CHAPTER 428: CHAPTER 396: CAUGHT BY THE MASTER AND LECTURED IN ESOTERIC TEACHINGS (14TH UPDATE)

The sudden nonsense from his little wife made Song Wei find it amusing.

Seeing this, Wen Wan reached out and pushed him, "Don’t laugh, just tell me, if I really become a freak in the eyes of others, or if I’m about to be punished by Heaven, would you still want me?"

Song Wei suppressed his slight smile and looked at her with a more serious gaze, "Then I’ll accompany you to be punished by Heaven together."

Hearing such words from Song Wei, Wen Wan felt it more touching than any vow of eternal love. She tilted her chin up, "You said it, no take-backs!"

"Yes, I said it."

Wen Wan sniffed, gathered her courage, and stepped inside.

Master Xu Yun was sitting cross-legged, draped in a monk’s robe, his eyebrows and beard were gray.

Upon hearing the noise, Master Xu Yun opened his eyes, his gaze first falling on Wen Wan.

Wen Wan didn’t dare to meet his eyes and looked elsewhere, her ears pricked up so as not to miss any of the master’s words.

Master Xu Yun quickly withdrew his gaze and pointed to the mat beside him, "Please sit, both donors."

Wen Wan couldn’t even stand still, let alone have the leisure to sit, she tugged at the corner of her mouth and politely declined, "No, it’s fine, we can stand."

Upon hearing this, Master Xu Yun did not insist, "May I ask what brings you both to see this old monk?"

"..." Wen Wan looked at Song Wei.

Song Wei nodded to her as a sign of encouragement.

Wen Wan took a deep breath, stared at her toes, and spoke up, "Master, since I was young, I’ve had abilities different from others, being able to see bad things before they happen. Does that count as revealing the secrets of Heaven?"

She bit her lip and added, "Will it incur punishment from Heaven?"

Master Xu Yun didn’t rush to answer, his gaze shifted to Song Wei, "The lady donor can foresee, but what about you, donor?"

Not waiting for Song Wei to speak, Master Xu Yun continued, "Have you been plagued with bad luck and misfortune since childhood?"

Song Wei tacitly agreed.

The scholars often say that one should not speak of strange forces and beings.

Song Wei was probably an exception; he believed in fate and also believed that there were people who could change fate.

His current fate of being an official was entirely changed by his wife, Wen Wan.

If not for her, he would have kept his promise to his brother and sister-in-law, never setting foot in any exam hall for the rest of his life.

The best he could have hoped for in his later years was to open a private school to enlighten the village children.

Master Xu Yun thought for a moment, then began to speak to them about the stars of Taoist fortune, about the court of marriage, about the balance of Yin and Yang.

"..." Wen Wan almost fell asleep listening.

She touched the corner of her eye and found that Song Wei was listening intently.

Wen Wan didn’t dare to complain that Master Xu Yun was speaking about celestial matters to a mere human like her, she sat quietly on the mat, pretending to understand.

This lecture, Master Xu Yun spoke for a whole hour.

One has to admit, his voice was truly a lullaby.

Wen Wan tried her hardest to stay alert, but ultimately leaned against Song Wei’s shoulder and fell asleep.

"Wanwan."

A man’s soft call came from beside her ear.

Wen Wan woke up with a start and found herself still in Master Xu Yun’s meditation room. The master had already entered a deep meditative state, and next to her, Song Wei was looking at her with an amused expression, "Not fully awake yet?"

Realizing she had actually fallen asleep in front of the master, Wen Wan’s face flushed with heat.

Outside the Zen Temple, Wen Wan asked Song Wei, "Did you understand what the master said?"

Song Wei nodded, "Yes, I understood."

"So after all that time, what exactly was he talking about?" Wen Wan was puzzled. She had come to ask if she would be punished by Heaven, but the master ended up giving her a lecture.

God knows she was a slow student; back at Hongwen Academy, she needed to ponder over lessons repeatedly before understanding.

If she couldn’t grasp earthly matters, having the master talk about heavenly ones was sheer torture for Wen Wan.

Song Wei said, "In essence, our marriage court is about balancing fortunes and misfortunes. I attract misfortune with a hint of good fortune, and you are the good fortune with a hint of misfortune. This combination aligns with the principles of Yin and Yang balance."

"..." Wen Wan: "I-I want to hear something I can understand."

Song Wei chuckled, "Why the rush?"

"This is a matter of life and death, how can I not be anxious?" Wen Wan threatened, showing her claws in front of him, "Try using roundabout words again, and I’ll scratch you!"

Song Wei grabbed her hand and held it instead, his voice calm and unhurried, "To be more specific, your ability only works on me, not on others. The master’s point is that as long as you maintain a kind heart, no misfortune will befall you."

"Really?" Wen Wan found it hard to believe. The secret she had worried about for so long was broken so effortlessly by Master Xu Yun?

"Of course, it’s true."

——

When she returned home, Wen Wan was informed that Second Lang’s wife had arrived at the mansion.

She looked at Yun Cai with confusion, "Why has she come?"

Yun Cai shook her head, "I don’t know, but the Second Madam seems quite anxious."

"Alright, I understand."

