Fang He also knew that Mr. Yu was purely a foodie and a die-hard fan of Qiao Xiaoyuan.
Since being captivated by the spicy grilled fish in early March, he had mostly treated the inn as his home.
It was said that he came from a scholarly family and had been reading since childhood, but most of his family was no longer around.
Because of his surname, Yu, he had settled in Yu Village over a decade ago, building a large mansion, claiming it was to return to his roots.
However, according to Lin Chen’s investigation, Mr. Yu wasn’t actually from Yu Village.
His mansion was more like half a Taoist temple, enshrining the Three Pure Ones, and people often went there to offer incense.
But Mr. Yu didn’t resemble a Taoist priest at all.
Instead, he seemed like a prodigal son raised in a wealthy family, exuding a certain charm even in his older years.
Most importantly, this nearly sixty-year-old Mr. Yu was strikingly handsome, resembling a dashing middle-aged man.
In just a few months, he had managed to make many of the inn’s staff blush at the sight of him even the boys!
His wit and skill in fortune-telling were well-known throughout the inn.
Curious, Fang He had recently gone to Qiao Xiaoyuan to steal a kiss and ended up serving a dish to Mr. Yu.
With Fan Su as her cover, her disguise was impeccable.
Her hat was made of thin leather, mimicking the appearance of real hair, and no one had ever discovered she wasn’t a man.
But when Mr. Yu saw her, he first took the dish from her hands, then winked at her, stroking his Adam’s apple as he chuckled, “This… young master has quite the taste.”
Fang He sensed that he had some real skill and became intrigued.
She asked him to tell her fortune, inquiring whether she could achieve her heart’s desires.
She wrote the character “fate” on the table.
Mr. Yu took a couple of bites of his food, glanced at the character casually, and then showed a look of surprise.
He studied Fang He carefully for a while before saying something rather cryptic.
He said, “The ‘person’ is above… let’s just say this old Taoist is talking nonsense.”
“You should be destined for a noble fate.”
“And below the ‘person’ is a ‘mouth’. If one’s words are not refined, one should bow in apology. As for your fortune… this old Taoist can’t say for sure. It’s better left unsaid.”
Fang He thought to herself, a noble fate?
The kind that leads to an early death?
Since Mr. Yu said he couldn’t elaborate, she didn’t press further.
When it came to fortune-telling, good predictions were considered accurate, while bad ones were dismissed with the belief that one’s fate was in their own hands.
Afraid of hearing something unsettling, Fang He smiled, wished him a good meal, and returned upstairs, switching places with Fan Su.
That had happened in March, before Madam Liang said she had fully recovered.
That’s why she had given Madam Liang such specific instructions.
Now that she knew Emperor Kangxi had begun his southern tour, Fang He decided to play it safe and mostly stayed at the Fan residence, reading novels and avoiding the need for disguises.
She visited the inn every other day, and even then, only Fan Su made appearances.
The newly built annex of the inn had one of its walls torn down in just a few days, completely enclosing the original small stage in the center.
She had reserved a room for herself on the second floor, as well as rooms for Madam Liang and the female staff to rest.
Whenever she went to the inn, she headed straight to the second floor… and continued her reclusive lifestyle.
Apart from managing accounts and occasionally handling minor issues at the inn, she either spent time in the kitchen flirting with Qiao Xiaoyuan or randomly pulled a beauty into her room to chat, snack on melon seeds, and listen to storytelling.
Her life remained quite carefree.
Yesterday, Madam Liang and Fan Su had gone to Suzhou to visit friends, and everyone else was busy.
Qiao Xiaoyuan was fully focused on cooking and had no time for her, so Fang He seized the opportunity to spend time with Naren.
Naren and Yunsheng still hadn’t married, but they were living together.
Everyone knew that Yunsheng had been Naren’s protector since childhood and had seen her at her most beautiful.
In his eyes, no one could compare to Naren.
Although everyone was curious about why the two hadn’t married, they were all happy to see the lovers finally united and didn’t ask too many questions.
The main reason was that both of them were as tight-lipped as a pair of clams, never revealing anything.
Even Fang He, who was always eager to gossip, only knew that Naren had given birth to a child earlier, which had damaged her health, making it difficult for her to conceive again.
She speculated that Naren was afraid Yunsheng wanted to leave a legacy, so she was giving him an out.
When Madam Liang heard this speculation, she sneered repeatedly.
If it weren’t for Fang He stopping her, this fierce lady would have almost given Yunsheng a dose of medicine to solve the problem.
But Fang He persuaded her, what if Naren could still conceive?
Naren also quite liked children.
Only then did Madam Liang hold back.
Fang He lay on Naren’s strong yet soft lap, letting this seemingly stern but actually gentle sister feed her fruit.
“Mmm…” Fang He squinted her eyes as she ate a peeled grape.
The taste was even more delightful than kissing Xiao Qiao.
“Sister- why won’t you marry Yunsheng?”
She hugged Naren’s waist and rubbed against her, her voice as sweet as twisted sugar.
“Madam Liang and I want to give you a proper wedding. Later, if you have a baby, you can openly call them your parents.”
While she was pestering Naren, outside it was time for the stage performance to begin.
Recently, a very popular play called “Jianghu Tales” had emerged in Jiangnan, telling the story of a group of bandits who turned over a new leaf and opened a tavern, leading to various hilarious incidents.
The play was inspired by Fang He.
Unfortunately, she didn’t have the literary skill to write it.
One day, while chatting with everyone, she mentioned it, and Gu Xian said he could write it.
Although he had lost an arm, he had developed a particularly beautiful left-handed calligraphy and finished writing it in just a month.
