Chapter 21

Qin Xin cast a subtle glance at Daoist Yunguang, signaling her not to speak carelessly.

Daoist Yunguang: “…”

Secretly, she was already annoyed with Qin Xin. If Qin Xin hadn’t seized her weakness and used it to threaten her, how could she have agreed to such a thankless task?

Now, she was already stuck in the middle¹Unable to move forward or retreat.. If she admitted she had calculated wrongly, she would be smashing her own reputation and slapping herself in the face.

“Though this poor Daoist’s skills are limited, I still understand physiognomy and birth charts to some extent.”

What Daoist Yunguang meant was that she had not made a mistake.

She sighed and, in a tone full of false compassion, looked at Qin Jiu and said, “Third Miss Qin, I know you don’t believe me, but things have already come to this point. I hope you won’t continue making an unreasonable fuss.”

Daoist Yunguang flicked her horsetail whisk again and turned to leave, “This humble Daoist shall take her leave first.”

But Qin Jiu had no intention of letting her go so easily. Smiling, she blocked her path and pressed, “Daoist Master, you still haven’t answered my question. Is my second sister’s fate noble, or cheap?”

“Nobler than words can describe,” Daoist Yunguang answered firmly.

Qin Jiu immediately followed up, “Even nobler than the Empress Dowager?”

In all the realm, which woman would dare claim her fate was more noble than the Empress Dowager’s? Daoist Yunguang’s heart skipped a beat, and she denied without hesitation: “Of course not. Third Miss Qin, please mind your words. Do not disrespect…” the Empress Dowager.

“That’s strange then.” Qin Jiu cut her off directly, frowning in puzzlement. “My birth chart is supposedly so terrible that just one glance at it could ruin a painting meant to be presented to the Empress Dowager. Yet Second Sister has been using my birth chart for over ten years…”

“Qin Jiu!”

Qin Xin instinctively shouted her name.

Qin Jiu completely ignored her and continued speaking as if no one had interrupted, “So how did it not affect her noble fate at all?”

“…” Qin Xin’s expression changed drastically and her delicate body trembled uncontrollably. Qin Jiu actually said it!

Since the age of four, Qin Xin had been raised in the Marquis’s household. For the past ten years she had lived in luxury and privilege, and her previous life’s tragedy had long faded into the distance, so far away it felt like nothing more than a nightmare.

Growing up, everyone around her had always spoken and acted gently and indirectly. Even when they hated someone enough to grit their teeth, their schemes remained hidden behind the scenes while outwardly maintaining an appearance of harmony and politeness.

When had she ever encountered someone so shameless, insisting on tearing off their faces in front of so many people?!

Qin Xin glared resentfully at Qin Jiu.

In her previous life, Qin Jiu had returned to the Marquis’s household at the age of eight, while she herself had been forced to leave. The two of them had met only once, but that single meeting had permanently engraved Qin Jiu’s face into Qin Xin’s memory.

The fourteen-year-old girl before her looked strikingly similar to the eight-year-old girl from her past life, yet somehow different as well.

Her faint smile was so radiant, so composed, so carefree, as though she had no idea how outrageous her words were.

It felt as if a fire were burning inside Qin Xin, her whole body tense.

Qin Jiu seemed completely oblivious to the hatred in Qin Xin’s eyes, looking perfectly at ease.

After all, the pot was already broken. Besides, the female lead was already setting traps against her. If she kept enduring, wasn’t she just sending herself to get stepped on?

Qin Jiu’s smile deepened, looking wicked as she deliberately asked, “Second Sister, am I right?”

The noble young ladies around them all wore different expressions. Some were shocked, some confused, and some had already conjured an entire dramatic story in their minds. The way they looked at Qin Jiu and Qin Xin became increasingly subtle and strange.

Qin Xin was so furious her hands trembled.

At this moment, it felt as though she were standing on the edge of a cliff, with the bottomless abyss waiting if she took one more step.

The matter of the birth charts was already difficult enough to explain. If she were to admit that her fate was nobler than the Empress Dowager’s, she would be courting death!

She didn’t dare. Daoist Yunguang didn’t dare either.

The Empress Dowager possessed the destiny of a phoenix by birth. In all of Great Qi, there was no one more exalted than her—not even the current Empress.

Daoist Yunguang felt the same way internally: this Qin Jiu was sharp-tongued and too thorny to handle.

She didn’t actually know whether Qin Xin had truly used Qin Jiu’s birth chart, but things had reached this point, and there was no way for her to ask anymore…

Quickly weighing the pros and cons in her mind, she finally clenched her teeth and said, “It was this poor Daoist’s lack of skill. I indeed misread the signs.”

That single sentence seemed to drain all the strength from her body.

She knew that after today, the reputation she had spent over a decade building would probably be ruined by more than half.

At this point, she could only try to salvage what little she could.

She pretentiously pinched her fingers as though calculating and sighed, “Third Miss Qin’s birth chart is indeed unfavorable, but there is also a benefactor star within it. This year she encountered the Heavenly Virtue Nobleman, turning misfortune into fortune and danger into blessing, which resolved the matter. The young lady’s facial features are exceptionally unusual, something seen perhaps once in a century. This poor Daoist simply misjudged it for a moment earlier.”

“So that’s how it is!” Qin Jiu nodded earnestly, her smile growing even brighter. “Then what about this painting of the Queen Mother of the West?”

