Chapter Eleven: The Music Office

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In the carriage, Shen Tubai held herself tightly. The journey to the Prince Yan’s mansion had gone so smoothly that she had momentarily forgotten her life and fate were still in the hands of others.

Shen Tubai couldn’t understand why the Cui family was so eager for her to bear an heir for Prince Yan. The prince was in his prime, and even if a child were born, it wouldn’t grow up instantly—it was far from the time to fight for power.

Lost in her own thoughts, Shen Tubai did not notice that Li Tinghan across from her also wore a grim expression.

Today, Li Tinghan had heard unsettling news at the Cui residence: the Empress Dowager intended to depose the emperor!

This rumor had circulated in court for a long time. When the emperor was alive, the Empress Dowager held a significant role in governance, co-reigning alongside him as the “Two Sages.”

His eldest brother, Li Tingping, was always reckless. When their father passed away, many veteran ministers opposed his succession, but since he was the legitimate eldest son and had the Empress Dowager’s full backing, he still ascended the throne.

Since his enthronement, he had done several ridiculous things that deeply displeased the Empress Dowager.

Despite this, he still secretly communicated with court officials to force the Empress Dowager to return power. There had already been two disturbances in the court; the situation was ugly but was barely suppressed by the Empress Dowager.

Li Tinghan had thought this state of affairs would last another two years, but hearing it from Prime Minister Cui, it seemed the Empress Dowager had already started taking action.

What troubled Li Tinghan more was that Prime Minister Cui hinted at contesting the heirship. The Empress Dowager had four sons and two daughters; the eldest had died early, the second was stripped of royal status for rebellion, and after the third was deposed, it should be his turn.

Unless the Empress Dowager intended to skip his generation and choose a grandson as heir.

Prime Minister Cui hailed from the Qinghe Cui clan, one of the most prestigious families historically suppressed since Emperor Taizong’s time. It was the Empress Dowager who had promoted him.

Even though the late emperor arranged a marriage between Li Tinghan and the Cui family, Prime Minister Cui remained cautious and had never involved himself in succession disputes over the years.

For him to enter the fray at this precarious moment was baffling. Li Tinghan felt there must be some other motives hidden beneath.

Unable to figure it out, Li Tinghan put the matter aside for now. “Why are you crying for no reason?”

Having been lost in thought, he hadn’t noticed the tear stains on Shen Tubai’s face. Seeing them, he frowned. “What happened? Is it about Wen Niang...?”

“No!” Shen Tubai shook her head quickly. “I was wandering since childhood; it’s Madam Cui and Miss Cui who have treated me so well that I can’t help but cry.”

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At the mention of Cui Xiwen, Li Tinghan relaxed, a tender smile touching his lips. “Wen Niang has always been kind-hearted. Every disaster year, she distributes porridge from her personal stock. You must keep her benevolence in your heart.”

“Miss Cui’s great kindness, I will remember it forever, through all my lives,” Shen Tubai’s eyes turned cold.

Before Li Tinghan could sense something amiss, Shen Tubai suddenly lifted the curtain, her voice tinged with sorrow: “Up ahead is the Music Bureau.”

Shen Tubai hadn’t even been allowed into Li Tinghan’s rear courtyard. This was certainly not a good time for her to bear a child, but she couldn’t just wait to be doomed. An heir would come in due time, and she needed to plan ahead.

The street bustled with people, slowing the carriage’s pace.

Hearing her words, Li Tinghan instinctively frowned.

Shen Tubai lowered her eyes, a faint sadness on her face. “I was sold to the Music Bureau at five. Thanks to the mistress in charge’s day and night teachings, I survived and even learned a skill to earn a living. I haven’t even played the pipa for the prince yet.”

Li Tinghan naturally caught the implication, feeling both pity and a complex emotion he couldn’t articulate. Anyone coming out of such a sordid place as the Music Bureau would want to erase their past. But she was different—she didn’t hide it; she spoke of it so openly.

“All right, when we return, have Lu Zhu take you to the storeroom to pick a fine pipa.”

“Thank you, Prince,” Shen Tubai said no more, obediently lowering the curtain, her gaze full of regret.

Li Tinghan felt a little uneasy. After a moment, he couldn’t bear it any longer. “I’ll give you fifteen minutes. Take the pipa and say a proper farewell.”

Shen Tubai suddenly lifted her head, staring at him in disbelief.

Li Tinghan laughed at her expression and teased, “If you don’t want to, fine. Lu Zhu, continue…”

Boldly, Shen Tubai pressed her fingertip to his lips, excitedly saying, “I do want to. Of course I do. Thank you, Prince.”

With that, she happily trotted away.

Li Tinghan watched her back and shook his head with a smile, then noticed the red medicine bottle she’d left behind. His face instantly darkened.

After getting off the carriage, Shen Tubai’s expression lost all signs of joy.

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She had deliberately left that bottle of medicine on the carriage. The prince had surely seen it by now.

Shen Tubai knew well that Cui Xiwen was nothing like Nurse Xin. Even if she reported today’s events to Li Tinghan, he would never believe her; he might even think she was slandering on purpose and have her beaten to death.

Though she hated the entire Cui household with a burning passion, she had to feign gratitude in front of Li Tinghan. The medicine couldn’t prompt him to act against the Cui family, but it might seed some doubt.

As soon as she stepped into the Music Bureau, the lazy servant girls at the door widened their eyes as if seeing a ghost. “Madam Chu Xiao, Shen Tubai… Shen Tubai has returned!”

Where her eyes fell, the first floor was completely cleared.

Before long, a striking woman in crimson cloth descended from upstairs, aura fierce.

“Miss Shen, such great power? Why did you come back alone? I thought you’d won over the prince and would need maids fanning you and servants shading you with umbrellas when you set foot in this lowly place again?”

Despite the blatant sarcasm, Shen Tubai wasn’t angry. She knelt quickly. “Mother.”

“Not worthy,” Chu Xiao avoided her bow with a cold sneer. “You’re now a concubine of a prince—no, a servant concubine doesn’t count as a concubine—but even so, that’s better than my lowly status. How could I accept your courtesy?”

“I have a request, Mother. You are certainly worthy of it,” Shen Tubai said calmly, her face unflushed.

“You!” Chu Xiao slammed the table and stood up.

But Shen Tubai calmly removed all her jewelry and hairpins, wrapped them in a cloth, and placed them on the table. “I left in a hurry today and only brought these. I’ll send you silver soon.”

Chu Xiao looked at her warily. Shen Tubai was usually competitive and strong-willed. Others, when taking on tasks, would smoothly offer gifts to her, but the silver she earned, even Heaven and Earth couldn’t take away. “What do you want to do?”

Shen Tubai bowed her head deeply. “I came today for two reasons: to ask Mother for my old pipa, and because I know you have ways to help a woman conceive early. I beg you to teach me.”