The carriage swayed slowly on its way to the Imperial Palace, and the heroine Tao Hua sat inside wearing a red and black dress, the colors she had come to believe brought her luck ever since she adopted them, as if they had become an invisible shield surrounding her. She lifted her eyes toward the hero Liang Sun Wu, who sat opposite her in his blue formal attire that only added to his dignity and authority, then asked in a hesitant voice that hid behind it a feigned anxiety:
"Well… do you really think I will appear polite in front of them?"
She knew she was acting more than asking, for she was awaiting the moment of confronting Empress Dowager Zhao Lian, the moment she had been cunningly anticipating. Liang Sun Wu turned quickly toward her, his face showing his worry that she might cry again, and replied warmly:
"Of course, you are. Everyone truly praises your manners and beauty!"
But she did not believe him and looked away, speaking to herself with sarcasm:
Liar… They have always called me the daughter of a concubine, the unwanted child.
Her thoughts flooded her mind so much that she did not notice the road, and only realized their arrival when the carriage stopped and she saw Liang Sun Wu get down. She hurried to rise as well. He extended his hand to help her descend, and she held it lightly, lifting her ornate dress with her other hand before stepping onto the palace ground, where her eyes fell upon a large plaque engraved with the words "Virtue and Wisdom." She wondered to herself: What is their story with these words? Surely they have a deeper meaning. She remembered that the last time she entered the palace she was ignorant of everything that went on inside, but now she possessed knowledge enough to be executed if spoken aloud.
She turned to find Liang Sun Wu in front of her, trying to draw her attention after noticing her distraction, and he asked gently:
"Are you alright? If you feel unwell, we can wait a little."
She quickly shook her head, then thought of seizing the moment and asked with calculated hesitation:
"I was just thinking… my father has such a plaque, your household as well, and even the Imperial Palace… as if it's a motto or some secret."
For a moment Liang Sun Wu hesitated, wondering inwardly: Is she trying to manipulate me to uncover something hidden, or is she truly innocent and knows nothing? In the end, he decided to answer her truthfully, for she seemed genuine, unlike her sister Tao Lan, who never ceased setting traps for him. He spoke as they walked toward the courtyard meant for the gathering:
"This is an old motto from a former dynasty. It has a story."
Then he began to tell it:
There was once a man who married a woman whom everyone agreed was mad, because she would disappear for long months, and no one knew where she went. Only her husband held on to his faith in her and refused to believe the words of others. In truth, that woman was a great general secretly leading thousands of soldiers under the Empress's command, and thus could not reveal her identity. When her corpse was finally brought back on shoulders one day, her husband wept bitterly for her, yet people continued to call her insane. Until the Empress herself came forth, bringing the woman's daughter with her, and declared her heroic deeds before all. Thus her patience, bravery, and her husband's love for her became a legend still told today under the name "Virtue and Wisdom."
When Liang Sun Wu finished the story, he turned to see Tao Hua crying bitterly, and sighed in despair:
"My God… what is it with this girl and crying?! The story happened long ago."
But she replied in a hoarse voice as she wiped her tears:
"But she surely did not live a good life under people's tongues… I feel what she felt, for I have spent half my life the same way."
His heart softened for her, and he patted her shoulder reassuringly:
"Don't worry, as long as you will marry me, no one will dare speak ill of you, nor of your mother. I promise you that. Just stop crying now."
Before he could say more, he noticed Emperor Zhao Wei and Empress Dowager Zhao Lian approaching from afar, and exclaimed nervously:
"My God, Their Majesties are coming, it would be shameful for anyone to see you like this."
Tao Hua quickly wiped her tears and looked at him with moist eyes, whispering:
"Do I look like I was crying?"
At that moment, for the first time, Liang Sun Wu felt his heart pounding violently as he looked at her, so flustered that his tongue tied before he muttered awkwardly:
"Uh… yes… you look fine, now stand."
He helped her rise before both bowed to Emperor Zhao Wei and his wife Empress Dowager Zhao Lian, then they all sat down together.
The conversation began with light topics until Empress Zhao Lian turned to Tao Hua and said with a gentle smile:
"I heard everyone is praising the future daughter-in-law after a great problem was solved recently."
Tao Hua quickly stood and bowed, replying:
"I thank the Empress for her praise. I merely did my duty."
Zhao Lian chuckled softly, then asked for some privacy. Emperor Zhao Wei glanced at her and nodded before turning to Liang Sun Wu with a playful smile:
"Come, let's leave. It seems we are not welcome here."
The two departed, and Empress Dowager Zhao Lian quickly embraced Tao Hua with fear and worry, turning her left and right until Tao Hua felt dizzy, as the Empress asked anxiously:
"Are you alright? I swear I haven't slept since I heard about your poisoning! I was terrified you wouldn't survive it. This is the doing of the Zhang family… those bastards! I'll make sure to kill them one by one myself!"
Tao Hua held her hands and seated her calmly, saying:
"Don't worry, I wasn't harmed as much as Liang Sun Wu was. He took the blow for me, I merely expelled the poison from my body. For a moment I feared I'd become a widow before even getting married."
The Empress Zhao Lian burst into laughter:
"Haha, you're right! But truly, you must be more careful, for what you did has earned you new enemies. The Zhang family had been plundering from your new family for years, and now that you ruined their plans, they won't dare try again."