When the polo match on the field below ended, everyone from the academy dispersed.
Qiu Xinran tidied up the brush and ink on the table, planning to go work at the Bureau of Astronomy in the afternoon. Just as she walked down the wooden ladder to the side of the training grounds, a palace maid suddenly appeared and stopped her: “Qiu Sichen, the Seventh Princess requests you visit Lengxiang Palace.”
At this time, not everyone had left the training grounds yet. Seeing the palace maid beside Li Hanru stop Qiu Xinran to speak, they all looked over curiously. Zhou Xianyi approached, somewhat worried, and asked on her behalf: “What does the Seventh Princess want with Xinran?”
“This servant doesn’t know.”
Zhou Xianyi hit a soft wall and could only tug at Qiu Xinran’s sleeve from below, leaning close to whisper: “You… you’d better not go.” Qiu Xinran reached behind his back to pat him gently, lowering her voice to console him instead: “It’s fine. The Seventh Princess won’t do anything to me.”
Having said this, she raised her hand to the palace maid, who then turned to lead her toward Lengxiang Palace.
When she arrived at Lengxiang Palace, she found Li Hanru wasn’t in the hall. The palace maids said the Seventh Princess needed to bathe and change clothes first, and asked her to wait in the room. The room was filled with incense fragrance. The attendants brought her a small pot of clear tea, then no one paid her any more attention.
This Seventh Princess was probably angry because she had been too close to Zheng Yuanwu these past couple times, so she deliberately summoned her here but left her waiting alone. Yet when she thought about how a grand princess wanted to punish a mere minor Bureau of Astronomy official but could only make her sit here waiting, Qiu Xinran found it somewhat amusing, and looking at this Seventh Princess again, she couldn’t help but find her rather adorable.
After half an hour passed like this, Li Hanru finally changed into light spring robes, painted her eyebrows and lips, and came sashaying in after grooming herself. Qiu Xinran quickly stood to greet her. Li Hanru glanced at her from the corner of her eye. Seeing the other person’s composed expression without any sign of irritation, she gave a light snort. Her wide sleeves swept as she sat across from her: “I’ve heard that Qiu Sichen can divine and calculate, and it was through this skill that you gained Imperial Father’s favor and were appointed to the position of Bureau of Astronomy official.”
Her words carried some casual disdain, as if mocking that her current official position came through improper means and was contemptible. Since arriving in the capital, Qiu Xinran had heard such words many times, so she didn’t mind and only smiled without speaking. Seeing her silence, Li Hanru took it as a sign of guilt and said leisurely: “I’ve long heard of Sichen’s great reputation. I invited you here today because I wanted you to divine something for me.”
After Li Hanru finished speaking, she glanced at her again. Seeing the other person show some difficulty, she couldn’t help but ask: “Is Qiu Sichen unwilling?”
“If the Princess asks me to divine, naturally I have no reason to be unwilling, it’s just…” She showed some hesitation, waiting until Li Hanru gradually grew impatient before stammering: “It’s just that people in my profession place great importance on cause and effect. For instance, if I divine for someone, that creates a cause. If that person gives me some compensation, that resolves the effect. This back and forth settles cause and effect cleanly. Otherwise, it’s disadvantageous for both parties…”
Hearing her wind around and around saying all this, Li Hanru said impatiently: “So you mean if you divine for me, I need to pay you silver?”
“The Princess is astute.”
After all that, she wanted money. The disdain in Li Hanru’s eyes grew heavier as she said proudly: “How much do you want?”
“It depends on what the Princess asks.”
As she said this, the young woman in the seat suddenly became coy. She glanced left and right, and the senior palace maid beside her immediately stepped forward perceptively to dismiss the other palace attendants from the hall. When only a few people remained in the room, Li Hanru bit her lip and said in a low voice: “What if I want to ask about marriage prospects?”
Qiu Xinran observed her nose with her eyes and her heart with her nose, maintaining a composed expression as she answered in a perfectly natural tone: “Many nobles in the capital have invited me to visit their manors, mostly for their children’s marriage matters.”
