Chapter 47 Backhand
The old lady's heart was shocked. She looked at Yun Shi and asked, "Did the wife of the Marquis of Zhaoping really kneel down?"
No one in the room expected that Lady Zhaoping would go to such lengths for her son.
Yun nodded.
The old lady slowly fiddled with one of the Buddhist beads in her hand. "Do you agree to marry Yu'er to the prince of Zhaoping?"
Yun said, "How could I agree without the Duke and Yu'er's approval? I only agreed to go to the Huguo Temple to help persuade the Prince of Zhaoping."
The wife of the Marquis of Zhaoping knelt down in public, and Yun also agreed. Moreover, on the day of Shen Yu's divorce, no matter what the old lady's thoughts were, she had expressed her attitude. She hoped that Shen Yu could marry the son of the Marquis of Zhaoping again. She had no reason to stop Yun from going to the Huguo Temple to help persuade the son of the Marquis of Zhaoping.
Shen Wan did not give the old lady a chance to object, and changed the subject, asking for a reward on Ye Caiwei’s behalf, “Grandma, you haven’t rewarded your cousin yet.”
Ye Caiwei had never liked Chen Wan so much.
He helped her get in the spotlight twice and asked for rewards for her each time.
If no one helped to ask for the reward, the reward might be lost, but Shen Wan spoke on behalf of Ye Caiwei, so the old lady had to give the reward.
Ye Caiwei was so happy to receive a pair of golden hairpins that she danced with joy. "Thank you, Grandma."
Shen Wu was so angry that her back teeth were loosened. "Second sister is so good to my cousin, why don't you agree to restore my cousin's monthly allowance?"
Chen Wan smiled and said, "Let's put it this way. I didn't let mother give my cousin monthly allowance so that she wouldn't have any more estrangement from us. Besides, I only planned to withhold it for three or two months to teach my cousin a lesson. I'm not really going to stop giving it to her forever. It's you, third sister, who's been helping my cousin remember the fact that she didn't have monthly allowance. How did she get it? You're too embarrassed."
"you!"
Shen Wu angrily shook the old lady's arm, asking her to make the decision for her.
What could the old lady say? What Shen Wan said was all true. Her kindness to Ye Caiwei was obvious. Even if it was just to deduct her monthly salary, the person who deducted the money would have nothing to say.
Feeling a little tired, Chen Wan took his leave.
After returning to Mingyue Garden, Chen Wan went to see Chen Yu first. He did not mention the matter of Lady Zhaoping looking for Yun. After sitting for a while, he returned to the house.
Inside the house, Yin Chuan was wiping the tables and chairs. Seeing Chen Wan coming back, she came forward and said, "Madam Mei's illness was not cured after seeing a doctor before, but it became even worse. Today, the old lady has a headache, so please ask the doctor to come into the house and see Madam Mei. I've written a new prescription."
Chen Wan asked Yinchuan to keep an eye on the second and fourth rooms, and Yinchuan was concerned about everything that happened in the second and fourth rooms.
Chen Wan had just returned from Shou'an Hall. She didn't notice that the old lady looked worried. The old lady was probably worried about Mei's illness. She was Ye Caiwei's biological mother, so she had to take care of her. If she left her alone, Mei wouldn't last long under the second lady's control. But if she was too obvious in her control, the second lady would not be happy, so she could only deal with her in a roundabout way.
But how could such roundabout ways really be hidden from the Second Madam?
The old lady should know better than anyone else.
The old lady would never dare to take the risk. If the fact that Ye Caiwei was the second master's illegitimate daughter were to be exposed, the second master would not be able to bear his father's anger.
There must be a backup plan.
In the evening, the old lady took action. When she was worshiping Buddha, the Buddhist beads in her hand suddenly broke.
This has never happened before.
The next day, Shen Wan went to pay her respects to the old lady. The old lady looked very unhappy. Yun asked with concern, "Why does the old lady look so bad? Ask a doctor to come and take a look."
The old lady waved her hand and said, "I just saw the doctor yesterday. I just didn't sleep well. It's nothing serious."
Yun looked at Mother Sun and asked her to persuade the old lady.
Grandma Sun said, "Last night, while the old lady was praying to Buddha, her beads broke. She was afraid it was a bad omen, so she tossed and turned and couldn't sleep. In the second half of the night, she lit some calming incense, and finally fell asleep, only to be awakened by a nightmare..."
Yun said, "Everything is fine in the mansion. Nothing bad will happen."
"Be prepared for the worst."
The old lady had a worried look on her face.
Ye Caiwei said, "Why don't we invite a Taoist priest into the mansion to do some divination? The Taoist priest outside the Huguo Temple saved my eldest and second cousins. If we ask him to do it, grandma will feel at ease."
