Even Shen Minghui looked at Shen Lixue with a hint of doubt. The Prime Minister's mansion was a prestigious residence in Qingyan Capital. He himself was successful and respected in the court. Lei Shi managed the inner courtyard very well, and the concubines and illegitimate daughters treated each other with respect and harmony. Yingxue was incomparably beautiful and outshone the capital. She had always been high above and sought after by many.
But ever since Shen Lixue arrived in the capital, he has made one mistake after another in the court, and the Prime Minister's mansion has been plagued by troubles and has never been peaceful. Yingxue has also been frequently involved in accidents. The noble daughter of the Prime Minister's mansion was publicly humiliated by a country man...
"Master, may I ask how to break this curse?" Shen Minghui asked earnestly, hoping that finding the cause of his bad luck would make everything easier.
"The solution is simple: just change the name of one of the young ladies, making sure the main character in their names is different. That will break the curse of the Prime Minister's residence!" The white-robed Taoist stroked his beard and spoke eloquently. He looked at Shen Lixue, pondered for a moment, and tentatively asked, "Does this young lady carry any heirlooms from the Shen family?"
“Li Xue is the eldest daughter of the first wife, and she carries the Shen family's heirloom jade pendant!” Shen Minghui answered without hiding anything.
"That's right. Noble families often have ancestral rules that family heirlooms should be passed down to sons, not daughters, and to legitimate sons, not illegitimate ones. As a daughter, the eldest young lady is wearing a family heirloom jade pendant that doesn't belong to her, and the character '主' (zhu, meaning 'master' or 'owner') clashes with that of her legitimate sister. That's why the auspicious energy of the Prime Minister's residence has been turned into an inauspicious one..."
The white-robed Taoist priest spoke meaningfully and mysteriously, his words highly persuasive. Those who had initially had some doubts about him were completely convinced and nodded slightly as if suddenly understanding: "Master means that the Shen family's heirloom jade pendant must be worn by the eldest son!"
“That’s right.” The white-robed Taoist nodded, gazing at Shen Minghui: “Judging from Prime Minister Shen’s appearance, he is destined to have many children and much happiness, and he must already have a legitimate son!”
Hearing the white-robed Taoist's praise, Shen Minghui was very pleased: "Master's words are extremely accurate. I already have a legitimate son..."
Shen Lixue sneered. Shen Minghui is the Prime Minister of Qingyan and has a legitimate son. Everyone in the capital knows this. It's normal for this white-robed Taoist to know as well. Does he need to be so happy?
"Sister Lixue, why don't you give the jade pendant to Brother Yelei and change his name? That way, our Prime Minister's residence will have smooth sailing!" Shen Caixuan suggested with a smile, her eyes frequently glancing at Shen Yingxue for praise.
The others didn't say anything, all looking at Shen Lixue, their expectant eyes showing that they agreed with Shen Caixuan's opinion.
Shen Lixue's cold gaze swept over Shen Minghui, Shen Yingxue, Lei Shi, and the white-robed Taoist priest. She had only heard of incompatible birth charts and fates, but she had never heard of incompatible names or jade pendants being unsuitable for people to wear. It seemed that Shen Minghui, Lei Shi, or Shen Yingxue were after that jade pendant and had invited this white-robed Taoist priest to slander her.
“What the master just said is true. My name clashes with Yingxue’s. I clash with her, and she clashes with me. In the month I’ve been back at the Prime Minister’s residence, no fewer things have happened than her!” Shen Lixue put down her teacup and stared coldly at Shen Caixuan: “Our clashes have affected everyone. If something happens to you, we are both responsible. You shouldn’t make me the only one to take the blame!”
Shen Caixuan's face stiffened, somewhat embarrassed. She then pouted and muttered resentfully, "I was just stating the facts..."
"When telling the truth, tell it all; don't leave out half the story!"
Shen Lixue's cold gaze shot towards Shen Caixuan like a sharp blade. Shen Caixuan felt a chill penetrate her eyes and seep into her bones, instantly spreading throughout her body. She trembled and shivered. A thousand words stuck in her throat, and she could not utter a single word. Her whole body was shivering with cold.
Shen Yingxue glared at the white-robed Taoist priest secretly, gritting her teeth. "Idiot! How can you talk like that? You could have just said that Shen Lixue is my nemesis. Instead, you said we are incompatible. Now that she has caught me red-handed, she will definitely slander me severely. How stupid!"
"Li Xue, the guests are still here, don't make a scene!" Shen Minghui frowned, his eyes filled with displeasure. Ying Xue was becoming more and more lawless, daring to make a scene in front of him.
"Did I say something wrong?" Ignoring Shen Minghui's reprimand, Shen Lixue retorted sharply.
Shen Minghui looked at Shen Lixue, whose gaze was cold and aloof, and suppressed his anger, saying, "That's right, but..."
"As the head of the family, a father should be fair and impartial. If his daughter is wronged and complains, as a father, he should comfort and console her, not scold her harshly." As if speaking to a stranger, Shen Lixue's tone was icy and devoid of any warmth.
Was she blaming him for not comforting her? Shen Minghui's face stiffened, his old face changing color several times in an instant, his lips moved but he couldn't utter a single word.
