The Eldest Princess Is So Annoying! - Chapter 7
The moment Qie Ge stepped into the great hall, a fortune-stick container was extended toward her.
Master Huizhen smiled. “Amitabha. Female benefactor, would you like to draw a fortune?”
Qie Ge glanced at it lightly and smiled. “Qingqian, give the master some incense money.”
Master Huizhen did not accept the gold ingot Qingqian offered him.
“Female benefactor, this old monk is not asking for incense money.”
“Then forgive me for disturbing you, Master.”
Qie Ge turned to leave, but Master Huizhen stepped in front of her.
“Female benefactor, since you have already come to White Horse Temple, why not draw a fortune?”
“Thank you for your kind intentions, Master, but there is no need.”
Qie Ge had barely walked around him when Master Huizhen blocked her path again and held out the fortune-stick container.
“Female benefactor.”
Qingqian grew annoyed.
“You monk! My young lady said she does not want one. Are you planning to force her?”
Qie Ge said, “Master, I have never believed in Buddhism. What use would drawing a fortune be to me? You would be better off offering it to someone who needs it.”
“If the female benefactor does not believe in Buddhism, why did you enter White Horse Temple?”
“I merely came to find someone.”
“Have you found that person?”
“Not yet.”
“Then why not draw a fortune after all?”
Qie Ge let out a soft laugh.
After all that circling around, he still wanted her to draw one.
“Master, then tell me this. So many worshippers come and go through White Horse Temple. Is the Buddha they pray to truly of any use? Can the Buddha genuinely deliver them from suffering and spare them from homelessness, illness, and pain?
“Everyone says the Buddha is merciful. If the Buddha is truly merciful, why do commoners still suffer from hunger and cold?”
“Amitabha. Good causes yield good results, while evil causes yield evil results. The causes of a former life produce the consequences of the present one. Everything is predetermined within the workings of fate.”
Master Huizhen’s answer did not satisfy Qie Ge.
Before she could ask another question, Qingqian leaned close and whispered several words into her ear.
Qie Ge took the bamboo container, gave it a careless shake, and a single fortune stick fell out.
She shoved the container back into Master Huizhen’s hands.
“Master, I shall take my leave for today.”
Qie Ge and Qingqian departed at a rapid pace, hoping to catch up with Mu Xu as quickly as possible. Qie Ge gave no thought whatsoever to the fortune stick.
Master Huizhen crouched down and picked it up.
He murmured, “Heaven shelters and earth bears all things; all creation depends upon them. A crane cries through the highest heavens, its call resounding like thunder.”
This was certainly strange.
How had this particular fortune stick ended up inside that container?
As though suddenly remembering something, Master Huizhen hurried back into the hall.
“Xuanji, quickly! Bring me the fortunes drawn by those two benefactors earlier today.”
The young monk scratched his head.
So many people had drawn fortunes today.
“Master, which two benefactors do you mean?”
“The pair of lovers.”
The pair of lovers…
The young monk suddenly understood.
“Oh! Master means Benefactor Mu.”
Master Huizhen carefully examined all three fortune sticks.
The longer he studied them, the stranger the matter seemed. He calculated with his fingers, then abruptly opened his eyes.
His fingers moved rapidly over his prayer beads as he sighed.
“Amitabha. An ill-fated bond. An ill-fated bond indeed.”
Jiang Huaisheng glanced at Mu Xu beside him.
Seeing her lost in thought, he knew she was worried about the fortune Master Huizhen had interpreted earlier.
“Mu Xu,” he called.
Mu Xu’s mind was filled entirely with Master Huizhen’s claim that she and Jiang Huaisheng were fated to meet but not to remain together. She did not hear him at all.
Jiang Huaisheng called her name several more times before Mu Xu finally returned to her senses.
She stopped walking and looked at him in confusion.
“Huaisheng, what did you say?”
Jiang Huaisheng sighed softly.
“It was merely a fortune stick. It cannot be taken as truth. Do not overthink it.”
Mu Xu nodded.
“Mm.”
Ever since she first learned that men and women were different, Mu Xu had believed that Jiang Huaisheng would be the husband who accompanied her throughout her life.
Everyone else had said so, and so had her mother. They had all said the two of them were a match ordained by Heaven.
Although Mu Xu knew it was only a fortune, how could she remain completely unconcerned after Master Huizhen had spoken that way?
Agreeing with Jiang Huaisheng was one thing.
Actually putting the worry aside was another.
Jiang Huaisheng asked, “Do you still have the jade pendant I gave you?”
Mu Xu took it out.
Jiang Huaisheng had given it to her on the day of her coming-of-age ceremony. At the time, he had told her that the pendant was a keepsake left by his mother.
