Fu Zhuangxue’s mother was a Hu woman, living in a border town at the intersection of the Northern and Southern Dynasties.

The Han people there suffered terribly under the rule of Hu captors, and a Hu woman selling wine was just as lowly as grass.

What was worse, this woman was exceptionally beautiful.

Her mother once told her that a woman living in such a place must master the skill of reading people’s intentions because, there, the lives of people were controlled by men—strong men, officials.

As long as it was a man, he would be influenced by a woman’s ways.

Some preferred gentle and submissive women, some liked strong and rebellious ones, some admired noble and aloof ones, and some were drawn to women who appeared fierce but were loose behind closed doors.

Her mother taught her, “You must determine within three encounters with a man what type he is. Remember, whatever he is, you must be that. A man is the wind, and you can only be the grass. Grass has no backbone, but it clings to the east wind and can thrive year after year, living long and prosperously.”

“Xue’er.” The woman, in her final moments, clung to her hand with a kind of hysterical desperation, repeating, “Just stay alive.”

Fu Zhuangxue wondered if her mother had used such methods to conceive her with her father.

Regardless, her father had died before she was born.

To her, having a father was like having no father at all; she still had to rely on her mother for everything.

What left a deep impression on Fu Zhuangxue were the many different looks her mother had shown her, how she perceived people.

It was said that one’s appearance reflects one’s heart, but it wasn’t entirely true; one’s gaze could also be trained.

As long as you guessed the other person’s temperament and preferences, you could cater to them.

If the person was a crude and rough man, your gaze could be gentle and full of sorrow to make him pity you; if the person was a refined and elegant young gentleman, a gaze filled with determination and aloofness could make him want to pursue you.

Later, during the famine in the border town, her mother died, and countless refugees fled from the north to the south.

Fu Zhuangxue, unable to survive on her own, was caught up in the exodus.

On that long road of exile, she relied on the only thing her mother had taught her to survive time and time again, even managing to preserve her innocence.

But she dared not stop.

She never felt that it was a journey back to her ancestors.

Amidst the struggles of life and death, she held tightly to the jade pendant her mother left her, but she never knew if the noble family her mother spoke of would accept someone of unknown origins like her.

Even if they did accept her, she would merely be moving from one place where people judged by appearances to another.

Even though her grandmother and elder brother’s kindness and care had exceeded her expectations, she still dared not let down her guard.

She feared that if she did not conform to their preferences and play the role of a pitiful granddaughter or a sensible younger sister, they would no longer like her.

Meeting the Crown Prince was perhaps the luckiest thing that had ever happened to her.

She remembered that day, a clear spring day, when the Crown Prince arrived in a grand robe of jade white, as if a celestial being descended.

He was a figure so noble and distant that she didn’t dare use her meager skills to test the Crown Prince.

Yet, her instinct was so practiced that she subconsciously changed her gaze and looked at him.

The look the Crown Prince returned to her was filled with ripples.

Fu Zhuangxue was suddenly alarmed, knowing what that meant.

From that moment on, her wish had completely changed.

Having lived a humble life for fourteen years, she began to imagine herself with a person of supreme nobility.

However, she never intended to oust Fu Zanyi from her position.

She had heard many things about her cousin from home.

She knew that Fu Zanying came from a wealthy background and had a childhood friendship with the Crown Prince.

She also heard that she was taught by the Empress to be graceful and gentle.

So Fu Zhuangxue thought she needed Fu Zanying as a comparison.

She didn’t intend to compete with her; she only wanted the Crown Prince to notice the difference when they stood together.

She didn’t seek any high status or title; just a bit of attention from the Crown Prince would be enough for her, considering her and her mother’s previous struggle for survival.

But all of this depended on Fu Zanying remaining in her place without any changes.

Once Fu Zanying had any changes, like now, all the attention of the Crown Prince and her elder brother would be drawn away from her.

If Fu Zanying remained steadfast and did not turn back, Fu Zhuangxue’s face turned pale as she clutched her clothing, afraid to think further.

A stone without the reflection of moonlight would not shine.

But based on what she had heard and observed about Fu Zanying, she was clearly a girl without her own opinions, as naïve and shallow as a delicate flower.

So she could not understand why Fu Zanying would suddenly and resolutely propose to cancel the engagement and leave the Fu family.

The candles had burned down to the end, and Fu Zhuangxue, drowsy, had waited until the early hours of the morning, finally hearing some movement coming from the main hall.

She quickly put on an outer robe and hurried over, only to see her elder brother carrying their unconscious grandmother into the room.

As he stepped across the threshold, he himself staggered.

Their second uncle was disheveled, crying out for his mother and ordering someone to quickly call for a doctor.

Fu Zhuangxue was stunned by what she saw.

“Second Uncle, Elder Brother,” she said nervously, gripping the edge of her sleeve with a trembling voice, “What happened to Grandmother?”

“Scoundrel,” Fu Xiao, seeing the little girl, flared up, “It’s all because of this troublemaker here, causing such a disaster. Tomorrow, we’ll send you to the countryside and you’ll never set foot in the capital again.”

