No one had ever said anything like that to Tao Zan before.

He had been born fair-skinned and tender, with a babyish face — wherever he went, he was the young master everyone adored.

Added to this were the protection of his maternal uncle, Duke Tao, and a mother who had indulged him since childhood. He still carried himself like a child who hadn’t grown up, and matters like the proper observance of distance between men and women had never truly settled into his heart.

He wasn’t always like this — it was simply that after that brief encounter with Madam Chu at the imperial temple, for reasons he couldn’t quite name, this charming and spirited woman had appeared in his dreams several times. And so when he unexpectedly saw her in broad daylight, the delight burst out of him before he could stop it.

But now, a high-ranking court official of commanding presence had coldly rebuked him, mocking him for not knowing how to read the room and for simply clinging to someone in a one-sided manner.

And it had all been watched from beginning to end by the woman who appeared in his dreams. Even the most thick-skinned young man would be unable to save face at this point.

The fair skin of his cheeks flushed crimson in an instant. He pointed a finger at Situ Sheng and began to stammer: “You… you…”

He wanted to argue back, but for some inexplicable reason, the moment he looked into this man’s cold and piercing eyes, it was as though his very soul had been subdued. An indescribable cowardice rose within him — his presence seemed to simply shrink away — and he could only stand there glaring uselessly.

Situ Sheng caught sight of Linlang boarding the carriage out of the corner of his eye, and having no further patience to waste on this half-brother he had never acknowledged, he turned and walked away with long, purposeful strides — leaving Tao Zan standing there, so flustered with rage that he couldn’t get his tongue to work.

Tao Zan, having been coldly humiliated by Situ Sheng, felt half his body go numb with fury. His head buzzed and rang. He even felt, from that moment on, that he would never again be able to hold his head up before Madam Chu.

He climbed woodenly back into his carriage. Only once he was inside did the full wave of it hit him. He pounded the carriage wall and wailed loudly.

As his mother had been residing at the Duke’s estate for the past few days, Tao Zan had returned there as well.

The moment he stepped off the carriage — his eyes so swollen from crying they looked like peaches — he gave Tao Huiru, who was waiting at the door, quite a fright.

She quickly asked: “Zan’er, what happened?”

Tao Zan said nothing. Red-eyed, neck stiff, looking as though he had been possessed, he covered his face and ran back to his room with his head down.

Tao Huiru grew anxious, and quickly grabbed hold of Tao Zan’s personal attendant to ask what had happened to the young master.

The attendant was not entirely clear on the details himself, and simply recounted what had happened at the palace gates: “The young master was perfectly fine, talking to Madam Hua and Lady Xinmei about the mid-month ceremony, when Lord Situ from the Bureau of Military Affairs suddenly walked over with a cold look on his face and reprimanded the young master — said the young master didn’t know how to read the room and kept giving people… trouble. And then… the young master couldn’t argue back, so he was so upset that he cried the whole way home…”

When Tao Huiru heard this, the whole picture fell into place in an instant. She was so furious that even her nostrils trembled with barely suppressed rage.

That pair of wretched creatures again! Did they think that because she was a widow without support, she was easy to bully — and so they acted without the slightest restraint?

Never mind the account of that coarse Chu Linlang laying hands on her — but on what grounds did Situ Sheng have the right to humiliate Zan’er?

Ever since Yang Yi had turned traitor, Tao Huiru had lived as though widowed, pouring all her thoughts and feelings into her son.

Tao Zan was the treasure she held in her own mouth — no one was permitted to harm him.

This Situ Sheng! If he didn’t die, how could she and her son ever know peace?

With that thought, nothing but a surging, burning murderous intent could be seen in Tao Huiru’s eyes.

But she was now without support or allies — how could she possibly contend with this schemer whose roots in the court were growing ever deeper and broader?

They were both descendants of the Yang military family. Yet that foolish, spineless woman, Wen Shi — with her lack of any backbone or intelligence — how had she managed to produce such a formidable son?

