Fortune telling (repair)
Dou Zhen nodded.
Dou Yanxun promised to come directly after his shift, so Lin Xu instructed Zhou Qi to choose a sparsely populated open space. Zhu Ling and A Yin worked together and quickly laid the brocade cloth for the outing neatly on the meadow. Granny Qin prepared several kinds of snacks, filling the three-tiered food box to the brim.
Zhu Ling took out the fruits and pastries one by one, glanced at the few young girls walking on the stones by the stream in the distance, and couldn't help but smile.
"It's been a long time since I've left the manor; it's definitely more lively outside."
In the distance, several children were chasing each other flying kites. The carp kite, which was entirely red and had golden scales painted on its belly, was lifelike. There was also a crane kite with soft white feathers and two wings that opened and closed. Each one was extremely realistic.
Dou Zhen looked up, a mixture of envy and reminiscence gradually surfacing in her eyes. "When I was still young, my second brother once made me a paper kite..."
The sound gradually faded away.
Lin Xu tasted half a peach blossom pastry; the layers of flaky pastry were delightful, and her mouth watered. It seemed her skills in the kitchen were improving daily. Having not heard Dou Zhen speak for a while, she couldn't help but look up.
"I only played with the kite a few times before Fu Lian took it away. Not long after, my second brother went to the northern frontier to recuperate from an illness. My eldest brother was busy with his studies every day and never accompanied me, so I never flew a kite again."
Dou Zhen is a year younger than Lin Xu. Although she is the legitimate daughter of the Bai family, Dou Yanzhou, as the eldest son, is seven years older than her. On the contrary, Dou Yanxun, her half-brother, is closer to her age, and the two were closer when they were young.
However, in Lin Xu's mind, the young Dou Yanxun was always thin, frail, and pitiful, just like the boy she had glimpsed kicking pebbles by the roadside in the sedan chair in the northern desert years ago. She found it hard to imagine him making kites for his younger sister and making her happy.
Just as he was lost in thought, he suddenly heard the sound of horses' hooves mixed with the sound of golden bells in the distance.
Zhu Ling raised her head gently, but because she was too far away to see clearly, she tentatively asked, "Is that Second Master?"
Lin Xu looked back and saw a tall figure riding towards them at the end of the Chanyu Creek. The creek reflected the sunlight, shrouding the distant pear trees in a hazy mist.
Ironically, she had been married to him for several months but had never seen him galloping on horseback.
Even so, when that figure came from afar, stepping on the falling petals on the shore, she knew it was him at a glance.
The man in black put away his whip, dismounted, and stirred up a shower of pink petals still covered in morning dew.
Dou Yanxun had excellent eyesight and seemed to have found their trail at a glance. He glanced at Lin Xu and casually tied the horse's reins to the pear tree next to him.
"Second Brother." Dou Zhen greeted Dou Yanxun with a slight smile.
Dou Yanxun nodded in agreement, lifted the corner of his robe, and naturally sat down next to Lin Xu.
His eyes, no less captivating than any of Hua Ying's, were lowered, yet a faint smile graced his lips, revealing a rare moment of exceptional good mood.
Lin Xu smiled and asked, "Why are you so happy, my husband?"
Upon hearing this, Dou Yanxun glanced at her, but remained silent with a slight smile. He took the tea that Zhu Ling brought him, took a slow sip, and chatted casually with Dou Zhen for a few minutes.
Lin Xu was already used to his eccentric personality, his joys and sorrows as unpredictable as the wind. Now, in front of her sister-in-law, she was not annoyed at all by being ignored. She simply reached out and picked up a red bean paste-filled green rice dumpling from the delicate porcelain dish.
The qingtuan (green glutinous rice dumplings) were soft and chewy, a favorite of hers as a child, which made her especially happy during the Cold Food Festival. The cooks in the Dou family were all highly skilled; the aroma of red beans and glutinous rice blended together, complemented by the fragrance of mugwort, resulting in a sweet yet not sticky taste with every bite.
As Lin Xu was eating, he suddenly felt a hand reaching out from behind him.
Dou Yanxun actually pinched her lower back lightly right under everyone's noses.
Lin Xu suddenly panicked, but the person sitting beside him remained as indifferent as before, quietly drinking tea with his head down, listening to Dou Zhen tell interesting stories from school, occasionally raising his eyebrows and nodding, clearly listening attentively.
