Di Daughter's Strategy - Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Outside the capital, there was the Mingjing Temple, the largest and most efficacious temple in the Ming Dynasty. Every day, a large number of pilgrims came to burn incense and seek fortune. The abbot, Master Huiming, was highly respected for his virtue and prestige.

He was well-versed in Buddhist rituals and had a profound understanding of Buddhist teachings. Because the current Empress Dowager believed in Buddhism, she would come to the Mingjing Temple several times a year to eat vegetarian meals and chant scriptures, which made the temple even more renowned.

In the courtyard where Master Huiming resided, several people stood guard outside the room, their faces solemn.

Inside the room, two people sat. One was Master Huiming, whom everyone in the temple respected. The other wore a dark long robe, held a bowl of tea in his hand, and had ink-black hair cascading down his back. He looked down with an indifferent expression, and a white-clothed man stood behind him.

After Master Huiming spoke, the room fell silent for a while. Then the man raised his eyes, his gaze dark and profound like the tide. His voice was low, “What did the master just say?”

Master Huiming closed his eyes slightly, his fingers moving over the Buddhist prayer beads. His tone remained unchanged, “The two birthdates you brought seem like a perfect match, but in reality, they are incompatible. If you force them to be together, it’s likely…”

Master Huiming shook his head without finishing his sentence.

Even without him repeating the previous words, Fang Jinling knew what would come next. He remained silent for a while, his fingers tightening around the teacup. He placed the cup on the table, making a crisp sound that seemed muffled in the quiet room.

He stood up, looked at Master Huiming calmly, and seemed to carry a hint of coldness. He said indifferently, “Thank you, Master, for your trouble today.”

Master Huiming still had his eyes half-closed, “May the way be smooth for you, benefactor.”

Fang Jinling narrowed his eyes slightly, turned, and left. Wei Feng followed him, frowning, and glanced at him several times before hesitating to speak, “Your Highness, what Master Huiming said just now…”

Fang Jinling glanced at him, and Wei Feng immediately lowered his head, “I spoke out of turn!”

Fang Jinling withdrew his gaze and looked coldly at the door behind him. His voice was indifferent, “This Prince never believes in fate.”

Wei Feng’s face turned pale, “I understand, it’s just that the Empress…”
The Prince didn’t believe in such things, so it was impossible for him to come and measure the birthdates of him and Miss Luo without reason. The reason was that when he returned to the capital, he received a letter from the capital saying that the Empress intended to ask Master Huiming to measure the birthdates of the Prince and Miss Luo. That’s why he came to the Mingjing Temple.

Fang Jinling looked down at the jade pendant tied around his waist, his eyes flashing slightly. His voice seemed to carry a faint chill, “Make him change his words, or…”

“Shut up.”

Wei Feng’s eyes flashed, “I understand.” Master Huiming, no matter how legendary, was still human. Humans had things they cared about, and as long as they cared about something, there would naturally be ways to make him change his words.

But…

Wei Feng’s expression changed several times in his eyes. If Miss Luo truly clashed with the Prince, and the Prince did this, wouldn’t it be…
The man in front of him seemed to glance at him, and he quickly lowered his head, not daring to think further.

Because the whereabouts of their group were kept secret, Fang Jinling got on the carriage at the back door of the Mingjing Temple. The carriage was luxuriously decorated in a low-key manner. He held a book and leaned against the carriage wall, his expression indifferent as he focused on the pages.

As they passed by the foot of the mountain, he seemed to smell a familiar fragrance. He raised his hand and lifted the curtain, and indeed saw a patch of osmanthus trees in the distance. His eyes deepened slightly, and he seemed to think of the person’s slightly raised lips and the white jade pendant swaying gently on her fingertips.

Wei Feng saw this and rode his horse forward, “Does the Prince have any orders?”

“Where are Qiheng and them?”
“They are still a day’s journey away from the capital.”

Fang Jinling put down the curtain. Wei Feng only heard the Prince’s slightly low voice from inside the carriage, “Go back and meet up with them.”

A day later…

The Marquis’ mansion had already received the news that the Prince would arrive in the capital today. Early in the morning, Madam Chu instructed the servants to tidy up the courtyard of the eldest young master.

Luo Yi’er was woken up early by the commotion in the mansion. She sat on the carved jade bed, her dark hair cascading down her back and falling onto her chest, partially covering her cheeks.

Linglong quickly walked in and saw that she was already awake. She hurriedly opened the bed curtains and whispered, “Miss, the Eldest young master is returning to the mansion today. The Madam has been busy since early morning, instructing the people in the mansion. Should the miss get up now?”

Luo Yi’er looked at her movements and responded softly, “Mm-hmm.”

Linglong efficiently helped her get ready and said, “The Prince is returning to the capital today. I’ve heard that many citizens are going to the city gate to welcome him. Miss, do you… Want to go take a look?”

After all, he was her future husband. If she were there when he returned to the capital, he would likely be happy.

Luo Yi’er’s eyes flashed slightly as she looked at her blurry reflection in the bronze mirror. She reached out and took a dark box from the dressing table, opened it, and retrieved the jade pendant. She gently stroked it with her fingers before handing it to Linglong and instructing softly, “Tie it on for me.”

Linglong didn’t know the significance of the jade pendant but vaguely guessed that it might have been given to the miss by the Prince. She quickly agreed, took the pendant, and carefully tied it around her waist.

Today, Luo Yi’er wore a smoke-blue dress, and the white jade pendant peeked out subtly, elegant and refined.

