Chapter - 12

Yu Pinyan didn't have time to return home before he went to the palace to report on his mission. He only asked Changsui to pass a message to the estate.

The matriarch grabbed Changsui and questioned him again and again. After half an hour of questioning, she let him go and turned to kneel in front of the Buddhist shrine. With Buddha's blessings, this mission was daunting but not dangerous. When news of the epidemic in Luoyang came, she didn't sleep for two or three nights.

Mama Ma also knelt and said joyfully, "The Old Lady, look, I already said that Second Miss's life is blessed. Master Hou originally found a godly doctor for her, but he just so happened to save the Crown Prince! This luck is so good that there's nothing to say! I don't know which fake monk Madam found to say that a lucky star is a jinx! "

The matriarch closed her eyes and didn't say anything.

Mama Ma chanted a few words of Buddha, then suddenly screamed, "Aiya!"

"Buddha is still in front of you, why are you so surprised!" The matriarch opened her eyes and glared at her.

Mama Ma hurriedly covered her mouth, her face changing between green and white, and her eyes kept flickering.

The matriarch felt that something was wrong and asked in a low voice, "What did you think of?"

"No, nothing!" Mama Ma smiled very stiffly.

"Just say what you thought of!" The matriarch scolded sternly.

Mama Ma looked at the compassionate Bodhisattva in the shrine and twirled the prayer beads in her hand. Finally, she stammered, "The Old Lady, Madam gave Second Miss's birth characters to that monk to calculate. Think about it, those birth characters, they, they weren't Second Miss's birth characters!"

Mama Ma didn't dare to say what she wanted to say next. Although the two girls were born on the same day, it was impossible for them to be born at the same time. At most, there would be a slight difference. And for things like fate, a slight difference could lead to a difference of a thousand miles. It was really hard to say.

Those birth characters weren't Yu Xiang's, but they were her own granddaughter's! If the monk was wrong, then so be it. If he was right, then wouldn't that mean that her own granddaughter was the jinx? Indeed, Yu Xiang was now ten years old. In the past ten years, the Marquis Household had not suffered the slightest bit of disaster. On the contrary, it had prospered day by day. This year, they had encountered two disasters in succession, but both were avoided because of Yu Xiang.

The Lin Clan said that their son had been killed by Yu Xiang. At that time, the two children hadn't been swapped yet. When their legitimate granddaughter was born, their son had also been killed by a bandit. This was really …

The old lady twirled the prayer beads in a fluster, her fingertips trembling violently. She believed in Buddhism and naturally believed in fate. It was impossible for her to not hate Yu Xiang as much as the Lin Clan. However, she was experienced and open-minded. Later on, when she saw that everything in the manor was going smoothly, and her grandson was also supporting the family, she slowly became indifferent. Now that she was suddenly told that her granddaughter was the bane of her existence, her forgotten hatred was stirred up again.

When Mama Ma saw this, she quickly shrank to the corner and did not dare to breathe.

Kowtowing to Emperor Su Xidi, their heads and faces bowed in respect. Today, I praise Da Zhunti, and only wish for mercy to bless and protect. Namu Sa murmured, Samyak-Sambodhi … The old lady closed her eyes and recited the Clear Heart Mantra more than ten times before she regained her calm.

In the end, she was still the descendant of the Marquis Family. No matter what, she could not be left wandering outside with her life and death unknown. Moreover, that monk might not have any cultivation. It was possible that he had miscalculated. Whether it was good or bad, she would wait until she found him and then see. The old lady kowtowed to the Bodhisattva devoutly. After she straightened her back, her eyes darkened.

-----

Yu Xiang had been waiting day and night, and finally, Yu Pinyan had returned. Unknowingly, the young man had become her spiritual sustenance. With the young man, she felt incomparably at ease.

She asked Liu Lu to find out when Yu Pinyan would return home. She half reclined on the soft couch by the window, eagerly looking outside.

