Chapter 8: The Strange Handkerchief

    “Yes, what grievances do I have now?” Her voice choked with sobs, she forced a smile and said, “Everyone says that my misfortune has turned into a blessing.”

    To cry so suddenly—one moment she was all smiles, and the next, she had become so sorrowful? Mu Wujian stared in astonishment, stunned for a moment before growing flustered.

    “Don’t cry, I misspoke, I admit it.” Frantically searching his own body for a handkerchief, his entire little face scrunched up: “You must be aggrieved and sad, I know, that’s why I came today.”

    What a straightforward child, so easily deceived, it actually made Peach Blossom feel a bit guilty. She hurriedly composed herself a bit and nodded to him: “Your Highness is truly a good person.”

    “Not much good, they all call me foolish behind my back, always offending people.” Mu Wuxia pouted: “Today too, everyone in the mansion advised me not to come, but I couldn’t sit still, I had to come and ask you to be at ease—are you really willingly marrying Prime Minister Shen midway?”

    “Willingly?” Peach Blossom widened her eyes, opening her mouth to deny it. Though she wanted to climb up by stepping on others, she wasn’t willing to marry Shen Zaiye at first either; it was that beast who forced himself on her, making her have no choice but to remarry!

    However, the words on the tip of her tongue were held back as she remembered her mission for the day. Swallowing her anger, she lifted her eyes and looked tearfully at Mu Wuxia:

    “This matter is not something I can decide on my own. As a woman, I have traveled far to marry here, with no support or shelter. Now, after such a sudden turn of events, I find myself under the roof of the Prime Minister’s residence… Asking me this question, I truly cannot answer.”

    “How could you not be able to answer?” Mu Wuxia frowned. “If you’re willing, you’re willing; if you’re unwilling, you’re unwilling.”

    With a soft sigh, Taohua said, “Not everything in this world can be answered simply with willingness or unwillingness.”

    For instance, at this moment, if she answered that it was her own choice, she would surely offend this young prince, leaving herself one less path of retreat in the future. Yet if she answered that it wasn’t her choice, she would clearly be going against Shen Zaoye’s intentions—how would she survive in this prime minister’s residence from now on?

    She wasn’t foolish; Shen Zaoye had dug a pit—was she really supposed to just leap into it like an idiot?

    “Why?” The young prince dug in, his brows once again tinged with suspicion. “Are you trying to fool me too?”

    “No.” Startled by his look, Peach Blossom pouted slightly. “Please, Your Highness, put yourself in my position! I suddenly encountered misfortune and was utterly helpless. Now that the situation is already set, I’m burdened with accusations of impurity, seeking power and wealth, and many other charges. I attempted suicide but survived, and now I bear this humiliation to cling to life. In my current circumstances, can they truly be summed up by mere words like ‘willing’ or ‘unwilling’?”

    Mu Wuxia was stunned for a moment, his expression softening once more. Seeing the torrent of tears streaming down Taohua’s face, he couldn’t help but feel moved. Finally, he took out a handkerchief from his chest and handed it to her: “Your handkerchief is already soaked with tears.”

    “Thank you, Your Highness.” Taohua whimpered as she accepted it, using her own handkerchief to blow her nose before discarding it, then continuing to wipe her tears with Nanwang’s handkerchief.

    “Since you say you had no choice in the matter, could you tell me about what happened the day before yesterday?” he asked.

    Taohua nodded obediently: “The day before yesterday, the wedding procession was blocked by wild wolves halfway, the guards scattered, and the streets were deserted. My maidservant had the others cover the rear and told me to run ahead first, so I fled all the way. But for some reason, I accidentally wandered into the backyard of a brothel, where I was knocked unconscious and drugged… By the time I woke up, I was already in this state.”

    “Wild wolves?” Wu Wuxia frowned. “Did they come specifically to block your bridal procession?”

    “…” Peach Blossom lowered her gaze, thinking to herself, How could I have lifted my skirt to ask the wild wolves, “Did you come specifically to stop me?”

    “This humble woman does not know where the wild wolves came from, nor why they suddenly appeared.”

    The young prince’s frown deepened. “Wild wolves have been causing trouble in the capital recently. How is it possible they haven’t been captured all this time, only to cause chaos on the very day of our wedding?”

    Peach Blossom pursed her lips. “No one can control that, can they? Who could command wild wolves…”

    “There are those who can.” Mu Wuxia’s eyes flickered with concealed anger as she glanced around the prime minister’s estate. “The prime minister’s residence has a retainer named Qin Sheng, who is skilled in taming wolves.”

    What?

    Jiang Taohua’s expression remained unchanged, but her heart sank.

    Was the encounter with the wild wolf on the street really a coincidence? Could it be that Shen Zaive had people behind the scenes manipulating it?

    How terrifying is this, and why? What benefit would it bring Shen Zaive if she couldn’t marry the Southern Prince? To go to such lengths to harm her—could it be that she dug up his family’s ancestral grave in a past life?

    Filled with anger and fear, Taohua took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and tried to calm herself down.

    The current reality is that she is no match for Shen Zaive and is already under his control. All she can do now is play by his rules to temporarily preserve her life, while slowly investigating the rest. The most important thing at the moment is still to stabilize the Southern Prince.

    “Your Highness is perhaps overthinking it.” The hands beneath the table clenched tightly, yet Peach Blossom’s expression remained perfectly calm. “The situation was rather chaotic at the time. Those wild wolves didn’t seem to be under anyone’s control; they were simply starving and came out at dusk to hunt for food, just happening to encounter the bridal procession.”

