-Mansion of Grand Imperial Princess Shu-
Princess Cheng sat beside her sleeping grandmother and gently massaged her head. A blue thread of energy emitted from her fingertips was slowly transferring the poison outside of her wrinkly skin and the poison formed a little gem—a vibrant green and bluish gem that flew over the old princess' head.
As soon as the old princess' skin returned to its usual composure, Princess Cheng moved her fingers away and caught the hovering gem.
She looked at the work of art in her hand and sighed. Tears glistened in her eyes, and the warm light of the lamp flickered as she stood up, silently walking out of the inner chamber so she wouldn't wake up her grandmother.
"Your Highness," Mama Li greeted her as she approached the room with a bowl of medicated soup, which Princess Cheng had instructed her to make, while she could get time to detoxify her grandmother.
"Take care of her." Princess Cheng spoke in a tone that was a mix of command and a plea. Her shoulders were still heavy, and she was regretting that she didn't take good care of her grandmother and let down her grandfather.
Princess Cheng was heading to her courtyard, and as usual, Eunuch Jiu was accompanying her, walking behind her as cautiously as he could so that he didn't end up disturbing the princess.
He was attempting to say something, but something made him hold back. Princess Cheng halted her steps right before her courtyard and turned to him.
"Jiu, wait here for Huan." She said that and headed inside.
Eunuch Jiu was puzzled and then a wave of disappointment washed over his face. He sighed and stood there patiently. A long time passed and the sky began to turn dark but she was nowhere to be seen.
"I should not expect." He said this, raising his eyes at the sky.
"Bhaw!" A young girl jumped at him from behind and said, "Supervisor Jiu, you got scared!" She laughed, her eyes nearly disappearing.
"Woah, how long have you been here?" He asked, fixing his composure, afraid she might have heard him.
"I just came back," Huan answered, unable to stop herself from giggling.
"From where?" he asked curiously.
"From Manager Li Quan's house," Huan replied, jumping like a little kid.
"My brother-in-law? Why did you go to his house?" Li Jiu was extremely taken aback when he heard her. It had always been him who used to go out to run errands for Princess Cheng but this time she had sent Huan and he didn't even know about it.
"Her Highness sent me there." She swirled around like a butterfly.
"But why?" Li Jiu became a little frustrated and asked.
"I went there with the dowry that Her Highness granted upon your niece," Huan replied, accidentally stepping on Jiu's left foot.
"Ouch!" Jiu yelled, but then he stopped. His face was gobsmacked when he heard about his niece.
"Her Highness knows?" His eyes widened from shock.
"Yes…" Huan said, getting serious, "Her Highness has also given you a month off for her wedding." She informed with a smile.
"But I cannot leave Her Highness in this condition." Eunuch Jiu got excited at first but then he said, considering his master's matter was his priority.
"Her Highness said that you must leave by tonight, everything is prepared for you." Huan clasped her hands and said.
"But I can't."
"You must. It's an order."
"I want to meet Her Highness…"
"She won't meet you. Try to understand."
In the end, Eunuch Jiu didn't have any choice, he did try to meet her but was stopped at the doorstep. He was overjoyed yet concerned at the same time. However, he understood that his master had other plans.
Reluctantly, he did go to his sister's house, to attend his niece's wedding, which was a privilege that no servant of an imperial household had yet, he was a slave and he had no right to meet his family even for an hour. He got a month, and he was grateful.
…
-Princess Cheng's courtyard-
"Did he leave?" Princess Cheng asked as soon as Huan entered the inner chamber.
"Yes, Your Highness," Huan replied with an envious smile, not that her supervisor was given a month off, but the fact that he had a family made her feel inferior.
"Good." Princess Cheng answered, picking up a cake from her table and taking a small bite.
"Huan, come here, have a taste." Huan was standing depressed, thinking about her lost family, threw a forced smile and obeyed the command of her princess.
Princess Cheng took off her jade bracelet and handed it to her, "What is this?" Huan was so shocked to see such a precious item in her hand that her lips trembled.
