Yuan Changfeng spoke with mock seriousness, but his words drew laughter from everyone present.
They hadn't expected the Daoist Yuan, rumored to be as ethereal as an immortal, to be so amusing. Yet, his words were undeniably true.
This Daoist He was indeed quite ugly.
Just looking at his thin mustache, one could tell he wasn't a proper Daoist priest.
"You, you..." The fake Daoist, clutching his whisk, was so enraged he couldn't speak.
"Guards, escort this charlatan and swindler to the yamen," Yu Zeyan immediately ordered.
Having served in the Ministry of Justice for years, Yu Zeyan recognized a scoundrel when he saw one and had already intended to have him apprehended.
"Old Madam, Old Madam, I speak the truth..." Daoist He, being clever, turned to the Old Madam for help, stubbornly clinging to his divination.
The Old Madam's mouth twitched with anger, and she squeezed Su Wanqing's hand painfully.
"Daoist Yuan, are you here today specifically to expose this Daoist He's identity?" the Old Madam asked, clearly displeased.
"Certainly not. Your household's young lady is filial. Hearing that Old Madam has been plagued by illness, she specifically invited this humble one to examine you. Seeing someone using the Ghost Valley banner to swindle for wealth, as a disciple of Ghost Valley, I naturally cannot stand by," Yuan Tianfeng said, flicking his sleeve with an air of composure.
"Then, Daoist, can you discern why this old woman has been ill for so long?" The Old Madam posed a difficult question to Yuan Tianfeng.
If he couldn't provide a reason, he too would be a fraud.
"Old Madam, one must still take medicine when ill," Yuan Tianfeng replied with a smile.
"What does Daoist mean by that?"
"A heart ailment requires a heart's cure." When elders have wicked hearts, it's a greater moral failing than unfilial descendants. He couldn't cure that.
"My grandmother hasn't been well for the past two years, and she's taken a lot of medicine, but for some reason, she hasn't gotten better?" Yu Mingyue asked with a look of sincere inquiry.
Everyone soon caught on. That's right, the Old Madam hadn't been in good health for the past two years. The Duchess had only just become pregnant; could she have been cursed by her two years ago?
"May I know Old Madam's birthdate?" Yuan Tianfeng inquired.
The Old Madam turned her face away, too annoyed to respond.
Yu Mingyue, however, readily complied, "I remember Grandmother's birthday!"
Yuan Tianfeng calculated based on the date Yu Mingyue provided, "Your household's Old Madam has an excellent birth chart, a destiny of great wealth and prosperity. However, she has indeed been afflicted by a disruptive force."
He then looked at Daoist He, who was being held by the arms, "You do possess some skill."
Daoist He, who had thought he was finished, saw a glimmer of hope.
Moreover, Yuan Changfeng himself had said it, so perhaps he wouldn't be sent to the yamen after all?
"Although this humble one was deceived by a villain, I have also diligently sought the Dao for many years. Old Madam has indeed been afflicted by a disruptive force," Daoist He quickly asserted his innocence.
Yuan Tianfeng, however, turned to the Old Madam, "If Old Madam has someone around her whose zodiac sign is Rooster, who has lost both parents, it would be best to keep them at a distance, otherwise..."
Yuan Tianfeng smiled, leaving his words unfinished.
Su Wanqing, standing beside the Old Madam, felt a jolt. Then, seeing the Second Madam's gaze upon her, she instantly understood, her face turning deathly pale.
Su Wanqing met Yu Mingyue's gaze. Despite her best efforts to control herself, a trace of malice leaked out.
Why wouldn't she let her go? She just wanted to stay in the Duke's mansion. This matter was the Old Madam's doing; what did it have to do with her?
Yu Mingyue's eyes met Su Wanqing's for a moment, and the corner of her lips curved into a mocking smile.
This matter was indeed not her doing, but she had done her part in instigating the discord between the Old Madam and her mother.
Before, she hadn't understood why, until she discovered Su Wanqing's secret.
With her mother present, it was impossible for her to marry her brother.
Therefore, she had tried to instigate her father and mother to divorce, so that her brother's marriage would be decided by the Old Madam.
Now, seeing that plan fail, she was pinning her hopes on the Old Madam overpowering her mother, and having the Fourth Branch return to the capital soon to support the Old Madam.
She knew very well that the Old Madam disliked her mother and would gladly do anything to displease her.
For instance, her brother's marriage.