For the first time, Shen Xihe was turned away by Xiao Huayong. She didn't insist, merely asking whether the Crown Prince had awakened. Upon receiving an affirmative reply, she left.
"What did she say?" Xiao Huayong asked.
"The princess only inquired whether Your Highness had regained consciousness and if there were any serious consequences," Tianyuan truthfully replied.
Xiao Huayong slowly closed his eyes, letting out a self-mocking chuckle through his nostrils. Though he knew the outcome, he still clung to a sliver of self-deceiving hope.
He never imagined there would come a day when he would be reduced to such humility.
A sharp, pulling pain throbbed in his chest - so this was the taste of heart-wrenching agony, truly the most terrible torture in this world.
"Tianyuan, I want to take my heart back..."
If he retrieved it, would the bone-deep pain cease? Could he then return to being his unmoved self?
He had once vowed: if her heart was cold, he would warm it; if she was heartless, he would share half of his own with her.
But only today did he realize - she wasn't heartless, nor was her heart cold. She possessed a resolute heart that remained unmoved by anyone!
Such a person, he could neither shake nor make room for his own heart within hers.
"Your Highness, what did you say?" Xiao Huayong's voice had been too soft and muffled for Tianyuan to catch.
Xiao Huayong instead said: "I don't wish to hear any more news of her."
Tianyuan froze, then realized the situation was more serious than he had thought.
For the first time, Xiao Huayong retreated. He didn't know if he could still confidently win the affection of such a Shen Xihe. He wasn't sure whether her indifference might eventually distort him beyond recognition, leaving him covered in wounds.
He didn't fear getting hurt himself - he feared that after being emotionally wounded, he might lose self-control and end up hurting her instead.
Even at this moment, he still couldn't bear to cause her the slightest harm. Since that was the case, better to let go earlier.
Only then could they remain unentangled.
Shen Xihe didn't know that Xiao Huayong was so perceptive that merely through Duanming's name, he had instantly grasped her intentions.
Having been refused by Xiao Huayong, she encountered Changling Princess on her way back to her quarters. Though much time had passed since her broken nose bridge, Changling Princess had disregarded the physician's instructions, leaving a permanent mark - a protruding nasal bone that curved her nose into an arc. While not too severe from the front, it looked particularly peculiar in profile.
When Changling Princess saw Shen Xihe, her eyes gleamed with cold light like a venomous snake lurking in grass, seeming ready to pounce and bite. Yet this time she didn't approach, instead glaring darkly at Shen Xihe for a moment before choosing another path.
"Why did she look at you like that, sister?" Xue Jinqiao, who was accompanying Shen Xihe, found the princess's gaze particularly distasteful.
Shen Xihe glanced at Xue Jinqiao and said with complete seriousness: "Jealous of my beauty."
Xue Jinqiao nodded in agreement: "Only natural."
In Xue Jinqiao's view, all women in this world ought to envy Shen Xihe's appearance.
She was different - because she actually admired Shen Xihe's beauty.
For three consecutive days, Shen Xihe brought Sui Axi to visit Xiao Huayong, but each time Tianyuan made excuses to turn them away. Tianyuan found himself in a difficult position.
He knew the Crown Prince was angry, but couldn't guess when his temper would subside. Yet he dared not offend Shen Xihe, fearing future repercussions when the Crown Prince eventually settled accounts. He could only rack his brains for appropriate excuses.Although Tianyuan always provided reasonable explanations, Shen Xihe was not foolish; she understood that Xiao Huayong genuinely did not wish to see her anymore.
After careful reflection, she realized she hadn’t done anything to offend him.
Men were truly inscrutable.
Unable to decipher his thoughts, Shen Xihe simply set the matter aside. The autumn hunt lasted only five days, and she had already spent half of them on him. Accepting Bu Shulin’s invitation, she went horseback riding with Xue Jinqiao in a chosen spot.
"Worldly Son Bu, do you remember what you promised me last time?" Shen Xihe reined in her horse amidst a grove of trees, spotting a beehive ahead.
"You… you’re not seriously going to make me hunt a tiger, are you?" Bu Shulin looked defensive, her eyes pleading.
"What would I do with a tiger?" Shen Xihe gestured toward the beehive with a nod. "I want that."
It was a crescent-shaped beehive hanging from a steep cliff—an enormous one, surrounded by precipitous terrain with no trees to climb. "This…" Bu Shulin stroked her chin, quickly assessing the surroundings. "I can give it a try."
She ordered her subordinates to fetch clean white cloth while she went up to scout the area. Shen Xihe handed her a scent satchel to ward off snakes, which Bu Shulin hung on herself. Climbing up, Bu Shulin planned to leap from one side, using a long knife to slice the hive loose.
Someone below would catch it, while she would land on the opposite cliff and then jump down. She shot an arrow to test the stability of the landing spot on the other side and, satisfied, turned back to Shen Xihe below. "Wait for me to get it for you!"
Just then, the sound of galloping horses approached. Several princesses, seemingly racing with some noble ladies, charged toward them. Shen Xihe, Xue Jinqiao, and the others quickly moved aside.
Leading the charge was the Sixth Princess, Princess Pingling, followed by two noble ladies who sped past through the path Shen Xihe and Xue Jinqiao had cleared. Close behind was the Fourth Princess, Changling Princess.
As Changling Princess passed Shen Xihe, who was standing by the roadside parallel to her horse, she raised her whip and struck Shen Xihe’s horse hard on the rump.
Shen Xihe’s horse, startled, bolted forward at such speed that it overtook the galloping Princess Pingling.
Everyone reined in their horses in alarm. Princess Pingling turned and shouted, "Fourth Sister, what are you doing?"
"What’s there to fear? Zhaoning County Princess is the daughter of the Northwest King. Which woman from the northwest isn’t skilled in horsemanship? Let Zhaoning County Princess show us her prowess." Changling Princess leisurely urged her horse forward, her gaze cold and sinister.
Princess Pingling shot her a glance, then whipped her horse to chase after Shen Xihe. Xue Jinqiao also gave chase, and as she passed Changling Princess, she repaid the favor in kind—striking Changling Princess’s horse hard with her whip.
Ignoring Changling Princess’s shock, she raced after Shen Xihe.
Shen Xihe knew some horsemanship but was not highly skilled. As the horse galloped wildly, she found it hard to breathe. Though her health was gradually improving, it had not recovered enough for such intense riding. A leisurely trot was manageable, but a frenzied sprint was more than she could endure.
Unable to calm herself enough to control the horse, she felt a tearing pain in her chest and knew she couldn’t continue like this. Making a swift decision, she abandoned the horse, choosing a slope overgrown with weeds. Leaping from the saddle, she curled into a ball, protecting her head, and tumbled down the hillside.The weeds were full of thorns, leaving countless scratches on her arms. The slope was steeper and longer than she had imagined, and she tumbled uncontrollably all the way down, only to plunge headfirst into the deep pool beneath a waterfall.
OpenNovel