There really was a grudge?

Zhu Yuanmo couldn’t wait to ask: “What grudge? Which generation? How come I never heard him mention it?”

“Master Zhu, don’t rush. Let me first confirm with you—this profession really is divided into orthodox and heterodox factions, right?”

Why ask this?

Hadn’t it been said long ago?

Zhu Yuanmo said seriously: “This profession indeed has orthodox and heterodox factions. Our Zhu family is from the orthodox famous school. Their Xing family is from the heterodox evil path.”

Huang Qi: “Between the orthodox and heterodox factions, there’s an unwritten rule of non-interference?”

“Not only non-interference but also no contact. This rule was passed down from before and hasn’t changed by the time it reached me.”

Zhu Yuanmo looked up to see Young Master Pei and Li Buyan both frowning. He quickly added:

“To put it simply, feng shui or birth charts our Zhu family has examined, the Xing family cannot examine again. Conversely, the same applies.”

Yan Sanhe: “Even if your Zhu family made an error?”

Zhu Yuanmo: “Even if we made an error.”

Orthodox and heterodox were fundamentally opposed.

The orthodox path had its rules for doing things.

The heterodox path had its rules for doing things.

Each relied on their own abilities, each ate from their own bowl. Not crossing boundaries allowed peaceful coexistence.

“The old monk said it was your Zhu family who crossed the boundary first, and the Xing family retaliated afterward.”

Huang Qi recited the old monk’s words without missing a single character. “The old monk also said causes must have effects—told us to look after ourselves.”

Yan Sanhe pondered the hidden meaning in these words and asked: “Then what?”

Then?

Huang Qi spread his hands. “He told me to get lost.”

Young Master Pei was angry. “This old fellow muttered mysteriously for ages but didn’t explain the circumstances clearly.”

Li Buyan rubbed her hands. “I really want to pluck out every whisker he has.”

Xie Zhifei glared at Huang Qi. “You call this a great harvest?”

Third Master, you glared too soon!

Huang Qi shrank his neck. “I haven’t finished speaking…”

Young Master Pei glared. “When did you learn to pause dramatically when speaking?”

Li Buyan shook her head. “One must be honest in conduct.”

Xie Zhifei pointed, indicating a warning. “Quickly now, tell everything in one breath.”

So your heartache for me only lasted as long as it takes to drink a cup of tea?

Huang Qi’s grievances bubbled up inside.

“Hearing the old monk’s words, I knew this trip was wasted. What kind of talk was this? Couldn’t understand a word. I had no choice but to go beg Geng Songsheng.”

On the Eastern Summit, ice and snow everywhere—he knelt and knelt, kneeling himself into a small snowman.

“I knelt for a full day and night, fainted from cold. When I woke up, I found myself lying in bed with thick quilts covering me.

I was just thinking of getting up to continue kneeling outside when I suddenly heard Geng Songsheng in the stone cave opposite forcing the old monk to tell the truth.”

Huang Qi looked resentfully at this one, then that one, decisively refusing to continue.

Hmph!

Miss Yan had said servants also had the right to express anger.

Young Master Pei waved his hand. “This month’s wages tripled.”

Li Buyan: “Later I’ll cook another meal for you.”

Xie Zhifei made a “tsk” sound. “Truly like master, like servant. Reliable.”

Huang Qi: “…”

“You’ve worked hard, Huang Qi.” Yan Sanhe’s voice was gentle.

Miss Yan’s words were still the most pleasant to hear.

Huang Qi smugly pursed his lips and continued:

“The old monk said… what he said was the truth. The Zhu family crossed boundaries first, so the Xing family found ways to retaliate.

But then a noble person got involved in the middle, and the retaliation didn’t succeed. This completely enraged the Xing family. As for anything else, he truly knew nothing more.”

“Pa!”

Zhu Yuanmo suddenly slapped the table. “I know who the noble person is!”

Yan Sanhe: “Who?”

