Judge Bao Finds the Empress
Neutral
The poem
Original: 东边月上正婵娟 / 顷刻云遮亦暗存 / 或有圆时还有缺 / 更言非者亦闲言
The story
When Consort Li bore Emperor Zhenzong a son, a rival bribed the midwife to substitute a skinned wildcat, took the boy as her own, and had Li condemned for bearing a monster. Li escaped the cold palace and lived in poverty for years. Long afterwards Judge Bao uncovered the whole story and mother and son were reunited. The moon was always full; a cloud had covered it.
What it means
The image is a moon covered by cloud: things unsettled and unclear. The moon in the east was bright and is now shadowed; it waxes and it wanes, and what people are saying about it is mostly idle talk. The point is not to complain about the cloud but to work at clearing it. The obstacle is real, and it is also solvable, and what solves it is intelligence rather than resentment. Once the cloud lifts everything is plain, so do not pass judgement before then and do not let gossip steer you.
By area of life
Wealth
Gain is blocked because an obstacle has appeared in the way of an investment. Think it through and the problem usually yields.
Love
Marriage does not fit for the moment, but do not blame your luck; create the conditions. Meet people, take part, and clear the obstacle deliberately.
Work
An obstacle has appeared in a good job, and thought will dissolve it. In business, difficulty is met with intelligence, and there is always a way.
Health
Recovery is slow, but do not blame heaven. Look into the root of it, clear old guilt and confusion, and treatment starts to work.
Travel
Study abroad looked like a bright prospect until something intervened. Remove the obstruction rather than abandoning the plan, and the arrangement still succeeds much as intended.
Advice
Stop cursing the cloud and start moving it, because the moon has been there the whole time.