And yet Tao Zan, whom she had painstakingly raised and cultivated, had turned out to be nothing but a guileless, utterly unscheming child…

At this thought, Tao Huiru was overcome by an indescribable ache in her heart. And when she recalled how Yang Yi, at their last meeting, had mentioned secretly seeing Zan’er — only to sneer at him as a soft and spineless sheep, a complete waste — her chest grew even more oppressively tight.

If the Yang family had not suffered its misfortune, her son would probably still not have been a match for Yang Jiexing, the eldest son — that was an undeniable fact, and it made everything all the more unbearable.

Wasn’t Yang Yi so proud of his son by Wen Shi? Very well! She would make Yang Yi watch with his own eyes as this deeply embedded nail he had planted in the court was destroyed.

She was now alone — a widow with a fatherless child, with no one to rely on. What of it?

She suddenly recalled that just a few days ago, the Crown Prince had unexpectedly brought up the matter of those years when she had resided at the Crown Prince’s estate — and what he had implied was well worth pondering.

Perhaps she ought to follow Situ Sheng’s example and find herself a great tree to lean upon…

The next day, hearing that the Crown Prince had come to call on her elder brother, Tao Huiru timed her arrival carefully and carried a plate of fruit to her elder brother’s study.

She knocked on the study door and entered. Tao Shi had already set aside the turbulence in her heart, and greeted Tao Haisheng and the Crown Prince with a composed smile.

The Crown Prince and Tao Haisheng had just finished their official business. Seeing Tao Huiru enter, the Crown Prince rose and made to take his leave.

But Tao Huiru spoke up and asked him to stay. She mentioned the matter of Tao Zan presiding over the mid-month ceremony, and made a request of the Crown Prince: “This is the first time Zan’er has personally taken charge and been solely responsible for a ceremony and ritual site since becoming a temple official. If few people attend, he will lose face. I wonder if Your Highness might find time to honor us with your presence — you and the Crown Princess attending together would give Zan’er a great boost in standing?”

Though Tao Haisheng would do anything his sister asked, even this request gave him some pause. He felt it was a little presumptuous of her to ask in this manner.

The Crown Prince’s head was already full of his own troubles. Hearing Tao Huiru’s words, he found this aunt of his quite inconsiderate — yet he couldn’t very well refuse her to her face in front of Tao Haisheng. And so he offered a perfunctory answer: “Affairs at the frontier have been keeping me occupied of late, and I am truly unable to get away. I will have the Crown Princess attend in my stead to lend the occasion some prestige.”

Hearing this, Tao Huiru quickly replied: “I wouldn’t dare put Your Highness to any trouble. There are, however, some rather involved incense preparations for attending the ceremony. Allow me to see you out, and take the opportunity to explain the details to you, so that you may convey them to the Crown Princess.”

With that, she also stopped her elder brother, who had begun to rise to escort the guest: “I’ll see the Crown Prince out myself. I was going to ask after the Crown Princess following her confinement anyway.”

The Crown Princess had indeed just delivered a child and was recently out of her confinement period — this was not the sort of topic for a man to overhear.

And so Tao Haisheng gave the Crown Prince a respectful bow of farewell and remained behind.

As Tao Huiru led the way to see the Crown Prince out, they happened to pass through a secluded garden. Tao Huiru glanced back to confirm that the servants were standing far off, and then turned with a smile and said quietly to the Crown Prince: “Your Highness — would you like an opportunity to be rid of Situ Sheng, once and for all?”

The Crown Prince’s eyelid gave a slight involuntary twitch. He turned, looking at his aunt with puzzlement: “What… what do you mean by that?”

Tao Huiru, for the sake of her son, could not reveal what she knew of Situ Sheng’s secret identity. She merely smiled faintly: “Nothing much — only that Lord Situ is the sort of arrogant and overbearing man who is truly no blessing to the court. Did Your Highness not yourself once say that this person was trouble? As it happens, there is now an opportunity — one that might give Your Highness a great advantage!”

As she spoke, her face wore a bright, pleasant smile — but her eyes were filled with a murderous intent she could not conceal.

Even the Crown Prince couldn’t help giving an inward shudder. And it was only now that he truly recalled what manner of ruthless and decisive woman this aunt of his had once been.

Tao Huiru had once been involved in a fierce and violent conflict with Yang Yi. After Yang Yi uttered the vicious threat of divorcing her, she had come running to him and sold out the Yang family.

