Arc 2
As Xi Ming stood before the emperor, his eyes carefully studied him. If he sensed any sort of dangerous intent, he would immediately deny knowing anything of Rou Hua. However, studying the emperor's expression, though there was a sense of melancholy, there also seemed to be a tinge of longing.
Xi Ming's mind raced back to a conversation he had previously with Zhou Tang once she and Li Fei took over his training. Zhou Tang had told him that his mother, Rou Hua, was not a simple woman but rather a concubine of the emperor who had once been a dancer.
"My mother was a fan of Rou Hua when she was still a dancer," Zhou Tang had once said, "until one day, she no longer saw Rou Hua on the streets. Instead, she had become a favored consort of the emperor.