With all matters arranged, Shen Xihe could finally rest and recuperate with peace of mind. She was genuinely weak now, barely able to take a few steps without feeling breathless. Yet she persisted in walking—even when dizzy and vision blurred, even when stumbling and injuring herself, even when struggling to breathe—pushing herself to the absolute limit.
Fortunately, Xie Yunhuai was staying at the Princess Manor and could monitor her physical limits at any time. After two days of gritting her teeth through the effort, Shen Xihe finally managed to leave her bed, walking unaided from her room to the courtyard and back.
During this period, Mo Yuan identified the person surveilling the Princess Manor and reported to Shen Xihe: "Your Highness, this man drowned accidentally on the twelfth."
Shen Yungan had left the capital on the tenth of September. She was targeted on the eleventh, and the very next day this man died.
"His identity?" Though unsurprised, Shen Xihe inquired without disappointment.
The mastermind was meticulous—calculating in reasoning yet bold in execution.
"A vagrant from the streets. Both parents deceased, wife long gone. Spent his days idling without fixed lodgings. Rarely interacted with others. No traces of who contacted him or sent him to watch the manor." For the first time, Mo Yuan profoundly understood how deeply cunning people in the capital could be.
"What about the other two?" Shen Xihe pressed.
"One is a farmer's son—his mother was a maid released from the maternal clan of Princess Ding, Ye Shi." Mo Yuan had investigated them thoroughly. "The other is another street idler. His contact was a distant nephew of the wife of Minister of Rites Hu."
"Ding Wang and Hu Zhengyang." Shen Xihe chuckled softly. "Just as expected. Ding Wang retreated only to advance."
Ding Wang had wisely chosen to conceal his ambitions from the start. Yet his brothers proved equally shrewd—his tricks didn't fool them all. Exposed twice in succession, especially in the latter attempt where he covetously reached for military power, his intentions became obvious to all.
At this point, despised by the Youning Emperor and unable to openly win support, secretly cultivating factions would be pure fantasy.
So he seized an opportunity, gambling boldly to resolve an urgent crisis for His Majesty, once again appearing to withdraw from the imperial succession race.
One must remember: the Emperor was in his prime. Barring accidents, reigning for another ten or twenty years was entirely plausible. Who could predict how the political winds might shift over such a span?
This was another clever move—withdrawing from light back into shadow.
"He does enjoy using his wife's connections." Shen Xihe held little fondness for Ding Wang, disliking his furtive, mouse-like demeanor.
"Your Highness, shall we apprehend these two for interrogation?" Mo Yuan requested instructions.
"Let them be." Shen Xihe waved a dismissive hand. "Any leads on the autumn grain robbery case?"
"Extremely convoluted. Two million dan of grain vanished into thin air. After the interception, the county magistrate immediately sealed the city gates, and the provincial inspector sent men to search—yet not a single grain was found." Even Mo Yuan found it unbelievable.
"Millet stores well. If hidden deep in suitable wilderness, it could remain concealed for a year or more." Millet was the tax grain of the dynasty.
For some reason, Shen Xihe suddenly connected the grain case to Xiao Huayong.
She couldn't shake the feeling that his departure from the capital at this critical juncture might be related to the incident.
The question remained: was he investigating the matter, or covering it up?Even with wild speculation, she couldn't piece together any clear leads. However, since it likely involved the Ministry of Revenue, Shen Xihe decided to listen more carefully. She still wanted to replace the Minister of Revenue, Dong Biquan, as soon as possible, and couldn't allow Your Majesty to continue emptying the national treasury through such deceitful means.
After sunset, someone knocked on the back door and delivered a letter to Princess Manor, which was handed to Shen Xihe.
It was sent by Cui Jinbai, who had thoroughly investigated various government offices in the capital. Not only had he found the person Shen Xihe was looking for, but he also discovered that many prominent families in the capital had been taking death row inmates from prisons to carry out shady dealings.
Although the person was found, Cui Jinbai hadn't yet verified the details of the incident. He sent word to give Shen Xihe a preliminary understanding, promising to personally visit and explain everything once the investigation was complete.
With this lead, Shen Xihe felt less urgency. Cui Jinbai worked with remarkable efficiency and arrived at her manor the very next afternoon.
No sooner had he arrived and Shen Xihe invited him to take a seat than Bu Shulin hurried in. "You're neglecting your duties all day—aren't you afraid of being impeached by the censors?" Today, Bu Shulin was on duty again, and Cui Jinbai frowned at the sight of her.
He was a rigid, diligent, and conscientious man who despised idleness, incompetence, and laziness his entire life. Especially someone like Bu Shulin, a spoiled noble who had never understood the meaning of responsibility!
"If I were like you, treating the Golden Guard as my personal residence, building influence there, I wouldn't need the censors to impeach me—Your Majesty wouldn't tolerate me," Bu Shlin retorted lazily as she took a seat, shooting him a disdainful look.
Then, with a flirtatious glance at Shen Xihe, she added, "Censor Tao knows I have some friendship with the Princess and definitely won't impeach me."
In truth, the Censorate had frequently impeached Bu Shulin in the past. It was only after Shen Xihe arrived in the capital that they stopped monitoring her so closely.
Initially, after hearing her first remark, Cui Jinbai felt somewhat apologetic, realizing her awkward position. But before he could speak, Bu Shulin's next words made him so angry his nostrils flared.
He pointedly ignored her and, composing himself, addressed Shen Xihe: "Princess, this death row inmate is named Zhang Zhuo, from Suzhou. He committed murder for money in the capital, killing an entire family of three during a robbery, and was sentenced to execution after autumn. He didn't have long to live.
However, on Chongyang Festival, he suddenly fell ill, foaming at the mouth. The prison's female physician diagnosed him as dead, so he was dragged out of the cell and placed in a mortuary, awaiting his family to claim the body."
Pausing briefly, Cui Jinbai continued, "The prison's female physician had been bribed to handle many such transactions. Zhang Zhuo had no family, so the physician deceived him into believing he was terminally ill and would soon die. He then took on this task. I've already extracted from the physician that the one who bought Zhang Zhuo's life was a candidate named Fu Jin, a scholar from a humble background in Xianning Commandery."
The outcome surprised Shen Xihe. She asked, "Did Fu Jin have any close connections with powerful officials or nobles?"
How could a poor scholar dare to plot against her?
Cui Jinbai shook his head. "He didn't associate with anyone, and none of his neighbors ever saw wealthy or influential people visiting his residence."
"Xianning Commandery..." Shen Xihe narrowed her eyes. "I vaguely recall that the Bian family's ancestral home is Xianning."
"Are you referring to the Bian family that once produced a Minister of Works?" Cui Jinbai asked.
"Yes," Shen Xihe nodded.
"Isn't Bian Xianyi the only one left from the Bian family?" interjected Bu Shulin, who had been sipping tea. "Does Bian Xianyi have a grudge against you?""There was some friction, but not enough for her to want me dead." Shen Xihe found it rather peculiar. She wasn't going to marry the Sixth Highness Xiao Changyu, so she and Bian Xianyi had no conflict of interest.
Bian Xianyi was solely focused on living well, and should have even less reason to provoke her.
"Why bother racking your brains? I'll go capture her and subject her to harsh interrogation..." Bu Shulin stopped mid-sentence when she met Cui Jinbai's cold gaze, quickly adding, "Alright, alright, I know torture is your specialty. I won't steal your moment to shine."
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