abnabooks #385 - Master Miaoyu is as cold as a fairy! How to change a person's fate!
#385 - Master Miaoyu is as cold as a fairy! How to change a person's fate!
Miaoyu looked blankly at the old nun in front of her.
The change in her master was truly too great compared to before.
Moreover, her own destiny was already full of hardships. Even if her master was extremely skilled in the Innate Divine Calculation, and had calculated her future chances of survival countless times, most of the time she would end up empty-handed.
Originally, Miaoyu thought that she would only receive a few vague words about going north to seek refuge with a noble person.
But who would have thought that today, when her master was performing the Innate Divine Calculation, she would be like someone who had suffered the backlash of some terrifying great power, and directly spat out a large mouthful of blood.
Just as Miaoyu was at a loss and didn't know what to do.
The old nun seemed to suddenly sense something, and her tone became a bit more relieved, saying: "This poor nun doesn't have much time left. After this poor nun passes away, you must not act rashly. Stay here quietly, and your outcome will come soon. This poor nun's funeral arrangements will be handled by other nuns. Remember! Remember, Amitabha!"
With her hands clasped together, the old nun chanted a Buddhist prayer, a look of compassion on her face, and then suddenly her head drooped, and she was no longer moving.
Miaoyu's mind buzzed.
Trembling, she said: "Master... Master?"
But the old nun didn't move at all.
A bad premonition arose in her heart, and Miaoyu extended a slender finger and gently placed it on the old nun's wrist.
The next moment, a sorrowful cry came from the nunnery.
"Master."
Before long, this nunnery located on the outskirts of Suzhou City openly held a funeral.
................
Upon receiving Lin Ruhai's orders, Jia Yucun, escorted by a hundred-man squad, arrived outside Suzhou City.
Along the way, Jia Yucun had been attacked quite a few times.
Although Luofu occupied Jinling and rampaged through the cities, the major cities were unable to resist Luofu's military strength. Many cities were often conquered simply by sending a proclamation.
But when a country is overthrown, how can there not be a few loyalists?
Those who could not resist the invincible Luotian Army under Luofu's command could only resort to terrorist attacks, assassinations, and ambushes against Luofu's subordinates.
In addition, small groups of scattered troops simply became bandits, which plunged the social environment of the Jiangnan region into chaos.
People like Jia Yucun, who had gained considerable importance in Luofu's eyes, naturally had to be escorted by soldiers when traveling to various places.
Having just arrived outside Suzhou City, Jia Yucun finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Heaven knows how many assassinations and ambushes he had encountered along the way. Jia Yucun had no way of knowing whether these attacks were due to the increased number of bandits in the Jiangnan region, or were specifically targeted at him.
Because anyone who dared to attack him on his way to Suzhou was almost without exception killed by the hundred-man squad around him.
The strength of these people really made Jia Yucun speechless.
Often a dozen or so people could chase thousands of people fleeing in a frenzy at most, and just a dozen or so people could wipe out an army of thousands.
Such a powerful squad was something Jia Yucun had never heard of before.
Now that he had finally arrived in Suzhou City, Jia Yucun was even more eager to complete his mission so that he could rise to prominence and become Luofu's confidant.
You should know that this squad was just casually assigned to him by Lin Ruhai.
Just as Jia Yucun was about to go straight to Suzhou City,
A clamor came from afar, and as he heard the sounds of trumpets and drums, Jia Yucun's heart tightened.
On the way, he had encountered not only overt assassinations, but also various disguises that were simply amazing.
Weddings, funerals, and other tricks were truly eye-opening.
Now that he had just arrived outside Suzhou City, it was such a coincidence that he had once again encountered the accident of a funeral.
Jia Yucun subconsciously suspected that someone was trying to assassinate him again.
The reason why Jia Yucun was so hated was that on the one hand, he was gradually appearing in Luofu's sight and was gradually being reused by Luofu, and on the other hand, the things Jia Yucun did were too hateful.
Almost 80% of the vested interests of Daqing lost everything under Jia Yucun's targeting.