From that day onward, Mu Xu had always carried it with her.
Jiang Huaisheng looked at her with deep affection.
“Keep it safe. It is proof of our promise. I will marry you one day.
“Before my mother passed away, she always told me that this pendant was meant to be passed down to the Jiang family’s daughter-in-law. In my heart, you have always been the only woman I would ever take as my wife.”
Mu Xu’s face reddened.
She gripped the jade pendant tightly, and all the sorrow she had felt moments ago vanished.
“Mm.”
“Miss Mu.”
A woman’s voice came from behind them.
Mu Xu turned at the sound and looked carefully.
What a coincidence.
It was the woman who had argued with the scholar in the street the previous day.
Mu Xu smiled.
“Miss, how did it happen to be you?”
Qingqian replied, “My young lady and I came to White Horse Temple to offer incense. I did not expect to encounter Miss Mu here.”
Only then did Mu Xu look toward Qie Ge beside Qingqian.
A trace of astonishment flashed through her eyes.
Could immortals truly exist in this world?
As though sensing that Qie Ge was also looking at her, Mu Xu hurriedly avoided her gaze.
The blush on Mu Xu’s face had not yet faded. It gave her a unique charm, making one want to pull her into an embrace.
She was indeed worthy of being Shen Xiaoxiao’s daughter.
Qie Ge smiled faintly.
“Miss Mu? Qingqian mentioned you yesterday. I heard that you were the one who began collecting donations for Yunqi Private School. I have wanted to meet you ever since.
“Miss Mu is kindhearted and willing to do so much for her students. Qie Ge truly admires you.”
Mu Xu smiled.
“You flatter me, miss. I have merely done what little I can.”
Jiang Huaisheng was momentarily dazed.
He lowered his head.
Could this young lady be like the fox spirits described in plays, capable of bewitching a person’s soul?
However, the name “Qie Ge” quickly caught his attention.
He remembered that there was only one person in the Kingdom of Canglan who could be called Qie Ge: the current emperor’s full-blooded elder sister.
Eldest Princess Qie Ge—the woman who had married seven times, brought ruin to every husband, kept countless male favorites, and was notorious for her wanton behavior.
As though noticing Jiang Huaisheng’s suspicions, Qie Ge smiled.
“Nangong Qie Ge. May I ask Miss Mu’s full name?”
“Mu Xu.”
“And this gentleman is?”
Jiang Huaisheng cupped his hands.
“This humble one is Jiang Huaisheng.”
A hint of vigilance arose in Jiang Huaisheng’s heart.
Nangong was a prominent surname in Canglan. Judging by Qie Ge’s clothing and bearing, she was unquestionably wealthy or powerful.
There was not a single kindhearted person in those great households. They were all the sort who devoured others without leaving even the bones behind.
Mu Xu was innocent by nature.
If this woman began plotting against her, disaster would follow.
“There is still quite some distance before we reach the city. Why do Miss Mu and Young Master Jiang not travel with me? We can watch out for one another.”
Before Jiang Huaisheng could refuse, Qie Ge continued, “My father always taught me to perform one good deed each day. As it happens, I would like to discuss with Miss Mu how I might contribute to the private school.”
“Miss Nangong wishes to donate to the school?” Mu Xu asked.
There were many private schools in Chang’an. Why had Qie Ge chosen Yunqi Private School in particular?
Qie Ge had never seen anyone whose eyes were as clean and pure as Mu Xu’s, untouched by even the faintest trace of impurity.
She nodded with a slight smile.
“Of course.”
Jiang Huaisheng was helpless.
He swallowed the refusal he had been about to voice and could only allow Mu Xu to decide for herself, though his wariness toward Qie Ge deepened.
“However, I must know exactly where the donated money will be spent.”
With those words, Qie Ge completed her performance as a kindhearted benefactor and thoroughly dispelled the final trace of doubt in Mu Xu’s heart.
Qie Ge was, after all, the Eldest Princess. She was deeply calculating and could lie without so much as blinking.
It was rare for her to show none of the arrogance of a wealthy young lady.
Mu Xu had not been away from home for long. While Shen Xiaoxiao was alive, she had protected her closely. Although Mu Xu had encountered some of the world’s cruelty during the past two years, those experiences were insignificant compared with the intrigues of the imperial palace.
How could she possibly be a match for Qie Ge?
After walking together for only a short distance, Qie Ge had already coaxed Mu Xu into believing she was genuinely kindhearted.
Had Jiang Huaisheng not repeatedly interrupted from beside her, Mu Xu might already have poured out her heart to Qie Ge.
The four of them stopped before a carriage.
Qingqian said, “Young Master Jiang, I fear you will have to endure sitting in the front compartment with the coachman.”
