"What does Mother want with me?"
Having achieved her goal, she breathed a sigh of relief, finally putting one of her worries to rest.
Qin Shi rose from the nine-lotus prayer cushion and placed three incense sticks into the incense burner. "I just drew a fortune stick for you. Later, you will come with me to see Master Hongyi and let him interpret the fortune."
Inside the main hall stands a gilded three-person Buddha statue, looking down upon all beings with a compassionate expression. Its radiant light embraces all beings. The incense burner in front of it is already piled high with incense ash, and wisps of smoke gently envelop the golden image of Maitreya Buddha within it.
Tianyun knelt down, kowtowed three times, and silently prayed: First, may the young man live a long and healthy life; second, may our parents and immortals be together forever; third, may my brother achieve great things.
If her wish is fulfilled, the believer vows to do good deeds and accumulate merit in this life, and never create bad karma.
Qin's complexion didn't look good, and she didn't know what was wrong, so she had no choice but to agree to go with her.
She asked softly, "Why does Mother look so pale? Is the fortune reading bad?"
Wang Mama, supporting Qin Shi as she walked ahead, replied, "Madam drew a fortune stick for your marriage, but strangely, she only shook it once, and two sticks fell out at the same time. Moreover, the contents of the sticks are very different; one is a very auspicious one, and the other... is a very inauspicious one."
The lady, unsure of the meaning, decided it best to consult Master Hongyi.
"Such a strange thing," Tianyun murmured. Following behind them, someone seemed lost in thought.
Could this be related to the fact that she came from another time, rather than being the original body?
——
On the low pearwood table, a wisp of sandalwood incense slowly burned in the lotus-shaped incense burner. The subtle fragrance calmed the mind, and the faint sound of ancient temple bells drifted into the distance. Everywhere in the room, there was an atmosphere of Zen.
"Please have some tea, both of you." The abbot sat cross-legged on a prayer mat, his palms clasped together and his head slightly bowed, revealing nine pale golden ordination scars on his head.
"Abbot, please be respectful. I have come today to ask you to interpret these two fortune sticks and see if they are unfavorable to my daughter's future marriage." Madam Qin placed the two fortune sticks on the wooden table.
The abbot, following instructions, picked up the one on the left, which read, "I am like Mount Xu, always in your sight; my lover is like a stone Buddha, without heart." This was the worst possible omen.
He explained to Qin, "A man's heart is like stone. As the name suggests, if one is in love with someone whose heart is as hard as iron, one can imagine that the road ahead in love will be full of hardships and twists and turns. As the saying goes, what is destined to be yours will be yours, and what is not, you cannot force."
Amitabha Buddha, it would be better to let go of attachments as soon as possible; in this way, both oneself and others will be liberated.
Isn't this exactly what Yun'er was going through with her desperate pleas for the Second Prince but to no avail?
Madam Qin immediately understood, frowned and whispered to Tianyun, "I didn't scold you for the foolish things you did the other day, but you absolutely must not do it again! The Second Prince has no interest in you, and it's futile for you to continue to be infatuated. It's not too late to give up on these thoughts now!"
She sighed again and said, "Alas, I failed to restrain you, and you have gone astray. If you persist in this, I will not be lenient with you again! Although I hope you will marry into a high-ranking family and enjoy a life of honor, I will never let you continue to do foolish things."
Tianyun took the blame again, and said helplessly in a low voice, "I know, Mother. I was delusional and lost my mind in the past. I understand now."
Seeing that she spoke with conviction, it didn't seem like she was just going through the motions.
Qin's expression softened slightly, and she nodded, then said to the abbot, "Master, please take a look at the other branch."
The abbot then picked up the one on the right, which read, "If I live, I will return; if I die, I will long for you forever." It was an extremely auspicious divination slip.
Looking at the two completely different fortune slips, the abbot paused before saying, "Married in youth, you will be inseparable and trusting. In life, you will return to each other; in death, you will be forever longing for each other. This fortune slip means that if your daughter is destined to be with her husband, they will surely have a deep and loving marriage."
Master Hongyi put down the two divination sticks, his clear and upright gaze fixed on Tianyun, as if he saw something through her.
Tianyun calmly met his gaze.
"Why are you looking at me like that, Master? Is there something wrong with Tianyun?"
He withdrew his gaze and said slowly, "There is nothing wrong with you, young lady. This humble monk observes your face; the peach blossom evil between your brows has been resolved by you. You also have support and vitality supporting you, which is a sign of great wealth and nobility."
“Then I will take the abbot’s auspicious words into consideration.” She smiled and patted Qin’s hand: “In this way, Mother can rest assured.”
For some reason... when Master Hongyi said that the person was destined for her, the first person she thought of was a young man, but then she shook her head and put this ridiculous idea out of her mind.
She tried so hard, but the boy never showed her the slightest tenderness...
Madam Qin was overjoyed: "The calamity has been averted. So, this auspicious sign has outweighed the inauspicious one? The master's words must be true. I only hope that my Yun'er, as you said, will grow old with her destined one!"
"Abbot, could you please tell me what the birth chart and zodiac sign of this destined person are?"
The abbot clasped his hands together and said, "Amitabha. Everything is subject to karmic conditions and has no fixed destiny."
So why is there any question of whether the divination slips are overwritten or not? Since they are two different destinies, there will naturally be two different divination slips.
Qin was somewhat disappointed: "In that case, thank you, Master." Granny Wang comforted her, "Madam, don't worry. The abbot just said that our young lady is destined for great wealth and honor!"
“You’re right. Yun’er is still young, so I can take my time to find a suitable match for her.”
Tianyun smiled and handed the tea to Qin Shi: "Thank you for your trouble, Mother. I have no worries about getting married. Please take your time and don't rush."
Upon hearing this, Madam Qin gave her a reproachful look, as if she were being coaxed.
As Tianyun was leaving, the abbot suddenly stopped him, saying, "Benefactor, just follow your heart in all things, and do not be too attached to the past, lest you lose your true self!"
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