Among them were both local gentry and the powerful and influential figures who were the foundation of Daqing.
While Jia Yucun was being valued by Luofu, he naturally became an almost openly placed target.
Several soldiers vigilantly greeted the direction from which the sounds of trumpets and drums were coming.
It's no wonder that Jia Yucun was a little surprised. No matter what, a nun is a member of the clergy, and the funeral ceremony is naturally different from ordinary people. Buddhism has always taken a detached view of life and death.
But now, there was a funeral being held for an old nun.
If the soldiers hadn't personally made a trip to confirm that the funeral was real and not someone using it as an excuse to target him again, he would have suspected whether this old nun was a member of the clergy.
After discussing it at the nunnery and offering a gift of money, Jia Yucun was not kept at the nunnery, but was personally introduced by the nuns to a family next door.
After resting for a night at a farmer's house next to the nunnery, the next morning, just as Jia Yucun and others were preparing to go to Suzhou City.
Jia Yucun inadvertently glanced at the direction of the nunnery, and the next moment, he suddenly showed a look of amazement.
Outside the nunnery, two young girls, at a fleeting glance, in Jia Yucun's view, the girl with the Miaochang bun and wearing a moon-white plain-sleeved jacket, with her black hair like ink, had a beauty that was not inferior to that Miss Xue's family.
If Miss Xue's family was the ultimate in plump and smooth skin, then this girl with the Miaochang bun was a typical example of pure and aloof beauty.
Even the girl next to this girl was also a charming young lady.
He didn't expect that there would be such beauties in the wilderness.
Although Jia Yucun was not a good person, he had no psychological burden in doing ungrateful things.
But perhaps because he had experienced being dismissed from office, Jia Yucun was more concerned about power than beauty.
At this moment, just as he was about to head towards Suzhou City, Jia Yucun's attention was suddenly drawn to these two young women, entirely because, in the instant he was captivated by their beauty, a whimsical thought suddenly popped into his mind.
Previously, he had been unaware of the conflict between the Supreme Commander and the four great families, and as a result, he had almost entered into an alliance with the Xue family.
Although he later acted as a matchmaker for the Xue family's young lady, sending her to the imperial palace, the previous incident might have become a thorn in Luo Fu's side.
Since the Supreme Commander was full of youthful vigor, could he use such a beautiful and ethereal young woman, send her to the imperial palace, and thereby regain his position in the Supreme Commander's heart?
With this thought in mind, Jia Yucun suddenly abandoned his plan to go to Suzhou immediately and instead went to the farmer's house where he had stayed the night before.
"Brother Xing," Jia Yucun said, cupping his fist in a salute, and getting straight to the point: "May I ask, what are the origins of those two young women?"
Following Jia Yucun's pointing, when he saw the object of Jia Yucun's inquiry, the old farmer's face instantly turned ugly.
He said, "You are about the same age as this old man, don't tell me you still have inappropriate thoughts about such young girls?"
Jia Yucun was embarrassed for a moment and quickly explained that he had no such intentions.
However, seeing the old farmer's vigilant and suspicious look, Jia Yucun had no choice but to vaguely inform the old man that he was preparing to introduce these two young women to a nobleman.
The old man, who had previously intended to drive Jia Yucun away, was stunned when he heard the title of 'nobleman'.
He had witnessed Jia Yucun's prestige the night before, with nearly a hundred guards accompanying him.
Even such a big figure had to call someone a nobleman, what kind of existence would that be?
With a thought in his mind, the old man said, "Brother Shi Fei, you also stayed in my house for a night, can you tell me, how noble is the nobleman you speak of?"
Seeing Xing Laohan's persistent questioning, Jia Yucun frowned in dissatisfaction, then extended a finger and pointed to the sky, saying, "Unspeakably noble! Now, can Brother Xing tell me, what is the identity of these two young women?"
Following the direction Jia Yucun pointed, Xing Laohan looked at the sky, and suddenly a thought flashed in his mind.
It was as if he had thought of something, and he exclaimed, "Could it be… could it be that Luo Tian Emperor?"
