Chapter 15

Once Su Jia decides to do something, she usually acts quickly, and this time is no exception.

This shop was originally rented out for the business of calligraphy, painting, and antiques. The furnishings were already set up like a zither store, so it didn’t need a major overhaul. Su Jia spent two months making the zither store presentable, but she struggled with decorating the last wall.

The previous shop owner had displayed some landscape paintings on this wall, but now those had been removed, leaving the wall empty.

Su Jia wasn’t sure how to decorate it. She thought about buying famous paintings and calligraphy for display, but those were too expensive. She feared that hanging ordinary paintings would lower the store’s prestige, leaving her uncertain about how to proceed.

Tao Sheng suggested, “Why don’t you set up a bookshelf here and put some music scores on it? If beginners come to buy instruments, they can also pick up a few music scores or use them as holiday gifts in the store.”

Moreover, this decoration would make the shop look more cultured and artistic.

Su Jia happily replied, “You are smart, let’s do it this way.”

The decorator hired by the store is very professional, and Su Jia is pleased with his skills and taste.

After the store was decorated, Su Jia asked the decoration team to build a zither room at home for Tao Sheng to compose and play in. It was also a late New Year’s gift for Tao Sheng.

Su Jia’s aunt gave her a gift this time that she really liked. Tao Sheng loved it too and stayed in a good mood for several days.

Before long, it was the day they agreed to go to Ningyuan to listen to opera.. On the sixth day of February, Luo Xin’s car was waiting in Tongguang Lane early in the morning. After getting in the car, Tao Sheng saw Shen Ruojin was also there.

Tao Sheng had heard from Shen Yue that Shen Ruojin entered the palace on the fifth day of the first lunar month to serve as a companion to the Princess of the Eastern Palace. He rarely returned home on weekdays. This time, he could come out with Luo Xin, probably because he had a rare day off.

Tao Sheng is not against Shen Ruojin.

Although Shen Ruojin is the type of female character often involved in household struggles, she is not good at direct confrontations. Usually, others help her out of pity or their imagination. As long as Shen Yu and the three Shen brothers are not around, there won’t be major conflicts.

However, after entering the palace, Shen Ruojin realized that being the princess’s companion was not as easy and glamorous as she had thought.

Among the girls selected to the palace with her, three had already been chosen as the Crown Prince’s Consort and another Consort. Princess Hui’an was polite to them and didn’t order them around much.

Although Ruojin and the others were study companions, their actual status was similar to female historians in the palace, almost like half servants.

Everyone in the palace has a higher status than them. They must respect and serve their masters inside and outside the palace.

Life in the palace was tough, even for Princess Hui’an.

Although she was the eldest daughter of the crown prince and favored in the Eastern Palace, she had been raised there since birth and had never seen the outside world. The emperor’s concubines ^[1]are women with a recognized relationship with the emperor but are not his official wives. and many princes and princesses were all older than her. The crown princess was always cautious, afraid of the younger generation causing trouble, so she was strict with the children, including Princess Hui’an.

This made it so that, although Princess Hui’an looked good outside, she had a bad temper in her palace and would often scold those around her.

Shen Ruojin followed Princess Hui’an and was always nervous and trembling with fear. Her waist hurt from standing, and her legs were sore from kneeling all day, but she never dared to complain.

Some among the study companions were braver, like the little girl from the Zhenbei Marquis’s family, who claimed to be sick and didn’t come the next day.

The Crown Princess knew her daughter’s temperament well and simply smiled and said, “Let her be.”

The Marquis of Zhenbei is brave and skilled in fighting and is favored by the emperor. His wife is also of high birth. As the youngest daughter pampered in the family, Miss Xu naturally has the right to refuse.

But Shen Ruojin couldn’t retreat.

The situation she faces now is that if she takes a step back, she will fall into an abyss.

Ever since she learned about Tao Sheng’s existence, she first fell seriously ill, and then she kept having the same nightmare. She dreamed that Shen Yu and Luo Xin disliked her and wanted her to go back to her own place. The Mother Sang returned to the capital and took her back to the countryside to find her biological parents… Each time, Shen Ruojin would wake up from this dream, drenched in cold sweat.

