Chapter 14 Pet, don't talk nonsense!
"Clang." The casually tossed copper coin circled twice before landing in the northeast corner of the copper plate, its clear sound ringing out.
In the courtyard, Fu Yao, who had gotten up early, was watching the fire by the stove. In the iron pot, konjac slices were bubbling and rolling. In the backyard, A Yu was carrying a broom. With a light twist of her wrist, the scattered leaves turned into piles of withered leaves.
Just a gate away from the courtyard wall is a screen wall, made of blue-gray stone, carved with lush forests and bamboo groves, and twin lotus blossoms. In the early morning, the sunlight falls on the screen wall, and the shadows of the trees sway, like a school of fish swimming beneath blue waves.
The bedroom was dimly lit. A woman with dark hair and dressed in blue sat on the edge of the bed, holding a teacup, with a copper plate in front of her. A burner of sandalwood incense burned by the door, its wisps of smoke rising like pillars.
Yue Yining looked at the coins in different positions on the bronze plate, pinched them with her fingers, and exclaimed "Eh!"
"Looks like we have guests today."
At the same time, a knock came from outside the main gate of the mansion, three light and steady knocks.
Knock, knock, knock.
Ayu, who lived in the courtyard, was the first to hear the knocking. He immediately stopped sweeping. He straightened up and looked at the mottled courtyard wall in front of him with his dark, jade-like eyes.
The second person to hear the knocking was Fu Yao.
Fu Yao quickly called out, "Is that the peddler from town? I'll go open the door!"
The little maid ran very fast, rushing through the long corridor and arriving at the door in the blink of an eye.
She opened the door, but the anticipation on her face suddenly froze.
Four people stood outside the door, two men and two women. The men were all dressed in short shirts with swords at their waists, their expressions stern without being spoken; the two women were dressed in low-cut dresses, their hair styled in the buns of unmarried girls.
Four people stood in front of her, but to an ordinary person, they could only see the young woman at the head of the group.
Her hair was adorned with jewels and pearls, and she wore brocade. Her skin was like snow covered by red eaves, her eyes like autumn waters, and her eyebrows like spring mountains with furrowed brows.
Radiant and stunningly beautiful, she seemed like a celestial being descended to earth.
Early in the morning, a young woman who seemed to be of noble birth arrived, accompanied by her personal maid and guards, which seemed quite unusual.
Fu Yao immediately became wary: "Who are you people?"
The tone of those words was quite impolite.
Su Yue's eyebrows shot up, and she immediately raised her voice, shouting, "How dare you! Do you know who you're talking to—"
A gentle voice suddenly rang out; it was the woman at the head of the group: "Moon, you mustn't be rude."
Fu Yao followed the sound and looked at Wei Yihua standing directly in front of her.
Even with a gentle voice and a slight smile, this person still exudes an air of authority, clearly a noble person from the highest echelons of society, whose aura as a superior has permeated every inch of their being.
Wei Yihua: "I apologize for my abrupt visit at dawn. I hope you will forgive me."
Fu Yao always appeared fierce and menacing in front of people she didn't know well: "It's good that you know you've been abrupt."
Su Yue's face was full of anger, but she saw Wei Yihua's gesture to appease her, and she forced herself not to step forward.
Wei Yihua: "I apologize for bothering you. My surname is Wei, and I live in Jinling. I have come here to ask the Celestial Master for a divination. An old friend recommended me, saying that the Celestial Master Yue is a person of noble character and has superb divination skills, so I have brought generous gifts to visit you."
Fu Yao wasn't buying it: "My young lady doesn't just tell fortunes for anyone."
Wei Yihua showed no displeasure and smiled, "Of course."
"This is not a suitable place for a long talk. May I come to the hospital for a chat? Regardless of the outcome of the divination, I am willing to offer a generous reward."
Fu Yao was about to say that she would have to ask her young lady's opinion first, and that she should just stay here and enjoy the warm air for now.
Just then, a gentle and clear female voice rang out from the courtyard, like the wind rustling through a bamboo grove.
"Yaoyao. We are honored to have you here. Please come in and have a seat."
Fu Yao was somewhat surprised, but she immediately responded and turned around, only to see Wei Yihua's undisguised expression.
Even if it was just for a moment, that almost fleeting expression carried panic, sorrow, joy... and nostalgia.
Fu Yao paused in closing the door, staring at Wei Yihua without moving. But only for a moment, Wei Yihua resumed her composed and dignified demeanor, as if the outburst of emotion she had just experienced was merely Fu Yao's illusion.
Fu Yao's doubts deepened.
She led the group into the hospital, keeping a close eye on Wei Yihua the whole time.
Turning the corner past the screen wall, we entered a deep courtyard. The vegetation was lush and verdant, blocking out the sun.
In the center of the courtyard, a woman in a blue long gown had her hem trailing on the ground, and on the table sat a bronze plate, its surface glossy and smooth.
Jade emits smoke, dust settles on the frame, and dreams leave traces. Those memories, long since seeming like a distant past, once again overwhelmed her like a tide. The spring breeze was still the same old spring breeze, and her soul returned to her hometown, only to find herself looking up at the person in her dream.