Though the later defeat at the Negative Waters campaign, and Yang Xun’s death in battle, had been entirely beyond what Tao Shi had foreseen — once the news of Yang Yi’s defection reached the capital, she had steeled herself to cut all emotional ties with her own husband and sever herself from the Yang family with a single stroke of the sword. And then, with clever maneuvering, she had used his position as Crown Prince to protect herself and her son.

How laughable Yang Yi must be — he almost certainly had no idea, even now, that the Yang family’s downfall had been brought about entirely by the woman who had shared his pillow!

He had also heard, just today upon his arrival, that Tao Zan had been harshly rebuked by Situ Sheng at the palace gates the day before, causing him considerable public humiliation.

If Situ Sheng had managed to thoroughly offend her through this, then he had truly made an enemy of a venomous woman indeed!

Still, upon hearing Tao Huiru’s words, the Crown Prince couldn’t help a disdainful laugh. How could a woman like her — long removed from court affairs, living in near-reclusion with her hair tied back in the manner of those who had taken religious vows — possibly bring down a first-rank senior court official? The notion was sheer fantasy, absurd in the extreme!

Yet Tao Huiru seemed to know precisely where the Crown Prince’s most hidden and tender wound lay. Without haste, she dangled her bait: “Has Your Highness not also thought of a way? Everyone makes mistakes eventually. Some mistakes can be forgiven — and some cannot. If Situ Sheng were to touch upon something that provoked the Emperor’s deepest wrath — if he were accused of attempting to pass off a false heir as a true one of the imperial bloodline — do you think His Majesty would still be willing to trust him?”

With that, Tao Huiru gestured for the Crown Prince to lean closer, and then pressed her lips near his ear and murmured softly: “Has not Situ Sheng received the Emperor’s command to search for the third imperial prince who went missing so many years ago? Since that is so, why not help him along — help him find the prince — would that not be all the better?”

The Crown Prince’s heart lurched once more. His expression darkened: “How do you know about this?”

Tao Huiru smiled faintly: “Does Your Highness truly not know? We women in the inner quarters sometimes know more about what goes on than you gentlemen in the outer court!”

The Crown Prince had no patience to get into the question of where she had heard it. But what did she mean, letting Situ Sheng find the third prince? Wouldn’t that be erecting an obstacle directly in his own path?

Yet Tao Huiru continued with a low, composed smile: “Your Highness, why do you still not understand? This third prince can be real or false! If Situ Sheng finds the genuine one, it would be a great achievement to his name. But if His Majesty is ultimately left with nothing but an empty celebration, and discovers that Situ Sheng has ‘deliberately’ produced a counterfeit — what do you imagine His Majesty would think of him then?”

Watching his aunt’s meaningful smile, the Crown Prince finally began to grasp what she was suggesting.

Yet he still felt the execution would be extremely difficult. Situ Sheng was no fool — how could he be made to believe in a third prince who had appeared out of nowhere?

Tao Huiru, however, was perfectly composed and confident: “That is what human effort is for, Your Highness. Since you were able to bring down the fourth prince and Noble Consort Jing, what difficulty could this mere Situ Sheng pose?”

Ever since she had learned Situ Sheng’s secret — and had then been outmaneuvered by Chu Linlang, who had seized the weakness of her son’s letter as leverage against her — Tao Huiru had not been able to sleep soundly for a single day.

Then, quite by chance, Tao Huiru overheard her father speaking with her elder brother about how His Majesty, in the wake of Prince Tai’s great uproar at the execution ground, had revived his intentions to search for the third prince. Combined with the Crown Prince’s sudden mention of the past, it had triggered a sudden flash of insight.

Years ago, she had accompanied the Crown Princess’s elder sister to reside for a time at the Crown Prince’s estate, and had personally witnessed the incident of the lost child at that estate.

She was thoroughly familiar with every detail of that event. She even knew the patterns on the belongings the child had carried.

If one wished to tamper with that long-buried affair, she could provide the Crown Prince with tremendous advantage.

And so she had gathered her courage and sought out the Crown Prince, proposing this scheme — now it remained to be seen whether the Crown Prince would take the bait.

