Flowery Hair: A Maidservant

Chapter 357 Divination with a Flower Hairpin (A Divination by Heaven)

Consort Chun was genuinely excited and overjoyed, while Madam Yun was filled with worry and restlessness.

Although the Tang and Su families had frequent exchanges since their marriage alliance, there had never been a precedent of someone visiting without sending an invitation.

Just after Chen Shi (7-9 AM), Old Madam Su was leaning on the daybed listening to the steward's reply when she suddenly heard the gatekeeper report that the carriage of the Marquis of Lin'an had arrived at the gate. The prayer beads she was holding in her hand immediately stopped.

With a solemn expression, Old Madam Su immediately summoned her servants to invite her daughter-in-law over, and then dismissed everyone else.

Passing through the triple-tiered hanging flower gate, Madam Yun, accompanied by the head steward, had just entered the courtyard where Old Madam Su lived when Madam Su came out to greet them. (Character summary: Madam Su appears in Chapter 116; she inherited her family's knowledge and is proficient in physiognomy.)

Madam Yun greeted Old Madam Su, and without further ado, took out the jade cicada from her sleeve. Madam Su had never seen her so distraught, and only when she saw the shattered jade cicada did she realize what had happened.

However, she was not too worried and comforted her, saying, "The oracle bone inscriptions say, 'When jade breaks but its breath does not cease, it is called spiritual death.' Madam, there is no need to panic for now."

Madam Su reached out and took the jade cicada fragment, examining the broken lines closely. Her previously solemn expression relaxed after a moment.

She looked up and saw that Madam Yun was wearing a red gold and kingfisher feather peony hairpin in her hair. She said, "Let me cast a divination." After saying that, she reached out and took the hairpin off Madam Yun's head, and walked straight to a table on the side.

There was no one else in the flower hall; Granny Wei and Aunt Mei were both standing guard outside the door. When Madam Yun learned that Madam Su wanted to consult the Heavenly Revelation Divination, her heart leaped into her throat, and she began to hold her breath and pray silently.

Divination using the I Ching is extremely mentally taxing, and Old Mrs. Su sat to the side, a hint of worry in her eyes.

Madam Su picked up the peony hairpin and casually waved it over the jade bowl filled with clear water. Turning to Madam Yun, she said, "Mother and daughter are of one heart. Today, let us use this hairpin, which has been imbued with your aura, to glimpse the secrets of heaven."

The method practiced by Madam Su was 'flower hairpin divination,' which used personal items as a guide and clear water as a mirror to observe the flow of fate.

She lightly touched the water's surface with the tip of her hairpin, creating ripples. The jade cicada fragments moved slightly with the waves. Then, the hairpin slowly sank into the water, its tip landing precisely on the largest piece of jade.

After a moment, the water in the jade bowl returned to calm. Madam Su breathed a sigh of relief, pointed to the direction indicated by the hairpin, and said slowly, "The hairpin points southeast, and the broken jade pieces gather but do not scatter. This is an omen of 'dispersing the group, great fortune,' and the calamity will be averted."

Madam Yun's chest heaved slightly before she finally spoke: "Does this mean... Wan'er's fate has a chance to turn around?"

Madam Su nodded and said, "I saw Consort Chun once during the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet. Her face was as bright and clear as jade, so she should be fine."

Madam Yun was relieved. Old Madam Su took over the conversation, gently twirling her prayer beads: "I have also read some ancient books on physiognomy. The Liuzhuang physiognomy method has the saying 'accumulating good deeds can change one's fate.' The Marquis of Lin'an's family has always done good deeds and accumulated virtue. Consort Chun is blessed with great fortune and will surely be able to turn misfortune into good fortune."

After staying at the Su residence for an hour, Madam Yun finally got up to take her leave.

Inside the flower hall, seeing her daughter-in-law still staring at the jade bowl in a daze, Old Madam Su asked in a low voice, "Yuan'er, since the divination just now was very auspicious, in your opinion, if Consort Chun really changed her fate, will she one day become the Empress?"

"Why do you ask that, Mother? Although Empress Jiang has no children, she is in good health, and the Marquis of Weibei's mansion is at its zenith."

Old Madam Su picked up her prayer beads again and sighed, "The Marquis of Lin'an's demands are enormous. Ever since Wanwan married into the family, I have been constantly worried about it."

Madam Su comforted her, "Mother, there's no need to worry too much. The Empress is not easily fooled... Do you remember the maid who accompanied Consort Chun when she came to our Su residence?"

“How could I not remember?” Old Mrs. Su paused in her prayer beads.

"That girl was very beautiful. The moment she entered the flower hall, everyone's eyes were drawn to her."

Although she entered the palace as a concubine, she was promoted to the rank of Jieyu, a fourth-grade official, in just over a year. Last month, the Emperor personally issued an edict to remove her from the list of concubines. With such favor, she will likely soon be ranked among the Nine Concubines.

This matter has become the talk of the town in the capital. Although I rarely leave my home, I've heard quite a bit of gossip.

Madam Su's eyes flickered slightly: "This Consort Meng has the air of a noblewoman. She and Consort Chun are like sisters. At the Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, when my daughter-in-law saw the two consorts, it was truly a case of 'resonance and mutual attraction'..."

She paused, her voice lowering slightly, "Although my daughter-in-law is not skilled in divination, her physiognomy is never wrong. If we look at fate... the calamity that Consort Chun faced should have come to pass back when she was in the Prince's residence. It seems the variable lies with this Consort Meng."

However, in this case, it's hard to say whether to say that Madam Yun had a discerning eye, or...

Upon hearing this, Old Mrs. Su raised her hand, and Mrs. Su immediately stopped talking, her unfinished words turning into an almost inaudible sigh.

......

When Madam Yun left the Su residence, it was still early before noon. Aunt Mei followed behind, her brows finally unfurrowing a little as she planned to hurry back to the palace to tell Consort Chun and Meng Shu the good news.

"No rush," Madam Yun said gently, her fingertips resting on Aunt Mei's wrist. "Let's go back to the manor first."

Aunt Mei was taken aback, but seeing that Madam Yun's expression was calm, she suppressed her anxiety, bowed her head and replied "Yes," and followed Madam Yun into the carriage.

As the wheels rolled over the bluestone road, making a rumbling sound, Madam Yun remained silent.

When they were almost at the Marquis of Lin'an's residence, he instructed Granny Wei: "Go to the Zhou residence in person and invite Miss Xiuyun here."