Traveling in the rain, her clothes were somewhat damp by the time she returned, so Wen Wan went to her room and changed before heading to Rong’an Hall.

Upon entering, she saw Second Lang’s wife sitting by the table, while Granny Song whispered something to her.

Seeing Wen Wan, Second Lang’s wife stood up excitedly, "Third sister-in-law."

"How come you found the time to come by today, Second Sister? Is business not busy?"

"No, I... I came because there’s something I wanted to discuss with you and Third Son." Second Lang’s wife seemed hesitant.

Wen Wan sat across from her, "What is it? Just say it, Second Sister."

"Today, I saw Sanyang."

As if fearing that Wen Wan wouldn’t believe her, Second Lang’s wife added specifically, "Really, I’m not mistaken, the daughter I carried for ten months, I wouldn’t mistake her."

Wen Wan didn’t respond immediately; she looked at Granny Song first and, seeing little reaction from her, guessed that Second Lang’s wife must have mentioned this before she arrived.

Wen Wan’s brow furrowed slightly, originally she had discussed with Song Wei and Song Jiao not to mention the matter of Sanyang for now, to think of a solution later.

Who would have thought that Second Lang’s wife would accidentally encounter her first?

Suppressing unnecessary emotions, Wen Wan asked, "Where did you see her, Second Sister?"

Seeing that Wen Wan didn’t doubt her, Second Lang’s wife became even more excited, "It was just on the street that leads out of our alley. In the afternoon there weren’t many customers, so I took Duobao shopping, and saw her get out of a carriage with a boy about ten years old."

Wen Wan asked again, "What kind of carriage was it?"

Second Lang’s wife recalled carefully, and said, "Not too luxurious, but not like an ordinary family’s carriage either."

"What was Sanyang wearing?"

"A peach-colored dress."

"And the fabric?"

"Well... I haven’t worn fine fabrics, so I couldn’t tell!"

Wen Wan’s expression remained calm, "Honestly, Second Sister, do you think the person you saw could really have been Sanyang?"

Second Lang’s wife hesitated, "I know it’s absurd, but my own flesh and blood, surely I couldn’t mistake her?"

"In a world so vast, strange things are bound to happen. Two people without any blood relation looking alike doesn’t necessarily mean they don’t exist. If Second Sister insists the face resembles Sanyang, perhaps it’s just a coincidence."

Without giving Second Lang’s wife a chance to speak again, Wen Wan continued, "From what Second Sister said, it seems the person looked like the daughter of a wealthy family. You know what Sanyang is like, don’t you?"

After Wen Wan finished speaking, Granny Song let out a soft chuckle, "I told you, you’re just dreaming during the day. Saying she’s your daughter, your daughter is just a peasant girl, how could she compare to someone like that?"

Second Lang’s wife knew she couldn’t argue with her mother-in-law, so she pursed her lips and remained silent.

Wen Wan thought of the time she took Song Jiao to meet Sanyang, feeling helpless and powerless, "Regarding Sanyang’s disappearance, we understand Second Sister’s guilt, but you can’t just claim anyone is your daughter. Second Sister still has her night market business to attend to, so I won’t keep you any longer. You came by hired carriage, right? I’ll arrange for Uncle Lin to take you home."

After speaking, she instructed the maid Yun Xia to escort Second Madam out.

Second Lang’s wife still somewhat unwillingly glanced at Wen Wan as she rose.

Wen Wan patted her hand, "Aside from Sanyang, you still have two daughters and a son, don’t trouble yourself too much."

Coming with high hopes and leaving with no one believing her, Second Lang’s wife could only depart in sorrow.

After she left, Wen Wan said, "It seems Second Sister is quite concerned about Sanyang."

Granny Song didn’t think so, "She isn’t concerned; after a few days of good life, she has spare time to repent for her foolish deeds. If she was still struggling for food like in those years, she wouldn’t even care about losing a daughter."

Wen Wan smiled, "One shouldn’t say that, no matter how unkind Second Sister is to others, Sanyang is still her biological daughter. Even a tiger doesn’t eat its cubs; she wouldn’t go that far."

Granny Song gave her a look that said "you’re still young" before moving on, asking about their trip to Fahua Temple, "You didn’t go when the sun was shining, why choose a rainy day to go? You two did it on purpose to make things difficult for yourselves."

Wen Wan replied, "Third Son said, on rainy days, there are fewer pilgrims, so it wouldn’t be too crowded."

Granny Song understood her son, who was tied up with rope since childhood and still wouldn’t go to temples, but today he took the initiative to suggest going, definitely not just to get a peace charm.

"What did you do there?"

Before Wen Wan could answer, she said, "Don’t use your tricks to fool me; I, this old woman, don’t like listening to nonsense."

Wen Wan thought it was a pity Granny Song didn’t work in a government office solving cases.

After careful consideration, she decided to speak truthfully, "Previously, I accompanied a lady to Fahua Temple, and when asking for a sign in the grand hall, I suddenly felt uncomfortable and realized I was afraid to look at the Buddha statue. I was terrified, and I told Third Son when I returned. I worried that I had revealed too many heavenly secrets and felt guilty in front of Buddha, and only then did Third Son decide to take me to meet Master Xu Yun."