"In that case, His Highness the Crown Prince is superfluous." Bu Shulin grinned, showing her teeth.
Shen Xihe gave her a faint glance. "I'm entering the palace tomorrow. I'll help you corrupt him."
The smile instantly stiffened on Bu Shulin's face: ...
Seeing her rapidly changing expression, Shen Xihe couldn't help but laugh. "Did you come here just to chat idly with me?"
"I heard the Empress Dowager is hosting a Spring Day Banquet at the beginning of spring. According to news from the palace, it's to select consorts for the various princes." Bu Shulin said excitedly. "I wonder if this is the reason why the Fifth Princess has stopped pestering me. I was worried for several days before returning to the capital."
"She stopped pestering you because I wasn't here." Shen Xihe said calmly. "When I enter the palace tomorrow, she'll surely revert to her old ways."
Bu Shulin: ???
"Why would she stop pestering me when you're not here?" Bu Shulin was puzzled, then a thought flashed through her mind. She smiled somewhat smugly, "Could it be that she mistakenly thinks you're fond of me and worries that I might be stolen away by you?"
Shen Xihe looked at Bu Shulin with the faint expression of someone looking at a fool. "She's afraid I'll kill her, so she's using you to protect herself."
Bu Shulin: !!!
After a moment of shock, Bu Shulin said, "Why would you want to kill her?"
"Princess Changling targeting me was her doing—she stirred up trouble." Shen Xihe gently fiddled with an emerald green leaf as she spoke softly.
"She stirred up trouble? Why would she do that?" Bu Shulin couldn't understand why Princess Yangling would incite Princess Changling to oppose Shen Xihe.
"I don't know. She was probably following orders or being threatened by someone." Shen Xihe gazed into the distance as the wind brushed through her black hair, outlining half of her face and adding a touch of charm. "It's precisely because of the person behind her that I've spared her life until now. To save herself, she's shown some cleverness by latching onto you."
Turning her eyes to Bu Shulin with some pity, she said, "You're merely her means of protection, that's all."
Bu Shulin: ...
She had thought it was her boundless charm at work, but the truth turned out to be so unpleasant. Her heart felt somewhat stifled.
With Yangling Princess clinging to Bu Shulin, Shen Xihe truly found it difficult to take action against her easily. Otherwise, Bu Shulin would be the first suspect. The Fifth Princess did have some petty cleverness.
The heartache was only momentary. Soon Bu Shulin thought of another angle and said cheerfully, "So even the Fifth Princess knows you care about me—enough to spare her life for my sake."
Shen Xihe let out an almost imperceptible light laugh. "The Fifth Princess is quite suited to you."
"What do you mean by that?" Bu Shulin always felt this was meant to belittle her.
"Equally foolish beyond compare." Having said this, Shen Xihe turned and walked away.
She had spared the Fifth Princess's life from beginning to end because of the person behind her. If she wanted the Fifth Princess dead, no matter who the princess attached herself to, it wouldn't make a difference.
There were countless ways to avoid implicating Bu Shulin. Only the Fifth Princess and Bu Shulin would truly believe such a method could ensure safety.
She was about to have her coming-of-age ceremony, and Father was coming to the capital soon. Not wanting any funeral to clash with her happy occasion, she was allowing the princess to live a while longer.
If this had been discovered a few months earlier, would the Fifth Princess really think she had to know who was behind it all? She had never been patient with enemies, preferring swift resolution. Giving the Fifth Princess one or two chances was already her limit.
The next day, Shen Xihe went to the palace. Since she had returned, she needed to thank the Youning Emperor for his grace, and also visit the Crown Prince to bring Sui Axi back to the palace.The capital lies in the north, where the chill arrives early. It is said that an early snow had fallen a few days prior. The howling winds stripped away the golden hues of autumn, while the winter plums in the Eastern Palace began to form buds, their specks of crimson trembling in the breeze. A cold fragrance lingered, adding a touch of delight to the winter season.
