"Wah wah wah..." Linglong's tear-filled gaze looked pitifully at Shen Xihe, seemingly filled with deep regret and shame, along with a trace of relief at being able to see Shen Xihe before her end.
Shen Xihe smiled faintly with an ambiguous expression: "Your acting skills need improvement."
Linglong's gaze froze.
Bu Shulin smiled and leaned over: "So, Sister Xihe, how do you like my gift?""
Giving Bu Shulin a meaningful sidelong glance, Shen Xihe said flatly: "That's it?"
Bu Shulin widened her eyes: "This is the escaped slave you couldn't catch even with a warrant! I went through great trouble to find her for you, and you're this dismissive?"
"There are many who would plant spies by my side since childhood, but only the Kang Prince Manor would choose to strike during my journey to the capital." After speaking, Shen Xihe subtly glanced at Linglong, catching her fleeting look of fear.
When her gaze returned to Bu Shulin, she saw the latter smiling somewhat obsequiously: "I knew all along where she would hide. Issuing the warrant was just a diversion to make the Kang Prince Manor lower their guard. Once I enter the capital, I'll settle accounts with them properly."
As she spoke, Shen Xihe's meaningful smile deepened: "Since the heir so conspicuously delivered her to me, I suppose you've also taken away her attachments in the Kang Prince Manor. When no one else's relatives go missing, only hers disappear, what will the Kang Prince Manor think?"
Naturally, they wouldn't suspect Shen Xihe was behind it.
Shen Xihe stood up and gracefully paced toward Bu Shulin, who stepped back repeatedly until she was pressed against the wall.
Looking at Bu Shulin's display of helplessness and supplication, Shen Xihe said gently: "Heir, I thought we were both intelligent people. If you insist on testing me, I might just..."
Don't think she didn't know Bu Shulin's intentions - fearing that Shen Xihe knew her secret of being a woman, not daring to act rashly, so using the Kang Prince Manor as the vanguard...
"No no no no..." Bu Shulin shook her head like a rattle drum, "My fault, my fault. Don't be angry, Sister Xihe. I promise this is the only time."
"But you've disrupted my plans." Shen Xihe said leisurely.
"I owe you, I owe you! I'll definitely repay you later, definitely!" Bu Shulin quickly pledged.
"Fine then. This way, you owe me one life and three favors." Shen Xihe nodded with satisfaction.
Bu Shulin, who had inexplicably accumulated so much debt: ...
"What? Isn't that right?" Shen Xihe raised an eyebrow.
"Right right right, everything you say is right!" Bu Shulin nodded like a pecking chicken.
Bu Shulin's Hidden Guard waiting outside: ...
Somehow felt their master was utterly embarrassing!
"Now then, I need to deal with this escaped slave, Heir..."
"I'm leaving, I'm leaving right now." Bu Shulin swiftly escaped through the window.
Only after fleeing the private room did she feel how fresh the outside air was. Her Hidden Guard caught up with her as she patted her chest with lingering fear: "So terrifying, so terrifying! How can there be such a frightening woman in this world? Truly, the female of the species is more deadly than the male!"
Hidden Guard: ...
Master, you seem to have forgotten you're also a woman.
Not wanting Bu Shulin to realize this and find excuses to torment them again, the Hidden Guard quickly said: "This subordinate observes that Zhaoning County Princess didn't actually do anything..."
"Didn't do anything?" Bu Shulin turned her head, full of disdain and despair, "It's over, it's over. It's bad enough that I can't compare to Shen Xihe, but even the people I raise aren't as clever as those Shen Xihe raises."
Hidden Guard: ..."Do you think Shen Xihe poisons and perfumes me for no reason?" Bu Shulin fumed with exasperation. "She'd already guessed what I might seek from her—this was her warning. If I oppose her, she won't even let me breathe comfortably!"
The Hidden Guard thought their master was overthinking.
Reading the guard's expression instantly, Bu Shulin grew even more irritated. "You're hopeless!"
Just wait and see—that woman Shen Xihe was cunning to the point of being supernatural. Though Bu Shulin prided herself on exceptional cleverness and had sparred with the old and young foxes of the Xiao family for years without clear victory, this was the first time a woman had sent her heart racing with fear. Suddenly, she found herself anticipating the day Shen Xihe would enter the capital.
Her mood abruptly lifted, and she hummed a tune as she departed.
Hidden Guard: …
Couldn't comprehend why their master's mood had improved again. Had the excessive stimulation damaged her brain? Was she… unwell?
After Bu Shulin and her servant left, only Zhenzhu and Shen Xihe remained in the private room. Just then, the inn attendant arrived with servers carrying their meal.
Spotting Linglong bound tightly and discarded in a corner, their smiles faltered briefly, but they quickly averted their eyes. They arranged the dishes, bowed, and withdrew.
"Moyu," Shen Xihe called softly. Moyu slipped in through the window. "Dine."
Master and servants seemed to have forgotten Linglong's existence. Huddled in the corner, Linglong dared not make a sound.
After Shen Xihe finished her meal and everything was cleared away, Zhenzhu finally asked, "My lady, how shall we deal with this traitor?"
Shen Xihe stood by the window, gazing at the rows of rooftops. The dark tiles gleamed under a fresh layer of sunlight. Beyond them, willow branches swayed gently along the distant embankment.
Her gaze was soft. "Give her to Mo Yuan. Have her fashioned into a 'human swine,' then infiltrate Prince Kang's manor. Place her in the old princess consort's bedchamber at night."
"Mmgh! Mmmph!" Linglong thrashed violently, but her mouth was thoroughly gagged.
Zhenzhu had been handing Shen Xihe a cup of mint-scented bathwater for rinsing. Hearing this, her steady hand trembled, splashing two drops onto her wrist.
Shen Xihe merely glanced lightly, appearing not to notice as she accepted the cup.
Moyu remained utterly composed. Upon Shen Xihe's command, she grabbed Linglong by the collar and dragged her out.
"Mmgh! Mmmph!" Linglong struggled, her tear-filled eyes pleading to speak.
"My lady, she has something to say…"
"Since when must a master listen just because a servant wishes to speak?" Shen Xihe countered.
"My lady, this maid would never plead for a wretch who plots against her mistress. I merely thought she must know much about Prince Kang's manor…"
Before Zhenzhu finished, Shen Xihe raised a hand to silence her. "I need no outsider's knowledge of Prince Kang's manor. Even if it were fortified like iron walls, if I will its destruction, it shall fall."
She glanced at Moyu. "In my domain, there is no atonement through merit. Anyone who betrays me meets this fate."
Zhenzhu's chest tightened. "Understood."
"Prince Lie, has an incense stick's time not sufficed?" Shen Xihe suddenly raised her voice.
As Moyu tensed, Xiao Changying leaped inside. His wounds seemed largely healed—his complexion ruddy, handsome features bold, crimson robes blazing like fire.
"My lady, how did you know I've been here for an incense stick's time?" Xiao Changying marveled inwardly.Shen Xihe, frail and unskilled in martial arts, had not even allowed her highly capable maids to detect his arrival, yet she had accurately pinpointed the timing.
The domineering scent of borneol, cool and sharp, had been etched into her memory back at the Ma family's estate.
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