Chapter 80: Needles and Wheat Thorns
The King of Wei did not come here for no reason. Although Mu Jin was in a secluded house with no access to any news, he was still able to keenly sense that chaos was about to break out in the Central Plains.
Although the Chief Secretary of Zibo was not invited to the Governor's Office in a legitimate manner, it is not impossible for Chai Yu to meet him privately.
How could the timing be so coincidental? The royal family and the Chief Secretary of Zibo arrived almost one after another. The Central Plains arranged this branch of the Chai family in the barbarian territory, intending to exile and punish them, but now the honorable King Wei actually came to Xiu Tu in person to meet Chai Yu.
Yuping Pavilion.
After the King of Wei came out, he looked unhappy. His servants secretly groaned in their hearts. It turned out that the King of Wei was irritable and easily angered. After the divination by the witch, the King of Wei was already angry and would definitely vent his anger when he returned to the mansion. The servants were scared like little chickens.
"Where's Mingguang? Where did the little bitch go?"
Madam Mingguang is beautiful, but she is willful and reckless, and the people under her cannot control her.
"Maybe she's waiting in the outer courtyard. I'll go get Madam Mingguang right away."
As he was speaking, Mingguang came over with Lu Xieying, "Prince."
"Why did you bring the little girl from the Lu family here?"
Mingguang whispered something in his ear.
The King of Wei smiled and said, "There is such a thing. Go ahead and do it."
"Didn't the prince go to see the governor? Why didn't he see Governor Chai?"
The King of Wei pointed to the Yuping Pavilion behind him and said, "The woman inside is very capable. She is from Nanzhao. Today she said she can tell fortunes for the people in the Governor's Office."
"It's just a trick in the underworld. Your Highness doesn't need to take it to heart." Mingguang saw that the prince was holding back his anger.
There are many talented people in the world. The one who can make the governor put aside the personal hospitality of King Wei and the Chief Secretary is certainly the most talented among the talented.
He called all his sons to Yuping Pavilion.
Chai Lie did not believe in the divination of the Nanzhao witch, thinking it was nonsense, but seeing that his father believed it, he had no choice but to go into the room.
The Holy Witch was unsympathetic and pointed at the ground, asking him to kneel before her.
He is the eldest son of the governor.
His father and brothers were outside, and he knelt down anyway because he didn't want to anger his father.
The Holy Witch said, "If you want to be the future head of the Chai family, you must not indulge in love affairs. Give up that woman quickly, or both of you will be beheaded."
Chai Lie felt that this nonsense-talking woman was unreasonable, but he did not want to offend his father's distinguished guest.
"Thank you for your guidance, goddess. But even if I have to give up, I have to wait until I have thought it through. The love between her and me is as deep as the ocean. If I want to break it off, it will not be done overnight."
"You are stubborn and stubborn. If you refuse to give up now, you will never be able to give up. Between the position of governor and a woman, you really have to choose the latter."
Of course Chai Lie wouldn't. He didn't think he would lose the former, and the latter was also in his hands.
She said, "You go out."
Chai Lie wanted to leave immediately, so he stood up and asked angrily, "When did that woman ever have me in her heart?"
She smiled and said, "Whatever you ask for will come true. However, when everything goes according to your heart, your heart will gradually die."
"My heart...is dead?" Chai Lie felt that her words were incomprehensible.
He said coldly, "Let your heart die, it's better than my death."
She looked at him and said, "I have seen your end. I hope that when that day comes, you will not change your mind."
Chai Che refused to go in. He didn't want to be bound by any words of destiny to determine his future. Chai Che was a man who only believed in himself. He would never accept his fate.
Chai Yu couldn't force him, so he called his youngest son in.
The Holy Witch had no good feelings towards Chai Hui and was unwilling to see a woman for him. He even saw the little daughter that his wife had managed to bring to him, but he was unwilling to see this child, believing that he had an evil nature and a bad heart.
Seeing her youngest daughter Chai Rong come out, the lady hurried forward and asked, "Did the Holy Witch instruct you on anything?"
She shook her head. "It just told me to let nature take its course. Nothing else. It said I would avoid all disasters and live to a peaceful old age."
Soon a young boy came out and asked, "Does the governor have other children at home?"
"There are one...two more." Chai Yu said.
Send someone to invite Mu Jin and Jiao Ran over.
Jiaoran was called in by the Holy Witch first. The sunlight came in through the window. The autumn sunlight was not very warm. The room was clean, but Jiaoran could always smell an unpleasant smell of blood.
Jiaoran looked closely and found that it was clearly a very unfamiliar face, but she felt that it looked very familiar, as if she had known her a long, long time ago.
She put her fingers together and told her to come over.
Jiaoran didn't know what the governor was going to do, so he walked up to the woman. She picked up a handful of incense ash and asked her to hold it tightly. The ashes were still warm, but not hot anymore, so she held them in her palm.
The holy witch prayed to the sky and walked around Jiaoran.
Suddenly, she cut her palm and buried herself in the ashes in Jiaoran's palm.
