Luo Xin escorted Tao Sheng all the way to the door. Just before they parted, she asked, “Ah Sheng, no one else is here. I’m asking one last time, do you really not want to come back?”

Tao Sheng lowered her eyes, “Sorry.”

She could be firm with everyone else at Deshou Hall, but she couldn’t say anything hurtful to her biological mother, Luo Xin, who genuinely cared for her.

Luo Xin didn’t fully understand Tao Sheng’s reasons.

Although the Wenyuan Marquis Mansion wasn’t a top-tier family among the capital’s noble families, it was much better than the Su family, where Tao Sheng lived.

Tao Sheng was reaching the age for marriage discussions. If she returned to the Marquis Mansion, not only would she have the status of a legitimate daughter and be able to find a better marriage, but she could also learn how to manage things and get a large dowry. These were all advantages in Luo Xin’s eyes.

After spending some time with her daughter, Luo Xin also felt that Tao Sheng’s reasons for not wanting to stay went beyond a simple grudge.

The Marquis Mansion hadn’t raised her or given her anything all these years. Luo Xin thought it was best for Tao Sheng to stay, but she didn’t want to force her.

“If you’re not feeling well, go back and rest. If you change your mind later, just send word.”

Tao Sheng smiled and nodded. “Thank you, Madam. Please take care.”

_

After Tao Sheng left the birthday banquet, the Wenyuan Marquis Mansion returned to its usual calm, but everyone sensed something was off.

In the first few days after Tao Sheng left, people thought she was ungrateful and didn’t appreciate how wealthy the Marquis Mansion was, making a foolish choice. Ruojin cried, saying she’d rather give up her status as the eldest daughter to bring Tao Sheng back, and everyone comforted Ruojin.

But after a few days, when Tao Sheng still didn’t respond and even returned the New Year gifts, Shen Yu and the others grew upset.

Shen Yu was especially irritated. As the Marquis of Wenyuan, he held a prominent title and was invited to royal banquets where even the emperor and empress dowager could see him. Yet, his own daughter would rather stay with a deceased couple from a small-town gentry family than return to his noble house. This felt like an insult to the entire Marquisate and to him as a father.

Thinking about it made Shen Yu lose interest in the upcoming New Year, despite the many tasks at hand. Tao Sheng was a minor figure in his eyes, but recent events made her hard to forget, leaving him feeling increasingly frustrated.

Tao Sheng’s frustration reached its peak when she refused to accept the New Year gifts and returned all the presents sent by the Marquis’ Mansion.

Shen Yu immediately went to the main courtyard to find his wife and said, “I think Tao Sheng listens to you. You should persuade her. The New Year is coming soon. She has already spent over ten years away from home. Isn’t that enough? Do you really want her to spend another year away?”

Luo Xin glanced at Shen Yu calmly: “As long as she is happy, it’s fine. It’s not like she has nowhere to go. She will be married next year. Why are you worrying?”

Luo Xin didn’t move to the manor, but stayed in the marquis’s mansion.

During the time Tao Sheng was away, Luo Xin observed her family’s behavior and realized a few things.

In this situation, Tao Sheng was clearly wronged, yet her mother-in-law, husband, and children comforted Ruo Jin, and some even criticized Tao Sheng’s behavior to make Ruojin look better.

It was truly ridiculous.

In her view, it wouldn’t be a bad thing if Tao Sheng didn’t return to such a home.

Although Tao Sheng was no longer in the Marquis’ Mansion, her influence extended far beyond what anyone imagined. Not only did Shen Yu feel uncomfortable, but the old lady did too.

They owned the Marquis’ Mansion, and other branches of the family had always looked up to and flattered them. For the sake of their children’s and grandchildren’s futures, they tried to get close to them, sending boys to private schools and girls to learn etiquette. But Tao Sheng didn’t seem to care about this family at all.

Shen Ci was also upset and told his brother Shen Yue about Tao Sheng’s lack of gratitude, which worried their parents and elders. The two brothers focused on Tao Sheng more than ever.

Shen Ruojin soon realized that things were spiraling out of her control.

This time, Tao Sheng’s departure was different. Since she left, her father, grandmother, and brothers felt angry whenever they thought about it. They had nothing good to say about her, though they were still concerned about her well-being.

On the twenty-eighth day of the lunar year, Shen Yu couldn’t resist bringing Shen Yue to the Su residence to pick up Tao Sheng and take her home.

Tao Sheng was cutting paper window decorations ^[1]refers to a traditional Chinese art, usually done during the New Year. with two maids, Qing Xing and Liu Mian, when her wet nurse, Mama Zhou, told her that the Marquis and Crown Prince had arrived outside, saying they wanted to take her home for the New Year. Should they invite them in?

Tao Sheng put down the scissors, frowning. “No need, help me change clothes, I’ll go out and see.”

She had made her decision that day in De Shou Hall and had made it clear to her family. She wasn’t going back for the New Year. Seeing them now seemed unnecessary.

Shen Yu’s tone was better than it had been at the birthday party, and he wasn’t as forceful. “You are the child your mother and I worked hard to have, and we’ve been hoping for your return. You’re still a girl without an engagement. Your aunt’s house is full of women, with no men. It’s not a place to live permanently. Your father is worried for your safety, so we brought Yue’er to take you back.”

What he meant was that it was unsafe without a man in the house.

Tao Sheng couldn’t help but smirk. It was even less safe with people like you.

If Shen Yu truly believed it was unsafe without a man, there were ways to address that.

“My aunt told me yesterday that my cousin will return before the New Year and stay in the capital for a long time until the autumn exam. The Marquis and Crown Prince are busy, so don’t worry about me.”

Shen Yu frowned. “Your cousin is coming back?”

From their investigations, they had learned that her cousin from her aunt’s family was often away and had little connection with the Luo family, so no one paid much attention to him.

Shen Yu knew almost nothing about Tao Sheng’s cousin.

“Yes,” Tao Sheng recalled her nurse Mother Tang’s description of her cousin Ji Bai and confidently said, “My cousin is a true talent.”

Tao Sheng then embellished Mother Tang’s words and praised her cousin highly.

In Tao Sheng’s description, her cousin was a model citizen, a pillar of the state, the very essence of literary talent in the Great Zhou.

Just then, Ji Yanming, her cousin, who had returned to the capital, approached her from behind, listening to her exaggerated praises.

In a letter, Su Jia had written that her cousin from her aunt’s family had finished mourning and was now living with her. Su Jia expressed great happiness over her niece’s arrival.

When Su Jia wrote to him, she would normally ask symbolic questions like whether he was eating well, resting well, and getting along with his teachers and classmates. But now, most of her letters were about her niece, Tao Sheng.

He hadn’t seen Tao Sheng for many years and didn’t expect to be greeted with such lavish praise when they met again.

This cousin, whom she had met only a few times as a child, admired him so much that she could praise him to others for a full quarter of an hour without repeating herself.

He was genuinely surprised.