Temporary hardship is nothing. She must rise to a higher position, gain more advantages, and ensure that Wenyuan Marquis Mansion will never abandon her.

Tao Sheng glanced at Shen Ruojin and noticed she looked unhappy. She wasn’t as content as Tao Sheng had imagined. The spark in her eyes was dimmer, and her smile seemed forced.

Tao Sheng remembered that the book mentioned Princess Hui’an had a bad temper and made things difficult for Ruojin early on. She was considered one of the main villains in the beginning. Later, the downfall of the prince’s family was also caused by her angering the censors ^[2]refers to officials who review documents and reports for the government..

Tao Sheng sighed.

As expected, the world is tough, and the heroine’s life is not easy either.

Shen Ruojin’s sadness only lasted until the carriage stopped outside the gate of Ning Garden. When she got off the carriage, her demeanor changed completely from the slightly gloomy second daughter of the Shen family.

As a female protagonist in household intrigues, Shen Ruojin is always ready for such situations and prepared for battle before entering the arena.

Since it was the first party after the New Year, Princess He’en invited all the important and influential people in the capital.

Tao Sheng felt this was the right time to be there.

Many royal relatives and important officials’ families live here, which is a good indicator of the capital’s trends. Since Princess He’en prides herself on being cultured, most female relatives attending today are interested in literature and art and will discuss many topics related to them.

Tao Sheng has only been in Beijing for half a year and doesn’t usually interact with this circle. This is a great opportunity for her to learn the preferences of upper-class women in Beijing and identify her potential clients. If she can gain a few more significant clients, it would be a pleasant surprise.

After Shen Ruojin entered, she appeared eager to showcase her skills. She believed that nearly everyone here could become her benefactor.

Tao Sheng’s eyes brightened upon entering. In her view, the handsome men and beautiful women around her represented potential income.

This elite social circle in Beijing has its own unspoken rules, and it is somewhat exclusive. Unless newcomers have a strong family background, they need to work hard to fit in. As the eldest daughter of Marquis Shen Ruojin and the companion of Princess Hui’an, she must do her best to please them. Tao Sheng’s presence is even more unacceptable to these people.

Tao Sheng didn’t come here to make friends with influential individuals. She has no unrealistic expectations of becoming close with them. Instead, she came to identify clients and promote her business, so her mindset is much more relaxed.

Luo Xin was called to the front by Princess He’en to talk. Before leaving, he told Tao Sheng, “Just eat well and enjoy yourself, don’t worry too much.”

Tao Sheng understood that Luo Xin was concerned she might not adapt, so she gave her a few instructions in advance.

Tao Sheng found a seat and sat down, drinking tea by herself.

Most of the women at Ning Garden were familiar with each other, sitting in groups of three or four, drinking tea and chatting. Only one person sat alone.

Tao Sheng walked over and met the clear eyes of the girl in red.

“Which family are you from? This is my first time in Ning Garden, so please forgive me if I don’t know you.”

“What a coincidence, it’s my first time here too,” Tao Sheng said. “I’m a distant relative of Marquis Wenyuan’s wife. My last name is Luo, Luo Taosheng.”

The girl smiled and said, “My last name is Zhang, and I’m Zhang Xinyue. My cousin passed the imperial examination last year and married Princess Hexuan’s daughter in the winter. Princess Hexuan invited my sister-in-law to watch the opera. My sister-in-law thought it was time for me to see the world, so she brought me along.”

Zhang Xinyue then looked at Tao Sheng sadly: “Honestly, my family only has money. Unlike them, who grew up in Beijing and are skilled in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting… They say I’m just a merchant’s daughter, raised at the border, and speak in a crude way. I don’t fit in, and they don’t want to talk to me.”

In ancient times, people liked to speak modestly. Although Zhang Xinyue spoke subtly, Tao Sheng could tell from her clothes and makeup that the Zhang family was extremely wealthy. Even in today’s rich Ning Garden, few people wore such fine Luochuan embroidery ^[3]refers to a style of intricate, high-quality Chinese embroidery. or had jewelry like the jade bracelets on Zhang Xinyue’s wrists.

It was the first time Tao Sheng heard that someone was unwelcome for “only having money” and shook her head helplessly.

It seemed everyone had their own problems, even someone wealthy like Miss Zhang.