Volume 1 Chapter 140: Three Steps Forward, Three Steps Back (4)

  Chapter 140: Three Steps Forward, Three Steps Back (4)

  The play on the stage had just begun with a loud drumbeat when one of Wang Ye's servants came to report, "Wang Ye said they were almost finished over there."

  Women are eating and drinking in the back, men are drinking and eating in the front.

  The princess nodded and saw that the little servant did not leave, so she asked, "Is there anything else?"

  "The wooden path is long and has heard that Madame Jade's birthday is coming, wanting to follow the Tao to say a happy and auspicious phrase, now waiting outside." The young servant had not finished speaking.

  The playhouse of Jingwang Fu was not a multi-story building, but rather a half-story high corridor house supported by large stones. Today, since it's a family banquet with a small number of guests, only the right wing of the hall is open.

  Daiyu said that recently, she had a headache and couldn't blow the wind, so she took the maids to sit with Xiaojie's sisters, Chen Shi and Zhang Shi in the pavilion below to drink tea and chat while listening to the opera. Qiu San Niang sat next to Wei Yi Fu Ren's position. Wei Liu Niang sat next to Qiu San Niang again. The old Wang Fei and Wang Fei were on the right side of Wei Qiong Yu.

  Without using ink or purple, Baihe and Xiaoyi exchanged positions and said to her, "Mu Daozhang is a Taoist priest from Sanqing Temple, good at treating rheumatism, often comes to see the old queen for medicine."

  Mozi lightly hummed a sound, not paying much attention. She followed him out today and immediately came into contact with the women at the core of Jingfang Garden. The information was already too much, no need for another Taoist to occupy limited brain resources.

  The Great Zhou Dynasty revered Buddhism and Taoism did not thrive. However, the Taoist and Buddhist families were still able to coexist peacefully, unlike the religious wars in the Middle East.

  "Hurry up and invite him." So, Wei Qiong Yu, who was also a Buddhist nun, showed great respect to this Taoist priest.

  "Speaking of which, didn't he volunteer to find a good match for your niece Liu Niang the other day? Let's ask him later if there's any progress. If he doesn't remember, have the little maids give him a beating." The queen was able to speak in such a playful tone because they had known each other for over ten years.

  The princess's voice was not loud, but Mozi was close by and heard it clearly. She glanced at Wei Liu's wife at the next table, saw that her half-flower face was pale, still biting her lip, and the teacup in her hand was trembling.

  Mozi thought that Wei Liuniang still had her heart set on Xiao Erlang, but her marriage was clearly controlled by Wei Qiongyu, so it would be difficult to get what she wanted. Who knows if Wei Liuniang knew that the most precious son of the Xiao family might marry a princess or noblewoman in the future? If she knew, she shouldn't think that Xiao Erlang is a good match anymore. Who dares to compete with the emperor's daughter for an old husband? Maybe even her mother-in-law would have to bow down and pay respects every day. Hopefully Wei Liuniang will be smart and open-minded, understand the principle of retreating one step to gain a broader perspective.

  Before long, a little girl led in a Taoist priest.

  At a glance, the Taoist priest had a long face with a grey beard, wearing a fragrant grey Taoist robe, holding a divine brush. Behind him followed two eleven or twelve-year-old boys with ordinary faces that were hard to remember, one carrying a wooden box and the other carrying a small trunk.

  The Taoist priest held up his palm in front of him and chanted the phrase "Wúliàng Shòu Fó" (Amitayus Buddha), wishing Madam Yu good fortune, longevity, health, and happiness, with everything going as she wished.

  "The road is long, let's not talk about it, first let's take a look at your big gift." The princess smiled and said, "If you come empty-handed, don't say pretty words, hurry up and take your two apprentices away."

  The old queen also smiled, "Zhi Min, you are so kind-hearted, just sending him away like this. If I were to say it, if he didn't bring any gifts, from now on we won't let him come to the mansion again, and we won't buy those medicinal pills of his anymore. Let's see how he'll manage as a quack doctor."

