Miss Truth
Chapter 354 - 223 Divination Phrases

Chapter 354: Chapter 223 Divination Phrases

Madam Luo said with a smile, "Immortal Master Chuyun said your destiny is above average, which is quite good. With careful management, you will have no major disasters in your life."

Wan Lu brought some starched water, while Ran Yan, as if she hadn’t heard anything, personally placed a cup of curd juice in front of Madam Luo.

Madam Luo was surprised in her heart. She hadn’t expected Ran Yan to be able to stay so calm. After sipping the curd juice and seeing that Ran Yan had no intention of asking, she couldn’t hold back any longer, put down the cup, and said, "When I was divining Ayun’s marriage prospects, I also took the liberty of calculating yours."

Ran Yan paused slightly, then stood up and bowed, "Thank you, Aunt, for your concern."

Seeing that Ran Yan was neither displeased nor curious, Madam Luo couldn’t be sure of her thoughts and so spoke the divination, "A deer alongside sheep by day, the family arranges with care, beneath pearl curtains standing tall, in purity, the light shines there?"

Ran Yan frowned slightly; wasn’t this making things difficult for her? Although she had inherited the ancient literature skills of the original host and could barely make out the meaning of the poem, this line was rather meaningless, wasn’t it?

"The Immortal Master said it’s very auspicious." Seeing Ran Yan frown, Madam Luo felt more at ease. Thinking it was good that she had a reaction, Madam Luo continued, "The interpretation of the marriage divination is, wise plans shared by souls aligned, seize the spring before it’s declined, now is the time to tune strings fined, for people as pure as wind moon combined."

Still an inexplicable poem. What was the difference, interpreted or not? Ran Yan’s frown deepened. This was more profound than the Zen riddles from Yingmei Temple’s Temple Master. She pondered and said, "Based on the literal meaning... ’seize the spring before it’s declined’, could it mean treasuring a good match?"

"Exactly. The good match should be proposed swiftly, without delay or hesitation, for if delayed, there may be changes to fear," Madam Luo said, her thoughts drifting off.

Madam Luo’s visit to Immortal Master Chuyun to have her destiny calculated was just a cover; she was actually seeking his help in matching Ran Yan’s and Xiao Song’s birth charts to see if it was auspicious or not. Since Immortal Master Chuyun had mentioned that he had once calculated Sang Chen’s destiny, Madam Luo was moved to invest a considerable sum to have him compare Sang Chen’s and Xiao Song’s birth charts together.

The result for both Xiao Song and Sang Chen was the same line: "Wise plans shared by souls aligned, seize the spring before it’s declined, now is the time to tune strings fined, for people as pure as wind moon combined."

In plain terms, this meant it was a perfect match, but they must propose marriage quickly. If they were late, various complications could arise, potentially ruining this good match.

What exactly was the reason for this? Madam Luo was quite puzzled. She asked Immortal Master Chuyun for an explanation, but he only said that everyone has their destiny and the secrets of the heavens couldn’t be revealed, brushing her off.

Does this mean that both are good matches, and whoever proposes first will be accepted? In that case, Sang Chen was one step ahead, but after all, he hasn’t formally proposed yet...

Since there were no ominous signs, Madam Luo decided to discuss the matter privately with Ran Pingyu and suggest that he hint to Xiao Song to quickly come forward with a marriage proposal.

"Aunt? Aunt?" Ran Yan called out a few times before Madam Luo came back to her senses. Seeing Madam Luo’s expression, Ran Yan knew there was definitely more to the issue and asked, "Is there something else amiss?"

"Nothing. Just thinking about some matters," Madam Luo said with a smile.

Madam Luo wasn’t Ran Yan’s parent, nor was she an elder who could decide on her marriage, so privately matching their birth charts was overstepping her bounds. Naturally, she couldn’t reveal the truth to Ran Yan and instead sighed, "Seventeen-yo is quiet and refined, with a fine appearance to boot. Her marriage affairs need not be worried about, but Ayun will be fifteen come spring, and she still runs wild outside every day without a hint of propriety. As of now, no suitable suitors have come to propose, which really worries me!"

