Shen Xihe let out a soft hum with a smile.
"Why must it come to this?" Bu Shulin was puzzled.
Although they and His Majesty held opposing stances, and His Majesty was not a lenient man, how could Yangling Princess's mistakes have reached the point where her own father wished for her death?
"Under ordinary circumstances, it would not have come to this," Shen Xihe stroked Duanming's fur, "but His Majesty has painstakingly worked for over a decade, waiting for this moment to announce to the envoys of foreign countries that our dynasty will no longer engage in marriage alliances with the four barbarian tribes. Yet Yangling Princess destroyed it all in one day."
This was absolutely not just a scandal of ignorance and shamelessness. It was a move that strangled the Youning Emperor's ambition at the very moment he was poised to act, forcing him to swallow his fervent aspirations.
With Yangling Princess's affair with Munuha known throughout the court, what would it be if the Youning Emperor announced the end of marriage alliances with the four barbarian tribes now? Nothing but a joke.
"His Majesty actually had such intentions," Bu Shulin murmured.
Regardless of His Majesty's original motives, the backbone shown in refusing marriage alliances filled Bu Shulin with admiration.
As a woman, she disliked the grand rhetoric that justified sending women to marry for peace between two sides. She believed it was a compromise born from men's cowardice and incompetence.
As a frontier noble, she understood better than most how bitterly Han women suffered when married into foreign tribes—even those bearing the title of princess for such alliances.
"Father said that few princesses married to Tubo lived long lives. They all died of melancholy in Tubo," Bu Shulin sighed. "Why doesn't our great nation take a firm stance to end this practice? Sending women to marry for peace makes the tribute from all nations feel like a mockery!"
"I too dislike marriage alliances," Shen Xihe agreed. "So, as long as Yangling Princess dies, His Majesty can still carry out his grand plan to end them. He might even use it as a justification, making it seem more reasonable."
"Exactly!" Bu Shulin's eyes lit up. "If Yangling Princess dies, especially at Munuha's hands, His Majesty can righteously use it as a pretext to declare the end of marriage alliances. Even the common people would find it hard to complain."
Bu Shulin cared not at all whether Yangling Princess lived or died, especially after learning that Yangling Princess had instigated the Fourth Princess to harm Shen Xihe. That day, she had witnessed the Fourth Princess whip the horse Shen Xihe was riding, and she had nearly lunged forward to tear the Fourth Princess apart.
Had Shen Xihe not been incredibly fortunate—thinking of the giant serpent sent a chill down Bu Shulin's spine.
"A Lin," Shen Xihe suddenly called Bu Shulin affectionately.
Bu Shulin shuddered involuntarily, leaning back defensively. "What... what do you want? Just say it directly..."
Shen Xihe smiled. "I have no orders for you. I merely wish to settle some accounts with you."
"Settle accounts?" Bu Shulin was bewildered.
"Yes," Shen Xihe nodded. "His Majesty originally intended to break with Tubo, initially planning to take your life to provoke your father into replacing the commander of the Southern Shu army. Though I played a part in this, Cui Shaoqing had already arranged everything. I firmly believe you would have survived even without me. Hence, I never brought this up with you."
"What... what else do I owe you?" Bu Shulin asked timidly."Your Majesty cannot kill you, nor has he managed to bring down you and your father. But he has never abandoned the idea of making an example of Tibet, forcing you and your father to don armor and lead the vanguard." Shen Xihe continued, "His Majesty is determined to conquer Southern Shu. Once Southern Shu and Tibet go to war, you and your father will likely face grave danger. Isn't that so?"
Bu Shulin nodded in agreement.
A deeper smile touched Shen Xihe's lips. "As for me, I forcibly shifted His Majesty's battlefield from Tibet to the Turks for your sake. You and your father can now rest easy, while my father and brother are the ones going to war. Don't you owe me a great debt?"
It seemed so.
Bu Shulin gazed at Shen Xihe with moved emotion. "I will forever remember Youyou's kindness to me!"
Zhenzhu and the others struggled to suppress their rising smiles.
Feeling that words still couldn't fully express her gratitude, Bu Shulin simply declared, "From now on, whenever Youyou has any command, I will brave mountains of blades and seas of fire without hesitation!"
"Good, I'll remember that." Shen Xihe nodded with satisfaction.
Bu Shulin then attended to Shen Xihe even more solicitously, completely oblivious to the pitying glances exchanged between Zhenzhu and Biyu.
While the Bu family had indeed benefited greatly from Shen Xihe's actions, this wasn't her original intention. Shen Xihe would never allow His Majesty to destroy the Bu family and use Southern Shu to conquer Tibet, as that would endanger the northwest.
Tibet lies between Southern Shu and the northwest. Should a major war break out, the northwest would have to cooperate with Southern Shu, making it easier for the Youning Emperor to capture them all in one net—especially with his mysterious and unpredictable Invincible Army.
Choosing the Turks was different. Shen Yueshan and Shen Yungan could focus entirely on the battle. If Tibet made any moves, the Bu family wouldn't stand idly by. The Turks and Tibet were different—His Majesty could tolerate Tibet defeating Southern Shu and then have Jing Wang provide support, smoothly gaining control of Southern Shu.
But he wouldn't dare do the same to the northwest. If the Turks breached this northwestern barrier, the capital would be in imminent danger.
If Southern Shu and Tibet went to war, the Youning Emperor could sabotage them; but if the Turks and the northwest fought, he would have no choice but to offer full support.
As for Shen Yueshan and Shen Yungan's safety, Shen Xihe had concerns but no alternatives. War with the Turks was inevitable—it was better to seize the initiative. Ever since Shen Yueshan's last visit, she had discussed this with him, and the northwest was surely prepared.
She would seize every opportunity in the capital to disrupt His Majesty's plans and redirect his focus to the Turks, while Shen Yueshan stood ready in the northwest, awaiting the east wind. Neither father nor daughter had expected this east wind to arrive so quickly.
Now only the final step remained: kill Yangling Princess and frame Munuha, ensuring he couldn't leave the capital!
As Shen Xihe was calculating her next move, Xiao Huayong in the Eastern Palace heard the whole story, his face darkening terrifyingly.
As clever as he was, he didn't need to investigate to understand why things had developed this way. Shen Xihe had clearly turned the situation to her advantage—she had even anticipated Munuha's attempt to assault her. His chest tightened with frustration, wishing he could rush to her side immediately.
Yet he didn't know what to say when he faced her.
Accuse her? What fault did she have?
Indeed, she wasn't wrong—the mistakes always lay with others!
"Dispatch men to closely monitor the Honglu Guesthouse. Seize any opportunity to capture Munuha for me," Xiao Huayong commanded in an emotionless voice, his narrow eyes narrowing further.
"Your Highness, Munuha is an envoy. His Majesty is also watching you. If you kill Munuha..." Tianyuan knew his advice was futile, but he felt compelled to offer it.Xiao Huayong curled his lips into a sinister smile: "I won't kill him. I merely gave him a small punishment to ensure he can never again commit improper acts against women."
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