Chapter 21: Supreme Auspiciousness [Thank you to the readers for your monthly tickets and recommendation tickets]

The Marquis Marquis Yongyi's Hou Fu was an old and established noble house of the Great Zhou Dynasty; the founding Marquis Marquis Yongyi even possessed the merit of extinguishing a nation, yet after several generations, with no worthy successors, it had somewhat declined.

It could not compare to powerful noble houses like the Duke of Britain's residence or the Marquis Lady Ningyuan's residence.

Many years ago, the greater part of the elite within the capital's noble houses had followed Xu Xu Zaijing's great-aunt.

Yet the properties owned by the Hou Fu in Bianjing were very real indeed.

In Bianjing, where land was as precious as gold, the Marquis Marquis Yongyi's Hou Fu contained not only a martial arts training ground but also a large horse racing track.

Looking at this horse racing track, which was the size of a football field from his previous life, Xu Xu Zaijing,

for some reason, suddenly thought that when the main character of this story, Old Lady Sheng, was young,

perhaps when she was about his own age,

she had ridden horses freely and played polo right here on this very track!

"Crack!"

Hiss! It hurts!

Xu Xu Zaijing's buttocks were struck by the groom's horsewhip.

"What are you daydreaming about? Hurry up and get used to these few bows; pick the one that feels best to you."

"Yes, Master," Xu Xu Zaijing replied, bowing deeply.

Just as he was about to move, the groom pulled him back and fitted a leather thumb ring onto his right hand.

Arriving at the spot where five bows were laid out, the groom watched with a twitching eye corner as Xu Xu Zaijing casually drew one, effortlessly pulling open a bow that even a frail adult would struggle to draw.

His expression appeared quite relaxed.

If not for Xu Xu Zaijing's young age and arms that were not long enough, the groom felt Xu Xu Zaijing could have drawn the bow into a full moon.

"Enough, stop testing; these bows are unworthy of you. First, I will teach you techniques for mounted combat."

"Yes, Master."

Xu Xu Zaijing happily walked over to his small horse.

Behind him, the young attendant Brother Qingyun, somewhat curiously, approached the several bows, selected the one that looked smallest and most delicate, gathered his strength, and surprisingly managed to draw it open.

Brother Qingyun was also somewhat delighted, but then he suddenly released his fingers.

"Aiya!"

The groom turned around and saw that his own nephew, who was not wearing a thumb ring, had already had a layer of skin torn from his thumb by the bowstring, with blood about to flow.

In the intervals between studying or doing needlework, Xu Xu Zaijing's older brothers and sisters would also frequently come to the horse racing track.

Sun Shi had prepared saddles and bridles for her two daughters.

Thus, they would also ride gentle old horses for a leisurely stroll.

Xu Xu Zaiduan and Xu Xu Zaizhang would practice archery and learn some self-defense skills, though they also had occasions to ride horses.

After witnessing her youngest son's talent, Sun Shi had emphasized many times that his brothers and sisters must not spread the news outside.

Regarding those matters within the Sun family, they were treated merely as children's play; as family members, the four siblings had directly witnessed Xu Xu Zaijing's abnormalities.

The groom and Brother Qingyun were trusted individuals who had entered the Hou Fu, yet Sun Shi had specifically instructed them as well.

For some secrets, the fewer people who know, the better.

A Daoist priest walked out of the Yuqing Temple outside the city.

Behind this Daoist priest was the seated Daoist priest of the Yuqing Temple.

This seated Daoist priest interpreted dreams, explained divination verses, and calculated fortune and misfortune within the Yuqing Temple; at this moment, he looked at the person before him with a face full of worship.

The Daoist priest in front bore the surname Yuan and came from Yang Zhou.

He turned, bowed, and said, "Fellow Daoist, I take my leave."

"I respectfully see off my Daoist brother."

Daoist Yuan boarded a carriage; inside, his fingers moved incessantly. Just as they were about to enter the city, Daoist Yuan opened his eyes, which were filled with confusion.

In recent days, Bai Bai Wanshu had no longer rested at the Hou Fu but had moved to the Bai family's residence in Bianjing.

The courtyard was quite large, but because the master had not lived there for a long time, signs of daily life were somewhat scarce.

A servant announced that Daoist Yuan had arrived.

Bai Bai Wanshu invited Daoist Yuan into the room.

The servants arranged the tea sets, and Bai Bai Wanshu waved his hand, causing the servants to withdraw from the courtyard one after another.

Inside the room,

"Old friend, have you investigated clearly?"

Daoist Yuan's complexion had already recovered, though his hair was wet; he took a sip of tea and slowly said,

"I conversed with the fellow Daoist of the Yuqing Temple and investigated matters surrounding my hexagram image from half a month before to half a month after, and indeed uncovered one thing."

"Does it concern my daughter?"

"The Xu family of the Marquis Marquis Yongyi's Hou Fu once spent a considerable amount of incense money to have that seated Daoist produce several divination verses."

Daoist Yuan pondered for a moment and said, "I calculated with my fingers, and..."

Bai Bai Wanshu showed curiosity and asked, "What is it?"

"It is a patch of chaos, without any clue; yet on the way back, the carriage was charged by a mad ox and fell into the river. Fortunately, I know how to swim; otherwise..."

Daoist Yuan sighed and said, "In the future, I am afraid I dare not entertain such thoughts again."

"You and I have been friends for a lifetime, yet I nearly caused you harm."

"Your daughter was also watched by me as she grew up; that she nearly lost her life makes my heart filled with guilt."