"Ah Yun is smart and lively, and she is still young, so there should be no need to worry about her," Ran Yan answered.

Madame Luo shook her head helplessly and said, "I came today because I have another matter for which I need your help."

"You’re being too formal, Auntie. If there’s anything you need, I will do my best," Ran Yan found Madame Luo’s change in attitude strange. Before yesterday, she had been quite indifferent, not too warm nor too distant. Today she was expressing concern and speaking so politely. What could be the reason for this sudden change?

Madame Luo inquired, "Nurse Xing is your sister-in-law’s mother and your own as well. No one understands propriety and virtue better than she does. I would like to entrust Ah Yun to her to learn proper conduct, so she won’t be looked down upon by her future in-laws. What do you think of this idea?"

"I too find Auntie’s idea very good. As long as Nurse Xing agrees, I naturally have no objections," Ran Yan said earnestly. Though Nurse Xing was her maid, she rarely meddled in others’ lives. As long as everyone did their duty and did not engage in betrayal or deceit, she did not concern herself with other matters.

Madame Luo had already discussed the matter with Nurse Xing. However, Nurse Xing was extremely strict with rules and had said she would teach only if Ran Yan agreed, which brought Madame Luo to make the request in person.

"The year-end is approaching, and I have been very busy recently, so I didn’t have much time to take care of you. Seventeenth Sister, I hope you won’t blame me for neglecting you," Madame Luo said, taking Ran Yan’s hand.

"Auntie has already taken good care of me," replied Ran Yan. Yet, a thought crossed her mind; undoubtedly, Madame Luo wouldn’t have changed her attitude just for Nurse Xing’s sake—it must mostly be because of Xiao Song.

Considering Madame Luo’s mention of going to consult an astrologer today, Ran Yan said, "There’s something that puzzles me, and I would like to ask you for clarification, Auntie."

"What is it?" Madame Luo perked up, sensing that the normally indifferent Ran Yan wouldn’t bring up a trivial matter.

"Although Xiao Langjun has a reputation for affecting his wives’ health, given his status, there must be many families willing to send him a wife, right?" Ran Yan probed.

Hearing that Ran Yan was asking about this, Madame Luo relaxed and even seemed pleased as she said, "Indeed, several families have shown interest, especially the smaller clans, but Assistant Minister Xiao himself does not wish to remarry..."

To marry one and lose one, how could Xiao Song be indifferent to the lives of others?

"There’s a saying, ’The Qi of the dragon and the phoenix can dispel evil forces.’ However, the chances of Assistant Minister Xiao marrying a princess are very slim," Madame Luo thought more and more that the marriage between Ran Yan and Xiao Song was almost certain, and began to talk freely, "Assistant Minister Xiao holds a high position and has a bright future ahead of him. I heard Sanlang mention that there are signs of a possible transfer for Minister Zhang from the Ministry of Criminal Justice. Should he leave, Assistant Minister Xiao is very likely to take his place. How could he desire to marry a princess? Moreover, Xiao Junzhi, the eldest son of the Xiao Family, has already married a princess."

In the Tang Dynasty, anyone who married a princess was given a fixed official position called "Prince Consort" with a Third Rank civil status, which was very high in the Tang Dynasty. The Prime Minister was generally of the Third Rank, but this position was outside formal government hierarchy and was thus an honorary title without real power or salary. Hence, it was called an ’extraordinary official’. Even those with extraordinary backgrounds and talents often held only nominal positions.

Therefore, generally, those with ambitious career goals in government service would not marry a princess unless they had no alternative.

Listening to Madame Luo’s words, Ran Yan couldn’t help but sigh inwardly; the Tang Dynasty was indeed more open-minded, even a merchant’s wife could discuss political matters, although only privately. Still, it was much better than other dynasties by several times over.

After this inquiry, Ran Yan also understood Madame Luo’s intentions. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendation tickets and monthly tickets at Qidian (qidian.com). Your support is my greatest motivation.)

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