The Crown Princess had been having a hard time recently. If she had married into an ordinary family, it would have been a great thing to have twins. But she had married into the royal family, so the situation was the complete opposite.
Giving birth to two sons was considered bad luck. Giving birth to two daughters was considered bad luck. Giving birth to one son and one daughter was a great auspicious sign, but there were hidden dangers. The birth of a dragon and the death of a phoenix were considered bad luck. The birth of a dragon and the death of a phoenix were considered bad luck. Only when the twins were safe could it be considered stable.
After thinking about it, it was better to have only one child. It was a fifty-fifty chance, so there was no need to worry so much.
What made her even more anxious was that the Crown Prince only had one son in the six years she had married into the Eastern Palace. Compared to the other princes who had many children, it was really pitiful. The Emperor valued the concubine very much. The Crown Prince's lack of a legitimate son had always been his sore point, so he was more and more dissatisfied with the Crown Princess these years.
In addition, Vice Concubine Xu's ambition grew. During her pregnancy, she frequently spread rumors to disturb her mind. Several sisters-in-law also secretly tried to trip her up and make her abort the baby. It was difficult to describe the dangers.
Although the Crown Princess acted calmly, she could not stand it anymore. That was why she went to the Taoist temple to pray. After delivering the offerings, she stood in front of the lot pot for half an hour, not daring to reach out for it. She could only call Yu Xiang in. It was fine if she drew the good lot, but if she drew the bad lot, she could comfort herself that it was someone else who drew it and had nothing to do with her.
After taking the lot, her fingertips trembled slightly. She handed it to the Taoist temple without looking at it.
The Taoist temple made a sound of surprise. She straightened her back and asked, "Is the lot bad?"
The old lady held the Buddha beads and silently chanted 'Amitabha'. Suddenly, she remembered that this was a Taoist temple. She quickly apologized and changed it to 'Immeasurable God'.
Yu Siyu's eyes flashed. She was just waiting to see Yu Xiang's bad luck. She was still willing to get involved in this kind of situation where she could not get anything good out of it. It was obvious that her intelligence and ability were all flattered by her ancestor and brother!
The Taoist temple looked at it carefully for a moment, then smiled and waved his hand, "No, no, I have to congratulate the Crown Princess. You have drawn the only lot of the Dragon and Phoenix lot. Crown Princess, please take a look.... "Then he presented the lot with both hands.
The Crown Princess took a closer look and saw that the signature was marked with a dragon and a phoenix connected from top to bottom. There were only two lines on the signature — The bamboo transformed into a dragon and a phoenix that entered the sky. The light of the Dao scattered all evil. The meaning behind this was obvious.
....................
Yu Xiang waved her hand. "It's not that I'm blessed. It's that the deities are borrowing my hand to bless you. In the end, it's all thanks to your good fortune. .........
... Jiu 'er is also here. She is sleeping in the wing room at the back of the hall. Take her out for a walk so that she won't sleep for the whole day. "The Crown Princess smiled.
Yu Xiang nodded, then walked to the back hall under the guidance of two palace servants. The Old Madam heaved a sigh of relief. Xiang 'er was indeed a lucky star. Her luck was truly extraordinary. After chatting with the Crown Princess for a while and paying respects to the Lightning Ancestor in the hall, she finally left with Yu Siyu, who was full of worries.
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Although the scale of the White Cloud Taoist Temple could not be compared to the Zhenguo Temple, it still occupied an entire mountain. There was a naturally formed lake at the top of the mountain. The green lake reflected the light blue sky and the bright sun. The scenery was truly beautiful. The lakeside was the most quiet and secluded place. Therefore, the Daoist Temple specially built a two story high tea room. Next to the tea room were several small pavilions. Whether it was drinking tea or boating, it was the best place to go.
When the scenery was good, more people went. When Yu Xiang brought the Ninth Princess and Fan Jiaojiao to the tea room, the seats by the window on the second floor were already full. Only a small table at the stairs was empty.
