“Indeed, what do I have to feel aggrieved about now?” Tao Hua’s voice was choked with emotion as she forced a smile. “Everyone says I’ve turned misfortune into a blessing.”
Mu Wuxia stared in bewilderment as Tao Hua’s demeanor shifted from smiling to weeping in an instant. Flustered, he quickly said, “Don’t cry! I misspoke. I’m sorry.” He frantically searched his pockets for a handkerchief, his young face scrunched up in concern. “You have every right to feel upset. That’s why I came here today.”
Tao Hua felt a twinge of guilt at how easily she had deceived this straightforward boy. She composed herself and nodded, “Your Highness is truly kind.”
“I’m not that great. People call me foolish behind my back, saying I’m always offending others,” Mu Wuxia pouted. “Even today, everyone at the palace advised me not to come. But I couldn’t rest easy without asking you personally—are you truly willing to marry Prime Minister Shen halfway through our engagement?”
“Willing?” Tao Hua’s eyes widened, ready to deny it. Although she had ambitions to climb the social ladder, she didn’t initially want to marry Shen Zaiyi. That beast had forced himself on her, leaving her no choice but to change her marriage plans!
However, remembering her task for the day, she swallowed her words and looked up at Mu Wuxia with tear-filled eyes. “Your Highness, this matter is beyond my control. I’m just a woman who traveled far to marry, with no family or support here. When this sudden incident occurred, and now that I’m under the Prime Minister’s roof… I truly cannot answer your question.”
“How can you not answer?” Mu Wuxia frowned. “Either you’re willing or you’re not.”
Tao Hua sighed softly, “Not everything in this world can be answered with a simple ‘willing’ or ‘unwilling’.”
If she said she was willing, she would offend the young prince and lose a potential ally. If she said she was unwilling, she would be openly defying Shen Zaiyi, making her life in the Prime Minister’s mansion unbearable. She wasn’t foolish enough to fall into Shen Zaiyi’s trap so easily.
“Why not?” The young prince grew stubborn, his expression guarded once more. “Are you trying to deceive me too?”
“No, that’s not it,” Tao Hua replied, startled by his piercing gaze. “Please, Your Highness, try to put yourself in my position! I suddenly fell victim to misfortune, completely powerless. Now that everything is settled, I bear the stigma of being impure and opportunistic. My suicide attempt failed, and I’m forced to live on in humiliation. How can my current situation be summed up by mere words of ‘willing’ or ‘unwilling’?”
Mu Wuxia’s expression softened as he watched tears stream down Tao Hua’s face. Feeling sympathetic, he finally pulled out a handkerchief from his chest and offered it to her. “Your handkerchief is soaked through.”
“Thank you, Your Highness,” Tao Hua whimpered as she accepted it. She used her handkerchief to blow her nose before discarding it, then continued to dab at her eyes with the prince’s handkerchief.
“Since you say you had no choice in the matter, can you tell me what happened that day?” he asked.
Tao Hua nodded obediently. “The wedding procession was intercepted by wolves halfway through. The guards scattered, and people fled the streets. My maid stayed behind with some others to cover our retreat, so I ran. Somehow, I ended up in the backyard of a brothel, where I was knocked unconscious and drugged… When I woke up, I found myself in this situation.”
“Wolves?” Mu Wuxia frowned. “They specifically targeted your wedding procession?”
Tao Hua lowered her gaze, thinking to herself, ‘Am I supposed to ask the wolves if they came specifically for me?’
Aloud, she said, “I don’t know where the wolves came from or why they suddenly appeared.”
The young prince’s frown deepened. “There have been wolf sightings in the capital recently. How is it possible that they haven’t been captured yet, and they just happened to cause trouble on our wedding day?”
Tao Hua pressed her lips together. “Surely no one can control such things. Who could command wolves?”
“Someone can,” Mu Wuxia’s eyes flashed with anger as he glanced around the Prime Minister’s residence. “The Prime Minister has a retainer named Qin Sheng who is skilled in wolf training.”
What?
Tao Hua maintained a neutral expression, but her heart sank.
The wolves in the street weren’t a coincidence? Could Shen Zaiyi have been controlling them from behind the scenes?
This was terrifying. Why would he do this? How did it benefit him to prevent her from marrying the Prince of Nan? Had she unknowingly offended Shen Zaiyi in a past life?
Feeling both angry and scared, Tao Hua took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to calm herself.
The reality was that she couldn’t outmaneuver Shen Zaiyi. She was already under his control, so her only option was to do what he wanted her to do, preserve her life for now, and investigate the rest slowly. Her immediate priority was to reassure the Prince of Nan.
“Your Highness may be overthinking this,” Tao Hua said, her voice steady despite her tightly clenched fists under the table. “The situation was chaotic, but those wolves didn’t seem to be under anyone’s control. They were likely just hungry and happened to encounter the wedding procession at dusk.”
Mu Wuxia’s brow remained furrowed. “How could you tell? Weren’t you focused on escaping at the time?”
