From Nun to Real Heiress: Expert at Turning the Tables - Chapter 569
Chapter 569: 278 Phoenix (Second Watch)
As the hostess, Bo Lianye’s task for the evening was to entertain their guests of the same age.
She didn’t struggle with this task and, holding Song Huiren’s hand, walked in with a bright smile.
Two red lanterns were hanging at the entrance, the flickering red candlelight exuding a dim and charming glow.
Bai Ziyan pursed his lips, “Let’s go in.” He took big strides and stepped through the threshold.
This was Bai Ziyan’s first visit to the Bo family since they moved to Chunshui Alley.
This old mansion with three courtyards was situated in the city center where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold. Granny Bo’s family must indeed be quite affluent.
Inspecting the mansion, Bai Ziyan exclaimed, “This must have a history of several hundred years, right? Every brick and tile is an artifact.”
“This mansion once belonged to the prime minister of the former dynasty, Hu Wentang, a reputedly corrupt official. It’s said that he dug a basement in his garden to hide the wealth he had extorted from the people. When a war broke out later, Hu Wentang fled overseas with his family. Despite digging the house for a day and a night, the soldiers never found the alleged treasure. Some people suggested that there wasn’t any treasure at all, while others believed that it’s hidden somewhere in this mansion,” explained Song Yinzhang.
“Shouldn’t a corrupt official like him prefer at least a few hundred acres? Would he be satisfied with only three courtyards?” Bai Ziyan scoffed.
“You wouldn’t understand. This mansion is situated along the city’s central axis. The Rites of Zhou states: ‘Only the king can establish a nation, discerning its correct position, thereby setting an extreme for the people.’ The mansion’s main axis is parallel to the meridian line, which is said to ward off evil spirits and attract wealth in Feng Shui. If you look towards the east…”
Song Yinzhang pointed to the east, and Bai Ziyan followed his gaze.
The golden rooftops of Huangcheng towered majestically in the night.
“‘The purple qi comes from the east, the phoenix takes flight.’ That’s the inscription Master Kumu wrote when he passed by here.”
Bai Ziyan glanced at him, “How do you know everything?”
Song Yinzhang smiled, “Can’t help it. I was born knowledgeable.”
“So how did this house end up in Granny Bo’s hands?”
“Before Hu Wentang, this mansion belonged to the Murongs. After being falsely accused and imprisoned, they lost the house to Hu Wentang. Granny Bo is the descendant of the Murongs. The government bestowed this house upon the Murongs as a reward for her father’s service to the state. When Granny Bo got married, Murong’s grandfather gifted her this mansion as part of her dowry. Look at the engravings beneath the reliefs. The Murong ancestors were all great literati and calligraphers, a truly scholarly family. The word ‘Murong’ is their exclusive seal,” Song Yinzhang pointed out.
Bai Ziyan leaned in to examine the marking by the light of a floor lantern nearby. Sure enough, he found a small seal under the reliefs inscribed with ‘Murong.’ It was worn with age, yet it bore a distinctive elegance and pride that suggested that the Murongs were once a family of literati of exceptional talent.
Bai Ziyan clicked his tongue in admiration, “If the Feng Shui of this house is really good, the Murong family wouldn’t have been framed by Hu Wentang, and Hu Wentang wouldn’t have fled the country in disgrace. This so-called Feng Shui is just a lie to fool people.”
Bai Weining had been quietly listening to their conversation from behind.
Hearing this, she laughed, “Second Brother, it’s biased to say that. After the Murong family cleared their name, they reclaimed what belonged to them and gained their current status. Isn’t that turning misfortune into a blessing, reaching the peak after crossing the trough? On the other hand, Hu Wentang was exiled overseas and couldn’t return home for the rest of his life, his descendants scorned generation after generation. Isn’t that karma?”
Song Yinzhang nodded with a smile, “Weining is right.”
Bai Ziyan scoffed, “You’re the smart one.”
Bai Weining didn’t take offense and said softly, “The phrase ‘the phoenix takes flight’ uttered by Master Kumu refers to Aunt Bo. Aunt Bo is a blessed person with great fortune. We’re here to celebrate her birthday, and by doing so, we share her good fortune. Let’s go in before she gets impatient waiting.”
She overtook the two men, catching up with Bo Lianye.
Bai Ziyan snorted, “Such a flatterer at a young age.”
Bo Lianye slowed down her pace. She had been listening to Song Yinzhang and Bai Ziyan’s conversation, the corners of her mouth turning up slightly with pride in her eyes.
In Jingzhou, no family could rival the influence and prestige of the Bos.
