Taohua laughed and touched her face, looking at him intently, “So you’re a man who appreciates beauty after all.”
“What do you mean?”
“Didn’t you say you took a liking to me at first sight in Hengfeng?” Taohua said, “Wasn’t that first glance about seeing if I was good-looking or not?”
Shen Zaiye paused, then said very seriously, “I just thought you looked amusingly foolish pretending to faint. As for your appearance, I didn’t get a clear look.”
Jiang Taohua: “…”
How was she foolish? She had been so clever at the time!
“What about you?” Shen Zaiye asked, “When did you start having feelings for me?”
He used to be so reticent, never revealing his feelings. Now that they were speaking openly, he was quite direct. Taohua’s gaze wandered for a while before she said, “I don’t remember.”
Narrowing his eyes, Shen Zaiye was displeased, “What do you mean you don’t remember?”
“I truly don’t remember,” Taohua said. “At first, I just felt you were someone I could rely on. Following you meant having food to eat. Later… I just got used to being with you.”
This answer was far from satisfying. Shen Zaiye looked up at the sky and sighed, “So it turns out I’ve lost to you in matters of the heart.”
He was the one who fell in love first.
“Does it matter?” Taohua pouted, “I’ve lost to you so many times, don’t you want to let me win even once?”
Chuckling softly, Shen Zaiye embraced her, touching his forehead to hers, “You’ve won this time, and I’ll be yours for a lifetime.”
Smiling happily, Taohua hugged him back, her eyes slightly reddening.
If only this lifetime could be longer.
They didn’t know if Mu Wuyin had caught up with Lady Li in the end, or what the outcome for those two would be. In any case, when they continued their journey the next day, the owners of the residence had not yet returned.
“Looks like we can’t say goodbye,” Taohua sighed. “It’s rare to have such a fated encounter.”
“What’s the point of goodbyes?” Sitting in the carriage, Shen Zaiye tucked a soft blanket around her and said softly, “Everyone has their own life to live. It’s best not to meet again in this vast world.”
This parting likely meant they truly would never meet again, right? Taohua smiled and pressed her palms together, sincerely wishing for the couple to live out the rest of their lives in harmony.
The four continued their journey. Taohua’s condition improved considerably. She was able to talk and laugh again, finding everything fascinating along the way. They stopped frequently, which added several days to their travel time before reaching their destination.
“Where is this?” Standing on a hilltop, Taohua looked at the mountain full of peach trees, though the flowers had not yet bloomed.
“Come with me,” Shen Zaiye took her hand and led her into the mountain.
Taohua followed curiously, passing through several small paths, her heart full of joy expecting to see a quiet and quaint farmhouse.
Instead, she saw a large mansion. That’s right, the kind with red walls and yellow tiles that looked like an official residence, towering majestically amidst a grove of peach trees.
Taohua: “…”
“Don’t you like it?” Shen Zaiye raised an eyebrow, surveying the mansion, “It’s built quite nicely.”
“My lord,” Taohua was a bit overwhelmed, “Don’t you think building this kind of mansion in a place like this is very out of place?”
“It’s not bad. Outside the imperial palace in the Great Wei capital, there’s a grove of peach trees just like this. The peach blossoms reflecting off the red walls and yellow tiles look quite beautiful,” Shen Zaiye said very seriously. “Besides, this kind of mansion is very comfortable to live in. You’ll see once you go inside.”
Torn between laughter and tears, Taohua resisted, “I wanted a small cottage with a fence!”
“That’s too crude, and the mountain air is damp,” Shen Zaiye frowned. “With your condition, you need to be well taken care of.”
With that, he picked her up and forcibly carried her into the mansion.
Taohua chose to remain silent. How could she forget, that Shen Zaiye was not a good official? If someone were to steal his treasury, the silver inside would probably be more than that of several Zhao officials combined! How could such a person be content with a life of poverty?
Crouching sulkily by the window, Taohua was like a bristling cat, staring at the peach trees outside without saying a word.
Shen Zaiye picked up a hairpin and inserted it into her hair, then said, “Let’s eat first.”
“How is this any different from the Chancellor’s mansion?” Taohua was extremely dejected. “A courtyard full of servants, high walls, and grand courtyards, just with a change of scenery outside!”
“Isn’t it good?” Shen Zaiye said, “It has all the necessary differences. No one will come here looking for me to do work, and there won’t be a yard full of restless women. You can do whatever you want.”
“It’s not that it’s not good,” Taohua looked at him gloomily, gesturing with her hands. “But in my imagination, there should be an ordinary courtyard here, with no one else, just the two of us. Then we could watch the sunrise in the morning and the sunset in the evening. Wouldn’t that be nice?”
“Master,” Qing Tai’s face fell, “If there can only be the two of you, what about this servant?”
Glancing at her, Taohua narrowed her eyes, “You’re not getting any younger. Naturally, you should get married.”
Get married? Qing Tai shuddered and shook her head repeatedly, “This servant still prefers to stay with the master.”