The incense ash began to glow red again in Jiaoran's hands, and she was so burned that she almost dropped the ashes.
But she scolded her and told her not to throw it away first.
Jiaoran remained silent. This man was Xu Mengchou's master. Xu Mengchou had some problems, and her master didn't seem very smart either.
"Don't say bad things about me in your heart."
Jiao Ran responded, "Uh, did you hear what I was thinking just now?"
"It's so hot, can I put it down now?" Jiaoran asked her.
When she saw Jiaoran, she liked him very much and could not help showing some joy. "If you want to let go, of course you can let go."
Jiaoran felt that there was something else behind her words, but for a moment he didn't know what she meant.
"You are different from these people, from us. Remember, don't make promises to anyone, because you are destined not to belong to this mortal world."
Jiao Ran was stunned for a moment, "What does this mean?"
"If you can't hold on, you should let go early. Any truth is that simple."
“It’s the same with hatred and love. If you can’t hold on, remember to let it go.”
Jiao Ran asked, "Xu Mengchou is your beloved disciple, right?"
"Exactly."
"Have you ever told her that?"
"She already knew."
"Can she do it?"
"She's different from you."
Jiaoran ignored her and left in a hurry. If she wanted any instructions from God, it would be a hundred times more reliable to listen to Zhu Su's words than her own, even though Zhu Su didn't seem very reliable.
After waiting for Mu Jin for an hour, she still didn't see him come out. The governor didn't even wait any longer. Jiaoran saw the sun setting outside the Yuping Pavilion.
Mu Jin came out just as the new moon was rising. Jiaoran walked up to him and walked slowly side by side with him, walking slowly from Yuping Pavilion back to Siyu Garden.
She leaned against Mu Jin, her eyes flickering, "What did that holy witch predict for you?"
He suddenly lowered his eyes, seeming to want to say something but stopped himself.
Jiaoran was startled, fearing something bad might happen. "What did she say? It doesn't matter what she said. Why? I think she's a liar. Nothing she says is true. We might as well go find a fortune teller on the street and have a look."
He smiled and said, "Why don't you tell me what she said to you first?"
Jiao Ran asked, "Why should I tell you first if you didn't tell me? Is that fair?"
He sighed.
"Why are you sighing for no reason?"
Mu Jin said, "The Holy Witch said she saw in me the fate of waiting. She said... I will spend my days in a long wait."
Jiaoran's expression changed. "Waiting? Waiting for what?"
He lowered his head and said nothing, refusing to continue.
Jiao Ran was resolute, "I will never ask you to wait. Waiting is too tiring. Waiting with hope or disappointment is even more sad. So I won't ask you to wait!"
She was extremely angry. She really wanted to slap this holy witch in the face for saying something unlucky.
Mu Jin said slowly, "Guess how I answered her after she said this?"
Jiao Ran asked, "Are you saying that you just talked nonsense and then came out?"
Mu Jin smiled and said, "I told her, if waiting is my destiny, then I accept it. I will wait until the day my life ends, until the person I want to wait for comes back."
Jiao Ran's body trembled slightly, and his eyes were red. "If you promise that you will only wait for me in this world, then I swear I will never let you wait for me forever, and I will not even leave you."
He gently held her fingers and said, "None of us can predict what will happen in the future, but I believe in your oath. I believe your oath will be more accurate than the predictions of the Holy Witch."
Jiao Ran asked sadly, "If, I mean if, one day I really have to leave you and go somewhere far away, will you not wait for me? That way you will break that woman's divination and no longer have to wait for anyone."
"No!" he flatly refused
"Your previous and subsequent vows cannot be so contradictory." He forced her to follow the previous one.
Jiaoran sighed and didn't speak for a long time along the way.
After a long while, Mu Jin finally changed the subject. "Just now, the Holy Witch clearly didn't want to tell fortunes for Chai Hui, but later I saw my uncle send in two pieces of paper with their birth dates written on them."
"Whose is it?"
"There's a picture of the girl your senior sister brought."
"The girl named Lu Xieying?"
"Exactly. Under her birth chart is written the word 'Xie Ying'."
Jiaoran thought for a long time, "Whose is the other one? Yours?"
Mu Jin smiled helplessly, "It's obvious that those two are used to match the horoscopes."
"Does this mean Lu Xieying might marry one of the men from the Chai family?"
"I suppose so."
"Chailie?"
Mu Jin said no, "He is much older than that girl. I think it's Chai Hui."
Jiao Ran roared, "If you guessed it right, it would be like a tit-for-tat confrontation."
Mu Jin told her that the point was not this. "The Lu and Chai families were already enemies, but why did they insist on getting married? Have you ever thought about it?"
Jiao Ran asked, "Isn't it said that the Lu family is a noble family from the Central Plains? But why does the Lu family have to collude with Chai Yu?"
"The King of Wei traveled for several months before entering Xiutu. The journey must have been arduous. Xiutu is the most remote of the twenty-four states, almost close to the barbarian tribes. Why did he insist on coming to Xiutu at this time?"