Out of politeness, Lin Xu didn't bother to expose his pretense, but the next moment, his hand, which had just been lowered, reached towards her waist again. Her ears instantly burned with heat.
Lin Xu could no longer bear it, so she put down the last bit of green rice dumpling she had left and turned around to look at him.
However, their initially aggressive demeanor softened instantly when they saw Dou Yanxun slowly raise his right hand.
In his outstretched palm lay a small tuft of pure white down.
"My wife loves snow dumplings, and I am very happy about that."
So, when he touched her lower back earlier, was it to remove the hair from the snowball stuck there?
As she left, she was talking to Dou Zhen and didn't notice her clothes. Perhaps the tuft of white hair that had been stuck to her before she left home was still there.
As Lin Xu was pondering, a burst of laughter suddenly came from the opposite bank.
Looking along the shimmering golden stream, several graceful young women strolled along the opposite bank, chatting and laughing among the jagged branches of the trees, creating a beautiful scene.
Behind the group of women was an elderly woman, being helped along slowly by two or three maids.
Even though they were separated by a stream and the woman's face was not clearly visible, her demeanor and attire alone revealed her extraordinary status.
Not far from the woman were two men riding slowly on reddish-brown horses.
The leader was slightly older, with half-white hair, and wore a long purple-red silk robe. Beside him, the man with his head slightly raised and an imposing air wore a jade crown and a dark blue robe, his face full of arrogance and nobility.
The group was quite large, and with many guards following them, they quickly attracted a lot of attention. Lin Xu watched for a moment and noticed that Dou Zhen, who was sitting opposite him, was becoming increasingly nervous.
She and Dou Zhen exchanged a glance.
Dou Zhen hesitated for a moment, but ultimately nodded gently.
The banks of the Chanyu Creek are lined with lush vegetation. Following the river westward, you'll soon find a bustling ancient temple built against the mountainside, where incense burns brightly.
In its early years, the Huo family was a prominent clan that had made great contributions to the founding of the nation. When Consort Huo was still alive, she had enjoyed the family's favor for several years. After several pleas, the emperor granted her the privilege of building an ancestral hall in the suburbs of the capital.
After Consort Huo passed away due to illness, and the Fifth Prince was not good at writing, he had no hope of winning the throne, and the Huo family never recovered. Therefore, every year during the Cold Food Festival and Qingming Festival, the younger generation would go to the ancestral hall to offer incense and remember the family's past glory.
And this Jade Stream is on the route they must take when they travel to perform sacrificial rites.
Looking across the clear blue stream, the Fifth Prince, though slightly shorter, still stood ramrod straight. He wore a dark blue brocade robe embroidered with coiled dragons as he rode slowly, his robe billowing and swirling with the horse's hooves.
The Fifth Prince, having practiced martial arts since childhood, was sturdy and robust, but by no means bloated. On the contrary, his muscles and bones were strong, making him appear as steady as a rock when seated on horseback. This aura alone exuded an awe-inspiring arrogance and noble bearing.
Dou Yanxun slowly finished the last sip of tea in his cup, slightly raised his eyelids, and then put down the cup with a soft sigh:
"Indeed, the sky is clear and the air is crisp today, a perfect day for an outing. Even the imperial family and nobility rarely get to meet such a person."
"Chanyu Creek is a popular spot for spring outings, and it's not uncommon to encounter royal processions there. However, judging from the scale of the Huo family's ancestral worship ceremony today, it seems to be even more lively than in previous years."
Lin Xu slowly sipped her tea and replied leisurely. She took the opportunity to glance at Dou Zhen and saw that her face was pale, as if she was unable to stop feeling agitated when she saw the Fifth Prince appear.
Dou Zhenping is usually calm and collected, but his current behavior is so unusual that even someone as intelligent as Dou Yanxun will soon notice something amiss.
As expected, Dou Yanxun curled his lips, picked up a handkerchief to wipe his hands clean, then casually tossed it aside, and looked at Dou Zhen with a smile.
"Speaking of which, it seems that my third sister and the Fifth Prince were classmates when she entered the palace to study. We are fortunate to run into each other today. Should we go and say hello?"
Dou Zhen has been suffering these days, but apart from Lin Xu, no one in the family knows.
