Madam Wu paused for a moment, suddenly recalling the conversation between the two common women from the marketplace.
The reason Qingcheng Temple is so efficacious is because an old immortal once stayed there...
Could this person before me be the old immortal?!
She suddenly stood up, caught up with him in a few steps, bowed respectfully, and tentatively asked, "Daoist Master, are you an old immortal who has traveled here?"
"This young woman is in trouble and has come here to make a wish. Would you be so kind as to invite me to sit in the pavilion?"
The old Taoist priest flicked his whisk and proclaimed "Infinite Heavenly Venerable" as a return of greeting.
But he shook his head and refused, saying, "Madam, this old Taoist priest does not interfere in worldly affairs. Please do as you wish!"
After saying that, he turned to leave.
Madam Wu panicked, knelt down, and tore at the corner of his robe.
"Master, this woman is in trouble and sincerely begs for your help. I hope you will grant my request."
The old Taoist priest was a little anxious, unable to pull out his robe, and somewhat embarrassed. In the end, having no other choice, he could only say, "Madam, you are tainted with purple aura. Kneeling like this will disrupt my cultivation. Please rise, and I will have a few words with you."
Madam Wu was overjoyed and quickly got up, leading the old Taoist priest into the pavilion.
Granny Sun was very perceptive. She quickly brought out a box of pastries and sent the maids outside to stand guard, while she herself served them.
The old Taoist priest didn't stand on ceremony. He reached into the box, took a pastry, and ate it. Finally, he said, "Madam, I have eaten a pastry from you, so I am grateful for your kindness."
"What do you wish for? Just tell me briefly, and I will do my best to fulfill it, as long as it is within my power."
Madam Wu felt much more at ease, but she still tentatively asked, "The Daoist Master is wise; he must have already guessed my identity, right?"
The old Taoist hesitated for a moment before saying, "Madam has been tainted by the dragon's aura. She must have recently visited the royal family or had contact with members of the royal family."
"And above the lady's head, a faint purple aura was gathering, accompanied by the faint sound of a phoenix's cry..."
"If this old Taoist is not mistaken, the lady should be a relative of the current Empress."
Mrs. Wu's eyes lit up as she listened, and she became even more excited.
"Yes, yes, the Taoist priest guessed correctly. This young lady comes from the Jiangning Marquis's mansion, and the current empress is this young lady's daughter."
The old Taoist priest nodded, but said, "If Madam wishes to inquire about the Empress, then I'm afraid I cannot help you with that."
"The laws of Heaven are governed by principles, which even this old Taoist cannot easily violate. Please, Madam, refrain from speaking! If Madam wishes to inquire about the family..."
"No, no!" Madam Wu cried out anxiously, "Daoist Master, you can't say that! I've come all this way today for the sake of Her Majesty the Empress!"
"I beg you, Taoist priest, to take pity on my sincere heart and please help me relieve my worries."
"If the Taoist priest is willing to guide me, this humble woman is willing to donate five thousand taels of silver to Qingcheng Temple to rebuild the Three Pure Ones' true forms..."
The old Taoist priest remained silent and refused to speak.
Having no other choice, Madam Wu knelt down again, racking her brains for a reason.
"Master, this woman is not doing this for her own selfish reasons, but for the Empress, the mother of the nation."
"The Empress has no son, so her position is unstable. Tianwu also has no legitimate heir. If this continues, chaos will surely ensue."
"We've already lost half the country. If chaos reigns again, it will be the common people who suffer. I beg you, Master, to have compassion and guide me through this confusion..."
The old Taoist priest couldn't bear to listen any longer. He stretched out his whisk, helped Madam Wu up, and sighed deeply, "Madam, since you are so sincere and have the world in your heart, I have no choice but to take this risk."
"I will only say these words once today. After this is over, I will go into seclusion for three years to atone for my interference in worldly affairs."
"Thank you, Taoist priest! Thank you, Taoist priest!" Madam Wu didn't care how he wanted to atone for his sins; she just wanted him to help solve the problem.
The Taoist priest asked for the empress's birth date and time, then did some calculations with his fingers, and his brows furrowed even more deeply.
"When I first saw the lady, I had a feeling and guessed a few things. Now, after careful calculation, I am sure I was right. The Empress's fate is noble and she is not destined to be childless."
"Really?" Madam Wu asked excitedly, "Then why does the Empress only have one princess now? We have tried everything, but the Empress has not been able to conceive."
The old Taoist's lips moved, as if he had broken free from some invisible law, and it took him a great deal of effort to utter two sentences.
"Dark clouds obscure the moon!"
"Someone has stolen the Queen's good fortune, and it's a woman!"
After saying that, his expression changed, he groaned, and blood actually spilled from the corner of his mouth.
Madam Wu was startled, and Granny Sun almost shouted.
The old Taoist calmly took out a handkerchief from his sleeve, wiped away the bloodstains, and let out a long breath.
Mustering her courage, Madam Wu asked again, "Could the Taoist priest possibly figure out who this person is? How can we snatch back the Empress's fortune?"
The old Taoist priest made a few hand gestures, then looked northwest and said, "Thirty li outside the new capital, in a place with mountains and water, there is a woman blessed with good fortune."
Madam Wu was momentarily confused and was about to ask further when Granny Sun leaned close to her ear and said, "Madam, is the Taoist priest talking about Broken Gold Beach? Princess Kangle of Broken Gold Beach is a well-known blessed person."
"I heard that since her birth, her family has been blessed with good fortune and prosperity. Most importantly, every man who knows her, regardless of age, dotes on her."
"Putting others aside, even the Emperor dotes on the Princess, even more so than he does on the Third Princess..."
Mrs. Wu felt as if she had been struck by lightning, and suddenly realized the truth of the matter. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that it made sense.
Considering the favor bestowed upon the Li family, they are far better off than even their legitimate relatives, the Wu family.
That Marquis Xinting was indifferent to everyone, but he doted on Princess Kangle like the apple of his eye...
One thing after another, all together, made Madam Wu absolutely certain that this Princess Kangle was the one who had stolen her daughter's good fortune!
The old Taoist priest didn't say anything more, got up to leave, and seemed to want to leave no longer.
But Madam Wu was not about to let him leave, and she shamelessly pestered him.
"Master, please have some compassion! Since the moon is obscured by dark clouds, how can we save it?"
"How can we regain the Empress's good fortune? How can we get her pregnant?"
The old Taoist priest wanted to leave but couldn't. He could only smile bitterly. In the end, he gave up and said, "Encountering this today is truly a calamity in my life. So be it!"
He took a deep breath and said, "If you want to regain your good fortune, take a bowl of the Blessed Maiden's heart's blood and drink it directly."
Before the last word could even finish, a loud crash was heard, and half of the thatched pavilion collapsed.
Granny Sun screamed and shielded Madam Wu with her body, completely disregarding the fact that she was covered in rotten grass.
The two maids outside the pavilion were also so frightened that they covered their heads and lay on the ground, screaming at the top of their lungs.
After an unknown amount of time, the steward and guards who had gone out to fetch water ran back, dug open the thatched pavilion, and rescued Madam Wu and Granny Sun.
The master and servants were all still in shock, their faces pale with fright.
After finally calming down a bit, Madam Wu remembered the old Taoist priest and quickly exclaimed, "Quick, quick, check on how the Taoist priest is!"
Granny Sun scrambled into the pavilion, using both her hands and feet, and after a while, she came out with a whisk.
The whisk looked as if it had been burned, with only half remaining, and it was even stained with some blood...
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com