The Ninth Princess was twelve years old and would soon be thirteen. She had grown taller and her face had also matured. Although she was not as beautiful as Yu Xiang, she was still pretty and cute. In addition, she had an outstanding noble aura. As long as she did not say anything stupid, she would be able to intimidate people.
Fan Jiaojiao was the youngest of the three, but she was also the strongest. She had thick eyebrows and big eyes and a snake tail whip at her waist. If anyone dared to be disrespectful to the Ninth Princess, she would whip them without another word. The noble ladies in the capital gave her the nickname "Thug Shou." When she heard it, she was not ashamed but proud.
Because there were many people in the Daoist Temple, the Daoist Temple gave the tea room to the female guests to prevent them from offending the noble guests. The small pavilions by the lake were used to entertain the male guests.
The Daoist child wiped the table with a rag and invited the three to sit.
The Ninth Princess pointed to the window and said, "I want to sit there."
Fan Jiaojiao immediately walked over, pulled out the whip at her waist and flicked it on the table. She snorted, "Did you hear that? The Ninth Princess wants to sit. Hurry up and move. " Under Yu Xiang's unremitting teaching, she was developing in the direction of a fierce daughter from a general's family. No matter how one looked at her, she was valiant.
The four noble ladies stood up with humiliated expressions and moved to the stairs. The rest of the people stood up and bowed. The Ninth Princess looked straight ahead and walked over. She picked up the pastries that the four of them had never eaten before and began to bite into them. The crumbs at the corner of her mouth immediately dispelled her noble aura and turned it into a foolish aura.
Yu Xiang glanced at her and faintly sighed at the beautiful spring scenery outside the window.
"What's wrong? Eat! "The Ninth Princess picked up a piece of cloud cake and eagerly handed it over.
"Eat by yourself. Slow down, don't choke. Didn't you eat when you left the palace? "
"I did. My appetite has been increasing recently. Imperial Sister-in-law and Imperial Mother don't allow me to eat too much. They say I'll become as fat as when I was young and won't be able to get married next year." The Ninth Princess's cheeks kept moving like a hamster.
"They're just scaring you. When you were young, you weren't fat, you were round. You looked good!" Fan Jiaojiao's flattery skills had improved over the years. She didn't do it on purpose. It was just that she had a straightforward personality and liked The Ninth Princess very much, so her words were naturally a bit mushy.
Yu Xiang nodded in agreement.
As they chatted, there was a sudden commotion in the tea room. One of the noble ladies screamed, "Ah, it's the zhuangyuan. He's also here!"
Everyone looked in the direction she was pointing. They saw that in a small pavilion three or four meters downstairs, several young scholars were sitting around drinking wine and chatting. When they reached a good part of the story, they couldn't help but pick up their chopsticks and tap the sides of their bowls, singing loudly.
The smoky green willow branches hung down in all directions. They rose and fell in the breeze, as if they were dancing to the song. It was quite elegant.
However, even more elegant and enchanting was the zhuangyuan's unusually handsome facial features. He was smiling lightly, frowning, or expressionless. All kinds of expressions made people feel intoxicated.
The Ninth Princess forgot to swallow the pastry in her mouth. She murmured, "So handsome, as handsome as the lotus seed cake." As she said this, she stood up and leaned out to look.
With her taking the lead, the other noble ladies also forgot to be reserved. They all squeezed to the window to look, occasionally exclaiming in surprise.
Yu Xiang glanced over and was slightly surprised. The legendary zhuangyuan was actually that downtrodden young master who had attempted to commit suicide by crashing into a carriage. In just two short months, he really had made a meteoric rise.
After a few glances, her attention was attracted by the tall figure with his back to the tea room. If the scholars were compared to green bamboos, that figure was like a pine tree. Moreover, it was the Cloud-Soaring Pine Tree that had taken root at the top of a cliff. It had a persevering and heroic bearing. He didn't need to show his face. In Yu Xiang's eyes, he was the most special existence.
The laughter of the noble ladies attracted the attention of the youths by the lake. Although they didn't show it on their faces, they were slightly proud. The volume of their recitations unconsciously increased. Only that person turned a deaf ear to it and turned a blind eye to it. He only placed his hand on the hilt of the sword at his waist. His back was straight, and one could vaguely see the strong and tense muscles hidden under the official's robe.
