Shen Yu had vaguely heard from others that Tao Sheng had been awarded two imperial farms by the emperor. Now, after hearing it directly from Ruojin, he felt even more unhappy.

“Old Mistress Luo can control Luo Xin’s private property, and I can’t get any of it. As Tao Sheng’s legitimate father, why can’t I take her things?”

Seeing that Shen Yu was wavering, Ruojin continued, “No matter what, Tao Sheng is your daughter, Father. The family is in need of help, and she has extra money. She should help the family. And as for Mother, she’s always been on Tao Sheng’s side over the years. Maybe if Tao Sheng persuades her, she’ll agree to give more money and help you through these difficult times.”

Shen Yu was at his wit’s end. After hearing Ruojin’s advice, he felt enlightened, as if a ray of light had illuminated his thoughts.

“Jin’er is absolutely right. Let’s do this.”

Tao Sheng’s background had never been made public, and her name was a taboo for both Ruojin and Shen Yu. Ruojin feared that if others found out, it would bring a heavy blow to him. Shen Yu, meanwhile, was upset whenever his daughter’s name was mentioned. He didn’t want people to know about Tao Sheng’s disdain for the Marquis Mansion.

Ruojin didn’t want to spend money and was jealous of Tao Sheng for getting the imperial farm and the Luo family house. So, she brought up Tao Sheng’s name to Shen Yu.

However, Ruojin was unlucky this time. As soon as Tao Sheng’s name was mentioned, a maid named Mu’er overheard while passing by.

After Ruojin left, Mu’er quietly stepped out from behind the bamboo forest and hurried back to Fang’s room.

Fang had just finished lunch and was about to change clothes for a nap when she saw her maid rush in, panicked. She laughed, “The kitchen sent quite a few side dishes today. I asked An’er and the others to save you an extra bowl. Why are you in such a rush? You’re a grown girl but still so unsteady.”

Mu’er walked up and told Fang everything she had just heard.

Fang’s eyes widened in surprise.

It wasn’t strange for the Shen family to borrow money from Ruojin, and it was understandable if he said he didn’t want to help. But the conversation between Shen Yu and Ruojin seemed odd.

According to Ruojin, Tao Sheng, who is now quite popular in the capital, is not only Shen Yu’s daughter but also Luo Xin’s.

But Luo Xin was only pregnant once. How could she suddenly have two daughters, Ruojin and Tao Sheng?

The Shen family and Ruojin are becoming more and more interesting, hiding such a big secret in their family background.

Fang had a hunch that something major was happening here, and it would greatly benefit her.

She had been fighting with Ruojin for years and had often been at a disadvantage. Now, with this new information, she felt she had found the key to a comeback and planned to investigate further.

_

The imperial delegation was about to travel to Ling State, and Ji Yanming was extremely busy. Tao Sheng found it hard to see her cousin. Meanwhile, the King of Chu was in an unusually good mood. Whenever Tao Sheng came home from work, she would see the King of Chu humming a tune and strolling around.

Tao Sheng thought he was simply in a good mood after Prince Rui’s misfortune. Since he had no one to share his joy with, he often visited Ji’s residence to drink tea and chat.

Normally, the King of Chu was cheerful during his visits, but today was different.

After finishing her work, Tao Sheng returned home and saw from a distance that the King of Chu was outside, hands on his hips, arguing with someone. Curious, she got closer and realized it was just an ordinary matchmaker. This surprised her even more.

In her mind, the King of Chu was a brash man who never lost an argument. He would insult or threaten people he disliked and even get physical if necessary. But he wasn’t unreasonable, and there was always a cause behind his quarrels.

As Tao Sheng approached, she saw the King of Chu in the middle of an argument. His posture reminded her of herself when she chased flies out of the dormitory in college.

After quickly dealing with the two annoying matchmakers, the King of Chu walked over to Tao Sheng and said angrily, “What kind of people are these? How dare they try to steal you away.”

Don’t they know how Prince Rui got into such bad luck?

They dared to covet someone the King of Chu had his eyes on! If they kept this up, they might ruin his comeback plan.

Ever since Ji Yanming passed the imperial exam and joined the court, there had been a steady stream of matchmakers visiting the house. In the past, Su Jia and Tang Yizhi had been the ones to handle them. Tao Sheng never expected that the King of Chu would step in to deal with them himself.

The King of Chu’s way of sending them off was a bit rude. Tao Sheng kindly reminded him that while it was fine to reject people, being too harsh might ruin her prospects. If that happened, no suitable families would come to propose marriage.

After all, for Tao Sheng, marriage was not just about herself but also about taking care of her cousin in his old age and ensuring he had an heir. It was a long-term responsibility.

“If you ruin my prospects, you’ll be ruining both our futures,” she added.

The King of Chu smiled innocently, “Of course, I wouldn’t harm Ah Sheng. I have a marriage proposal for you, but it’s not the right time yet. Once the person agrees, I’ll arrange an excellent marriage for you.”

Tao Sheng knew that the King of Chu’s criteria for a good marriage were the same for her and Ji Yanming—any match had to be within his faction.

Hearing his words, Tao Sheng thought this was the King of Chu’s way of telling her that he had found someone he liked and was negotiating with them. Once the man agreed to join his faction, the marriage would be arranged.

Even though the King of Chu’s current situation is better than it was three years ago, he’s still seen by his relatives and court officials as a prince without a real job, especially after being locked up in the palace for three years. Anyone with even a little caution wouldn’t consider supporting the King of Chu.

Because of this, the King of Chu is going to be very busy again.

Tao Sheng looked up at the sky in silence, feeling that she might end up like Ji Yanming, living alone.

Tao Sheng was right. The King of Chu has been very busy lately.

As her and Ji Yanming’s reputations in the capital grew, many families, eager for marriage alliances, started getting excited. Even Old Lady Luo began considering marrying Tao Sheng to her nephews, which made the King of Chu feel more overwhelmed.

Just when things were at their busiest, his relatives came to add more trouble.

The King of Chu had drifted apart from most of his relatives, with only a few maintaining a peaceful relationship with him.

Among them was his cousin, Prince Li, one of the “minority” who remained on good terms with him.

Prince Li had been very impressed with Ji Yanming ever since he became the top scholar in the imperial exams. Unfortunately, his daughter, Princess Zhenning, was only thirteen at the time and too young for marriage.

Now, two years later, Ji Yanming’s career was even better, and he had not been affected by the King of Chu’s situation. Prince Li still admired Ji Yanming.

Princess Zhenning was now of marriageable age, so Prince Li decided to approach the King of Chu, Ji Yanming’s nominal employer, to act as a matchmaker.

Over tea, Prince Li spoke directly to the King of Chu: “I won’t beat around the bush. I’m here to ask a favor. Zhenning has grown up, and my wife and I have been worrying about her marriage. Zhenning is picky about her husband’s appearance.”

“I thought both Xie Huaian and Ji Yanming were good choices, but the Xie family is large, with many households living together. Zhenning is a simple girl, and I worried she wouldn’t be able to handle it, so I thought Ji Yanming might be a better match.”

At this point, the King of Chu already knew what Prince Li wanted before he even finished speaking.

Prince Li wanted to know if he could propose a marriage between his daughter and Ji Yanming.

The King of Chu frowned and said, “Of course not!”

Although Prince Li had never treated him badly, he was very smooth with his words, trying to please everyone without sticking to his own views.

Despite their good relationship, the King of Chu refused for the sake of his “great cause.”

Watching Prince Li leave in disappointment, the King of Chu suddenly felt as if he had grown in stature.