If it weren’t for Granny Bo’s low profile, her refusal to appear in public, and her Daoist teachings of wu-wei (non-action) exerted on her son, leading him to step away from the seat of power, and persuading her nephew to embark on a medical career, the Bos would have been even more powerful given their talents.
Bo Lianye looked up at the sky. It was the full moon night of the fifteenth, the clear, bright moonlight illuminating the earth.
The phoenix soars high, and the egret follows it.
“The phoenix takes flight…interesting.”
Song Huiren was swinging her head back and forth as she recited from a book, “‘The phoenix takes flight’ is from ‘The Book of Songs • Daya,.’ The phoenix takes flight, with fluttering feathers, it gathers here…”
Bo Lianye laughed and gently touched the little girl’s braided hair, “Huiren is really smart.”Bai Weining came over and sighed: “Lianye, he didn’t come.”
“I expected as much, he never likes to join these kind of events, he only appears wherever it involves Ming Jing.”
Although it hurt, it was the truth.
Bai Weining bit her lips, her face looking somewhat pale under the lights.
Bo Lianye took her hand, gently saying: “With Ming Jing’s background, the Qus will never accept her, why make yourself sad over a result that’s never going to happen?”
That sentence woke Bai Weining up. Yeah, it’s true that Ming Jing and Qu Feitai could never be together. There was a great disparity between their family backgrounds.
The Qus would never allow Qu Feitai to marry a merchant’s daughter.
Bo Lianye gave a slight smile, “Let’s go. Don’t keep uncle and auntie waiting.”
A phoenix is destined to soar high after all, why bother fussing over a sparrow?
No matter how strong the sparrow, it still remains a sparrow.
They have lost since the day they were born.
The main hall was brightly lit.
Granny Bo, wearing a festive Tang suit, sat in a wheelchair, with Bo Yuxun and Bo Yujiang – her twin children – standing behind her. The three of them looked as if they had absorbed the essence of heaven and earth and the energy of the sun and the moon. The man was handsome and charismatic as bright as the wind and the moon, the woman was dignified and gentle, shining like a treasure in the world, and Granny Bo, untouched by the passage of time, displayed the beauty of age to its extreme.
Everyone came to wish Granny Bo well, then congratulated the twins on their birthday and presented the gifts.
Granny Bo didn’t stop speaking for a moment.
“Is this little Bai? From a young age, you’ve always been mature, and you never joke or laugh. But whoever marries you will indeed be very fortunate.”
“Aunt Shuang, you got it wrong this time. I married him, but I’m not happy at all.” A whiny voice sounded.
The room fell silent for a split second.
Bai Ziyu looked at the woman who spoke, she was oblivious, with a hint of distress on her delicate face.
Bo Yuxun lifted his eyes and quietly stared at the woman standing not far away. His arm hanging by his side balled into a fist.
Granny Bo gently patted Bo Yuxun’s back of the hand and gave a faint smile. “Are you Qiuxi? Look at Aunt Shuang’s memory, she nearly forgot that you are married to Ziyu. Even though the times have become more open and women don’t just stick to the traditional female roles, Aunt Shuang still wants to tell you to be content with what you have. Don’t be like picking sesame seeds and dropping watermelons, especially when you have a good man like Ziyu. He is hard to find even with a lantern.”
All the daughters of the Jiangs are unreliable.
“Aunt Shuang, you’re quite fortunate. Uncle Bo is truly a good man who is hard to find, you shouldn’t think that all men in the world are like Uncle Bo, we can’t compare to you.”
“A snake can never have enough to eat, do you want to follow in your sister’s footsteps?”
The air was filled with a suffocating tension.
Ji Rou’en exclaimed: “Mother…”
Throughout Jingzhou, the only one bold enough to speak to that person like this would be her old ancestor.
Bo Yujiang, who had been standing quietly, lowered his gaze without making a sound.
Qin Qiuxi bit her lips, an unspeakable chill filled her eyes. “Aunt Shuang, my sister….”
“Granny Bo, I apologize, my wife is ignorant. Please, don’t take her words to heart.” Bai Ziyu stepped forward to block Qin Qiuxi and spoke.
Granny Bo nodded with a smile: “You’re the one who understands….”
“Granny Bo, do you remember me?” Bai Ziyan came in from outside the door with a smile, his voice was heard before he was seen.
Granny Bo called out joyfully, “You little rascal, how long has it been since you last saw Granny? I’m surprised you still remember me.”
“Hehe.” Bai Ziyan ran over, knocked Qin Qiuxi aside, crouched in front of Granny Bo. “Granny Bo, I’ve missed you like crazy.”
