Chapter 98

For a court official focused on his career, finding a suitable partner wasn’t a big deal. Tao Sheng didn’t take it too seriously; her focus was still on her work.

As winter approached, the weather grew colder. Lord Qiu, the governor of Taiyue, had caught a cold and had been unwell for several days. Lord Gu, the assistant governor of Taiyue, was a professional but uninterested in management. Now, the whole Taiyue Bureau mostly relied on Tao Sheng.

In addition to the garden repairs, the emperor gave some duties from the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Internal Affairs to the King of Chu, which gave him more free time.

When people had too much free time, they often caused trouble. For example, they began to gossip about the young musician’s marriage.

With the emperor’s encouragement, Tao Sheng worked hard to finish the New Year celebrations and was introduced to a blind date.

Xiao Yu, the youngest son of Prince Su, the emperor’s younger brother.

When spring came and flowers bloomed, Princess He’en organized a polo match to give Tao Sheng and Xiao Yu a chance to meet.

Princess He’en, acting on the emperor’s orders, took Tao Sheng’s arm and introduced her to her younger cousin Xiao Yu, who was warm, cheerful, kind-hearted, and promising… and asked Tao Sheng to speak with him.

Tao Sheng had been so busy that she barely had time to think. Before she could find Xiao Yu, she saw a young man in black clothes waving at her.

From Princess He’en’s happy smile, Tao Sheng quickly guessed the young man’s identity. She nodded slightly and walked toward him.

After talking with Xiao Yu, Tao Sheng saw that Princess He’en’s assessment was accurate. Though the “young and promising” part was yet to be determined, Xiao Yu was indeed warm, cheerful, and kind-hearted.

As soon as Xiao Yu saw Tao Sheng, he casually said, “Do you have a fighting cock at home? I heard Uncle Huan mention it. It’s really powerful and majestic.”

“Yes,” Tao Sheng said. “His Royal Highness, the Prince of Chu, gave it to me. I’ve kept it at home since.” 

“Can I visit your house to see it?” Xiao Yu asked, his eyes lighting up.

Tao Sheng nodded, “Of course.”

“Do you like katydids^[1]is a type of insect related to grasshoppers and crickets.?” Xiao Yu seemed to feel they had a lot in common. “I know someone who catches black iron katydids every year. I can give you some. Also, I have two majestic hounds and glass cats from Siam at home. If you like, you can come see them.”

Tao Sheng was surprised by his sudden enthusiasm but thanked him sincerely.

“You’re welcome!” Xiao Yu waved proudly. “We should visit each other often.”

The emperor had mentioned Xiao Yu being interested in Tao Sheng, but at the time, Tao Sheng thought it was just polite talk.

Now, it seemed Xiao Yu probably thought Tao Sheng was similar to him because she raised a fighting cock. What a strange misunderstanding.

Chu Xun watched Tao Sheng talking and laughing with Xiao Yu from afar, and suddenly stopped what he was doing.

A few days ago, his mother had visited the Luo family and found out that Tao Sheng’s mother, Luo Xin, wasn’t in a hurry to marry off her daughter. Since Tao Sheng had just been adopted, her mother wanted to keep her at home for a while longer.

Chu Xun thought Tao Sheng didn’t have anyone else around right now, and they weren’t rushing things. So, following his mother’s advice, he kept in touch every two to three weeks to improve his standing with Tao Sheng.

But now, seeing Xiao Yu, Chu Xun suddenly felt anxious.

After everyone left, Chu Xun approached Tao Sheng and said, “Remember when we first met at Ji’s house? You said there’s a good teahouse in Beijing. Want to go there together?”

Tao Sheng had been busy all morning, and was thirsty. “Sure, let’s go.”

The teahouse wasn’t close to the polo match, and by the time they had their tea, over half an hour had passed.

Chu Xun was the type who didn’t keep things to himself, so after a few casual questions, he asked directly, “The young man who was talking to you earlier, was he Xiao Yu, the young master of the Su family?”

“It’s him. You know him too.”

“I heard from Princess Hexuan’s nanny that His Majesty has high hopes for him. What about you, Tao Sheng? What do you think of Xiao Yu?”

“He’s warm-hearted and hospitable. It’s not easy growing up in the royal family, but he’s a good person.”

Chu Xun felt a bit relieved after hearing that.

“It’s been a while since we met in the capital, and I haven’t asked you—what do you think of me?”

“You’re a nice person,” Tao Sheng said honestly. “Last time I met General Yao from the Beijing Guard, he praised you for being calm and capable.”

“You know that’s not what I meant,” Chu Xun said slowly. “I’m not young anymore. My father’s been on a mission outside the capital for the past few years, which has delayed my marriage. Now that I’m staying here, my mother’s getting more anxious…”

Chu Xun wanted to say, “Can I ask my parents to propose marriage to your family?” But after repeating it several times, he couldn’t bring himself to say it when he met Tao Sheng’s calm eyes.

At Chu Xun’s age, many of his peers were already married. As a young man with good looks and height, it was common for him to accompany childhood friends to their bride’s home. After getting to know each other, his friends would share their experiences with him.

Most of them married based on “parents’ orders and matchmaker’s words,” with some marrying brides from other places without even seeing them before the veil was lifted. If Chu Xun wanted, he could ask his mother to propose to the Luo family, but he still wanted to hear Tao Sheng’s opinion.

But Tao Sheng’s look toward him was similar to Xiao Yu’s, with a bit more respect for an old friend. He found it hard to ask.

At that moment, a slender young man rushed in and greeted Tao Sheng with a sigh, “I saw her from a distance and thought it was Miss Luo. I followed her and saw it was indeed her. Why do you always invite me for tea here? Why not change the place? I’m tired of the tea here.”

It was Xie Huaian.