The small courtyard was filled with flowers and plants. Purple datura flowers climbed all over the courtyard walls. White jasmine flowers swayed in the wind at the base of the wall. Several red pomegranates were in full bloom. There were also large sunflowers crowded under the promenade, like small suns. The dazzling colors were accompanied by a strong fragrance. It was intoxicating and lingering.

In just two short months, the empty courtyard had been turned into a Garden of Eden by Yu Xiang. Because she could not walk, she could only rely on planting flowers and plants, reading and writing, and playing musical instruments to pass the time. In her previous life, she was an expert at raising flowers. In this life, she did not know how, but the flowers and plants that she personally planted, no matter how hard it was to take care of them, could survive and grow happily.

Seeing this scene, she became more and more fond of taking care of flowers and plants. The old lady had come to see her several times. As soon as she entered the courtyard, she was reluctant to leave. Later, she ordered people to find many exotic flowers and plants for her to play with.

Yu Xiang returned the favor by always sending the best and most beautiful flowers to the old lady's courtyard. In this way, the grandmother and granddaughter got closer and closer. The estrangement and distance between them in the past slowly melted as they came into contact.

Just as she was pleasantly smelling the flowers, Cui Xi lifted the curtain and reported, "Miss, Miss Qin came to see you."

Miss Qin was the concubine daughter of Count Zhongyong. She was 12 years old this year and was not favored in the count's household. Because 'Yu Xiang' had been neglected by the Lin Clan for many years and the old lady neglected to teach her, her personality was somewhat inferior. She did not play with the noble ladies of the same family. Instead, she liked to make friends with girls from declining families who did not have prominent backgrounds. She enjoyed the pleasure of being flattered.

Miss Qin was her only close friend.

Flipping through 'Yu Xiang's' memories, Yu Xiang could not help but sneer. The little girl was quite pitiful. Her only close friend was a scourge who stabbed others in the back, yet she still happily clung to her. With this kind of personality, in a few years, she would become a proper evil female supporting character. She would be used to set off the kind and beautiful female lead.

If she didn't come, what would have happened to 'Yu Xiang'? Thinking of this, Yu Xiang's face darkened. She waved her hand and said, "Let her in."

As soon as Qin Fang stepped into the courtyard, she was captivated by the clusters of flowers and lush greenery in front of her. She stared at them for a while before she reluctantly walked towards the side room. Then, she was shocked again.

She originally thought that Yu Xiang's legs were crippled and that she would be extremely haggard right now, half human and half ghost. However, when she saw the real person, she discovered that she was many times more spirited than before. She was like a wilted flower bud that had drunk the morning dew and was currently facing the rising sun and blooming. Her withered hair was jet-black and soft like silk. Her rough and waxy skin looked as if it had been soaked in milk, tender and bright. Her originally plain facial features had grown a bit, and she actually looked a bit cute.

Coupled with a pair of large and bright autumn eyes that looked over, her appearance was not very outstanding, but it made people unable to move their eyes away. Spirituality. Perhaps this was the only word that could be used to describe the little girl lying on the window frame with a lazy smile.

"You're here. Sit." Yu Xiang leaned on the couch and pointed at her legs. "My legs are inconvenient, so I couldn't come out to welcome you."

In her previous life, she was also born in a large aristocratic family. Her graceful and noble aura had long been rooted in her bones. Just a few short sentences and a single action showed a sense of superiority.

Qin Fang suddenly felt uncomfortable all over. After sitting down, she stammered for a while before saying, "Xiang'er, you've become much prettier."

"Is that so?" Yu Xiang stroked the corners of her eyes that were slightly upturned. She also felt rather puzzled. Logically speaking, after these past two months of living in fear and working hard, she should have become much more haggard. However, for some reason, her hair was getting darker day by day, and her skin was getting fairer and more tender day by day. It was like dried vegetables and fruits that had been soaked in spiritual spring water, becoming fresh and delicious once again.

