Tao Sheng stood up to greet him, then sat down: “Today, we have the shopkeeper’s collection of Da Hong Pao ^[1]refers to a rare and expensive Chinese tea.. He said he used his connections to bring it from the south. You should try it.”

Xie Huaian clearly knew Tao Sheng for a longer time and often visited to drink tea. Since he showed up, the conversation shifted.

Xie Huaian sighed inwardly, thinking it was worthwhile to come today.

In the past, he, Brother Ji, and Tao Sheng had the best and most stable relationship. But now that Ji Yanming had left, he was no longer Tao Sheng’s closest friend. Instead, Chu Xun, claiming to be a “reunion with an old friend,” took the lead.

Xie Huaian had disliked Chu Xun for a while but had kept his feelings to himself. What made him more upset was Xiao Feng’s attitude toward him and Chu Xun.

He had watched Xiao Feng grow up and had always been kind to it. But Xiao Feng treated Chu Xun, an outsider, better. Xie Huaian felt hurt and planned to write a letter to Ji Yanming to complain.

Today’s experience made his frustration even stronger.

Meanwhile, the King of Chu also heard from the Chief Clerk that the Chu and Luo families wanted to form an alliance.

The King of Chu was so shocked he almost fell off his chair with the documents.

Since the Crown Prince and Prince Rui got into trouble, many officials had been coming to him recently, overwhelming him.

He followed Ji Yanming’s advice and recruited some useful people while trying to gain favor with the emperor. He had been especially busy after returning from summer vacation. Hearing that Tao Sheng was fine made him feel satisfied, but he never expected such big news to come so soon.

Ji Yanming was working hard for him at the front, but he hadn’t helped take care of Xiao Tao at home.

The King of Chu felt guilty.

Fortunately, the two families were still in the early stages of negotiation, and it wasn’t too late to fix things. The King of Chu immediately closed his stall and went home to discuss it with the princess.

Princess Chu had also heard of Chu Xun. From Tao Sheng’s perspective, she thought he was a good man and suitable for marriage. But from a family’s perspective, helping Ji Yanming was their duty as relatives and friends.

“Most marriages supported by the elders in the family are good ones,” Princess Chu said carefully. “Though we are more optimistic about Xiao Ji, we can’t just judge him. We should trust Xiao Ji’s judgment and Xiao Tao’s opinion.”

The King of Chu was confused by the princess’ words: “What do you think, princess?”

“If it doesn’t work, delay it for a while. Wait for Ji Yanming to return and let Xiao Tao choose who is more suitable.”

They needed to give them a chance to compete on the same stage.

“What you say is absolutely right,” the King of Chu praised. “I’ll ask two masters to calculate the timing for them another day. If it isn’t the right time, the engagement can be postponed.”

_

In the main courtyard of the Chu residence, Chu Xun, who had just returned home, said to his mother with emotion: “We were drinking tea together earlier, and I heard from Master Xie of the Hanlin Academy that Master Qiu of the Imperial Music Bureau might retire in the next two years. Xiao Sheng might be promoted to the next rank and hopefully become the fourth-rank Imperial Music Officer.”

Madam Chu frowned and said, “I heard that the highest rank for a female official in the palace is the fifth rank. Isn’t Xiao Sheng already a fifth-rank official? How can she be promoted further?”

“She’s not a female official, but a proper court official,” Chu Xun explained. “If His Royal Highness the King of Chu ascends to the throne in the future, she may even become second or first rank.”

Mrs. Chu had never thought about such matters before. She thought Tao Sheng was like other female officials, who would be sent home when they turned 25, get married, and raise children, without continuing their work in the government.

But even after Tao Sheng turned 25, she remained distracted by court affairs, possibly not retiring until she was 50 or 60, making it difficult to manage family matters.

She liked Tao Sheng and accepted her, but she wasn’t sure if such a daughter-in-law was right for the Chu family.

Madam Chu’s expression grew worse.

Chu Xun lowered his head to eat the fruit, unaware of his mother’s change in expression. “It’s not good to keep things with Xiao Sheng in limbo. Mother, do you plan to visit the Luo family soon to discuss it?”

Now that both families had expressed interest in seeing each other, an open discussion would likely lead to a marriage proposal and exchange of engagement letters.

Madam Chu refused and said, “This matter is not urgent. We will discuss it later.”

_

In the Suizhou government office, Ji Yanming received three letters in a row sent back from the capital.

The first one was from Xie Huaian, who complained about Tao Sheng’s childhood friend Chu Xun, saying that he was too close to her and that rumors were circulating that the two families were about to marry. Xie Huaian hurried to inform Ji Yanming.

The second letter was from the King of Chu, saying the Luo and Chu families wanted to form an alliance. He reassured them that he had found two experts to calculate their fortunes, and the decision would be delayed for two years until he returned to compete on the same stage.

The third letter was from his mother, Su Jia. It praised Chu Xun’s virtues and mentioned that Su Wan and Luo Xin were both optimistic about him, and Tao Sheng didn’t seem to oppose him either.

“I have to say, Chu Xun is a really good guy. As your mother, I’m willing to give advice, and if Tao Sheng were my daughter, I’d have no reason to refuse such a son-in-law.”

Ji Yanming closed the letter and realized how serious the matter was.

Just as the King of Chu was preparing for a ritual, Madam Chu was trying to persuade Tao Sheng to return to her family, and Su Jia was planning her next move. Ji Yanming, meanwhile, was composing a memorial to request a transfer back to the capital. Then, the heroine Tao Sheng, who was involved in all of this, disappeared.