Chapter 4: Returning Home (Part 1)

Whether the young man saved by Yuli is the Ninth Prince, he no longer has the heart to speculate, and he has no way to confirm it anyway. Therefore, he focuses more on how to return to the Yufu.

In the previous life, Yu Li returned to the Yu Manor because it was the twenty-first year of the Zhan Wu era in July, and his grandfather celebrated his fifty-ninth birthday. The Yu family's ancestral home was in Jinling, and the number nine held a special significance to them. Therefore, the fifty-ninth birthday of Yu Li's grandfather, Yu Zhihao, was especially grand. At that time, Li Shi felt that all the Yu family members should be summoned to demonstrate the prosperity of the Yu family's descendants. With this in mind, she thought about her grandson who was still wandering outside. For some unknown reason, she softened her heart and decided to bring Yu Li back.

But at that time, Yuli knew nothing. He had no idea that it was because of his grandfather's funeral that he was brought back. The people assigned to pick him up were arranged by the Qin family. They intentionally or unintentionally told him that there was a big event happening at home, to make him happy. They even gifted him three sets of luxurious clothes. As a result, he mistakenly thought that there was a joyous occasion at the Yufu, so he selected the most festive jade-colored attire and went there. However, when he arrived, the entire Yufu was filled with plain colors, except for him, who was dressed in celebration...

Naturally, he made a fool of himself in front of all the relatives, friends, and guests of the Yu Mansion. Both Li Shi and Yu Zhang Ci were extremely displeased, and any goodwill they had toward him completely turned to indifference. Being young and naive at the time, he never imagined that it was his stepmother Qin Shi who deliberately misled him. He wholeheartedly believed it was his own fault, which made him even more insecure and self-deprecating.

But in this world... he was going to catch the Qin family off guard!

On that day, he went to look for Zhi Xue. Zhi Xue was busy transcribing the precepts for his master, Master Hui Kong. When she saw him coming, she didn't put down her brush and just said,

"Yuli, you're here. Do as you please, I'm busy writing rules and regulations for our master and don't have time to greet you."

Yu Li didn't mind and sat down opposite him, saying, "Zhi Xue, I want to go back to the Jade Mansion."

After hearing this, Zhixue's hand holding the pen suddenly paused for a moment, then she looked up at him and said, "Why? Who treated you unfairly? I'll scold them for you!"

Yu Li smiled softly and said, "Not really."

"What's wrong?" Zhixue asked, puzzled. Deep down, she still couldn't bear to let him go. She continued, "Are you homesick? But you've been in the temple since you were five, and you don't even remember your own home. The temple is just as close to you as family now, isn't it? We grew up together, and I really don't want to let you go."

Yuli couldn't help but be moved when she saw his sincere words. In her previous life, besides her wet nurse, Zhao Zhou, Zhixue was probably the only one who had truly treated him well.

However, now is not the time for love and romance. He has more important things to do.

He reached out and held Zhixue's hand, looking into his eyes and said, "Zhixue, I understand your feelings towards me, and I consider you as both a companion and a brother. However, the jade palace is my true home. Although my mother has passed away, my father and grandmother are still alive. I have no reason to not go back and see them for the rest of my life. Moreover, I am not a person of the monastery after all. It is inappropriate for me to stay here in the monastery. And as you know, my lifelong aspiration has always been to achieve success, isn't that right?"

In his previous life, before returning to Yu Mansion, his wish was very simple: to return to Yu Mansion and make a name for himself, achieving a bright future.

Upon hearing Zhi Xue's words, she nodded and said, "I understand." Then she asked, "How are you going back? Should I ask my master to hire a carriage for someone to send you back?"

After hearing that, Yuli smiled and shook her head, saying, "No need. I have a way. When the time comes, the people from the Yufu will come to pick me up willingly."

"Huh?"

The text you provided, '……', does not contain any information for me to translate. If you provide a specific paragraph or sentence from a Chinese novel, I would be more than happy to translate it for you.

The Jade Mansion.

