Chapter 348 The So-called Favorable Climatic, Geographical, and Human Conditions
Madam Ling invited a master to come to the manor a few days later.
Madam Ling accompanied the master to perform a religious rite in the garden. Madam Dowager sat by the side with all her family members.
Except for Ning Zu’an, almost all the masters of the manor were there. Even Ning Lingyun, who was in the Buddha Hall, came to get rid of the bad luck.
Ning Xueyan did not come early. Bright Frost Garden was relatively remote, so it was reasonable for her to come late. When she came to the garden and walked toward Madam Dowager, she stopped when she saw the Taoist priest. There was a trace of darkness in her eyes, but she immediately stood behind Madam Dowager.
Only Madam Dowager was sitting there, and the others were standing behind her. Ning Xueyan came a little late, so she had to stand behind her.
“Fifth Young Lady, come here. You can have a better view from here.” Junior Concubine Xu, who stood beside Madam Dowager, saw Ning Xueyan coming and immediately gave her place to Ning Xueyan, hinting for her to hurry up.
“No, I will just stand behind,” Ning Xueyan shook her head and said gently.
“You can’t see anything at the back. I’ll block your view. We’d better change positions.” Junior Concubine Xu seemed not to understand what Ning Xueyan meant. She reached out her hand to pull Ning Xueyan’s sleeve and wanted to switch positions with her.
Although Ning Xueyan was not short, Junior Concubine Xu was a little taller than most women, so she should stand behind Ning Xueyan. This was reasonable. What’s more, Junior Concubine Xu was affable. She seemed to be kind to Ning Xueyan, which people could not find fault with.
“It means that I must go to the front!”
Ning Xueyan sneered inside, but she did not let it show on her face. She followed Junior Concubine Xu’s order and stood in front of her. Junior Concubine Xu retreated to the back. Their positions happened to be the front and back.
The Taoist priest was mumbling some prayers. He took out a wooden sword with a solemn look and wore a loose robe with wide sleeves. He was in his forties and looked very sage-like. From time to time, he would make stabbing motions toward the east and west with the sword.
After doing this, he was sweating profusely. Madam Dowager told Madam Ling to ask him to have a rest, and asked him about the luck of the manor. What had happened recently had not been smooth sailing. The reputation of the Lord Protector’s Manor was getting worse, which gave her a headache.
None of the granddaughters and grandsons in the manor had received any official appointment yet. With such a bad reputation, no noble family had taken a fancy to them. Thinking of this, Madam Dowager was so worried that her hair turned grey.
“Immortal Master, take a break and have a cup of tea.” Madam Ling smiled as she came up with a maid, and the maid brought him a bowl of tea.
Without hesitation, the Taoist priest took the cup of tea and drank it in one gulp. It was obvious that he was tired.
“Immortal Master, how is the fate of the Lord Protector’s Manor?” Seeing that he had finished his tea, Madam Ling asked the maid to take the bowl and asked with a smile.
The Taoist priest waved his hand and said with a frown, “Madam, it’s hard to say! It doesn’t look good.”
Hearing this, Madam Dowager pulled a long face and looked at the Taoist priest piercingly. Everyone’s expressions froze.
“What’s going on? Please tell us clearly. If there is anything wrong, please help us.” Madam Ling asked hurriedly.
“In this mansion, the geomancy is originally excellent, but recently, it seems to be covered by dark clouds, and a lot of disasters have occurred. Now it’s just a warning. Next, there may be more unfortunate things happening. Madam, you need to be mentally prepared.” The Taoist priest shook his head and looked calm, as if he was an enlightened eminent Taoist.
“Why did the originally good geomancy suddenly become like this?” Madam Dowager moved and could not help asking.
“According to the Feng-Shui theory, favorable climatic, geographical, and human conditions are indispensable. The mansion should have occupied the favorable climatic and geographical conditions. So, there must be something wrong with the human condition. Now, the sun is in the middle, and the yang Qi is strong. I can’t see it clearly at this moment.” The Taoist priest seemed to be at a loss.
“If Yang Qi is too strong during the day, what about during the night? Just at night!” Junior Concubine Xu’s words seemed as if something had lit up. She asked this, while standing behind Ning Xueyan.
It was extremely rude. Before Madam Dowager and Madam Ling could say anything, she, who was only a concubine, had dared to speak up. So, after she finished speaking, everyone turned to look at her. Junior Concubine Xu seemed to feel that something was wrong. Her face turned red, and she shrank back and hid behind Ning Xueyan.
Coincidentally, the Taoist priest’s gaze did not fall on Junior Concubine Xu. It fell on Ning Xueyan.
“Master, please perform a religious rite for us at night to find out the source of the disaster. Our Lord Protector’s Manor will reward you handsomely.” Madam Ling came forward and said.
Madam Dowager was satisfied with her words and nodded secretly. In the capital, people always conducted a religious rite during the day to get rid of bad luck. Few people would do it in the evening. But today’s situation was unusual. Madam Dowager thought it was best to do so, because it was necessary to remove the bane.
