Early Spring in the 28th of The Minh Duong Dynasty, in the backyard of the Duong family, three ladies were gathered around drinking tea and chatting when a servant ran in and reported:

“Madam, a Taoist priest is requesting to see you. He said that he saw a strange omen last night, so he wanted to meet the Lan lady to verify the YiQing hexagram symbols.”

“Huh, those who claim themselves to be priests are all scammers, why don’t you kick them out but go here asking me instead?”- A woman in her thirties cracked her melon seeds and waved her hand. - “Tell them to go away before I give them a good beating.”

“Danh’s wife, you don't need to be impatient. Ninh Lan is pregnant and a Taoist priest comes to the door, perhaps he may tell us some good news. Just let him in.” - The oldest lady with a kind face answered and ordered the servant to invite the Taoist in.

Van Khoi and his disciple leisurely followed the maid's footsteps to the house, being a master in the art of deception, so he knew how to keep his dignity, one hand waved the horsetail whisk, another stroked his beard, his eyes were half closed as if he was thinking.

Kim Dong followed him but feeling stressed even though this was not the first time he followed his father into the noble family like this. Remembering the instruction, the boy put his hands together as if praying to hide his trembling and try his best to look natural.

When entering the hall, except to greet the oldest lady sitting on the chair, Van Khoi pretended not to care about anyone else, just stared at Madam Lan's big belly, then pretended to frown and pressed his phalanges to calculate, helplessly exclaimed:

“The boon is great… but the bane is no less!”

“What do you mean?” - The oldest lady had a kind face, but it can also be threatening when angered.

“Madam, please keep it together,” - Van Khoi tries to calm her down - “If you want to hear my vision, please remove unnecessary ears. The less to know, the better”

“Nameless scammer, don't play tricks with my mother!” - The second lady yelled as if trying to get the old lady's favour.

“My bad! My bad!” - Van Khoi pretended to chuck his tongue and bowed - “ My name is Van Khoi, I'm a Taoist. Last night I had a vision, because of this urgent matter, I almost forgot the etiquette. I hope you will forgive me.”

Hearing his name is a bit surprising for all the ladies because, after all, he has been working in this region for many years, the successful infiltrations in several wealthy families, also helped him gain some prestige.

“Children, both of you go out” - The oldest lady softened her voice to command her children to retreat, then pointed to the chair closest to her in the left row and said to him - “Taoist, please sit down then. I have heard your name for a long time, did not expect to have the opportunity to see you.”

“Thank you, Madame, for not blaming me for the sudden disturbance.” - He sat down solemnly on the chair, when he saw that the group had all left and there was only one maid still standing beside the old lady, knowing that she was someone to be trusted, he did not continue to pretend and go straight into the story - “The Phoenix spirit has reincarnated into Lan’s Madame womb, unfortunately only a half of it is there”

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“What do you mean?” - The old lady frowned.

“About four months ago, the Phoenix descended to the Southeast. As I checked, it must be present at your house. Originally, it was not my business to get involved in your household affairs, but it was rare to have a Phoenix's fate, so I couldn't stop myself from paying more attention. Last night the vision was faint, I pressed my phalanges to calculate, and it showed signs that the fetus was being pinched. It’s good for the twin to have a different gender, but if it's a twin girl…” - He chucked his tongue out for a long time - “How could an imperfect Phoenix stand on a Parasol tree for long?”*

* The legend said Phoenix only stands on the Parasol tree(Firmiana Simplex). It's the symbol of the Queen’s power and statement.

The old lady seemed to understand what he said, her brows furrowed tightly, it’s very difficult to determine the gender of this fetus. After thinking for a while, she suddenly thought of something and asked: “What if they are both males?”

“Phoenix fate only applies to the female, based on what I see, the lady is not pregnant with male twins. There are always unpredictable things that can happen, so we have to wait to find out.” - Van Khoi pretended to be thoughtful, stroked his beard, and slowly said - “Fate will change when you determine to change it”

“If they are twin girls, is there any way to make the Phoenix spirit complete?” - The old lady seemed to believe him, she asked urgently.

“When the lady gives birth, if I am not too busy, I will try my best to set up a formation to gather the spirit into her,” - The old man poured a little tea from the cup on the lid, and poured back the water in the lid to the cup to illustrate his meaning - “This is not a simple ceremony, i need time to check up some ancient bibliographies but it might be on time.”

“Please pay attention to my case, I'll pay no matter how much it costs. A Thien,” - The old lady turned to her maid and ordered - “Bring some small gifts for our noble sage.”

“I haven't done anything yet.” - Van Khoi vigorously shook his hand to refuse, pretended to be righteous, added a few more sentences, then stood up to say goodbye - “Phoenix fate is closely related to the rise and fall of the country, I will do my best to protect her, just hope the family will not reveal the birth of the fetus to anyone to avoid unnecessary troubles.”

“Of course, we will follow the instructions of the sage. And here are nothing but small gifts, I hope you accept them. In the future, when it’s done, there will surely be a big reward in return” - The old lady held his hand, signed A Thien to put the silver package into Kim Dong's hand.

“I will do my best, please don't worry too much. I will leave now, Madam, please take good care.”

Leaving the Minister's residence, the father and son hurried back to their secluded little hut. Taking off their bulky clothes, wearing house dresses, and drinking water while resting because it was too hot outside.

“Papa, how did you guess her fetus is twin girls?” - asked Kim Dong while pouring out the silver from the brocade bag to count.

“Didn't you notice that when we entered she had a casket with spicy dried meat? When she was pregnant with her first son, she used to eat sour, but this time it will definitely be female.”

“That beggar is really something else, he can even track down people's old habits!” - Kim Dong smirked and said - “But aren’t there some cases in which mothers crave sourness and still give birth to girls?”

“Do you really don't know how to blame destiny? Son, our job is to look at faces and talk.” - Van Khoi reached for a nearby handheld fan and waved it to cool him down.

“But for anyone who I met, if I say that they all have Phoenix fate then the whole city became a phoenix nest?”

“The Duong family is a minister, his wife is Marquis’s daughter, with his wife's family support, his future is immense. After ten years from now, he may even climb up to become prime minister, and then his daughter must definitely go to live in the palace, if not becoming imperial consort, at least she will be Second-Lady of the Emperor. What's wrong when I say she has Phoenix’s Fate? Got it?” - Van Khoi used the fan’s handle to scratch his itchy back.

“So why is it called half Phoenix destiny? Isn't it enough to say praises and get the rewards?” - Kim Dong sat up straight and argued.

“Those so-called nobles always have a dream to climb higher, you have to make them afraid, so that they will ask for your help and we can earn more.”

“Oh, this job is so troublesome, papa, just make a quick buck and then go home to be a landlord for the rest of our life. I'm tired of cheating others like this.” - Kim Dong sulked lying on the chair, putting his hand on his chest to rub it - “My heart's still pounding like crazy!”

“I know I can't count on you. Let me just get you some more to marry a wife. Now go cook some food, your old man is hungry, rest for a while and go look for more good deals.” - Van Khoi said, glancing at his lazy son who was still sitting there, then raised his foot and kicked his ass, causing Kim Dong to fall back on the ground and shouted - “Double time!”