After the Minister's Mansion was surrounded, Huo Chengsen sat numbly by the lake, staring at his reflection on the water's surface, finding his face increasingly repulsive.
Perhaps due to his long-term use of the Five Stone Powder, he had become increasingly impulsive and brainless.
Although Tao Yao had persuaded him to stop, the after-effects had not completely disappeared.
With a flicker of hope, he committed a terrible mistake.
As a gentle breeze blew across the lake, rippling the surface, his reflection began to blur.
In a moment of deep sorrow, he rose to face the consequences of his actions.
However, it was too late.
The previous emperor had always been displeased with Minister Huo's high reputation among scholars. Even after learning the truth, he still took the opportunity to punish the Huo family.
When officials came to count the family members, Huo Chengsen lied: "My daughter is already dead."
The officials didn't believe him, but he insisted, claiming that Huo Xijun had been killed by bandits, and he had hidden this fact to spare his family's feelings.
Upon hearing his words, Tao Yao was devastated.
Huo Chengsen wanted to tell her the truth, but he had no chance. In prison, he knelt before Minister Huo for an entire night.
It was his foolishness that had ruined the Huo family.
Minister Huo sighed wearily: "Chengsen, the floor is cold. Please stand up."
"If a child is not taught properly, it is the father's fault."
"It's my fault for being too busy with official matters all these years, neglecting you and allowing you to become what you are now. I always thought that since you were the child your mother exchanged her life for, and you were sickly since childhood, it was a blessing that you could grow up safely. I didn't ask for more. After all, you have several capable older brothers to support the family name, so I thought it would be fine for you to live a life of ease and wealth."
"Although you used to make small mistakes, you never committed any major offenses. As time passed, I let my guard down, and the people around you concealed your faults, allowing you to cause this catastrophe."
"It's the times, the circumstances, fate, and fortune. It's beyond my control."
"It's all my fault for not retiring from the political arena sooner..."
In the dark and dirty prison, Minister Huo seemed to age significantly in an instant.
He knew the emperor wouldn't allow the situation to reverse.
He was destined to bear this disgrace, tarnishing his reputation in his later years.
Perhaps it was because he had repeatedly advised the emperor against excessive warfare, advocating for peace and recuperation, often going against the emperor's wishes and incurring his displeasure.
Or perhaps it was because he had served two emperors. The current emperor didn't trust him and feared his influence over civil officials, thus wanting to eliminate him.
The more his disciples pleaded for mercy, the quicker his death would come.
As expected.
The previous emperor swiftly punished him.
Even after being exiled, Tao Yao's poison had not taken effect. She finally realized that the donkey-dung-like pill Huo Chengsen had forced into her mouth during his fit of rage was not poison, but an antidote.
Extrapolating from this, and not having seen Bu Li's corpse, she rekindled hope.
Subsequently, Han Ningshuang came to bid farewell, cruelly describing Bu Li's tragic death to her, and returning Bu Li's peach pit bracelet.
The faint bloodstains on it pierced her eyes painfully.
Of course, how could someone like her master tolerate such betrayal?
Bu Li was most likely dead.
Once upon a time, when she had just given birth and was lying weakly in bed, Huo Chengsen had clumsily held their baby daughter and said on a whim: "Let's give our daughter the informal name 'Bu Li'. It sounds quite special."
Bu Li, meaning 'never part'.
Her formal name, Huo Xijun, meant both 'to like you' and 'to cherish you'.
Another spring came, and Huo Chengsen polished a peach pit until it was smooth, strung it on a red cord, and carelessly tied it around Bu Li's chubby arm, laughing loudly: "Tao Yao's daughter is a little peach pit, it suits her perfectly, haha!"
At night, while making love, he finished outside: "You screamed so terribly when giving birth, I was afraid you might die from the pain. Bu Li is enough for us. Let my elder brothers work harder, the Minister's Mansion will still prosper without my contribution."