Zhu Yuanmo: “Empress Xiaoren.”

Yan Sanhe immediately recalled what Zhu Yuanzhao had said—

The empress was indeed a benevolent person. She also had some kindness toward our Zhu family. When I was very young, I think I heard my grandfather mention it.

Yan Sanhe looked at Zhu Yuanmo. “There’s one person who definitely knows the causes and consequences.”

Zhu Yuanmo nodded. “Miss and I thought of the same person.”

…

When people age, their sleep becomes light.

When Zhu Qing and Ding Yi snuck into Zhu Jing’s room, Zhu Jing’s eyes opened immediately.

Hearing what the two said, he quickly dressed and took a carriage straight to the separate residence.

At the residence, everyone was anxiously waiting.

As soon as Zhu Jing arrived, he first greeted his master, then sat down before Yan Sanhe. Before hot tea could be served, he began:

“Miss Yan, I truly do know about this matter.”

Just as I suspected you would.

Yan Sanhe: “Old steward, please explain in detail.”

“Yes!”

The matter wasn’t complicated. It happened to Zhu Xuanjiu’s father, Zhu Liuyao.

Zhu Liuyao had a good friend named Zhao Ludong.

Zhao Ludong’s youngest sister married into the Liang family of Suzhou Prefecture.

The Liang family dealt in silk. One year they had terrible luck—first the business lost money, then they got entangled in a lawsuit, and two female family members mysteriously miscarried.

In desperate illness, they sought any cure.

Somehow Lady Liang heard someone’s nonsense and spent a fortune inviting Xing family people to examine the residence’s feng shui.

The Xing family examined it and said a little ghost was causing trouble in the residence. They set up an altar, performed rituals, and suppressed the ghost.

Half a year later, when the sister returned to her maiden home and mentioned this, Zhao Ludong blamed his sister for not asking him about such a major matter.

The sister felt wronged too. She’d married in less than three years—what say did she have in the Liang household?

The sister returned to the Liang household and told Lady Liang that her eldest brother was on good terms with Master Zhu from the Imperial Observatory.

Hearing it was the Imperial Observatory Director, Lady Liang’s heart immediately stirred. That was a master who examined feng shui and divined fortune for the emperor!

She had the storehouse wrap up a thousand taels of silver for Zhao Ludong, wanting him to act as intermediary and invite Zhu Liuyao to help examine things again.

Zhao Ludong wanted to give his sister face in the Liang household, so he went to ask.

Zhu Liuyao, mindful of his old friend’s face, found an opportunity to go to the Liang household.

Upon examination, he discovered there was indeed a formation array in the residence. This array could suppress evil energy.

But this array wasn’t done properly. Within three to five years it would lose effectiveness. Then the Liang family would have to spend another sum of money to invite the Xing family again.

This was the difference in how the Zhu and Xing families did things.

The Zhu family charged money to eliminate disasters, solving problems once and for all.

The Xing family, on the first visit, would suppress the disaster first. Only on the second visit would they thoroughly resolve it, earning an extra substantial sum.

Zhu Liuyao wouldn’t speak these inside details openly.

But Lady Liang was shrewd. Seeing Zhu Liuyao’s expression, she immediately knelt with a thud, hugging Zhu Liuyao’s legs and refusing to let go, begging him to help resolve things.

When she knelt, sons, daughters-in-law, grandsons and granddaughters knelt in a large group.

Zhu Liuyao carefully observed the Liang family’s clothing and calculated with his fingers, determining the Liang family’s coffers were empty. His heart softened.

Plus, Zhao Ludong had helped Zhu Liuyao many years ago. He kept pleading for the Liang family on the side. Mindful of their friendship, Zhu Liuyao tampered slightly with the formation array.

“The old master repeatedly instructed the Liang family not to speak of this carelessly. Who could have known…”

The old steward sighed. “Somehow some big-mouthed person in the Liang family leaked this. When the Xing family found out, they viciously retaliated.”