Xiao Huayong wore a cloisonné lapel robe today, its golden embroidery of fan-shaped eucommia leaves exquisitely refined and opulent. A snow-white fox-fur-trimmed cloak draped over him, lending an air of elegance and transcendence. Amidst the grandeur, there was a hint of languor; within the dignified grace, a wisp of ethereal spirit drifted.
"Youyou, I have been waiting for you for so long," Xiao Huayong spoke with tender affection the moment he saw Shen Xihe.
Shen Xihe stood beneath the eaves, tilting her head as she observed Xiao Huayong for a moment.
"Why do you look at me so, Youyou?" Xiao Huayong asked, puzzled.
"I am somewhat curious—how is Your Highness able to utter such frivolous words without sounding vulgar?" Shen Xihe spoke truthfully.
Though Xiao Huayong's words were rather bold, when he spoke them, they did not come across as presumptuous. At the very least, Shen Xihe could tolerate them when he said them aloud. Yet, the thought of the letters he had written left her at a loss for words.
"Every word comes from the depths of my heart," Xiao Huayong replied with a smile.
Shen Xihe did not dwell on the topic with him. "Has Your Highness shown any improvement?"
"Lately, my eyes have occasionally been able to perceive some color," Xiao Huayong shared the good news with joy. "After taking the medicine prepared with jade flowers, my lungs have improved significantly."
In previous winters, when the cold seeped into his body, his lungs would ache as if pierced by needles, and he would cough incessantly. Over the years, he had become so adept at feigning his coughs precisely because the torment of winter repeated year after year, ingrained into his very bones for over a decade.
"Aside from this, are there any other methods?" Jade flowers were scarce, and the timing was not ideal. Finding them at all was already a stroke of luck.
The blooming period for jade flowers was from May to September, though in more southern regions, they might bloom until November. Shen Xihe had already instructed her subordinates, who collected fragrant spices, to keep an eye out in Nanhai Commandery. If any were found, they were to be picked and sent to the capital. She had also meticulously recorded the methods for harvesting and calculating the timing, though she feared the yield would be limited.
"There are indeed some medicinal herbs that can substitute for jade flowers in terms of efficacy," Sui Axi replied softly. "However, they tend to be either too cold or too drying, which could adversely affect Your Highness's internal toxins."
As Shen Xihe and Xiao Huayong stepped inside, they were met with a wave of warmth. Both removed their heavy cloaks, and Shen Xihe could not help but remark, "Your Highness's hall is exceptionally warm."
Shen Xihe's own chambers were also heated with high-quality charcoal. As someone obsessed with fragrance, she had blended fragrant spices with several types of wood charcoal to create scented coal, which burned slowly, produced no smoke, and filled the air with a lingering aroma.
She had prepared a large quantity early in autumn and sent much of it to the northwest, where the harsh winter was no less severe than in the capital.
The warmth in Xiao Huayong's hall, however, was different from others. There was no visible sign of charcoal burning.
"The Eastern Palace is equipped with wall stoves," Xiao Huayong explained. "They were installed during renovations a decade ago."
"I see. It seems the gift I brought today is of no use to Your Highness," Shen Xihe said with a light laugh. She had brought two baskets of scented coal for Xiao Huayong. Currently, the finest charcoal in the palace was Ruì charcoal, produced in the former Xiliang, now Xizhou.
This charcoal burned slowly—a single piece could last for days—but its supply was limited. Concerned that Xiao Huayong might not withstand the cold, she had brought him some scented coal.
"How could a gift from my beloved be of no use?" Xiao Huayong hurriedly replied. "The wall stoves make the air so dry that I often feel like roasted meat over a fire. If not for my inability to endure the cold, I would truly consider turning them off for a few days.""The princess truly knows how to please His Highness. He has been insisting on stopping the fireplace these past few days." Tianyuan added, and to make their words more convincing, he nudged Sui Axi.
"The dry heat from the fireplace is harmful to His Highness." Sui Axi nodded in agreement.
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