Although Xing Laohan lived near Suzhou City, he had just witnessed Suzhou City surrendering without a fight and changing its flag.
Only then did he know that Jiangnan had changed its sky.
The Great Qing Dynasty no longer had the final say in Jiangnan, and now the one above was the Luo Tian Emperor.
Slightly surprised, Jia Yucun glanced at Xing Laohan, but he did not expect that even such a rural villager would know of the Supreme Commander's existence.
Jia Yucun did not directly respond, after all, such things could not be put on the table.
Even if he did it, it had to be done quietly, otherwise, wouldn't it ruin the Supreme Commander's reputation?
He had handled the Xue family's matter poorly before, and perhaps even his impression in the Supreme Commander's heart had been greatly reduced, so how could he leave a reputation for licentiousness for the Supreme Commander in this countryside?
"Brother Xing, please don't ask too much, just tell me what the identities of these two young women are."
As he spoke, Jia Yucun casually took out a tael of government silver from his luggage.
Xing Laohan could tell at a glance that this was a five-tael tael of government silver.
Just to inquire about the news of two young women, he was able to take out five taels of government silver, Xing Laohan once again raised his opinion of Jia Yucun in his heart.
Without batting an eye, Xing Laohan put the government silver into his sleeve.
Only then did Xing Laohan cunningly say, "One of these two is my daughter, and the other is Master Miaoyu, who is practicing with hair in the nunnery."
Now Jia Yucun knew why Xing Laohan thought he had ulterior motives when he asked about the identities of these two young women earlier, it turned out that the petite and exquisite one was Xing Laohan's daughter.
Since that was the case, then Xing Laohan could be considered a party involved.
Jia Yucun then took a step closer to speak, bringing Xing Laohan to the side and whispering a few words.
Xing Laohan's eyes widened instantly, and with a look of surprise, he patted his chest and made a guarantee.
After a few words of exchange.
Xing Laohan went straight to the direction of Miaoyu and his daughter.
"Xiuyan, Master Miaoyu."
The old man came to the two women with an excited face and said, "This old man must first congratulate Master Miaoyu, you will soon be enjoying good fortune with my daughter."
Miaoyu seemed to dislike this Xing Laohan very much, her brows furrowed, and she said dissatisfied, "Uncle Xing, my teacher has just passed away, where does this good fortune come from?"
"It's my clumsy mouth."
Xing Laohan shamelessly bent down slightly, as if bowing in salute, and said, "The old master passed away peacefully and went to the Western Paradise to serve the Buddha, but you stay in the human world, of course, you have to think about how to live this life well."
"Dad, what exactly do you want to say?"
The young woman beside Miaoyu looked at her father with a reproachful look.
That's right.
Without a single mistake, the first character, the first hair, the first inner, the first appearance, all in one glance!
This young woman is Xing Laohan's daughter, Xing Xiuyan, listed in the Jinling Twelve Beauties sub-register.
As for Xing Laohan, he is the cousin of Jia She's concubine, Xing furen, of the Rongguo Mansion.
Unfortunately, although Xing Laohan's cousin is the concubine of the Rongguo Mansion's master, they are quite poor and destitute, and even the room where Jia Yucun stayed before is actually rented from the temple.
"You two are going to enter the palace to become imperial consorts."
Xing Zhong grinned and said, the smile on his face could not be hidden.
"Dad, what nonsense are you talking about!?"
Xing Xiuyan was immediately startled.
Entering the palace to become an imperial consort, can such words be said casually?
Compared to Xing Xiuyan, who was simply afraid of the power and cruelty of feudal imperial power.
Miaoyu's face instantly revealed a look of horror because of Xing Zhong's words.
Before her teacher passed away, she used innate numerology to predict her future, asking her to stay in the nunnery and wait quietly, and there would be results soon.
But things actually came so quickly.
You must know that even her teacher's funeral has not ended yet.
Miaoyu knew Xing Zhong's character and could not believe that this guy would have the guts to joke about entering the palace to become an imperial consort.
"Who's talking nonsense?"
