Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

The wind suddenly blew, making ghosts howl and wolves howl, making the voice of the royal family girl become erratic. She said in a nasal voice, "Nothing, I just got blinded by the snow."

"You are good in every way except that your eyes are too soft and you always cry at the slightest provocation. You look so fragile and weak. If you marry a hard-hearted man in the future, I wonder how much anger you will endure and how many tears you will shed." Princess Gaoyang complained.

The royal daughter cried and retorted: "I am not a punching bag. If anyone bullies me, I will make him pay."

"You'd better wipe your tears first." Princess Gaoyang said unhappily.

The girls' voices gradually faded away. The wind and snow formed a huge net. Wen Jiao looked down from midair and saw three purple clouds rising above Daming Palace. One was brilliant and at its peak. One was slightly elusive and would flourish in twenty years. The third was even more elusive, and it was obvious that its day of dominance was still far away.

Purple is the color of the emperor.

She had a thought, and her original body took Huo Linger out of the palace, but she transformed into another incarnation and headed in the direction of the third purple air.

It was a rather plain palace. The plum blossoms outside the window were shaking under the weight of falling snow. A branch was leaning across the window. A jade-like hand reached out from the window and moved the snow on it, as if it was bored. A young girl in her twenties leaned against the window, her charming face full of sorrow.

The clone hid beside the plum tree and imitated the magpie's calls. Wu Meiniang was immediately excited: "There is a magpie at this time of year? Why doesn't it stay in its own nest and run here to play? Let me catch it and bring it to the house to play with."

She turned around and called the maidservant who served her to find some grains, baskets and ropes for catching birds. The maidservant was a little reluctant: "Talented lady, you should stay in the room. You haven't recovered from the cold yet. If you go out, you will catch a cold and get even sicker. What should I do?"

It was obvious that she and Wu Meiniang had lived together for two years and had a good relationship. She spoke without any taboos: "Because of this cold, I didn't go to the selection of talents by the Empress. You also heard the discussion of talents in the palace of Concubine Wei yesterday. Everyone said that this selection was held by the Empress to recommend new talents to the Emperor. What a great opportunity! Talented, you have been in the palace for two years, but you are always not favored. The other day you were finally named to accompany the Emperor, but you broke the taboo again. This time you finally have the opportunity to show your face in front of the Empress, but you couldn't bear to take a cold bath, and you missed it because of a cold. I don't know what will happen in the future. Although this palace is the most splendid and prosperous place in the world, it is always miserable for a concubine who has not given birth. What if... you have to shave your head and become a nun in Ganye Temple."

The young girl Mei Niang sighed when she heard this: "How can I not understand what you said? But they said that the queen wants to ask Li Chunfeng, the doctor of the Imperial History Bureau, Yuan Tiangang, the Huoshan Order of the Honglu Temple, and Jingrong Zhenren of the Taoist Department to take turns to read the fortunes of everyone..." She gritted her teeth and said, "I don't expect to rise to prominence, I just want to save my life."

The words after "How can I not understand" were whispered, so soft that even she herself could hardly hear them clearly. Wen Jiao heard them clearly, and immediately sent a message to her: "Why don't you dare to see them? They are not tigers that can eat you."

Wu Meiniang's half-closed eyes suddenly opened wide. She wanted to be frightened but tried hard to hold it back, and looked around vigilantly.

"Are you scared now? Just now when someone wanted to take me into the house to play, I wasn't this scared." Wen Jiao continued to transmit the message.

Wu Meiniang was both frightened and surprised. She tried to stay calm and whispered, "Are you the magpie?"

Wen Jiao said: "I'm not a goblin."

"Is that the Magpie Fairy?" Wu Meiniang immediately changed her name.

"Tairen is so sweet." Wen Jiao smiled, "Tairen hasn't answered me yet, why don't you dare to meet them? Maybe I can give you an idea."

Medical conditions in the past were not as good as those in modern times, and a cold could easily kill a person. According to what the palace maid said just now, Wu Meiniang might have caught this cold from deliberately taking a cold shower last night, in order to avoid the three people who might be present in the election for the Lizheng Palace the next day. As one of the three people, I felt guilty for forcing a sixteen-year-old girl to take a cold shower in the snow without her knowledge.

Wu Meiniang was half-believing and half-doubting, but she was obviously too depressed to hold it in. When she heard that Wen Jiao had a solution, she didn't know whether the Magpie Fairy who refused to show up was real or fake, or whether she was hiding something from him. "I... when my father was still alive, I asked Yuan Tiangang to see my face."

Wen Jiao recalled the past and had some guesses in her mind. She asked tentatively, "Is the fate of a talented person very bad? Could it be that she is unlucky for her husband?"

Wu Meiniang pursed her lips and said in a low but firm voice, "Yes, it is a bad luck for husbands." She paused, and quickly found countless reasons for her worries, and said confidently, "My mother knew that I looked like this, and originally wanted to keep me at home and never marry. Unexpectedly, the palace heard that I was beautiful and summoned me directly to the palace. How can I meet a fortune teller with my face? In the past, Wang Zhaojun was painted with a mole that would harm her husband by Mao Yanshou on her portrait, and she was hidden in the palace for many years. If it weren't for the marriage between the Han and Xiongnu families, she would have asked to marry, and she would never have made a name for herself in her life. Since I have become a talented person, I still want to make a name for myself. How can I be willing to be beaten to death?"

Lie! There was a trace of guilty conscience in her eyes just now, which showed that what she said was not true, at least not the whole truth. People at that time said that the fate of the emperor was the most precious and important. She could hurt her husband with just a mere injury. Wu Meiniang did not dare to see the three men, probably because she was afraid of being mentioned again about the prophecy that "if she were a woman, she would be the emperor"!

Once this prophecy came out, no matter how kind Li Shimin was or how virtuous Empress Changsun was, the probability of her continuing to live was only one in ten. No matter how magnanimous the couple was, they did not show mercy when dealing with the crown prince Li Jiancheng and the prince of Qi Li Yuanji, who were Li Shimin's brothers from the same father and mother.

No wonder she risked catching a cold and was unwilling to come to Lizheng Palace to see anyone even though she was sick.

Wu Meiniang continued, "Magpie Fairy, I have told you my thoughts, what are your ideas?"

Wen Jiao's mind turned quickly, and she said, "I have a little news. In a few days, Master Jingrong will accept a disciple. At that time, she will set a test, and as long as the person passes, no matter what his or her status is, she will accept him or her as a disciple. If the talent can pass the test, with Master Jingrong's current status in front of the emperor and the empress, it will not be difficult for her to ask for a talent to be her disciple."

"But my fate..." Wu Meiniang hesitated.

"The master is not a person who likes to spread gossip. He chooses disciples, not as if he is making a presentation to the emperor. It will not do her any good to say so much." Wen Jiao said.

Wu Mei Niang was very excited: "Magpie Fairy, I will give you the best millet to eat. Do you know her test questions?"

What a clever little kid. Wen Jiao smiled and left.