First time in a long while

-Mansion of Heavenly Jade Princess-

"Your Lordship, I have arranged everything meticulously, we can set out by tomorrow morning," Mama Li addressed the old bearded man wearing a white and cream robe that the family of the deceased must wear during the mourning period.

"Did my mother leave any will?" He asked, scanning the main hall where his mother and father used to reside when he was young, reminiscing the past with teary eyes. However, he was unaware of the fact that the place now belonged to his daughter.

"Yes, Her Majesty left a will..." Mama Li replied, glancing at Eunuch Jiu who was standing beside her with his eyes lowered.

"Bring me the will," Prime Minister Xuan demanded as he sat on one of the two centre seats of the main hall, in a dignified and elegant manner, claiming his authority in the mansion which was assumed to be without a master.

"This..." Mama Li was hesitating and sought Eunuch Jiu's help. He stepped forward and responded, "Your Lordship, I shall bring the Will, it has been kept in a safe place, so it might take some time."

Upon hearing this Mama Li was taken aback, she widened her eyes and glared at Eunuch Jiu in disbelief. However, he didn't respond to her.

"Go..." Prime Minister agreed. Eunuch Jiu left immediately, while Mama Li stood there alone, trembling, afraid that the man might ask some strange, unanswerable questions about the old princess's death.

However, she waited for a long while, but there was no query from his side, he just looked around here and there, touching the table in a strange emotional manner that separated the two centre seats.

The sun was setting, and Prime Minister Xuan and his son, General Xuan Wu had arrived in the morning, welcomed by Eunuch Jiu, Mama Li and Maid Huan at the gate.

Numerous noblemen and women had visited them and comforted them; however, nobody mentioned the house arrest, and all had praises on their tongues.

Especially Duchess Dowager of Dukedom Ying, the mother-in-law of Duchess Wan accompanied them till afternoon and comforted the father-son duo.

-Carriage of Duchess Dowager of Ying-

"I pity the young princess," said the wrinkled old lady wearing a light blue coloured robe with wide sleeves, she spoke in a manner that sounded more like a complaint.

Following the rules of not speaking unless asked to, Duchess Wan did not respond and heard her mother-in-law patiently.

"Utterly heartless!" she commented, throwing her fist against her thighs and gritting her teeth.

"You tell me, they had arrived early in the morning, how long has it been, but those two men didn't even inquire about her," she spoke outraged by the actions of Xuan men.

"If the emperor had not ordered them, I doubt they would show their shadow in Yuchang," she spoke, rolling her eyes.

"Ayee...why do I feel that the stone-hearted prime minister doesn't remember his only legitimate daughter?

Let's say he is a man of no heart, but why her mother never asks about her? I visited her a few months ago and she didn't even mention her daughter to me.

What whole bunch of ungrateful lot!" she cursed them.

"She didn't stop crying, right?" She asked worried.

"Her tears dried up, but her heart didn't stop crying, she is like a living corpse, it has been two days and she has neither blinked a sleep nor drank a sip of water.

Locking herself in the room, I barely managed to make my way in," she spoke, feeling completely useless.

"I guess, she already knew what she would be like when her grandmother would die, no wonder she made you the head manager. Poor Soul...I hope she pulls herself together," Madam Dowager spoke.

"Wan, why do you think they hate her so much?" she asked turning to Duchess Wan, who simply listened to her.

"Muqin, I don't know why they hate her so much, but I know one thing for sure.

This hatred is mutual." she replied, stating the fact.

"No one can blame Xuan Cheng if she hates her parents. After all, they were the ones who abandoned her," she said in a supportive manner.

-Mansion of Heavenly Jade Princess-

Xuan Wu entered the main hall and dismissed Mama Li to have a private conversation with his father, who waited for his son to speak.

"Father, I looked around-" he spoke as soon as Mama Li left, but the prime minister gestured him to sit first.

Xuan Wei sat on the other side of the centre seat, beside his father and leaned closer to him, "Father, I guess you were right, Her Majesty Grand Empress Dowager apparently bestowed favours on her daughter."

"What made you say so?" Prime Minister frowned.

"Didn't you notice? The maids and eunuchs here follow the ranking system of the Imperial Palace.

It is advisable for all Imperial Descendants to follow, but it is not compulsory, and given the high cost of maintaining these slaves, most Imperial Households don't even follow it.

