Xiangzhou Chapter: Soul Transmigration to an Otherworld, Chapter 27: Employing Ancestral Wisdom, The Six Lines of Divination

When she looked up, she saw a crow cawing from the rafters of the Divine Calculation Pavilion.

Ye Qiaoqiao felt a pang of dismay and immediately began to calculate on her fingers. Sure enough, today was an inauspicious day, ill-suited for visiting others.

She turned to the manservant with an apologetic expression and said, "I have some urgent matters to attend to today. Might I visit the manor tomorrow instead?"

The steward from the yamen, seeing that Ye Qiaoqiao had spoken, had no reason to object. He bowed hurriedly and said, "I shall report to my master that you will arrive tomorrow. This will also give you time to handle your own affairs, Miss."

"Very well," Ye Qiaoqiao nodded.

Seeing that his presence was somewhat intrusive, the servant smiled and led his entourage away from the Divine Calculation Pavilion.

The courtyard regained its tranquility. Hanxiang came running over, only to find her mistress standing alone in the yard with a box placed before her. She hurried over to look, and upon seeing the gold leaves inside, she was stunned.

"Miss, this is...?"

Having never seen so many gold leaves before, Hanxiang was quite excited, the matter of the Crown Prince's departure completely forgotten.

Ye Qiaoqiao, however, said indifferently, "Go call Uncle Zhang. The two of you must store these gold leaves away."

"Yes!" Hanxiang replied without hesitation.

She went off to fetch Uncle Zhang. Before long, he arrived in a hurry, and together with Hanxiang, they carefully lifted the gold leaves and moved them to the storeroom for safekeeping. Afterward, Ye Qiaoqiao meticulously recorded the exact count in her ledger—fifty taels, not a penny more or less.

With the task complete, Ye Qiaoqiao surveyed the storeroom. It now held more gold than the silver notes left behind by her predecessor, appearing far more substantial. A flicker of irrepressible joy touched her eyes.

Yet, this happiness did not last long; the cawing of the crow echoed from outside once more.

Ye Qiaoqiao exited the room and looked up at the rafters. The black crow stood motionless, its dark feathers exuding a cold, gloomy sheen; it looked deeply ominous. Its cry was chilling, causing her heart to tremble for no reason.

Ye Qiaoqiao extended her slender fingers to divine once more. It was still an inauspicious day, and the sense of impending doom weighed heavily upon her. With no other choice, she called for Hanxiang. "Prepare the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone for me, and bring three copper coins."

"Miss, what's wrong?" Hanxiang followed her out, looking puzzled.

Ye Qiaoqiao’s gaze remained fixed on the crow nearby, her eyes filled with anxiety. She knew that the bird’s appearance was far too suspicious; a calamity was likely looming. However, having not yet determined the cause, she feared that telling Hanxiang would only send the girl into a panic.

She parted her thin lips and said with a touch of severity, "Don't ask so many questions. Just go and prepare what I asked for."

"Yes, Miss." Seeing her grave expression, Hanxiang dared not speak further and hurried off to gather the items.

It was now the Hour of the Monkey (3:00–5:00 PM). The sun was sinking in the west, casting a faint, golden glow over the courtyard of the Divine Calculation Pavilion. Ye Qiaoqiao stood alone, her sleeves fluttering in the breeze. She thought of the black mist trailing the Crown Prince, her own soul-transmigration into this world, and everything that lay ahead. It felt like an inescapable destiny, as if everything had been written in the stars.

*If it is meant to be, then let it be,* she thought. *If there is a riddle I cannot solve, I shall leave it to the wisdom of my ancestors to provide the answer!*

"Miss, it's ready. Come quickly," Hanxiang called from the doorway.

*That little girl is quite fast,* Ye Qiaoqiao thought.

She turned and walked into the room, washed her hands, and picked up the three copper coins Hanxiang had prepared. She centered her mind, focusing on the reason for the crow’s presence on the rafters, and tossed the coins.

The first toss resulted in two heads and one tail; she recorded a solid line on the paper. The second toss resulted in one head and two tails; she dipped her brush in ink and drew two broken lines. She continued for six tosses in total, resulting in the hexagram *Feng* (Abundance) changing to *Ming Yi* (Darkening of the Light).

Watching her mistress draw symbols she could not understand, Hanxiang could no longer suppress her curiosity. "Miss, what is this?"

It was truly something she had never heard of or seen before. Ye Qiaoqiao studied the hexagram, lost in thought. Hearing Hanxiang, she replied offhandedly, "It is the six-line divination."

"What is that for?" Hanxiang asked, looking at the long and short lines with a baffled expression.

Ye Qiaoqiao did not answer, instead focusing on the primary hexagram, *Feng*. The *ying* line (the line representing the subject of the inquiry) was the Official Ghost of Earthly Branch *Chou*.

The *ying* line represents the matter at hand—in this case, why the crow was cawing on the rafters. But the Official Ghost line had appeared in the *ying* position. The "Official Ghost" generally signifies disaster and sorrow.

Ten days had passed since her elder brother's child was born, and it was now the month of *Geng-Wu* and the day of *Yi-Si*. The Official Ghost was on the day branch, with Fire producing Earth; in the month's construction, it was also Fire producing Earth. There was a moving line, also being produced by the Wife-Wealth of *Wu* Fire. With the day and month both fueling it, and the Wife-Wealth adding to it, the Official Ghost was incredibly strong. Could there be a lawsuit looming?

But the yamen had just sent fifty taels of gold—what calamity could there be?

She looked at the *shi* line (representing herself); it was held by the Parents of *Shen* Metal, indicating she was quite hardworking, and it was accompanied by the White Tiger, representing violence and conflict.

Ye Qiaoqiao carefully examined the hexagram's imagery and discovered the Brother of *Hai* Water, which had been struck and moved by the day branch. In the context of the six relations, the Brother line represents financial loss. The Wife-Wealth line was active and transformed into the Official Ghost of Earthly Branch *Chou*, and the Wife-Wealth line was also accompanied by the Snake, which represents freakish, eerie occurrences.

The *ying* line of the Official Ghost was accompanied by the Vermilion Bird, which signifies gossip and idle talk—corresponding perfectly to the crow's cawing.

At this point, Ye Qiaoqiao understood. Was it possible that someone was planning to break in and steal the gold leaves she had just received?

Since her ancestors had given her such a clear indication, she couldn't just sit back and let someone steal her gold, could she?

Having grasped the heavenly secret, she turned to Hanxiang and said, "Find Uncle Zhang. We are going to set a trap where the gold leaves are hidden."

"Yes." Hanxiang didn't ask further, nodding quickly and running off to fetch Uncle Zhang.

Before long, they entered the room together and looked at the storeroom filled with gold leaves and receipts. Ye Qiaoqiao’s gaze swept across the room and finally landed on the floorboards. She crouched down and tapped the wood with her slender fingers.

The wood gave off a sound, echoing with a hollow "thump-thump" in the silent storeroom.

It was hollow!

Ye Qiaoqiao’s eyes lit up. She immediately instructed Uncle Zhang, "Pry open this floorboard."

"Yes, Miss," Uncle Zhang replied. He fetched his tools and carefully pried up the wooden plank.