Shen Xihe stood meekly to the side with lowered eyes. Regardless of the Empress Dowager's intentions, the marriage arrangement was also her and Xiao Huayong's wish. Since the goal could be achieved, Shen Xihe had no objections.
"Zhaoning, Qilang he..." The Youning Emperor still inquired, "Do you still wish to marry into the Eastern Palace?"
"Your Majesty, my heart remains unchanged. I beg Your Majesty to grant the marriage." Shen Xihe performed a deep ceremonial bow.
Both the Empress Dowager and the Youning Emperor were startled by her resolute decisiveness. In this world, what woman would remain completely indifferent to her husband being frail and sickly, even potentially passing away at any moment?
Was her devotion truly so profound?
The Youning Emperor nodded: "Very well, today I shall bestow the marriage upon you two."
With the imperial marriage decree granted, Sui Axi and Zhenzhu dared not delay. They waited quietly until the Crown Prince had soaked in the medicinal bath for half an incense stick's time before entering to administer acupuncture to His Highness.
After opening the acupuncture points, they poured the decoction up to Xiao Huayong's chin. To maintain the temperature of the medicinal liquid, the bathtub was placed on a specially built square stove in the palace. Normally, a copper vat containing water for fire emergencies was placed there. Now they had removed the copper vat and placed Xiao Huayong's bathtub atop the stove, heating it with the stove fire.
Sui Axi constantly monitored the temperature of the decoction to avoid scalding Xiao Huayong, while also worrying it might not be hot enough to achieve the desired effect.
Xiao Huayong's face had turned completely flushed, with large beads of sweat raining down from his forehead.
After soaking for half a shichen (one hour), Xiao Huayong was carried back. He hadn't yet regained consciousness. The Chief Imperial Physician checked his pulse, a flicker of joy passing through his eyes, though he maintained complete composure when facing the Youning Emperor: "Reporting to Your Majesty and the Empress Dowager, the poison in His Highness has been controlled. After two days of bed rest, he will recover."
Both the Empress Dowager and the Youning Emperor showed relief. The Empress Dowager grasped Shen Xihe's hand: "You are very good."
"This is merely my duty. I don't deserve the Empress Dowager's praise," Shen Xihe replied humbly.
With Xiao Huayong's condition stabilized, the Youning Emperor began investigating the root cause. Tianyuan quickly responded: "Your Majesty, His Highness was attacked yesterday while pursuing the Lantern Festival troublemakers. When the princess came to visit today and mentioned what she witnessed last night, the Crown Prince became agitated, causing sudden illness."
The Youning Emperor already knew about yesterday's terrible events. Since Xiao Huayong had gone to pursue the troublemakers early on, he must not have witnessed them. The Emperor himself had been furious when he first heard. Seeing no guilt in Shen Xihe's demeanor, clearly Xiao Huayong's sudden poisoning had nothing to do with her, so he believed Tianyuan's words.
Moreover, Tianyuan was loyal only to Xiao Huayong. If Shen Xihe had harmed Xiao Huayong, Tianyuan would never cover for her.
The Youning Emperor and Empress Dowager left the Eastern Palace first. Shen Xihe remained somewhat worried about Xiao Huayong, but since Sui Axi said that letting him sleep for another day would help absorb the medicine and suppress the poison, which would benefit Xiao Huayong more, Shen Xihe stayed for an extra ke (15 minutes) before leaving.
"Why did he react so violently after learning about my acute sense of smell?" Shen Xihe couldn't understand. When they met, he showed no abnormality at all, but after discussing her olfactory sensitivity, he clearly remembered something that caused his sudden agitation.
She didn't consider that Xiao Huayong might be struggling between confession and concealment, torn by fear of loss and guilt over hiding the truth, experiencing extreme emotional turmoil. She only wondered if her keen sense of smell had triggered some unforgettable, profoundly impactful memory from his past that he couldn't let go of.When Shen Xihe returned to the Princess Manor, the imperial decree of betrothal arrived. She set up an incense table and knelt to receive the decree personally announced by the Grand Secretary.
