Chapter 156: Unusual Occurrences Are Often Ominous
Chapter 156: Unusual Occurrences Are Often Ominous
In Fang Jinglong’s heart, there was indeed some worry.
Without any clear reason, the Grand Empress Dowager had summoned his son to offer birthday congratulations. Combined with the rumors that had been spreading—that Fang Jifan seemed to have helped the Zhang Family bully the Zhou Family—it felt unsettling.
He feared this was no ordinary banquet.
Fang Jifan, meanwhile, kicked up his feet and declared, “I’m not eating porridge. I need to figure out what birthday gift to prepare.”
Fang Jinglong nodded regretfully and said, “Oh,” then pulled Fang Jifan’s bowl of porridge in front of himself. “Well, let’s not waste it. I’ll eat it.”
With that, he buried his head in the bowl. Yet even with his head lowered, the worry on his face was unmistakable.
Something must be wrong.
Fang Jifan pondered. Usually, his father had his moments of melancholy, but not like today—so burdened with anxiety. After all, his father was a military man, usually rough and careless. Only when matters involved his son did he show a bit more sensitivity, though even that was limited.
Unusual occurrences are often ominous.
Though Fang Jifan showed no outward reaction, once he left the hall, he sought out Deng Jian. “Has anything happened at home recently?”
Deng Jian looked surprised. “What? What do you mean?”
“My father!” Fang Jifan thought this guy, even if not brain-damaged, had pretty limited intelligence.
“Oh.” Deng Jian suddenly understood. His small eyes darted around as he looked at Fang Jifan, thinking for a long, long time before saying, “Young Lord, since when do you care about family affairs?”
“…”
Fang Jifan fell silent.
Listening to that, it actually made sense…
Why would that usually careless, good-for-nothing wastrel suddenly take an interest in family matters?
He had underestimated Deng Jian’s intelligence. It seemed he had misunderstood him somehow. Ah…
Fang Jifan sighed.
Wasn’t this just like the saying—unusual occurrences are often ominous?
Then Deng Jian tilted his head and thought very hard. “Young Lord, I feel like you’re not quite yourself lately. You’re different from before.”
He actually noticed.
What a failure!
Fang Jifan sighed inwardly. He was indeed different from that scoundrel of the past. Hadn’t Deng Jian caught on in over half a year?
But… a person can’t change too fast. It has to be a gradual process; otherwise, it feels too unnatural.
Nobody wakes up one day as a completely different person—that would be monstrous.
But a person can grow up day by day, changing little by little. That’s called subtle transformation.
So, it was better not to let Deng Jian think he had matured too quickly.
Fang Jifan swung his arm and delivered a sharp slap.
Smack!
The next moment, a handprint appeared on Deng Jian’s face.
Deng Jian let out a wail, tears springing to his eyes as he clutched his cheek, grimacing in pain.
“Any more questions now?” Fang Jifan demanded sternly.
“N-no, no more,” Deng Jian bobbed his head like a pecking chick.
“Do you still think this Young Lord isn’t normal?”
Deng Jian sobbed, tears streaming down his face as he cried, “You’re… completely normal.”
No doubt about it.
So the reason he seemed abnormal lately was because Young Lord hadn’t been hitting him enough.
See? One slap, and everything was as normal as could be. Young Lord was always unpredictable. So what if he hit you suddenly? So what if he suddenly cared about family matters?
“Alright, now answer the question.”
Deng Jian was well-informed within the Fang Family. As a personal servant, he was the link between Fang Jifan and the other servants. He knew a fair bit about what happened in the mansion, so he obediently spilled the details.
It turned out that Fang Jinglong’s cousin—the one married to the second son of the Xu Family—was being mistreated by her in-laws. If it were just ordinary mistreatment, that might be one thing, but she was specifically being targeted by the wife of the eldest son.
Fang Jinglong’s frustration came partly from the fact that this was another family’s business, and he couldn’t interfere. Even if he did, it would only make things worse for his cousin.
On top of that, he likely felt that his sister was being bullied because of him. If the Fang Family’s status weren’t so far below the Duke of Qianguo’s Mansion, why would a Fang woman only marry a second son? And the wife of the Xu Family’s eldest branch probably wouldn’t dare treat his cousin so poorly otherwise.
In this era of primogeniture, the wife of the eldest son in the Xu Family would indeed become the matriarch someday. His aunt’s entire life would likely be spent under that woman’s thumb.
Once Fang Jifan understood the situation, he frowned. “I met Aunt last time, but she didn’t seem very warm toward me.”
After saying this, he couldn’t help but purse his lips. He really didn’t have a good impression of this aunt. His father was just too sentimental.
Deng Jian looked like he wanted to say more but held back.
Fang Jifan glared at him, his tone threatening. “Feeling itchy? Spit it out if you have something to say.”
Only then did Deng Jian hesitantly speak.
“Young Lord, I heard Manager Yang say… say that Lady Xu probably couldn’t afford to be too warm. Think about it—her position in the Xu Family is awkward. If she got too close to our Fang Family, and if there were friction with the eldest branch later, wouldn’t that ruin the relationship between the Fang, Xu, and Mu Families? Of course, I don’t really understand the details, but I think Manager Yang made a good point. Back when… back when Lady Xu was still a maiden, she really liked you, Young Lord. You were still little then. She took you around with her every day and protected you everywhere.”
“Oh.” Fang Jifan sighed inwardly. So there were this many complicated social dynamics involved. He was still too young, sometimes too naive.