Yufu, also known as the Left Minister's Mansion, is located on Xuanwu Street in the capital city. The entire mansion is built grand and elegantly, with intricate yet refined details. It combines the magnificence of the north and the elegance of the south, making it stand out on this street filled with prestigious residences of high-ranking officials and nobles.

All of this is because of the owner of Yufu, Yuzhang Ci, who is currently the Left Chancellor and enjoys the emperor's trust.

Yuzhangci's father, Yuzhi Tao, served as the Minister of Rites, while his uncle, Yuzhi Song, held the position of Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Justice. This was already quite prestigious, but Yuzhangci's accomplishments were even more remarkable. He eventually rose to the position of Chancellor of the Left, an even higher rank. In addition, he married Qin Yuemei, the eldest daughter of the Duke of Qin, Qin Huan, thus becoming related to the Duke's household. As a result, the Yufu family became even more prominent, with even the servants and maidservants being held in high regard.

On that day, a monk dressed in a kasaya arrived at the grand entrance of the Yu Mansion. He claimed to be a wandering monk who had traveled across the four seas. He noticed a faint black aura enveloping the skies above the mansion and came specifically to deliver this news.

The servant did not dare to make decisions on his own, so he went to report to the steward of the Jade Mansion. The steward, Feng An, initially mistook him for a monk who came to beg for money, so he made up some nonsense in front of the gate, thinking that a few pieces of copper and some dry rations would be enough to send him away. The senior lady of the Jade Mansion, Madam Li, is a devout Buddhist and had instructed her subordinates to treat visiting monks kindly. Therefore, no one dared to be negligent. Usually, when monks receive these offerings, they would obediently leave. Who would have thought that this monk insisted on not accepting them and said he wanted to see the master of the Jade Mansion.

Feng An was suddenly at a loss for what to do. It was quite a coincidence, as on that day, Yu Zhangci was not present. Normally, if Yu Zhangci wasn't on leave, he would be busy handling official affairs at the government office. However, on this day, even Madam Qin, his wife, was not around. She would always go to the Prime Minister's Temple in the capital on the first day of every month to offer incense and pray for blessings on behalf of the elderly Madam and Yu Zhangci. With both decision-makers absent, Feng An had no choice but to send someone to report to the elderly Madam Li. Madam Li believed in Buddhism and all things supernatural. Upon hearing that the monk didn't want money but just wanted to inform them of trouble in the Yu Mansion, she already had some faith in it. She quickly sent someone to invite the monk inside.

The monk entered the mansion and saw Madam Yu frowning. He said, "Greetings to Madam Yu. This humble monk, known as Master Huichi, has traveled here and wishes to speak frankly. It seems that your esteemed mansion has encountered recent troubles, which may result in loss of life and property."

The old lady naturally had her doubts. She carefully scrutinized the shabby attire of the monk before her and asked, "Why, venerable master, do you speak thus?"

"The air above your noble residence is shrouded in dark aura, a sign of inviting misfortune. With that being said," Monk Huichen frowned, offering a bow, "Amitabha Buddha, I kindly request the host to take it seriously."

The old lady naturally asked to inquire further, "So, in the master's opinion, what is the best way to resolve it?"

Hui Chen's expression tightened upon hearing this. She partially closed her eyes and moved the Buddhist beads in her hand before finally opening her eyes and saying, "Thirteen years ago, did your mansion encounter the appearance of a calamitous star?"

Madame Lao was momentarily startled upon hearing this, and immediately thought to herself, "Wasn't it exactly thirteen years ago when my third grandson was born? That child...was said to be an ominous person by Mr. Yuan. Could this master be referring to him?"

She nodded and said, "Indeed, that's my third grandson. Mr. Yuan Ke, the fortune teller, once said that he is an ominous person. Therefore, he has been sent to a Buddhist temple." She then asked, "What about it? Could it be that this calamity is related to him?"

Hui Chen shook her head, "No, it's not about him, but rather this person has obtained some kind of opportunity. Now that his sins have reached their limit, he is no longer a calamity. If your mansion can bring him back, perhaps he can not only help resolve the disasters but also ensure your mansion's peace and prosperity."