Fu Zhuangxue’s heart skipped a beat.

She guessed this was related to the annulment of Zan Ying’s engagement but didn’t understand the full story.

Before she could ask further, Fu Ze’an, his voice hoarse, said, “Second Uncle, first treat Grandmother. A’Xue, you should return to your room.”

Fu Zhuangxue looked at her brother’s back, her almond-shaped eyes wide with panic. “Brother.”

“Behave and go back to your room.”

Although Fu Ze’an’s voice was still gentle, he never turned around to look at her.

Fu Zhuangxue couldn’t see his expression, and all her skills in reading people were ineffective.

In the brightly lit room, with all the family and servants turned away from her, Fu Zhuangxue felt a ringing in her ears and suddenly recalled the desperate cries of the refugees fighting over a dry pancake on that desolate road.

Her feet felt as if they were sinking into quicksand.

On May 22, at the morning court in Tai City, the Director of the Astronomical Observatory, Guo Rui, advised the Emperor that last night the Lianzhen star was extremely bright, transforming its energy into imprisonment, indicating issues with the peach blossom, and offending the Tianxiu star.

He suggested scattering gold to the southeast to counteract the wood energy.

Wuyi Lane was located to the southeast of the palace.

Thus, boxes of gold, jewels, precious items, and embroidered treasures were continuously sent to the new Rui Garden in Wuyi Lane.

“Lianzhen star being bright, offending the peach blossom, really, what nonsense. They’re so shameless to come up with such excuses,” Mrs.Ren said with disdain.

Zan Ying only smiled, knowing this was the last layer of cover the royal family was using to hide their embarrassment.

Returning so many items, transporting them repeatedly, with all of the capital city watching, it was not proper to blatantly say it was a debt owed by the royal family.

They had to concoct some celestial anomaly as a cover.

But any intelligent person could see through the ruse.

Indeed, as soon as the items were delivered to Wuyi Lane, the Wang family’s invitation arrived.

This time it was not Wang Sannv’s flower post but an invitation from the head of the Wang family, inviting Zan Ying to a lotus appreciation banquet held by the Wang family, where wine would be sampled, music enjoyed, and poetry exchanged.

“June 1, Le You Garden.”

Zan Ying read the date and location, thinking the Wang family knew she had never been to Le You Garden and had put considerable thought into this invitation.

Yet yesterday, Old Madam Qiu had caused a commotion, and both Xie and Chu had spoken up for her, but the Wang family had remained silent.

Today, the royal family showed signs of softening, and the Wang family’s repaired invitation arrived immediately.

It was a calculated move to gain favor and position, neither risky nor missable.

Zan Ying recalled her Little uncle’s assessment of the Wang family, which turned out to be accurate and to the point.

Manager Du asked if she wanted to respond.

Zan Ying, unsure of how to engage with the Wang family, decided to hold off for now. “I’ll think about it.”

Seeing her hesitation, Manager Du suggested with a smile, “Why not ask the Grand Marshal?”

Zan Ying murmured, “How can I bother him with everything?”

She had heard that the guards had only managed to clear out the Fu family’s people late into the night.

These soldiers, meant for combat, were now tasked with guarding her overnight, which seemed like an overuse of resources.

At this rate, she felt she owed her uncle more and more.

At that moment, the head of the textile workshop, Er Chai, reported that the boxes from the Eastern Palace had been arriving, but he found that a batch of specially marked sachets had been replaced with the Left Spring Workshop’s official sachets, twice the amount needed.

Er Chai was unsure how to handle this and sought guidance from Ms. Fu and Manager Du.

Chun Jin conveyed the message to the inner hall.

Zan Ying’s eyes, once soft like a child’s, turned cold as she chuckled.

“Turns out my heartfelt creations are worth only two for one in compensation. What a generous hand.”

She pondered for a moment and then said, “In that case, keep the sachets and distribute them to the wives and daughters of these ledger keepers. They’ve been busy these days, so consider it a small token of gratitude. As for what I originally wanted, I’ll ask the Eastern Palace’s internal officials. Make it clear to them that if they can’t provide what I need, then they can’t even produce two royal estates to make up for my dozens of sachets. Otherwise, they can’t escape the blame. If even one is short, I’ll make a fuss about it, and the Astronomical Observatory’s painstakingly calculated emperor’s seat will be wasted.”

Meanwhile, items were being sent in a continuous stream, with the major internal storerooms of the palace, including the Tai Cang Bureau, Inner Treasury, and Treasure House, left open.

There were still many uncounted accounts.

The head of the Inner Treasury, Ming De, was in despair, given a deadline to process such valuable and intricate items, making him anxious and self-reproachful.

After beating himself, he went to seek help from Yuan Gonggong, “Grand Master, Grand Master Yuan, please give me three or four more days. Let me find a good beam in advance, measure some white silk. With only one day left, you see how chaotic the inner treasury is. Twenty or so small servants going back and forth to reconcile accounts and pack boxes. The more urgent it gets, the more chaotic it becomes. The inner treasury doesn’t have this much money, and this shortfall can’t be made up. It’s going to cost me my life.”