Shen Qing raised her eyes to look at him and said calmly, "Indeed."
The man let out a cold snort. "I am the magistrate of this county. There have been many strange occurrences in the city recently, and I heard that you are here spreading fallacies to delude the people and stir up public unrest. Guards, take her away!"
The bailiffs stepped forward to make the arrest, but Shen Qing was not flustered at all. "My lord, does someone in your household have a son who cries through the night without stopping?"
The magistrate was startled, his expression changing slightly. "You... how do you know?"
Without haste, Shen Qing turned the Fate Disk. When the copper coins landed on the "Mingyi" hexagram of Earth and Fire, the bronze bells suddenly became as scorching hot as a branding iron.
"Your son's nocturnal crying is because a cursed coin is buried beneath his pillow."
"If my lord believes me, you need only retrieve that copper coin and burn it."
Hearing this, the magistrate was half-doubtful, but seeing how resolute Shen Qing's words were, he waved his hand to dismiss the bailiffs and hurried home.
Sure enough, he found a copper coin engraved with bizarre runes hidden beneath his son's pillow. He quickly burned the coin, and his son indeed stopped crying.
Overjoyed, the magistrate came to the market in person to thank Shen Qing and rewarded her with a hundred-liang banknote.
Just at that moment, a commotion broke out among the crowd.
A young master dressed in brocade robes squeezed through, followed by several manservants. Twirling a folding fan and looking at Shen Qing with utter disdain, the young master said, "You fortune-telling young woman, do you dare give me a reading?"
Shen Qing looked up and gave a cold inward smile. This young master was none other than a notorious dissolute scion of Shangjing City—Li Chenglze, the second young master of the Li family.
In her past life, he had forcibly seized commoner women on several occasions, causing a huge uproar throughout the city. Yet because his family possessed immense power, the matters were simply swept aside. In the end, he met a wretched fate, perishing from an incurable venereal disease...
Without even opening her compass, Shen Qing feigned reverence and asked, "What would the young master like to have calculated?"
Li Chenglze twirled his folding fan and laughed, "Just calculate how my fortunes are doing."
Shen Qing made a calculation on her fingers, her brow furrowing slightly as she said, "If the young master heeds my advice, you should visit the pleasure quarters less and seek a cure for your ailments quickly."
With that, she cast a meaningful glance at Li Chenglze.
Upon hearing this, Li Chenglze broke out in a cold sweat. Quickly clutching his crotch, his expression darkened as he snapped, "You wretched girl, how dare you curse me?"
He then let out a cold snort and turned to his manservants, barking, "Smash this stall to pieces for me!"
As the manservants moved to comply, the sound of horse hooves exploded like a crack of thunder, and a stern shout rang out from the crowd: "Stop!"
Following the sound, the onlookers saw a young man in a green robe walking over. His features were refined and his gaze was piercing—he was none other than the renowned scholar of Shangjing City, Gu Changfeng.
Gu Changfeng walked up to Shen Qing, looked coldly at Li Chenglze, and said, "Young Master Li, bullying a vulnerable young woman in broad daylight is rather unbecoming of your status, isn't it?"
Seeing that it was Gu Changfeng, Li Chenglze felt a wave of displeasure, but mindful of the Gu family's influence, he could only say sullenly, "Young Master Gu, this woman cursed me, and I was merely teaching her a lesson."
Gu Changfeng gave a faint smile. "When it comes to fortune-telling, those who believe will find it true; those who do not, will not. Why must Young Master Li fly into a rage?"
Li Chenglze snorted coldly, turned around, and left with his manservants.
Shen Qing looked at Gu Changfeng, feeling a surge of quiet gratitude. Although she had no personal ties with Gu Changfeng in her past life, she had heard that he was a man of integrity, and seeing him today, he truly lived up to his reputation.
Gu Changfeng turned to Shen Qing and said, "My lady, this market is a mixed bag of good and bad. For a young woman to set up a stall here alone is rather dangerous."
Shen Qing smiled faintly and said, "Thank you for your concern, Young Master, but I know what I'm doing."
