She remained weak, her unusually bright eyes unable to fully open. Her drooping eyelids appeared utterly exhausted, yet a fleeting but razor-sharp murderous glint flashed through her dark pupils.
Upon closer observation, one might doubt whether it had merely been a trick of the light.
"Please grant me some time, Princess. Once I reformulate the prescription with medicinal decoctions, we may still achieve significant improvement," Xie Yunhuai said.
Now, the supreme Tianshan Snow Lotus had become indispensable—Shen Xihe could no longer endure the alternating chills and fever through internal medication.
"Thank you for your efforts," Shen Xihe murmured softly.
Too drained for energy and noticing the fatigue in Xie Yunhuai's eyes, neither engaged in further pleasantries. Xie Yunhuai remained at the Princess Manor, concerned about potential complications Shen Xihe might face in the coming days.
After everyone had rested thoroughly and regained their strength, Shen Xihe remained bedridden. Mo Yuan knelt in the outer chamber, separated by a screen, bowing his head in shame. "This subordinate was careless, nearly costing you your life."
"Brother..." Shen Xihe, too exhausted to form complete sentences, could only utter fragmented words.
Having served her for so long, Mo Yuan deduced her concern for Shen Yungan. "I dispatched men to follow the Young Master. A message returned this morning confirmed he encountered a band of mountain bandits, but there were no casualties."
"How was it explained?"
Mo Yuan struggled to comprehend, but Biyu, standing nearby, quickly interjected, "This maid arranged for someone to deliver a pair of boots the Princess had made for the Prince, claiming they were left behind. The Young Master would never suspect you were in danger."
Finally understanding, Mo Yuan realized Shen Xihe was asking how his messenger had explained tracking down Shen Yungan's party.
With this matter settled, Shen Xihe felt slightly relieved. If Shen Yungan had detected something amiss and rushed back to see her in this state, he would likely see red. And this was the capital.
These vile creatures weren't enemy troops plundering and slaughtering civilians at the borders—Shen Yungan couldn't simply unleash carnage here.
Her brother was flawless in every way, except for his zero tolerance toward anyone who harmed her. She had already settled the score with Second Miss Rong, yet the moment Shen Yungan departed, Rong's younger brother had his limbs broken.
You hurt my sister, I break your brother.
My sister is my treasure; your brother is your reliance in the Rong family.
After another day of sleep, Shen Xihe finally felt some strength return. Insisting on leaving her bed, she moved to a reclining couch in the courtyard to bask in the sunlight. Feeling somewhat refreshed, she asked, "What have you uncovered?"
"Doctor Qi traced it to Jiannanchun Wine. This subordinate obtained records of this year's distribution and found all shipments accounted for," Mo Yuan replied respectfully. "Doctor Qi said the wine wasn't consumed that day but the previous day, approximately half a jin."
"Go to the palace and seek an audience with His Majesty. Tell him I wish to request a jug of Jiannanchun Wine," Shen Xihe instructed Hongyu.
"Should we not ask the Crown Prince from the Eastern Palace instead?" Hongyu suggested, thinking it might avoid drawing attention.
"No need. I want him to know the Jiannanchun has been exposed." Since there were no leads, she would stir the grass to startle the snake—forcing him to reveal himself.
"As you command." Hongyu immediately took her waist token and entered the palace.
Shen Xihe possessed an Imperial Edict granting her free access to the palace. Given her status, requesting an object as a reward was something the Youning Emperor would grant without hesitation. Thus, Hongyu easily obtained several jugs of Jiannanchun Wine.
Concerned it might not be enough, the Youning Emperor provided extra—exquisite celadon ewers adorned with phoenix heads and dragon handles.Shen Xihe's hand gently caressed the phoenix-head-shaped lid of the pot, tracing the raised patterns: "This pot holds about half a catty."
It seemed the Jiannanchun Wine in the palace was all sealed in such pots. Whenever the Youning Emperor bestowed gifts, it was always pot by pot. Thus, the person who impersonated a Northwest guard that day and deliberately caused trouble likely carried such a pot of wine.
"Has the identity been uncovered?" Shen Xihe asked.
Mo Yuan lowered his head further. "I've exhausted all possible avenues of investigation but found no trace of this person's identity. Doctor Qi determined from the corpse's habits that he was a southerner. We checked all merchants coming and going in the city and even enlisted Worldly Son Bu's help to verify that none were long-term southern residents. The authorities have no missing person reports."
"There won't be any reports." Shen Xihe shook her head slightly. "This was a bought life sent to harm me."
The reward was likely just a pot of Jiannanchun Wine—a final taste before death. "Not a traveling merchant, not a long-term southern resident here, yet willing to die for a reward not of silver but a pot of imperial wine. This means he had no attachments left in this world."
Shen Xihe analyzed: "Deliberately going south to find such a person would be tedious and add uncontrollable variables. He must have lived here long-term, and the one who sent him was confident I'd never suspect, making finding his identity like fishing a needle from the ocean!"
Her gaze firm, Shen Xihe instructed Moyu: "Moyu, go find Worldly Son Bu and have her find a way to invite Cui Shaoqing here discreetly, without alerting anyone."
"Acknowledged." Moyu immediately set off to handle it.
"Mo Yuan, bring the little beggar who begs outside the manor daily through the back gate," Shen Xihe ordered next. "Biyu, fetch my sketchbook."
Everyone was puzzled but swiftly obeyed. Biyu brought the sketchbook first, while Mo Yuan led in the grubby little child. Though appearing frail as a three- or four-year-old, he was actually seven, with lively eyes full of cleverness.
"Greetings, Princess." The little beggar performed a proper bow.
Shen Xihe gestured for Ziyu to help him up, her voice gentle. "Go piece it together."
Biyu handed the sketchbook to the child. This book contained sketches Shen Xihe and Shen Yunnan had made idly in the Northwest. Unable to travel far and having met few people, Shen Xihe relied on Shen Yunnan, who visited many places with artists sketching various locals. In her spare time, she would deconstruct these faces.
Later, she specially bound a collection of different eyes, mouths, ears, and noses. Shen Yunnan would weave stories for her, piecing together new characters from these sketches as protagonists.
This little beggar had been sought out by Biyu and the others before Shen Xihe even entered the capital, noted for his exceptional memory.
Worried about dirtying the pristine pages, he pleaded with Biyu, "Sister, please turn the pages for me."
As Biyu flipped through page by page, the child selected three sets of eyes, ears, noses, and mouths. When it came to the face, he picked only one, reviewed it again, and told Shen Xihe, "Princess, A-Dai has seen these three people over a dozen times outside the manor. The other two didn't have faces like this."
Shen Xihe had him beg daily opposite the Princess Manor, providing for his ailing grandfather's care and sustenance, precisely to keep watch outside the manor.This person employed such a method, clearly knowing that Xie Yunhuai regularly visited the Princess Manor. Upon learning that Xie Yunhuai was a physician, they understood his purpose for coming and realized that during treatment, her condition absolutely must not be agitated. Thus, they devised this vicious scheme.
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