"Godfather, Daoist Chen has arrived."
As Ma Shunde sat in silence, a young eunuch ran in and reported to him.
A flash of anger crossed Ma Shunde's face, but he said nothing. He continued to toy with the jade bottle, deep in thought.
He had heard of this man.
Though called a Daoist priest, he was not truly a religious devotee. He was merely a feng shui master who had come to the Capital City three months ago. He habitually wore a Daoist robe, but what he did had little to do with Daoists. He was more like a man of the jianghu.
So-called men of the jianghu were common folk who could not take the stage.
Yet this man had managed to make the acquaintance of several high officials and nobles in just three months, which showed that he truly had some skill.
Ma Shunde had learned of him only recently, when one of his godsons had flattered him by bringing up the man.
The godson had described him as if he possessed divine, unfathomable powers, and Ma Shunde could not help being moved.
"The imperial family..."
Ma Shunde knew that the nobility of the imperial family could not be swayed by feng shui. Yet things had gone poorly for him lately, and he could not help wondering whether he had carelessly offended some Baleful Intent.
Or was there something wrong with the residence he lived in?
Speaking of which, he had bought this residence after gaining power. It had originally belonged to a Hanlin Academy scholar. After that scholar was demoted, the residence had fallen into someone else's hands, and that person had then presented it to Ma Shunde as a tribute.
Because of its excellent location, elegant design, and air of understated luxury—not to mention the garden