What kind of hidden danger would make Luo Huai worry about the safety of his eldest daughter?
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71. Chapter Seventy-One
“It is His Highness Prince An,” Xiahou Ling slowly raised her head, a sharp light flashing in her eyes, “He had someone secretly divine Cuiwei’s fate.”
The practice of fortune telling originated seventy or eighty years ago. Initially, it was only used by noble and wealthy families to bring good luck to their newborn children. Later, ordinary people also began to follow suit, and over the years, it became a custom.
However, as Chinese people gradually began to regard the results of divination as gospel, even young children were judged by cinnabar and yellow talismans from birth, predicting their success or failure and future. Many people were troubled by what their horoscopes showed, and some even had their lives ruined because of it.
Some who are obsessed with this practice are almost insane. If a newborn child is found to have an unfavorable destiny according to divination, they will drown the child on the spot, resulting in many tragedies.
More than 30 years ago, Xiang Rong, a Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion, was deeply saddened by this chaotic situation. He submitted a ten-thousand-word petition to Emperor Xianlong, urging that the practice of divination and fortune-telling should not be allowed to continue.
However, folk customs cannot be completely eradicated by imperial edicts and laws. Therefore, although Xiang Rong's petition of ten thousand words sparked a heated discussion in the court, it failed to trigger any changes at the legal level, which became her lifelong regret.
Years later, Xiang Rong's grandson, Xiang Jinian, achieved the highest honor in the imperial examination, which sparked a surge of interest in the Xiang family's tradition of scholarship. In the process of exploring how Xiang Rong taught her younger generation, people also unearthed her ten-thousand-word petition from years ago.
That ten-thousand-word petition was well-structured, beautifully worded, and profound in its intent. It was also impassioned, earnest, and thought-provoking. As soon as it appeared, it was adopted as a teaching model by many academies. At the same time, it inadvertently prompted people to reflect on the practice of divination and fortune telling.
In response to Xiang Rong's analysis of the various drawbacks in his lengthy petition, unwritten rules emerged among the people regarding this matter: if one were to consult a fortune teller to calculate one's destiny, it should be done voluntarily, and only one's own destiny should be calculated; even parents should not consult fortune tellers for their children. If an unrelated person were to privately calculate another person's destiny, their intentions would be despicable, and they should be punished by having their ancestral graves dug up by the person involved.
The court greatly approved of this spontaneously formed constraint among the common people, and Emperor Xianlong nodded in tacit approval upon learning of it.
Now that Prince An, Yun Huan, has privately had someone divine the fate of Princess Zhao, if the evidence is conclusive and someone reports it, it is certain that he will be punished by His Majesty and condemned by the people of the court and the public.
Yun Huan understood that if word got out, he would be in trouble, so he kept it very secret. Afterwards, the elderly female diviner disappeared without a trace.
The diviner was a recluse who lived alone in a hut at the foot of a small hill on the outskirts of the capital. She didn't have many people who interacted with her. Logically, this secret should have remained unknown until she disappeared.
However, perhaps Yun Huan was unlucky, or perhaps Luo Cuiwei was too lucky—
Luo Cuiwei's aunt, Luo Bibo, was not only devoted to woodblock printing, but also had a great passion for seeking immortality and enlightenment. The fortune teller who was killed happened to have some connection with Luo Bibo.
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Yun Lie's expression was solemn as he methodically unraveled the mystery: "Since the diviner has disappeared, how did my aunt find out about this?"
Although he often acts silly and adorable in front of his beloved wife, even willing to play the role of a dog, when it comes to serious matters, he is still the calm, reliable, and composed Prince Zhao.
Xiahou Ling said, "When His Highness Prince An's men first went to the thatched cottage on the outskirts of the capital to investigate the whereabouts of the diviner, my aunt happened to be a guest there. However, my aunt was in the alchemy room at the time and was not seen by them."
Those people did not reveal their identities or intentions rashly. One of them pretended to be an ordinary rich man, respectfully asked the fortune teller to calculate his horoscope, and then left.
“But the pouches on their waists are made of obsidian brocade, which is exclusively supplied to the royal family by the Imperial Household Department. I recognize this stuff.”
