Chapter 25 Is Princess Rongyang really that crazy? ...
Madam Lu was taken aback, then quickly replied, "It's kept at home."
She hadn't expected the problem to be with the annotations, and naturally, she hadn't brought the red booklet with her.
Madam Lu immediately realized that something was wrong and turned to instruct the maid beside her: "Select the best horseman among the guards and have him go back and fetch the astrological interpretation given by Master Lingkong."
Jiang Heng was holding two different birth charts in his hand, his brows furrowed deeply, making him look much older.
He just couldn't understand how the same two birth charts could produce such different results.
Madam Lu hurriedly apologized to Zhao Xian: "Madam Jiang, I must apologize to you for this. Please don't take my rudeness to heart."
“I received this comment in February. As parents, we always want the best for our children. I was overjoyed at the time, but I was anxious because you didn’t come to discuss the follow-up. I spoke a little without thinking. Please don’t hold it against me, Madam Jiang.”
I never expected the reason behind her questioning me like that.
On second thought, when Madam Jiang received such a comment, she did not immediately send someone to say that the two families' children were not suitable and to sever the connection. Instead, she came to have their horoscopes matched again.
Who is Master Lingkong? No one dares to question his predictions, yet Madam Jiang had someone else match her birth chart.
"It's alright, it's alright."
Zhao Xian didn't take it to heart; if it were her, she would have gone to ask her long ago.
If you're not going to get married, you shouldn't delay the woman's chance to meet someone. Instead, she's been dragging her feet, making people anxious. "I've also made mistakes, please forgive me, Madam Lu."
Jiang Heng sat down on the stool next to his mother. "No wonder you insisted that I come to Guluo Temple with you. Why didn't you tell me about this beforehand?"
Zhao Xian glanced at him and said, "Now that you know, what are you going to do?"
Jiang Heng immediately said, "That old bald monk must have made a mistake with this comment. I'll go find him."
Zhao Xian raised her hand and smacked him on the back of the head. "That's a master from Huguo Temple. Is your head on your neck just for looks?"
Mrs. Lu was shocked. She was always very polite to her son and even a little afraid of him. She had never spoken so casually before, which made her feel a little envious.
"Pfft~"
Lu Zhaoying couldn't help but laugh out loud. Jiang Heng was a completely different person in front of her. She never expected him to be like this in front of Madam Jiang.
Madam Lu quickly reached out and poked her daughter's arm, "A daughter should be a lady."
Lu Zhaoying quickly suppressed the smile on her face.
Zhao Xian looked up and said, "Madam Lu, there's no need to be so strict. Young girls should have the romance of youth. Being too reserved is not good."
He then looked at Lu Zhaoying and said, "Third Sister looks beautiful when she smiles; she should smile more often."
Being praised made Lu Zhaoying a little shy, and she smiled embarrassedly.
She glanced at Jiang Heng before hesitatingly speaking, "Madam Jiang, my daughter has been tinkering with silk flowers at home these days."
As she spoke, the maidservant brought in a box about the size of one or two palms and carefully placed it on the table.
"At the Princess's Flower Appreciation Banquet, Madam damaged the peony plant entirely to save my daughter. These silk flowers are crudely made, and I don't know if they will meet the Princess's standards. Madam, please take a look. If they are acceptable, I will try to make more."
Lu Zhaoying opened the box, inside which was a pink and white peony silk flower. She took out the flower and handed it to Zhao Xian.
Zhao Xian reached out and took it to examine it. The workmanship was quite good, and from a distance, it was impossible to tell the difference between the real and fake.
"Third Sister, you're really skillful." Ancient women were truly multi-talented; this would be considered an intangible cultural heritage in modern times. "Making this must be tiring, don't push yourself too hard. I'll think of something for the Princess."
Lu Zhaoying shook her head, "My daughter should have a share in this matter, how can Madam bear all the blame?"
A few casual words from each person, and time slips away unnoticed.
The carriage takes half an hour to travel slowly, and the guards on horseback take only half an hour to go back and forth.
Upon receiving the Lu family's approval, I opened it and found that it was indeed the same as the abbot's.
However, the handwriting on the two red booklets is very similar, so how could the comments written by the same person have different meanings?
Zhao Xian took the two comments and looked at them carefully. "At first glance, these two comments seem to be written by the same person, but upon closer inspection, they are not the same. Take a look."
As she spoke, Zhao Xian pointed to the two annotations, "First look at '合' (hé), the bottom closure is slightly off, and the last stroke of '人' (rén) and '天' (tiān) is also different."
Everyone has different writing habits, and even if you imitate someone's handwriting, some small habits are hard to change.
After she said that, a careful comparison revealed some differences.
Lu Zhaoying raised her eyes slightly and said, "Then one of these two comments is fake."
They just couldn't tell which one was genuine.
Jiang Heng pointed to the red booklet of the Lu family and said, "This commentary must be correct, as it is the same as the eight-character commentary that the abbot of Guluo Temple came up with."
