The Shen family gate awaited her like heavy eyelids burdened with memories.
Tao Hua entered alongside Mo Chen, clad in a lemon-colored dress streaked with ribbons of sky blue, her hair adorned with pink jade hairpins—marking her new identity… the bride-to-be of a house she once believed she'd never reach.
But what surprised her was the main courtyard, which her mother rarely stepped into, now filled with an unusual gathering: Mei Qian, dressed in an elegant robe rare upon her, seated beside Zhang Lihwya, the stepmother—a scene unseen in years.
Tao Hua hurried forward, bowed, then fell into her mother's arms.
— "Mother… I missed you so much it aches."
Mei Qian gripped her hands tightly, her expression steeped in worry:
— "Tao Hua, are you alright? The entire capital is talking about the poisoning of the Liang heir and his rightful fiancée! They say it was bandits..."
Tao Hua chuckled faintly:
— "Not bandits, mother. Just a fraud at one of our suppliers, a vengeful woman, and a poisoned hairpin... If not for Sun Wu, who intercepted the blow, I might not be here. I... helped him, as best I could."
She calmly poured them ginseng tea when the stepmother raised her cup and, as usual, released her venom:
— "Truly a bringer of misfortune! Barely back and already bringing ruin upon your betrothed's house. Since your departure, my husband's business has thrived!"
Mei Qian's eyes widened at the blunt cruelty, but Tao Hua gently patted her hand in reassurance before turning to the stepmother with a silken smile that concealed a blade:
— "So what you mean to say is... you'd like me to stay in their home, bring them misfortune, so that your trade here may prosper. How clever of you, madam."
Zhang Lihwya stammered, caught off guard by the swift reversal:
— "W-What? I'll tell your father you're slandering me!"
Tao Hua raised her porcelain cup with composure:
— "And I'll tell my mother-in-law… about your little scheme."
The stepmother's face twisted before she fled, leaving behind a cloud of shame. Tao Hua turned to her mother:
— "Mother, why is she suddenly so kind? Fine clothes, a physician, sitting with you in the courtyard?"
Mei Qian lowered her gaze, her voice quiet with thought:
— "I don't know. As if she borrowed someone else's heart. The last time she dressed like this… was the day I entered this house."
Tao Hua nodded, her gaze fixed on the still pond. Thoughts spiraled:
Has she caught wind of the silent political war… and now tries to placate us? Or… is this remorse?
Finding no certainty, she rose:
— "I'll go see my siblings, Mother. If you need me… I'm here."
Mo Chen knocked gently. Inside, Shen Yuyan was chasing a golden fish with a stick, giggling with her maid. Upon seeing her sister, she rushed forward and embraced her.
— "Sister! I missed you so much!"
— "And I missed you, little flower."
Tao Hua sat, brushing her younger sister's damp hair, calming her until she drifted into sleep. She kissed her forehead and quietly departed.
In the archery yard, Shen Meiling released her final arrow, her face taut with anger. Upon seeing her sister, she looked away. Tao Hua bowed:
— "Good morning, sister."
— "What morning?! You've always been a burden, and now you've stolen the man I dreamed of!"
Mo Chen stepped forward to speak, but Tao Hua raised her hand.
— "Meiling, I came only to greet you, not challenge you. The decree was Her Majesty's. Had I a choice, I would've declined…"
But her sister turned away, rejecting the attempt at reconciliation. Tao Hua understood then—the wound ran too deep for words. She bowed again and walked away.
Before she could knock, Shen Rui was already waiting. He rushed forward and hugged her tightly, his eyes scanning for injuries.
— "Sister, I heard thieves attacked you!"
She and Mo Chen laughed.
— "Thieves? Just a bitter woman... a poisoned pin. A hero who took the hit instead of me."
They sat at the chess table as he poured her tea. She asked about their father.
— "He left last night in a rush—said it was a salt merchants' meeting."
Tao Hua sensed a new thread in the mystery of her father's sudden absence but smiled anyway:
— "My wedding is in two weeks. May fifth. I want you there."
Rui's stern face softened into rare warmth:
— "It would be my honor."
Their conversation didn't last long; a servant arrived to summon them to a "family" banquet. Rui and Tao Hua exchanged glances—they knew their father had a purpose.
As everyone sat, he spoke:
"This banquet is in celebration of my daughter's return from death."
Tao Hua smiled politely, but her thoughts drifted to another banquet—one held in the Liang household. There, they embraced her as if she had truly returned from the brink of death.
With fireworks crackling in the distance, Tao Hua leaned toward her maid:
— "Mo Chen, don't you think... my father's absence, the rash, the noble family names… they're all connected?"
The sharp-eyed maid nodded.
— "Some noble families are likely trying to smear Liang and Zhao after they refused to cooperate. Your father may be colluding. And the banquet… just a cover."
Tao Hua looked at her with respect:
— "Brilliant, Mo Chen. We'll stay vigilant… even after the wedding."
At the gate, Liang Jian himself came to greet her, his face a blend of worry and joy:
— "Daughter, thank the heavens you're safe! Your mother-in-law was beside herself when you didn't return…"
Tao Hua chuckled to herself, comparing the two fathers—one who offered her wine without knowing she was still ill, and one who came personally, worried, trying always to lift her spirits.
— "Don't worry, Father. I came to assure you all… For this house feels warmer than the one I left behind."
She stepped inside, knowing that the next battles she'd face weren't just in courtrooms or markets—but within homes where secrets of salt, blood, and phoenixes brewed beneath quiet roofs