Xue Dongting went with Mama Qiao to the kitchen to act as a.s.sistant. She remained silent.

Mama Qiao glanced at her. Her second daughter"s face was nice and colored like a peach blossom, even prettier than when she was married, and her former aloof coldness had thawed some, making her look gentler. Mama Qiao, after all, was experienced, she knew this was the comfort of having a husband. Even her temper had changed considerably.

“Are you and Song Yuming getting along well?” Mama Qiao asked, already knowing the answer.

“Mm,” Xue Dongting said, not denying it.

“Yuansheng said you two had a fight a few days ago?”

“Mm,” she said again, and continued with her work.

Mama Qiao frowned. “Have you become a mute?”

Xue Dongting looked up at Mama Qiao and smiled. “What would you like me to say?”

“You impossible girl, just how is this Song Yuming?”

“You found him yourself, naturally he"s good.”

Mama Qiao jabbed her hard in the forehead, fuming. “I can see that Song Yuming is a good man. Don"t go looking to pick fights here and there, even a good-natured man can be worn down.”

Xue Dongting rubbed her forehead and mumbled to herself, “When do I pick fights, it was his doing last time, didn"t Yuansheng tell you all about it?”

“You and Yuansheng are in cahoots, why would I believe you two?”

Xue Dongting was helpless, she just closed her mouth and said nothing. After a while she said, “Mama Qiao, Yuming and I are planning a trip out to sea.”

“The sea will be rough in the beginning of spring. What are you going to be doing while he"s fis.h.i.+ng? If you ask me, he doesn"t need to go either, keeping you there at home alone all anxious. There"s always fisherman from Clearcreek Village who go missing out at sea all the time!”

“We"re not going out to fish,” Xue Dongting said. “Anyhow… we"re going out to sea.”

Mama Qiao frowned, feeling this was odd. “Song Yuming, big strong man like him, is his business going so poorly he has to take to fis.h.i.+ng?”

Xue Dongting shook her head faintly. She hesitated, then finally said, “Mama Qiao, I"ll tell you the truth. In the past, Song Yuming was… a formidable character in the capital.”

Mama Qiao"s eyes flickered. “He was?”

“If I say it, you might not believe it… He"s the reigning emperor"s younger brother.”

Mama Qiao was stupefied. A strange look overcame her. She couldn"t believe it. “He… He"s… His Highness, Prince Yu?”

Xue Dongting was surprised. “Mama Qiao, you know Prince Yu?”

Mama Qiao stared off into s.p.a.ce. After a while she said, “Of course I know Prince Yu. Who doesn"t know about Prince Yu… Dongting, did he tell you this himself?”

Xue Dongting nodded, but she was a bit suspicious. “Mama Qiao, you"ve been in this little town for more than ten years, how do you know about Prince Yu from the capital?”

Mama Qiao seemed distracted. She said slowly, “When I left the capital, His Highness, Prince Yu was about twenty years old and famous as could be. He was the late emperor"s most favored prince, a powerful, brave general, and at that time he was the selection for crown prince. Everyone in the world knew of Prince Yu, who wielded Plum Green!” She looked through the window at the man sitting upright inside, drinking tea and she nodded faintly and mumbled to herself, “Yes, in those early days in the capital I caught a glimpse of him. Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that the proudest, most celebrated man would now be living here in seclusion…”

Xue Dongting asked, “Mama Qiao, you"ve seen him before?”

“Yes. I"ve seen him. I wondered why he seemed somewhat familiar… I really never imagined you would become his wife.” Mama Qiao suddenly paused as something popped into her mind. She promptly asked, “You said you were going out to sea. Why? Don"t tell me his whereabouts have been discovered? Does the ailing reigning emperor seek to put him to death?”

Xue Dongting nodded. She suddenly had a feeling, that Mama Qiao had gone through something big in the past, perhaps something that involved the struggle for the throne back then, otherwise she would not be so knowledgeable about all this, knowing that the emperor was in poor health, and then connecting it to the emperor wanting to take Song Yuming"s life.

Mama Qiao didn"t perceive the change in her thoughts. She said to herself, “Yes, the reigning emperor is still on the Dragon Throne, but so what? His illness is terminal, he"s a dying man! Naturally, he wants to kill Song Yuming to pave the way for his son.”

The corner of Xue Dongting"s mouth twitched. In fact, she knew the reigning emperor really was gravely ill, but then a miraculous doctor from Third Prince"s manor worked his magic and extended his life for another ten years. By the time Third Prince took the throne, the old emperor was too ill to get out of bed and so appointed him crown prince regent.

As for the fishy business, Xue Dongting was quite clear on that, actually. Third Prince"s miraculous doctor was her teacher, who taught her all she knew about medicine, a disciple of the recluse, Xu Xingnong. He was a master of medicine. At that time many princes vied for the throne, but Third Prince"s superiority was not obvious. If the emperor had died then Third Prince would have had no chance for the throne. So he secretly looked around the jianghu for the best doctors and used very strong medicine to keep the old emperor alive for ten more years. Ten years later, Third Prince"s position had been solidified, he held a lot of power at court. None of the other princes could match him. Then he secretly ordered the doctor to change the medicine on the sly and put the old emperor to death.

During those ten years, Xue Dongting was privy to all the plots and schemes. She involuntarily clutched her hands together and said, “Mama Qiao, of the emperor"s many sons, who will be the last one standing?”

Mama Qiao just shook her head. “When I left the capital, the princes were still young, so I couldn"t tell. But these days it seems the eldest prince, the third prince, and the seventh prince all have a good chance.”

Xue Dongting"s suspicions only increased after hearing this. Mama Qiao had been living out here in this seaside border town for so long, yet she was quite clear on the situation in the capital. Xue Dongting was quite sure that Mama Qiao still had some influential connections within the capital that she still kept in contact with. She couldn"t help but ask, “Mama Qiao, how do you know so much about these matters?”

Mama Qiao was slightly dumbstruck, her expression changing slightly, only now realizing she had said too much. “An old friend of mine in the capital sent me a letter and told me, but it"s just rumors.”

Xue Dongting narrowed her eyes. “Mama Qiao, how are you affiliated with the Bureau of Astronomy in the capital?” There was one thing all along she could never understand. That one time the Bureau of Astronomy put forth a prophecy saying that “he who obtained the Dongting girl by the eastern sea would have the world”. She didn"t understand why there would be such a strange prophecy put forth. But, if Mama Qiao and the Bureau of Astronomy were involved together, then that would make everything clear.

Mama Qiao shook her head. “I don"t know anyone in the Bureau of Astronomy.”

Xue Dongting knit her brows slightly, her mind racing. “Then, did you ever talk to that old friend about us three sisters?”

A strange look flit across Mama Qiao"s face, but she quickly said, “No.”

Xue Dongting didn"t believe that, but she didn"t question it further. She absently recalled the scene back then when Third Prince had come to Cloudgem Lodge to take her away.