Yu Xiang stared at him for a long time. Seeing that he didn't notice her, her eyes turned. She took out a few red beans from her pouch and threw them at him. Then, she immediately bent down and hid under the windowsill.
There was the sound of something breaking through the air. Yu Pinyan quickly dodged. He looked down and saw that it was a few red beans. He turned to look at the tea room and found that The Ninth Princess was holding half a pastry in her mouth and staring foolishly at Shen Yuanqi. Fan Jiaojiao waved her hand at him and winked at him. He didn't know what she was trying to say.
Yu Pinyan raised his eyebrows and pretended not to care. He turned around and continued to stare at the disguised Crown Prince in the pavilion.
Yu Xiang covered her mouth and snickered. Then, she took out a few more red beans and threw them at him. However, she found that her brother quickly turned around and glanced at her with a smile that wasn't a smile. He silently reprimanded her, "Naughty again!"
Yu Xiang leaned against the windowsill and sent him a proud look. She already looked like a painting, and her head was shrouded in the splendid light of spring. The cinnabar between her eyebrows shone brightly, tender and alluring, causing everyone by the lake to raise their heads to look at her, their eyes filled with infatuation. Especially Shen Yuanqi and Fang Zhichen. Their eyes almost couldn't move.
The joy on Yu Pinyan's face instantly disappeared. He picked up a red bean from the ground and threw it at the window where she was. There was a crisp sound. The bamboo pole supporting the window frame broke and the window fell down heavily.
Fortunately, Yu Xiang understood her brother's temperament. When he bent down to pick up the red bean, she hurriedly dodged. She also pulled The Ninth Princess away from the window. Otherwise, their noses would have been knocked out.
"Your brother is angry again. Every time I see him, he's angry. "The Ninth Princess shook her head and sighed.
"Yu daren is really amazing! My father said that he was the number one expert of the Great Han Dynasty. These words were true! You're an expert after all, so you're bound to have a little temper. "Fan Jiaojiao began to flatter again.
Yu Xiang ignored the two and immediately went to open the window. However, he found that there was no one by the lakeside. There was only a group of Dragonscale Guards holding swords and halberds hurriedly walking past.
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Shen Yuanqi took his leave from the Crown Prince and walked in front of Yu Pinyan. He cupped his hands and said, "This official greets Master Hou. Is that young lady just now Master Hou's younger sister? "
Fang Zhichen was also planning to leave. When he heard this, he couldn't help but look at the two people. The young lady's face, brighter and more beautiful than spring, kept appearing in his mind. For a moment, he was a little dazed. He had never imagined that the lame Miss of the First Wife was actually such a stunning beauty. Her face alone was enough to make up for all the flaws in her body.
"Lord Shen, you've overstepped your bounds." Yu Pinyan's tone was cold. His right hand rested on the embroidered spring saber at his waist and gently stroked the hilt.
Shen Yuanqi realized that he had been impulsive. He hurriedly bowed and apologized.
Yu Pinyan nodded expressionlessly and strode away.
Shen Yuanqi touched his slightly cold neck. He felt both gratified and disappointed. His only family member was close at hand, but he couldn't recognize her. She was now the daughter of the first wife of the Marquis Household. She was deeply doted on by her elder brother and grandmother. She enjoyed endless glory, splendor, wealth, and luxury. If he rashly came to recognize her, he didn't know whether or not she would resent him.
Forget it, let's wait and see. Shen Miaoqi had recently entered the capital. He estimated that it wouldn't be long before she found the Marquis Yongle. It was extremely difficult for the Marquis Household to find a merchant with the surname Shen. On the other hand, it was very easy for the Family Shen to find the Marquis Household. There were only a few Marquis households in the capital. In addition, there was the clue of the disaster ten years ago. He just needed to ask around a little to find out.
Based on Shen Miaoqi's temperament, she would definitely take back everything that belonged to her. He would wait for her to make the first move before making other arrangements.