"Then... alright..."
Ling Wan hesitated for a moment, but still took the red ribbon and hung it on the姻缘树 (yīnyuán shù - marriage tree). Her mind was filled with the image of that gentle, jade-like figure.
Kneeling beneath the姻缘树, Ling Wan prayed silently.
"Eldest sister-in-law, is this姻缘树 really that magical, truly able to bring about a marriage?"
He didn't believe in such things originally, but seeing the increasing number of people coming to pray, and the thousands upon thousands of red ribbons on the姻缘树, Ling Muzhu couldn't help but feel a tinge of doubt.
"I don't know either, it's just a spiritual comfort. But isn't there a saying, 'better to believe it exists than not'? I think that the Sanqing Temple has endured for so long and attracts so many pilgrims every year, there must be a reason. Don't you think..."
When Feng Jin turned to look at Ling Muzhu beside her, he was already gone. He had already rushed to hang a red ribbon on the姻缘树.
Didn't he not believe in these things just a moment ago? This change was too rapid.
"Chu Qing, aren't you going to wish for a marriage?"
"This servant is still young, and it's too early to worry about marriage. This servant will not go. But if Cai Qing sister were here, she could go and wish for a marriage, bless her and Lord Lu, and may they achieve their happily ever after soon."
"There's only a thin veil of paper left between them, no need to rush their matters."
Feng Jin, with nothing else to do, ambled around. The fortune teller not far ahead caught her attention.
"Madam, allow me to divine a fortune for you. If it's not accurate, there's no charge. If it is accurate, Madam may reward me as she sees fit."
"If it's accurate, and I only give you one copper coin, wouldn't you be at a loss?"
Finding it rather amusing, Feng Jin sat down at the stall and asked.
"A thousand pieces of gold are easily sought, but a fated person is hard to find. Madam and I are fated, so why bother with money?"
"Please, sir, help me divine a fortune."
"Please, Madam, extend your hand."
The fortune teller glanced at Feng Jin's palm. His eyes suddenly narrowed, and he looked at Feng Jin with surprise. After a pause, he seemed to come to terms with it, a smile gracing his lips.
"Madam, you have faced death and been reborn. You are a blessed person, destined for boundless fortune and a bright, brilliant future. You will surely overcome all calamities. There is nothing much to divine, but there is one thing Madam must remember: you must treat your parents well and fulfill your filial duties in this life."
Feng Jin's eyes lowered slightly. When she raised her eyelids again, her expression towards the fortune teller had changed. She took a gold ingot from her embrace and placed it on the table.
"Sir, your divination is truly divine. This gold ingot is your payment for the fortune. Please accept it."
After placing the money, Feng Jin got up and left. Upon returning to the Ling Manor, she continued to ponder this matter. This fortune teller must have seen that she had been reborn into someone else's body, and told her to treat her parents well and fulfill her filial duties.
She had taken someone else's body, and she certainly had to fulfill her filial obligations for them. However, the original owner's mother had already passed away, and the only living parent was the scumbag father, Feng Yuanping.
Was she supposed to take care of Feng Yuanping? Just as she was worrying about how to handle this, the tightly shut door opened from the outside, and a figure she hadn't seen in two days appeared at the entrance.
Feng Jin didn't pay much attention to Ling Mohan, remaining lost in her thoughts. After a moment, she asked Ling Mohan, "How has Feng Yuanping been these past few days?"
"Why are you asking about him?" Ling Mohan was slightly surprised. Didn't Feng Jin hate Feng Yuanping to the core and usually avoid him? Why was she asking about him so unusually today?
"It's nothing, I just suddenly remembered to ask. After all, he's my father. I can't just ignore him, lest I don't even know when he dies."
She had occupied someone else's body, and she had to fulfill her filial duties, to repay the parent-child bond of this life.
Ling Mohan's expression became hesitant, and he remained silent for a long time.
"What's wrong? Did something happen?"
"It's not exactly that something has happened. A while ago, His Majesty reprimanded Prime Minister Feng, seeming to intend to dismiss him from office. Prime Minister Feng has not attended court for half a month, and the Feng family's gate has been tightly locked, refusing visitors. We don't know if something has happened."
These were things he had heard from others. Feng Jin harbored resentment towards the Feng family, so he was too lazy to bother with such matters.
Feng Jin sat on a chair and pondered for a while. It seemed she had an idea and suddenly stood up, saying, "Something must have happened to the Feng family. I need to go and see."
Saying that, she got up to leave, but Ling Mohan grabbed her wrist. "If something has indeed happened, going back alone would be walking into a trap. I'll go with you."
"Alright!" Feng Jin nodded, not refusing Ling Mohan's kind offer. Going back alone would indeed be walking into a trap. It was the wisest choice to have Ling Mohan accompany her.
When the two arrived at the Feng Manor, the gate was tightly shut. They knocked for a long time, but no one came out.
"Is no one there... That shouldn't be the case..."
Even if Feng Yuanping had been reprimanded by Emperor Xuanwen and the Feng family was no longer as glorious, he was still the Prime Minister and had not yet been dismissed. How could such a grand Prime Minister's residence not even have a doorkeeper?
All these signs were too abnormal, and Feng Jin's doubts intensified.
"Why don't we break down the door, or look for a dog hole to crawl in?"
"You used to have so many clever ideas, why are you thinking of such foolish methods now!"
With him standing right here, why would she think of methods like smashing the door or crawling through dog holes? Wasn't climbing over the wall more appealing?
Ling Mohan didn't explain much to Feng Jin. He directly put his arm around the woman's slender waist, lightly stepped on his toes, and in an instant, the two were already inside the wall.
"We're in already?"
She hadn't even had time to react to what had just happened before she was already here. This was too... too magical...
This was the benefit of having martial arts skills. Scaling walls and leaping over roofs, entering places as if they were one's own, it was truly magical. It seemed she would never reach such heights in her lifetime.
"Let's go to the backyard first."
Feng Jin, relying on her memory of the direction, pulled Ling Mohan towards the backyard and went directly to Feng Yuanping's room. She remembered it was in this courtyard, but why was it so dark, with not even a lamp lit?
"Is no one here?" Feng Jin peeked through the window. Apart from darkness, she saw nothing else.
"Let's go in and see first. What can we see from outside?"
Ling Mohan took Feng Jin's hand and swaggered through the door. His movements were as smooth as if he were entering his own home.
"Be quieter, don't let yourself be discovered, or it will be difficult to escape."
After all, they were people of status. To be caught sneaking into someone's house late at night would truly become a laughingstock throughout the capital.