Chapter 60: Merchant Purple Clothes (First Update)

  "That Taoist priest, hurry up and say the result, don't pretend to be mysterious, and still flash such a sly smile, it's really..."

  The green-clad maid was stopped by the elegant "young master" before she could finish speaking, and then smiled apologetically at Sheng Gongbao, saying: "Greenie doesn't know the ways of the world, but it's impolite, I hope the Taoist priest won't treat her as an equal!"

  "It doesn't matter!" Sheng Gong Bao waved his sleeves, with a hint of carefree and nonchalant tone, but in his heart, he secretly thought: "What a clever and quick-witted maid! Is my own smile really that lewd?"

  "May I ask if you know when the results of the test will be available?"

  "Of course!" Shen Gongbao said immediately, "Miss, please listen carefully!"

  "Ah!" As soon as she heard Shengong Bao call out "Miss", her pretty face suddenly let out a cry of surprise, and then lightly covered her cherry lips, her face flushing red as she looked at Shengong Bao, murmuring: "Has Daozhang discovered it?"

  "Haha, although I'm not very skilled in the art of divination, there are still some things that can be known!"

  It was a big family's child, and the girl quickly regained her composure. Except for her face still being slightly red, everything else was as usual when she first came. She nodded and said: "So, please tell me the result of your calculation, Taoist priest."

  Seeing this, Shen Gong Bao slowly said: "Shang is the national title, symbolizing the whole world. The image of the atmosphere is undoubtedly present. Under Emperor Yi's rule, Da Shang is now thriving day by day, and the people are living in peace and prosperity. It is extremely prosperous, so 'Shang' is naturally a noble gas that oppresses people, full of rich and noble meaning."

  After a moment, Shen Gongbao said: "There is also the surname 'Shang' of the current Prime Minister, Miss's intention to test the marriage destiny, but it is related to both."

  Shen Gong Bao smiled mysteriously and said, "If it's a business deal that connects businesses, it should indeed be spread as a great story throughout the world!"

  The woman's delicate eyebrows furrowed, knowing that Shengong Bao must have already discovered her true identity. She also understood that she had encountered a formidable opponent today, and no longer hesitated, hastily saying: "I wonder if this humble woman should really enter the palace gates? Daozhang should know that once inside the palace gates, it's like being in the depths of the ocean!"

  Shen Gong Bao was taken aback, it seemed that this young lady really didn't like the idea of marrying into the imperial family. He couldn't help but think back to his memories, but he had never discovered such a person in the Grand Merchant's palace, nor was there any record of her in history.

  So who is this woman dressed as a man?

  She was the daughter of Grand Preceptor Shang Rong, named Shang Ziyi. Not long ago, Emperor Yi wanted to choose consorts for his three sons, and Shang Rong had thought of letting Shang Ziyi enter the palace to enjoy wealth and glory, but as soon as he mentioned it to Shang Ziyi, she refused. Shang Rong only had one daughter, Shang Ziyi, whom he had loved dearly since childhood and never forced her to do anything, so this time he was just making a suggestion.

  However, Shang Rong was very loyal to Da Shang, and if her own daughter were to enter the palace as a concubine, it would also be extremely beneficial for herself. After talking with Shang Zi Yi, she realized that Shang Zi Yi wasn't really resistant to entering the palace as a concubine, but rather felt confused and resistant when she first heard that Shang Rong wanted to marry her off.

  Shang Rong then let Shang Ziyi think it over carefully, and wait for her to make a final decision after she has thought it through. Meanwhile, Shang Rong also started considering which prince would be the best match for his daughter, as if Shang Ziyi really wanted to marry into the palace, he had to choose a promising candidate for her.

  But Shang Ziyi, upon hearing that her father wanted her to consider it, felt annoyed and decided to go out with her maid Xiaolu to clear her mind. She happened to see Shen Gongbao's fortune-telling stall and came over to have her fortune told.

  After Shen Gong Bao figured out Shang Zi Yi's identity, he was also secretly amazed in his heart, not knowing whether his arrival had triggered the trend of the heavenly way or if there had always been such a woman in history, but she had never shown herself, and no one knew about it.

  However, as for Shang Ziyi, Shen Gongbao knew that she would not end up marrying into the palace after all. Moreover, with a hint of reluctance in her words, Shen Gongbao said: "Miss, since you know that the palace gates are as deep as the sea, why bother worrying about it?"

  The woman in purple clothes gently stroked her hair and said: "I'm just a little girl who can't make up my mind, so I came out to get some fresh air. Can the Taoist priest give me some advice?"

  Seeing Shang Ziyi gently stroking her beautiful hair, Shen Gongbao blinked for a moment. Just now when he was calculating, Shen Gongbao already knew that Shang Ziyi was not as he had guessed to be eighteen years old. In fact, she was only thirteen years old, but he didn't know that at this time the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was too strong, so girls of this age were already developed to such an extent that they were tempting.

