"So Your Majesty had such 'good intentions' back then! It's just that...... the person my father later married was none other than my mother, a proper young lady from a distinguished family. This 'destined connection' with the Fan Tower, I'm afraid......"
The smile on Zhang Maoze's face deepened. He leaned in slightly, lowering his voice even further as if sharing a long-sealed palace secret:
"Chief Justice Han, that is where you do not know. Your honorable mother, Madam Zhou, was renowned for her talent even within her boudoir. She excelled in every art—qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting—was exceptionally striking in appearance, and possessed a particularly keen sense of curiosity. Back in the day, she was a regular patron of this Fan Tower—though, of course, not under the identity of a Zhou family lady."
Chapter 496