As an unmarried princess, Li Hanru felt somewhat shy asking about this privately, but seeing her tone and expression as if it were the most normal thing in the world, she relaxed and even her attitude toward her softened unconsciously: “In that case, how will you divine it?”
Qiu Xinran shook her head: “Logically speaking, being able to divine for the Princess is my great honor. I really shouldn’t request compensation…”
“How much?”
This Seventh Princess was truly the sibling of Li Hanyi—even their bold and impatient temperament was exactly the same. Qiu Xinran smiled inwardly but kept a very upright expression: “The Princess is noble as a heavenly daughter, but since this is a private divination, I’ll charge you four hundred ninety taels of silver for this reading.”
“Four hundred ninety taels?” Li Hanru stared at her, her voice inevitably rising.
Four hundred ninety taels was no small sum. A hundred gold per divination would be considered an astronomical price anywhere. The palace maid beside her felt this little Daoist was clearly taking advantage to extort money and couldn’t help but frown and remind: “Did Sichen also charge compensation when divining for His Majesty?”
Right, hearing this, Li Hanru looked at her warily, but saw Qiu Xinran’s expression unchanged as she said unhurriedly: “How could divining for the Son of Heaven be measured with mere money? His Majesty deeply understands such mysteries. Though he didn’t reward me with silver, he appointed me as a Bureau of Astronomy official. This way, cause and effect are also resolved.”
Li Hanru had just used this matter to needle her, but in a flash she was blocked by these same words. She choked, then heard her say: “This four hundred ninety taels also has meaning. The Princess ranks seventh in the palace and asks about marriage. Taking the double-seven number also seeks a good omen of paired wings and marital bliss.”
After she finished speaking, seeing the other person’s expression indeed waver somewhat, she straightened her posture as if being extremely fair: “However, divination is still entirely up to the Princess herself. If the Princess feels this reading isn’t worth that amount, abandoning it is also fine.”
Li Hanru’s brow furrowed tightly. After a while, as if making some decision, she said to the palace maid beside her: “Go to the treasury and bring five hundred taels of silver.”
For Li Hanru, taking out such a large sum of silver privately in one go wasn’t easy. The palace maid beside her glanced at the Princess’s expression. In the end, she didn’t dare say anything more and quickly left.
Qiu Xinran smiled and passed the paper and brush on the table over: “I came in a hurry without bringing anything. Why don’t I analyze a character for the Princess?”
Li Hanru took the brush and pondered briefly before writing the character “ru” (如) on the paper and passing it back. Qiu Xinran took it but didn’t speak for a long while. Finally, Li Hanru couldn’t help but grow anxious and urged: “Well?”
The other person picked up the brush and split the character in half: “The character ‘ru’ is composed of ‘woman’ and ‘mouth.’ The woman relies on the mouth to stand. If the mouth is not correct, the woman is not correct. If you want to achieve a good match, you must avoid saying one thing while meaning another. Only then can you achieve your wish.” Hearing this, Li Hanru looked thoughtful. Then she heard her continue: “But the Princess needn’t worry too much. Marriage involves one man and one woman. Woman plus child makes ‘good.’ If it can succeed, it won’t fail to be a good match.”
Li Hanru’s eyes lit up: “You mean I can have a wish-fulfilling good marriage?”
Qiu Xinran nodded: “Though I don’t know who the Princess’s future husband will be, it will certainly be a match of mutual affection.”
Hearing her say this, joy appeared on the young woman’s face. But thinking she wasn’t certain this person would truly be her current beloved, she couldn’t help but show some worry. In these moments, joy and worry alternated, and her expression had already changed several times. After a moment, Li Hanru asked again: “What did you mean earlier about avoiding saying one thing while meaning another?”
“Without the mouth, only the woman remains. If the mouth is improper, it cannot become ‘ru.’ If the Princess has feelings, she cannot keep them bottled up inside without letting him know. But if words are improper and heart and mouth don’t match, it’s also difficult to achieve your wish. You must grasp this balance yourself to achieve a good match.” Qiu Xinran finished speaking and put down the brush, smiling. “Does the Princess have anything else to ask?”
