Chapter 89

Tao Sheng took some paper and was about to write when someone came to say the emperor wanted to talk.

This was the first time the emperor had summoned her after the last incident. Tao Sheng put down her work, stood up, and went to the Xuanzheng Hall.

The emperor looked a bit tired, his face was thinner. Tao Sheng realized what Gao Zhen had said was true — the emperor had been ill.

Recently, the emperor had started to feel better and thought the time was right to summon Tao Sheng to play the zither.

Many things had happened recently, mostly involving the Crown Prince and Prince Rui. The emperor said, “I wanted you to follow Prince Chu, thinking everything would be fine. But who knew…”

They both avoided talking about what Prince Rui had done. It was clear the matter was over now.

“I was indeed unlucky,” Tao Sheng said with a smile. “But thanks to you, I returned safely. It’s a blessing to serve you again.”

The emperor seemed pleased and asked if Tao Sheng had composed any new music.

“Yes,” Tao Sheng replied. “I read a fable from an ancient book and was inspired to write two pieces. Please listen.”

The emperor smiled and asked her to play.

This was the first time Tao Sheng played for the emperor. Nervous, her fingers nearly slipped, but she managed to save it. The emperor didn’t notice and praised her, “It’s full of twists and turns, very exciting. What’s the fable behind this?”

Tao Sheng explained, “This is based on the ‘Empty Seal Case’ from the Hongwu period. Every year, each region had to submit financial reports to the Ministry of Revenue. If there was any mistake, the whole report was rejected, and they had to redo it.” ^[1]refers to a case of administrative mistakes and corrections in the Ming Dynasty..

“However, the grain that was delivered often got damaged during transportation, and it was common for the account books to not match the actual grain. The court had strict rules, and any small mistake meant re-reporting. So, officials going to the Ministry of Revenue in Beijing brought blank books, just in case. When Emperor Hongwu found out, he was furious and investigated officials involved in fraud and favoritism.”

After explaining this, Tao Sheng returned to the main topic.

“I grew up in Qin County and attended the local girls’ school. Later, I was granted the Emperor’s grace to work in the Imperial Music Bureau. I never understood these cases. But when I heard His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu talk about Lord Ji’s case, I noticed his signature and seal were on it, but the secret letter wasn’t written by him. It’s somewhat like this case.”

The emperor narrowed his eyes and said, “You are too modest.”

It wasn’t just a lack of understanding; it was deep understanding.

Before, he thought Tao Sheng was just a regular official in the Imperial Music Bureau, playing the zither and composing music. But now, he realized he had underestimated her. Her intuition was sharper than many current officials.

_

Grand Tutor’s Mansion.

After returning from the Dali Temple, Luo Ming told his father, Grand Master Luo, what happened.

Master Luo remembered his conversations with Tao Sheng and realized his granddaughter had deep feelings for her cousin. So, he advised his son: “Whether she recognizes the Luo family or not, she is still our child. We should help her. Since you’ve been to the Dali Temple, what did you learn?”

“Brother Xu let me into the back hall, and I met Lord Ji. He seemed calm and in good spirits, not worried at all. Maybe His Royal Highness the Prince of Chu was too concerned, and the situation is not as dangerous as we thought.”

Luo Ming had worked as an official for years and had seen calm people in danger. But this was the first time he’d seen someone like Ji Yanming stay so calm after being detained. It seemed he already knew how to solve the problem and was in control.

Master Luo understood what his son meant.

“Even if he’s smart, he’s still young and lacks family power. It will be hard for him to stay in the Dali Temple. Since our family accepts Tao Sheng as our own, we will help him.”

“Father is right,” Luo Ming said. “I’ve told Brother Xu to take better care of them. I’ve also started working on the witness matter and made progress.”

Master Luo asked: “Is the man still alive?”

“Most likely, he’s gone,” Luo Ming said. “But since he worked at the Imperial Academy, he must have other people at home. We’ve sent people to look for him in Xuzhou. I think we’ll get news soon.”

_

After leaving Xuanzheng Hall, Tao Sheng returned home to sort her thoughts. It was already dark when she got back.

Su Jia asked Tao Sheng, who was late: “There’s a lot happening in the court these days. Why did you come back so late? Xiaobai hasn’t come back for two days and didn’t even let anyone know. I’ve been worrying about him.”

Tao Sheng didn’t want to worry her aunt, so she stammered, “Cousin… maybe something happened.”

Just then, the gatekeeper reported that an official from Prince Rui’s mansion had arrived with important news for Miss Tao Sheng.

Tao Sheng had never had contact with Prince Rui’s Mansion. Surprised, she asked: “What’s the chief historian of Prince Rui’s Mansion doing here?”

Although Tao Sheng disliked Prince Rui, she couldn’t refuse the chief historian. “Let him in.”

When the chief historian entered, he looked a bit arrogant and said to Tao Sheng: “Our Highness heard about Lord Ji’s imprisonment. If Miss Luo needs help, she can go to the palace and speak to His Highness Prince Rui.”

Tao Sheng’s face turned cold as she dismissed the guest. Turning around, she saw her aunt’s worried face.

Tao Sheng hurriedly comforted her aunt, “My cousin had some problems, but he’s just being questioned at the Dali Temple. It’s not as serious as Wu Changshi said. Don’t worry.”

Su Jia felt dizzy after hearing the word “imprisonment,” but after Tao Sheng’s explanation, she felt better. She held Tao Sheng’s hand and asked again, “Is Xiaobai really going to be okay?”

“It will be fine, don’t worry,” Tao Sheng said. “Lord Luo Mingluo has already promised that I can visit my cousin tomorrow. I’ll tell you everything then.”