Chapter 411: Fortune-Telling

Chapter 411: Fortune-Telling
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The Gong sisters looked at the women surrounding Princess Yichun and were unwilling to go up to join in the fun.
Madam Gong smiled and said to the two of them, “Cousin, Ah Yu, the banquet is still more than an hour away. Let’s go to the orchid garden in front to take a look first.”
Elder Madam Gong also smiled and nodded. “I went to take a look just now. The orchids are blooming especially well this year. I heard that some of them were even moved out of the greenhouse. Only the cold orchids and a few winter flowers haven’t bloomed.”
Li Yu smiled and said, “Alright, let’s go to the orchid garden to see the orchids.”
The few of them chatted and laughed as they walked towards the orchid garden. When they reached the orchid garden, they smelled a faint orchid fragrance. When they walked into the orchid garden, Madam Gong praised them.
Li Yu looked around and said with a smile, “Aunt, I only recognize that kind of orchid. I know it’s called Huilan. I don’t recognize anything else.”
Madam Gong pointed at the orchids and explained to Li Yu in a low voice, “Aunt recognizes some. Look, this is a cold orchid. It only blooms when the weather turns cold. This Jianlan should bloom two months later. It’s bloomed in the greenhouse. This purple-brown is the ink orchid. Logically speaking, the flowering period has passed. I wonder why the princess’s ink orchid is still blooming…”
Li Yu watched and listened to Madam Gong’s explanation. A thin and mean-looking woman stood in front of the two of them and looked at Li Yu with a fake smile. “Madam Li, you said that you didn’t have the time to come to my house for a banquet when you just arrived here. So it’s because my Feng family’s rank isn’t high enough to reach you!”
Madam Gong glanced at her. “Madam Yang, you’ve got the wrong person.”
Li Yu thought for a moment before remembering that Zhou Jia had declined an invitation by someone with the surname Feng. Seeing her mean expression, she said coldly, “Why should I go to your house to attend your banquet? You really don’t know what’s good for you.”
Madam Yang looked at Madam Gong and sneered. “How can I be wrong? Look, she admitted it herself.”
Madam Gong looked at Madam Yang coldly and said in a low voice, “Madam Yang, I know why you posted to my Ah Yu. Let me give you a piece of advice.
You can’t be too mean as a person. You have to accumulate more merit.”
Madam Yang screamed, “Madam Gong, I sent an invitation to her family out of goodwill to remind them not to be blinded by flowery words and marry the jinx of the Fan family. Hmph! How ungrateful.”
When Madam Gong heard this, her anger surged. “Madam Yang, you have a daughter yourself. Why do you have to be so relentless? As the wife of the censor, you aon’t respect your woras. otners are arraid or you, Dut my Lin family isn’t afraid of you.”
“There’s also my Wu family,” Elder Madam Gong added.
“Hmph! Good intentions will not be repaid!” Madam Yang glanced at Madam Gong. “There will be a day when you cry!”
Li Yu already understood that this woman was the woman who had ruined Fan Mingfang’s reputation everywhere. When she heard the malicious curse in her words, she took a step forward and looked at her coldly.
Madam Yang forced herself to be calm and looked at Li Yu. “What do you want to do? Are you going to hit me?”
Li Yu smiled evilly and looked at her. She said seriously, “I see that you have an awl face, triangular eyes, high cheekbones, and no flesh on your cheeks. You have a small eagle hook nose, thin lips, and small nostrils. Tsk tsk! What a standard jinx. The Feng family can’t even find a place to cry when they marry a woman like you.”
Madam Yang was furious at Li Yu’s words. She looked at Li Yu in a daze and was speechless.
Li Yu raised her eyebrows and looked at Madam Yang sharply. “Listen up. Miss Fan is already a member of my Li family. From today onwards, if I hear another word from you that destroys her reputation, hmph! I won’t let you off!”
Madam Yang trembled in fear. “You… You’re slandering me. I’m going to enter the palace to sue you. As a First-grade Madam, you ruined my reputation.”