Jiaoran looked around and saw several river lanterns floating in the river, drifting with the current. "Releasing river lanterns is a custom in Chang'an. These lanterns shouldn't be released by people from the government. Are they living in the side courtyard of the Governor's Mansion near the water?"
"It should be the King of Wei and his entourage."
Jiaoran was a little annoyed. "Why are you running here instead of staying in Chang'an?"
"Could there be unrest in the Central Plains?" Jiaoran said.
"That's exactly what I was thinking. Considering the Zibo Prefecture Chief Secretary who requested an audience some time ago, I suspect he's here to join forces with my uncle in raising an army, while the envoys from Chang'an are here to appease Xiu Tu, or perhaps even a ploy by Your Majesty to use Xiu Tu to control the nearby states."
The two were whispering when they suddenly heard Xiaoju's voice, "Master is back?"
"Well, did they leave any food?" Mu Jin asked, "Are you hungry?"
Jiaoran said, "I've been starving for a long time. I waited for you for a long time before you came out."
Just as I was about to sit down, I heard Xiaoju say, "The Second Young Mistress of Qianlin Garden has sent someone to wait."
"Wait for me?" Jiaoran asked.
"Young lady, please."
Mu Jin said without changing her clothes, "I'll go with you."
Jiao Ran said no, "What do you want me to do, Senior Sister?"
The people from Qianlin Garden led the way, and it was already dark. "The carriage is waiting outside."
Jiao Ran said, "Senior Sister didn't tell me what you wanted to talk to me about?"
The carriage creaked forward and soon arrived at Qianlin Garden.
As soon as I got off the carriage, I heard laughter coming from behind me.
Looking back, she saw Chai Hui talking and laughing, and then he slashed at her with a palm. She couldn't dodge in time, and he suddenly cut her wrist, causing her to scream in pain.
Zhuxing came out quickly, "What's wrong?!"
Seeing that it was Chai Hui, she suppressed her anger and pulled Jiao Ran over to check her wrist. "How is it? Does it hurt? Let me put some medicated oil on it."
Chai Hui was annoyed. "You can't even avoid this? It's really boring."
Then he left.
Zhuxing called him, "Didn't you say you were going to have dinner with your second brother? Are you not eating anymore?"
He waved his hand and said, "Let's go back to Jinlin Garden to eat."
He had just taken a few steps when someone suddenly hugged him and put his arms around his shoulders. How could he avoid it? "Second brother?"
After a few moves, Chai Hui was clearly at a disadvantage.
Jiaoran had just suffered a loss and was now standing with his feet up watching the fight.
After a while, Chai Che heard Zhuxing's snorting laughter and grabbed Chai Hui's arm. "Your second sister-in-law asked you to stay for dinner, and you won't eat?"
Chai Hui smiled and said, "Second sister-in-law is angry. I just fought with Jiaoran."
Chai Che glanced at Jiao Ran and said, "It's okay. We are all family. Let's sit down and eat."
The meal has been arranged in the inner hall.
Jiaoran didn't know why her senior sister called her over today.
While eating, Chai Che suddenly said with a serious face, "You are not young anymore. You will be eighteen on your birthday this year. It is time for you to get married."
He looked up at Jiaoran, feeling secretly delighted. "I think so too, second brother. Have you figured it out too?"
Chai Che patted his shoulder and said, "When you get married in the future, you should let your mother worry less, understand?"
Chai Hui nodded, "Are you willing too?"
Jiaoran swallowed the chicken in his mouth and tilted his head in confusion, "What do you want?"
"Marry me! If we're together in the future, I'll definitely treat you better than I treated myself, and I'll never... bully you again."
Chai Che said seriously, "Father wants to arrange a marriage between you and Miss Xieying from the Lu family."
Mu Jin was right, Jiaoran thought to himself, what a divine fortune teller he was. It really was going to be Chai Hui's marriage to that little girl.
Chai Hui was very angry and said coldly, "Since you want to arrange a marriage for me, but you don't want me to marry the person I want to marry, how can this be justified?"
Chai Che was furious and shouted, "The marriage between the Lu and Chai families is set in stone and cannot be changed. Master Lu no longer wants to marry the daughter of the Chai family, so marrying the daughter of the Lu family into his family now will be the same!"
Chai Hui was also furious. "If you want to marry her, then do it yourself. I haven't even seen her face, and I won't marry her even if you kill me."
He looked at Jiaoran and asked Jiaoran to say something for him.
But Jiaoran didn't delay eating. She stopped after each bite, as if it was none of her business.
Zhuxing waved his hand and said, "Sit down. I called Jiaoran here today to make you give up."
Chai Hui jumped up and asked, "Why should I give up?"
Zhuxing then asked, "Jiaoran, do you have him in your heart?"
Jiao Ran laughed for a while, "No. But I'm full and I have to go back. It's too late, Senior Sister. If I don't go back, the Master will send someone to pick me up."
Chai Hui flipped the table over and grabbed Jiaoran's sleeve, "Don't even think about running away! Explain yourself clearly."
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