Chapter 170: Seeking a Divination Stick

Chapter 170: Seeking a Divination Stick

The temple fair was bustling with activity.

Lu Lingyun led a group of women to the temple to seek a divination stick.

Lu Lingyun drew a stick.

Stick text: "Wutong leaves fall as autumn wanes, travelers rush as if flying, thank the heavens for their gentle force, a ship sailing with the wind carries treasures back."

She went to the fortune interpreter, a monk, who was delighted after reading it.

"Congratulations, madam, this is a supreme sign! Whatever you endeavor in, the heavens will grant it. May all your wishes come true and all go well!"

Lu Lingyun smiled at this.

Qiu Ling, Ling Long, and several other women gathered around.

"Young mistress, what did you seek?"

Lu Lingyun smiled lightly, "I prayed for peace and prosperity in our home."

"Congratulations, young mistress! With the heavens on your side, everything will go smoothly!"

"Master, please take a look at my stick?" Qiu Ling hurriedly handed her stick over.

The monk recited her stick text aloud, "Flourishing pines and cypresses, unscathed by rain, snow, or wind; in the future, they will grow into pillars of strength and success." He then said, "Congratulations, madam, this is also a supreme sign! Your path ahead is smooth, you will have achievements throughout your life, and the image of flourishing pines and cypresses indicates future nobility."

Qiu Ling's eyes lit up, and she thanked the monk with a broad smile.

"Sister Qiu Ling, what did you seek?"

"I sought safety for the eldest young master."

"Congratulations, it's a supreme sign! He will definitely be safe!"

"Flourishing pines and cypresses, future nobility, that means our eldest young master will be extraordinary!"

Qiu Ling's smile widened as she heard these blessings.

After two consecutive supreme signs, Liu Qingping also handed her stick to the monk.

The monk looked at her stick and still smiled, "Madam, yours is a favorable sign. What you seek brings joy, but the journey has its trials. Guard your heart, and there will be further blessings. Eventually, the clouds will part, and you will be pleased with what you obtain, not disappointing your desires."

Liu Qingping pondered these words as the maids around her eagerly asked questions.

"Young miss, what did you seek?"

"No need to guess—it's probably about love!"

"It looks like our young miss will marry someone she truly loves!"

Liu Qingping, blushing with embarrassment, held her stick tightly, "What nonsense are you all saying!"

"Young miss is shy!"

"So, young miss, what kind of guy are you into?"

A group of people were teasing each other when Ling Long handed her fortune stick to the monk.

"Master, please take a look for me."

The monk took Ling Long's fortune stick and frowned after reading the text on it.

"No theory, no family; a water-like foolish person, like falling flowers. If you ask about the grace of a lord, it's hard to gain; in the end, everything is a mess."

"This lot suggests that you are like water, drifting aimlessly, and your hopes may not come to fruition. However, a foolish person can also be steadfast, and there might still be some fortune if you remain resilient."

Upon hearing it was the worst lot, Ling Long not only didn't look upset but actually laughed.

The young maids nearby asked, "Miss Ling, why are you laughing!"

Even Lu Lingyun looked over at Ling Long.

Ling Long took the worst lot and waved it towards everyone, "I asked this on behalf of Concubine Du!"

As her words fell, the surrounding maids and women burst into laughter.

Lu Lingyun: "..."

"How fitting, 'water-like willow catkins'!"

"But what does 'foolish person in confusion' mean? Master, is there a solution for her lot?"

"Master, what did you mean by 'there might still be some fortune' at the end?"

The group of women crowded around the lot interpretation stall and continued asking the monk.

The monk shook his head, "If the person asks themselves, there's a solution. If someone else asks on their behalf, you can only see a hazy image."

The crowd remained confused but continued to chatter.

Lu Lingyun watched from the side and smiled, shaking her head.

At that moment, she saw a young maid leading a man towards the back of the temple.

The man was in his early twenties, quite ordinary in appearance, short and a bit chubby, but dressed in extremely magnificent clothes. A jade pendant hanging from his waist was exceedingly valuable.

On his feet were long boots made of Shu brocade, a luxurious silk fabric from Sichuan, with blue gems sewn onto the surface—a clear sign that he came from an extremely prominent noble family.

"Young mistress, that seems to be Cui Nong, the maid beside Miss Shaojing!" Shuang Hong also saw and added.

"It's her."

"Didn't Miss Shaojing say she wouldn't attend the temple fair?"

Lu Lingyun slightly furrowed her brows. Her gaze lingered on the man following Cui Nong.

She recognized the man as Liu Ye, the second son of the second branch of the Liu Duke’s estate.

She remembered him because Liu Ye was notoriously lustful. In her previous life, when she was in Jiangnan, she had heard all sorts of scandalous rumors about the Liu Duke’s estate.

Affairs between in-laws, keeping young brothers-in-law, incest between siblings-in-law—all from the second branch of the Liu Duke’s estate.

By the time she returned to the capital and became a titled lady, the Liu Duke’s estate had become a facade of strength but was internally weakened.

Once, she encountered Liu Ye abducting a commoner’s daughter on the street. The woman resisted and, in a desperate act, slit her own throat right there in the street, causing a massive uproar. The Liu Duke’s estate used a lot of effort to suppress the incident, and Liu Ye fell into silence after that, with no more scandals heard about him.

Lu Lingyun remembered this man. He was quite young now, far more handsome and vibrant than when she had seen him in her previous life, but his face already showed signs of overindulgence.

Why would someone like him be with Qin Shaojing’s maid?

As Lu Lingyun frowned and remained silent, Chunxing beside her wisely said, "Young mistress, I’ll take Xia Mei to go take a look."

"Mm." Lu Lingyun nodded. "Be careful, both of you."

"Yes." Chunxing took Xia Mei and followed discreetly from the side.

Seeing Liu Yue dampened Lu Lingyun’s enthusiasm for the temple fair. She told Qiu Ling and Liu Qingping to continue shopping with Ling Long, gave them some spending money to buy whatever they wanted, and sat down in a pavilion behind the temple to rest.

It wasn’t long before Chunxing and Xia Mei returned.

"Young mistress, we saw it!"

"Young Miss Shaojing is hosting a poetry gathering in another courtyard behind the temple!"

"In addition to that man, there were seven or eight noble young masters and several young misses in her courtyard," Xia Mei added. "There were many people, a lively crowd."

Lu Lingyun nodded upon hearing this.

Qin Shaojing had indeed told her that she wouldn’t join them for the temple fair and had an appointment with Cui Tonghua.

However, they had also invited people from the Duke’s estate?

After a moment of thought, Lu Lingyun said, "Is there anyone from our estate there?"

"Yes, Jin Shu is there. We got the information from him."

"Go again and tell Jin Shu to keep a close eye on things. If anything happens, let me know right away."

"Yes."

Chunxing went again, and by the time she returned, the others who had gone to the temple fair had come back as well.

However, Du Ruo and Cheng Yunshuo hadn’t returned yet.

Qingfeng came to deliver a message, saying that they were enjoying themselves so much that they wouldn’t be back until late, and told Lu Lingyun and the others to head back first without waiting for them.

Hearing this, Lu Lingyun didn’t wait for them and took everyone back to the Marquis's Mansion.

Du Ruo and Cheng Yunshuo didn’t return until very late.