"Bian Dajia is someone from the palace," Cui Jinbai said gravely.
Bian Xianyi was a Palace Dancer who resided with the palace court ladies. She wasn't an ordinary commoner living outside the palace who could come and go freely, nor was she the child of an official who might venture out at any moment. How could anyone simply abduct her so easily?
The slightest misstep—such as trespassing into the forbidden palace—could warrant a charge of attempted assassination.
"Based solely on a hometown origin, it's merely my speculation and cannot be taken as conclusive," Shen Xihe also worried that Bu Shulin might act without considering the consequences.
"That's easy to handle. We'll capture Fu Jin, and then whoever conspired with him will surely panic," Bu Shulin proposed another plan, her eyes gleaming with a peculiar light. "A scholar coming for the imperial exams must be tender-skinned and handsome. I have plenty of ways to torment such a young gentleman..."
Thud! Before Bu Shulin could finish, Cui Jinbai slammed his teacdown heavily onto the table.
"Worldly Son Bu, this is the capital. Even if you disregard etiquette and indulge in unrestrained pleasures, do not be so frivolous in front of the Junzhu!" Cui Jinbai's tone was severe.
Bu Shulin curled her lips, thinking to herself that this man must believe she was devising some depraved scheme again. However, in Shen Xihe's presence, she chose not to argue. "Understood, understood. I'll watch my words in the future and ensure I don't offend the Junzhu's ears."
After speaking, she winked at Shen Xihe while glancing at Cui Jinbai.
Cui Jinbai felt a pang of frustration but couldn't lose his temper in front of Shen Xihe. He simply stood up. "Junzhu, Fu Jin is a scholar who has earned his official rank. I came specifically to ask for your permission to grant me some time to investigate him discreetly."
He was afraid that Shen Xihe might actually capture Fu Jin privately and resort to torture.
"One matter shouldn't trouble two masters. My health is frail, and I am deeply grateful for Cui Shaoqing's assistance," Shen Xihe agreed.
"I have some old files at the Dali Temple that require my attention. I take my leave," Cui Jinbai said, not wishing to stay a moment longer.
Shen Xihe stood to see him off. This time, Cui Jinbai didn't drag Bu Shulin away with him, likely too angered by her to want to see her face.
"What did you mean earlier?" Shen Xihe asked Bu Shulin after Cui Jinbai had left.
Bu Shulin had winked multiple times, hinting at something, but Shen Xihe couldn't decipher what she was implying.
Bu Shulin leaned in with a sly grin, lowering her voice and suppressing laughter. "Youyou, Cui Shitou, he... hahahaha... he has feelings for you."
Shen Xihe: ...
After hearing this, Shen Xihe looked at Bu Shulin, who was doubled over with laughter, and showed an expression of disbelief.
Although she paid little attention to matters of romance and hadn't witnessed many lingering, ambiguous gazes, she could still sense whether someone felt close to her. Cui Jinbai showed her respect but lacked intimacy—where did any affection come from?
"Have you been drinking today?" Shen Xihe asked.
"Not at all," Bu Shulin replied, her face still adorned with a smile.
Shen Xihe gave her a look as if she were a fool. "You can talk nonsense in front of me, but don't do the same with Cui Shaoqing."
"I understand, I understand. Don't rub salt in his wound," Bu Shulin nodded repeatedly.
Shen Xihe: ...
"You may leave now." She didn't particularly want to see this person either.
Bu Shulin's smile froze, and she pouted in grievance. "What... what did I say wrong this time?"
"Your very presence before me is a mistake," Shen Xihe replied with a slight smile.The chill in her smile made Bu Shulin immediately leap to his feet and dart swiftly outside. Glancing back as she ran, she called out, "I... I'll come visit you another day."
After sending her away, Shen Xihe instructed Mo Yuan to investigate Fu Jin. Agreeing not to take action against Cui Jinbai didn't mean she would refrain from looking into matters.
Surprisingly, Fu Jin's background was remarkably clean. He had passed the provincial examination three years prior but didn't immediately participate in the metropolitan examination that spring. Instead, he pragmatically pursued further studies for three years. Coming from a poor family, he supported his education by copying books and selling calligraphy and paintings. He avoided socializing and devoted himself entirely to scholarly pursuits.
Though both he and Bian Xianyi were from Xianning, they were from different counties. Their family statuses differed vastly, and there seemed to be no ancestral connections or interactions between them. Bian Xianyi was born in the capital and lived as a nobleman's daughter until she was fourteen. Their lives had no overlap whatsoever.
"Miss, these two have no connection," Biyu remarked, believing the shared ancestral home was merely a coincidence.
"This man is definitely not simple," Shen Xihe sensed Cui Jinbai's keen interest in Fu Jin. Though Cui appeared casual about it, he couldn't escape Shen Xihe's sharp perception. "Is there any connection between Guo Daoyi and Fu Jin?"
"None," Mo Yuan replied.
Both Cui Jinbai and Guo Daoyi were subordinates of that person. Guo Daoyi was also a candidate for the imperial examination. Shen Xihe had an inexplicable feeling that these people were somehow connected—that person must be orchestrating a grand, earth-shattering scheme.
"These past couple of days, someone has approached Fu Jin," Mo Yuan reported cautiously. "A schoolteacher."
"A schoolteacher?" Shen Xihe's mind inexplicably flashed back to the Mid-Autumn Festival, when she had seen someone from her upstairs vantage point, separated by countless lanterns, facing her from afar. "He did resemble a schoolteacher."
They had accidentally encountered Cui Jinbai and the others gathering with their master, though that person had donned another disguise.
That day, only she and Shen Yungan had seen him, while Mo Yuan and the others waited outside the door.
"Mo Yuan, you needn't handle this matter anymore. Leave it to Cui Shaoqing. You must spare no effort to find out what strange illness the Crown Prince suffered eleven years ago that forced him to retreat to the palace for recuperation," Shen Xihe's gaze steadied as she raised her voice to command.
Sensing the importance Shen Xihe placed on this, Mo Yuan responded firmly, "Understood."
She grew increasingly convinced that person was Xiao Huayong. This strong intuition lingered, refusing to fade.
She wasn't afraid of Xiao Huayong's power; rather, she feared his robust health. The thought of being entangled with him for the rest of her life felt exhausting.
Yet if it truly was Xiao Huayong, not aligning with him would mean making an enemy of him—dealing with that would be equally difficult.
Forget it, she thought. First, she needed to determine why he required the Bone Shedding Pill before drawing any conclusions.
This decision concerned the northwest—she had to be cautious. Even if utterly unavoidable, she needed to carefully consider how to align with him.
Her initial plan was clearly unworkable. Shen Xihe smiled wryly, gently stroking Duanming as he bounded over, and sighed softly, "After all, I was the one who first provoked a troublesome one."
Initially presenting evidence and actively seeking out Xiao Huayong had been meant to test the Crown Prince and drag him—who had always remained aloof—into the fray, hoping to further complicate the situation.
She had considered that the Crown Prince might be deeply shrewd and biding his time, but she never imagined his cunning ran to such terrifying depths. Nor had she expected that, alone, he could weave such an extensive and intricate web.
A person like him appears only once in a century.Shen Xihe was also experiencing for the first time what it truly meant to be a heaven-sent prodigy.
Especially in the matter of Wang Zheng—every detail was handled flawlessly. With effortless ease, he had one of the Three Ministers, the Palace Attendant, suspended for self-reflection, yet no one suspected him. How utterly astonishing was that?
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