Xing Zhong said triumphantly, "This is your opportunity!
Lord Jia is carrying out official business in Suzhou by order of the new dynasty's emperor.
He didn't expect to just happen to stay at our house last night.
Originally, Lord Jia arrived at dusk and did not see the two of you, but just now, when Lord Jia was preparing to go to Suzhou, he noticed the two of you.
The new dynasty's emperor has few people in his harem, this is your chance."
Ever since he learned the reason why Jia Yucun was inquiring about Miaoyu and Xing Xiuyan from Jia Yucun's mouth, Xing Zhong really couldn't wait to send his daughter to the new dynasty's emperor's harem right away.
As for Miaoyu, that was just a convenient thing to do.
After all, Xing Xiuyan is his precious daughter, if she really enters the palace and gains the new dynasty's emperor's favor, then they, the couple, can rely on their daughter for the rest of their lives, instantly transforming from a fallen and impoverished family into the new dynasty's imperial relatives.
Compared to Xing Zhong's wishful thinking, Miaoyu's eyes instantly revealed a look of horror when she heard his words.
Subconsciously, she turned her head to look at the coffin of the old nun who had not yet been buried.
In Miaoyu's heart, her master would only suffer a backlash and die when she divined another path of life for herself.
And the final divination was for her to remain in this nunnery.
Now it seems that everything is being fulfilled so quickly.
Taking a deep breath, Miaoyu said, "Uncle Xing, is this Lord Jia really acting on the orders of the New Dynasty's Emperor?"
"Is there any doubt about that?" Xing Zhong vowed, saying, "Didn't you see the guards around Lord Jia? They're all veterans who've climbed out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood."
Making a chopping motion, Xing Zhong said, "This is a great opportunity for you two, Master Miaoyu. I know you're aloof, but the New Dynasty's Emperor's words carry immense weight. Since he values you, you have no choice but to accept. It's best not to be stubborn!"
Actually, if possible, Xing Zhong would have preferred that Miaoyu hadn't been chosen.
Although he didn't want to admit it, compared to his own daughter, Miaoyu was far superior in terms of appearance and other aspects.
Xing Xiuyan was indeed pretty, but at most, she was just a delicate flower from a humble family. Miaoyu, on the other hand, possessed a pure and ethereal beauty that was truly more captivating than his daughter.
But no matter what, his daughter and Miaoyu were the ones who had been selected.
He had no say in the matter. To ensure his daughter's well-being, he could only try his best to persuade Miaoyu to agree.
Seeing the complex expression on Miaoyu's face, Xing Zhong assumed that Miaoyu was unwilling to accept.
However, just as he was pondering what excuse to use to persuade Miaoyu, the next words from Miaoyu stunned Xing Zhong on the spot.
"Could we wait until my master is buried before Xiuyan and I accompany Lord Jia to the capital?"
Although Luofu hadn't formally established a kingdom yet, from the moment Luofu seized Jinling and began conquering territory in Jiangnan, everyone understood that the New Dynasty that Luofu would establish would inevitably be based in Jinling.
Therefore, for those under the rule of the New Dynasty, entering the capital no longer meant the capital in the north, but Jinling.
After a moment of stunned silence, Xing Zhong asked in surprise, "Miao… Master Miaoyu, are you agreeing to this?"
Miaoyu nodded calmly, saying, "Xiuyan cannot escape this either, can she? Perhaps this is our fate. I only hope that the New Dynasty's Emperor is not a cruel tyrant."
"Don't worry." Xing Zhong didn't care whether the Emperor was cruel or not. In his opinion, becoming a relative of the New Dynasty's imperial family meant endless wealth and glory.
Xing Zhong was already impatient at this moment.
"Xiuyan, remember to help Master Miaoyu bury the old nun as soon as possible. I'll go and speak to Lord Jia about this."
Seeing Xing Zhong leave in a hurry, Xing Xiuyan looked at Miaoyu in surprise, asking, "Master Miaoyu, why…?"
