Chapter 3, The Idiot

As I was silently pondering, suddenly a figure approached and looked at the branches of the tree arranged in the shape of the number eight, exclaiming: "What is the young lady arranging?"

Then I took out the gold lock hanging around my neck and looked at the eight characters of my birth date engraved on it

Jing Qian must now be wandering alone under the rose blossoms thousands of years later, reminiscing about me, his suddenly deceased lover! I can even sense the warmth of the large tears falling from his gentle, dark eyes. Along with the tears, there should be the same pain and loss that I feel.

No airplanes, no cars, no roads, no telephones

Unknowingly, tears have blurred my vision

The Su surname man who arrived first expressed his surprise: "She, she is Miss Rong San?"

After this gentle young man, with a mocking smile at the corner of his mouth, gently assisted my second sister Rong Hua, saying: "Ah, Third Sister, why do you end up like this every day? Brother Dongfang, it is truly disrespectful given the misfortunes at home"

The young man who came later unexpectedly sighed and replied, "Shuer, I am Qing Yao"

Dongfang Qingyao! Is he Rong Shuer's fiancé? Such a gentle and handsome man bears an astonishing resemblance to my Jingqian, almost eight or nine parts alike

He calls me Shuer. He knows Rong Shuer

I am but a lonely soul adrift in the distant past, lost in the simplicity and splendor of the great Tang Dynasty. How should I return to my own world

Even a carriage is not a luxury that ordinary families can afford

If I remember correctly, at that time Tibet was called Tubo. During the Zhenguan period, Princess Wencheng entered Tibet to marry and became the wife of the Tubo king Songtsen Gampo. Since the Tang Dynasty had a princess there, it is likely that there were people traveling between the two countries in the capital city.

At this moment, I am very grateful that Rong Shuer is a fool. No matter what I say, no one will come to question whether my words are right or wrong, true or false, nor can they doubt that the soul hidden beneath this body will transform into another person

He turned around and called a servant to take care of me, then sighed and said: "Shu'er, I have no other requests, I only hope that you can recognize me and remember that I am Dongfang Qingyao"

I have been pondering. While pondering, I have also been recuperating my body

However, this emptiness is distinctly different from a complete death. A person who has completely died will return to the underworld and be reincarnated. The color of the underworld in the Eight Characters is as dark as a night without stars or moon. Yet, the emptiness I have expelled is like a fog so thick that one cannot see their own hand.

This is a young man I have never seen before, tall and slender, dressed in a brocade robe embroidered with cranes in a stone blue color. His appearance is elegant, with a pair of bright eyes that resemble stars in a pitch-black night sky, clear and luminous. When he looked at me, his expression began with surprise, but upon seeing my silly smile, it turned to astonishment.

I caught sight of the man approaching, yet my gaze truly became vacant; was that Jing Qian

How should I go to Tibet, and how should I seek help from my beloved grandmother, mother, and Jingqian

Even the servants, when the master is away, will look at me with a mix of disdain and sympathy, discussing my background and my embarrassing moments

We are betrothed since childhood, whether foolish or not, she is still my wife

The young man responded with a sound, then looked at the branches that I had disordered, yet did not move his feet

His foolish third daughter is named Rong Shuer, a name that is very elegant and possesses a refined quality

I suddenly pushed him away, fixed my gaze on that man, and asked: "Who are you? Who are you? I do not recognize you!"

Unfortunately, this is the Tang Dynasty, over fourteen hundred years ago.

Rong Jincheng is the middle-aged man in a brocade robe whom I see when I wake up. He is immensely wealthy and is the most powerful royal merchant of our time. Many high-ranking officials and even members of the royal family have intricate connections with the Rong family

It seems that this father of the Rong family is very fond of his daughter, who has been a simpleton since losing her mother at a young age, and believes that the Eastern family, which has received his kindness, will not mistreat the Rong family's simpleton daughter, which is why he has arranged this marriage for his younger daughter

The young man took it, looking at me with a dazed expression and a silly smile, feeling at a loss.

The time I traveled through differs by nearly a thousand years from the several hundred years mentioned by Master Tianxiu.

At this moment, a man's voice came through: "Brother Su, your uncle has prepared lunch, let's go eat first."

The slightly small, curved and delicate Danfeng eyes, paired with a high nose and the gentle upward curve of the lips, give the entire person a refreshing and gentle appearance, even the gaze directed at others carries a hint of indulgent affection; this is clearly Jing Qian

The Eight Characters divination is also a tradition passed down from ancient times

I did not reach out to Rong Hua's fair, jade-like hand, nor did I even see Rong Hua. I simply felt a sudden warmth in my eyes and could not help but run up to embrace the man, burying my face in his chest and sobbing uncontrollably. It had been a long time since I had such broad shoulders to lean on, warm and solid, just like my Jing Qian, it was truly comforting

This is the birth chart of the foolish girl Rong Shuer. When I woke up, my ancient jade with dragon patterns was missing, but I found this gold lock instead. This gold lock is quite heavy; it could be exchanged for a considerable amount of money in modern times, but to go to the Tang dynasty's Tubo, it would likely still be far from enough, and I would need to think of another way. Although Rong Shuer was born into a wealthy family, there seems to be no valuable jewelry, probably because of her foolishness; no matter how valuable the item, she would likely discard it carelessly.

