Transmigration: Space-Aided Rise to Power and Prosperity-Chapter 813 - 649: The Blank Fortune Stick

"Jinyu! The fortune sticks here are quite accurate. I already drew one when I came with my classmates before. You should give it a try!"

"Hurry and draw a stick!" Mrs. Lv urged from the side, even giving Gu Chengyu a gentle push.

Gu Chengyu felt helpless; it seemed he wouldn’t be able to leave this grand hall today without drawing a stick.

He had no choice but to kneel and grasp the stick holder with both hands, shaking it quickly a few times.

Soon, a bamboo stick fell onto the floor tiles in front of him, and Gu Chengyu was curious about what fortune he had drawn.

Fixing his gaze on the stick, he saw the words, "Fortune Star shines, auspicious constellation arrives, blue sky has the sun, revealing innocence, dragon flies down into the bright court."

Without changing his expression, Gu Chengyu quickly placed the stick back into the holder.

"How about it? Xiao Bao, I heard a stick fall just now, quickly take it for interpretation."

Mrs. Lv hurried to Gu Chengyu’s side, looking at the stick holder in his hand.

Attempting to deceive them with a random stick was no longer possible for Gu Chengyu. Moreover, he could not examine thoroughly in such a short time. If he picked randomly, there’s a risk of drawing a very bad fortune.

If that happens, his mother would certainly worry greatly, and he could not let that happen.

"Mother! It’s a blank stick, I put it back. Let’s go!" Gu Chengyu placed the stick holder on the ground and then stood up.

The monk standing nearby was puzzled; their temple’s stick holder clearly had no blank sticks!

He saw a stick fall out of the holder, and suspiciously glanced at Gu Chengyu, who suddenly winked at him.

The monk closed his eyes again, thinking the patron probably drew a very bad fortune. Otherwise, why conceal it from his mother?

He must not want his mother to worry, so he placed the stick back into the holder.

The monk believed he understood Gu Chengyu’s intention, and admired the young man’s filial piety. He naturally decided not to meddle further.

"A blank stick? I’ve never heard of such a thing, how could there be a blank stick?"

Mrs. Lv’s voice was filled with doubt, and her volume was not low, drawing Sun Xian and others who were waiting nearby to gather around.

Sun Xian was also very puzzled; when he came with classmates before, he hadn’t heard of blank sticks either!

However, he glanced at Gu Chengyu, ultimately deciding not to expose him.

He internally guessed that Gu Chengyu might have drawn a very bad fortune, and it was best not to say it out loud, to prevent his mother-in-law from worrying.

"Mother! Perhaps there really is a blank stick. If we draw another, it might not be accurate. Let’s come back another time to seek fortune!"

Sun Xian also chimed in to help smooth things over.

"Mother! Let’s go check out the relic tower!" Gu Chengyu supported Mrs. Lv as they headed out of the hall.

"Alright!" Mrs. Lv, though disappointed, had to give up as her son-in-law said that drawing for the second time wouldn’t be effective.

Still, a trace of suspicion lingered in her heart. She looked up at her son’s face, seeing his bright smile, she suppressed her doubts, perhaps she was overthinking.

While walking towards the relic tower, Gu Chengyu started pondering internally.

The stick was undoubtedly a very positive fortune, regardless of the wish, it was highly auspicious.

But the text on the stick had a word that was taboo, and he couldn’t understand how such a text appeared in the stick holder.

"Dragon flies down into the bright court," this text was prone to misunderstanding.

If this text were to spread, or reach the Imperial Family’s ears, wouldn’t he be in deep trouble?

Actually, this text could have many interpretations, depending on how one perceives it.

But if it even remotely touched on matters of the Imperial Family, he was unwilling to take the risk.

This was a society dominated by royal power; look at how historical literary persecutions happened—just because the Emperor wasn’t pleased, those people became unlucky.

Do you think they would dare to do such a thing if given a hundred chances? Probably not even if given ten chances.

Even if the world knew they were wronged, who would dare to speak up for fairness?

Should someone later use this text to make a case, Gu Chengyu would really suffer in silence, so it’s better to nip such potential troubles in the bud.

Gu Chengyu thought for a moment and then suppressed the matter.

After viewing the relic tower, Gu Chengyu planned to escort Mrs. Lv and the others to the guest rooms first; he wanted to join Sun Xian in seeing the inscriptions of famous poets and writers.

"You all can watch; I’ll go listen to some Zen with your aunt. A novice just mentioned that Shi Neng, a disciple of the abbot, is explaining scriptures in the hall today. Since we’re here, naturally we should listen."

Mrs. Lv had heard the discussion among the pilgrims and was intrigued.

"Alright! Then in about one hour, we’ll meet in the guest room."

Gu Chengyu figured it was about an hour until lunch, they would meet in the guest room then.

"Ming Mo! Stay with the elderly ladies and serve them."

Only after leaving Ming Mo with them could Gu Chengyu be at ease. He only brought Ming Mo and a coachman on this trip.

His mother brought a maid named Qingxia, who had been sent to arrange the guest room earlier.

"Jinyu! Don’t let the stick’s text weigh on your mind; these things are always powerful if you believe in them, powerless if you don’t."

After Mrs. Lv’s group left, Sun Xian approached Gu Chengyu and quietly consoled him.

Gu Chengyu froze for a moment, then understood Sun Xian’s intentions.

"I certainly haven’t taken it to heart, Brother Sun, rest assured."

Gu Chengyu smiled, preferring to call him Brother Sun rather than brother-in-law. Sun Xian was accustomed to it; it’s just a term, he naturally didn’t mind.

"The flowers on the mountain backside are indeed beautiful. We should cut through it and head west to see the inscriptions. There’s a small path through the mountain backside leading west, so we won’t need to take a detour; what do you think?"

"Whatever you say, Brother Sun!"

"Ah! Princess! We better head back to the guest room; this temple receives visitors from all walks of life. Here on the mountain backside, what if we encounter some men?"

Maid Da Ya looked around the woods nervously, fearing someone would come and bump into the Commandery Princess.

"What are you afraid of, girl? This place has been cleared. Who would dare come here?"

Princess Rong Jia tapped maid Da Ya’s forehead, sneering.

"Ah! We shouldn’t go any further; there are many men up ahead! Good Princess, his Highness might arrive soon, we should head back now!"

Seeing the Princess wanting to take the path, Da Ya pulled on Princess Rong Jia’s sleeve.

"Should’ve known not to bring you out today; you’re just too timid."

Princess Rong Jia, helpless, turned back, feeling it would have been better to bring Lu Qiao along!

She had been embroidering the Jade Flower Painting for over two months and was almost finished.

Finally, she persuaded her mother to bring her to Bao En Temple to explore, but Da Ya was overly cautious, really dampening her spirits.

Princess Rong Jia removed the veil from her hat, intending to get some fresh air.

"Princess! Quickly wear it back! If outsiders see your face, I’d surely be put to a thousand cuts."

Da Ya grimly protested, desperately wanting to put the veil back on her master—but how dare she? She could only make a mournful face.