If she couldn't figure it out, then she wouldn't think about it. Having a healthy body was a good thing. Yu Xiang drank a mouthful of hot tea contentedly.

Qin Fang didn't come today to express his condolences, but to laugh at her. She rolled her eyes and asked, "Xiang'er, I heard that your legs will never recover?"

"That's right. So what? In any case, my brother will take care of me for the rest of my life. "

Yu Xiang's tone was indifferent, and there was no sadness on her face. Qin Fang, who had been waiting for her to cry bitterly, was very disappointed. Qin Fang couldn't say the words of 'comfort' that had been brewing in his stomach. He had no choice but to change the topic. The two of them chatted for a while. When Yu Xiang asked the maid to add a pot of hot tea, Qin Fang discovered that the room had changed greatly. Every decoration was luxurious and noble, especially the dowry. Because it was stuffed full of jewelry, it couldn't even be covered. When the sunlight shone in, the colorful light of the jewels could blind people.

She stared straight at it, and her face revealed a greedy expression.

Yu Xiang's lips curved into a sly smile. "Do you like it? They're all gifts from my brother. Ask the maid to bring the box over for you to take a look. "After she finished speaking, she gave Liu Lu a meaningful look.

"Xiang'er, your brother loves you very much." Qin Fang suppressed the jealousy that kept surging up, and couldn't wait to take the box and look through it.

"Of course. If my brother doesn't love me, who will he love?" Yu Xiang leaned over, her fingertips lazily fiddling with several large Eastern pearls.

Qin Fang picked up one and looked at the other. She loved it so much that she couldn't put it down. Finally, she picked the most exquisite and luxurious long cotton hairpin and pinned it to her hair. She asked, "Does it look good?"

"Yes, you look good wearing anything." Yu Xiang smiled with her eyes narrowed.

Qin Fang also smiled, put the box back, and began to talk about other things. After chatting for half an hour, she got up and said goodbye, taking small steps to lift the curtain. After descending the steps, she was already standing in the courtyard. Only then did her eyes reveal some pride. She quickly walked towards the courtyard door. Just as she was about to leave with one step, she heard a languid voice behind her. "Hey, did you forget something?"

"Ah? What did I forget? "Qin Fang turned around and forced a smile.

Yu Xiang pointed at her head, her voice slightly raised. "Don't tell me you want to take my hairpin? Just like before? The previous ones are fine, you can take them if you want, but this one was ordered by my brother from a merchant in Niluo Country. There's only one in the entire capital, and it's very rare. I can't let you take it away again! "

Cui Ping and Cui Xi already knew that the current Miss was different from before. If they wanted to take advantage of her, they had to be prepared to be slapped in the face. Look, this' taking it away 'sentence was slapping Miss Qin's face until it was swollen.

Seeing that the servants in the courtyard were looking at her with disdain, if this matter was spread out, she would be stained with the reputation of 'dirty hands'. How could she face others in the future! Qin Fang's cheeks were red, and her facial features were distorted. She hurriedly pulled out the hairpin, and loudly defended herself. "I just forgot to take it off. You, how can you slander me like this!"

"Hey, is that so? It's not that I want to slander you, but you took too many things from me in the past, so I'm afraid. Be careful, this hairpin cost my brother six hundred taels of silver. If it's broken, I'll have to ask your di mother for a better one. "Yu Xiang grinned brightly.

The more she spoke, the more dirty water was poured, and her whole body began to stink! Hearing the servants snickering, Qin Fang wished she could find a hole to hide in, but she also wished she could tear apart Yu Xiang's mouth. But in the end, she was afraid of breaking the hairpin and causing trouble in front of her di mother. She could only carefully hand it over to the servant girl, cover her face, and run away.

"Come again next time!" Yu Xiang warmly greeted. If Qin Fang dared to come again, she would change her! She couldn't deal with one less friend like this.