The person still had that familiar peach blossom face, while she had three thousand strands of white hair.
Wei Yihua slowed down, and Fu Yao noticed it too.
Yue Yining looked up and smiled slightly at Wei Yihua: "Please sit down."
"My dwelling is simple; I hope you will not find it offensive, young lady."
Wei Yihua replied very quickly: "How could that be? You flatter me, Celestial Master."
Wei Yihua sat down opposite her at the tea table. Su Yue habitually knelt down to straighten her skirt, but Wei Yihua stopped her with a gesture.
Yue Yining took all of this in, her smile unchanged: "Miss Wei, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"As you can see, I live here alone, with only one or two servants. Few people know about me."
"May I ask, young lady, how did you know my whereabouts?"
The questioning began immediately upon sitting down, but Wei Yihua seemed completely unfazed, calmly replying, "Does Celestial Master Yue still remember Venerable Deliang Hua Siren of Qingyun Temple? My elders knew the Venerable, and when he heard that I wanted to seek divination for a family member, he recommended Celestial Master Yue to me. The Venerable acted as a go-between, taking me to see Venerable Minci Qiu Wuzhu, Celestial Master Yue's master. That's how I learned of the Celestial Master's whereabouts."
This explanation was perfectly reasonable and even brought up Master Yue Yining's reputation, making it truly flawless.
only.
After listening, Yue Yining shook his head and said something surprising: "Miss Wei is absolutely right. But there is one thing I do not wish to hide."
“I left my master’s sect four years ago, so my master wouldn’t send anyone to look for me. I haven’t seen my master for many years and we’ve never been in contact. She doesn’t know that I’m currently in Jiulian Town.”
Thump.
Clouds rise above the trees, lotuses lie still in the pond, only the sound of pebbles falling into the water is as clear as the sound of Zen.
This is something that Wei Yihua didn't know even in her previous life.
Wei Yihua had long suspected Yue Yining and her world-renowned master. Her fabrication of this story was partly a desperate gamble, and partly a roundabout way of testing the waters.
I couldn't fool her after all.
Wei Yihua felt a little more at ease and sincerely confessed, "I know I can't fool the Celestial Master, so I will speak frankly."
“This humble woman has no connection with Venerable Qiu. I lied because I was eager to seek divination.”
"The divination I've sought concerns the entire world." Wei Yihua paused here, seemingly taking a deep breath, "If there is only one person in this world who can divine this, it is you, Master Yue."
Yue Yining remained unmoved, giving a perfunctory smile: "You flatter me."
If it were Wei Yihua from her previous life, seeing Yue Yining's unyielding attitude would have made her furious.
But now, when she sees her old friend again, she finds that she even misses that nonchalant expression.
Now, she also has ways to deal with Yue Yining, who hasn't yet become cunning and shrewd.
Wei Yihua: "I brought a generous gift with me as a reward for the divination performed by the Heavenly Master."
Yue Yining's words implied a polite refusal: "No need. I haven't performed divination for a long time, and my skills have become rusty. I can't accept a reward without having done the work."
Wei Yihua smiled faintly: "Master Celestial, why don't you take a look first and then consider it?"
Wei Yihua beckoned, and Su Yue directed two guards to carry up a bamboo box about half the size of a tea table.
Fu Yao appeared to obey and leave, but in reality, she stood behind the tree and secretly observed Yue Yining and the others' movements.
Seeing the guards carrying the treasure chest forward, Fu Yao revealed an expression that said, "Just as I expected," and snorted twice: "Just a commoner. Another one trying to sway my young lady with money."
It's a pity, her daughter treats money like dirt.
Yue Yining's attitude towards money is very strange.
In Fu Yao's view, her young lady was a person who cherished money. She was frugal in her daily life and never bought expensive jewelry or clothes. Most girls of this age had a drawer full of rouge and powder, but her young lady had no interest in makeup. At the same time, she had also seen Yue Yining refuse the visits of local powerful men who came to ask for divination. Even though the man was respectful and offered a thousand taels of silver, the young lady did not even glance at him and only instructed her to send the man away and close the door.
As Fu Yao was thinking this, a dark shadow suddenly loomed behind her, and the person spoke: "What are you doing?"
Fu Yao was so startled she almost jumped three meters away, but when she saw it was A Yu, she breathed a sigh of relief and muttered under her breath, "Why do you walk so quietly?"
After she finished cursing, she realized that Ayu wasn't looking at her.
He still held a broom in his hand, as if he had just come from the other side of the courtyard. Now, he and she stood together under the shade of the trees, gazing at the two figures bathed in the morning sunlight not far away. Perhaps because of the shadows, his expression was somber.
Fu Yao couldn't understand it, but she inexplicably felt that A Yu was in a bad mood at the moment.
Ayu suddenly spoke up: "Who is she?"
Fu Yao also looked over and pointed at Wei Yihua: "You mean that girl? I don't know either. I asked her when the door opened, but she said a lot of things, but she didn't answer my question about her identity. She only said that her surname was Wei. Later, when she came in, Miss sent me away."