Dou Yanxun was used to being lazy and was only close to his younger sister Dou Zhen at home. He often heard Bai Shi boast in her spare time that Dou Zhen was now a princess's companion and that she was surrounded by nobles and relatives of the royal family, which was far superior to that of an ordinary official's daughter. So he began to tease her.
It was originally just a perfectly normal joke, but unexpectedly, upon hearing it, Dou Zhen's eyes darkened further. She pursed her lips, her face pale, and said:
"Second Brother, please don't make fun of Zhen'er. The Fifth Prince is so handsome and elegant, and it's such an important event as the ancestral worship ceremony, so it's best if we don't bother him."
Lin Xu couldn't help but sigh inwardly. After all, Dou Zhen hadn't reached marriageable age yet, and was ultimately a girl who couldn't hide her feelings.
As expected, Dou Yanxun, who had been indifferent, suddenly showed a thoughtful look in his peach blossom eyes.
She understood, of course, that Dou Yanxun had suddenly become suspicious.
Lin Xu picked up a handkerchief and carefully wiped her hands clean, then calmly looked up at the opposite bank.
The group was impressive and had guards protecting them. In an instant, the people who were leisurely enjoying the spring scenery by the stream all wisely made way for them.
The women walking ahead of the group were all elegantly dressed and graceful, creating a beautiful scene in themselves. But the most eye-catching of them all was the woman at the head of the group.
She was dressed in a light ochre-colored, pomegranate-colored, double-breasted long dress, paired with a soft, cloud-like silver shawl. From a distance, her appearance was not particularly outstanding, but her every move exuded a noble and elegant demeanor. That was Zhang Shi, who now held the reins of the Huo family's household management.
Although Zhang had been married to Huo Qizhen for many years, she did not take his surname. Instead, she relied on Huo Qizhen's shrewdness in managing the household, taking advantage of his timid nature and fear of his wife. Over the years, the Huo family's finances were in good order, and she was in charge of all matters, big and small, making her the de facto head of the Huo family, and no one dared to underestimate her.
Lin Xu was not originally familiar with Zhang Shi; in her previous life, she had only heard of her name. Therefore, she was surprised when others mentioned Zhang Shi's high praise for her during the greeting that day.
Upon further reflection, the Zhang family had produced three Grand Tutors to the Crown Prince in their history. Although no one in the current dynasty had ever held such a high position, their family had a long history of learning, so they would naturally feel a sense of closeness to Lin Xu, who was also born in Zanying.
My father has accumulated good deeds over the years and never helped any faction in officialdom. Although he lost some benefits in this way, he gained a lot of goodwill from the upright or neutral factions for the Lin family.
In fact, when Lin Xu first planned this, she couldn't help but think that if she hadn't been married at that time, the marriage that Zhang had arranged for her nephew, the Fifth Prince, might have fallen to her.
At this, she couldn't help but feel a chill. Half relieved, the other half made her even more determined to help Dou Zhen.
In the distance, streams murmur, green mountains are ablaze with color, and the sprawling forests are shrouded in a thin mist, appearing exceptionally ethereal.
Her plan for today is hidden deep within that forest.
Although she didn't have much contact with the Fifth Prince during her time at Zhiqiong Hall, she vaguely remembered a few things.
Firstly, the Fifth Prince lacked strategic thinking and was not favored by the Emperor, so he followed the Third Prince every day, wholeheartedly supporting him to enter the Eastern Palace.
Secondly, the Fifth Prince never studied diligently. Whenever he was about to take an exam or be checked by the Doctor, he would always rely on divination or so-called omens of good or bad fortune. If he drew the worst possible sign, he wouldn't even lift a pen and would willingly hand in a blank paper to the Doctor.
After Lin Xu consulted Dou Zhen again, his previous conjecture was confirmed.
Dou Zhen also said that since the Third Prince left Zhiqiong Hall, only the Fifth and Ninth Princes remained in the entire school. The Fifth Prince was particularly arrogant and domineering, showing no regard for the other students. The Ninth Prince was young and timid and could not compete with the Fifth Prince. As a result, the Fifth Prince formed cliques, and most of the royal relatives and nobles in the school now followed his lead.
This clearly shows that the Fifth Prince's usual respectful demeanor towards the Third Prince was not genuine; on the contrary, he harbored a deeper concern and desire for power.
As for someone like him who pursues fame and fortune and believes that good and bad luck are predetermined by heaven, he can be manipulated with just a little effort.
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