When a man gifts a woman a hair accessory, it signifies his intention to propose and bind their lives together—and a comb, in particular, carries the promise of growing old hand in hand!
A jade-backed comb must never be given by anyone other than a husband!
"You dare gift such an object to the County Princess?" Cui Jinbai nearly ground the words out through clenched teeth.
Shen Xihe had never paid attention to such conventions. In her heart, Bu Shulin was always a woman, and close female friends exchanging hair accessories and jewelry was perfectly ordinary. Thus, when Bu Shulin brought the comb to seek out Cui Jinbai, Shen Xihe only considered its origin and gave no further thought to the matter—let alone anticipated that Bu Shulin’s opening words would be about gifting it to the County Princess.
Bu Shulin, however, was different. She had almost ingrained the persona of a libertine into her very bones, spending her days lingering in pleasure houses. Even after setting her sights on Cui Jinbai, she hadn’t abandoned her romantic escapades. At first, she hadn’t given it much thought, but Cui Jinbai’s accusation made her realize that in the eyes of the world, she was perceived as a man.
Clearing her throat lightly, Bu Shulin covered up, "I knew the County Princess favors Eucommia leaves. I happened to come across this today and bought it."
For some reason, she felt an inexplicable twinge of guilt.
Cui Jinbai’s face remained cold. "To please the County Princess, you truly have no regard for propriety. Aren’t you afraid that if His Majesty finds out, the County Princess will be implicated?"
Bu Shulin had always been known for her unrestrained, wandering ways—frequently spending nights in brothels, disappearing for days on end. She had kept a courtesan under her patronage for three years and still protected her to this day. Even after becoming entangled with Cui Jinbai, she hadn’t stopped visiting the pleasure houses, though she no longer stayed overnight. Mostly, it was due to invitations from her disreputable friends—hard to refuse—and once there, she no longer allowed the courtesans to approach her.
Rumors swirled that she had changed her preferences and was now "preserving her virtue" for Cui Jinbai. Only Cui Jinbai knew he was merely a shield. He had no desire to explain, and it conveniently served to irritate his father and stepmother, preventing them from meddling in his marital affairs.
Having often seen Bu Shulin frequenting the Princess Manor every few days, he had begun to suspect that her pursuit of him wasn’t merely to avoid marrying a princess—but because her heart belonged to another: Zhaoning County Princess.
As time passed, he grew more convinced of his theory. Today, when Bu Shulin showed him the jade-backed comb and declared it a gift for Zhaoning County Princess, an uncontrollable fury surged through him, boiling up to the crown of his head.
"Heh heh, if you don’t tell and I don’t tell, how would His Majesty ever know?" Bu Shulin grinned cheekily and reached out to pat Cui Jinbai’s chest, intending to soothe him, but Cui Jinbai seized her wrist and flung it away harshly.
Bu Shulin pouted. "Alright, alright, my fault, my fault. I shouldn’t have hidden this from you and given the County Princess such an item. I swear I have no improper intentions toward her—I see her as a younger sister. What’s wrong with an older brother giving his sister a piece of jewelry?"
Only then did Cui Jinbai’s expression soften slightly. His deep, shadowed eyes fixed on Bu Shulin for a long moment, as if weighing the truth of her words.
Bu Shulin straightened her posture, her expression open and unguarded. "Every word is true. What I feel for the County Princess is nothing but sibling affection!"
What a lie. If only she were truly a man—then she would surely marry a woman like Shen Xihe. Only then would this life be worth living!
It wasn’t that her heart was unwilling—it was that she was incapable.
Cui Jinbai, convinced by her words, finally picked up the jade-backed comb and examined it. "How did you know it was a burial object?"
"I—" Bu Shulin couldn’t reveal Shen Xihe’s extraordinary sense of smell, so she simply said, "If the County Princess says it is, then it must be!"
Cui Jinbai:He was initially annoyed that Bu Shulin treated Shen Xihe's words as imperial edicts, but upon careful reflection, he realized Shen Xihe might have found it difficult to accept the jade-backed comb directly and didn't want to hurt Bu Shulin's feelings by bluntly refusing, hence coming up with this excuse.
"Leave the item here. It likely belongs to our dynasty. I'll have someone look into it," he said with extreme perfunctoriness.
Bu Shulin was dissatisfied: "Someone is grave-robbing, and the Dali Temple is this negligent?"
"Based solely on the claim that it's a burial object, how can I report to my superiors? How can I mobilize personnel to investigate?" Cui Jinbai said with a headache.
Bu Shulin wasn't entirely unreasonable either. She snatched the jade-backed comb: "Fine, I'll go keep an eye on the silver shop people. Once I have evidence, I'll come back to you so you have proper grounds for action!"
"You—" Cui Jinbai wanted to chase after her, but Bu Shulin was too fast, disappearing from the courtyard in the blink of an eye.
At the moon gate, she turned back and gave Cui Jinbai a mysterious smile, "Don't worry, Cui Shitou, I won't let the Crown Prince know about your affection for—" She silently mouthed the words "the lady," then hummed a tune and walked away with her hands behind her back, completely missing Cui Jinbai's livid expression behind her.
In Bu Shulin's view, Cui Jinbai's earlier anger, nearly to the point of physical confrontation, was definitely because she had gifted the jade-backed comb—an item equivalent to a love token when given by a man to a woman—and Cui Jinbai was secretly in love with her Youyou: "What good taste, but what a pity..."
Alas, it was destined to be a tragic romance.
Thinking this, she felt grateful she wasn't a man, otherwise she might also end up like Cui Shitou, silently loving someone without daring to speak it aloud.
"Poor thing, I'll be nicer to him from now on..."
Bu Shulin muttered to herself as she left the Dali Temple and went to stake out the silver shop. She was convinced that since the silver shop had lied, they must know the origins and couldn't possibly have only this one shady item.
Anyone who dared to disgust her and make her lose face in front of Shen Xihe would pay the price!
Shen Xihe was unaware of Bu Shulin's confrontation with the silver shop. Aside from visiting the Tao residence, she mostly stayed at home, reading books, gardening, occasionally experimenting with food with Ziyu, studying fragrant spices with Hongyu, doing needlework with Biyu, watching Sui Axi and Zhenzhu discuss medicinal principles, or training Duanming.
Previously, some people had still sent her invitations out of superficial courtesy, but after several incidents, everyone now feared her like a tiger, and she was content with the peace and quiet.
Xiao Huayong had handled the matter of Xun Wang very appropriately. Without alerting anyone, Xiao Changfeng discovered Xun Wang's body and secretly brought it back to his residence. After much hesitation, he finally reported it to the Youning Emperor.
Xun Wang had clearly committed suicide, proving he hadn't betrayed his sovereign.
"Xiao Changfeng is no ordinary man," Shen Xihe sighed softly upon learning he had secretly brought his father's body into the palace.
This move not only reassured the Emperor that Xun Wang hadn't leaked any information but also stirred the Youning Emperor's guilt—Xun Wang, who had served on battlefields all his life, had died so undignifiedly. Lastly, it allowed Xun Wang to be buried in his rightful tomb with the Emperor's approval.
"This also means he knew all along that Xun Wang was still alive and that the Emperor was forming the Invincible Army," Zhenzhu said, lowering her head. "He is indeed the one taking over the Invincible Army."
Otherwise, the Youning Emperor wouldn't have let him in on such secrets. Zhenzhu then suggested, "My lady, should we arrange for someone?""Beauty scheme?" Shen Xihe understood Zhenzhu's meaning. "I dislike using women to achieve goals."
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