It was put quite mildly.

Madam Luo came only to convey the Luo family’s ideas and did not give too many opinions.

Tao Sheng, who already holds the fifth rank and has been independent for many years, was not someone Madam Luo could easily advise. Even Tao Sheng’s biological mother couldn’t express too many opinions.

The more you speak, the more mistakes you make. If there was a need to talk to Tao Sheng, it would be better for the direct elders who have more influence, like Luo Xin or Old Master Luo, to speak.

Princess Wen’an did not avoid people when saying this. After Su Wan and Su Jia returned home at noon, they heard about it from Mother Tang.

Su Wan was very supportive of Tao Sheng returning to the Luo family: “You’ve been fighting alone in the capital all these years, and your father and I never had the chance to help. Later, your father went to the Ministry of War and found that clan power is especially important for officials in the capital. With family support, you can have a more stable career. We can’t help you now, but we won’t stop you either.”

“The Shen family was terrible in the past, so you were right not to acknowledge me. But the Luo family is different. After all, I know how hard it is for a woman to give birth. Even if your Shen father doesn’t acknowledge you, it wasn’t easy for Madam Luo to give birth to you. There’s no harm in acknowledging her. Don’t worry about me or your father. Just go back.”

Su Jia also advised: “I heard from Xiaobai before that for your case, all you need to do is move your name to the Luo family’s family tree and register with them. Your former parents would still be your adoptive ones. Nothing else has to change. If you don’t mind, you could continue to live with your aunt. Both your mother and I want you to live well and hope for a smoother life ahead. But I don’t know the Luo family, so I can’t say if they are easy to get along with. What do you think?”

Tao Sheng understood that in ancient times, with the poor medical conditions, it must have been hard for Luo Xin to give birth to her while fleeing. If she hadn’t been injured during childbirth and had no time to look after her, she wouldn’t have been replaced by Mother Sang.

Luo Xin always felt guilty about her only daughter living far away and would send her seasonal fruits and gifts during special occasions.

Tao Sheng accepted everything graciously, and their relationship developed into give and take.

They now had a good relationship. When Luo Xin was in Beijing and healthy, they often went out to eat and shop together.

After Luo Xin and Shen Yu’s marriage became official, they began to focus on their own lives.

She wasn’t very old, only in her thirties, and mentally, they were quite similar. When they spent time together, they felt more like sisters than mother and daughter.

Luo Xin had given her love and financial support and had protected her relatives during times of danger. Tao Sheng felt grateful. Although she never acknowledged the Shen family publicly, she accepted her mother’s identity in her heart and cared for her whenever she was unwell.

Tao Sheng found changing her household registration too troublesome. It didn’t matter whether she acknowledged the Luo family or not, or if her name was on their family tree. She would still fulfill her duties.

But if Luo Xin needed the child’s registration for security reasons, Tao Sheng was happy to cooperate.

The current situation, however, was that Luo Xin hadn’t reached out. It seemed that she wanted Tao Sheng to make her own choice and not feel pressured emotionally.

Tao Sheng thought about it: “I don’t oppose recognizing the Luo family. Right now, even if I don’t, it won’t affect me. After recognizing them, I might feel constrained… Let me think it over.”

This was a serious matter, and it was better to weigh the pros and cons before deciding.

_

Tao Sheng went to work with her worries in mind and happened to meet Xie Huaian, who came to visit. He said he wanted to go to the cabinet to retrieve an official document and asked Tao Sheng if she had any acquaintances there.

Tao Sheng thought for a moment and replied, “I don’t have any acquaintances in the cabinet.”

Besides, Xie Huaian came from a noble family, and his father was a third-rank official in the capital. It would be easy for him to find someone in the cabinet. It seemed the document was not an ordinary one, which even he couldn’t access easily.

Tao Sheng’s guess was right. Xie Huaian continued, “The document probably isn’t simple, so it’s harder to retrieve. I heard your uncle, Lord Luo, is in charge of this matter. Can you ask him to help look it up?”

If Xie Huaian hadn’t said it, Tao Sheng would have forgotten that her uncle worked in the cabinet: “That’s fine.”

So after meeting her aunt yesterday, Tao Sheng met her uncle, Luo Ming.

Luo Ming resembled Luo Xin, so Tao Sheng felt a sense of familiarity.

Xie Huaian became serious after meeting Luo Ming, no longer joking with Tao Sheng.

He greeted Luo Ming and explained his purpose.

“I applied to the Cabinet on behalf of the Hanlin Academy to borrow this document, but haven’t gotten a reply. So I had to come to you through personal connections. Please forgive me for the inconvenience.”

After looking at the document list, Luo Ming explained, “The borrowing of these documents needs my signature. But I took personal leave a few days ago, and Lord Yan didn’t want to disturb me, so he didn’t respond to Li Xueshi. It’s not a big deal, but some mistakes caused the delay. Qingsong, please have someone take these documents to Lord Xie for him to read.”

Xie Huaian thanked him repeatedly.

At that moment, the King of Chu suddenly arrived.

Luo Ming knew that after the Crown Prince’s downfall and Prince Rui’s punishment, the King of Chu had stood out. Especially when the Emperor had used him as a cover during his return to the capital, it showed that the Emperor trusted him immensely.

It wasn’t a secret that the King of Chu had gone to Honglu Temple and Nei Ting Si to cause trouble. When the King of Chu was out of favor, Luo Ming had felt scared to see him. Now, facing the even more favored King of Chu, he was even more nervous.

The King of Chu didn’t look at the others and directly asked Tao Sheng, “Have you heard of Shi Zongnian from the Hanlin Academy?”

Tao Sheng nodded, “I’ve heard a little.”

“He’s the one who reported Xiao Ji to the Dali Temple. He said he has proof of Xiao Ji being close to the Crown Prince. Now, the Dali Temple has taken Xiao Ji for questioning.”

Tao Sheng frowned and asked, “Why him again?”

Shi Zongnian was Ji Yanming’s former superior at the Hanlin Academy and also his former teacher. Ji Yanming had many teachers, but only a few were court officials, and fewer worked in the Hanlin Academy. 

Mr. Shi had always cared for Ji Yanming, and Ji Yanming respected him. However, Tao Sheng started to feel something was wrong with Mr. Shi. She didn’t know how to tell Ji Yanming, though, so she stayed quiet.

Su Jia noticed Tao Sheng’s concern and asked what was bothering her. Tao Sheng explained. She felt something wasn’t right with Mr. Shi but had no proof. 

After she became an official, Tao Sheng kept an eye on Mr. Shi, but he didn’t do anything unusual, and he seemed sincere toward Ji Yanming. Tao Sheng was unsure whether her instincts were wrong. She didn’t want to wrongly accuse someone without proof.

Su Jia suggested, “Just tell Xiao Bai that you don’t like Mr. Shi.”

Tao Sheng wasn’t sure if this simple approach would work. 

Su Jia insisted, “Just say it. Trust me.”

Since Ji Yanming trusted his mother, he took Tao Sheng’s feelings seriously. As a result, Ji Yanming started distancing himself from Mr. Shi without asking questions.

However, Tao Sheng later regretted not being more serious about warning Ji Yanming. She felt she should have been more direct from the beginning.