Upon hearing this, Shen Xihe halted and turned to gaze seriously at Shen Yueshan. "Father, I am not being lenient with my words, but rather refraining from making rash judgments about anyone."
In the eyes of both Shen Yingluo and Shen Yueshan, she likely couldn't bear to see Shen Yingluo suffer too much—after all, the only person who had ever treated her kindly in this world had used her as a pawn since childhood.
What truly made her change her tone was the realization that perhaps His Majesty genuinely felt remorse and affection for Shen Yingluo thus far.
Shen Yueshan couldn't help but chuckle. "With Youyou's cunning mind, if you're uncertain about His Majesty's intentions, you should rely on your own judgment and completely sever her hopes. Youyou is not one to take risks."
"Youyou is not one to take risks," Shen Xihe also smiled. "If it were anyone else, I would certainly do so and make them firmly believe it, even secretly resent His Majesty. But she bears the surname Shen—she is someone Father acknowledges."
Simply because Shen Yingluo carried the Shen name, as long as she did not commit grave errors, Shen Xihe would never actively exploit or mislead her.
A swelling warmth filled Shen Yueshan's chest, his eyes gleaming with boundless pride. Such a magnanimous young woman was his daughter!
Shen Yueshan's eyes shone so brightly he nearly resembled a wolf tilting its head to howl in excitement. Shen Xihe could hardly bear to watch and had to douse his enthusiasm with cold water: "If she ever becomes truly bewitched by His Majesty in the future, I will not show any mercy."
Shen Xihe's tolerance toward Shen Yingluo was based on the latter's understanding and discretion; otherwise, Shen Yingluo would merely be an enemy she could eliminate at will.
"Cause and effect cycle, the way of heaven revolves," Shen Yueshan remained beaming.
If one day Shen Yingluo chose to take sides, she would have to bear the corresponding consequences.
"I'm going to see the coming-of-age gift Brother sent me," Shen Xihe changed the subject and quickened her pace.
Shen Yungan's gift for Shen Xihe's coming-of-age ceremony arrived precisely that day—an exquisite box. When Shen Xihe opened it, she found six gold bracelets inlaid with pearls, and her eyes instantly lit up.
Three were embedded with turquoise, while three were not.
The value of the bracelets lay not in their material worth but in the fact that, like the one on her wrist, they contained hidden triggers.
Each bracelet could only conceal three silver needles—any more would affect the trigger's flexibility and firing power. Once used, the needles could not be reloaded. However, this mechanism did not originally belong to the Shen family. Shen Yueshan had once saved someone skilled in such craftsmanship, who made three for him in return.
Shen Xihe had received only one; the other two were sent to the northwest weaponry workshop to be disassembled and studied. After dismantling two, they finally succeeded in replicating the design.
This time, Shen Yungan fulfilled Shen Xihe's wishes: the turquoise-inlaid bracelets contained poisoned silver needles, while the plain ones held the usual needles dipped in anesthetic.
Overjoyed, Shen Xihe held them fondly, unable to put them down. Shen Yueshan remarked sourly, "Father prepared a gift for you too."
"I know, I know. Youyou also loves the gift from Father," Shen Xihe hurriedly coaxed.
"But you love your brother's gift more," Shen Yueshan wrinkled his nose.
Shen Xihe had no choice but to set the bracelets aside and change the subject. "Did anyone else send gifts today?"
It was her coming-of-age ceremony, so naturally many had sent presents—so many that several carriages couldn't haul them all. Hongyu hadn't even finished organizing the gift lists, as there were simply too many.
Sui Axi, who had stayed behind, could only reply, "Your Highness, Doctor Qi also sent a gift today."Hongyu remembered and immediately went to fetch it—it turned out to be a bundle of medicinal herbs. Shen Yueshan’s expression darkened at the sight. On his daughter’s birthday, giving medicine as a gift was terribly unlucky!
Shen Xihe, however, paid it no mind. She and Xie Yunhuai were friends, and between friends, such taboos hardly mattered. She understood that Xie Yunhuai was likely being cautious about the boundaries between men and women, avoiding gifts like hairpins, hair ornaments, or jewelry.
When she opened Xie Yunhuai’s letter, Shen Xihe’s eyes lit up. Inside was a prescription for a medicinal bath, specifically designed to treat various hidden injuries!
Martial figures like Shen Yueshan and Shen Yungan inevitably accumulated hidden injuries, whether from battlefield wounds or rigorous training. While these injuries might seem insignificant when one is young and strong, they could become life-threatening in old age or during a serious illness.
"Father, hurry, you must try this bath tonight!" Xie Yunhuai had sent the prepared herbs, and Shen Xihe was eager to see their effects.
She instructed Hongyu and the others to make preparations and handed the prescription to Zhenzhu and Sui Axi. "Take a look at this," she said.
She had only skimmed it briefly and noticed that some ingredients were exceedingly rare, making widespread use unlikely. She hoped Zhenzhu and Sui Axi could offer some insights—if the formula could be adapted to use more common herbs, it would be a blessing for the northwest.
While the Princess Manor buzzed with lively activity and high spirits, the Eastern Palace was shrouded in a tense, oppressive atmosphere. The bedchamber, warmed by scented coal, felt no less chilling than the biting wind outside.
"Any findings?" Xiao Huayong stood by a tall candlestick, one hand twirling a black chess piece that gleamed in the candlelight, the other gently adjusting the wick.
The elegant fifteen-branch candelabra cast its light on Xiao Huayong’s strikingly handsome face. His eyes were slightly narrowed, his expression impassive and intimidating.
"The cat did indeed escape from the Imperial Stables and had been missing for three days. The person who sprinkled catnip powder on County Lord Huaiyang’s cloak has been silenced," Tianyuan reported, head bowed.
It had happened too quickly—especially the silencing of the culprit, who had been killed before dusk, even before Shen Yingluo’s incident. All leads were cut off, and even His Majesty’s men had found nothing.
Initially, Tianyuan had suspected this was a scheme orchestrated by Xiao Changmin himself, aimed at marrying Shen Yingluo by any means necessary. But upon investigation, it became clear that this wasn’t the work of Prince Zhao—not because Tianyuan underestimated him, but because the prince simply lacked the capability to leave no traces behind.
"This is aimed at me," Xiao Huayong’s gaze darkened. "Someone doesn’t want me to marry Youyou."
By pushing Shen Yingluo to marry the second prince, they sought to thwart his plans to wed Shen Xihe.
"Who could it be?" Tianyuan was baffled.
It clearly wasn’t His Majesty, who had intended to arrange the marriage. Had it been the Emperor, the matter wouldn’t have been dropped so easily. If not His Majesty, then only a consort or prince could operate so seamlessly within the palace. Which consort or prince could execute such a clean, untraceable plan?
"This palace truly conceals dragons and crouching tigers," Xiao Huayong’s lips curled into a faint, cold smile. "From now on, stay vigilant when Youyou enters the palace."
This time, the scheme targeted Shen Yingluo and Xiao Changmin, likely because the plotters knew of their mutual inclinations and decided to give them a push. They hadn’t anticipated Shen Yingluo’s reluctance to cooperate. Had both she and Xiao Changmin been willing, the situation would have been far more difficult to resolve.Either Shen Yueshan forcibly intervenes, in which case Shen Yingluo would inevitably harbor deep resentment toward him, allowing us to exploit her to deal with both Shen Yueshan and Shen Xihe; or Shen Yueshan does not intervene, and Your Majesty is compelled to bestow the marriage, forcing him to take action to sabotage this union.
OpenNovel