Jiang Huaisheng cupped his hands.
“Miss, there is no need to speak so formally. I should instead thank your young lady for being willing to take us along.”
Mu Xu followed Qie Ge into the carriage.
The interior was not nearly as cramped as it appeared from outside. On the contrary, it was rather spacious. Even if three more people entered, there would probably still be room.
Although there were no ornaments inside, Mu Xu recognized the silk covering the cushions.
She had once seen such fabric in the embroidery workshop.
It was Su embroidery from Wu County in Suzhou.
Su embroidery was an imperial tribute, priceless and nearly impossible to obtain. Back then, her father had relied on connections and spent an enormous sum merely to acquire a single bolt.
Yet Qie Ge had used it to cover her carriage cushions.
“Miss Nangong, is this Su embroidery?”
Qie Ge smiled.
“Miss Mu has sharp eyes. It is indeed Su embroidery.”
Unease began to rise in Mu Xu’s heart.
She increasingly suspected that Qie Ge belonged to an official’s household.
Spending time with the daughter of an official could bring disaster with a single careless word.
Noticing Mu Xu’s discomfort, Qie Ge continued, “In earlier years, I traveled frequently for business and once visited Wu County in Suzhou. I had long heard that Su embroidery was famous throughout the realm, so I spent a considerable sum to obtain several bolts.”
Mu Xu caught the words “traveled for business.”
So she was not an official’s daughter but a merchant.
Mu Xu felt a measure of admiration for Qie Ge.
Although the customs of Canglan were gradually becoming more open, society remained harsh toward women.
A woman who entered commerce would not only be ridiculed by others, but would also find it difficult to secure a good husband in the future.
Even the owner of Suzhou’s most famous embroidery workshop was already twenty-one and still unmarried.
Even so, Mu Xu could not help feeling envious.
A merchant might travel constantly, but she would also see people and experience things that Mu Xu might never have the chance to encounter in her entire life.
“Judging by Miss Mu’s accent, are you from Suzhou?”
Mu Xu nodded with a smile.
“I am.”
“To my knowledge, Suzhou is also home to a Mu family embroidery workshop. Miss Mu also bears the surname Mu. Could it be that you are…”
Seeing signs of panic in Mu Xu’s expression, Qie Ge said, “I spoke carelessly. Please do not take offense, Miss Mu.”
Unease rose in Mu Xu’s heart.
Although she had possessed the courage to elope with Jiang Huaisheng, she still felt anxious whenever someone else mentioned the matter.
She clenched her fingers and forced herself to remain calm.
“It is nothing. Although we share the same surname, Mu Xu has no connection to the Mu family embroidery workshop.”
Qie Ge nodded as though she genuinely believed her.
“I see.”
At that moment, a group of black-clad men burst from the woods, each gripping a saber.
Hidden guards descended from above and surrounded the carriage.
Without saying a single word, they charged at the attackers.
Jiang Huaisheng was already petrified.
He had even forgotten to scream.
Everything happened too quickly.
He was merely a scholar. When had he ever witnessed such a bloody scene?
Just now…
Just now, he had watched a black-clad man’s head being severed.
Blood had sprayed across the ground.
Mu Xu faintly heard something outside.
She listened carefully.
There truly seemed to be a sound.
Why did it resemble the clash of blades?
Could they have encountered bandits?
But if bandits had attacked them, why was the carriage still moving?
“Miss Nangong, did you hear something?”
A smile had remained on Qie Ge’s lips from beginning to end, as though she genuinely had not heard anything at all.
She asked in return, “Was there a sound?”
The confusion in Qie Ge’s eyes made Mu Xu even more uncertain.
Could she have imagined it?
“Qingqian, did you hear anything?” Qie Ge asked.
Qingqian shook her head.
“I did not.”
Since both of them answered this way, Mu Xu listened more carefully.
The noise had already disappeared.
She dismissed her suspicions.
Perhaps she had stayed awake too late the previous night and was so tired that she had imagined it.
When they reached Yunqi Private School, Qie Ge let the two of them down and told them that she and Qingqian would return the following day to look around.
Mu Xu thanked her repeatedly.
The moment Jiang Huaisheng stepped down from the carriage, however, he began vomiting uncontrollably.
The thought of the bloodshed he had witnessed brought the nausea surging back.
After returning to the Eldest Princess’s residence, Qie Ge considered Mu Xu’s every word and action.
She suddenly asked, “Qingqian, do you truly think such a foolish person exists in this world?”
To harbor so little suspicion toward someone she had only just met…
Or was Mu Xu’s innocence merely an act?
Qingqian stopped grinding ink.
She did not understand the question.
“Please explain, Your Highness.”
Qie Ge waved a hand.
“It is nothing.”
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