Xing Xiuyan addressed Miaoyu as "Master" not only because Miaoyu was a nun who still kept her hair. Xing Zhong, although he was a distant relative of Madam Xing, the wife of Jia She, who inherited the title of the Rongguo Mansion's eldest son, the Xing family had long declined.
In fact, Xing Zhong and his family even rented a house in the nunnery.
Miaoyu was practically Xing Xiuyan's true teacher. Miaoyu taught Xing Xiuyan how to read.
"This is my fate." Miaoyu sighed softly, her tone filled with confusion about the future, saying, "The reason my master passed away was actually to use her innate divination skills to foresee my future, but the result was that she suffered a backlash. However, before my master passed away, she instructed me to stay in the nunnery, and someone would come looking for me soon. That would be my only chance to change my fate!"
Now Xing Xiuyan understood.
As someone who had practically grown up with Miaoyu, Xing Xiuyan naturally knew that Miaoyu came from a noble background. Logically, she should have been a proper young lady from a prominent family, but she had been sent to the nunnery at a young age because her fate was fraught with difficulties.
She had no choice but to seek refuge in the Buddhist faith to resolve it.
In this world where incense and deities were paramount, such things were not uncommon.
For example, Jia Baoyu, the precious darling of the Rongguo Mansion, would recognize someone like Madam Ma as his godmother. In some remote areas, people would even recognize various strange things as their godparents to prevent their children from dying young.
Trees, stones, or even a mountain, a lake, or a river would be recognized as godfathers or godmothers.
Even more extreme cases involved simply recognizing the local Earth God as the godfather and the Earth Goddess as the godmother.
Miaoyu's situation was special. Such methods could not change her fate, so she had to seek help from the old nun in the nunnery who was extremely skilled in innate divination.
Xing Xiuyan certainly knew that Miaoyu's fate had not changed.
Otherwise, with her refined demeanor, she would have returned to secular life long ago to become a young lady from a prominent family.
Now, in order to change her fate, responding to Lord Jia's request to enter the New Dynasty's Emperor's harem seemed perfectly reasonable to Xing Xiuyan.
After all, what could be more effective in changing a person's fate than having a relationship with the Emperor of the mortal world?
The Emperor of the mortal world could even bestow titles upon deities.
Even the gods of heaven and earth needed the Emperor to bestow titles upon them. Serving the Emperor in the harem would certainly change one's fate.
After Xing Xiuyan understood Miaoyu's thoughts, Miaoyu sighed and said to her, "Xiuyan, I must inform you in advance that the imperial palace has always been a dangerous place. Lord Jia once stayed overnight at your house. If possible, entering the harem is definitely not a good thing."
Xing Xiuyan gave a bitter smile and said, "Master Miaoyu, do you think I have a choice?"
Miaoyu was first stunned, then she chuckled when she thought of Xing Zhong's impatient appearance just now. She looked at Xing Xiuyan with a hint of pity and said, "Then it seems that the two of us can only go to the capital together soon. In the New Dynasty's Emperor's palace, we'll have to support each other."
Neither Miaoyu nor Xing Xiuyan had a choice about entering the palace to serve the new Emperor.
As for Jia Yucun, after receiving a definite answer from Xing Zhong, he specifically left behind several powerful soldiers as guards for Miaoyu and Xing Xiuyan, lest something unexpected happen while he was resolving the problems in Suzhou City.
Then, Jia Yucun hurried to Suzhou.
With Jia Yucun's ruthlessness, the problems in Suzhou were resolved in less than ten days.
Of course, what Jia Yucun really solved was not the problems, but the people who caused them.
In a short period of ten days, countless wealthy families in Suzhou City suffered from Jia Yucun's scourge.
Under absolute violent suppression, Suzhou City completely lost any voice of resistance in a short period of time.
After resolving the problems in Suzhou, Jia Yucun couldn't wait to return to the nunnery on the outskirts of the city and personally escorted Miaoyu and Xing Xiuyan's entire family to Jinling.
That's right, for Xing Zhong, how could he miss such a good opportunity to go to the capital and enjoy a life of luxury?