"This is your reward." Princess Cheng replied with a sweet smile.
"A reward, may I know what pleased Your Highness?" Huan asked, and she was dumbfounded.
"If Jiu and you had not helped me back then, I would have failed in making the Jade Water Elixir, it is because of you two that my grandmother is still breathing steadily." Princess Cheng said, her eyes were numb, the incident of old princess fainting crossed her mind again.
"No, Your Highness, all we did was follow your command." Huan tried to refuse but Princess Xuan Cheng made her wear it.
"And being obedient is not the easiest thing to do when one's life is at risk." Xuan Cheng said.
….
The next day, Xuan Cheng was sitting all by herself at the partition and embroidering a pillow cover for her grandmother when suddenly she heard a familiar, distant voice.
"How dare you stop me!" She yelled, and just then a maid rushed inside and reported, "Your Highness, Duchess Wan, is here." The woman barged in without permission before the maid could finish her words.
"Princess Cheng!!! What is wrong with you?!" She asked, without even paying her courtesy and sat down across from her.
"What did I do this time?" Princess Cheng smirked, continuing her work.
"You gave a month off to a slave?" She widened her eyes and asked.
"Yes, I did." Xuan Cheng answered, her smile disappearing slowly.
"The entire nobility is talking about your audacity, how should I answer them?" Duchess Wan threw a tantrum.
"How did this news spread overnight? They are talking? Who are they talking about? What did they say? That 'Princess Cheng' granted her slave a month off?" Xuan Cheng raised her eyes and questioned.
"Yes!" Duchess Wan nodded furiously.
"So what answers do they seek from you? Who is Princess Cheng? And what did you do? Did you answer them?" Xuan Cheng asked, her voice getting heavier.
"That's what I want to know! Do you want them all to learn about you?" Duchess Wan relaxed herself and, with a concerned look, asked.
"You already told them about me, why are you pretending?" Xuan Cheng asked sarcastically.
"Because they know about you and they want to know your source of income. How can a forgotten princess have so much wealth that she granted her slave's relative a fortune worth a noble lady's dowry." Duchess Wan asked.
"Is it bothering you too?" Xuan Cheng chuckled and asked.
"Yes, I am visiting you after three years, and I see how you have transformed your mansion. You are living like a princess of first rank." Duchess Wan looked around and said. Her eyes fell on the jade crown that Xuan Cheng was wearing.
"How did you hide all this?" Duchess Wan was questioned after a pause.
"I didn't hide, you were the one hiding in the name of your deceased husband." Xuan Cheng went straight to the point and replied boldly. Duchess Wan could speak no further.
Maids came in, bringing fresh snacks and tea for the Duchess, who was the only guest that the mansion had ever had in three years. Nobody comes to the mansion where the house arrested criminal lived except the members of Duke Ying's household.
Duke Ying of Yuchang City was given the authority by the emperor to visit the old princess from time to time so that they could check on her and keep an eye on her in case she got herself involved in further schemes.
However, an unfortunate incident resulted in the death of Duchess Wan's husband and she locked herself in, mourning for her husband and didn't care about anything else.
But then, she began to go out after Duchess Wan's mother-in-law encouraged her to socialise with people now that her mourning period was over and take care of her responsibilities as the Duchess of Ying.
"Is it true? Duyi is yours?" Duchess Wan lowered her voice and asked after she saw that the maids had retreated after serving them hot tea.
"You already know the answer." Xuan Cheng looked into her eyes and replied.
"I would have never known unless you spread the words yourself." Duchess Wan knew that it was part of a scheme that she suddenly learned of the Princess Cheng's long and deep hidden secret.
"Indeed." Xuan Cheng took a sip of her tea and answered. The corner of her lips twisted, she was proud of herself because her meticulous game was being played at full swing.
"Why?" Duchess Wan's eyes narrowed and she leaned closer, she knew there was something more than meets the eye.
