establish her authority was a combination of kindness and severity.

As Rong Yan stepped out of the main hall of the courtyard, she was surprised to find Xie Chengzhi waiting at the end of the path, clearly waiting for her.

Rong Yan was somewhat surprised that he hadn't gone back first, but had waited on this path for so long. Xie Chengzhi, who was at the end of the path with his back to her, turned around to look at her upon hearing the sound.

The path was paved with pebbles, making it inconvenient to walk quickly. There were two clumps of low shrubs on either side of the path. When her hem brushed past the shrubs, she startled a cluster of fireflies.

Suddenly, several tiny blue fireflies flew up between the two of them, their soft light quite beautiful.

The fireflies arrived a little earlier this year, a pleasant surprise indeed. A look of delight appeared on her face, and noticing his gaze, she quickened her pace to walk towards him.

He rarely leaves the courtyard, partly because of his poor health, and partly because a large group of people always follow him whenever he does.

Wang was also worried that he might be unwell, so she brought him medicine to his room every day. Rong Yan saw that he was either on his way to drink medicine or tonic.

"Is my husband waiting for me?"

"Um."

"It's windy outside, why did you go out?"

Xie Chengzhi ignored her. Rong Yan was a little out of breath from walking, and she had to suppress her breathing as she walked beside him. Seeing that he hadn't spoken for a long time and was just walking quietly, she couldn't help but ask again, "I wonder what my husband is waiting for me for?"

Xie Chengzhi's profile was sharply defined, and the yellowish light from the lantern in his hand illuminated his face, making his features and straight nose stand out even more.

Small fireflies scattered around him, dancing behind him, and Rong Yan was momentarily mesmerized by their sight.

He raised his lowered eyes slightly and said, "I will go to the palace with you tomorrow."

Just for this?

Rong Yan was stunned for a moment, then quickly recovered and smiled, “Husband, are you worried that I will not know the proper etiquette in the palace and that I will break the rules of the Marquis’s mansion? Don’t worry, Mama Fang has already told me about the rules of the palace.”

Xie Chengzhi did not argue, but frowned. "I haven't been to the palace for a long time. Since you want to go, you can come with me."

Seeing his unyielding tone, Rong Yan said no more.

She was somewhat surprised. Why wait here for her when she could talk about it back in her room?

Halfway down the road, she noticed the thick hem of her skirt was tinged with a yellowish light, and suddenly wondered if he was waiting for her because she hadn't brought a lantern.

Huali had already been called back to the greenhouse by her beforehand, but he didn't seem to be that thoughtful; she must be overthinking it.

On the way back, a lantern illuminated the two of them, casting a soft glow around them, a scene that stood out starkly against the surrounding darkness.

Rong Yan slowed his pace, watching him walk alone as if he didn't even realize that someone was missing beside him, and continued to walk forward.

The early spring night was still chilly despite the change in temperature, and the two walked back to Qu Shen Yuan.

Inside, there was a rosewood brazier that had been lit in advance, making it warm and cozy as soon as you entered.

Huali had already prepared the clothes for tomorrow and hung them behind the wooden screen. Since he woke up, Bai Qiong had rarely been able to enter the room. She could only play with Bai Qiong before washing up.

While he was washing up, she was stroking Bai Qiong's fur, having a great time. But when she got up, she found Xie Chengzhi standing at the door watching her for a long time. When he realized she had seen him, he went straight back to bed without saying a word.

After washing up, she returned to her chaise lounge.

Xie Chengzhi is a strange person; he almost never turns over at night. At first, she thought he was pretending to be asleep, but later she realized that he was really sleeping too soundly to turn over.

He seemed to trust her completely.

Tonight, however, he tossed and turned several times, which was unusual for him. The room was pitch black, and she couldn't sleep because he was disturbing her. So she tried to ask, "Are you so nervous about entering the palace tomorrow that you can't sleep?"

After a long silence, so long that she knew he wouldn't answer anymore, she suddenly heard him sigh.

Rong Yan: ?

In the darkness, his somewhat hoarse voice rang out, "You..."

"Um?"

"After you enter the palace tomorrow, find an opportunity to come back. Don't stay long. I will help you from the side."

As if afraid she would refuse, he added, "There's nothing much to see in the palace. If you want to go, you'll have the chance in the future."

"Oh, okay." Rong Yan's tone was gentle and her attitude was docile. She herself felt that she was very much a little woman. Sure enough, after hearing this, Xie Chengzhi turned over again, and this time it seemed that he really fell asleep.

Since Consort Rong is Princess Yongqing's birth mother, there's still a tough battle to fight tomorrow.