Of course, she couldn’t tell, but she had to follow through on her promise, even if it meant swallowing her pride! Tao Hua took a deep breath and pretended to recall the events carefully.
“Although I was fleeing, I did manage to catch a glimpse of the scene. If the wolves were under someone’s control, they should have come directly for me. But they didn’t. I ended up in the brothel’s backyard by my misguided escape. I can’t blame others for that.”
Mu Wuxia pondered this. “So you’re saying that once you reached the brothel’s backyard, Prince Jing’s men mistook you for a courtesan, knocked you unconscious, and sent you to Prime Minister Shen?”
“Yes,” Tao Hua nodded. “I was knocked out as soon as I entered the courtyard. I don’t know anything about what happened after that.”
Even if she did know, she couldn’t share such details with a child!
The young prince’s expression turned serious, his lips pressed together and his jaw tense as if contemplating a grave matter. After a long moment, he said, “I think I understand what you’re saying. This incident wasn’t your fault. Perhaps it was a cruel twist of fate, or maybe Brother Prince Jing was behind it. You’re simply a victim in all this.”
“You don’t blame me anymore?” Tao Hua asked, looking at him hopefully.
“If I still blamed you under these circumstances, wouldn’t that be too harsh?” Mu Wuxia sighed. “Perhaps we were not destined to be husband and wife in this life.”
Although the young prince’s figure was already quite tall and his features handsome, he was still much younger than her. Hearing such words from his mouth made Tao Hua feel awkward. She could only sigh behind her handkerchief. Just as she was about to say something, the prince suddenly exclaimed:
“That’s the wrong handkerchief. Could you please return it to me?”
What? Tao Hua was startled. She lowered the handkerchief and examined it. It was an ordinary white silk handkerchief, embroidered with a single flower. The flower had many layers and was multicolored, though she couldn’t identify the species.
This floral handkerchief seemed familiar somehow…
Pressing her lips together, Tao Hua looked at Mu Wuxia and asked, “Is this handkerchief special to you?”
Mu Wuxia hesitated, glancing at his distant attendants before lowering his voice, “It’s a custom from the State of Wu. During spring, people carry handkerchiefs embroidered with the Hundred Springs Flower close to their hearts. It’s believed to bring blessings from the Spring Goddess for household harmony, national prosperity, and peace for the people.”
“However, Father Emperor disapproves of my adherence to Wu customs, so I can only carry this in secret.”
Tao Hua studied the handkerchief carefully, her gaze shifting. She slowly handed it back to the Prince of Nan. “I see. If the Emperor dislikes it, why does Your Highness insist on keeping it?”
“I’ve abandoned all other customs and rules, but this Spring Greeting ritual is the most important ceremony in Wu. Men of Wu must observe it, no matter where they are,” Mu Wuxia whispered, seeming nervous as he tucked the handkerchief back into his sleeve. “Although I’m a citizen of Great Wei, I did grow up in Wu, so…”
“I understand,” Tao Hua nodded, taking a sharp breath before smiling. “This flower must also be a unique emblem of Wu. I haven’t seen it anywhere else.”
The young prince, being naive, answered honestly: “Yes, the Hundred Springs Flower doesn’t exist in the real world. A single flower with seven colors can only be a divine flower. Legend has it that the first Empress of Wu embroidered it, and it has been passed down ever since, becoming a symbol of Wu’s faith.”
Faith is something that people hold onto regardless of where they are or what their status is, as long as it remains in their hearts.
Tao Hua felt a chill run through her body. She forced a smile and rubbed the corner of her eye.
“Are you tired?” The young prince’s brow furrowed again. After a moment’s thought, he stood up. “I shouldn’t stay too long. Now that I’ve asked what I needed to, I’ll take my leave and have a word with the Prime Minister.”
“Thank you for your kindness today, Your Highness,” Tao Hua stood and bowed to the Prince of Nan. “Please, take care on your way.”
Mu Wuxia glanced at her one last time, feeling that this woman was truly pitiful. With a slight sigh, he turned and left.
Qing Tai, who had been standing outside the pavilion, saw the prince leave and came in to support her mistress. To her surprise, Tao Hua collapsed into a sitting position, her brow furrowed and her gaze unfocused.
“My lady?” Qing Tai was startled. “What’s wrong?”
Closing her eyes briefly, Tao Hua grabbed Qing Tai’s arm and whispered, “I feel things are getting more and more complicated…”
Qing Tai looked bewildered as Tao Hua lowered her head and began to ponder.
As mentioned before, Tao Hua had an excellent memory. She recalled the pattern on the handkerchief that had fallen from Shen Zaiyi’s pocket when she was helping him change clothes the night before.
That pattern matched the one on the Prince of Nan’s handkerchief today—the Hundred Springs Flower, unique to Wu and revered as a symbol of faith.
It was understandable for the Prince of Nan, who had been a hostage in Wu, to follow Wu customs. But why did Shen Zaiyi also carry a handkerchief with the Hundred Springs Flower?
(End of Chapter)