Chapter 591: The Secret About the Past (209)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
However, An Xiaoning felt like Bai Zhi was one to keep her thoughts to herself, based on her appearance.
“Since you want Bai Zhi instead, I’ll let Mu Ning continue staying by my side.”
Tuoba Gucheng seemed to be extremely pleased with the arrangement. An Xiaoning had never seen such a genuine smile on his face before.
However, she was not at all interested to know just what he was elated about since it was not important to her at all.
Yet, what he said next caught her by surprise.
“Mu Ning, from tomorrow onwards, you don’t have to be on duty at night anymore. Let someone else do that instead. You shall take the day s.h.i.+ft because I want you to be around me at all times on the day of my wedding.”
This was what An Xiaoning absolutely dreaded.
If she had to be around him at all times during his wedding, she would definitely let the cat out of the bag the moment she starts to speak.
Besides, not only will Jin Qingyan, Ye Xiaotian, the Jin family, and the Lin family be present, but the Xu family will definitely show up at the wedding as well.
If she blew her own cover, clearly…
But then again, she was in no place to refuse his orders.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
An Xiaoning was filled with uneasiness and dismay. After racking her brains for an appropriate excuse, she decided to feign losing her voice and keep mum on that day.
That was the only way she could appear normal while refusing to speak.
Once Tuoba Gucheng and Lin s.h.i.+s.h.i.+ get married, the chances of her getting exposed would increase significantly since she would be in close proximity to Lin s.h.i.+s.h.i.+. Hence, she ought to step on it and find out the truth about her mother as soon as possible. Otherwise, she would risk exposing her true ident.i.ty the longer she stayed in the palace.
“Mu Ning?”
She snapped out of her thoughts and answered, “Yes, Your Highness?”
“I’m going out now, let’s go.”
“Yes.”
—
“Madam, this is the gown you’ll be wearing to attend the wedding,” said the butler, handing her a Qipao dress.
Madam Xu took a look and said, “Leave it here.”
“Alright.”
The butler then left. Not long after, Military Commander Xu returned with Xu Youran, who was following closely behind him.
“How did you two end up coming home together?”
“I b.u.mped into her at the door.” Military Commander Xu sat down and continued, “His Highness’s wedding is going to bring the Lin family more authoritative power. If His Highness becomes the next president, we can only imagine…”
Madam Xu nodded and said, “Furthermore, Her Highness is going to marry into the Commander-in-chief’s family. Both the Jin and Lin families are only going to benefit from the marriages.”
“That’s not the most important bit. An Xiaoning may have divorced Jin Qingyan, but the Jin and Lin families are still her G.o.dparents. I really hope she’ll be magnanimous and bury the hatchet with Youran and the Xu family. I hope she won’t hold it against us for all the misdeeds we’ve done to her in the past. But, I read on the news that An Xiaoning won’t be able to attend the wedding because she sustained a major injury overseas, though her name is on the guest list,” said Military Commander Xu.
“I really wonder what tricks An Xiaoning used to get the Jin and Lin families to acknowledge her as their G.o.ddaughter. If the Jin and Lin families are enticed by her fortune-telling abilities, there are actually several other fortune-tellers in this world. Any other psychic medium could have easily saved Lin s.h.i.+s.h.i.+’s life too,” Xu Youran remarked.
“Timing is crucial, there’s no use being a genius in retrospect. An Xiaoning is no ordinary person. If it weren’t because of the trouble and mess you created back then, would the Xu family have offended her?” Military Commander Xu rebuked.
“I married way too early. If I wasn’t married yet, I might just be the one marrying into the Tuoba family. Who knows? Isn’t that Tuoba Hancheng still a bachelor?” Xu Youran said with a sigh.
“Even if you’re not married now, it might not necessarily be you.” Military Commander Xu then turned to his wife and said, “Didn’t we agree to go over today? Shall we set off now?”
“Alright.”
“Father, Mother, where are you guys going?” Xu Youran frantically asked.
“We have something to attend to,” Madam brushed her off briefly, refraining from explaining to her in detail.
Xu Youran left too after watching them step out of the door.
In reality, Military Commander and Madam Xu were off to meet a prestigious fortune-teller whom they had booked an appointment with half a month in advance.
They dared not make any delays at all, lest they miss their appointment.
The fortune-telling master was recommended by the Reverend whom Madam Xu frequently visited on the mountains.
She was said to be well versed in fortune-telling and divination.
The main purpose of their visit was to ask about their daughter’s whereabouts.
They decided to seek help from the master, in an attempt to find their daughter as soon as possible.
It was their very last resort since they could not afford to waste any more time in searching slowly.
They soon arrived at their destination by car.
The place was called Beijia Bay.
It was rather secluded and remote.
After alighting from the car, Military Commander and Madam Xu walked side by side toward a wooden door.
They then banged on the door forcefully.
Not long after, they began to hear footsteps approaching.
The door opened abruptly and an eighty-year-old elderly woman appeared at the door.
Upon sight of them, the elderly asked while smiling, “You guys are here based on the referral, aren’t you?”
“Yes.”
“Come in.” The elderly lady moved aside and welcomed them in before closing the door once they’d entered.
It was a minimalistic room in which all of the furniture was made of wood.
They would have never expected a capable person who possessed such powerful abilities to be living in such a shabby place.
The elderly lady did not beat around the bush and got straight to the point. “What would you like to know about?”
“I’d like to find out about my daughter. She was abducted not long after she was born. We still have no news of her even until today. Master, please help us,” Madam Xu explained eagerly.
“Please give me her birth characters.”
Madam Xu immediately revealed the relevant information and kept her eyes fixed on the elderly lady.
“Is it really the 15th of July?” the elderly lady asked apprehensively.
“Yes.”
“It’s an inauspicious day to be born on. There are many people who were born on this day, but at different timings. Thus, they would each have a different fate. However, most will likely suffer failed marriages and be faced with various obstacles in life. There are only very few who will have a smooth-sailing journey throughout their lifetime. I’ve already read your daughter’s birth characters,” said the elderly lady.
Holding their breaths, both of them listened attentively with a solemn expression.
“She’s destined to enjoy a blessed life. Although she may not get along well with people of the same gender, she’s extremely popular with the opposite gender. She’s not the type to stir trouble and is much calmer than people her age. There aren’t any major problems, judging from her birth characters. But, strangely, all of her blessings are beginning to take a turn.”
Madam Xu was astonished to hear her words and frantically asked, “Master, what do you mean?”
“Under normal circ.u.mstances, the fate of every person has already been set in stone and would be very unlikely to change. Life will proceed in its supposed course as arranged by destiny. However, your child’s life seems to have taken a different direction recently. From what I can tell, she’s slowly stepping onto a path that leads her to a dead end,” the elderly lady explained.
“Master, I don’t get it…”
“You’ll understand if I put it this way. Her destiny has been altered. She was initially blessed with a perfect life. However, she’s blindly altered her fate and even succeeded… so, her initial blessings are beginning to fade,” said the elderly lady, shaking her head in dismay.
Military Commander and Madam Xu both broke out in cold sweat and pleaded frantically, “Master, please tell us where she is. I’m begging you. We must bring her back on track as soon as possible.”
“According to what I see, she’s currently in the North direction, about a hundred kilometers away from here…”