Her purpose was naturally to lure her future sister-in-law—the only person close to Xue Jinqiao—into searching for her.
Shen Xihe played right into her scheme. They left the banquet hall and inquired with the servants. Some claimed ignorance, while others gave vague answers, eventually leading them to a remote courtyard. Though Zhenzhu, with her sharp senses, had not detected any lurking presence, Shen Xihe had already caught a whiff of a unique fragrance.
Suddenly, someone hidden in the shadows blew several fine needles from a bamboo tube. Zhenzhu swiftly dodged one but was struck in the arm by another. Instantly, her arm went numb. "My lady... run..." she urged.
Shen Xihe’s expression turned grave as she reached out to support Zhenzhu, seemingly intent on leaving together.
Just then, another needle shot toward them. Shen Xihe attempted to evade but failed, and a needle pierced her arm as well. As Zhenzhu collapsed weakly, Shen Xihe’s vision darkened, and she fainted beside her.
Soon, figures emerged from the shadows. Two people struggled to carry them into a room within the courtyard. Zhenzhu was placed in a separate chamber, while Shen Xihe was thrown onto the bed in an adjacent bedroom.
About half an incense stick’s time later, the distinct fragrance of Yangling Princess wafted past Shen Xihe’s nostrils. As the princess took out a medicine bottle and moved to force it into Shen Xihe’s mouth, Shen Xihe’s eyes snapped open. Startled, the princess fumbled, dropping the bottle—only for it to be caught steadily by another hand.
Turning her head, the princess met the icy gaze of Zhenzhu. When she glanced back, she found her two maids had already collapsed silently.
Before she could cry out, Zhenzhu struck her with a silver needle. Her body went limp, sapped of even the strength to speak.
Shen Xihe rose gracefully from the bed and calmly ordered, "Force her to drink it."
While Zhenzhu administered the potion to Yangling Princess, Shen Xihe walked to the incense burner nearby. She retrieved a fire starter, lit a piece of fragrant spices, tossed it inside, and closed the lid. Only after Zhenzhu had stripped the princess, hidden her in the bed, and drawn the curtains did Shen Xihe nudge one of the maids.
The maid opened her eyes, alert and clear-headed, and silently withdrew to inform Munuha at the banquet.
Two days prior, pushing Yangling Princess into the water had been a deliberate move—both to make the princess acutely aware of her determination to eliminate her and to intentionally replace one of the princess’s maids with her own agent.
As a Turkic prince, Munuha could not move freely within the Dai Prince’s residence; only Yangling Princess had the authority to arrange matters there.
Munuha had been waiting anxiously when finally, the princess’s maid arrived. The maid exchanged a meaningful glance with him, and Munuha excused himself from the banquet. The maid led him to the room and said, "The princess claims no involvement. She has already left first, and I must take my leave as well."
After a quick bow, the maid hurried away, closing the door behind her. The room was filled with a subtle, alluring fragrance, and from behind the drawn curtains came faint, restless moans. Munuha felt a surge of heat, assuming the seductive sounds were Shen Xihe’s.
He strode forward. The room was unlit, and even when he pulled back the curtains, he could only make out a curvaceous silhouette. Though he thought to light a lamp to see the person on the bed clearly, his body burned with desire. The low, enticing moans from the bed fueled his excitement, blood roaring in his veins. Overwhelmed, he cast caution aside and pressed himself onto the figure.The scandalous affair between the two was discovered by two noblewomen who were guests of the Princess Consort of Dai. These two women were close friends, not ill-intentioned but merely curious and fond of gossiping about romantic affairs. Shen Xihe had carefully selected them for this very purpose.
A sharp scream drew a crowd. The steward of the Dai Prince's residence hurried over and whispered to the Prince of Dai and Li Yanyan. The Prince's face turned ashen, while Li Yanyan cast a meaningful glance at Shen Xihe, who sat serenely at the banquet, chatting and laughing with Xue Jinqiao.
In the end, she had underestimated Shen Xihe. It turned out that from beginning to end, the one playing the fool was Yangling Princess herself.
The affair between Yangling Princess and the Turkic prince in the Dai Prince's residence could not be concealed. Soon, everyone who attended the birthday banquet of the Princess Consort of Dai, both inside and outside the palace, knew about it. When the two were brought to the Hall of Bright Governance, the Youning Emperor's face was livid with rage, and he wished he could have Munuha executed.
Munuha quickly realized that Yangling Princess must have made a mistake. Though furious, he had no choice but to address the Emperor: "Munuha and the princess fell in love at first sight and could not control our passions. I beg Your Majesty to punish me alone and not blame the princess."
Yangling Princess was humiliated and wished for death, but she had no way to defend herself and could only weep in despair.
"Silence!" Her weeping had once softened his fatherly heart, but today it only irritated the Youning Emperor. "You have no sense of shame—how dare you cry and make a scene?"
"Your Majesty, your daughter..." Yangling Princess choked back sobs, wanting to explain but not knowing how.
Should she say she had tried to scheme against Shen Xihe only to be outmaneuvered? Or directly accuse Shen Xihe of plotting against her? She had no evidence, just like when Shen Xihe pushed her into the lake—she had been left speechless then too.
She glanced at Munuha beside her. He was undoubtedly handsome, and she had already been with him...
There was no place for her in the capital anymore. She just wanted to live peacefully. Perhaps marrying into the Turkic tribe was her best way out: "Your Majesty, your daughter... your daughter is deeply in love with Prince Munuha and is willing to marry into the Turkic tribe for the peace between our two nations."
At least she would be marrying for the sake of national peace. At least she would be contributing to the state. Yangling Princess could only comfort herself with these thoughts.
Little did she know that upon hearing this, the Youning Emperor felt like killing her.
He had already made extensive preparations to go to war with Tubo and reject the marriage alliance. He planned to use Tubo as a starting point to show foreign envoys that from now on, they would not pursue marriage alliances!
Yet all his meticulous planning was utterly destroyed by his own daughter.
No matter how furious the Youning Emperor was, since both parties were willing, he could not punish Munuha. He had no choice but to grit his teeth and accept it. After a stern lecture on propriety and issuing some insignificant punishments, he expelled them from the Hall of Bright Governance without mentioning anything about the marriage alliance.
When Shen Xihe returned to the Princess Manor and heard the news, a faint smile touched her lips.
Bu Shulin was overjoyed: "Youyou, you are truly my savior! How did you come up with such a brilliant plan? Hahahaha..."
From now on, Yangling Princess would no longer be able to pester her. She would finally no longer have to devise ways daily to avoid the persistent princess.
"I did not do it for you. I did it because I do not wish for her to live," Shen Xihe said calmly.
"You... you truly intend to kill her?" Bu Shulin asked in a hushed voice.
"Naturally," Shen Xihe nodded.
"But she is, after all, the Emperor's daughter..."
Before Bu Shulin could finish, Shen Xihe let out a scornful laugh. "Do you know who currently wishes for her death the most?"Following Shen Xihe's meaningful gaze, Bu Shulin made an incredulous guess: "Your Majesty?"
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