Hongdou had breakfast brought up. As they ate, Luo Yi’er turned to Linglong and instructed, “Go to the Fang Yun Hall and tell Mother that I’ll be leaving the mansion later.”

Linglong guessed what she was going to do and quickly agreed before exiting.

Luo Yi’er lowered her eyes slightly, glanced at the jade pendant on her waist, and then smiled faintly as she instructed Hongdou, “Tell the steward to prepare the carriage.”

Hongdou had just left when Linglong returned. Luo Yi’er asked, “Did Mother say anything?”

Linglong replied, “The Madam just said to be careful.”

Luo Yi’er nodded, “Alright, let’s get ready and go.”

Her fiancé, the Prince, was returning to the capital. She should show her respects, both emotionally and rationally. Even without Linglong’s reminder, she would have left the mansion today. After all, the imperial decree had been issued, and unless she was mistreated like in the original text, her marriage to the Prince was set in stone.

Today, the Prince was returning to the capital, and the Emperor had instructed the Ministry of Rites to welcome him at the city gate. The officials from the Ministry of Rites dared not be late.

Speaking of the Prince’s background, his birth mother was Consort Yu, from the Shen family in Jiangnan. The Shen family was a scholarly family, but compared to the officials in the capital, they weren’t considered a prominent family.

However, Consort Yu was gentle and soft, with a beauty that surpassed the other concubines in the palace.
She was favored by the Emperor, and no one could compare to her.

In the palace, Consort Yu’s health deteriorated after a fall into the water. At that time, the Emperor had just ascended to the throne for less than three years, and the court was still unstable. During a palace banquet, the Emperor was attacked, and Consort Yu, who was eight months pregnant, shielded the Emperor with her body and was stabbed by a sword.

Later, she gave birth to the Third Prince in the midst of the crisis but passed away before she could even see her son. The Emperor, remembering her bravery in saving him, showed more affection to the Third Prince, also known as Prince Fang Jinling.

Everyone said that Consort Yu’s sacrifice paved a good path for the Third Prince.

When the Third Prince was six years old, the Emperor realized that even with his love, a prince without a mother would struggle in the palace. After some thought, he decided to record the Third Prince under the Empress’s name. From then on, the Third Prince became the only legitimate son in the Ming Dynasty.

At the city gate, when Luo Yi’er arrived, the area was already packed with people. The war with Western Liang had lasted for three years, and it was finally won by the Prince’s victory. At this moment, the Prince was very popular among the people.

The carriage of the Marquis’ mansion stopped at the back of the crowd. Looking at the open city gate, although it was still far away, the sound of horse hooves could be heard. Someone in the crowd with sharp eyes spotted some movement and shouted loudly, “He’s coming! He’s coming! The Prince is back!”

Instantly, the long street erupted into a frenzy, and people surged forward. Fortunately, the Emperor had anticipated this and sent imperial guards ahead.
The guards stood in two rows, pushing the crowd back and sternly telling them to retreat, which somewhat contained the situation.

Inside the carriage, Luo Yi’er leaned against the carriage wall. Hearing the commotion, she lifted her eyes and finally sat up straight. She reached out and gently lifted the curtain, just in time to see the Prince’s team entering the city. Although it had been three years since they last met, she spotted him immediately.

He sat high on his horse, wearing a dark brocade robe. Due to leading troops in battles for three years, his physique was strong and tall. His sword-like eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and his narrow, phoenix-like eyes gazed straight ahead, his expression deep and indifferent. Even facing the scene before him, he didn’t show a hint of a smile.

Luo Yi’er’s gaze fell on him, and she seemed to recall the scene under the osmanthus tree when he handed her a brocade box with a calm expression, saying it was a birthday gift. Her eyes flashed slightly, and she noticed that he was even more reserved than before, without any sharp edges.

She suddenly remembered the day the imperial decree was delivered to the Marquis’ mansion by a group of palace eunuchs. When she received the decree, she felt a sense of familiarity. Fang Jinling, Fang Jinyu, Luo Qian, Luo Yi’er…

Fang Jinling, who had become her fiancé, Fang Jinyu, who had secretly harbored feelings for her, and Luo Qian, who was timid and quiet…

In that instant, she realized that she hadn’t simply crossed over, but had entered a book. Moreover, in the end, she would meet a certain fate.

Luo Yi’er snapped back to reality, her eyes flashing with a hint of coldness. She wasn’t someone who would sit back and wait for her fate. Since Luo Qian had decided to take action against her, she would naturally strike first. She wouldn’t live her life according to the original owner’s expectations.

She had always lived her own life, not to live vicariously through the original owner.

Luo Qiheng followed behind Fang Jinling, his face stern. However, out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a familiar carriage. His gaze revealed a hint of surprise. Someone next to him noticed and asked with confusion, “What’s wrong?”

Luo Qiheng turned his head to take a closer look and confirmed that it was indeed their family’s carriage. A smile appeared on his face as he replied, “It’s nothing, just saw the carriage from our mansion.”

The person next to him chuckled softly, “Must be because they heard you were back and came to meet you.”

The two of them whispered to each other, but they didn’t notice that the man sitting steadily on his horse in front of them seemed to have reacted to their words.
Fang Jinling raised his eyes and looked around discreetly.

Indeed, he spotted a familiar carriage in the crowd. The horse continued to move, and his hand on the reins subtly shifted. Finally, through the slightly lifted curtain, he met her light gaze. The owner of those eyes seemed to be surprised that their gazes had met, and then she smiled warmly at him.

However, in an instant, the curtain was gently lowered.