Daoist Yunguang choked for a moment, barely maintaining her sage-like demeanor as she replied, “Naturally, it is unharmed.”

“Then I’m relieved.” Qin Jiu patted her chest and let out a long breath, “I was terrified just now.”

Her innocent demeanor made the corners of Daoist Yunguang’s eyes twitch furiously. Internally she thought: Terrified? What was she afraid of?! She’d already cornered her like this—if anyone should be scared, it should be her!!

Daoist Yunguang didn’t dare to stay any longer. She only wanted to leave quickly and return to her temple to think carefully about how to restore her reputation.

Qin Xin’s expression became even uglier.

She didn’t dare look at the gazes of the people around her at all. Since her rebirth, this was the first time she had fallen into such an embarrassing predicament.

“This poor Daoist shall take her leave.” Daoist Yunguang once again announced her departure.

Unfortunately, she clearly hadn’t calculated that today was misfortunate for her. The moment the words left her mouth, a warm and calm male voice rang out: “Seize her.”

Everyone turned toward the speaker—Gu Zezhi.

Gu Zezhi still sat where he had been all along, graceful and composed, as gentle as a spring breeze through willow branches yet as steady and imposing as mountains and deep waters. His long, well-defined fingers lightly stroked the teacup beside him.

He smiled faintly, refined and elegant as jade, saying, “Unable to calculate accurately, yet still speaking recklessly. I suspect she’s a fraudulent sorcerer. Better send her to the Jingzhao Prefecture for proper interrogation.”

When Gu Zezhi arrived in the capital, he hadn’t brought any attendants with him. Only after entering the city had the Emperor assigned him two guards. Now that Gu Zezhi spoke, these two guards immediately stepped forward, clasped their fists in salute, and hesitantly accepted the order.

Daoist Yunguang was nearly driven mad. She could no longer maintain the demeanor of an aloof master beyond the mortal world and said in a wavering voice, “You… what are you trying to do?!”

“Indeed, Imperial Uncle.” Gu Jing finally recovered from his shock. He stepped forward and protectively shielded Qin Xin behind him, then tried to persuade Gu Zezhi, “Daoist Yunguang has always enjoyed Imperial Grandmother’s trust. Imperial Grandmother frequently summons her into the palace to lecture on the Dao. Moreover, she is quite renowned in the capital, known for accurate divinations and profound Daoist arts.

“Please reconsider, Imperial Uncle!”

Gu Zezhi replied with a smile, “We can’t afford to be lax precisely because the Empress Dowager trusts this Daoist.”

“Exactly.” Qin Jiu hurriedly chimed in while clinging to this golden thigh. “We can’t let the world say that the Empress Dowager trusted a charlatan. Wouldn’t that leave Her Majesty bearing the disgrace of being a poor judge of people?”

Qin Jiu had already made up her mind.

By now, she had offended both the male and female leads, and they were probably itching to get rid of her. From now on, she could only rely on “Golden Thigh”.

In any case, “Golden Thigh” still had several years left before his downfall. It’d be a waste to not hug onto it!

Gu Zezhi casually waved a hand. The two guards immediately dragged Daoist Yunguang away. She wanted to shout in protest, but she was afraid of ruining her transcendent image. Her face shifted between green and pale, and in the end she could only throw out a “This poor Daoist’s conscience is clear.”

Everyone fell silent.

None of them were fools, and all had eyes. The events today were full of twists and turns. At the time, they had been bewildered, but now that they thought back carefully, the pieces began connecting together.

The Qin family currently claimed that Qin Xin was the biological daughter of Madam Su, wife of the second branch of the Marquis household.

However, this was probably yet another lie from the Qin family—using a new lie to cover up an old one. Which meant the Qin family was likely hiding some kind of scandal.

And then there was Qin Jiu’s repeated mention of Qin Xin’s biological parents, who had supposedly committed murder. What was that about?!

This matter was beginning to look like quite a spectacle!

The noble young ladies exchanged subtle glances with one another. Those present in the waterside pavilion were all usually on good terms with Qin Xin, but under these circumstances, none of them even knew how to begin asking.

“Ahem,” Princess Yingluo gave a light cough and smoothed things over. “Sister Xin, let’s continue painting.”

This literary gathering had been organized by Princess Yingluo. If something truly happened, the person losing face wouldn’t only be Qin Xin, but her as well!

With a few casual words, Princess Yingluo steered the topic back again, as though they had merely been painting and admiring art all along, and the matter with Daoist Yunguang had never happened.

The noble young ladies looked at one another and gave Princess Yingluo face. No matter how curious they were inside, this clearly wasn’t the right moment to pry further.

They could only wait until later…

Gu Jing pressed his thin lips tightly together, his handsome face darkening slightly.

He was the dignified Second Prince, born into privilege and nobility, always respected and flattered by others. Never before had he lost face like this in public. Even the way he looked at Qin Xin now carried traces of irritation.

When Qin Xin saw that look from him, her heart sank even further.

She was scared.

Ever since her rebirth ten years ago, she had constantly reminded herself that she absolutely could not lose to Qin Jiu—or rather, to the Qin Jiu from her previous life. That was why she had taken the initiative to approach the Second Prince.

In order to make the Second Prince fall for her, she had thoroughly studied his temperament. She knew he cared deeply about appearances, and now he was certainly angry that she had embarrassed him.

She couldn’t let him grow tired of her.

Light and shadow flickered endlessly within Qin Xin’s eyes.