Chapter 079

Chapter 79: I don’t lack money luck

Shaking her head, Yu Zhi Yi said: “Not so.” She spoke up to clear the name of the Mystic Sect as she said: “We are not monks. People have desires. Many Daoist cultivators carry three defects and five lacks. Some are fated to have no wealth, so they stop struggling for money. That is why people only see their… well, poor side.”

She lifted her chin with a bright little smile and said: “As for me, I don’t lack money luck.”

Du Zi Heng’s eyes moved; he turned to look and saw that the slight tilt of her smiling face was full of confidence and pride: [Kind of cute.] Realizing what he was thinking, he looked away, uneasy.

Ignoring the quick glance beside her, Yu Zhi Yi named her price in a serious tone as she said: “Among common folk, I charge one tael of silver per reading. Of course, if someone wants to pay more, I do not refuse. The two of you can pay as you see fit.”

Being pulled into deadly Imperial Family secrets at any time cost her effort and nerves; charging more to make up for the strain was not too much.

Hearing the hint, the emperor laughed and scolded: “Money-grubber!”

He nodded and said: “Fine, I know. The fee will not disappoint you.”

Yu Zhi Yi held his gaze and asked: “No matter whether you like the result I give or not?”

There was a beat, then the emperor said: “Yes. Whether I am satisfied or not, I will make sure you are.”

With the promise in hand, Yu Zhi Yi stopped wasting time and focused at once.

She spoke clearly as she said: “The misunderstanding between Your Majesty and Prince Shun began because of one person, the late consort of Prince Shun.”

Neither the emperor nor Prince Shun showed much reaction. In the capital, this was no secret. Anyone with connections in the noble circles had heard of it.

Yu Zhi Yi continued and said: “Your Majesty and Prince Shun met in childhood and were like brothers. You both once believed that each of you would always be unique and irreplaceable in the other’s heart. Your Majesty believed Prince Shun would never betray you, and Prince Shun believed that when Your Majesty took the throne, he would not need to fear the ruler like others through history.”

“At the peak of this trust, you met a woman. She was beautiful and proper, educated and kind. She later became Prince Shun’s consort.”

“At that time, she was only a merchant’s daughter, and meeting you was by chance.”

“You both took interest in her, but at first you did not know the other felt the same. This led to the awkward situation of two men chasing the same woman.”

“The woman was torn between you. In the end, to keep you brothers from harming each other, she decided to leave the Capital City.”

“You both got the news and chased after her. Only then did you learn that the other also loved her.”

“Just then, the late emperor passed away. Your Majesty lost your chance. Not wanting to delay the woman’s future, you could only watch as Prince Shun married her.”

“After the wedding, feeling he owed Your Majesty, Prince Shun asked to lead troops to quell a rebellion.”

“So Prince Shun and his consort left the Capital City. If you set aside the danger and hardship of war, they lived like an immortal couple for two years.”

“In the third year, Prince Shun’s birth mother fell gravely ill. He was anxious and heartbroken, but the war had not ended, and he could not abandon the battlefield. He sent his consort back to the capital first and planned to return after victory to care for his mother.”

“Not long after she returned to the capital, he received news that she had died in the palace.”

“He turned grief into drive and pushed the campaign faster, but he grew too aggressive and fell into an ambush. In the chaos, he lost the use of both legs. Luckily, reinforcements arrived in time, and he kept his life.”

“Even though the war ended in a great victory, he felt no joy. Back in the capital, he rushed into the Imperial Palace to question Your Majesty about why you had harmed his wife. He even could not help thinking in the darkest way, that not only had Your Majesty forced his wife to her death, you had also tried to dishonor her. Perhaps she chose death to avoid shame.”

“For this, he hated Your Majesty. No matter how you explained that her death had nothing to do with you, he refused to believe it and thought you were only denying what you had done.”

“Soon after, Your Majesty took back half of his command. He became even angrier. He felt that you not only coveted his wife but also doubted his character and his loyalty to the Great Sheng Empire and to you. He felt you had betrayed your friendship.”

“From then on, he claimed illness and stayed home. No matter how people guessed or how wild the rumors grew, he did not respond. He refused every banquet and even stopped attending court.”

Prince Shun cut her off, impatient, and said: “Is your title of prophet all hype? Can you say something useful?”

Yu Zhi Yi did not get angry and said: “Fine. I will tell you what you don’t know.”

She looked at the two men and said: “Your wife, that merchant’s daughter, was not from the Great Sheng Empire. She was from the An Kingdom that was destroyed decades ago.”

Both the emperor and Prince Shun were stunned and said: “What!”

Prince Shun exclaimed and said: “That’s impossible!”

He had met his wife’s family when he married. They were clearly born and raised in the Great Sheng Empire. And Yu Zhi Yi’s words meant his wife had been a spy. The gentle, loving woman who had cared for him could not be a spy.

Calm as ever, Yu Zhi Yi said: “I inferred this from your two eight-character charts. Her appearance was meant to make you brothers turn against each other. But if we want the details, I need her own eight characters.”

Eager to prove his wife was not a spy, Prince Shun handed them over at once.

Yu Zhi Yi took one look, then shook her head and said: “These are not hers.”

Prince Shun frowned deeper and said: “What do you mean?” He was more and more sure she was a fraud.

Yu Zhi Yi’s voice was firm as she said: “From your two charts, Prince Shun’s wife died years ago. But the owner of this chart is still alive.”

She held up the sheet and said: “Prince Shun is thirty-three this year. Even if your consort were younger, the age gap would not be more than six years. That means she would be at least twenty-six or twenty-seven now. But the owner of this chart is forty.”

She tapped the page and said: “Most important of all, the owner is a man.”

Spreading her hands, Yu Zhi Yi said: “If you don’t believe me, find any revered monk or Daoist and ask them to read this chart. This is not hard for them.”

The emperor and Prince Shun looked at each other. The emperor turned and said: “Send someone.”

Prince Shun considered, then called his most trusted aide and told him to take his consort’s chart to several Daoists and monks for calculation.

Before long, the aide returned. The results matched what Yu Zhi Yi had said.

Prince Shun was left speechless: “!!!”