But Tao Huiru was confident — the Crown Prince would never let such an opportunity pass.

That time when the deposed prince had caused a scene at the ceremony and exposed the evil deeds Noble Consort Jing had committed all those years ago — the Crown Prince’s hand had certainly been in that too.

She, as his aunt, knew all too well the most tender points in this esteemed nephew of hers, and also understood his nature — one who would never let even the smallest slight go unanswered.

At present, the one most at odds with the Crown Prince was precisely Situ Sheng — always raising objections and cutting across his plans.

So how could this fragrant, enticing bait possibly be refused?

Sure enough, after a moment of contemplative silence, the Crown Prince turned to Tao Huiru and said: “My recent fortunes have been inauspicious. I should indeed offer some prayers and seek blessings. My cousin’s ceremony — I will attend in person. When the time comes, we shall sit and speak more carefully of family matters…”

Just yesterday, he had caught wind of news that his imperial father had indeed gone to the Empress Dowager to inquire about Tao Yashu — and had even discussed with the Empress Dowager what consort rank would be appropriate if the legitimate granddaughter of Duke Tao were to be taken into the palace. From the sound of it, the intention was to bestow the rank of full consort directly, then increment it gradually over the new year celebrations — and in the end, there was a real possibility she could become the new Empress of Great Jin.

The Crown Prince had barely slept for two days over this. He had come to his maternal uncle’s today partly to sound out the situation…

But hearing that his fourth aunt Tao Huiru had fallen into conflict with Tao Yashu, and that the two were on poor terms, the Crown Prince suddenly felt that at the ceremony, he might find a moment to speak privately with this aunt of his about another concern weighing on his heart — to see whether she could devise a solution that would spare family relations while permanently eliminating this other threat…

Tao Huiru smiled serenely as she saw the Crown Prince off, standing in the doorway — and the smile lingered on her face for a long, long while.

As it was the first ceremony Temple Official Tao Zan had ever presided over, a great number of distinguished ladies and honored guests came to lend their support. That baby-faced young man was beaming with unabashed pride.

But those who understood the situation knew perfectly well that such a bustling, packed occasion owed entirely to a mother with far-reaching connections.

Though Tao Huiru had offended the relatives of the Yang family and had inexplicably grown distant from the refined literary circle around Hua Shi, she was, after all, the Crown Prince’s aunt. And since the Crown Prince and the Crown Princess had both honored the ceremony with their presence, many prominent and wealthy guests had come purely out of deference to the Crown Prince’s face.

Even the Empress Dowager had been gracious enough to have Tao Yashu bring a generous offering of incense and tribute to bolster her nephew’s occasion.

On the first day of the ceremony, incense smoke swirled through the temple. The Crown Prince had specifically opened a meditation room and invited his aunt for tea.

When the Crown Prince mentioned that Tao Yashu, by lending her assistance to Madam Chu, had caught the Emperor’s eye, Tao Huiru’s brow furrowed.

With Madam Wu already eyeing her with increasing displeasure, if her daughter were suddenly to soar to the heights of fortune, even her elder brother Tao Haisheng might not be able to protect her…

Her thoughts turning swiftly, Tao Huiru smiled faintly: “Yashu, that child, is self-serving by nature. Were she to become Empress, there is no certainty she would offer any support to you, her cousin. If Your Highness has second thoughts and no longer wishes to see her rise — such matters are not without room to maneuver…”

And with that, she leaned forward and began to murmur into the Crown Prince’s ear.

Those who are parents think most deeply about their children — and are most willing to sacrifice for them. Such was her own feeling toward her Zan’er. And the Emperor’s willingness to sacrifice for his most beloved child would only run deeper still…

Now, as for this particular ceremony — not everyone had attended. Chu Linlang, for one, had not gone.

She and Tao Huiru had already torn away all pretense of civility between them. There was no need whatsoever for her to go and flatter that mother and son.

Besides, Situ Sheng had coldly rebuked Tao Zan that day — the young man would surely not come pestering her again after that.

But afterward, she heard from Guan Jinhe, who had been in attendance, about some remarkable occurrences. The ceremony, it seemed, had been far from ordinary.

