The lingering winter had yet to fully recede, yet early spring began to unveil itself. The spring breeze broke through the encirclement of frost and snow, rustling the plum blossoms from the branches, scattering a ground full of cold fragrance.
Shen Xihe stood by the railing, scattering fish food, and glanced at Bu Shulin, who was slumped over the railing, listless and dejected. Her eyes were vacant, her gaze unfocused, her face etched with desolation.
"Did Cui Shaoqing insult you?" Shen Xihe hadn't forgotten how she happened to see Bu Shulin confronting Cui Jinbai the day before.
Bu Shulin shook her head absently.
"Does Cui Shaoqing still refuse to acknowledge you?" Shen Xihe pressed.
Bu Shulin continued shaking her head woodenly.
"Did Cui Shaoqing say something hurtful?" Shen Xihe asked again.
Bu Shulin lifted her head, her eyes still dull as she glanced at Shen Xihe, before silently shaking her head once more.
Shen Xihe glanced at the tranquil pond below, where even the fish food failed to lure any fish, and set down the dish of bait. "Spring is about to bloom—don't spoil my mood with this half-dead demeanor of yours."
Bu Shulin pouted. "He severed ties with a broken sword, forbidding me from pestering him again."
So severe? Shen Xihe was slightly taken aback. "How could it come to this..."
Cui Shaoqing was the epitome of a noble scion—his upbringing and refinement were such that, unless one were a sworn enemy who had killed his kin, even a political rival would not provoke such ruthlessness from him.
"I don't know either. I was just drunk and vomited all over him, and then..." Bu Shulin racked her brains but couldn't figure out which of his taboos she had violated. "And then I said some flirtatious things to him. But I've said plenty of such things before, and he never minded."
She also didn't mention to Shen Xihe that she had kissed Cui Jinbai. She had accidentally bitten his chin before, and though he was furious at the time—seemingly ready to kill her—he never truly grew to despise her afterward.
"Is that why you're so downcast?" Shen Xihe asked.
Bu Shulin refused to admit it. "I just think he's being unreasonable. I can't figure out why he's acting this way. I wonder if I crossed a line and struck a nerve. I want to understand—if I truly overstepped, I ought to apologize to him."
Listening to her rapid-fire explanation, Shen Xihe couldn't help but press her lips together. "Why don't you tell me the details?"
It wasn't that she had developed Ziyu's curiosity; she simply felt that with Bu Shulin's limited intellect, she might never figure it out on her own.
She didn't want Bu Shulin showing up every day with that gloomy face, casting a pall over her mood.
Bu Shulin hesitated, stammering for a while, but eventually recounted everything from what she said while drunk at the brothel to the events at the Bu residence. She truly couldn't fathom what Cui Jinbai was thinking.
It weighed on her mind, ruining her appetite and sleep, leaving her deeply troubled.
Shen Xihe herself avoided easily falling into romantic entanglements that could distort her true self, but that didn't mean she was ignorant. With the added experience of Gu Qingzhi's lifetime, she understood even more.
Thus, as soon as Bu Shulin finished speaking, she grasped the situation. "Cui Shaoqing must have feelings for you."
Bu Shulin froze instantly, her eyes wide, her rosy lips parted in disbelief as she stared blankly at Shen Xihe.
Her expression drew a knowing smile from Shen Xihe. "You heard correctly. I said Cui Shaoqing is acting this way because he has feelings for you."
In the transition between winter and spring, the chilly wind carried the crisp fragrance of plum blossoms into Bu Shulin's nostrils, finally jolting her back to reality. She sprang to her feet in alarm. "He... he... he..."Stammering for a long while, Bu Shulin finally straightened her tongue and stuttered, "You mean... he has feelings for me? He only knows I'm a man, so he's tormented by his affection for another man, which is why he doesn't want to see me?"
Shen Xihe nodded.
Bu Shulin paced in panic, so anxious she didn't know where to put her hands. "How could he have feelings for me? How could he actually fall for a man? This... this... If he later discovers I'm not a man, wouldn't he hate me even more?"
Shen Xihe: ...
So Bu Shulin thought Cui Jinbai had discovered his attraction to men, and that she was the one who triggered this attraction, hence her flustered state.
Although Shen Xihe didn't rule out this possibility entirely, based on her understanding of Cui Shaoqing, he hadn't fallen for Bu Shulin because he liked men in general, but because he was drawn to Bu Shulin as a man, which caused him great anguish.
"I understand now. I'll never provoke him again. I'll keep my distance from him." Bu Shulin suddenly saw the light and made her decision.
Shen Xihe facepalmed.
She felt she might have made things worse. While Bu Shulin had figured things out, Cui Shaoqing would probably be driven mad.
She opened her mouth but ultimately didn't advise Bu Shulin to reveal her true gender to Cui Shaoqing. Shen Xihe believed all emotions should take precedence over what she considered the most unreliable of all - romantic love between men and women.
Bu Shulin's secret could bring disaster upon her entire family - how could it be easily revealed? Moreover, Bu Shulin didn't seem to have any romantic feelings for Cui Shaoqing. Otherwise, upon learning of his affection, why would she react like this?
"Youyou, shall we go for a walk?" Bu Shulin suddenly suggested.
Shen Xihe raised an eyebrow. "It's cold."
When the weather turned cold, Shen Xihe disliked going out. Unless absolutely necessary, she wouldn't step beyond the Princess Manor gates.
"Come on, come on. I feel stifled. I want to clear my mind." Bu Shulin tugged at Shen Xihe's sleeve, shaking it pleadingly.
Shen Xihe reconsidered her earlier conclusion. Bu Shulin wasn't completely indifferent to Cui Jinbai - she might just be unaware of her own feelings, which explained why she felt upset after deciding to avoid him.
She didn't point this out. Whether these ambiguous feelings would bring fortune or disaster to Bu Shulin was something she couldn't determine. Therefore, she couldn't interfere lightly - let nature take its course and see if fate would bring them together.
Partly out of sympathy for Bu Shulin's unrecognized feelings, she changed clothes and went out with Bu Shulin for a stroll, while also visiting the Living-Alone Pavilion along the way.
Bu Shulin loved horses and visited the horse market daily. Whenever she spotted a fine steed or spirited horse, she would purchase it at high price.
Normally she would remember Shen Xihe's preference for cleanliness and avoid messy places like the horse market, but today she forgot everything, only wanting to spend money freely. Shen Xihe waited for her at a food stall outside the horse market.
Halfway through her tea, she heard arguing. Turning to look, she saw two Tibetans quarreling with a merchant. Noticing the absent patrol guards who should have been maintaining order, Shen Xihe instructed Biyu, "Go fetch government officers."
Just as Biyu bowed and was about to leave, the argument quieted down. Shen Xihe looked over and saw Shen Yingluo entering with an unfamiliar maid.
Shen Yingluo was undoubtedly talented - she understood Tibetan, and through her explanation, both parties shook hands and made peace, completing their transaction.
"Princess, that appears to be the Tibetan prince," Zhenzhu whispered to Shen Xihe.The envoy from Tibet this time was not the prince, but the prince had disguised himself as an attendant and followed along.
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