Chapter 86: Chapter 86: Where Do You Come From
It was quite fortunate, Qu Fulan was unharmed this time.
Perhaps it was because she did not look at the master.
The master sat in front, on a meditation cushion, silently meditating.
He asked the Heir Pei to leave, keeping her there, as he had questions for her.
Though the Heir Pei was surprised, he glanced at Qu Fulan but still raised his hand in a bow and left.
Qu Fulan immediately knelt down, "This humble girl greets Master Huideng."
Master Huideng smiled gently, his voice kind, "No need to be tense, benefactor, please sit up."
Qu Fulan did sit up, but remained kneeling on the cushion, her hands quietly resting on her knees, her gaze still lowered to the floor.
The master laughed again, "Benefactor, do not be afraid of me. This time I am not wearing the Mystic Pearl, you need not worry about being overawed by it."
Mystic Pearl?
By saying so, the master admitted that her fainting had something to do with him, and specifically with the Mystic Pearl.
"This humble girl dares not." For a moment, she did not know what to say.
Master Huideng surely knew something was amiss with her, but how much he knew and exactly what he knew, she was unclear, and she dared not speak recklessly.
To her surprise, the master’s subsequent questions were all related to "Journey to the West."
Qu Fulan answered truthfully, telling him who wrote "Journey to the West," which part she had transcribed to so far, and that she hadn’t had the chance to transcribe the rest, and so on.
The master pondered for a while before saying, "Amitabha, thank you, young lady, for enlightening this old monk."
Qu Fulan hurriedly said, "I’m not worthy, I’m not worthy."
Just as she was unsure what to do next, the master spoke again.
"Would the young lady tell me from where have you come and where do you wish to go?"
Any lucky thoughts vanished, for the master indeed saw through her.
But Qu Fulan did not immediately answer, instead she said, "Please forgive my impertinence, may I dare to ask if the master can guide me?"
The master slowly shook his head and gently said, "The mandate of heaven cannot be defied."
Qu Fulan felt a tinge of disappointment in her heart, she softly said, "Regardless of where I come from or where I should go, it is not for this humble girl to decide, so I dare not easily disclose the heavenly secrets, fearing it may lead to other changes. I only wish to live peacefully here, without other intentions, and ask for master’s understanding."
Master Huideng put his hands together, "Since the benefactor wishes to see clearly, this old monk need not say much."
Later, Master Huideng told her that the Mystic Pearl was an object passed down among high monks in Buddhism, harmless to most people, but she needed to avoid it.
He also gave her a piece of jade, saying that holding this jade in the future, she would be able to face the Mystic Pearl directly and it would also ward off evil for her.
Qu Fulan naturally accepted it gratefully and with great appreciation.
At this moment, she did not expect that one day this jade would indeed save her from danger.
Master Huideng left that very day.
Clearly, he had postponed his return just to wait for her, but waiting for her only to ask a few trivial questions was truly unbelievable.
She had thought something earth-shattering would happen, causing her to be anxious for so long.
Qu Fulan held the jade closely, looking at it with fascination, it was a half-ring Mandarin Duck Jade Pendant, the more she looked at it, the more fascinating it became, but upon further inspection, she vaguely felt a sense of familiarity, though she couldn’t quite recall.
After all, she had slept too much, her mind had dulled.
Meanwhile, the Heir Pei escorted Master Huideng out of the city gates, watched the carriage leave, then turned around, whipped his horse towards the gate, then suddenly halted and stayed, his eyes half-narrowing at the group standing by the gate.
Who else could it be but Prince Xiao and his attendants?
Enemy encounter, the anger flared, Pei Ji’an suddenly urged his horse forward, kicked up a cloud of dust, and rode off.
Xiao Shiqing and his men were caught off guard, choked with dust.
"Truly arrogant!" The guard beside Prince Xiao glared angrily in the direction of the departing Heir Pei.
"Let it be, pay him no mind." Xiao Shiqing’s expression was calm.
Previously, Nuannuan sent assassins to Pei Mansion, provoked him, Pei Ji’an, who never forgets a grudge, even after killing those assassins, wasn’t satisfied, he had taunted him several times in court, making him lose face before the emperor.
He thought this would be the end, but did not expect the Heir Pei to continue targeting him, causing trouble everywhere.
Xiao Shiqing was not one to easily concede either, but in this matter, the Xiao Family was indeed at fault first, accepting it was better than having the Heir Pei cause trouble for Nuannuan.
Since the incident of throwing a corpse in the courtyard, Nuannuan has been plagued with nightmares, not daring to step out of the house, such a lesson was already enough.
As for the matter of sending assassins to Pei Mansion, Nuannuan said it was because when she went to the Zheng Mansion, the Pei Family’s maids treated her with disdain, which infuriated her.
For this, Xiao Shiqing severely scolded his sister, saying that she’s so malicious at such a young age and if she did it again, he would not spare her.
Only because their mother intervened did the matter settle down.
Qu Fulan, having recovered, naturally went to pay respects to the old lady, to show her she was completely well, avoiding the need for daily visits.
The old lady was naturally pleased to see her, engaged in warm conversation, and couldn’t resist inquiring about "Journey to the West," as older people have few entertainments, and finally having one, she could only hear it intermittently.
The old lady didn’t know Qu Fulan had a backup plan, so Qu Fulan seriously suspected the daily checks by the old lady’s people were half due to "Journey to the West."
But Qu Fulan was not a professional storyteller, likely no better than others, so the old lady did not press her, especially as she was now the only senior maid in Lixiang Courtyard, not just an ordinary person, only asking if her writing was going well, and if the regular storytelling sessions at the inn could proceed on time.
Satisfied with the answers, the old lady was at ease.
Then Hua Hao and Yueyuan confided in her, and from them, Qu Fulan learned some key information.
Firstly, on the day of the inn’s opening, the old lady saw Manager Yu’s daughter Yinhua and felt that with her temperament, it would be hard to match her with a suitable family. Out of kindness, she thought of bringing Yinhua to the mansion, treating her like a cousin, so that she might have a more decent match in the future.
This idea hadn’t been discussed with the Heir, but knowing his character, he wouldn’t oppose the old lady’s wishes, and adding one more to the Pei Mansion wouldn’t be difficult.
The challenge was, once she was brought over, who would oversee her marriage, as that was the most crucial matter.
First of all, the Second Madam was not to be relied upon, she was already too busy, and the Third Madam was out of the question, having ignored the old lady’s advice and advocated for ill-matched unions, leading to chaos in the third house, a self-inflicted consequence.
However, the old lady was older and lacked the energy, as even Miss Ying’s arrangements were left for the Young Master to handle, let alone Yinhua’s.
After much consideration, the conclusion reached was that if Yinhua were brought into the mansion, her treatment would mirror Miss Ying’s, and the responsibilities of their marriages would also fall on the Young Master to assist with.
The capable should bear more responsibilities, and with the Young Master’s ability, overseeing one more person’s marriage was not a big task.
Thus, concerning Yinhua, as long as she was willing to enter the Pei Mansion, there wasn’t much of an issue.
The more crucial piece of information pertained to the Second Miss.
"During the days my sister fainted, ’Flower Garden Ode’s’ business was booming, envied by many, especially the Second Miss. The day before, she went to the old lady, asking my sister to teach her everything she knew, so when she marries into her husband’s family, she could copy it, ensuring her life won’t be difficult."