The first two days had passed without incident. But on the last day of the blessing ceremony, the large sacred water cistern in the imperial temple — the one that had been maintained for years to pray for the third prince — suddenly cracked open on its own without cause.

The sacred water spread across the ground in all directions. At the same moment, though the temple had no pond nearby, a chorus of frogs began to sound from all around, an extraordinary omen manifesting before all.

Guan Jinhe had been present at the time, and had been so frightened by the frogs leaping everywhere that she had hidden in her mother’s arms and wept.

For the past two days she had been unable to settle her nerves. Knowing that Madam Chu had some gift for divination, she had hurried here to tell her the news and ask what this omen might signify.

Little did she know that, though Madam Chu could often be seen solemnly rattling her tortoise shell, she was in truth a thoroughly opportunistic woman — pious when it served her, and deeply skeptical of the supernatural when it did not.

When Guan Jinhe finished telling her of these things, Chu Linlang couldn’t help a quiet jolt of unease in her heart.

Because she was reminded of the unexpected incident at the last ceremony. Though the two incidents had played out quite differently, Chu Linlang found herself wondering — if this was not some heavenly omen, what manner of person could have deliberately gathered so many frogs to stage such a spectacle?

News of the cracked sacred cistern for the third prince’s blessing spread quickly to the Emperor, who was so startled he dropped the teacup in his hand.

The third prince was an old wound in the old Emperor’s heart. An omen like this naturally had to be resolved through the guidance of a skilled interpreter — for whether it portended fortune or calamity was not easy to determine.

His Majesty wished to consult the eminent monk Lingyun for clarity, but the great master had unfortunately departed on a wandering journey to visit friends and would not return to the capital for several months.

At that moment, someone recommended the vice presiding monk of the imperial temple — the eminent monk Lingxi — saying this senior monk was a master at interpreting the meaning of signs and omens.

And so Master Lingxi received an imperial summons and entered the palace, reassuring His Majesty as follows: as for the cistern’s cracking, it meant that a confounding situation was on the verge of being resolved.

This signified that the predicament that had long troubled the third prince was nearing its resolution — only, the nature of the third prince’s predicament remained unknown.

Such words were far more invigorating to the old Emperor’s spirits than any ceremony could ever be.

He quickly asked: could anything be discerned from this divine sign about where the third prince was currently located?

Master Lingxi made a show of counting on his fingers in deliberate calculation, then said: “Strange — judging by the direction in which the cistern cracked and the water flowed, the third prince ought to be to the north. Yet the third prince has long been ill and confined to his estate. The Third Prince’s Manor should clearly be located to the south. How very strange…”

The old Emperor’s mind was perfectly clear — there was nothing strange about it at all.

The Third Prince’s Manor was nothing but an empty shell of a residence. No master had ever actually lived there.

He had heard beforehand that this Master Lingxi had once been the presiding monk of another temple, and had been transferred to the imperial temple by the previous temple official because of his skill in divination and in interpreting fortune and calamity.

Since he was here, His Majesty naturally wished to have the master cast a divination for the third prince as well, to see what the current state of his circumstances might be.

Master Lingxi inquired about the third prince’s birth date and time. He pondered for a moment, then asked: “May I be so bold as to ask Your Majesty — has the third prince taken a wife?”

This was… a matter that had long weighed on the old Emperor’s heart. Though he had sent gifts and bestowed rewards upon the Third Prince’s Manor year after year, without interruption at every festival —

The prince was not at his side. How was he to arrange a marriage for him? His Majesty had always publicly claimed the prince was too frail and unwell to be seen by others.

Master Lingxi let out a slow sigh: “The third prince has a fate of three successive trials. His bond of kinship with Your Majesty is remarkably thin. If Your Majesty wishes to fortify that bond, you must act in your capacity as his imperial father and bestow upon the third prince a marriage — find a woman whose birth characters would be of benefit to him, nourishing and sustaining his spiritual roots. Only thus can the third prince be kept from harm for the rest of his life.”

The old Emperor had always put great faith in this sort of talk about compatible birth characters. He found the master’s words to carry some weight.