Only the mother of the emperor can afford such expenses without disturbing anyone. She was so indifferent when her daughter was punished but I guess her affection surpassed her principles," Xuan Wu explained.

"Hmph...You are right, do you know about this incense burning in this room?" he asked lifting his eyebrows and pointing at the huge incense burner kept in the middle of the room.

"Umm..this..." he sniffed it carefully, and responded, "It's citrus, it's nothing special."

"Indeed, you would say so, because you don't know, there are blocks of incense that burn for a long time, most difficult to make, and only a handful of people buy them since they are one of the expensive ones," he detailed, massaging his corner of temples.

"Is it so? Won't Grand Empress Dowager be in trouble for funding a fallen princess whose wealth was supposed to be confiscated?" he asked curiously.

"She would have if the emperor had not conferred her a title when was still alive," he reminded him, checking the surrounding again as if it was not enough for him to observe it time and again.

"Father, are you still resenting His Majesty for not consulting before issuing that decree?" Xuan Wu asked guessing his father's thoughts.

"Do you know why His Majesty isn't wary of us even though we keep rising in ranks?" Prime Minister Xuan asked.

"Father, please enlighten me!" he clasped his hands together and bowed his head.

"Because no matter how strong we become, no matter how much wealth we have, he will always be the one above us.

He may have tried to bring us down before with your grandmother's case, but ever since I pledged my loyalty to him, he has started trusting me more than before.

However, that's what I thought until your grandfather died, the emperor has made such deeply rooted reforms over the years, that if he wants to bring us down, it won't take him long.

As his subject, I am truly impressed by his decisiveness, and I have no regrets in serving him," Prime Minister Xuan explained, his voice heavy and his eyes crimson.

"As your son, I shall forever be grateful to you father, you are wise and far-sighted, putting us before your parents, it's an honour for Xuan Clan," he gasped and replied.

"Indeed, Mother shouldn't have involved herself in those matters, I could never comprehend why she did so, I guess she regretted donating everything and wanted to earn it all back," he raised his head and inhaled deeply.

"One cannot be a saint and a sinner at the same time," Xuan Wu commented.

"Indeed," Prime Minister glanced at his son and scoffed.

Princess Xuan Cheng had halted her steps outside the door and stood there as her body was fluttering from exhaustion and frailty. She overheard her so-called father and brother chatting, she had dismissed the servants who followed her in case they hear something irrelevant.

However, Eunuch Jiu was still with her, carrying a cylindrical wooden case. Enraged at hearing them badmouthing the deceased old princess, he wanted to barge in and argue, but he was powerless.

He waited for Xuan Cheng to do this on his behalf, he waited for her to make a move and defend her late grandmother like she always does. But it was taking too long, he was anxious, "Your Highness, will you not do anything?"

Xuan Cheng shook her head and turned to him, and gave him a look of disappointment and helplessness, no matter how much money she had, no matter how powerful she was, she lacked the courage.

The courage to fight her estranged family members didn't exist inside her, because, at this moment, she is at her lowest, her only family, her love, and her support are not there for her.

The insecurities that struggled with when she was just three years old, were sent to a completely different place with nobody she recognized as her family returned to her.

Twenty years had passed and she was back to starting point, all alone, and scared. Unknown to her future, she had planned everything to achieve her goal, which was to restore her grandmother's prestige.

Imagining a life with such people as her father and brother scared her, it was too terrifying that she wanted to remain in her grandmother's mansion.

It was better to be caged in a golden prison where you can live on your will and then be someone's food in some kitchen.

"Bring the will to them, and don't tell them about the one sent to Imperial Palace," she instructed him in a low tone and walked back to her courtyard lifelessly.

She was well aware of her father's nature and wickedness that's has been overshadowed by his loyalty to the emperor.

However, it still caught her off-guard, it was at that moment she realized that her enemies were far more powerful than she had imagined.

Abandoning his mother for his offspring? what a lame excuse it was for hiding his greed for power. Speaking ill of the deceased, he really had the audacity to do that.

Xuan Cheng was extremely vulnerable and sensitive and she had no energy to fight back and defend her grandmother, and neither she wanted to.

Not because she didn't want to, but because she wanted her grandmother to know what sort of a person her son actually was.

She had to stay in her senses and regain the power to at least stand and speak a few words to express her resentment and agony.