Xie Yan grinned. "When I said just now that Chen Huanyun had damaged your reputation, you didn't seem to be in a hurry. They're both your sisters, so why do you treat them so differently?"
How could they be the same?
What was Chen Huanyun? How could she be compared with the cousin of the Marquis of Wu'an's Mansion?
"She's not someone you can toy with at will," Chen Tingfeng said coldly.
"Hey, don't talk so nastily. When have I ever toyed with anyone?" Xie Yan jumped up and pointed at Chen Tingfeng, scolding.
"You know very well whether you have or not." Chen Tingfeng knew that arguing further wouldn't lead to any result. Xie Yan clearly wasn't answering his question seriously. "Think carefully before you act. Your casual actions can sometimes bring about disaster for others."
Whether in terms of family background or personality, Xie Yan was not a good match for Fu Zhen.
Moreover, with Fu Zhen's little tricks, if she really entered the palace, she would surely be devoured sooner or later.
Chen Tingfeng flicked his sleeves and left. After he left, Xie Yan suddenly sank his face, his eyebrows gloomy.
Being a prince was so boring. He had to be cautious about this and that. Now, he couldn't even get close to the woman he fancied!
He lowered his eyes and looked at the gold hairpin he took out from his cuff. The bloodstains on it had been washed clean by him.
He gently stroked it, as if he was holding the hand of that rabbit - like woman that night.
How similar they were! They were meant to be a couple.
He thought.
He would never give up, at least not now.
*
There was a Buddhist temple in the north of the city. The abbot's Buddhist name was Mingjing. With a mind as clear as a mirror, he was extremely accurate in fortune - telling. Therefore, the wealthy families in the capital liked to go there from time to time to ask for a fortune.
Mrs. Bai looked at Fu Zhen in surprise. "Why do you suddenly want to go for fortune - telling?"
"I just feel that things haven't been going well recently. I can't sleep soundly at night. So I want to go and ask for a fortune. Let Abbot Mingjing interpret my dream and put my mind at ease," she said unhurriedly.
Mrs. Bai immediately thought of that bastard Fu Mingde and felt a bit of pity. "You're right. You should go to the temple to pay your respects. Do you want your aunt to go with you?"
"No need, aunt," Fu Zhen smiled. "You've been busy these days. You still have so many account books to go through. Besides, the temple is in the city. There are patrolling soldiers everywhere. Don't worry about me."
Children always didn't want adults to follow them around when they grew up. Mrs. Bai understood and nodded with a smile. "Okay. The two maids around you are quite useful. Let them accompany you."
Fu Zhen nodded, bowed and took her leave. After she left the courtyard, Biyu had already had the carriage harnessed.
The carriage swayed all the way there.
There were many Buddhists in the capital, so there was a continuous stream of pilgrims in the temple.
Fu Zhen took the fortune - telling cylinder from the young novice monk, closed her eyes and shook it. A stick fell out. It read: "When the old sins disappear, you will be at peace. All your pursuits will bring good fortune."
It was actually a top - grade fortune stick.
Even though Fu Zhen didn't understand the meaning of the stick text well, she could tell from the words that it was an auspicious one.
The young novice monk smiled. "Amitabha. With the Bodhisattva guiding you, the donor will surely turn bad luck into good and everything will go smoothly."
As soon as the young novice monk said this, the people in the hall who were asking for fortunes all looked over.
Those who came to the Buddhist temple must have something they were seeking, be it wealth, fortune or marriage. They all hoped to get a top - grade fortune stick. Some women who probably got the lowest - grade sticks now looked at Fu Zhen with envy in their eyes.
The noblewoman who was asking for a fortune beside Fu Zhen also looked over. Seeing the text on her stick, she couldn't help saying, "Oh, such a good stick. The girl is really lucky."
Fu Zhen blushed shyly. "I'll take your kind words. Just now I saw you whispering to yourself. I guess you also got a good stick?"
The woman shook her head, sighed and showed her stick to Fu Zhen. "It's just an average one. It seems that my son won't be able to pursue an official career in this life."
These words directly showed the purpose of her fortune - telling. She just wanted to know about her son's official career. But this stick wasn't very good. Although she sounded regretful, she didn't seem very surprised.
Presumably, she knew very well what kind of person her son was.
Fu Zhen took the stick and looked at it. It read: "I advise you to stick to your old ways. Anything beyond is not right."
She only understood the first half of the stick text. "I advise you to stick to your old ways" presumably meant that he should not act recklessly and should abide by the rules and not go beyond the line.
But she didn't quite understand the second half. "This stick seems okay. Why don't we ask this young master to give us some advice?"
The woman naturally had no objection. The young novice monk took the stick, looked at it and only said, "This stick means to be practical. Don't pursue things that are illusory and unattainable. Good advice may be unpleasant to the ear but beneficial to one's conduct. If one is willing to abide by the rules, this is a good stick. But if one breaks the rules and damages one's virtue, then..."
He stopped there, but both Fu Zhen and the woman understood what he meant. If one didn't abide by the rules, one would surely suffer.
Fu Zhen smiled and comforted her. "This stick isn't that bad. If you can discipline your son, everything will surely go well."
The woman nodded and didn't take back the stick text. She just looked at Fu Zhen with great interest. "There aren't many girls your age coming to the Buddhist temple. Did you come here today to ask about your marriage?"
Fu Zhen walked out with her so that the people behind could also get their sticks interpreted. Hearing this, she nodded shyly. "I won't hide it from you, madam. My family background is not very good. As I'm getting older and no decent young man has proposed marriage to me, my family asked me to come and pray to the Bodhisattva, hoping that she can bestow a perfect husband on me."
The woman sized her up and down. It was hard to tell what her expression meant, but there was a bit of liking in her words. "I think you have a slender figure, a beautiful face and a gentle and virtuous personality. Just relax. There are plenty of good young men in the capital. But my son..."
She sighed. "I have only two sons. My eldest son is obedient and married a virtuous wife early on. But my eldest daughter - in - law is too virtuous. She's like a ball of dough without any temper and can't even manage the household well. My second son, oh, I get angry just thinking about him. He's a real troublemaker and doesn't listen to a word. When I try to arrange a marriage for him, he says this girl is not pretty and that girl is too boring. I'm so worried that I can't sleep at night."
Fu Zhen was amused by her words and had to comfort her. "Maybe your son is still young and just likes to play. He'll become more sensible in a few years."
The two of them walked out of the temple while chatting. There were many carriages parked outside.
The more the woman looked at Fu Zhen, the more she liked her. So she tentatively asked, "We may have an age gap, but we seem to hit it off at first sight. I like you very much. I'm the mistress of the Fang family in the east of the city. May I ask which family you belong to?"
Fu Zhen looked a bit hesitant on her face, but seeing the sincerity in the woman's eyes, she had to say, "I'm the cousin temporarily staying in the Marquis of Wu'an's Mansion. My name is Fu Zhen."
As soon as she said this, the woman's expression changed instantly. Surprise, shock and disdain were intertwined, and finally settled on a fake smile. "I see. I was being presumptuous. It's getting late. I'll take my leave first."
Fu Zhen pretended not to notice the great change in her attitude and still smiled gently. "Take care, madam."