The Battle of the Noble Ladies (Book 2)

Chapter 170 - Stirring Up Trouble

News that Song Chuyi had a fate marked by disaster spread throughout the hunting grounds overnight. Even the Empress asked Princess Duanhui about it with mild curiosity, "A young girl—how likely is it that she truly has such a doomed fate? Couldn't the monk just be scaring you all?"

Despite her words, the Empress did not grant Princess Duanhui's request to let Song Chuyi meet with Master Zhang. Meeting the Celestial Master wasn't something just anyone could do. Even Emperor Jianzhang only saw him two or three times a year and cherished each visit. As a devout follower of the Three Pure Ones, the Emperor had burned countless petitions. How could he waste a visit on a young girl?

Disheartened, Princess Duanhui hurried off to write to Jinzhong, thinking that although it might be difficult to summon Master Zhang, he wasn't the only famous "immortal" in the land. Surely there was someone who could give Song Chuyi another look. She couldn't just give up. The sixth girl had finally emerged from hardship, and Princess Duanhui couldn't bear for her to be burdened with such a reputation for the rest of her life.

The next day, as if things weren't chaotic enough, the Ninth Princess invited Master Yuanhui to give a sermon, further spreading the news that he had declared Song Chuyi's fate marked by isolation and disaster.

Lady He was shaken when she heard the news and sent someone to confirm it. Once she learned it was true, she was even more distraught than Princess Duanhui, slumping in her chair in stunned silence.

A woman's fate was no trivial matter. Traditionally, before marriage, a couple's birth charts would be placed in front of the Kitchen God for three days, and any mishap during that time meant the marriage was ill-fated. Now, Lady He felt they could even skip this step; with a fate so ominous as a "lonely star of disaster," who could possibly handle marrying her? No wonder bad luck seemed to follow Sixth Miss Song everywhere, with both her stepmother and stepsister dying under mysterious circumstances...

She brought this concern to her husband and son. "What's more important than one's fate? If what Master Yuanhui says is true, even if she's a lady from a marquis' family—or even a princess—how could we marry her? It'd bring misfortune to our family, leaving us no peace..."

All the benefits in the world are meaningless if you don't live to enjoy them. Bringing someone with such an ill-starred fate into the family would only bring endless calamity. It wasn't worth it, she thought, to suffer misfortune by association.

Shen Xiaohai scoffed, looking at Lady He as if she were a fool. "You believe everything you hear? If I said you had a widow's fate, would that mean I'm about to die? You simple-minded women in the back courtyard believe anything said with a straight face!"

While the people of Great Zhou believed in either Buddhism or Daoism, Shen Xiaohai believed in neither. If this were all true, he thought, his grandfather's dedication to Daoism would have brought blessings by now.

Moreover, he had no other options left. Grand Secretary Chen's family was clearly allied with the Crown Prince, and he didn't dare set his sights on Chen Mingyu. Other suitable young ladies in the Chen family were already engaged, and Grand Secretary Du had no granddaughter of appropriate age. The best match remained the Marquess of Changning's daughter, who had grown up playing with Shen Qingrang.

Even Shen Qingrang had come to understand the situation, and seeing his mother flustered by his father's scolding, he coughed gently and agreed, "Father's right. Female monks and Daoist priestesses stir up trouble in households. How can we believe everything they say? For all we know, someone could have paid to slander her. It's unlikely there are so many ill-fated people in the world, and I don't believe it."

His response was rather insightful, and Shen Xiaohai looked at him approvingly, smiling as he praised him. "Now, that's what I like to hear. 'Lonely star of disaster'? This is obviously slander, concocted to ruin Sixth Miss Song's reputation. It's only fools in the rear courtyard who are taken in by it." He then advised Lady He, "Stop gossiping with those backbiting women. Use that time to go offer your condolences to Sixth Miss Song. It's easy to support someone in success, but true loyalty is shown in hard times; she'll remember your kindness." He also reminded Shen Qingrang to take the opportunity to show support for Song Chuyi. "This is the perfect moment for you to step in. Look for a chance to visit her. Remember what to say and what not to say—you're there to console, not to add insult to injury."

Meanwhile, Song Chuyi had no time to wait for their sympathies. She was currently sitting on a stone bench, listening to Song Jue's outburst, "A 'lonely star of disaster'? Quite the skill you have, learning to throw dirt on yourself! Why not go all out and claim Mars is aligning with the heart star?"

Song Chuyi shook her head honestly, looking down in a mockingly chastened posture. "Master Yuanhui probably wouldn't dare. If he actually said that, the Emperor might immediately execute him along with Prince Duan, right?"

The alignment of Mars with the heart star traditionally signaled warfare, and saying such a thing now would obviously imply an attack on Prince Duan. Such a blunder was something neither Chen Xiang nor Master Yuanhui would ever risk.

Song Jue laughed in exasperation, and Zhou Weizhao couldn't help but chuckle as well.

"Don't blame her," he said, suppressing his amusement as he glanced at Song Chuyi, who looked like she wanted to dig a hole and hide. The dimples in his cheeks deepened. "This is partly my fault—if I hadn't casually mentioned it to the Empress, things wouldn't have escalated like this."

It had spread everywhere in no time.

Song Jue gave him a strange look, torn between feeling angry and not daring to show it. He knew full well that neither Master Yuanhui nor Song Chuyi had the power to get the Empress to intervene so directly; it was clearly His Highness, the Crown Prince's heir, who had stoked the flames, unbothered by the ensuing drama.

"Your Highness, you're too lenient with her!" Song Jue finally couldn't hold back. "She's just a young girl. How could you let something as important as her future reputation spread so carelessly? She may not understand what this means, but surely you do! I understand this was to lure Chen Xiang out by going along with the situation, but the cost was too high..."

Song Chuyi glanced at Zhou Weizhao, and seeing he wasn't upset, quickly waved her hands. "It's not a big deal; after all, I don't even plan to..."

Song Jue rapped her sharply on the head before she could finish. She winced, clutching her head, and didn't dare say another word.

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Translator Xiaobai: "Mars aligning with the heart star" is a reference rooted in Chinese astrology, where Mars, known as "Yinghuo" (荧惑), is seen as a harbinger of disaster, especially in matters of warfare, conflict, and upheaval.

In traditional Chinese astrology, the term "Yinghuo Shouxin" (荧惑守心) literally means "Mars guarding the Heart" and is an ominous astrological event. This occurs when Mars appears near the star Antares (known as the "Heart" star, 心宿二, Xīnsù'èr, the brightest star in the constellation Scorpio) in the sky. In ancient Chinese belief, this alignment was considered a bad omen, especially for the emperor or ruling family, often interpreted as a sign of imminent war, rebellion, or natural disaster.