Gu Changfeng nodded, feeling a mixture of pity and admiration for the young woman before him. If she were not driven by circumstance, no young lady would ever step out into the public eye to practice fortune-telling on the streets.
"Is what the young lady said true?" Gu Changfeng gazed in the direction where Li Chenglze had departed.
Shen Qing drew closer to Gu Changfeng, lowering her voice instinctively as she spoke in a mysterious tone, "I beg the Young Master to wait and see. In less than half a year, that young master will contract a venereal disease and perish without a cure..."
He gazed at the plain-clothed maiden sitting upright upon the bluestone pavement, her bamboo hat's veil fluttering gently in the spring breeze to reveal the snow-white expanse of her lower jaw.
Gu Changfeng was stunned. This young woman certainly was interesting. "My lady, some words cannot be spoken casually. Be careful lest you bring fatal disaster upon yourself."
With that, he mounted his horse and rode away.
A young gentleman in sumptuous attire squeezed into the crowd, twirling a folding fan as he said with a smile, "What wonderful divination skills the lady possesses. Might you read my fortune as well?"
As Li Ziqian's folding fan lifted the thin veil, the Xuantian Instrument suddenly emitted a dragon-like hum. Shen Qing caught a glimpse of the Tianfu star blazing brightly on the Fate Disk—a portent of lords and ministers.
Shen Qing raised her eyes to look. The young gentleman was lavishly dressed, with a priceless jade pendant hanging at his waist, clearly a person of extraordinary status. The pattern on this jade pendant was identical to the twin-fish totem that Sister Pu had painted in blood on her wall three years ago.
Suppressing her shock, Shen Qing smiled faintly, cupped her fists, and said, "Please take a seat, Young Master."
After the young man sat down, Shen Qing carefully looked him over before saying, "There is an aura of nobility between the young master's brows, suggesting you come from an extraordinary background. However, have you recently been troubled by a matter concerning your elders at home?"
The young man was startled, then put away his folding fan and said with a serious expression, "The young master is truly astute. To tell you the truth, my father recently arranged a marriage for me."
Shen Qing nodded and said with affected profundity, "Young Master, matters of marriage are ordained by heaven and cannot be forced. However, you need only wait patiently, and a turning point will come of its own accord. Those destined for each other will naturally meet, and it will lead to a good outcome."
"Then may I ask where this destined person is?" The young man's eyes sparkled with stars as he asked curiously.
"Heaven's secrets must not be leaked. Far away yet close at hand, cherish the person before you..." Shen Qing said mysteriously.
"The person before me..." He suddenly leaned in close, using his folding fan to lift the maiden's veiled hat.
The moment their eyes met, he suddenly shivered—those apricot-blossom eyes seemed steeped in millennial frost.
*Am I being hit on?* Shen Qing thought.
Feeling somewhat irritated, she quickly pushed the folding fan away. "Young Master, men and women should not touch hands when giving or receiving; please respect yourself."
Hearing this, the young man scratched his head. "I was momentarily discourteous; I beg the young lady not to blame me." He then patted his chest. "Thank you for your guidance, Miss. Just now I also momentarily lost control."
*Why is it empty?*
"I forgot to bring my banknote when I left the house today. I wonder if you would do me the honor of gathering at my newly opened Baiwei House?"
Shen Qing calculated inwardly.
This young man clearly possessed extraordinary status. If she could befriend him, it might greatly aid her future plans. Moreover, he might have some connection to Sister Pu and could perhaps know her whereabouts.
Feigning modesty, she said, "With such kind hospitality from the Young Master, how could I dare refuse? It's just that I still have some minor matters to attend to today. Might we postpone our gathering to another day?"
A trace of disappointment flashed in the young man's eyes, but he quickly smiled again. "The young lady is indeed a busy person. Since that is the case, we shall arrange another day. However, my Baiwei House recently introduced a new dish, 'Eight Treasure Duck,' which is exceptionally delicious. If you are interested, you are welcome to come taste it anytime."
Shen Qing cupped her fists and said, "Thank you for your kind intentions, Young Master. This humble woman will certainly find the time to come and impose upon you."