"Speaking thus, is it that my daughter was able to survive such a great life calamity due to some connection with the Marquis Marquis Yongyi's Hou Fu?"

"Though I do not know for certain if it is so, it is not far from the truth."

"Good, at least there is now a lead. By the way, do you still remember when my daughter was getting married, there was a sea vessel leaving the port for which you calculated fortune and misfortune?"

"Let me think, the one from 'Supreme Auspiciousness'? What happened to that ship? Could it have suffered a maritime disaster?"

"No, that sea vessel is in excellent condition; today we received news from Yang Zhou that the ship has already entered the harbor."

"The previous 'Supreme Auspiciousness' ship was the very one that marked my rise to wealth; after this ship entered the harbor, those old comrades said everything was normal."

"But it only brought back a few exotic beasts, which hardly matches your 'Supreme Auspiciousness' divination image."

"Then, perhaps there is a chance to invite the Xu family for a visit; who knows?"

"That makes sense."

"The sun rose and the moon set; time flowed on."

"On this day, four carriages arrived at the gate of Marquis Marquis Yongyi's Hou Fu, the oilcloth rain covers on the carriages covered in wind and dust."

"Sun Shi looked at the middle-aged steward in the hall; this steward's younger sister was Xu Xu Zaijing's wet nurse, Cui Da Niangzi, so they could be considered acquaintances."

"Sun Shi said, 'Steward, you are also an elder who accompanied the Marquis; my aunt traveled a thousand li to send these gifts, please convey my thanks to her venerable self on my behalf.'"

"Yes, Da Da Niangzi; the Old Lady also entrusted me to express her gratitude to all the relatives of the Sun family."

"Xiao Zhu, go to the rear courtyard and fetch Cui Da Niangzi to keep the steward company for a drink and help him wash away the dust of his journey."

"Thank you, Da Niangzi."

"The household arranged a banquet table and invited several elders of the estate."

"As Xu Xu Zaijing's wet nurse, Cui Da Niangzi naturally held a high status in the household, so no one said anything when she sat with the several estate elders."

"This steward, who had departed from Quanzhou, traveled to Jinling, and then arrived in Bianjing, seeing his younger sister whom he had not seen for a long time, naturally showed great concern."

"While the few of them were talking, suddenly the entire estate became a scene of chickens flying and dogs jumping; stopping a female servant to ask, they learned that rewards had arrived from the palace."

"The reason for the reward was that the armies in the northwest had thwarted a large-scale invasion by Li Shi's Bai Gao state against the borders of Great Zhou, beheading over two thousand men in battle, which counted as a victory neither large nor small."

"In the northwest army, the Cao family possessed deep influence; as a party on good terms with them, Xu Minghua also got a share of the spoils, and his name appeared on the report of military merit."

"After the middle-aged chief eunuch who came to proclaim the imperial decree finished reading the edict of commendation, he said to Sun Shi and the other members of the Xu family, 'Everyone may rise. Da Da Niangzi, please step aside with me for a word.'"

"Sun Shi stood up, waved her hand to female servants like Xiao Zhu and Xiao Dan, and followed this chief eunuch behind the screen in the hall."

"Accompanying them was also a seven or eight-year-old junior eunuch carrying a box."

"Brother Qingyun, open the box."

"Yes."

"Da Da Niangzi, this is something Her Majesty the Empress specifically instructed me to bring to you."

"Sun Shi took one glance and saw inside an exquisitely carved hairpin."

"In such ornaments, a single prong is a zan, while multiple prongs make a chai."

"Inside this box was a Golden Leaf Jade Cicada Chai; on the golden leaves, a cicada carved from top-grade jade rested."

"The jade cicada was carved with superb skill, and the little insect was crafted so vividly it seemed alive."

"Thank Her Majesty the Empress!"

"Just as Sun Shi was about to kneel to express her gratitude for the grace, the chief eunuch supported her with one hand."

"Da Da Niangzi, this is for your family's Jing-ge'er; do not stand on excessive ceremony."

"Sun Shi had already grown accustomed to her youngest son receiving gifts from elders; whether it was Wu Da Da Niangzi or Princess Princess Pingning, both had said her youngest son possessed great fortune."

"Both of them had seen their wishes fulfilled."

"Sun Shi thought better of it, her eyes filled with delight, and she hurriedly said:"

"Could it be that Her Majesty..."

"Da Da Niangzi, it is enough that you understand in your heart; do not speak too much."

"Yes, thank you, Internal Official, for the reminder."

"Her Majesty the Empress also instructed that when Da Da Niangzi has time, she may visit the palace together with several members of the Cao family."

"Yes, thank you, Internal Official."

"Da Da Niangzi is too modest; I shall take my leave now."

"Internal Official, take care on your way."

"Speaking thus, she escorted this chief eunuch out the door; before the chief eunuch boarded his sedan chair, Xiao Zhu placed a pouch into the chief eunuch's hand."

"He did not refuse it, but when the procession moved away, that junior eunuch named Brother Qingyun returned the pouch."

"At this, Sun Shi became even more certain that the Empress in the palace was most likely with child."

The readers who have tipped me have already been kissed by me (づ￣3￣)づ╭～until they fell to the ground.

The readers who have tipped me have already been kissed by me (づ￣3￣)づ╭～until they fell to the ground.

Thanks to all the book friends for your recommendation tickets and monthly tickets; many thanks!

My humble thanks.

Bowing again!

If there are any typos, please, respected readers, catch the bugs and remind me.

If there are any parts that do not flow smoothly, please point them out.

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(End of Chapter)