Contentment with modest wealth

Chapter 204 You are destined to have neither sons nor daughters

Shen Qingzhou was busy all day, but when she didn't see He Qu at night, she found out that Lu Jia had something to do. She quickly finished what she was doing, handed the rest over to Song En, and then hurried to Yanzi Hutong.

As Lu Jia and his group left the dilapidated temple, they ran into Shen Qingzhou in the front yard of the Xie family's residence.

Lu Jia shoved the mask and robe into his hands and said, "I remember you know the Taoist priests at Baiyun Temple in the south of the city?"

Shen Qingzhou had a lot of questions, but upon hearing this, he had no choice but to swallow back the words he wanted to ask and nodded, saying, "After my mother passed away, it was Master Chen Ji of Baiyun Temple who led his disciples to perform a ritual to help her pass on to the afterlife."

Lu Jia asked, "How much silver does this old Taoist priest charge for a ritual?"

"It's not cheap. Baiyun Temple has a great reputation, and Chen Ji is the abbot's junior brother. He's an expert in feng shui and face reading, so he usually doubles the price of others."

Lu Jia thought for a moment, then took out a stack of silver notes: "Then quickly give this to him for me, I want him to tell my fortune!"

Shen Qingzhou glanced at the amount and couldn't help but be taken aback...

……

Now, Wei lives a carefree life. She doesn't have to serve her parents-in-law, nor her husband, and she has no children or grandchildren to worry about. Every first and fifteenth of the lunar month, she goes to the temple to burn incense. Every few days, she goes out to the streets to buy flowers and powders, and also to find some nourishing and health-preserving items to take good care of her face and body. This is her biggest task for the rest of her life.

A few days ago, heavy snow locked down the city, and we couldn't go out for many days. Wei Shi got tired of staying at home.

In addition, Guo Lu has been frequently scolded by Jiang Mingyi lately and was almost sent back to Jizhou. Wei Shi did not dare to challenge her daughter. Calculating the days, she figured that the man should be coming over in the next few days.

So he planned to go out for a while, relax, and bring back some food and drinks. He would then mention it to Guo Lu and see if he could also get him a long-term job so that Guo Lu could have a future.

Of course, the Wei family knew this was not easy.

If a minor character like Guo Lu is assigned to a role that also involves "him," it will definitely attract attention.

Even if others don't say anything, Yan Shu said that the couple was shrewd as a devil, and they might just see through the trick.

If they figure out what's going on, we'll be in big trouble.

They might not directly harm the Wei family, but they will definitely cause trouble for Mingyi.

That brat Mingyi has become increasingly cold and hard-hearted over the years. When she talks to me, she doesn't sound like she's talking to her own mother at all.

It's more like disciplining a daughter!
If I cause her trouble, won't I be the one to suffer in the end?

The Wei family really didn't want to provoke her.

Ultimately, it was their own fault.

In short, if it were so easy for that person to take care of Guo Luyou, why would the Wei family have waited until now?

But now I can't care about that anymore.

Guo Lu was the one she kept by her side to take care of her in her old age and see her off in death. He was the only cousin she had left in her family. If she didn't find a way to help him, she couldn't keep him.

Does she have to rely on those wolves from the first and second branches of the Jiang family in the future?
They're lucky they didn't devour her.

In other words, she couldn't leave the Jiang family, leaving them to watch her covetously from the sidelines.

"Oh dear, I'm so sorry!"

Just as Madam Wei and her entourage came out of Zuiyuelou with two of their signature dishes packed up, a young servant who was rushing over bumped into her and began to apologize profusely.

The old woman beside him scolded, "You blind fool, why are you always running into people?"

The servant kept bowing and scraping: "Please forgive me, Madam. It's just that Master Chen from Baiyun Temple set up a fortune-telling stall up ahead today. Master Chen's skills in feng shui and fortune-telling are extremely high, and it's usually very difficult to get an appointment with him. Today, he not only set up a stall to do good deeds, but he also doesn't charge money for fortune-telling. I have a sick person at home and wanted to ask for a divination of good or bad fortune. I was in a bit of a hurry outside, and I'm really sorry!"

The old woman was about to scold him again, but Wei said, "Are you talking about Chen Ji, the Taoist priest of Baiyun Temple?"

"It's him!" the servant said. "This Master Chen's senior brother, Sect Leader Lin, often sits and discusses Taoism with the Emperor. Master Chen also reads fortunes and divines for the royal family and nobles; his predictions are incredibly accurate! 'Madam, won't you go and have your fortune told? I see a hint of worry between your brows. A divine intervention could avert disaster!'"

Upon hearing this, Madam Wei couldn't help but look in the direction the servant was pointing. It was only a dozen steps away, but a large crowd had already gathered there.

How could she not know the reputation of the Taoist priests at Baiyun Temple?
Master Chen's physiognomy skills were indeed renowned throughout the capital.

Whether or not the fortune telling is involved is secondary; since we've caught up in this excitement, it's worth taking a look. So, Wei walked over.

In the middle of the crowd, a table was set up, and a middle-aged Taoist priest sat behind it, stroking his long beard with one hand and directing the young Taoist priest beside him to bring out the name cards.

"Please don't push, everyone. My master is only setting up one stall today and can't stand so many people. He will only choose based on his own judgment..."

The young Taoist priest maintained order.

But people were still pushing forward.

Wei didn't want to squeeze in and decided to leave.

Just then, a piece of paper that had been knocked off landed right in front of her feet.

The Taoist priest pointed to himself and said, "Come here."

Looking around, Wei saw that no one had claimed the slip of paper, so she stepped forward and said, "Taoist priest, please tell my fortune."

Chen Ji examined her carefully for a few moments and said, "Your eyelids are drooping, which damages your fertility palace. You will surely face disaster within three days."

Wei was startled, and the people around her gradually quieted down as well.

"What do you mean by that?" asked Madam Wei.

Chen Ji pointed to the paper and pen next to him: "Write down your birth date and time."

Wei wrote it.

Chen Ji examined it and said, "This month, your birth chart clashes with Tai Sui, which is in conflict with children born in the Year of the Snake. However, you are destined to have no sons. I don't know if it's your eldest daughter or your second daughter who was born in the Year of the Snake?"

Although Wei knew of this Taoist priest Chen, she had never met him before, yet he revealed in a single sentence that she was destined to have no children!

She couldn't help but straighten her posture: "Since you know I only have a daughter, why don't you just calculate which daughter I'm incompatible with?"

“If you want to calculate this, just writing yours won’t do.” Chen Ji stroked his beard a couple of times and pointed to the blank space next to his birth date and time: “Write your husband’s birth date and time as well.”

After thinking for a moment, Wei bit her lower lip and wrote down the number eight.

Chen Ji glanced at it and said, "If it's this, then your children's palace is empty. You are destined to have neither sons nor daughters."

Wei's face turned pale instantly.

The old woman beside him said, "Taoist priest, please calculate it more carefully, lest there be any errors."

This is clearly their master's birth chart, and they clearly only had one daughter! How can you say they were destined to have neither sons nor daughters?

Chen Ji looked at Madam Wei meaningfully: "I have never made a mistake with such a minor divination in all these years. Rather than having me calculate it again, why don't you take a closer look at the birth date and time to make sure it is correct?"

Wei felt an itch on his forehead, and a faint sweat was starting to break out.

She glanced at the old woman and said, "Go to the carriage and fetch my cloak."

The old woman left.

Wei glanced at Chen Ji again, took another piece of paper, and wrote down a completely different set of eight characters.