A traveling merchant who knew the owner of a bookstore in Yangzhou found it interesting and had it printed in Yangzhou.
It had already spread to Jiangning, Suzhou, and Yangzhou.
The helpful merchant was kind enough to provide a confidentiality fee and didn’t mention the author’s name.
In Jiangnan, it was only known that it was written by a scholar named Hai Youting Gu.
Since the name was derived from Du Fu’s poem “Accompanying Li Beihai at Lixia Pavilion,” everyone thought the author was a scholar from Shandong, and no one suspected it came from the inn.
Today’s performance featured the female leader, a former bandit chief, throwing an embroidered ball to choose a husband, only for it to be mistaken for a football by her subordinates.
As soon as the errenzhuan gong sounded, it drew cheers from both upstairs and downstairs.
Clearly, everyone was in high spirits, eager to see how the female leader would handle the situation.
Kangxi and Cao Yin entered amidst the cheers.
As soon as they stepped inside, before the waiter could greet them, they heard the stage sing:
“The handsome suitor should come, but the scoundrels have gathered instead~”
Cao Yin: “…”
He forced a dry laugh at Kangxi: “Haha… this is a play called ‘Jianghu Tales’ written by a Shandong scholar. It’s very popular and has even spread to the counties below. Ha, haha…..”
Kangxi wasn’t in the mood to listen to Cao Yin talk about the play.
He merely glanced at the two performers on stage, dressed in red and green, twisting and turning, and smelled the floral scent in the air, feeling an inexplicable sense of dissonance.
On the way, Cao Yin had carefully recounted the past of the inn’s owner, Fan Shaohui.
The Fan family had once been local gentry in Yangzhou but had fallen into decline.
Fan Shaohui had never left Yangzhou since childhood and married a woman from a brothel boat.
Cao Yin had sent someone to investigate the inn, which was reportedly established on the suggestion of Fan Shaohui’s wife.
There was nothing unusual about it, or else he wouldn’t have dared to bring Emperor Kangxi here.
Could a country lad really set up such an elegant inn?
Cao Yin had a long-standing friendship with Mr. Yu and sharp eyes.
Spotting the old Taoist Yu sitting in a corner, head down as he ate, Cao Yin quickly led Kangxi over, interrupting the emperor’s deep thoughts.
“Mr. Yu, it’s been a long time. Lian Ting pays his respects!”
Cao Yin said with a smile, pressing down on Yu as he approached, then turned to introduce him.
“This is our master, Mr. Jin. He has heard of your great name and has come especially to visit.”
Yu Yinji, who was being pressed down: “…”
He had forgotten to divine his fortune before leaving home today.
He nodded reluctantly at Cao Yin, and when Cao Yin released him, he stood up helplessly and cupped his hands in greeting.
“Yu Yinji pays his respects to… Mr. Jin.”
Kangxi, who admired Han studies and had been well-read in poetry and literature since childhood, nodded with a faint smile and sat down opposite Yu Yinji.
“A great hermit who can also benefit the world, what a noble character you have, sir. Why not join the court and use your talents to help the world?”
Knowing who was before him, Yu Yinji realized he couldn’t just brush it off and had to speak truthfully.
“My ancestors were from Dong’e, descendants of the Immaculate Master. Our family teachings dictate that I dare not disobey.”
Cao Yin was greatly surprised.
He had been friends with the old Taoist for many years but only now learned that he was a descendant of the Immaculate Master, who had served as the imperial tutor in his twenties during the previous dynasty.
When Dorgon and Dodo committed heinous crimes in Jiangnan, the Yu family of Dong’e and the Gu family of Jiangnan were the first to stand up, declaring they would never join the court and cursing the government.
Kangxi nodded in understanding.
Now that the situation between the court and Jiangnan had eased considerably, he didn’t want to stir up trouble.
“I came to seek you out today because I heard that your character divination is remarkably accurate. I would like to ask you to divine a character for me.”
Yu Yinji hesitated, “Mr. Jin, your status is noble. My humble skills may not be able to divine…”
“No matter, just give it a try,” Kangxi said indifferently, dipping his finger in tea and writing a character on the table.
Taking the handkerchief from Liang Jiugong, he fixed his gaze on Yu Yinji, “I wish to find someone. Can you tell me where I might find them?”
Yu Yinji was momentarily stunned-it was another ‘fate character.’
Though the person was above, with yang as positive and yin as negative, this one would only receive bows from others.
The person he sought was just a thin line away.
He instinctively glanced towards the second floor, shocked and regretting not having divined his fortune before leaving.
No wonder he had divined that the cross-dressing innkeeper had the fate of a phoenix, but due to her disguise and appearance, it was hard to discern, so he hadn’t said much.
So, she was connected to this man.
But Yu Yinji didn’t want to say more, as he quite liked the inn, and what did the Qing emperor have to do with his family?
Due to his own background, Yu Yinji wasn’t that afraid of Kangxi.
He was about to speak when Kangxi suddenly stood up, following his gaze.
Having been watching Yu Yinji closely, Kangxi didn’t miss the moment of distraction, the surprise in his eyes, and the unconscious glance towards a certain direction on the second floor.
Looking over, Kangxi saw a half-open window where a man seemed to be holding a petite woman in his arms, speaking intimately.
He slowed his pace, catching the faint scent of flowers and herbs wafting through the air.
His heart stirred suddenly, recalling the business Fang He had once run in the outer city.
That scoundrel had once added floral extracts to soap to mask its faint odor, and this scent was strikingly similar!
“Your Majesty?” Cao Yin, noticing something amiss, immediately approached Kangxi and inquired.
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