Xuan Cheng's smiled held secrets that she was about to share with Duchess Wan. However, as cautious she could be, she wanted to make sure that the person across her is prepared to carry the words that needed another burial ground.
Xuan Cheng looked into her eyes and a wave of crimson fumes covered her brown dense pupils, inwardly flash of memories began to feel her mind.
Duchess Wan was perplexed and dumbfounded, she was scared to see how Xuan Cheng froze and was staring at her with wide eyes that changed color, "Princess Cheng…"
Xuan Cheng witnessed how Duchess Wan's husband died leaving her alone in the palace with his pregnant concubine. The times were tough when her mother-in-law could not handle the grief and kept falling sick again and again.
"Little Ru'er is three year old this year." Princess Cheng spoke after a long while as she slowly blinked into the reality. "I see your sons dote on their sister." Her words brought tears in Duchess Wan's eyes for some reason though she didn't say anything that would hurt.
"Poor kid lost her mother upon birth. My heart ache for her." Xuan Cheng's pupil turned brown again as she spoke.
"Weren't you going to tell me about Duyi? Why are talking about my daughter?" Duchess Wan asked, wiping her tears with the corner of her handkerchief.
"Yu'er will inherit the title and Ye'er will gain other nobility title, I guess you are more worried for your husband's concubine's daughter, Ru'er." Princess Cheng noted.
"How did you know?" Duchess Wan was surprised, she was the legal mother of the little girl Ru'er, but nobody would ever think that a legal mother would ever be worried about an illegitimate child.
"Things started settling down after she came to this world, its obvious that she is an angel." Princess Cheng spoke, "You are worried for her marriage prospect and thus you have transferred her under your name, making her your adopted child."
"How do you know all this?" Duchess Wan couldn't believe her ears, these matters were only known to a few and it was highly unlikely for a confined princess to know such deep secrets of her family.
"I see you are a loyal wife and trusted daughter-in-law, and a nice Duchess. How about I introduce to become a good Wan Xin?" Xuan Cheng flashed a friendly smile.
"Me? Am I not me?" Duchess Wan pointed her fingers at her bosom and questioned and reflected and instantly she knew what Xuan Cheng meant by, "How am I supposed to establish my name?" she questioned curiously and a little excitement sparkled her eyes.
"I offer you to become Da Fu at Duyi."
Xuan Cheng's words lingered in the air for a while before they could fully enter into her ears. "Da Fu?!" Duchess Wan eyes widened at her words.
"Hmph…" Princess Cheng nodded casually however she was having a blast inside knowing how unbelievable words she said to the person before her.
"But I am a woman…" Duchess Wan stood up and turned away, failing to hold her smile before the princess, her eyes going from left to right just thinking about the glory of the position.
Duyi was no government organisation but it was as good as one, it had an indestructible goodwill and rich patrons that funded the group to expand and help the people, becoming it's Da Fu—grand master, was as good as becoming one of the richest person of the entire empire.
On the other hand, it was highly honorable and respected position, the previous Da Fu was a retired minister who took Duyi to another height and was now deceased. People had been waiting for a new Da Fu and many people tried to contact the owner; Master Duyi to apply for the position.
Duchess Wan had not yet realized that she was in the presence of the same mysterious person, Master Duyi.
"And so am I." Xuan Cheng stated.
"Princess Cheng, it is a position that is coveted by many, are you sure you want me to take it? I am just a house wife unlike Princess Lan…and now you…Master Duyi…" Duchess Wan sat down excitedly.
"And I Master Duyi knows only you." Xuan Cheng's gave goosebumps to Wan Xin.
"I… am afraid that I will disappoint you." Wan Xin spoke, however, her eyes glittered just imagining how much prestige she would gain by becoming the face of Duyi.
"I don't know what the future holds for me, my life isn't as stable as yours. If you make a mistake, I will be there for you, however, there is no one above me." Xuan Cheng's eyes helplessly dropped a tear as she remembered how much hardship she had to go through to build her business.