Tao Sheng changed her words to be more gentle: “I once heard from Chief Steward Gao beside His Majesty that auspicious clothing is important and must be carefully preserved. Now that the matter is done, the second young master should go back quickly, change clothes, drink some water, and take a rest.”

After Tao Sheng said all this, she realized that Xiao Ming hadn’t responded at all. He just stared at the food box in her hand, clearly anticipating what was inside.

Tao Sheng felt even more concerned for him: “Didn’t you go to the Queen’s birthday party? Why are you hungry now?”

Could it be that he hadn’t even eaten before going out?

Xiao Ming sniffed sadly: “My brother woke me up early in the morning, but the food was late, so I didn’t have time to drink the porridge. I wanted to eat some snacks, but the nanny said I couldn’t eat food that’s hard to digest because I’m still young and my stomach hasn’t been well lately…”

What he didn’t tell Tao Sheng was that when he went to the Queen’s place, he saw palace maids bringing snacks. However, his mother had taught him that food from the Royal Grandmother’s place could only be looked at but not touched. So, like his other brothers and uncles, he wished the Queen a happy birthday and left without even having tea.

Tao Sheng had also read similar statements in her previous life. She knew that the palace maids were hesitant to let the children eat too much, and when they were sick, they would often ask them to skip meals to avoid internal heat ^[1]which is an imbalance in the body believed to cause discomfort..

“These are all snacks given by the emperor. I haven’t opened the food box yet, so I don’t know what’s inside, and I don’t know if you can eat it,” Tao Sheng thought for a moment and said, “Let’s find a place to sit and see if there are any snacks suitable for children. If the nanny still doesn’t allow it, we can ask the kitchen to send some porridge over.”

Xiao Ming nodded eagerly after hearing this.

Even though he was the emperor’s grandson studying in the palace, his life was far from easy.

The King of Chu had been in a depressed state in recent years, and it seemed to outsiders that the Emperor had already abandoned him.

His elder brother Xiao Lang had experienced the good times when their father was in power, but Xiao Ming was different. For as long as he could remember, his family had been filled with gloom. People in the palace were used to flattering the powerful and looking down on the weak. Although they didn’t treat him harshly, he couldn’t expect the same preferential treatment as the crown prince.

Over the years in the palace, no one had ever treated him as kindly as Tao Sheng. It turned out that the teacher his father hired through connections genuinely cared for him.

Xiao Ming raised his hand and held Tao Sheng’s right little finger, shaking it gently: “My place is nearby. If it’s convenient for you, would you like to come with me?”

Tao Sheng was almost melted by this polite, big-eyed boy. At that moment, he held her hand, and she couldn’t say anything else but agreed.

The emperor was old and had been on the throne for over 40 years. Most of his sons had moved out to start their own families and careers. The original residence for the princes became a place for the emperor’s grandsons to study and live.

Brothers Xiao Lang and Xiao Ming were assigned the same courtyard, but Xiao Lang was busy in Weiyang Palace chatting with the elders while Xiao Ming had returned after paying his respects, so now he was alone in the room.

Tao Sheng was now a favored figure in the imperial court. When the prince’s servants heard that she was dining with the little grandson, they quickly took action. Without waiting for Xiao Ming’s attendants to say anything, they had already started the fire and served the dishes one by one shortly.

Tao Sheng was slightly stunned when she saw the dishes served from the kitchen.

This set of food looked very familiar. Upon reflection, it was the meal used to worship the God of Wealth on the fifth day of the first lunar month.

Xiao Ming looked at the table of dishes and felt a bit strange.

He had studied in the palace for a long time and knew some kitchen rules. Noticing that these dishes were not ordinary breakfasts, he asked the eunuch serving the meal about their origin.

The eunuch laughed and explained that the chef’s family had lost a lot of money in their business over the past two years. They tried many remedies without success. Later, they asked Mr. Zhang for a small portrait of Grand Master Luo. Every time before playing the zither, they would bow several times and often sought advice from Mr. Zhang, who could hear Tao Sheng’s music. Soon after, their business improved greatly.

So, when the chef heard that Tao Sheng was visiting today, he specially prepared this meal to show his gratitude.

Tao Sheng covered her face in frustration. 

She had only eaten a bowl of porridge in the morning, but now she faced a table full of food and felt unable to eat. After a quick breakfast, Xiao Ming happily took her hand to escort her out. The Crown Prince saw Xiao Ming, who was jumping around carefreely, and felt complicated.

Since the incident with Prince Rui, the royal family knew that Grand Master Luo was the Emperor’s grandfather’s personal zither player. Because of this, even the Crown Prince hesitated to ask Tao Sheng to play music for him.

The King of Chu acted quickly. He reached out to Tao Sheng early in her career, making her the teacher of his two sons, Xiao Lang and Xiao Ming. This brought her closer to his family and allowed him to gather insights from her.

The Crown Prince regretted not insisting that Tao Sheng be his teacher, as it would have helped him support his father and strengthen his position in the Eastern Palace. But now, it was too late.

_

Five days after Xu Xiang left the capital, Fang learned about his new assignment and found it strange.

Xu Xiang had not been valued by Guan Muyun recently, so why was he suddenly given such an important task and sent south so urgently?

Fang asked her maid Mu’er, who was trying to gather information, “Do you know where the couple sent Xu Xiang?”

“It seems to be Kui County in the south,” Mu’er replied.

“Kui County?” Fang frowned. “Are they going to Fujian?” 

Mu’er confirmed. 

Fang was increasingly puzzled. Kui County was the hometown of Shen Ruojin’s wet nurse, Mother Yang, where Shen Ruojin had purchased a farm at a good price. She had not heard of Guan Muyun having any assets there. 

Could it be that Shen Ruojin, not Guan Muyun, arranged for Xu Xiang to go out this time?

Excited by the possibility, Fang said, “I remember my aunt has a trustworthy escort agency in Xuzhou. I have a handwritten letter here. Go find the two managers who came with me as a dowry and ask them to take this letter to Xuzhou to find my aunt. Tell her to have someone from the agency watch over Xu Xiang and ensure his safety.”

If someone were to attack along the way, he could be rescued early.

Fang sensed she was close to uncovering the mystery of Shen Ruojin’s background and might reveal the secrets that the Shen family had hidden for years.