Wang Yueniang stood expressionlessly beside Fourth Miss Wang, showing no reaction to Qi Hua and the others’ earlier words. However, no matter how composed she tried to appear, her true feelings were already exposed.
Fourth Miss Wang fixed her gaze on Qi Hua and said, “What were you saying just now, Miss Qi? Were you telling a story? It’s so lively, you even know what others were wearing. You speak as if you witnessed it yourself.”
Qi Hua, who only dared to gossip behind others’ backs, was already intimidated by Fourth Miss Wang’s aggressive approach. “I… I…”
“Miss Qi, why are you spreading such disgusting rumors? Aren’t you afraid of falling into the hell where tongues are pulled out? My sister Yueniang is standing right here, perfectly fine. Please, continue your fabrications.” Fourth Miss Wang, dressed in a striking red gown that day, radiated beauty and grace. Her mere presence was enough to make others feel inferior, let alone her confrontational attitude. Qi Hua involuntarily took half a step back, covering her face, ready to leave.
Fourth Miss Wang’s tone suddenly softened, “Miss Qi, even if my mother didn’t approve of your marriage to my second brother, there’s no need to invent lies to ruin Yueniang’s reputation, is there?”
After speaking, Fourth Miss Wang turned to survey the surroundings. The other young ladies were so intimidated by her presence that they dared not make a sound. Some, like Han Lingze, couldn’t even lift their heads.
After a moment, Fourth Miss Wang continued, “Even if, for argument’s sake, what Miss Qi said was true, we are all young ladies here. That poor girl would be pitiful enough. What crime has she committed? Having suffered such misfortune, the one who should be condemned is the perpetrator. Yet you all join in blaming the victim. If you had any compassion, you wouldn’t act this way. What if it happened to your sisters, or even to yourselves? How would you feel then?”
Fourth Miss Wang’s words left everyone speechless. Seeing that she had stunned the crowd, she spoke again, “So, let’s all mind our words. If you don’t accumulate good karma, even praying at the Matchmaker God’s Temple won’t help you!” Her words rang out with conviction.
Han Lingze slightly raised her eyes to look at Fourth Miss Wang and said softly, “Fourth Sister is right. We were too narrow-minded.”
Qi Hua had already slipped away, hurriedly leaving the Matchmaker God’s Temple. Shen Yuan and the others naturally disdained to associate with Qi Hua. Although they were at a distance from Fourth Miss Wang’s group, her loud and clear voice could be heard from ten paces away.
Shen Qian said to Su Yun beside her, “Sister Simian spoke so well. Even if Yueniang has suffered misfortune, we shouldn’t shun her. She’s also pitiful.”
Hearing Shen Qian’s words, Shen Cui wanted to argue, but Ji Cheng tugged at her sleeve, making her swallow her words.
Shen Yuan and Fourth Miss Wang’s gazes met coldly in the air for a moment before they both turned away, not even bothering with superficial pleasantries. Now, no one was willing to put on a facade for anyone else.
Fourth Miss Wang had always been haughty, finding no girl in the capital worthy of her attention. Her previous interactions with the Shen family girls were only for Shen Che’s sake, but that was just a vain hope. Fourth Miss Wang had long known that Princess An He would never agree to her, a jilted fiancée, marrying Shen Che. She was simply unwilling to accept it.
This time, using Wang Yueniang’s incident, she had thought the Shen family might feel guilty, and she might have a chance to marry into their family, especially since their Wang family had already lowered themselves to the dust. But the Shen family still didn’t recognize the opportunity. Fourth Miss Wang wasn’t one to grovel, and she vowed that one day she would make the Shen family regret their decision.
After breaking eye contact with Fourth Miss Wang, Shen Yuan thought about Shen Qian’s earlier words. She made a mental note to speak with their great-grandmother about Qian’er’s overly naive nature, fearing she might be easily deceived in the future.
However, when Old Madam Shen later heard about this, she laughed and said, “The innocent often have good fortune. Although Qian’er’s nature is worrisome, we can protect her. I like her sweet and naive disposition. If you try to explain these things to her, she might not believe you and could even be frightened. What if it causes her distress? That would be counterproductive. A Yuan, I know you care for her, but everyone has their fate. She’s just that kind of delicate person who can’t bear too much burden. That’s why your aunt and A Che don’t like to trouble her with worrisome matters.”
Shen Qian pouted, “Then why didn’t Great-grandmother and Mother raise me to be sweet and naive too, instead of having me worry about this and that all day?”
The Old Madam tapped Shen Qian’s forehead, “You little monkey, now you’re criticizing your mother and me? Think about it, even if we didn’t tell you things, wouldn’t you go around trying to find out anyway? You’re just too capable to sit still.”
Shen Qian thought about it and realized it was true. When the incident with Shen Cui and Ji Cheng happened, her mother tried to keep it from her, but didn’t she still go to seek out Ji Cheng?
Back to the main story, Fourth Miss Wang and Wang Yueniang’s appearance effectively dispelled the rumors spread by Qi Hua. Although three people may make a tiger and many mouths can melt gold, as long as you firmly deny something with righteousness and confidence, people will begin to doubt themselves. So, even though Wang Yueniang seemed somewhat different from usual, people didn’t believe Qi Hua’s words. After all, what young lady who had suffered such an ordeal would dare to show her face in public?