  But thinking carefully, it's actually quite reasonable. At that time, there were still about ten years before King Zhou of Shang ascended to the throne. At that time, King Zhou was just a 12 or 13-year-old child. If Shang Zi Yi was much older than the three sons of Emperor Di Yi, how could she have entered the palace as a bride?

  Shen Gong Bao hesitated for a moment, thinking to himself that since the woman in his memory was not from the Da Shang Palace, he might as well give her some advice and go with the flow. Otherwise, if he were to reverse the course of events, who knows what kind of trouble he would run into, and it would mess up his own plans, which wouldn't be good.

  "In the temple, there are sinister plots and deceitful schemes, like a boundless ocean; outside in the world of rivers and lakes, one can roam freely and live a carefree life as light as clouds!"

  Shang Ziyi listened and after a long time of contemplation, she finally let out a gentle sigh, stood up and bowed her body saying: "Thank you, Daozhang, for your golden words. This humble girl thanks you!"

  Then he said to the green-clothed girl: "Little Green, reward!"

  Xiao Lü immediately took out a gold ingot and handed it to Shen Gongbao, then winked at him and said: "Daozhang, Xiao Lü has just offended you greatly, please don't take it to heart!"

  Shen Gong Bao smiled and took the gold, putting it into his bag, saying: "A small matter, I won't remember it in my heart."

  At this time, Shang Ziyi smiled and said: "Thank you very much today, Daozhang! I've been out for a long time, but now I have to bid farewell to Daozhang!"

  "Miss, have a good trip. I'll be here for the next few days. If you have any questions or concerns, feel free to ask! " He then took out the gold coins he had just put away and tossed them in the air, laughing: "Besides, Miss is so generous, if she comes a few more times, I'll make a fortune!"

  The purple-clothed woman lightly covered her small mouth, giggled for a moment, and then said: "Master Dao is a noble person, how can you take a liking to worldly things? Don't make fun of this little girl, these are just some small tokens of my feelings!"

  After finishing speaking, he slightly bowed his head and bid farewell to Sheng Gongbao, then disappeared into the crowd with Xiao Lü.

  Shen Gong Bao gazed at the distant figure of Shang Zi Yi, furrowed his brow in deep thought for a long time, before sighing and saying: "Forget it, I'll just stick to waiting by the tree stump after all. Relying on a woman's recommendation would tarnish my heroic image as a poor Daoist, and only invite ridicule from others. Besides, there's still plenty of time, no rush, no rush!"

  After several days, Shengong Bao stayed in this place to set up a stall for divination and fortune-telling. With the arrival of some customers, Shengong Bao's predictions were very accurate, so his name gradually spread throughout Chaoge. Every day, many people came to have their fortunes told, and Shengong Bao was no longer bored.

  However, every day divining by character and fate, the person he wanted to wait for had not appeared yet, Shengong Bao was also somewhat impatient. On this day, Shengong Bao suddenly had an epiphany, and an idea emerged.

  Calculating fortune and misfortune for others, although it can also help some people avoid disasters, ultimately reveals the heavenly secrets, increases karma, although Lord Shen has many merits protecting him now, he is not afraid of some karma, but if the number of karma exceeds merit, then he will be miserable. Moreover, when he becomes a god in the future, he still has too many causes and effects to settle, most of which are karma. In this case, it is better to take advantage of this opportunity to accumulate more merits.

  There is a saying that it's easy to accumulate good deeds, but hard to find virtues. People who cultivate the Tao all hope to accumulate many merits every day. Some people even travel around for years, accumulating virtues and doing good deeds, just for those few merits. Accumulating them day by day and month by month is also a method. After all, it's rare to have opportunities like Nüwa, creating humans and repairing the sky, which can bring great merit.

  Shen Gong Bao thought to himself, "Why not set up a stall and treat people's illnesses and injuries? Wouldn't that be accumulating virtue and doing good deeds? And it would also increase my income, what a great plan!"

  Thinking of this, Shen Gongbao couldn't help but feel complacent and delighted. After changing his appearance again, he transformed from a fortune teller to a wandering doctor, while the stall remained unchanged.

  After several days, everyone in Chao Ge knew that the fortune teller had stopped telling fortunes and instead started prescribing medicine for others. He didn't charge fees to poor people, and even rich people were only charged a little. In fact, he spent his own money buying medicinal herbs to give to those who couldn't afford them.

  At first, some people still doubted his medical skills, but after several experiments, everyone finally believed that this was absolutely a superior being who had come to do good deeds, although the person looked a bit scary and too sinister.

  Then, Shengong Bao's name for suspending the pot to save the world gradually spread, and his own merits also gradually increased day by day, although very rare, but still made Shengong Bao smile secretly.

  (Hehe, Qingfeng is fabricating a non-existent character here, just to lead into the next part of the story. Hope everyone won't mind.)