He nodded. “I see. Come on, help Young Lord prepare a gift for Her Highness, the Grand Empress Dowager.”
Deng Jian’s eyes lit up, his expression excited. “Young Lord, what are you planning to give?”
…
Longquan Taoist Temple.
Today, the temple gates were wide open. Early in the morning, Zhang Chaoxian was already at the entrance, welcoming a Taoist who had traveled all the way from the south up the mountain.
Even Puji Zhenren Yu Daochun, who had been secluded in the Three Pure Ones Pavilion studying scriptures, had bathed early and ordered an attendant to wait outside.
The Taoist who ascended the mountain entered the Three Pure Ones Pavilion. He had white hair and a white beard, was over seventy years old, wore a blue Taoist robe and a black Taoist hat, and had green shoes on his feet. His gaze quickly settled on Yu Daochun.
Yu Daochun smiled at him. “Fellow Taoist Liu, it’s an honor.”
This person, addressed as Fellow Taoist Liu, came from the Zhengyi Temple on Dragon Tiger Mountain and was designated as the Realized Master of Dharma Propagation. He had traveled from Jiangxi to the Capital without putting on any airs.
Longquan Taoist Temple originated from Zhengyi Taoism, which revered the Celestial Master Mansion on Dragon Tiger Mountain as its highest authority. The Zhengyi Temple on Dragon Tiger Mountain was one of the eighty-one temples there. Previously, Wei Dayou had actually come from this same Zhengyi Temple on Dragon Tiger Mountain. By order of Celestial Master Zhang, he came to the Capital to propagate the teachings. Therefore, Yu Daochun and this Perfected Master Liu were from the same lineage and had always corresponded by letter.
Perfected Master Liu nodded to Yu Daochun but then bowed deeply, saying, “This humble Taoist Liu Tianzheng pays respects to Grandmaster Uncle.”
Although he was a Perfected Master, in terms of seniority, he was far below Puji Zhenren Yu Daochun. Wei Dayou began accepting disciples late in life, while his senior fellow disciple Wang Dashan, as head of Zhengyi Temple, had taken on many disciples and grandchildren long before. Thus, even though Liu Tianzheng was about the same age as Yu Daochun, due to their lineage, he had to address Yu Daochun as Grandmaster Uncle.
Within Zhengyi Taoism, seniority was highly emphasized. So Yu Daochun nodded and accepted the formal greeting before asking, “What brings you to the Capital? Did you receive an order from the Celestial Master?”
Liu Tianzheng replied, “It wasn’t by the Celestial Master’s command, but rather an invitation from the Duke of Wei, who asked me to come to the Capital to expound scriptures to the Grand Empress Dowager. The Duke of Wei has shown much care for Zhengyi Taoism in Jiangnan. Although I am a man beyond worldly affairs, I couldn’t refuse this favor.”
Yu Daochun understood immediately.
The Duke of Wei’s Residence had long been stationed in Nanjing, managing affairs in Jiangnan. Zhengyi Taoism had deep roots in Jiangnan, so there had long been interactions between them. Hearing that the Grand Empress Dowager’s birthday was approaching, and knowing her reverence for Taoism, the Duke of Wei wanted to curry favor by having someone from Zhengyi Taoism come, hoping the Grand Empress Dowager would look favorably upon the Duke of Wei’s Residence.
Yu Daochun, however, gave a faint smile, appearing unmoved. He said calmly, “His Majesty the Emperor does not hold our kind in high regard. Moreover, due to the political chaos caused by corrupt Taoists during the Chenghua era, the Emperor is wary of Taoists entering the palace without permission. The Duke of Wei’s move is not very wise.”
Yu Daochun’s eyes were keenly perceptive, showing unusual shrewdness.
Indeed, at a time like this, even if the Duke of Wei pleased the Grand Empress Dowager by inviting a Taoist to offer birthday greetings, the Emperor might not appreciate it.
The Duke of Wei’s action was a bit excessive.
Liu Tianzheng smiled slightly and said, “This is a family matter of the Duke of Wei’s Residence. The details are too complex to explain briefly.”
He paused, then touched on it lightly: “The Duke of Wei is growing old, and the heir is henpecked. That alone might be manageable, but the eldest son’s wife is especially jealous. The Duke is quite worried that after he passes away, his second son will be bullied. He hopes the second son can establish his own household. Unfortunately, the second son isn’t very capable either—so far, he’s only a Commander. This time, the Duke ordered both the wife of the eldest son and the wife of the second son to enter the palace with birthday wishes. His intention is that if the Grand Empress Dowager is pleased, she might bestow upon the second son’s wife the title of Imperially Appointed Lady of Virtue.”
Yu Daochun suddenly understood.
The Duke of Wei was really going to great lengths.
The eldest son was unreliable, and his wife had a bad temper.
The second son lacked ability and was only a Commander. A hereditary Commandership was impressive for ordinary families, but for a household like the Duke of Wei’s Residence, it was practically insignificant. To advance beyond Commander required special imperial favor.
Although the Duke of Wei’s Residence was stationed in Jiangnan, the farther a duke was from the capital, the more cautious he had to be. He absolutely dared not break the rules to promote his own son!
Otherwise, if word reached the Capital and censors submitted impeachments, it could arouse suspicion from the Imperial Palace.
But this second son had no notable achievements and was rather mediocre. The Duke couldn’t very well go pleading and begging to the Emperor for a special favor before he died, could he?