She took a deep breath, intending to feign politeness, but Lu Chuan spoke first.
She heard him say, "However, I was merely defending myself. If I have offended the princess, I will leave now, as there are matters in the manor that I have not yet dealt with."
Zhao Mingmiao pursed her lips and did not stop him, but she heard him say a few more words at the end.
"If the princess is troubled, why not go and light incense? Jinglin Temple is very efficacious. The princess is of divine beauty, so smile more and don't waste such a precious gift."
Zhao Mingmiao watched his departing figure and snorted. She thought to herself, "This man only met me once, and he's already meddling in my affairs. Offering incense? She's never believed in that."
The next day, Zhao Mingmiao boarded a carriage bound for Jinglin Temple.
It wasn't that she wanted to go, but Princess Zhaoyang had invited her to go together to pray for a marriage after the event yesterday. She lowered her eyes; what was there to pray for in terms of marriage? She would take revenge herself.
However, since Princess Zhaoyang personally invited her, she would not refuse. Zhaoyang was extremely willful, so although many people fawned over her, no one could become her friend.
Zhao Mingmiao will be the first one.
Princess Zhaoyang went up the mountain with her. She had taken medicine before leaving the palace, so she was exhausted, panting and coughing constantly.
Zhao Yang frowned at her. "Shan Lai, your body is too weak. We've only climbed a few steps, and you're already this tired. This won't do."
Zhao Mingmiao took several deep breaths, her lips turning pale, before she caught her breath. She smiled and said, "It's a ailment I've had since childhood, Zhaoyang, please bear with me."
Princess Zhaoyang wasn't upset that her poor health was a burden, but she was just a little worried. She stepped forward and took her arm, saying as they walked, "Didn't you ask the imperial physician to take a look? The imperial physicians in the palace are very skilled."
"Hmm." Zhao Mingmiao smiled. "I've seen them, and they all say there's nothing they can do but keep him on with medication."
Zhao Yang looked at her with sympathy. Zhao Mingmiao smiled gently, but couldn't help clenching her teeth.
Jinglin Temple is renowned for its matchmaking services, attracting a large number of visitors on its open days.
The two ordered their attendants to wait at the carriage before heading up the mountain. Upon entering Jinglin Temple, Zhao Mingmiao was astonished. Why were there so many people?
She couldn't help but gasp. This... She glanced at the most crowded fortune-telling area and was a little worried that this delicate princess might throw a tantrum in public.
To her surprise, Princess Zhaoyang was not angry at all; on the contrary, she was even more excited. The large number of people here meant that the divination here was accurate. She hurriedly and excitedly pulled Zhao Mingmiao inside.
Upon arriving at the divination site, Princess Zhaoyang handed her a divination tube, holding one herself. Princess Zhaoyang blinked, "Shanlai, let's shake it together."
Zhao Mingmiao responded and then started shaking it vigorously.
Princess Zhaoyang's eyes widened, and she quickly stopped her movements. "You've made up your mind so quickly? Are you hiding something from me?"
Zhao Mingmiao was a little confused. "What are you thinking about?"
“Your sweetheart!” Zhao Yang looked at her in confusion. “Don’t you know? You have to silently say your sweetheart’s name to shake the divination box, otherwise it won’t work.”
Zhao Mingmiao frowned. What sweetheart? Where did she get a sweetheart from?
She instinctively wanted to refute, but a gentle and refined person came to mind.
"Your humble servant Lu Chuan greets the Princess."
"Your Highness is of exceptional intelligence and grace, and I couldn't help but gaze upon you for a while longer. I apologize for my rudeness."
...
'Princess, you possess such divine beauty; smile more often, lest you waste such a gift.'
For some reason, Zhao Mingmiao wanted to laugh, but then she thought of something and tightly pursed her lips, suppressing that hard-won smile.
Princess Zhaoyang looked at her strangely, "Shanlai, did you understand?"
Zhao Mingmiao hummed in response, trying to banish Lu Chuan from her mind, but she couldn't manage it. Holding the divination sticks, she knelt dejectedly on the prayer mat.
Princess Zhaoyang, having received her response, also knelt down and looked at her happily, saying, "Since that's the case, then I'll count to three, and we'll shake it together."
Zhao Mingmiao: "Okay."
Princess Zhaoyang closed her eyes and began to count: "One, two, three..."
Zhao Mingmiao didn't know why she listened to her; all she knew was that her mind was filled with Lu Chuan's gentle face and his teasing words.
After hearing a series of "crackling" sounds, it seemed that some divination sticks had fallen to the ground. She subconsciously opened her eyes and saw that Princess Zhaoyang was already looking at them, so she also picked up the divination sticks that had fallen beside the prayer mat, looked at them, and found that... she couldn't understand them.
Fortunately, there were designated people outside to help interpret the divination slips. The two of them went to the interpretation area together and waited in line for quite a while before it was their turn.
She saw Princess Zhaoyang hand the bamboo stick in her hand to the fortune teller, who examined it for a moment and then said to her, "No fate, no destiny."
Zhao Mingmiao's eye twitched. Wasn't this tantamount to saying "impossible"? It was even more hurtful than being destined to be apart. She glanced at Princess Zhaoyang, who hadn't spoken, and pulled her aside, intending to comfort her, when she saw Princess Zhaoyang slam the divination sticks onto the wooden table of the fortune teller.
"Hmph, all that pretense, not a single bit accurate!"
Seeing the unfriendly looks from everyone, Zhao Mingmiao silently turned her back, no longer intending to queue up for her fortune telling. After all, she had already given up her spot earlier, and cutting in line was not a good idea.
It's just a marriage fortune slip, no need to interpret it. Zhao Mingmiao muttered to herself, but a sudden pang of regret struck her. She pursed her lips, and seeing that Zhao Yang was still arguing with the fortune teller, she walked alone to the wishing tree and placed the fortune slip on a leaf.
"What kind of marriage fortune slip is this...who knows if it's accurate...and that person...it's obvious he's not a good person either..." she muttered to herself.
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