The old lady, upon hearing these words, was taken aback for a moment, and said, "Is this true?"

"Amitabha, monastics do not lie." Huichen bowed, "With that said, I hope Madam takes good care of herself."

As he spoke, he unexpectedly turned around and walked away.

……

"The senior brother apprentice has already done as you instructed. It has now been five days, why is there still no movement in the Jade Residence?" Zhixue asked.

After Yuli finished writing the last character of the "Diamond Sutra," she looked up and smiled slightly, saying, "Just be patient a little longer, tomorrow will definitely come."

"Really? Why does it sound so unreliable?" Zhixue scratched his bald head. "How can you be so certain that there will definitely be a disaster at the Yufu today?"

Yuli naturally couldn't tell him that she had heard of it in her past life - in the 8th day of October in the 20th year of the Zhāngwǔ era, the house in the Eastern Courtyard where the old lady Li resided had caught fire, luckily she wasn't there at the time, so only one maid who was cleaning inside got burned to death, and some things were destroyed. However, even so, it was still a major incident in the Yufu household.

He was afraid that the Qin family would suspect something, so he deliberately chose the day when the Qin family went out to pray for blessings to send Hui Zhen to the Jade Residence. However, what Hui Zhen said was that the Old Madam may believe it, but Qin Shi would never believe it. She would never allow Yu Li to go back, so she would definitely try her best to persuade the Old Madam and make her believe that Hui Zhen was just making up stories. However, after five days, when the room in the Eastern Court where the Old Madam was located was flooded, the Old Madam would believe it. Moreover, she valued her son Yu Zhang's future and the fortune of the Jade Residence more than anything else, so she would definitely hesitate to send someone to bring Yu Li back.

Moreover, he also knew that on the fifteenth day of the tenth month of the twentieth year of the Zhangwu era, the imperial court issued an edict to appoint Madam Li, the old lady, as a first-rank titled wife - previously she held the title of a second-rank wife from marrying into the family, but now the emperor, in recognition of her exceptional merits, had elevated her status to that of a first-rank titled wife.

- When that time comes, Jade Li's identity as the "Lucky Star" will be completely confirmed. All he needs to do is pretend that he knows nothing, but the old lady will definitely connect all of this with his arrival.

Yu Li carefully placed the copied Diamond Sutra back, then a sudden thought occurred to him. He turned his head to look at Zhi Xue, who was studying the desk, and asked, "Zhi Xue, Yu Mansion will come to pick me up tomorrow. I want to take you back with me. Are you willing to come back to Yu Mansion with me?"

He had long held this intention - he didn't want to repeat the same mistakes as in his previous life, watching Zhixue die as her illness worsened. He wanted to keep him by his side, to let him live a longer life.

"I?" Zhixue was taken aback, clearly having never considered this question before. "But I am a monk. How can I return to the Royal Palace with you?"

Yu Li said, "At that time, I will have to trouble you to pretend to be my attendant. However, there will be no indenture contract binding you in the Yufu, so you can leave at any time, and you can also return to Guangming Temple at any time."

"But, but what use is it for me to go with you?" Zhi Xue asked, "Or are you afraid and want me to accompany you?"

Yuli was slightly taken aback, but then smiled. A beautiful and delicate smile appeared on his handsome face. "Yes, if I have any problems, it would be great if you could take care of me, right? I have always lived in the temple from childhood. Suddenly going to the Yufu, I'm afraid I will embarrass myself. With you by my side, I will feel at ease."

Zhixue listened, scratched her head, and felt that there was some truth in it. Moreover, she thought that since she could come back anytime, there shouldn't be any problem accompanying Yuli. Anyway, if she couldn't get used to it, or if Yuli settled down in the Jade Mansion, she could always go back to the temple.

Therefore, he nodded, revealing a hint of tiger teeth with a smile, and agreed, "Alright, but I need to discuss it with my master and obtain his agreement."

Yuli nodded in response, "Hmm."

He would also personally find an opportunity to discuss with Master Hui Kong. After all, Zhi Xue is so young, spending her whole life confined to this small village temple probably isn't what Master Hui Kong would like to see!