  The Taoist priest knew the two were joking, but he was quite clever and chuckled, stroking his long gray beard, saying, "You two princesses underestimate me too much. Even if my Three Purity Temple is so poor that we have no food to eat, on a day like today, I wouldn't come empty-handed, would I?"

  He turned around and took the wooden box from Dao Tong's hand, holding it high in front of his forehead. "This is a humble gift from me, please take a look, Madame Yu."

  The little girl took it and sent it to Wei Qiong Yu's desk.

  Qiong Yu opened it and found two red slips of paper with the eight characters of birth on them. "This one is my sixth sister's eight characters, but what about this other one?"

  "Oh, let me take a look." The princess asked Wei Qiong Yu to come over and take a look, and immediately smiled with narrowed eyes. "I just said that if you forgot about this matter, Mu Daozhang, the little maids would hit you with a board. It turns out you still remember what needs to be done. Not bad, not bad. I wonder whose birth chart this is?"

  Mo Zi glanced over, Wei Qiong Yu wasn't unaware, but rather intentionally pretended not to understand, waiting for the queen to speak instead.

  "The princess is absolutely right. These two birth dates are a match made in heaven, a perfect union for a hundred years. Even if we searched the world over, we couldn't find a more suitable pair. And what's more, it just so happens that the young man's mother recently came to my temple to have his marriage fortune told, and I was able to make this prediction." The wooden Daoist spoke with great enthusiasm, exaggerating to the point of absurdity.

  Wei Qiong Yu just smiled and didn't speak, anyway there would always be someone who would ask for her.

  The princess spoke up, "Those who ran to your temple to draw lots? Quickly tell me what's so good about it."

  "That lady, I'll tell you, some of you may know her, is Madame Bian, the wife of Yang Gong, a minister in the Ministry of Rites. The Yang family has only one son, eighteen years old, although he doesn't have any official titles yet, he's very well-read and will surely pass the imperial examination this year with high honors. I've also made inquiries, Young Master Yang is a good person with excellent moral character. What's more, he hasn't even taken a concubine. If Miss Wei marries into their family, she'll be the legitimate wife."

  Does even a Taoist priest know that having many women in the inner house can have dire consequences? Mozi smiled to himself, this wooden Taoist priest doesn't even think about whose birthday it is today, saying things like "main wife" and "legitimate daughter". However, looking at Wei Qiong's smile deepening on her face, she should be genuinely happy for her niece.

  "Mr. Yang's only son!" The queen confirmed that she knew this family, "Daozhang, you really said it right. If this marriage is successful, it will be extremely good."

  She turned her head and grasped Wei Qiong Yu's hand, saying, "Qiong Yu, you may not have seen him, but I've taken a look at that child. He's handsome, very refined and courteous, especially filial. Unlike our family's three little rascals, who are either stubborn or troublemakers. Looking at it this way, he and Liu Niang really do match well."

  Wei Qiong Yu laughed with great joy. The Minister of Rites, a fourth-rank official, and the prince had also praised Yang's good character. As for Young Master Yang, unexpectedly, he was the only son in his family. If Wei Liu Niang could really become the legitimate wife, it would be a high-ranking marriage. For the Wei family to change from merchants to scholars, it was a big step forward.

  Thinking so, how can one be dissatisfied? But it's not good to show too much joy, so I cautiously asked the Taoist priest, "I wonder if the Yang family has any intention of marrying?"

  "Sister is confused." The princess still held onto Wei Qiong Yu's hand, "Of course we need to ask for our opinion first, before Dao Zhang can go and ask the Yang family. Otherwise, if we leak out the bottom of our Wei Liu girl, and the girl doesn't like it, turning a good thing into a bad one, that would affect the friendship between our two families."

  "It's not that reason." Mu Dao replied with a smile, "Although I didn't reveal Miss Wei Liu's background, I roughly said that her father and brother were merchants, her uncle was a sixth-rank official who had just been released from office, and her aunt was the wife of a very wealthy family. After hearing this, she was overjoyed and asked me to come and ask for Miss Wei's consent as soon as possible, so that she could know more about it in detail. In my humble opinion, as long as Miss Wei is willing, it will definitely be successful."

