a large square greeted them. The morning sun was directly above Taijin Palace. Its yellow roof tiles glistened, and the roof was supported by great pillars. Its long stone steps resembled a white path leading to the Milky Way. The whole scene invoked extreme solemnness.

Fan Xian squinted at the buildings in front of him. Suddenly, he started to wonder if he had arrived in the Forbidden City. Perhaps because of that absurd thought, his nervousness died down ever so slightly. Afterwards, Fan Xian finally returned to his normal demeanor; the same he a.s.sumed when he first entered Fan Manor. With a bright smile, he looked around at the various palace girls and eunuchs. He occasionally looked up at the roof of some unknown building, wondering who lived there.

The young eunuch leading the way saw it all and shook his head. Lady Liu smiled faintly, as if it couldn't be helped. This young master was the fearless type after all.

The reason for today’s visit was simple: a talented young man of such reputation was about to marry Chen’er. The ladies of the palace wanted to see what he looked like.

While the reason was simple, the process was beyond complex. The party from Fan Manor got up early to clean and dress themselves. Then they got to the palace just as the palace gates opened. After that, they waited in a room in the corner, waiting to be summoned by one of the ladies. They could wait, but those ladies from the palace weren’t the type of people who would do the same.

And so, Fan Xian sat in the room by the corner, drinking high-cla.s.s tea from the palace. Because he woke up so early, he felt drowsy. Lady Liu looked at him, and then stood up with a smile on her face. She said to the eunuch who had been leading the way, "Eunuch Hou, it’s been some time." As she said it, she handed him a silver tael.

Watching this secretly, Fan Xian smiled. Such a method was sure to be the result of his father’s influence; paving one's way with money.

That Eunuch Hou, however, made an uneasy expression. He said politely, "Madam Fan, you might as well slap me in the face. You grew up together with those masters in the palace. How can someone like me receive charity from you?" Lady Liu couldn’t help but laugh, "It’s merely a gift. What are you afraid of?"

Eunuch Hou chuckled, showing his wrinkles. He said quietly, "Those masters knew you are coming today, so they never had the intention to make you wait. Rest a.s.sured. It’s only still too early. They're most likely getting washed up now. Please, have a seat."

Fan Xian’s ears twitched as he heard the words "Madam Fan". It looked like the palace found out about the matter Lady Liu becoming Count Sinan's proper wife. Upon hearing that those in the palace were still getting ready for the morning, he smiled bitterly. He thought they were much too early.

It was wise of Count Sinan to let Lady Liu accompany Fan Xian. Long before the morning court began, the three members of the Fan family already entered the back palace. The two nannies waited outside. At least they had fine tea and water. They were used to these kinds of palace customs, so they knew how to stay occupied.

They first visited Yi Guipin. She was the birth mother of the current third prince, and she was a talented woman, which was how she came to receive the t.i.tle of Guipin. Fan Xian was very well-behaved. He saluted her. He heard a gentle voice: "You may rise."

This Yi Guipin possessed a plain demeanor, but there was something more, something different from Fan Xian’s expectations of her being graceful beyond words. Even more unexpectedly, Lady Liu began to tear up as she looked at Yi Guipin. After exchanging greetings, they both cast away formalities and held hands together without saying anything. Fan Xian looked at his sister confusedly, but Ruoruo’s expression was calm and unsurprised.

Only after listening to them talk for a bit did Fan Xian learn that this Yi Guipin was Lady Liu’s younger cousin!

Fan Xian was greatly shaken as he now realized how deep the Liu bloodline flowed. It was fortunate that he decided to try to appease her after coming to the capital, and that she had been rather kind to him. Had there been any serious conflict, who knows which side would end up dead!

"You never visit me." Yi Guipin wiped away her tears. "It’s been four years; how could you leave me alone in the palace? Last time I went through all that trouble to get permission for you to come in, and you refused. I was so depressed."

A look of sadness flashed across Lady Liu’s face. She stayed silent for a while before saying quietly, "It's my fault. It’s all my fault."

She wasn’t looking at Fan Xian at all, but Fan Xian noticed her slightly thin shoulders. Upon hearing "four years", he quickly thought back to the a.s.sa.s.sination attempt in Danzhou. According to what his father said, Lady Liu was only a scapegoat. The real culprits were the two women considered to be the "n.o.blest" in the palace. Lady Liu hadn't been to the palace for four years. Could it be because of them?

"I’ll visit often from now on." Lady Liu smiled warmly as she held Yi Guipin's hand. "I came today, didn’t I?"

Yi Guipin laughed and said lightly, "If it weren’t for your household’s young master marrying the dearest girl in the palace, how could I possibly hope to see you?" She then turned towards Fan Xian and asked gently, "So, you are Fan Xian?"

Fan Xian quickly stood up and gave his friendliest smile. He greeted her, saying, "Aunt Liu, I have come to pay my respects."

That sentence was very inappropriate! The eunuchs and palace girls were all stunned. Even Lady Liu was taken aback, thinking "I’m not your mother." But Fan Xian continued to shamelessly build up this relations.h.i.+p, which happened to suit the tastes of Yi Guipin, who was tired of the formalities in the palace. Yi Guipin looked at Fan Xian with a bright smile. "I knew you were such a good child."