At this time, it was indeed the prosperous era of the Tang Dynasty. Emperor Taizong Li Shimin had been in power for over ten years, and the Zhenguan governance had already shown considerable results. In the capital city, people did not pick up lost items on the road, and doors were left unlocked at night

The first thing I thought of after regaining consciousness was how to go to Tibet, how to reach the Shambhala Snow Mountain

The man with the surname Su sighed, "She, she was actually a fool?"

I felt a tightening in my heart, and nonchalantly began to fumble with the branches in disarray. Then I lifted my head and, with my cheeks smeared with tears and dirt, gave a silly smile to the approaching person

Then, how could he be Jing Qian? How could he be the Jing Qian who deeply loves Yun Xiyue?

I believe that feigning ignorance is the wisest choice I could make

The rose petals lazily drift in the wind, and the air is fresh and fragrant, somewhat reminiscent of the scent of our family home where the three of us lived. In that home, the presence of an additional person emerged later, and that person is Jing Qian

Fortunately, I will not pretend indefinitely, I will not remain in the Tang Dynasty. My roots, my dreams, my heartfelt thoughts are all in the southern city of the twenty-first century, where flowers bloom everywhere. As a soul of the twenty-first century, I must return to that place that belongs to me, my home, and find the love that belongs to me

Having gone through a life-and-death ordeal, my body is indeed too weak. Regardless of what methods I may devise in the future to go to Tibet, I must quietly focus on restoring my health and secretly prepare the necessary funds for the journey to Tibet.

The young man hesitated for a moment, then finally embraced me and comforted, "Alright, alright, don't cry anymore, Shu'er. I know you were frightened a few days ago, so I came specifically to see you, didn't I?"

No one is prepared for me

The body and identity I have traversed into is actually that of the renowned Rong Jincheng's legitimate daughter, the master of Feiyun Manor in Luoyang. Unfortunately, I have been a feeble-minded and incompetent foolish girl since childhood

But since I have already taken over Rong Shuer's body, I have become Rong Shuer, the true Rong Shuer, who must be dead. Is it possible that my fortune-telling does not apply to ancient people?

Dongfang Qingyao smiled wryly and said, "Yes, she is my fiancée, Rong Shuer."

Some feelings of emotion without reason. In modern society, is there still someone willing to marry a fool who has been betrothed since childhood? And to say it so matter-of-factly, that it must be me.

The man, feeling impatient, walked over and upon seeing me, exclaimed, "Ah," and said, "Shu'er?"

I picked up a handful of branches with my dirty black hands and laughed, "Let's play, we have plenty of wood here"

I really like this name, but unfortunately, it forces me to pretend to be a fool

With tears in my eyes, I broke off sixty-four small twigs as counters, arranging my fortune in accordance with the principles of the five elements and the interplay of yin and yang. After careful calculation, it still revealed a fate of misfortune. After the age of twenty-four, there was nothing but a blank slate, with not a trace of prosperity to be found

What else could I be if not a fool? Could it be that he is also well-versed in the principles of the I Ching, able to discern that I am calculating the Eight Characters?

What omen is this? My grandmother and mother regard it as my vitality; should I also see it as my vitality? That blinding white!

Therefore, when others are not paying attention, I will quietly walk to the shaded area of the garden where no one notices, beneath the vast trellis of roses, contemplating my escape plan and pondering the possibility of my return to the modern world

The first wife of Rong Jincheng passed away fifteen years ago, leaving behind only me, who was still in swaddling clothes at that time—or rather, the body I currently inhabit. Rong Jincheng married three wives in total and had more than ten concubines, yet he had few offspring, with only three daughters. My eldest sister, Rong Shier, is the daughter of the second wife and is married to Zhao Jie, the governor of Yangzhou. My second sister, Rong Huar, is the daughter of the third wife and is yet to be betrothed, but it seems she has a strong affection for my fiancé, Dongfang Qingyao. The Dongfang family, like the Rong family, is a well-known imperial merchant. They received great kindness from the Rong family in the past and have maintained a close relationship for several generations, which is why a marriage alliance was arranged.

Feigning ignorance is indeed a laborious task. I have always been quiet and fond of cleanliness, yet I am compelled to deliberately appear disheveled every day, laughing foolishly at everyone I meet. Over time, it truly feels as though I am on the verge of becoming foolish.

Rong Shuer's birth chart is quite peculiar; her destiny should belong to a very noble kind, characterized by wealth and leisure, possessing skills in both writing and painting, and showing signs of prosperity for her family. However, before marriage, her fortune appears somewhat hazy, like a bright pearl shrouded in a layer of dust. It is only after marriage that the dust will settle, revealing her true nature, and there is absolutely no indication of a short lifespan.