"Also regarding His Majesty." Shen Xihe added, "We cannot let anyone approach the Emperor to report Worldly Son Bu's disappearance."
"Your Highness, the Council Hall reports that His Majesty has summoned Worldly Son Bu." Before Shen Xihe could finish speaking, the attendant who had just left to deliver orders returned.
As expected, His Majesty was determined to kill.
By summoning Bu Shulin and inevitably inquiring about his absence, he could issue kill orders under the pretext of searching for him.
"I shall go see."
"Your Highness need not intervene." Shen Xihe grabbed his arm. "I anticipated that if no one provided His Majesty with a lead, he would summon Worldly Son Bu. Therefore, I've already sent a maid to find Worldly Son Bu's confidant, Jinshan."
Bu Shulin had two personal guards brought from the Shunan Army, named Jinshan and Yinshan.
"How do you plan to delay His Majesty's summons?" Xiao Huayong asked curiously. Though he had long known of her intelligence, he remained pleasantly surprised.
"I instructed Jinshan to find someone with a similar build to Worldly Son Bu to pretend to have stomach troubles, constantly running to the toilet without letting the eunuchs see their true face. Even if the imperial physician goes, they should delay the examination as much as possible." Shen Xihe didn't hide her plan from Xiao Huayong.
"If His Majesty is determined to see him, this method might buy only a moment. He will surely send Liu Sanzhi. As His Majesty's confidant, Liu must know about Worldly Son Bu's predicament and will find a way to expose your impersonator." Xiao Huayong warned.
Shen Xihe smiled faintly. "It doesn't matter if he catches them. Just have Jinshan claim that Worldly Son Bu was there earlier, and he urged him to see the imperial physician, but somehow Worldly Son Bu had someone impersonate him to avoid Jinshan's urging. Worldly Son Bu has always feared taking medicine, so he must have just run off. Let them search for him."
Xiao Huayong nodded with a smile. "A good plan."
This way, it wouldn't seem like he had been missing all night, but had just disappeared to avoid his confidant's medical urging. His Majesty couldn't justify a widespread search; even if urgent matters required finding him, they could only look around nearby.
Time was limited, but delaying for an hour or two was feasible.
"Youyou, are you confident you can find him within an hour?" Xiao Huayong was curious about Shen Xihe's certainty.
"The hunting ground is vast; Zhaoning cannot estimate its size. I have no confidence in finding him within an hour." Shen Xihe shook her head. "We can only delay as much as possible. I fear Worldly Son Bu may have already met with misfortune, which is why I came to seek Your Highness's help. I hope he returns safely."
"Rest assured, he will be fine." Xiao Huayong comforted Shen Xihe gently.
Shen Xihe nodded with some worry.
Xiao Huayong couldn't bear to see her brow furrowed and wanted to reach out and smooth it, but he restrained himself with effort. Suddenly, he remembered something. "Regarding the Changling matter, I am not a cold-blooded person."
Shen Xihe was slightly taken aback; she hadn't expected Xiao Huayong to bring it up voluntarily.
"I know that after hearing about it, you must think me heartless and ruthless, disregarding brotherhood." Xiao Huayong's tone was somewhat somber.
Though Shen Xihe appeared aloof and avoided deep connections, she valued the three bonds and five constants highly. This was evident from how she didn't involve Shen Yingluo in past grievances or make things difficult for her. As long as Shen Yingluo remained sensible, if anyone bullied her, Shen Xihe would stand up for her simply because she bore the Shen name.
She was someone who placed great importance on family honor and bonds. His cruel scheme against Changling must have discomforted her, for she didn't understand romantic love. In her view, blood ties meant that even without interaction, they should not harm each other."Your Highness, Zhaoning is indeed ungrateful and has entertained such thoughts." Shen Xihe was not a hypocritical person. Had Xiao Huayong not asked, she might not have volunteered this information, but since he had spoken, she wouldn't falsely claim she'd never thought this way.
"You prioritize kinship above all else in your heart. Nothing I say now will make you understand." Xiao Huayong sighed softly. "I only hope you know that I would never harm you. When my affection for you runs deep, I would dye the mountains and rivers with blood for your sake. When that affection fades, I would never wish to subject you to a thousand cuts."
Nor would I ever cease to cherish you.
Shen Xihe gazed steadily at Xiao Huayong, remaining silent for a moment before saying, "I believe you, Your Highness."
She didn't know why, but she trusted these words from Xiao Huayong. Where this confidence came from, she couldn't explain herself—it was simply an intuition that he wasn't deceiving her. Xiao Huayong truly adored Shen Xihe's straightforward character. She wouldn't lie; if she didn't believe something, she would either not speak directly or express it through silence. But if she said she believed, then she truly did.
Nothing else mattered as long as she believed.
Xiao Huayong felt a wave of relief and invited Shen Xihe to sit inside, personally brewing tea for her.
A fragrant aroma pulled the absent-minded Shen Xihe back to the present. Looking down, she saw a flower blooming in the tea bowl, its petals unfurling in the vibrant rouge-colored liquid.
"I heard you don't care for regular tea, so I prepared floral tea." Xiao Huayong handed a cup to Shen Xihe, with small dishes nearby containing milk, honey, sugar cubes, and other condiments. "Adjust it to your preference."
Shen Xihe was somewhat anxious, worried about Bu Shulin's fate to the point that her lips felt dry. Finding the tea not too hot, she took a sip. The flower had been preserved in honey, lending a subtle sweetness that was just right for her taste. She couldn't help but take several more sips.
Nearly an hour passed with no news. Shen Xihe stood up. "I must go to Worldly Son Bu and buy her some time."
"There's no need. Stay here and wait at ease. I've already made arrangements to ensure His Majesty finds no pretext to send anyone." Xiao Huayong smiled faintly.
Shen Xihe turned to look at Xiao Huayong.
The smile on Xiao Huayong's lips deepened. "His Majesty will depart for the palace immediately."
Soon, news arrived that the ancestral temple was on fire. Faced with such a significant event, the Youning Emperor couldn't remain seated. After hastily issuing some orders, he led his personal guards back to the palace on horseback.
"You..." Shen Xihe hadn't expected that Xiao Huayong would send someone to set the ancestral temple ablaze—a place that also enshrined his own ancestors!
This was a grave disrespect to their forebears!
"It was only some thick smoke from the outside. My actions aren't meant to disregard our ancestors but serve another purpose. You'll understand once we return to the capital." Xiao Huayong feared she might misunderstand him even slightly.
"I know." Shen Xihe nodded. "Rushing from the capital to here at full speed would take nearly an hour, if not more."
A one-way trip wouldn't be enough time, let alone a round trip. She had sought out Xiao Huayong barely an hour ago; even if he had arranged it then, the person couldn't have returned to the capital yet.
So, this wasn't a spur-of-the-moment decision but something Xiao Huayong had planned in advance. It merely coincided with Bu Shulin's predicament, which was why the Youning Emperor didn't suspect it was a scheme to rescue Bu Shulin.
Considering this, Xiao Huayong hadn't set the ancestral temple ablaze specifically for Bu Shulin.
Shen Xihe's shock and astonishment were solely directed at his act of setting the ancestral temple on fire.
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