“Well, Madam, please stand aside and allow me to look at Madam Dowager’s color. Let’s perform a religious rite later. At night, we can then have a clear goal.” The Taoist priest promised without any hesitation, as if he was happy to relieve the anxiety of others. With a wave of his horsetail whisk, he came over and bowed at Madam Dowager.
Then, he raised his head, picked up the three strands of whiskers in his hand, and looked at her from head to toe…
“Master, is there anything wrong with Madam Dowager?” Mother Qin, who was standing behind Madam Dowager, stood up and asked.
“Madam Dowager does not look good, and her glabella is black. Do you feel tired and sleepy these days? Are you feeling weak?” The Taoist priest asked Madam Dowager with a severe look, “It seems that something has offended you…”
His words made Madam Dowager’s flesh creep. Recently, everything was not going well. She often felt sleepy and weak. Did she really encounter some evil?
“Then Immortal Master, can you help me have a look? What about me?” Madam Ling also came over and asked urgently.
The Taoist priest turned his head and looked at her face. He frowned even harder. “It’s strange. It’s strange. It’s really strange…”
“Why?” Ning Yuling, who was standing beside Madam Dowager, asked.
As soon as she spoke, the Taoist priest turned his head and met her face. Her face immediately changed. He pointed at her and said, “Why is this girl’s complexion so bad? A disaster is imminent, and something big is about to happen.”
“What’s so strange about it, Immortality Master? What’s going to happen to the Second Young Lady?” Madam Dowager asked with a severe look on her face.
“Madam Dowager, please don’t blame me. It’s bizarre. As the Marchioness, a First-class Madam, she should be protected by the vital energy. Why can’t I sense anything from the Marchioness? She seems to have been touched by something unclean, just like Madam Dowager. Even the fate of the First-class Madams like Madam Dowager and the Marchioness has been destroyed.”
The Taoist priest held out a hand. He clenched his fingers and counted them one by one, with his eyes closed. After a long while, he opened his mouth and asked in confusion.
“As for this young lady’s complexion, it is even worse. She almost lost her life. This… this kind of fate must be bad. Everything is not going well for her. The noble ladies of your manor should have been more fortunate than the two madams. How could this happen?”
The Taoist priest shook his head as if he could not figure it out. He looked deeply puzzled.
Madam Dowager looked sullen. She had specially trained Ning Yuling and was subservient to her every wish since she was a child. Even if she tortured Ning Xueyan in the backyard, Madam Dowager would not intervene. The reason why she spoiled her was because she wanted her to soar up into the sky with one start.
However, something strange happened. First, the Third Prince abandoned her. Then, she had an affair with the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li. Later, the Princely Heir of Commandery Prince Li gave her up. Finally, she was sent away. Her fortune was on the decline.
“Master, why is her fortune on the decline?” Madam Dowager asked with a gloomy face.
“One’s fortune will rise and fall, but it’s not normal to rise and fall so much. In addition, Madam Dowager’s, Marchioness’s, and their blood grandmother and mother’s are also greatly weakened. I’m afraid that someone has deliberately caused the disaster of the Lord Protector’s Manor.” The Taoist priest looked as if he had seen through the secrets of heaven.
Was it man-made? Madam Dowager’s cold gaze fell on the people around her. Her eyes were sharp. If she found out who had caused this disaster, she would not spare the person! How could someone dare to destroy the fate of the Lord Protector’s Manor? According to the immortal master, the Second Young Lady had the chance of becoming a princess. But now, the chance was gone. How could Madam Dowager not be angry?
“Master, are you sure you can find the person tonight?” Madam Dowager asked. Her eyes were like gimlets.
“Yes. Madam Dowager, who is she?” The Taoist priest answered with certainty. But when his eyes fell on Ning Xueyan’s face, he paused for a moment, pointed at Ning Xueyan, and asked.
“What’s wrong with her?” Madam Dowager looked at Ning Xueyan calmly and asked.
“This person is also very strange, very strange…” The Taoist priest’s doubting eyes fell on Ning Xueyan as if he felt something was wrong with her. He frowned and turned to Ning Xueyan. While speaking, he circled around her. Then, he met with a pair of beautiful eyes.
Her eyes were beautiful and seemed to be covered with a faint mist. There was a slight smile in her eyes. However, the Taoist priest shivered for no reason. Her penetrating eyes made him feel as if she could almost see through him. How could a girl from a boudoir have such sharp eyes? However, when he looked at them carefully, they were still a pair of beautiful eyes.
Everything that had happened was because his vision had blurred for a moment.
Ning Xueyan looked coldly at the interaction among Madam Ling and her daughter, as well as the Taoist priest. She saw them divert their attention to her. The reason why Junior Concubine Xu spoke up before was to let the Taoist priest register her presence. It was all linked together. No one expected that she would reveal her identity with a slip of the tongue.
Sure enough, it was a painstaking effort.
A pair of seductive eyes that looked strange, but they were still bright and pure. Now that they diverted the attention to her, she would see how they would try to frame her with the “man-made calamity”.