Ayu spoke very slowly, repeating each word carefully: "You said, her surname is Wei?"
Yue Yining looked at the bamboo box in front of her, raised her eyebrows slightly, and put down her teacup.
"I appreciate your kindness, young lady, but—"
Wei Yihua snapped his fingers, and a guard stepped forward and yanked open the box lid, causing Yue Yining to abruptly stop mid-sentence.
Inside the box were not fine silks and satins, nor gold and silver treasures, but four cork boxes with brocade covers.
The cork box hadn't been opened yet, but Yue Yining could already tell what was inside from the smell, which was why she suddenly fell silent.
Wei Yihua gestured for Su Yue to open the boxes one by one, her voice gentle as water: "These four boxes of tea are the kings of teas that I asked a friend to find for a lot of money. From left to right, they are Guzhu Zisun, Mengding Shihua, Beiyuan Longfeng, and Longtuan Shengxue. They are all tribute teas from previous years. After paying tribute to the court each year, only one or two ounces were left to flow into the private sector. This year's production is all here."
"I've heard that Master Yue has very few hobbies, but he loves tea the most. This is a small token of my appreciation, and I hope you will accept it."
Fu Yao stared wide-eyed from behind the tree.
She panicked: "This, this, this is too cunning!" Her young lady could never resist high-quality specialty tea! How infuriating! This Miss Wei looks so honest and simple, but she actually came prepared!
Oh no, knowing Miss's personality, this is definitely going to be—
Yue Yining put down her teacup, and a bright smile suddenly bloomed on her usually calm face!
Yue Yining smiled radiantly, her expression sincere: "Actually, the moment I saw Miss Wei, I felt that we were destined to meet."
Fu Yao closed her eyes in despair and slapped her forehead.
Upon hearing this reply, Wei Yihua finally relaxed.
She smiled and said, "It's my honor."
Looking at the harmonious scene in the courtyard, Fu Yao bit her finger, feeling very unwilling, and muttered to herself, "Damn it, how could she know that Miss likes tea the most?"
Her young mistress's love of tea was a habit she developed after she finished her apprenticeship and left the mountain, because her master disliked the smell of tea leaves, and the young mistress had almost never seen tea leaves before when she was in the Tian Guan Temple.
This was something the young lady herself told her.
Fu Yao couldn't understand: "Logically speaking, no one else should know about this..."
Ayu, who was standing right next to Fu Yao, naturally heard what she said.
He moved his fingers, and the broom in his hand fell to the ground with a thud.
Fu Yao looked up at the sound, but only saw his back.
"Ayu, where are you going?"
Ayu turned around and smiled: "Go fetch some stream water. The guest brought some fine tea, and since you love tea, Miss, you'll surely want to taste it right away. I'll go prepare it now."
Undeniably, from the moment Wei Yihua saw Yue Yining standing alive in front of her, she breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
This person was like a reassurance, a ballast, and a pillar of strength for her.
Wei Yihua looked at Yue Yining across the tea table. She was pouring heated stream water into a clay teapot filled with fresh tea leaves, looking quite radiant and in a very good mood.
Since her rebirth, Wei Yihua, who had been bound by anxiety, has finally felt at peace.
With this person around, she was no longer afraid of anything.
only……
The crane patterns on the white gauze sleeves are like mist, swaying gracefully.
Wei Yihua couldn't help but take a few more glances.
The person who knelt down to serve water just now seemed to be a servant of this mansion. The reason for saying "seemed" is that Wei Yihua was not quite sure if he recognized him.
This man certainly didn't look like an ordinary servant.
His face was radiant, his features exquisite. He washed the two teacups, tilting and setting them aside with fluid, elegant movements. The fingers holding the teacups were slender and thin, his sleeves trailing behind, revealing his fair wrists, like the handles of naturally crafted Hetian jade.
This person already possessed unparalleled elegance, and when he spoke, his voice was as melodious as shattered ice, as pleasant to the ear as silk and bamboo: "Please enjoy your meal, Miss."
Yue Yining nodded, her eyes smiling, "Thank you for your hard work, Ayu. You don't need to be served here, go and get busy."
If she hadn't misheard, Yue Yining called this person "Ayu".
Having gathered all the memories from both lifetimes, Wei Yihua finally reached a conclusion.
You can't be wrong.
She had never seen this person in her previous life when she was with Yue Yining.
Was fate already altered by her actions, or was this person's identity a secret in her past life, hidden in the shadows and unknown to others?
As she pondered, her gaze shifted slightly, and she began to look him up and down. At that moment, Ayu nodded slightly, bowed, and stood up.
Her robes were exquisitely crafted, her long black hair was styled in an unbound manner, and coupled with her ethereal and otherworldly beauty...
Her gaze shifted from the man's receding figure. Wei Yihua's eyes held caution, and her tone was hesitant: "There is something I wish to ask you, but I am too curious to speak freely. I hope the Celestial Master will not take offense."
Upon hearing this, Yue Yining naturally nodded: "Please... cough, Miss Wei, please speak."
Wei Yihua: "Was the person who poured the water just now your male concubine?"
Yue Yining spat out a mouthful of tea.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com