"Heaven is virtuous, uniting two in marriage. The Crown Prince, Xiao Huayong, is illustrious in character and filial in virtue, a man of great capacity. As the Eastern Palace currently lacks a mistress, the eldest daughter of the Northwest King Shen Yueshan, Shen Shi, is of distinguished lineage, accomplished in all virtues..."
Shen Xihe accepted the decree, feeling a sense of finality and peace in her heart. From this day forward, she and Xiao Huayong were irrevocably bound. With the imperial betrothal decree and the Eastern Palace involved, even if Xiao Huayong were to pass away before the wedding, she would still have to marry him.
What man in this world would dare marry a woman once betrothed to the Crown Prince?
"Congratulations, Princess," Grand Secretary Xue Heng offered his felicitations.
Shen Xihe smiled and expressed her thanks, then asked, "Has Qiao Qiao returned?"
Xue Jinqiao had gone to her maternal grandparents' home a few days ago, and Shen Xihe hadn't seen her for several days.
"She will return tomorrow. Once she's back, she will undoubtedly trouble you again, Princess," Xue Heng said with a laugh.
"You are too polite, Duke Xue. We are family—how could it be any trouble?" Shen Xihe exchanged pleasantries.
Xue Heng had to return to report on his mission and did not stay long.
Shen Xihe enshrined the imperial decree and returned to her room. She took out the gold hairpin Xiao Huayong had given her from a case and tilted her head to ask, "Where is the hidden sword hairpin His Highness gifted?"
Hongyu immediately found it and handed it to Shen Xihe. After Xiao Huayong mentioned it, Shen Xihe had instructed Hongyu to select it and store it separately, but she hadn't examined it. She opened the wooden box to find a simple hairpin made of dark ebony, with two Eucommia leaves at the end.
Shen Xihe gripped the top and twisted it gently; it loosened. She slowly drew out the sword. The hairpin was slender, and the blade inside was equally slender but exceptionally sharp. Shen Xihe lightly ran her fingertip over the blade, wanting to test its edge.
She felt no pain and applied no pressure, but as soon as her fingertip touched the blade, a thin cut split open, and blood dripped out.
"Princess!" Zhenzhu hurried over to check Shen Xihe's injury. Relieved to find it was only a small, shallow cut, she said, "Princess, there are weapons in this world so sharp they can slice through hair and cut through iron as if it were mud."
After Zhenzhu applied medicine and bandaged the wound, Shen Xihe continued to play with the hidden sword hairpin. She closed it, turned to the dressing mirror, and chose the perfect position to insert it into her hair. She adjusted it with her hand, testing how to draw the short sword most quickly and steadily.
After a while, when she was satisfied with the feel, she looked into the mirror. The ebony hairpin added a touch of depth to her hair, blending seamlessly with her dark locks unless examined closely, drawing no attention. She nodded in approval.
"Princess, would you like to review the other gifts from His Highness the Crown Prince?" Hongyu asked.
Times had changed. Now that the Crown Prince and the Princess were betrothed, whereas before Shen Xihe would review gift lists to keep track of what each person had given, perhaps she ought to pay more attention to the gifts from the Crown Prince, lest she be unable to speak of them later.
Shen Xihe nodded. "Bring them all."
Xue Huayong had sent many gifts, each one meticulously chosen. After reviewing them one by one, Shen Xihe paused when she passed a pair of agarwood bracelets inlaid with gold longevity patterns. A rich scent of Duojialuo assailed her—the bracelets were carved from Duojialuo wood.
Shen Xihe's expression turned solemn. She reached out, picked them up, and lowered her head to sniff them lightly. The more she sniffed, the calmer her expression became.She stood before the table holding two bracelets, her expression blank as she gazed at the Eucommia Leaf bonsai trembling in the early spring chill on the windowsill, her eyes cold and detached.
Suddenly, she gave a faint smile and set the bracelets down.
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