Ji Cheng looked back at the Wang sisters surrounded by people and felt a chill in her bones.
Shen Cui’s thoughts were much simpler. Now that revenge had been taken, she felt only satisfaction. She tugged at Ji Cheng’s sleeve and said, “Sister Cheng, do you know that besides being famous for granting wishes, the Matchmaker God’s Temple by the Ying River has another special feature?”
Ji Cheng shook her head. Shen Yuan, overhearing, turned back with a smile and said, “Is A Cui thinking of walking through the Three Lives Alley?”
Shen Cui blushed and gave Shen Yuan a reproachful look. Su Yun, standing nearby, asked curiously, “What’s the Three Lives Alley?”
Everyone from the capital knew about the famous Three Lives Alley, but outsiders like Ji Cheng and Su Yun were unfamiliar with it.
Shen Yuan briefly explained that around the Matchmaker God’s Temple, four streets formed a square. The street at the temple’s entrance was the main street. Turning left after exiting and rounding the first corner, there was a large stone inscribed with the words “Previous Life Alley.” It was said that on the Mid-Autumn Festival, the first man a young lady saw on this street was her lover from her previous life. If she saw several at once, it meant she had that many lovers in her past life.
The “Previous Life Alley” was manageable since it dealt with past lives. After walking through it and turning the corner was the “Present Life Alley,” where the first man encountered was said to be one’s lover or husband in this life. The next turn led to the “Next Life Alley,” collectively known as the “Three Lives Alley.”
The Three Lives Alley near the Matchmaker God’s Temple was said to be very effective, and many lovelorn men and women would come during the Mid-Autumn Festival to glimpse their three lives.
Of course, not everyone had the courage. What if the first man you met in the Present Life Alley was a fat fool or a beggar? In that case, it might be better not to look at all.
Girls like Shen Yuan and her friends, though born and raised in the capital and frequent visitors to the Matchmaker God’s Temple, had never walked through the Three Lives Alley.
“Sister Cheng, do you dare to walk through the Three Lives Alley?” Shen Cui challenged Ji Cheng.
Ji Cheng didn’t believe in such far-fetched ideas, so for her, it wasn’t a matter of daring or not. “I don’t mind. Do you want to go?”
Shen Cui then turned to ask Shen Qian, “Do you dare to go, Sister Qian?”
Shen Qian puffed out her chest and said, “Of course I’ll go. What’s there to be afraid of?”
At this age, young ladies who were about to be betrothed but not yet engaged were full of dreams and most eager to peek into their destined futures. Both Shen Qian and Shen Cui were keen to walk through the “Three Lives Alley,” which is why they were challenging others.
Shen Yuan shook her head with a smile, “I’m not going. Sister Yun and Sister Yuan, are you going?”
Shen Qian protested, “Sister Yuan, you must go! We don’t know if the Three Lives Alley is that effective. You’re already engaged, so if the first person you meet in the Present Life Alley is our brother-in-law, we’ll know it’s true. If not, then it’s not effective.”
Su Yun and Lu Yuan, hearing this, also joined in the excitement. Now it didn’t matter if they encountered beggars or old men; as long as Shen Yuan didn’t meet her fiancé from the Zeng family, it would prove the alley ineffective. And if they met their crushes, they could simply ignore Shen Yuan’s result. Human nature always seeks the sweet and avoids the bitter.
Shen Yuan, flanked by Shen Qian and Shen Cui, had no choice but to agree to walk through the Three Lives Alley.
As the group reached the end of the main street, about to turn the corner, everyone took a deep breath, silently praying that their past life husband wasn’t a cripple or pockmarked man.
As they turned the corner, Shen Qian even closed her eyes, only opening them when she heard Shen Yuan call out “Cousin.” When she opened her eyes, she saw Chu Zhen and the one Shen Yuan called “Cousin,” Chu De.
Chu De was a large, fat man whose flesh jiggled with every step he took. Even though autumn had arrived, he still held a folding fan, as he tended to sweat easily with the slightest movement. Chu De was the youngest son of Prince Ping, and his mother was the cousin of Shen Qian’s mother, Madam Huang. This made Chu De a distant cousin to Shen Yuan. Since Shen Qian’s mother was Princess An He, she was naturally also related to Chu De.
As for Chu Zhen, his father was the Prince of Nan Jun, a descendant of the Great Ancestor’s cousin, making his relationship with Shen Qian and the others even more distant. They could barely call him “Cousin” as well.
When Shen Qian saw Chu Zhen, her face immediately flushed pink. She was both surprised and delighted, already eight-tenths convinced that Chu Zhen must have been her husband in her previous life, waiting to continue their fate in this life. As for the fat Chu De, Shen Qian completely ignored him.
Naturally, none of the young ladies present wanted to believe they had any connection to Chu De in their past lives.
Ji Cheng had already recognized Chu De as the fat man she had seen at the Tianxiang Tower. He was the one indulging in carnal pleasures and consumed by lust.
However, Chu De didn’t recognize Ji Cheng. That day, Ji Cheng had worn a veil, and her demeanor was different. She had deliberately altered her walking style to avoid being recognized in the future.
Although Chu De didn’t recognize Ji Cheng, she was the first person he noticed in the group. Ji Cheng’s slender and graceful figure naturally stood out, and her exceptional beauty made it unsurprising that Chu De noticed her first.