The autumn sun filtered through the layers of sycamore leaves, casting dappled shadows on the veranda of the prime minister's residence. I held a sprig of golden osmanthus, freshly picked from the greenhouse, my fingertips crushing the delicate petals as I listened to the whispers coming from the corner gate of the front yard. Two housemaids were squatting at the base of the wall, picking vegetables in their bamboo baskets still stained with morning dew, but their conversation was filled with the latest "stories" of the capital.

"...Yesterday, when I went to the rice shop, I heard the grain merchant's wife say that Zhang Tiezui had added a new joke to the Yuelai Teahouse, saying that our eldest daughter used the 'Instructions for Women' as a fan and asked Madam Liu, 'Does this book teach stepmothers how to arrange affairs for legitimate daughters?'"

"Oh my! This is really..." Another woman lowered her voice, swishing vegetable leaves in water. "I also heard that matchmaker Wang from the east alley went to the prime minister's residence to propose marriage. As soon as she mentioned that 'the young master of the Wang family is young and promising,' the eldest lady retorted, 'With his luck, I'm afraid he can't even support himself!'"

I turned and walked back, a smile playing on my lips. Mo Zhu followed me, carrying a stack of freshly dried books, a paulownia leaf still clinging to his temples. "Miss, are you listening to their gossip? Old man Zhang sent someone to tell me yesterday that tonight we're going to have a talk on 'The Three Questions a Legitimate Daughter Asks Her Stepmother,' and it left Madam Liu speechless, with the whole audience cheering!"

"Got it." I took the Book of Songs from her arms, running my fingertips across the yellowed pages. "Tell the accountant to give him another five taels of silver, and tell him that he can make up 'stories', but they must be elegant and not bring disgrace upon the Prime Minister's residence."

Mo Zhu blinked: "Miss, you want to erect a memorial archway and also..."

"Nonsense." I tapped her forehead, but couldn't help laughing. "You're just using someone else's mouth to say your own words. Liu wants to ruin my reputation, but I want this 'reputation' to become a thorn in her heart."

At three o'clock in the afternoon, Zhuque Street, the capital's busiest street, was thronged with people. Mozhu and I, disguised as ordinary merchant daughters, blended into the bustling crowd. Clay pots bubbled and steamed from the streetside tea stalls, and the clang of the storyteller's gavel could be heard from two blocks away.

"... Dear readers! Last time, we told the story of how the daughter of the prime minister cleverly used hexagrams to warn her stepmother against bad words. Today, let's tell the story of how this daughter 'asked Madam Liu three questions', leaving the 'virtuous' stepmother blushing and speechless for a long time!"

It was Zhang Tiezui's voice. I dragged Mozhu along and squeezed to the front of the tea stall. I saw the old man spitting and fanning vigorously:

"That day, Madam Liu summoned the eldest daughter to the main hall, saying she wanted to give her a few words of instruction. Unexpectedly, the eldest daughter remained calm and polite. She bowed first, then immediately asked, 'Mother, do you know that the Book of Rites says, 'A stepmother is like a mother?'"

Madam Liu was taken aback and said, "Of course I know."

"Young Miss Di then asked, 'Mother, do you know the saying in the Analects of Confucius: 'Do not do to others what you do not want others to do to you'?"

Madam Liu's face turned pale, and she forced a smile, saying, "My son is reading the books of sages, so why would he ask me about this?"

"Miss Di smiled slightly, and then asked her third question—'Mother, do you know why everyone in the market praises the eldest daughter for her intelligence, but says that the stepmother...'"

Zhang Tiezui deliberately dragged out his words, and everyone in the audience responded in unison: "'Lifting a rock and dropping it on one's own feet'!"

"Hahaha!" A deafening roar of laughter erupted from the tea stall. Some clapped their hands on the table, cheering, while others tossed coins into Zhang Tiezui's money jar. A master sugar painter, his beard curling with laughter, said to the waiter next to him, "Did you hear that? This is what they call 'braising tofu with brine, one thing conquers another'! Madam Liu's tricks are like showing off in front of the legitimate daughter!"

Mo Zhu's face flushed red as he heard this, and he quietly tugged at my sleeve: "Miss, Old Man Zhang is such a good storyteller! When did you ever ask those three questions?"

I looked at the smiling faces in the crowd and whispered, "What's important is not what I said, but what they 'heard'."

At this moment, two well-dressed women squeezed over, carrying food boxes in their hands. One of them recognized me with a sharp eye, and the smile on her face froze instantly. She grabbed her companion and tried to leave.

"Mother Wang, Mother Li," I stepped forward and said with a smile, "What a coincidence, are you here to listen to the story too?"

These two were Liu's maids, often passing on messages for her. Mother Wang gave a dry laugh, "Yes...it's Miss Su. We were just passing by, just passing by..."

Madam Li stiffened her neck and said with a forced smile, "Miss Su is in such good spirits that she still has time to listen to these... gossips. Madam is looking for you. She said she got some tribute tea from the south in the front yard and wants you to come over and try it."

"Oh? Tribute tea?" I feigned surprise. "But that Da Hong Pao tea my father had shipped from Fujian last year? It's a rich, mellow, sweet tea. I haven't had it in ages."

Mother Wang's eyes flickered. "Yes... it's almost the same. Miss, you'd better come back with us. Madam is waiting."

I watched them awkwardly and sneered inwardly. Is Liu getting impatient and wanting to call me back to give her a lecture? Fine, I was just thinking of trying her cup of tribute tea.

In the main hall of the Prime Minister's residence, Liu, dressed in a moon-white, plain gauze jacket, sat in the main seat, leisurely brewing tea. Seeing me enter, she glanced up and said with a hint of subtle sarcasm, "Li'er is here? Come and sit down. I heard you've been having a lot of fun out there lately."

I bowed and sat down right below her. "Mother, you're joking. It's just some neighborhood gossip. My daughter doesn't have the ability to make it lively."

"Oh? Really?" Liu pushed the brewed tea in front of me. The tea soup was thick and dark, exuding a unique aroma. "I heard that the storyteller at Yuelai Teahouse talks about our 'family affairs' every day. Li'er, you are the Prime Minister's daughter. Your words and actions represent the reputation of the Prime Minister's Mansion. How can you mix with those people of all kinds and expose our family's dirty laundry?"

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!