Zhao Xian recalled the sweet romance novels. Although she didn't remember many plot points, she definitely didn't see this kind of plot in the books.
As a reader, she only sees things from the perspective of the book.
Whether it's a tragic or sweet romance novel, most of the stories revolve around the Jiang family.
What the author didn't write, the reader won't see.
But once inside the book, it was discovered that this world also had its own rules of operation; it wasn't just the appearance of the male and female protagonists that activated other characters to begin functioning.
This place is no different from the real world; even the supporting characters have their own thoughts.
Madam Lu chimed in from the side, "It would be great if we had Master Lingkong's calligraphy, so we could compare it."
These words reminded Zhao Xian that some things cannot be left unresolved, nor can they wait for the author's instructions.
Based on the original owner's memories, Zhao Xian said, "I once heard the abbot say that he was friends with Master Lingkong. Could he have Buddhist scriptures or notes copied by Master Lingkong?"
If you have them, you can borrow them to check the handwriting and then you'll know which of the two comments is genuine and which is fake.
They summoned a young monk to invite the abbot, and upon inquiry, learned that the abbot did indeed have a copy of the letter, but his tone suggested he was reluctant to lend it.
Zhao Xian donated another sum of money for incense offerings, and only then did the abbot bring out the notes for her to use.
After carefully comparing the documents, they all agreed that the one delivered to the Jiang family was problematic.
Jiang Heng slammed his fist on the table: "They actually plotted against me. I'm going to find out who did this."
"Then investigate thoroughly, lest it all just fizzle out again."
Zhao Xian made a pointed remark.
Jiang Heng gave an awkward smile. He hadn't had much time to prepare for the loss of Tingyue's father's belongings.
Jiang Heng's expression changed swiftly, and he patted his chest, saying, "I'll go right now."
Where to?
“Go to Huguo Temple. The only ones who can exchange Master Lingkong’s predictions are those bald monks at Huguo Temple. If they don’t give an explanation for this, who will dare to ask them to match their birth charts again?”
Zhao Xian tapped the table with her fingertips: "Sit down."
Jiang Heng sat up straight instantly.
"Huguo Temple is full of monks who don't marry or have children, so what reason do they have to change their birth charts?"
"Then who else could it be?"
Zhao Xian's gaze suddenly fell on Lu Zhaoying, "Think about it carefully again, was the incident of the Princess's residence falling into the water an accident or intentional?"
If Zhao Xian didn't know she was the female lead in a sweet romance novel, she wouldn't have thought about it as a conspiracy. The main reason is that Lu Zhaoying falling into the water was too suspicious.
Instead of an old woman or maidservant coming to their rescue, three strange men jumped into the water.
It seems they were aiming to ruin Lu Zhaoying's reputation.
On the day of the Princess's flower-viewing banquet, all the guests were the female relatives of various ministers. However, if anyone were to see Lu Zhaoying being carried ashore by a man in public, it would be a serious incident.
Her reputation...
As it stands, the other party doesn't want Jiang Heng to marry Lu Zhaoying and even wants to ruin her.
Zhao Xian looked at Madam Lu: "Does the Lu family have any enemies? Or is there anyone who extremely dislikes Third Sister?"
This matter is clearly aimed at the Lu family, not the Jiang family.
Madam Lu's face turned pale instantly; she couldn't answer that question immediately.
Every family has people they don't get along with, whether they are enemies in official circles, enemies in the inner quarters, or friends who turn into enemies.
Perhaps some people hold grudges against the Lu family over trivial matters.
She herself wasn't sure.
Madam Lu's face showed unease. "My third daughter usually doesn't leave the house. When she occasionally goes to tea parties or flower parties, she only goes to her close friends and sisters."
Moreover, they were all girls of similar age, and any grudges would be on their faces. Even the most cunning one wouldn't have the ability to cause such a big incident behind the scenes.
However, after Zhao Xian's reminder, Madam Lu still began to screen the information herself.
Zhao Xian glanced at Jiang Heng and said, "You should still go to Huguo Temple."
"Didn't Mother say that monks don't get married and wouldn't change the prophecy?"
"Monks are human too. Does that mean they can't be bribed if they don't get married?"
Jiang Heng immediately stood up, "I'll go right away."
After listening to Zhao Xian's analysis, Madam Lu began to suspect many people, but further verification was still needed.
“Madam Jiang, this matter is of great importance. I need to go back and discuss it with my husband.”
Zhao Xian nodded, "I understand. But since the horoscopes of the two families are compatible, why not take this opportunity to choose a date so I can go and propose marriage? My son is so eager for me to come."
Madam Lu nodded repeatedly, "Okay."
The two parties finally agreed that Zhao Xian would go to the Lu family to propose marriage on March 28th, five days later.
Madam Lu was anxious to find out who was harming her daughter, so she left without lingering and took Lu Zhaoying with her.
Zhao Xian wasn't in a hurry. It was a rare opportunity to go out, and the scenery at Guluo Temple was quite nice, with a market at the foot of the mountain.