Yun said, "I was planning to go to Huguo Temple tomorrow. How about I go today and invite the Taoist back?"
The old lady said, "In order to invite the Taoist priest and deal with the matter of the Lady of Zhaoping, so as not to cause misunderstandings, I advise the matter of the Prince of Zhaoping to be put off for two days."
As she spoke, the old lady looked at Madam Sun and said, "Go to Huguo Temple to burn incense for me, add some money for the incense, and then invite the person back to the mansion."
The old lady gave Mother Sun a few instructions, and then Mother Sun went to the Huguo Temple.
After Mother Sun left, Shen Wan also left Shou'an Hall and went to the front yard and Shen Ji's study.
Shen Ji was not there, and Shen Wan was not looking for him. After entering the yard, Shen Wan called out, "Uncle Li, are you there?"
After shouting twice, a middle-aged man appeared, "Second Miss, are you looking for me?"
Shen Wan said, “I have something to do and I need Uncle Li’s help.”
Only Shanhu and Yinchuan are trustworthy around Chen Wan. She can leave the affairs in the mansion to them, but outside the mansion, especially things like following Mother Sun, Shanhu cannot handle it, and Chen Wan is also worried.
She could only look for her father's people.
She didn't believe that the old lady really dared to invite the Taoist priest into the house.
If she can really be bribed, Uncle Li can be a witness, and her parents won't have to rush to arrange a marriage for her.
Uncle Li is Shen Ji's secret guard. When he is free, he is responsible for guarding the study. Shen Wan is Shen Ji's most beloved daughter. If Shen Wan asks for help, Uncle Li will not refuse to help.
Mother Sun went to the Huguo Temple and came back quickly, and she also invited a Taoist priest into the house.
As soon as the Taoist priest entered Shou'an Hall, Chen Wan went there and saw the Taoist priest. As expected, it was not that Taoist priest.
Yun said, "This is not the Taoist priest who saved Wan'er and Yu'er's lives."
The old lady looked at Mother Sun and asked, "Did you invite the wrong person?"
Madam Sun shook her head. "That Taoist priest is very famous. Too many people have asked him to tell fortunes, so he's been busy these past few days. This Taoist priest is his junior fellow apprentice, and he specially invited him to the capital, saying that his skills are just as good as his. He highly recommended him. I was afraid that the old lady would be anxious waiting, so I invited this Taoist priest into the mansion."
He really knows how to use a pretext, and more importantly, no one suspects it.
The old lady looked at the Taoist priest and said, "I have been feeling very uneasy these past few days. My beads even broke when I was chanting sutras and reciting Buddhist scriptures. Is this a bad omen? Can you please tell me and resolve it?"
The Taoist priest asked for the old lady's birth date and calculated it with his hands, then asked, "Has anyone been added to the family recently?"
The old lady said, "No one has been added."
The second wife said, "I have a new concubine in my second room."
The Taoist priest said, "I want to see the concubine's birth date and horoscope."
The second lady quickly sent someone to get it.
Soon, the birth chart was in the hands of the Taoist priest, who said, "The old lady is uneasy, and it must be the owner of these eight characters who caused it."
The Second Madam asked, "Then can this concubine be a nemesis for the Old Madam?"
The Taoist wanted to say something but stopped himself.
The Second Madam said, "If you have anything to say, please speak clearly, Taoist Priest."
The Taoist priest said, "I'm afraid I'll get beaten if I tell you."
...It has that flavor.
When the Taoist priests outside the Huguo Temple make bad calculations, they are not afraid of being beaten.
The Second Madam said, "Master, please feel free to speak your mind. We in the Duke Dingguo Mansion are not unreasonable people."
The Taoist said, "These eight characters may seem ordinary, but they contain hidden nobleness. I have just carefully calculated that this person is destined to have a daughter, a life of great nobility, noble beyond words. In the future, the mother will definitely rely on her daughter's nobility to become a concubine, which will bring bad luck to the old lady. However, it is easy to resolve."
With every word the Taoist priest spoke, the old lady's face darkened, and Mother Sun's eyes widened, and she became even more panicked.
That’s not what she taught the Taoist priest!
The second wife's expression became even uglier.
No one spoke, so the Fourth Lady asked, "How do we resolve this?"
The Taoist said, "There are two ways. One is to raise her as a co-wife, and the other is to take her as a concubine. Madam, please recite the Tao Te Ching once a day for 49 consecutive days, and the problem will be resolved."
The old lady's face was gloomy. "What if we send them to the manor?"
The Taoist said, "If you send her away, the old lady will be fine, but the noble lady in her life will be gone."
"This girl can ensure the prosperity of your family for a hundred years."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