Li Yu looked at her disdainfully. “Can you find the palace door? If you can’t, I’ll find someone to bring you there!”
“You’re going too far. Just wait.” Madam Yang said ruthlessly and was about to leave.
Li Yu scolded, “Stop, did you bow to me?”
Madam Yang stopped in her tracks and trembled in anger. After pausing for a moment, she bent her knees and bowed to Li Yu. She covered her face and staggered back a step before turning to run.
The surrounding women who were admiring the flowers looked at Madam Yang and whispered. Madam A said, “Someone finally dealt with her. She’s too vicious. The Fan family was really unlucky to be engaged to her family.”
Madam B curled her lips and said, “That’s right! The Fan family was too kind. If it were anyone else, they would have attacked them long ago.”
Madam C chimed in, “Censor Feng is unlucky to have married her.”
Madam Dagong glanced at the three of them. “They’re all family. If Censor Feng is a good person, why wouldn’t he control Madam Yang? He’s supposed to be good friends with Master Fan! Now, they want to sow discord between my nephew’s family.”
“Yo! Sister Gong, it’s you! Tell me, when did your nephew have such a domineering sister?”
Elder Madam Gong held her hand. “Sister Lin, let me tell you, my cousin’s nephew and niece are amazing. My nephew is the current Third Honors Scholar…’
Li Yu looked at Elder Madam Gong, who was bragging with Sister Lin, and felt that she was really capable of talking to anyone.
Madam Gong smiled and walked up to Li Yu to hold her hand. “Ah Yu, there’s no need to wait for her. We’ll leave first. You don’t know that my cousin has been talkative since she was young and likes to interact with others, but she knows her limits. She won’t reveal anything she shouldn’t say.”
Madam Gong stopped and looked at Li Yu with a smile. “Ah Yu, you’re good! Aunt was so happy to see Madam Yang in a sorry state today. I didn’t expect you to know how to read fortunes!”
Li Yu laughed when she heard that. “How would I know how to read fortunes? Those are all nonsense. Does Aunt also have a grudge against Madam Yang?”
Madam Gong said in a low voice, “Yes! To be precise, I have a grudge against the eldest sister of the Yang family. Aunt and the eldest sister of the Yang family were born in the same month and were even good sisters. Coincidentally, her family is also a family in Qingzhou. At that time, the two of us even planned to take care of each other when we married in Qingzhou.” paused for a moment and said in a low voice, “Who knew that the next year, Qingzhou was in chaos? I also heard that the big families in Qingzhou were attacked by bandits. At that time, the rumors said that the big families in Qingzhou were all wiped out by bandits. I was worried about your uncle’s safety, and she was also worried about her fiancé’s safety. We even went to the temple to burn incense and pray for blessings. The two families also sent people to ask around and found out that none of her fiancé’s family survived. However, there was no definite news from your uncle’s family. She and I were in the same boat and cared about each other. At the end of the year, your uncle arrived in the capital. I was overjoyed but afraid of making her sad. I was still thinking about how to comfort her. When I went to look for her, she was unwilling to see me. I was still wondering what was going on. Later, after I married your uncle, I found out that she ran to your uncle and maliciously slandered me. She was chased out by your uncle.”
Li Yu recalled a line in the book, East Evil and West Poison: Anyone can become vicious as long as one has sampled jealousy.
Li Yu smiled and said to Madam Gong, “Uncle is the good one.”
“Yes! Your uncle is indeed very good.” Madam Gong smiled sweetly.
The two of them strolled back to the garden where the banquet was held. Lin Jia, Lin Yi, and the two girls had already returned there. Everyone greeted and sat for a while before the banquet began. Li Yu and Madam Gong sat together and saw wine and delicacies being served like flowing water. Li Yu picked up a few vegetables and ate them. Seeing that Madam Gong and the others had also put down their chopsticks, the few of them walked to the side and sat for a while before bidding farewell..