Li Hanru thought for a moment, then suddenly blushed and leaned close to ask quietly: “Can you divine for someone else on my behalf?” Qiu Xinran immediately understood her meaning and politely declined: “For divination, it’s best if the person comes in person. Having someone else ask creates additional cause and effect, which isn’t ideal.”
Hearing this, regret showed on the young woman’s face opposite her, but she quickly rallied and looked her up and down. Compared to when Qiu Xinran first entered the hall, the other person’s attitude had already softened considerably by now. But in her heart, something still bothered her. She hesitated: “Sichen can divine and calculate so well… have you ever divined for yourself?”
Qiu Xinran’s heart was clear as a mirror. She felt that coming to Lengxiang Palace today, this was finally the crucial question. She couldn’t help but smile slightly: “The Princess jests. I’m a renunciant. The mortal world is all external to me. Why would I divine such things?”
Li Hanru was stunned, as if just now remembering she was a Daoist, and looked her up and down again. She saw the person sitting before her had jet-black hair tied high, peach blossom eyes without any coquettishness, long eyebrows reaching to her temples, red lips and white teeth, wearing blue official robes. If you didn’t look carefully, she looked exactly like a handsome young man.
“If Sichen is a renunciant, why did you enter the palace?”
Qiu Xinran lowered her eyes: “The Princess misunderstands. I came to Chang’an only as a temporary resident. Though I now hold the nominal position of Bureau of Astronomy official, it’s also to enter the world and form good karmic connections. Sooner or later, I’ll still return to the mountains.”
“It seems I misunderstood Sichen before,” Li Hanru’s expression relaxed as she put on a warm and gentle manner. “Earlier I actually thought Sichen was someone who coveted empty fame. I hope you won’t hold it against me.”
“The Princess is too kind.”
“In that case…” Li Hanru shifted forward slightly. Before she finished speaking, she suddenly saw the palace maid who had gone to the treasury for silver enter the hall carrying the silver, whispering something in her ear. Li Hanru’s brow furrowed slightly: “Why is the Empress Dowager suddenly summoning me at this time?”
“This servant doesn’t know.”
Qiu Xinran very perceptively stood up: “Since the Princess has important matters, I’ll take my leave first.”
Li Hanru had many things she wanted to ask, but now being interrupted felt rather dejected. In her heart, she began to vaguely regret having left her waiting in the hall for half an hour earlier. But she couldn’t refuse the Empress Dowager’s summons. Seeing the situation, she could only step forward and grasp the other person’s hand intimately: “Alright, I’ll have Cuiliu see Sichen out.”
The palace maid hadn’t expected that in just the time it took her to fetch the silver, the Princess’s attitude toward this Bureau of Astronomy official had undergone such a dramatic change. She could only assume the other person’s divination abilities were truly superb, winning the Princess’s heartfelt admiration in such a short time. The look she gave her now also carried several shades of awe.
Naturally, Qiu Xinran didn’t know her thoughts. She only asked her outside the palace to exchange the four hundred ninety taels of silver for bank notes and send them to her later. Cuiliu didn’t dare neglect this and quickly agreed, then watched her leave Lengxiang Palace in a cheerful mood.
Having earned a tidy sum of silver today, Qiu Xinran walked along almost ready to hum a tune. When she turned around a palace wall with light steps, she saw a familiar figure coming toward her not far ahead. Though somewhat surprised in her heart, she quickly stopped to greet him: “Greetings to Young Master Xia.”
Xia Xiuyan must have just come from some palace. Seeing her here, he showed no surprise at all, only looked her up and down before speaking: “Rise.”
Qiu Xinran lowered her hand. Seeing he had no intention of speaking, she took the initiative: “Is the young master leaving the palace?”
“Mm.” The other person responded with a low sound.
“Then—” The blue-robed official looked left and right at the straight palace road and touched her head. “I’m also heading back. Why don’t I accompany you?”
A hint of amusement floated in Xia Xiuyan’s eyes. He nodded rather haughtily: “Very well.”