    Mu Wujian’s frown did not ease. “How could you possibly discern that? Weren’t you focused on escaping at the time, Princess?”

    Of course, she couldn’t have discerned it, but she had promised someone—even if it meant swallowing her teeth and blood, she had to follow through! Peach Blossom took a deep breath, pretending to recall carefully as she said:

    “Although I was fleeing, I did glance at the scene; it was total chaos. If the wild wolves had been under someone’s control, they should have come straight for me. Yet they did not. I only ended up in the backyard of the brothel because I ran in a panic; no one else can be blamed.”

    Mu Wuxia pondered thoughtfully: “So, the princess went to the back courtyard of the brothel, was mistaken for a singing girl by King Jing’s men, knocked unconscious, and then delivered to Prime Minister Shen?”

    “Yes.” Peach Blossom nodded. “I was knocked unconscious as soon as I entered the courtyard, and I know nothing of what happened afterward.”

    Even if you know, you shouldn’t say such things in front of children!

    The young prince’s expression grew serious, his lips pursed and the line of his jaw taut, as though pondering a grave issue. After a long while, he finally said, “I think I understand what you mean. This matter has nothing to do with you. It might be the work of fate, or perhaps my brother, Prince Jing, is causing trouble behind the scenes. You are merely the victim.”

    “You don’t blame me anymore?” Peach Blossom asked eagerly.

    “In such circumstances, if I were still to blame you, wouldn’t that be too harsh?” With a sigh, Mu Wuxia said, “Perhaps we simply lack the fate to be husband and wife in this lifetime.”

    Although the young lord’s stature was already quite tall and his appearance was refined, after all, he was younger than her. Hearing those words come from his mouth, Taohua felt somewhat awkward and could only sigh, covering her eyes with a handkerchief. Just as she was about to say something, the person opposite her suddenly looked startled:

    “The handkerchief has been taken by mistake, might Your Highness return it to me?”

    What? Peach Blossom was taken aback. She took off the handkerchief and examined it closely. It was an ordinary white silk handkerchief, except for a single embroidered flower on it—layers upon layers, multicolored, and she couldn’t quite tell what kind of flower it was.

    This floral handkerchief… It seems like I’ve seen it somewhere before..

    Pursing her lips, Peach Blossom looked at Mu Wuxia and asked, “Is this handkerchief particularly special to you?”

    Mu Wuxia hesitated for a moment, glanced at the attendants standing far away, and whispered, “This is a custom from the Wu Kingdom. In springtime, carrying an embroidered handkerchief with a hundred spring flowers close to the body is believed to invite the blessing of the Spring Goddess for household harmony, national prosperity, and the well-being of the people.”

    “It’s just that my father doesn’t like me admiring the customs of the Wu Kingdom, so I can only carry this in secret.”

    With a thoughtful gaze, Jiang Taohua examined the handkerchief carefully, then slowly handed it back to the Southern Prince: “I see. If the Emperor doesn’t approve, why is Your Highness so insistent on this?”

    “I have not promoted any other customs or rules, but the Spring Welcoming Ceremony is the most important ritual in Wu Kingdom. Men of Wu must adhere to it no matter where they are.” Murong Wuxia whispered softly, sounding rather guilty, as he took the handkerchief and tucked it back into his sleeve. “Although I am a subject of Great Wei, I grew up in Wu after all, so…”

    “I understand,” Tao Hua nodded, taking a light breath and smiling gently. “This flower is also a unique symbol of Wu, isn’t it? I haven’t seen it anywhere else.”

    Children are straightforward. When asked, they answer honestly: “Yes, there is no such thing as the Hundred Spring Flower anywhere else in the world. A single flower with seven colors—that can only be a celestial bloom. It is said to have been embroidered by Wu’s very first empress and has been passed down ever since, becoming a symbol of faith for Wu.”

    As for faith, no matter where a person is or what their status may be, as long as their heart remains true, they will never be willing to abandon it.

    Tao Hua felt her hands and feet growing a bit cold, forced a smile, and rubbed the corners of her eyes.

    “Are you tired?” The young prince’s brow furrowed again, and after a moment of thought, he rose and said, “It’s not appropriate for me to stay too long either. Since I’ve asked all that needed to be asked, I’ll take my leave now. I’ll go and have another chat with the prime minister.”

    “Thank you for your kindness today, Your Highness.” Jiang Tao Hua stood up and bowed to Prince Nan. “Please take care on your way, Your Highness.”

    Mu Wujian glanced at her, feeling that this woman truly was pitiable. Sighing softly in his heart, he turned and left.

    The green moss standing outside the pavilion, seeing that the person had walked far away, then came in intending to support their own master. Who could have thought that Peach Blossom would simply slump down, with a deep frown on their brow and a dazed look in their eyes.

    “Master?” Qing Tai was startled. “What’s wrong with you?”

    Closing her eyes, Tao Hua reached out and grabbed Qing Tai’s arm, whispering, “I feel things are getting worse and worse…”

    Qing Tai was very confused. Jiang Tao Hua lowered her head and started to think about some things on her own.

    As previously mentioned, she had a very good memory, so she remembered the pattern embroidered on the floral handkerchief that fell from Shen Zaiji’s arms last night while she was helping him change clothes.

    The pattern matched the one on the King of Nan’s handkerchief today; it was the revered and faith-inspired Hundred Spring Flower unique to the Kingdom of Wu.

    King Nan once served as a hostage in the state of Wu, so it is somewhat understandable for him to follow the customs of Wu. However, why is Shen Zaiye also carrying a handkerchief of the hundred spring flowers?