“If you like to stay, then stay. This mansion is big enough anyway,” Taohua sighed, resigning herself. After thinking for a moment, she asked Shen Zaiye seriously, “Are there midwives?”
Shen Zaiye paused, his expression tightening slightly. He nodded, “The best midwives from Great Wei were sent here early on. This courtyard has doctors, medical women, midwives, everything.”
“Good,” Taohua smiled. “Then I can rest easy.”
Looking at her slightly protruding belly, Shen Zaiye closed his eyes, his mood instantly becoming somber. Jiang Taohua, however, acted as if nothing was wrong, regaining her lively demeanor and starting to drag him around to look at every corner of the mansion.
This mansion was prepared by Shen Zaiye for himself long ago, thinking that one day it might come in handy. Originally, the outside of the mansion was filled with rockery and arrays to prevent outsiders from entering. Now, it had been transformed into mountains and fields of peach blossoms.
When spring comes, it must be very beautiful.
“My lord,” touching the hairpin that had just been placed on her head, Taohua curiously pulled it out to look at it. “Why did you give this to me?”
It was a white jade hairpin that looked somewhat familiar yet particularly delicate. Judging by the mutton-fat jade, it was valuable.
“This is a recent item from the Treasure Pavilion,” Shen Zaiye said matter-of-factly. “The most expensive one.”
Huh? Taohua didn’t quite understand what he meant. But when she looked up, she saw the white jade hairpin she had once bought for him inserted in his hair.
In an instant, the clever Taohua understood what this meant. She nodded in realization and, hugging Shen Zaiye’s arm, showered him with praise: “My lord is so thoughtful! I love it!”
Lord Shen listened with great satisfaction, his gaze softening as he looked at her. He said softly, “This pair of white jade hairpins is unique in the world.”
Nodding guiltily, Taohua didn’t have the heart to tell him that she had once given Xu Yangui a white jade hairpin too. If this lord knew, he would probably turn the world upside down.
But the fact that he would have such a sentimental thought was… quite unexpected.
Unexpected and delightful.
Once everyone had settled into the mansion, Taohua finally achieved her dream life of living comfortably by relying on her charms.
However, her complexion worsened day by day. No matter what prescriptions or medicinal herbs Shen Zaiye sought, as her belly grew larger, her body became increasingly thin.
Shen Zaiye was very anxious, like an agitated lion. Only when he was by Taohua’s side could he temporarily suppress his temper, gently encouraging her to eat and sleep.
One day, after drinking her medicine, Taohua tugged at Shen Zaiye’s sleeve and asked with a smile, “It’s already March, why haven’t the peach blossoms opened yet?”
Shen Zaiye’s expression was somewhat grim. He held her in his arms, looking outside, “Perhaps it’s too cold in these mountains, so they might not bloom for another two months.”
Taohua nodded, “Then I’ll wait.”
The bottle of antidote was with Qing Tai. Shen Zaiye had never dared to check how much was left until one day when he woke up feeling an acute pain in his heart. He finally got up to ask Qing Tai.
Qing Tai’s eyes were red. She didn’t dare to attend to Taohua and could only say to Shen Zaiye, “My lord, please spend more time with the mistress.”
His pupils constricted slightly as Shen Zaiye reached for the bottle nearby and looked at it.
It was empty.
It was May, but the mountain seemed as if spring had just arrived. A gust of wind blew in through the window, carrying many peach blossom petals.
Jiang Taohua leaned by the bed, watching, her hand gently covering her swollen belly. She said softly, “My lord, we can go see the peach blossoms now.”
“You can’t go out in this condition,” Shen Zaiye pressed his lips together. “If you want to see them, I’ll pick some and bring them in for you.”
“What’s the point of bringing them inside?” Taohua pouted. “We’ve finally come to live on Peach Blossom Mountain. Can’t you let me see with my own eyes what a mountain full of peach pink looks like?”
Looking at her complexion, Shen Zaiye was very hesitant. But Jiang Taohua, as always, had a way to make him agree—she hugged him and acted coquettishly!
“Alright,” his throat inexplicably tight, Shen Zaiye picked her up. As his hand touched the bones of her body, his eyes involuntarily reddened.
“Father Emperor was quite biased when naming us,” hugging his neck, Taohua smiled. “When my elder sister was born, he pored over books for a long time and chose the character ‘Su Heng’. When Changjie was born, being the only prince, he also put some thought into it.”
“Only for me, he casually chose ‘Taohua’ because the peach blossoms in the palace were blooming nicely.”
Holding her tightly, Shen Zaiye said softly, “I like this name.”
“I like it too, not for any other reason, but because peach blossoms are as beautiful as I am.” With a playful laugh, they had just crossed the threshold. She turned her head and saw the mountain full of blooming peach blossoms.
“They’ve bloomed right on time,” Taohua smiled, reaching out to catch the petals blown by the wind. She said softly, “But my lord, in the future, you should find a different place to live.”
(End of Chapter)