Yinti and the blind fortune teller followed the shop assistant upstairs. If Yinti had looked closely, he would have noticed that the blind man's steps were perfectly steady, as if he were not blind at all.
"Sir, please have a seat. The best tea and snacks will be served shortly!" The waiter didn't even need to ask what kind of tea and snacks to serve; judging from this gentleman's request, the best would certainly be served.
After Yinti and the fortune teller sat down opposite each other at the table, a pot of hot tea was soon served.
"You can leave now, and don't let anyone disturb you!" Yinti waved his hand at the waiter, indicating that he didn't need to serve him anymore.
After the waiter nodded repeatedly and left, Yinti personally picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea for each of them.
"Sir, please have some tea!" Yinti pushed the teacup towards the fortune teller.
"No rush to drink your tea! Sir, may I touch your palm?" the fortune teller said.
Yinti nodded and then stretched out his hands for the blind man to feel.
The two sat quietly in the tea room. The fortune teller repeatedly touched Yinti's palm and the back of his hand before finally putting them down. He then stood up, stepped out from behind the table, and bowed deeply to Yinti, saying, "This humble subject greets Your Highness!"
Yinti was greatly surprised and asked, "What does this mean?"
The fortune teller said, "Judging from the divination results and my palmistry, you are definitely not an ordinary person, but a prince of the current dynasty!"
Yinti was even more surprised. He didn't know this fortune teller at all, nor did he tell him his identity. How did the fortune teller know that he was a prince?
“Sir, you’ve mistaken me for someone else. I’m just an ordinary merchant!” Yinti refused to admit it.
"Then I'll take my leave!" The fortune teller turned to leave when he saw that Yinti refused to admit it.
"Wait!" Yinti intervened, "Why don't you believe me, sir?"
"If you refuse to reveal your identity before me, then I cannot give you an accurate reading. So there's no need to waste my time!" the fortune teller said.
"You!" After a slight hesitation, Yinti said, "What you say is correct! I am the current Prince Heshuo!"
"This humble subject pays respects to Prince Heshuo!" The fortune teller immediately turned around and bowed deeply to Yinti.
"Please rise, sir!" Yinti quickly stood up and offered a helping hand.
The fortune teller quickly got up from the ground and stood to one side, not daring to sit down again.
"Why don't you sit down, sir?" Yinti asked.
“How dare I, a commoner, sit before a Prince of the First Rank!” the fortune teller said.
"Sit! How can you tell my fortune while standing? Sit!" Yinti's mood improved considerably.
"Thank you for the seat, Your Highness!" the fortune teller said, bowing to Yinti again.
"Sir, please tell me quickly, what is my destiny?" Yinti was already getting anxious because Kangxi had been ignoring him.
"Your Highness, please allow me to tell you the story slowly," the fortune teller said.
Meanwhile, the waiter led Yinti's horse to the stable behind the teahouse to feed it.
"This horse is quite nice!" The man who was brushing the coat of one horse saw another new horse being led in, looked at it, and exclaimed in admiration.
"Is this horse any good?" The waiter clearly didn't know anything about flattery.
“Of course, look at its coat and hooves. Goodness, this isn’t a horse from the Central Plains!” said the groomer. “It seems this guest is no ordinary person.”
These men were specifically tasked with feeding, grooming, and bathing the guests' horses, similar to the extra services offered by hotels today, and they charged for these services.
"Right, you recognize this kind of horse?" The waiter brought the finest fodder to Yinti's horse.
“This is a horse from the Western Regions. Look how big it is, much bigger than our horses from the Central Plains. And look at the shape of its hooves, they’re different from those of our horses from the Central Plains,” the old man said with great relish. “I’ve served so many horses, and none of them are as good as this one.”
"Right, Lao Wei, then how much silver do you think this horse is worth?" the shop assistant asked.
“I think it’s about the number of horses!” Old Wei said, holding up three fingers.
"Three hundred taels?" the shop assistant exclaimed in surprise.
"What do you mean three hundred taels? It's three thousand taels!" Old Wei glared at the young waiter with disdain.
"Good heavens, three thousand taels for a horse!" The young apprentice looked the horse over again, as if it were made of gold.
Meanwhile, Yinti had already listened to the fortune teller's divination for half an hour.
"Sir, you have perfectly described my fate. If I had met you sooner, things might not be like this now," Prince Yinqi said excitedly.
"Your Highness flatters me. I believe Your Highness has the countenance of great nobility, but it has been suppressed by the Ziwei star. If it were removed, Your Highness's future fortune would surely be transformed," the fortune teller said.
"Does the gentleman have a solution?" Yinti asked. "If it weren't for him, I might have already fulfilled my wish."
"Your Highness," the fortune teller said, "I am but a fortune teller. If Your Highness wishes to seek guidance, you should consult my master. He is far more skilled in physiognomy than I am! I injured my eyes as a child, and it was only thanks to my master's kindness in taking me in as a disciple that I was able to earn a living. Now that Your Highness is of great importance, I dare not speak lightly, but my master is certain he can guide Your Highness through your difficulties."
"Oh? Very well, then tell me quickly, where is your master? I want to go and have my fortune told by him," Yinti said.
"My master lives in Emerald Peak Valley. If Your Highness wishes to have his fortune told, you must personally visit him," the fortune teller said.
"Emerald Peak Valley?" Yinti asked. "Where is this Emerald Peak Valley?"
"It's right behind Fragrant Hills to the west. My master has been living in seclusion in the mountains for a long time and never leaves the valley, so I dared to ask Your Highness to see my master. Please forgive me, Your Highness."
"No need, I will go to see your master myself. Can you lead the way for me?" Yinti asked.
"Of course. I have seen Your Highness's kindness and generosity, and I am deeply impressed by your virtue. I am willing to assist Your Highness," the fortune teller said, bowing.
“Very well, as long as you can help me, I will reward you handsomely!” Yinti said.
"Thank you, Your Highness!" Mr. Suanmin bowed again.
“Then let’s not delay, let’s go today. My precious steed can travel three hundred li a day. It’s only a little over a hundred li from here to Fragrant Hills. We can get there in less than half a day,” Yinti said.
"Your Highness, it's getting late today. How about I prepare tomorrow and take you to find my master?" The fortune teller hadn't expected Yinti to be in such a hurry.
“Very well, it was too hasty to go today. I will come to see you tomorrow, sir. May I ask where you live?” Yinti asked.
"This humble subject lives here. Why don't I stand at the entrance of this teahouse and wait for Your Highness tomorrow morning?" the fortune teller said.
“Alright! Then it’s settled, we’ll meet here first thing tomorrow morning,” Yinti said.
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