But as for which woman’s birth characters would prove most beneficial, the master’s further guidance would be needed…

Master Lingxi stroked his long beard and said: “Since the purpose is to benefit and nourish the imperial prince, it would naturally be best to choose a woman who currently serves as an official within the palace. For one thing, it removes any worry about unclear family background. For another, a woman capable of serving as a female official must certainly be of upright conduct and character.”

These words prompted the Emperor to nod repeatedly, finding them quite reasonable.

Though the Third Prince’s Manor had long carried the reputation of being a ghost-manor, even taking on a nominal princess consort who would serve as little more than a decorative figure was not something to be done carelessly. Naturally one had to find a woman who could endure solitude, and who would be capable of guarding the secrets of an empty manor!

When the register of female officials within the palace was brought forward, Master Lingxi didn’t even glance at the names — he simply swept his eyes quickly over their birth dates and birth times, and then his gaze lit up with sudden astonishment: “How extraordinary — I never expected to find birth characters of such benefit to the third highness. Truly rare, truly remarkable!”

With that, he circled the relevant birth characters. When the eunuch conveyed the record to His Majesty for inspection, the old Emperor couldn’t help but frown.

For the name corresponding to those birth characters was none other than the woman he had intended to elevate to consort rank — the legitimate granddaughter of Duke Tao — Tao Yashu.

Emperor Jinren looked upon this, and his expression darkened considerably.

He was about to say that this woman would not do, and to ask the master to look through the remaining records for other suitable birth characters, when Master Lingxi spoke again: “This woman’s birth has three calamitous markers, which correspond precisely to the three tribulations in the third highness’s fate. If he obtains this woman, the bond of kinship between Your Majesty and the third highness may last long and endure…”

The phrase “last long and endure” struck the old Emperor’s deepest wound.

He had been dreaming of Consort Fang again lately — she was crouching in the medicinal herb garden she had planted herself, smiling at him…

She still bore him no grudge for his failure to find their child. She was still willing to appear in his dreams and smile at him.

He owed that mother and son far too much. Never mind a duke’s granddaughter — if their child were right here at his side, even a celestial immortal descended from the heavens would be worthy of him!

And yet — could this Master Lingxi’s words truly be trusted? The old Emperor’s heart still wavered between belief and doubt.

In any case, the imperial edict that had been intended to elevate Tao Yashu’s rank was now delayed, with no date set for its issuance.

This left Madam Wu — who had already heard a hint of it let slip by the Empress Dowager — in a state of unsettled anxiety.

In gratitude to Madam Hua and Madam Chu for having entered the palace and spoken with her daughter Yashu that time, Madam Wu had specifically invited both ladies to a tea gathering.

Madam Wu could not afford to show Madam Chu the cold face she once had — as soon as she saw Madam Chu arrive, she greeted her first with a warm smile.

No wonder His Majesty had bestowed upon this woman the title “Lady of the Golden Carp” — this Madam Chu truly did carry a full body’s worth of auspicious fortune!

Her daughter Yashu had looked as though she might not even be able to attain the rank of Shuyi, and would spend her days in quiet attendance upon the Empress Dowager, waiting to be sent home from the palace. Yet it had taken no more than the time Yashu spent selecting flowers with Madam Chu in the garden for fate to arrange a chance encounter with His Majesty — and because she had spoken with principle and composure, neither bowing nor cowering, in her rebuke of Xiao Shuyi’s arrogance, she had won the Emperor’s favor.

When Madam Wu heard the Empress Dowager mention that His Majesty had already discussed her daughter’s consort ranking with her, she had been overjoyed, feeling that the heart she had kept suspended for so many days had at last found a place to settle.

In her heightened spirits, Madam Wu had even set aside her old grievances against her sister-in-law.

This time’s tea gathering at the estate had invited many ladies from prominent households. To deliberately exclude someone would only invite talk. And so she had sent a servant to invite Tao Huiru as well.

Which meant this was the second time Chu Linlang and Tao Huiru had crossed paths since that beating in the bamboo grove.

Though the two could barely stand the sight of each other, both were thoroughly practiced in the art of surface pleasantries. They exchanged smiling nods, took their seats with gracious smiles, each performing the part with no less fluency than the other.