"But what about your wife?"
"She... she loved my cousin. My cousin died of smallpox, and the agreement between our families didn't specify which branch, so it fell to me since we were close in age. But as soon as I entered her room, I felt like my cousin was watching me, and I couldn't... perform..."
"She also looked down on a prodigal son like me. She came to the Minister's Mansion only to be closer to my cousin's spirit tablet."
"If your wife doesn't like you, then why does she disapprove of me?"
Huo Chengsen quickly pecked her lips: "Have you ever considered that she simply doesn't like you? She thinks you're a troublemaker. Since you came, I've been so captivated by you that I can barely find my bearings. That's why she's always trying to arrange for others to share my affection, to prevent you from bewitching me day and night..."
Memories of the past played like a lantern show in her mind, replaying endlessly.
Tao Yao wept silently, but there was no one left to feed her peach cookies and comfort her, saying: "Eat something sweet, and your heart won't be so bitter..."
Seeing her pain, Han Ningshuang's beautiful face twisted into a distorted smile.
"Tao Yao, everyone who loved you in this world is dead. What's the point of living? If I were you, I would have died long ago. Perhaps you could still catch up with Huo Chengsen..."
Tao Yao had never considered dying; she only wanted to live.
But at this moment, she suddenly felt lost. It was then that Third Madam Huo pulled her: "He would want you to live."
The women of the Huo family set out on the path of exile together. Compared to becoming slaves, servants, or prostitutes, the emperor had at least left them some dignity.
However, Third Madam Huo didn't make it to Mo County; she died of illness on the way.
Tao Yao arrived in Mo County alone.
She had nothing left but the obsession to survive.
Not long after, Li Shuchen was born, and a general amnesty was declared.
She regained her freedom and met a man whose appearance was eighty percent similar to Huo Chengsen's, but with a completely different aura.
Without Huo Chengsen's protection, her beauty became a sin. She scratched her face, but still couldn't conceal her charm.
After being drugged by local ruffians, she was saved by Taosu's Father.
One night of passion left her pregnant.
Perhaps Bu Li's death made her unwilling to kill this child. She made an agreement with Taosu's Father and married him.
She gave birth to Tao Su, a girl who looked very much like Bu Li.
Tao Yao deluded herself into believing that those around her were Huo Chengsen and Bu Li, as they looked so similar.
It wasn't until she called out Huo Chengsen and Bu Li's names in her midnight dreams that Taosu's Father realized he was somewhat of a substitute.
For this woman, he had compromised repeatedly, but the reality was—
Not only was he a substitute, but his daughter was also a substitute.
The more he thought about it, the more furious he became.
He gradually fell into alcoholism and gambling, growing increasingly disgusted with the mother and daughter.
After the illusion of their life was shattered, Tao Yao fell ill with worry, her health deteriorating.
When she felt better, she loved to hold Tao Su's little hand and ramble on about various life insights.
On her deathbed, she smiled with relief and told Tao Su: "No matter what, always live well."
"...But not at the expense of hurting others."
Back then, her desire to live wasn't wrong, but she shouldn't have carried out so many tasks that hurt Huo Chengsen just to survive.
Different standpoints perhaps meant that from the beginning, their encounter was destined to be a fruitless blossom.
If she had tried to trust Huo Chengsen when they first met, asking for his help to escape her master's control, would they have had a different ending?
But how could she have unconditionally trusted a "lecher" she had just met?
By the time she understood Huo Chengsen's feelings and her own heart, it was all too late...
She hadn't been a good person in this life, but a sophisticated egoist who happened to meet the biggest fool who treated her the best.
In her final moments, she murmured: "Huo Chengsen, I really want to eat some peach cookies..."
Tao Su's sobbing suddenly stopped. She put her arm near her mother's mouth, hesitating: "Mother, if you want to eat, go ahead. I'm not afraid of pain..."
"..."
Tao Su's mother, passed away.
