It could only be assumed that Xiao Huayong cared only about those who handled external affairs for him, while valuing loyalty over ability in those who served him personally.
Zhenzhu lowered her eyes to conceal her worry. The Crown Prince’s motives were impure, yet their Princess was indifferent to matters between men and women and lacked cunning, completely unaware of the Crown Prince’s ulterior motives.
However, since the Princess had temporarily decided to marry into the Eastern Palace, being too rigid would not benefit her future interactions with the Crown Prince. Moreover, the Crown Prince’s current schemes were all aimed at pleasing the Princess and finding ways to get closer to her, so Zhenzhu chose not to expose them.
"Zhenzhu, go prepare some Eucommia leaves. Hongyu, fetch some brocade suitable for His Highness from the storeroom. I’ll sew him a pillow," Shen Xihe said after some thought, deciding that a pillow was the most appropriate gift.
"Princess, what do you think of this piece?" Hongyu brought over a roll of black brocade embroidered with gold and silver threads, the pattern depicting Eucommia leaves.
This brocade had been specially made for Shen Xihe when she visited her maternal uncle in Jiangnan. The largest cloth merchant there, aware of her preferences, had commissioned their finest weavers to produce it for her.
The other base colors had already been used by Shen Xihe for bed covers and quilts, but this darker shade had remained unused, especially since the interwoven black and gold were unsuitable for ordinary households. Thus, it had been stored away in a chest.
Now, it was the perfect gift for the Crown Prince.
Shen Xihe ran her hand over the fabric—lustrous, smooth, substantial to the touch, and exquisitely patterned. "Let’s use this."
Since Xiao Huayong had requested her to make it personally, Shen Xihe handled every step herself, from selecting the Eucommia leaves and drying them to blending them with other herbs, cutting the fabric, and sewing. She did not delegate any part of the process.
During this time, Bu Shulin recovered from her injuries and began visiting the Princess Manor frequently. One day, she brought an exquisitely crafted box as a gift for Shen Xihe. "I accompanied Niaoniao to the silver shop today and saw this. I thought you’d like it, so I bought it."
Shen Xihe opened it to find a jade-backed comb. Jade-backed combs were a type of hair ornament highly favored by noblewomen of the dynasty. From their coming-of-age ceremonies to marriage, almost every woman used one, with options in gold, silver, jade, or ivory.
The one Bu Shulin gave her was made of high-quality white jade, adorned with intricate patterns on both ends: Eucommia leaves carved on the left and a butterfly poised for flight on the right, with a large, vibrant red gem embedded at the center top.
It was both luxurious and delicate, cool to the touch. Shen Xihe genuinely liked it and toyed with it for a while. As she held it, the comb warmed slightly, emitting a faint, elusive fragrance.
She handed it to Bu Shulin. "Smell this."
Bu Shulin glanced at Shen Xihe’s expression, which gave nothing away, then leaned in to sniff but detected nothing unusual. "There’s no strange scent."
Shen Xihe sniffed it again. "Hongyu."
Hongyu, the most sensitive among her maids in terms of smell, took the comb but also noticed nothing amiss.
"Youyou, what exactly do you smell?" Bu Shulin knew Shen Xihe’s sense of smell was extraordinary.
"It’s the scent of Burial Incense," Shen Xihe said softly, placing the jade-backed comb back into the box, her initial delight entirely gone.
"Tibetan Incense?" Bu Shulin misheard the term. "Is Tibetan Incense harmful to people?"That can't be right. Tibetan incense is an extremely precious composite fragrance, containing rare medicinal herbs from Tubo and Shu regions. Ordinary families couldn't afford it. Her rough-mannered father had bought some to feign elegance, becoming deeply enamored with its scent. Yet due to the high price, he could only stubbornly declare: "I only like the smell of sweat on men!"
"It's burial incense for interment," Shen Xihe corrected.
Bu Shulin instantly turned to stone, her mind blank: "Burial incense?"
After receiving Shen Xihe's confirming nod, Bu Shulin jumped up, vigorously wiping the hand that had been holding the jade-backed comb against her clothes. Still feeling unclean, she urgently called to Hongyu: "Quick, quick, prepare scented bathwater for me! I need to cleanse my hands!"
Hearing it was burial incense, Hongyu also worried Shen Xihe might be tainted with ill fortune and personally hurried off to prepare the scented bath.
"Damn it all! How dare they sell dead people's stuff to me!" Bu Shulin anxiously rubbed her hands while cursing, "If I don't lead the Golden Guard to tear down their silver shop, I won't be called Bu!"
Shen Xihe didn't believe in ghosts or gods, nor did she find it particularly unlucky. However, being fastidious, she simply felt the item was somewhat dirty, though not as superstitious as Bu Shulin. She calmly watched her: "Evidence? If you're going to tear down the silver shop, do you have proof?"
Burial incense was interred in graves, typically made from the same materials as incense for the living. However, due to the coolness of tombs, the fragrant spices inevitably carried a cold aura. Only Shen Xihe could detect this chill—it was impossible to prove, and thus couldn't be used as evidence.
Bu Shulin choked. Right, no evidence. This only fueled her rage further.
Hongyu arrived with servants carrying scented bathwater. Shen Xihe used her own fragrant balm, washing her hands with elegant, deliberate motions.
Bu Shulin soaked her hands in the basin for a long time before feeling somewhat relieved. She grabbed the fragrant balm, applied a thick layer, and washed repeatedly until she felt clean and somewhat comforted: "The silver shop's manager told me their craftsman made it, claiming it was one of a kind. I knew you liked eucommia leaves, so I bought it hoping to please you. I never expected..."
At this point, Bu Shulin grew furious. She snatched the box and stormed out: "This is no trivial matter! Someone is digging up graves and tombs for profit, making money through such heinous means. I'm going to find Cui Shitou!"
Cui Jinbai was reliable—handling this matter through him was ideal.
Bu Shulin rushed to the Dali Temple. The guards, spotting her from afar, dashed inside to shut the temple's main gate. Whenever Worldly Son Bu came to Dali Temple, it meant trouble for Cui Shaoqing!
Seeing the guards trying to bar her from entry, Bu Shulin immediately leaped up, tapping her foot on the horse's back to propel herself to the temple gate. Spinning mid-air, she thrust a leg into the closing gap, twisted her hip, and struck with her palm to force the doors open.
With a light snort, she swaggered directly toward Cui Jinbai's office.
Cui Jinbai was instructing his subordinates when Bu Shulin swept in like a gust of wind, rushing up to grab his hand: "Cui Shitou, I've been swindled! I'm the victim—you must uphold justice for me. Otherwise, my fearsome reputation as the Dali Temple Shaoqing's sweetheart will become a joke!"
Dali Temple Shaoqing's sweetheart's fearsome reputation?The bailiffs stood frozen like wooden chickens, then all cast sympathetic glances toward their wise and decisive Chief Minister Cui.
Cui Jinbai suppressed the throbbing vein on his forehead: "All of you, withdraw and carry out your duties as instructed."
"Aye." The bailiffs scattered like oil under their feet, swiftly departing.
"What is it?" Cui Jinbai asked expressionlessly.
"The gift I gave the princess turned out to be dug out from a coffin! This infuriates me!" Bu Shulin thrust the opened wooden box before Cui Jinbai.
The words that followed, Cui Jinbai didn't quite catch, his mind wholly occupied with: The gift I gave the princess.
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