After returning home, Luo Bibo thought about it for a few days. Worried about the safety of the fortune teller, she went to visit her again, but she was nowhere to be found. She only found the message that the fortune teller had left on the talisman with cinnabar in the empty furnace in the alchemy room. Only then did she realize that Prince An had actually divined Luo Cuiwei's fate.
"Now that the most compelling witnesses have been found, even if our family takes this matter to His Majesty based solely on the few words on the talisman, we may not be able to shake Prince An in the slightest."
Xiahou Ling calmly met Yun Lie's gaze, "But his privately commissioning someone to calculate Cuiwei's fate is definitely not a casual pastime. Therefore, the head of the family specially sent me to protect Cuiwei."
Luo Huai was always adept at "focusing on the big picture and letting go of the small details." Although he didn't know what Yun Huan was planning, or what impact the divination chart would have on Luo Cuiwei, Luo Huai was very clear-headed—
Yun Huan himself would never reveal that he privately divined other people's fates. If he wanted to make a fuss about it, the only way would be to get close to Luo Cuiwei herself. Therefore, as long as Luo Cuiwei is protected so well that he has no way to get close to her, this matter will not cause any trouble.
“Then I will trouble you to keep a close watch on things. I will send people to guard against Prince An,” Yun Lie nodded to Xiahou Ling. “I also thank you for your understanding and tolerance, Father-in-law.”
The Luo family has been detached from court affairs for generations. It's obvious to anyone that Yun Huan's sudden targeting of Luo Cuiwei is actually aimed at Yun Lie. Luo Cuiwei is merely an innocent victim.
However, Luo Huai only sent Xiahou Ling from afar to protect Luo Cuiwei, without any other explanation, and did not blame or resent Yun Lie at all. Yun Lie was very grateful for this.
Xiahou Ling bowed and was about to leave when Yun Lie asked again, "Does she know about this?"
Both of them knew perfectly well who this "she" was.
“I happened to learn of her pregnancy the day I arrived, so I didn’t dare tell her,” Xiahou Ling glanced at Yun Lie, then smiled and lowered her head. “However, judging from her temper these days, it’s best not to let her know.”
After this incident, Xiahou Ling greatly admired Luo Cuiwei's eye for choosing a husband, and also had a very good impression of Yun Lie.
From beginning to end, this Prince Zhao never asked a single question about Luo Cuiwei's destiny chart.
Even though that person was already his wife, he still respected local customs and traditions and gave her sufficient respect for her private affairs.
Having confirmed that Luo Cuiwei was unaware of this matter, Yun Lie felt relieved and nodded, whispering, "Regarding this matter, if you have any questions or need any assistance in the future, please speak directly to me and do not disturb her."
Having witnessed Luo Cuiwei's terrifying morning sickness symptoms, he finally had a real sense of the truth about his wife's pregnancy.
Seeing her in such distress, he felt an overwhelming urge to hold her close to his heart and protect her.
"Please rest assured, Your Highness," Xiahou Ling cleared her throat, suppressing a laugh, and lowered her eyelashes to hide the sympathy in her eyes, "Given Cuiwei's current temperament, I'm afraid that if she found out, she would risk her life and go bankrupt to find someone to dig up Prince An's ancestral graves."
That girl has always been unforgiving since she was a child, and now that she's pregnant, her temper has only gotten worse. If she knew that someone had secretly calculated her destiny, she wouldn't care whether it was a prince or the emperor; she would cause a huge uproar, otherwise she wouldn't be Luo Cuiwei.
Yun Lie looked up at Xiahou Ling, his expression gradually shifting from surprise to embarrassment.
Yun Huan's ancestral graves were also his family's ancestral graves...
Forget it, to ensure his wife's safety and to let the ancestors of the Yun family rest in peace, he should quickly arrange for people in the capital to keep a close watch on Yun Huan.
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After clarifying everything with Xiahou Ling, Yun Lie summoned Song Jiuyuan and made some arrangements for things in the capital. He also instructed that several guards be left around Luo Cuiwei.
After Song Jiuyuan left to carry out his orders, Yun Lie looked up and saw that it was almost noon. He asked Tao Yin and learned that lunch had been prepared. He was about to go back to his room to bring Luo Cuiwei out to eat when she entered the side hall with a pale and weak face.