"who?"
"Fourth Miss!"
Chen Xiyin's eyes flickered slightly.
A Dream of Marriage...
She, Shen Ruyin, and Shen Yaozu were all born to Consort Zheng. She was fourteen years old this year. She was timid and cowardly by nature, so she was not very noticeable in this mansion.
A dog that bites will never bark.
Upon entering the hall, a strong scent of pine resin wafted towards you.
Shen Qiyin spotted the Daoist Jingming at a glance.
His hair and beard were gray, and he looked quite old.
He was dressed in a gray-blue Taoist robe, holding a whisk in his hand, and had a cloth bag slung across his shoulder.
Judging from his appearance, he doesn't resemble the ethereal and otherworldly figure people usually imagine; instead, he looks rather fierce. If you were to say that he could ward off evil spirits, it would be quite convincing.
When Old Madam Shen and the others saw Shen Qiyin, they couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Why are you here?"
"I heard from the servants that my grandmother was worried about the feng shui of the house, so she specially invited a Taoist priest to take a look. I was also very worried, so I came to see him."
The old lady looked exhausted and seemed too tired to even speak. She simply waved her hand to let Shen Qiyin sit down.
She looked extremely haggard.
If Madam Shen could still comfort herself after Shen Guangzong's accident, knowing that she still had Shen Yaozu as a hope, now that even the latter could not be relied upon, her spirits seemed to have completely dissipated.
Aunt Zhou served by her side, bringing tea and massaging her legs, while also saying kind words to comfort Madam Shen: "Don't worry, Madam. The eldest son is in better spirits these past two days. He said that once he is feeling better, he will come to pay his respects to you."
"The eldest son has been intelligent and quick-witted since childhood. Even if he cannot become an official in the court, he will surely be successful in business. In that case, wouldn't he still be able to support you?"
"Now, you just need to keep yourself in good health so that you can enjoy the happiness of family life in the future."
"Shut up already! Do you still want the Taoist priest to exorcise the evil spirits?" Madam Shen had always disliked Aunt Zhou's silver tongue, and now she was rolling her eyes so hard they were practically reaching the sky.
In front of outsiders, Aunt Zhou was used to being humble and subservient, only nodding and replying "yes" without saying anything else.
Shen Qiyin coldly watched this scene, her gaze sweeping past Aunt Zhou and landing on Aunt Zheng.
She has been staying at home since her injury, but she made a rare public appearance today.
Shen Mengyin sat next to her, small and with her head bowed low, making her difficult to notice.
Coming to their senses, they heard Master Jingming say, "The matter of evil spirits is too vague and ethereal. The old lady and the madam should not believe it completely. However, we must pay attention to the feng shui and the nine palaces of destiny."
"I trouble the old lady to have someone show me around the mansion first. The ladies and young ladies can also take this opportunity to write down their birth dates and times. The master and the young masters should not be left out either. I will calculate their birth dates and times when I return."
Upon hearing this, the old lady immediately ordered the steward and two maids to accompany her.
As soon as he left, the pine scent in the room immediately faded.
Shen Qiyin gently stroked the talisman paper that Master Jingming had left for them before he left, her eyes deep and thoughtful.
From the side, Aunt Zhou's voice rang out: "I heard that this Master Jingming is quite capable; many powerful and wealthy families have consulted him for feng shui."
Shen Qiyin replied, "Your skills are considerable, but I'm afraid your price won't be low either."
As expected, Madam Shen's expression changed slightly upon hearing this.
During this period, the money in the manor has been flowing out like water, but there has been no return on investment.
Now, her only hope is that Er Yatou can successfully cure the young master of the Marquis's mansion and quickly get back the ten thousand taels of silver. Then her health will be half restored.
While I was pondering this, I saw Master Jingming return.
Madam Shen then hurriedly said, "I forgot to ask earlier, how much silver does it cost for a long-term measurement?"
Master Jingming was taken aback by her question.
Not to mention him, even Madam Shen and Aunt Zhou were surprised that this was what the old lady cared about most!
"Ahem." Master Jingming covered his mouth and cleared his throat, saying, "I have a rule: if I cannot help my employer, I will not take a single penny."
"Really?" The old lady immediately perked up.
Master Jingming nodded: "Seven days is the limit."
"If what I say is true, and the mansion is still in chaos seven days from now, I will not accept a single coin."
"However, if my method is appropriate, the old lady must pay me ten taels of silver."
"good!"
Madam Shen didn't care what he said next; she was only thinking about the phrase "not taking a penny."
Aunt Zhou, however, asked anxiously, "What do you think of the layout of the mansion, Master?"
“Your residence is situated in an auspicious location, and the buildings are well-proportioned with no issues.”
Everyone understood the hidden meaning in his words.
If the feng shui is fine, then the problem must lie with the people involved.
The maid had already collected the talismans with the birth dates and times of the several people written on them, and now she handed them to Daoist Jingming.
There were no personal names written on them, so he didn't know who each talisman corresponded to. In fact, not only did he, an outsider, not even the people in this family know each other's birth dates.
Only the younger generation, such as Shen Qiyin, were known to their elders because they were children.
But Master Jingming didn't know that. He just looked at the numbers from top to bottom in order and relied entirely on his own abilities to calculate.
"This is a blessed person."
Master Jingming muttered to himself: "Where your feet tread, the stick spins; when luck is against you, don't force it. You can't grasp a hot bun with cold hands, and you can't drink hot rice porridge in a hurry. Just wait for your luck to turn next year, and good fortune will follow."
When Madam Shen saw that it was Shen Yaozu's birth date and time, she felt somewhat comforted upon hearing this.
Master Jingming then looked down.
This time, however, he frowned: "My luck has been bad these past few months. It's like a sapling being caught in a strong wind. Even if I can't uproot it, I'll have to hold on for a while."
After he finished speaking, he flipped the talisman over and showed everyone the birth date and time on it.
But Madam Shen and the others looked at each other, not knowing who they were talking about.
Until Aunt Zheng spoke weakly, "It's me."
Upon reflection, everyone found it quite fitting, and their faith in Master Jingming's abilities grew even stronger.
"This year, the White Tiger sits on your head, bringing either disaster or misfortune. Major issues will lead to lawsuits, financial losses, and unavoidable anger."
It refers to Shen Cang.
That makes it even more accurate!
Actually, up to this point, Shen Qiyin didn't take his words seriously.
The recent events that have occurred in the Shen family are not secrets; they can be easily found out with a little inquiry. If Master Jingming is acting under someone's orders, then the person behind the scenes must have already shown him the birth dates and times of each member of the Shen family. He only needs to match the names to the descriptions.
But it wasn't until Master Jingming saw the next talisman that Shen Qiyinfang realized something was amiss!
He said, "A flirtatious woman is never still; she secretly keeps a lover and keeps a man's essence. She doesn't stay at home but stays in the wild; she is always full of affection when she thinks of her lover."
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