Shen Xihe glanced at her, allowing her to pace restlessly while she calmly finished the last stitch, tucked in the thread, and put away the needle before speaking. "His Majesty will not arrange another marriage for you."
"Why are you so certain?" It wasn't that Bu Shulin distrusted Shen Xihe, but the matter was simply too significant.
"You should thank Cui Shaoqing." Shen Xihe smiled faintly. "His Majesty trusts Cui Shaoqing, who must not have refuted the rumors about you two in front of His Majesty. Otherwise, how could His Majesty so easily believe you'd suddenly developed a preference for men?"
"Even if His Majesty believes I prefer men, his wariness of the Bu family remains. Initially, he refrained from arranging a marriage with the Third Princess to save face. Now that Yangling Princess is actively pursuing me, putting on an air of non-marriage-to-you-I-won't-wed, His Majesty hasn't hastily arranged a marriage—this preserves his dignity. Eventually, he'll yield to Yangling Princess's unwavering devotion." By then, she would be in danger.
"He won't." Shen Xihe's tone was light. "Since His Majesty has already developed intentions to eliminate you, he won't sacrifice another princess. Though lacking a father's compassion, he is still human and a parent."
"Youyou?" Bu Shulin was caught between laughter and tears. "Do you think there's anything His Majesty wouldn't do for the empire? If he understood a father's heart, he wouldn't have married the Young Lady of the Gu Family to Prince Xin. He doesn't hesitate to use his own sons—why would he show mercy to a princess?"
"Who's to say His Majesty isn't tempering Prince Xin?" Shen Xihe offered a shallow smile.
Bu Shulin froze, pondering seriously. It seemed plausible. The Crown Prince was frail and destined to die young—who would inherit the throne? His Majesty must have considered this. Based on Bu Shulin's understanding of the princes, Prince Xin and Jing Wang were undoubtedly the best choices.
"If that's truly the case, Prince Xin likely has no chance at the throne," Bu Shulin said.
Since the fall of the Gu family and Gu Qingzhi's death, Prince Xin's actions, both overt and covert, had been opposing His Majesty.
He ultimately couldn't overcome this emotional hurdle. Thinking of this, Bu Shulin felt perplexed: "Having sacrificed so much already, why not pretend indifference to what was lost? Even feign having overcome this ordeal and become a qualified heir for His Majesty—wouldn't that be better?"
"To each their own ambition." Shen Xihe had no desire to continue the topic. "As for Yangling Princess, don't dwell on it. I intend to draw out someone behind her. If His Majesty truly changes his mind and arranges a marriage, I'll ensure it doesn't happen, and you'll bear no fault. Perhaps His Majesty will even feel remorseful and compensate you, allowing you to meet with the Prince of Shunan."
"Really?" Bu Shulin was astonished, deeply curious about how Shen Xihe planned to achieve this.
Meeting her inquisitive gaze, Shen Xihe only smiled without answering.
"Fine, fine, I trust you. I'll just let her cling to me then." Bu Shulin particularly loathed dealing with women, especially those like Yangling Princess, who looked on the verge of tears at the slightest raised voice!
Why couldn't more women in this world be like Shen Xihe and herself—shedding blood but not tears?
"If she keeps pestering you, go find Cui Shaoqing." Shen Xihe suggested, a fleeting, mischievous smile in her eyes that even she wasn't aware of.
"Find Cui Shitou?" Bu Shulin shook her head. "She's different from the Third Princess. She doesn't care whether I prefer men or not. If I ran to a brothel, she'd even shamelessly follow me there."Shen Xihe raised an eyebrow; she had underestimated the Fifth Princess's attachment to life. "Just go find Cui Shaoqing. He will definitely help you send her away."
"Cui Shitou is that kind?" Bu Shulin found it hard to believe. "He'd sooner laugh at my misfortune than lift a finger. Besides, he's always been a stickler for rules—how would he dare disrespect a princess?"
"If you trust me, why not give it a try?" Shen Xihe smiled meaningfully.
She couldn't discern romantic feelings between them, but since Bu Shulin had claimed last time that Cui Shaoqing was infatuated with her, it had sparked doubt. How could Cui Jinbai possibly have feelings for her?
If that were the case, why would Bu Shulin say such a thing? It must be that Cui Jinbai had behaved in a way that Bu Shulin misinterpreted, leading to that conclusion. On the day Bu Shulin took her horseback riding, Cui Jinbai had arrived with Xiao Fuxing, and she had paid close attention. She noticed that Cui Jinbai treated Bu Shulin differently.
However, she was certain Cui Jinbai hadn't seen through Bu Shulin's female identity.
As for whether this difference stemmed from Cui Jinbai having some peculiar preference, Shen Xihe couldn't say, and thus she didn't dare point it out. Perhaps Cui Jinbai simply regarded Bu Shulin as a friend—the kind who would go through fire and water for each other. If she spoke recklessly, wouldn't she cause discord between them? Regardless, Cui Jinbai's character was beyond reproach, so Shen Xihe wasn't worried that Bu Shulin would fall victim to any schemes. She decided to let them uncover the truth on their own.
Bu Shulin always felt that Shen Xihe's smile held little goodwill, yet she also believed Shen Xihe wouldn't harm her. Half-convinced and half-doubting, on her day off duty, the moment she spotted Yangling Princess, she bolted straight for the Dali Temple and rushed directly into Cui Jinbai's room.
Cui Jinbai was reviewing case files and merely lifted an eyelid at her entrance, paying her no further mind.
"Cui Shitou, your love rival is here," Bu Shlin announced shockingly as she approached.
Cui Jinbai set down the documents and asked her, "Do you even know what a love rival is?"
"Of course! Everyone in the capital knows we're an item. Now Yangling Princess is clinging to me all day—aren't the two of you love rivals?" Bu Shulin wore a look of disdain, as if he were ignorant.
"As for you and I—" The words "an item" stuck in Cui Jinbai's throat; the well-read scion of a noble family couldn't bring himself to say them. "—it's all your fabrication. The princess has taken a liking to you; what does that have to do with me?"
Bu Shulin widened her eyes in disbelief. "You ungrateful scoundrel! When you needed me, you didn't deny it and let everyone misunderstand. Now that no one's pressuring you to marry, you're going to abandon me to my fate?"
Cui Jinbai endured her accusations and picked up the case files again.
Furious, Bu Shulin glared at him, but after a long while, Cui Jinbai remained unmoved. So, Bu Shulin planted herself there and refused to leave. She didn't believe Yangling Princess would dare barge into Cui Jinbai's office.
As it turned out, Bu Shulin had underestimated Yangling Princess. Though she didn't storm into Cui Jinbai's office, she lingered stubbornly at the Dali Temple.
This forced the Chief of Dali Temple to personally attend to her, fearing that this Golden Branches and Jade Leaves might come to harm. Her presence severely disrupted the temple's efficiency, so the Chief summoned Cui Jinbai and instructed him to send Bu Shulin away.
After hearing this, Cui Jinbai went straight to the main hall and bowed to Yangling Princess, who was seated to the side. "Your Highness, this is the Dali Temple, a place where we plead for the people and redress grievances. If Your Highness has no petition to file, prolonged stay here will deter commoners from daring to approach and report cases. This subject can only memorialize His Majesty and beg forgiveness for Dali Temple's failure in its duties."Yangling Princess bit her lip. She was now afraid of Shen Xihe and knew that only by staying close to Bu Shulin would Shen Xihe dare not act against her: "Isn't Worldly Son Bu also staying here?"
"Worldly Son Bu is assisting this humble official in handling a case," Cui Jinbai said with utmost seriousness.
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