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“It’s only after Shen Yu came to my house and caused a scene that I found out Tao Sheng had such a biological father. He mistreated her before, and now that she’s doing well, he’s trying to covet her house and shop. What is that all about?”
Ji Yanming was slightly taken aback. He never expected this matter to be exposed in front of the King of Chu like this.
With her adoptive parents and aunt around, Tao Sheng should have been protected from harm. However, Shen Yu’s attempts to cause trouble couldn’t be ignored.
Ji Yanming nodded. “I understand.”
After a pause, he added, “But Tao Sheng and I don’t want to get too involved, so Your Highness, please keep this matter confidential for now.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not one to act recklessly,” the King of Chu assured him.
Tao Sheng’s life had been full of hardships, and he felt deeply for her. He wouldn’t want to cause her more trouble.
It must be said that the King of Chu’s greatest strength was his obedience.
Ji Yanming’s affection for the King of Chu deepened.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
Not long after this incident, rumors spread in the capital. Word got out that Shen Yu had barged into Ji’s residence and caused a scene in front of the King of Chu. The exact reasons and outcome weren’t clear, but considering the Shen family’s current situation, it was likely related to a failed attempt to borrow money, leading to Shen Yu throwing a tantrum.
If Shen Yu had simply visited Ji’s house, no one would care, but breaking in by force was a different matter.
After all, the house had been granted by the Emperor. It was said that the guards at the gate were assigned to the Ji family by the Imperial Court. Shen Yu’s behavior showed disrespect for the Emperor.
Furthermore, the King of Chu had been present at the Ji residence that day. Although the King of Chu’s status had declined, he was still a prince. For Shen Yu to make a scene in front of him showed a lack of respect, another sign of disrespect towards the Emperor.
More importantly, it was said that Tao Sheng was also present at Ji’s residence that day. The people of the capital knew that treating Tao Sheng well could bring them good luck, so being hostile to her might lead to bad fortune.
Suddenly, the people in the capital began to distance themselves from the Wenyuan Marquis Mansion and the Shen family. Shen Yu, who already had few friends in court, found himself with even fewer allies.
When Shen Yu heard these rumors, he became furious, blaming the Ji family for failing to control the situation, allowing such things to spread across the city.
Moreover, these rumors mixed truth with falsehood. The argument happened, but the breaking-in didn’t. The King of Chu’s presence was true, but the claim that Shen Yu quarreled with him and disrespected him was false.
Shen Yu also thought that the person who spread the news this time was very skilled. They mixed truth and lies in such a way that it was difficult for him to deny it.
If you were to get involved in officialdom, I think it would be a challenging job.
Shen Yu had no choice but to go home and discuss it with the old lady.
“Things have come to this point, and we should also make Tao Sheng’s background public. I didn’t mean to cause trouble that day. I just wanted to have a good talk with Tao Sheng and recognize her.”
Only by making Tao Sheng’s identity public and letting everyone know what happened could he prove that he wasn’t causing trouble that day but was genuinely looking for his daughter, and all the rumors could be refuted.
Besides, announcing that Tao Sheng is his daughter now will only bring benefits, so Shen Yu was tempted.
Madam Shen still had concerns, thinking that with Tao Sheng’s personality, if they didn’t give her advance notice and agree to make the incident public, things could get out of control. If Tao Sheng were to reveal that Shen Ruojin was not her biological daughter, it would be even harder to manage the situation.
This matter needed further consideration.
After all, Shen Ruojin is now the wife of the eldest son of the Guan family. If the Guan family found out that Shen Ruojin wasn’t even their daughter, it could lead to enmity instead of marriage.
This was something they had to consider now.
Due to these concerns, the issue was delayed and shelved.
_
Xuanzheng Hall.
Princess He’en came to pay her respects to the emperor today and happened to meet Tao Sheng, who was there playing a calm and soothing piece of music.
Princess He’en listened more attentively than the emperor: “Your Excellency’s zither playing is so beautiful. My father has good insight to have chosen Lord Luo from such a vast crowd to join the Imperial Music Bureau.”
When the emperor heard He’en praise both him and Tao Sheng, he smiled and asked, “Why are you so sweet today? Tell me, what do you want to ask for?”
“Look at what father said. I was just moved by the beautiful music,” Princess He’en said with a smile. “But since father mentioned it, it would be inappropriate not to ask for something. I’m planning a flower viewing party in Ning Garden soon and want to invite Tao Sheng, but I’m afraid she’s busy taking care of you, so I hesitated.”
“Then I’ll allow Lord Luo to take a day off and go to Ning Garden with you.” The emperor smiled warmly. “I’ve heard that Lord Luo is a young girl and spends her days in either the Imperial College or the Imperial Music Bureau. That’s not ideal. This time, He’en can take her out to see more of the world.”
Princess He’en hadn’t expected her casual mention would be met with such enthusiasm from her father. The emperor clearly cared for Luo Taosheng as if she were one of his own.
Princess He’en came over and took Tao Sheng’s arm affectionately: “Now that we have father’s permission, you must come.”
Tao Sheng didn’t dislike such gatherings, but she had been busy lately, so she hadn’t gone out much. Now that the emperor had spoken, there was no reason to refuse: “Thank you, Your Majesty, and Princess, I will certainly attend.”
Two days later, Fang also received a letter from Princess He’en.
It invited her to Ning Garden to attend the flower viewing event in three days.
Fang felt it was strange and asked the messenger, “Last time, I heard from Madam that Princess He’en’s flower-viewing banquet was scheduled for the 18th. Why was it suddenly moved up by two days?”
She was sure that the date Madam Guan mentioned wasn’t this one.
Is something suspicious going on?
The maid delivering the letter was from Madam Guan’s side and knew quite a bit: “This time, the princess invited Lord Luo from the Imperial Music Bureau, but Lord Luo had something on the 18th, so Princess He’en changed the date for her.”
Fang immediately became alert: “Which Lord Luo?”
“Who else? Lord Luo,” the maid laughed. “It’s Luo Taosheng, the most favored person in front of the emperor.”
Fang smiled.
She had been wondering about the right occasion to expose the Shen family’s secrets, but after searching for a long time, she found it unexpectedly. Princess He’en provided her with this golden opportunity.
“Thank you for delivering the invitation. Please inform Madam that I will definitely attend.”
***
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