Shen Minghui was speechless, and Shen Lixue had no intention of saying anything more to him. She turned her gaze to the white-robed Taoist priest and said, "I have a few questions that I can't figure out. I would like to ask the Taoist priest to enlighten me."
"Miss, please speak freely!" The Taoist priest stroked his long white beard, appearing unfathomable and ethereal.
Shen Lixue smiled slightly: "Taoist Master can analyze feng shui layouts, match people's birth dates with their birth charts, and even calculate the compatibility of names. Could you also predict everyone's future destiny?"
"This... divination is a profound art, and I only know a little about it!" The white-robed Taoist stroked his beard and chuckled, his gaze arrogant, but it was clear that he was being modest.
"Excuse me, Daoist Master, what is the cycle of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, and how many years does it take?" Shen Lixue asked calmly.
"Sixty years!" The white-robed Taoist priest said arrogantly, holding a whisk in his hand.
"What were your names for those sixty years?" Shen Lixue asked again, her gaze cold and her tone indifferent.
"Jiazi, Yichou..." The white-robed Taoist priest stroked his white beard, answering fluently, his eyes gleaming with arrogance. Sixty years of Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches were no challenge for him.
After a pause, Shen Lixue smiled brightly, her smile radiant. Under the Taoist's questioning gaze, she suddenly asked, "May I ask what the Six Harmonies of the Earthly Branches are, and what the Six Clashes of the Earthly Branches are?"
The most basic divination principles, the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, are also common knowledge in ancient times. Even a layman can recite them fluently. As for the specific names of the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches, one can learn them with a little effort, and the white-robed Taoist priest can naturally answer them as well.
The six combinations and six clashes of the Earthly Branches that Shen Lixue asked about at the end have been printed into books and widely disseminated in modern times, but in ancient times, they were secrets that only true masters of divination would know. Whether the white-robed Taoist was a hermit master or not could be found out with a single test.
The white-robed Taoist's expression darkened, and he said coldly, "Young Miss, don't be ridiculous. I am here to perform divination for the Prime Minister's residence and break the curse. I have no intention of answering these pointless questions!"
Shen Lixue scoffed: "The Six Harmonies and Six Clashes of the Earthly Branches are relatively profound questions in divination, but for a great being like the Immortal Master, they are very simple questions and not major secrets. Why is the Immortal Master unwilling to answer? Or is it that the Immortal Master simply does not know?"
The last sentence, spoken in a low voice, sounded incredibly mocking to the white-robed Taoist. His seemingly immortal old face turned white, then red, then green, changing more than ten colors in an instant.
"Sister Lixue, the master asked you to change your name for your own good. Don't repay kindness with enmity and deliberately make things difficult for me!" Shen Yingxue looked at Shen Lixue, her gentle tone filled with accusation. This bitch, has she discovered something?
Shen Minghui's gaze towards Shen Lixue was also full of accusation. He had invited the master himself, and for her to make things difficult for the master was to oppose him. Was she dissatisfied with his demand that she hand over the jade pendant and change her name? She was truly audacious, daring to secretly embarrass him.
"The names clash, so it's possible that I or my sister will change her name. My sister is a gentle and generous young lady from a prestigious family, and she knows how to respect her elders. She would definitely rush to change her name. I am still called Shen Lixue, so what is there to repay kindness with enmity!" Shen Lixue's lips curled into a faint smile, extremely shallow, yet carrying a bone-chilling coldness.
"You..." Shen Yingxue was instantly speechless with anger. She was just advising Shen Lixue not to make things difficult for her, but Shen Lixue actually took advantage of the situation and made her change her name. What a bitch! She never stops scheming against her!
Everyone withdrew their gaze, no longer daring to look at Shen Lixue. This young lady was quick-witted and skillful; it was best to avoid provoking her.
Shen Lixue's smiling gaze swept over the avoiding crowd, finally settling on the white-robed Taoist priest: "Master, if you are unwilling to answer about the Six Harmonies and Six Clashes of the Earthly Branches, then I will ask another question. Master, you can predict the future, but can you also divine for yourself?"
"If you want to divine for others, you must first learn to divine for yourself. However, there are limitations to divining for yourself. This humble Taoist is only capable of divining my own fortune for one year at most!" The white-robed Taoist flicked his whisk, his tone arrogant!
Shen Lixue nodded and smiled, "Did the master divine whether your day will be auspicious or inauspicious?"
The white-robed Taoist priest gazed at the sky, stroking his beard with an enigmatic air: "Today the sun shines brightly, and the weather is fine; it's an auspicious sign!"
"A good omen!" Shen Lixue nodded again, a faint, cold smile playing on her lips.
"Woof!" A large black dog suddenly rushed into the living room and fiercely pounced on the white-robed Taoist priest. Caught off guard, he was knocked to the ground and screamed in terror, "Prime Minister Shen, help! Help me!"
Shen Minghui, Lei Shi, Shen Yingxue and the others were stunned for a moment. What was going on?
The large black dog stomped on the white-robed Taoist's head, turning his exquisite crown askew and his flowing white hair into a mess. His spotless white robes were torn into tattered rags by the dog's claws, making him look extremely disheveled. He was no longer the image of a celestial master. Holding a whisk, he desperately slapped at the black dog, crying out in alarm, "Prime Minister Shen, help! Help me!"