Before he could finish, Shen Xihe strode away, leaving Xiao Huayong smiling with a fist pressed against his lips. From a distance, onlookers might have mistaken it for another bout of the Crown Prince's chronic ailment flaring up.
Since the Spring Day Banquet was organized for the imperial clan to assess the character of young ladies, it naturally included segments for showcasing talents. The Empress Dowager and several consorts had contributed rare pearl hairpins as prizes, setting up contests for painting, dance, and poetry.
Shen Xihe observed from the sidelines, her attention fixed on Princess Anling's every move. The princess was unusually quiet today, even spacing out intermittently. When Princess Pingling tried to engage her in conversation, her responses were distracted and disjointed, eventually causing Princess Pingling to leave her be.
Half a month had passed since Shen Xihe informed the Emperor that someone might pose a threat to Princess Anling, yet no action had been taken. The perpetrator was remarkably patient—perhaps aware of the risk involved or waiting for the right moment.
Shen Xihe intended to add fuel to the fire today. Her attendance at the Spring Day Banquet was solely for Princess Anling's sake.
Lacking a plausible reason to target the princess, she decided to fabricate one herself, confident the culprit would seize the opportunity.
As the banquet neared its conclusion, Shen Xihe suddenly collapsed, drawing everyone's attention. The crowd gasped in alarm at her pale complexion and purplish lips.
Xiao Huayong's face also paled with fright. Forgetting his usual composure, he rushed to Shen Xihe's side, his concern overriding caution. He feared she had truly fallen victim to a covert attack. Zhenzhu checked Shen Xihe's pulse and declared, "The princess has been poisoned." Fetch A Xi at once!"
Ziyu immediately went to find A Xi. Meanwhile, the court physician arrived and confirmed signs of poisoning, though he noted something peculiar he couldn't immediately identify. Before he could investigate further, the crowd—orchestrated by Xue Jinqiao under Shen Xihe's prior instruction—jostled and accidentally pushed Princess Anling to the ground.
In protecting her mistress, Princess Anling's maid cushioned the fall, causing a medicine bottle to tumble from her robes.
"Are you hurt, Princess?" Xue Jinqiao rushed forward as if unaware of the bottle, kicking it aside before helping Princess Anling to her feet.
Unaware that Xue Jinqiao had engineered the fall, Princess Anling offered a grateful smile, though it faded quickly as she recalled Xue Jinqiao's engagement to the Northwest Prince Heir—a reminder of Shen Xihe.
"Princess, this item fell from your maid," Yu Sangning interjected, retrieving the kicked-away bottle and presenting it to Princess Anling.
The maid promptly denied ownership: "Young lady must be mistaken. This does not belong to me." Indeed, it wasn't hers, and she hadn't seen it drop.
Overhearing this and observing Xiao Huayong carrying Shen Xihe toward the inner chambers, the Empress Dowager ordered, "Bring me that bottle."
The Female Historian retrieved it for the court physician to examine. His findings made him break into a sweat: "Empress Dowager, this is poison. Its symptoms align closely with the princess's condition."
The physician had been struggling to identify Shen Xihe's affliction, but the bottle provided sudden clarity.
"Empress Dowager, I would never harbor intentions to harm Zhaoning!" Princess Anling knelt immediately in protest.
"Guilt or innocence shall be determined by His Majesty," the Empress Dowager declared, instructing the Chief Historian to escort the princess and the evidence to the Youning Emperor.The Youning Emperor was currently in the palace. The Spring Day Banquet did not require his presence. The imperial examinations had just concluded, and he was deeply invested in them. Over the years, his ability to weaken the influence of noble families and achieve his current standing was largely due to his vigorous promotion of scholars from humble backgrounds.
Of course, these commoner scholars proved themselves resilient, thriving under the suppression of the great families. Countless fell by the wayside, but those who survived to this day were exceptionally capable individuals.
The number of candidates admitted through the imperial examinations had expanded from thirty or forty during the previous emperor’s reign to over a hundred now. This move further stimulated the scholarly ambitions of commoners. The emperor also placed great emphasis on education across the regions. Since his accession, the number of academies established had multiplied several times compared to his predecessor’s era.
Just as he was summoning the Vice Minister of Rites to inquire about this year’s examination candidates, Princess Anling was brought by the Empress Dowager’s chief steward to inform the emperor of the incident. The Youning Emperor glanced at his helpless and panicked daughter. If any of his other three princesses had publicly poisoned Shen Xihe, he might have harbored some doubt.
But with Anling, his intuition told him she lacked the courage for such a scheme.
After a brief contemplation, the Youning Emperor declared, "This must be a misunderstanding. I shall personally visit Zhaoning."
As he passed by Anling, he added, "You shall accompany me."
Meanwhile, in the side hall where Shen Xihe was resting, she had not allowed the imperial physicians to enter. Instead, she was attended by Sui Axi and Zhenzhu. After a few acupuncture needles from Sui Axi, Shen Xihe’s complexion regained its snowy radiance. Only then did Xiao Huayong, who had been standing guard with a tense posture, finally relax.
"Youyou, why did you do this?" Xiao Huayong’s heart still felt as though it had stopped beating when he recalled her earlier state. The unprecedented terror left him shaken even now.
"To frame Princess Anling," Shen Xihe replied, her eyes open as she lay looking at Xiao Huayong. "The culprit has delayed taking action, likely because abruptly pinning Princess Anling’s death on me would lack credibility. Today, I made sure everyone witnessed Princess Anling attempting to poison me. If anything were to happen to the princess now, no one would doubt I was behind it."
After all, who would dare target a princess so brazenly? Moreover, Princess Anling, raised deep within the palace, seemed to have no sworn enemies besides Shen Xihe.
If one pondered further, both Changling Princess and Yangling Princess had also clashed with Shen Xihe before their deaths.
"Did you truly ingest poison?" Xiao Huayong scrutinized her face carefully, then grasped her hand—no longer icy cold as before.
"I merely had Axi apply acupuncture to simulate the appearance of poisoning." Was Princess Anling worth her resorting to a self-inflicted injury ruse?
These needles not only mimicked poisoning symptoms but also stimulated her meridians, greatly benefiting her health.
Xiao Huayong finally felt completely at ease. "If you ever act like this again, you must inform me beforehand."
Earlier, he had nearly been frightened out of his wits. If Shen Xihe’s condition hadn’t been critical, he would have directly confronted Anling.
"I thought you and I understood each other," Shen Xihe said. "We are neither of us the type to suffer losses."
Just as Xiao Huayong would not truly sacrifice an eye to deal with Wang Zheng, how could Shen Xihe actually consume poison, even if an antidote existed?
"I was... blinded by concern," Xiao Huayong murmured, his gaze fixed deeply on her.He was not unaware of her intelligence, nor did he fail to understand how anyone could easily scheme against her—especially with such clumsy designs. Moreover, with her keen sense of smell and cautious nature, no one could easily poison her.
He knew all this, yet he still panicked, for when it came to matters involving her, he lost all rationality.
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