After playing for a while, we rested for the night in the meditation room of Guluo Temple.
When Zhao Xian returned to the Jiang family, it was already the afternoon of the next day. Li Lianniang and Cui Tingyue had received the news early and were waiting for her at the hanging flower gate.
Li Lianniang helped Zhao Xian up and said, "Mother, you're finally back."
"Has something happened at the manor?"
Cui Tingyue smiled and shook her head, answering for Li Lianniang: "No, it was your godfather who sent you letters and two large boxes of things, which are currently stored at Haitang Residence."
Li Lianniang nodded: "My husband said that every time my father-in-law goes out, no matter how far or near, he will buy me a lot of novelties. Mother, we are curious."
Zhao Xian, flanked by two beauties, said in high spirits, "Let's go see what new and interesting things they have."
Back at Haitang Residence, Granny He handed Zhao Xian a thick stack of letters brought back by the servants: "Madam, this is a letter from the master to Qin Da, which he instructed to bring to you. Qin Da also instructed that, according to the rules, one box is for you, and the other box is for the other master of the house to share."
Zhao Xian reached out and took the rather thick letter from home. It was quite heavy in her hand. She was surprised. This was a letter from home? Whose letter was thicker than a book?
She didn't open them immediately, but glanced at the two boxes and said to Li Lianniang and Cui Tingyue, "Aren't you curious? Open them and take a look."
With Zhao Xian's permission, Shaoyao and her maid opened the two boxes.
Inside both boxes, many boxes of different sizes were neatly arranged.
The box given to Zhao Xian contained a valuable mother-of-pearl inlaid box, an ordinary wooden box, and a simple bamboo basket.
These boxes contained exquisite and luxurious gold hairpins and jewels, as well as small ceramic bowls of unknown purpose, and straw dolls that looked worthless.
These items come in a variety of prices, from expensive to cheap, but you can feel the care put into them.
How many places did you travel to collect these little by little?
Looking at the boxes given to the other masters of the Jiang family, the contents were all exquisite, and the boxes contained emblems from various regions. There were two to four of each item.
It's obvious at a glance that these were purchased by servants.
Everything in Zhao Xian's box was unique and completely different.
Li Lianniang's tone was tinged with envy, "Father-in-law is so thoughtful."
Her father never brought her anything back when he went out, but her brother would occasionally bring her some candy or pastries.
When she first married into the Jiang family, Jiang Wei would occasionally surprise her, but that stopped after Tingyue arrived.
Li Lianniang felt downcast, but then she saw Cui Tingyue holding a small-handled fan above her head and saying, "Sister-in-law, this will definitely look great on you."
“I’ve seen girls from Yaozhou wear these small-handled fans before. They’re so beautiful. Sister-in-law, try them on.”
Hearing her words, the discomfort in Li Lianniang's heart dissipated.
Zhao Xian looked at the open boxes on the table, some mature and befitting her status, others childish.
It's clear that Jiang Liangxu treats the original owner of this body extremely well.
But in the book, the original owner of this body met such an end, so where did Jiang Liangxu go?
Neither of the two books describes Jiang Liangxu in great detail, as if he didn't exist.
But he's clearly alive.
“Lianniang, take the things in this box, along with the things I bought at Guluo Temple, and divide them into four portions, one for each of you.”
Previously, these items were all from the original owner, and usually the two sons would receive the majority of them, while Li Lianniang's side rarely received one or two items.
Cui Tingyue had only been with the Jiang family for half a year, and this was the first time she had encountered Jiang Liangxu traveling far away.
After the two left, Zhao Xian opened the thick family letter. It wasn't a family letter at all; it was clearly a book, bound into a volume.
At first, she thought that the letter Jiang Liangxu sent back was just an expression of longing and an inquiry about things at home.
When he opened it, the entire document described how he discovered the items in the box, the people and events he encountered, and why he bought them.
Like those straw dolls, they're said to resemble her, but unfortunately there aren't many, otherwise we could make a pair.
Zhao Xian glanced at the withered straw doll, wondering if she was trying to perform witchcraft by sticking pins into a voodoo doll.
The letter detailed how the various items came to be, and it was a full fifty or sixty pages long.
And from the origin of each item, it's as if you can see his journey.
Zhao Xian initially complained as she read, but later found it quite interesting, as if she were reading a travelogue.
At the end, she saw two decent lines: "Our feelings are deep, but paper is insufficient; our lingering affection is boundless."
Jiang Zangming wrote on February 13th
After reading it in one go, Zhao Xian's neck started to ache from maintaining the same posture. Just as she was about to close the 'family letter,' she suddenly stopped and opened the last page again.
He stared at the two characters "藏明" (Cang Ming) for a long time.
Jiang Liangxu's courtesy name was Zangming.
"Zangming, Zang, Nianzang, Lin Nianzang?"
Is Princess Rongyang really that crazy?
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Author's note: Wishing all college entrance exam takers good luck and inspiration for their writing! Go go go!
The update will be posted tomorrow, the 9th, at 11 PM.
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