Chapter 303 – Divination (1)
On the second of February, also referred to as the Dragon-Head-Raising Festival, the empress dowager would deliver meals and the emperor would cultivate in the farmland in person.
The Dragon-Head-Raising Festival originated in the Fuxi era. Fuxi valued agriculture, and dragons were said to be able to bring blessings and dispel disasters, symbolizing auspiciousness. So it had become a custom to pray for peace and good harvest with various dragon-related folk activities.
Ye Zhen went out with Pei Shi early in the morning. The ceremony today would be crowded, so Old Madam Lu didn’t join them.
After worshiping in the temple, they went to the moat.
Despite the early hours, a throng was spread across the moat. Ye Zhen chose to watch from a distance, not intending to approach at all.
“Yaoyao, you can just wait here, and I’ll go get the water with your brother.” Seeing the crowd yonder, Pei Shi also felt it was inappropriate to let Lu Yaoyao go with them, as such, she let her wait at an empty and shaded place.
Lu Xiangzhi pointed in a distance and said, “Mother, let’s go somewhere further, there are fewer people over there.”
“Okay.” Pei Shi nodded. Some people would send servants to get the water, but coming in person would express their sincerity.
“Did Second Aunt come to fetch water as well?” Ye Zhen caught sight of Lu Jing and reckoned that Wang Shi should have brought her cousin out in the morning already.
Pei Shi didn’t want to talk about Wang Shi, she just nodded slightly in response. “It has nothing to do with us whether she comes or not.”
Upon her mother’s reluctance, Ye Zhen stopped prodding further. Last time, she was almost abducted, and this Second Lady of the Lu Family had been gloating for quite some time. What’s more, she had even spread some rumors outside infuriating the ever serene Pei Shi. When Old Madam Lu caught wind of the matter, she reprimanded and constrained Wang Shi. However, her third daughter-in-law was unreconciled and stopped talking to the woman with malicious intent towards her daughter. Thus, they came out separately today.
Ye Zhen waited while Pei Shi and Lu Xiangzhi went to fetch the water. She was bored at first, standing there by herself until she unexpectedly saw Huangfu Chen.
He was holding a little boy, and talking about something while coming out of the moat. He didn’t notice Ye Zhen.
“Mister Chen, you are here too.” Ye Zhen walked onwards and greeted them with a smile.
“Miss Lu?” Huangfu Chen seemed to be surprised at meeting her and smiled back at her. “Are you here for the water too?”
“I came here with my mother. I didn’t know Mister Chen … Do you also believe that the water in the moat will bring blessings?” Ye Zhen said.
She remembered that Huangfu Chen was proficient in divination. He might not be able to make prophecies, but he seemed to see things better than others.
“If you believe so, then you’re blessed,” Huangfu Chen said with a smile.
“It’s you!” The little boy next to Huangfu Chen looked at Ye Zhen with surprise. “I remember you!”
Ye Zhen looked at the boy, searching through her memory, and finally remembered that he was the boy that she saved with lingquan for the first time. He seemed to be the grandson of Imperial Physician Qi.
“Thank you, Miss Lu, for saving my nephew.” Huangfu Chen looked down at Qi Zixi. “Xi’er, say thank you to Miss Lu.”
“Sister, thank you for saving my life.” Qi Zixi respectfully bowed to Ye Zhen.
Ye Zhen held his hands, and said to Huangfu Chen, “It is what I should do, Mister Chen, no need to thank me.”
Huangfu Chen said, “Xi’er has been suffering from an insidious disease since little. Thanks to you last time, it hasn’t broken out since then, and he has become stronger than before. You were his benefactor, you deserve this.”
It must be the effects of lingquan on his disease that the boy had regained his long lost vigour. Ye Zhen looked at the seven or eight-year-old boy and said, “It was only a coincidence. With such a great doctor like you by his side, I believe he will be cured very soon.”
Huangfu Chen smiled and shook his head. In fact, he had gone to the place where the descendants of Baicaotang lived to find the cure for his nephew but hadn’t been able to so far. It was Ye Zhen who gave Qi Zixi something to eat and miraculously made him stronger.