  "Qiong Yu, today is indeed your birthday, and the heavens have sent you a great gift, a most auspicious sign. We must follow along and share in this joyful atmosphere. Sixth Lady is marrying out of the Wang Manor, isn't that wonderful?" Wei Qiong Yu knew how to be a good person, and wasn't the Princess also aware of it?

  She listened to them, one word and one phrase, and in just a few sentences, they were going to settle Wei Liu's marriage. However, it sounds like this Yang young master is better than Xiao Er Lang. Alone without a concubine, he is already better than many men. If she were in Wei Liu's shoes, with the marriage not being her own decision, she might think it's not bad. The Yang family seems to have fewer people and less complexity, unlike the Wang Manor which has so many hidden pitfalls. Most importantly, that was a past experience of being the first wife, without needing to clean up idle people, letting herself be the exterminator.

  Mozi thought about it and started to feel fortunate for Wei Liu's good marriage, but things took a drastic turn at this time.

  Wei Liu Niang suddenly stood up, her face as white as paper, and her expression seemed a bit dazed. Until the maid behind her worriedly went to pull her sleeve, she woke up like a dream, and shook it off. At the same time, she quickly walked to Wei Qiong Yu's front, knelt down with a thud, and her eyes turned red in an instant.

  She knelt down and scared Wang Fei and Wei Qiong Yu, who were talking enthusiastically, and also startled Old Wang Fei and Qiu San Niang.

  Mozi knew that Weiliu Niang had a crush on Xiao Erlang, and seeing her like this, she thought to herself, "Why is this woman being so foolish?" If she didn't like him, then so be it, but please don't say anything stupid like "I won't marry anyone else".

  "My child, what are you doing?" Wei Qiong Yu was indeed a kind elder, and she also had some worries in her heart, but her first reaction was to feel distressed for her niece, "Speak up if there's something on your mind."

  The princess had always treated Wei Liu as a spoiled guest, and she quickly let her get up. "Liu, if you don't like it, we can find something better, why be so miserable? The tears in your eyes are making us feel uncomfortable too."

  The old queen also advised a few words of comfort and had the maidservants go support Wei Liu's wife.

  The ladies all have their own expressions, while the servants' faces are more straightforward. Most of them look puzzled, wondering why such a good marriage is still being refused.

  Wei Liu Niang seemed to have made up her mind to speak clearly, no matter how the maids tried to persuade and pull her, she refused to get up. She shifted her knees slightly, now facing the queen directly.

  The princess immediately knew that things were not simple, with so many pairs of eyes staring at her, and she immediately summoned a maid to instruct, "Let the opera performers all leave, and also ask the ladies on the other side to take the girls away. If asked, just say that Mu Daozhang mentioned Wei Liu's marriage, and Wei Liu suddenly thought of home, so she lost her composure. Remember, let the maids and servants not gossip, if it gets out and sounds bad, find out who did it and immediately drive them out of the mansion."

  The old woman went to her death.

  Mozi saw Pozi speaking to Xiao Dalie and the girls, then Xiao Dalie wanted to come over, but seemed to be persuaded by Pozi, and finally had no choice but to follow Xiao Jiaojiao and Yiniang away.

  At first gave up this seat, wanted to sit back again, how easy is that? Mozi coldly gazed.

  The princess also apologized to Mu Daochang and said that Wei Liu's daughter had just arrived, unfamiliar with the place, and it would be better to mention marriage after a while.

  The wooden path is long and I know there's a detour, but it can't be helped, so I'll just take the opportunity to bid farewell.

  When everyone's attention was focused on those two people, Mozi leaned in and whispered a sentence into Qiu San Niang's ear.

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  Chapter 140: Three Steps Forward, Three Steps Back (4)

  Chapter 140: Three Steps Forward, Three Steps Back (4)