Princess Anling's throat burned with a searing pain as she watched the handsome young man's face contort, vomiting black blood before collapsing in front of her. Even in death, he insisted Shen Xihe was behind this, yet Meng Chang didn't know Mo Yuan. She had seen Mo Yuan before – he was Shen Xihe's chief guard.
If Shen Xihe had ordered Meng Chang to kill her, why would Mo Yuan come to her rescue? To make her feel grateful? Though Princess Anling refused to admit it, she knew in her heart that Shen Xihe neither needed her gratitude nor feared her suspicions.
By this time, Zhao Zhenghao had begun searching outside the room. He had actually noticed something amiss alongside Mo Yuan, but when he saw Mo Yuan charge inside, he immediately scanned the surroundings for any lurking enemies, finding none.
Mo Yuan handed Princess Anling over to Zhao Zhenghao. Though the princess appeared unconvinced by Meng Chang's claims, Mo Yuan felt she would trust Zhao Zhenghao – sent by His Majesty – more. He then went to the Dali Temple to fetch Cui Jinbai to investigate the scene.
"We were still a step too late." Shen Xihe sighed upon receiving the news. She had thought they could capture the culprit this time, never expecting the opponent would act according to her predictions yet avoid exposure as planned.
Such extreme caution earned even her admiration.
"All that effort wasted," Bu Shulin lamented.
"Not entirely wasted." Shen Xihe remained optimistic. "While luring the snake out of its hole was my primary goal, this also served other purposes: to clear His Majesty's suspicions regarding me in the deaths of Princess Changling and Princess Yangling, confirming someone behind the scenes used the princesses to harm me. After this incident, Princess Anling will become more vigilant, unlikely to be manipulated against me again. And Princess Pingling remains untouched by their schemes."
"Perhaps they don't dare reach for Princess Pingling," Bu Shulin remarked.
Princess Pingling had a mother managing the Imperial Harem and two accomplished brothers skilled in both civil and military arts. Among His Majesty's daughters, she was undoubtedly the most fortunate, truly living like a princess.
"Are you just going to let this rest?" Bu Shulin asked again.
Shen Xihe was trimming her budding Eucommia Leaf bonsai: "Meng Chang is being investigated by my people, the Crown Prince's people, and His Majesty's people. I believe since they chose Meng Chang, they were prepared for a clean escape. Following Meng Chang will lead nowhere."
Bu Shulin marveled at this: "How did you manage to offend such a formidable opponent?"
He stroked his chin in contemplation: "Very few could pull this off – likely one of the princes. Even the deep-palace consorts might not possess such capability. Who do you think it is?"
Shen Xihe also suspected it might be a prince: "What about Zhao Wang (Prince Zhao)?"
"Why would he wish you harm?" Bu Shulin found every prince seemingly without motive.
Only Prince Lie and the Crown Prince held affection for Shen Xihe. Xiao Changying didn't seem the type to turn love into hatred with such despicable methods. Moreover, the attempts on Shen Xihe predated the marriage arrangement, making Xiao Changying an unlikely suspect.
"He wants to marry the Second Miss of the Shen family." After screening possibilities, Shen Xihe concluded only Zhao Wang Xiao Changmin had sufficient motive.
"That is indeed a reasonable motive," Bu Shulin nodded."This time I had people closely monitoring Zhao Wang's every move, but it doesn't seem to be him." While luring the enemy, Shen Xihe focused particularly on her prime suspect. The enemy had indeed taken action, yet it didn't match her initial suspicion. She wondered whether she had overlooked something, whether Zhao Wang possessed exceptional concealment skills, or if she had simply suspected the wrong person.
"Who cares if it's him or not? You're ultimately opponents anyway. Why not just..." Bu Shulin's eyes flashed with murderous intent.
Shen Xihe gave her a disapproving look: "One thing at a time. I can't just kill someone arbitrarily without evidence."
"If he really is the one, and you don't eliminate him now, his next move might cost you your life." Bu Shulin was deeply concerned for Shen Xihe's safety. This person was skilled at hiding, making him impossible to guard against consistently.
Once he seized an opportunity, he would undoubtedly attempt to kill Shen Xihe.
"What if it's not him?" Shen Xihe countered.
Bu Shulin remained unconcerned: "Zhao Wang's ambitions—though he thinks he's hiding them well—are obvious to everyone. Sooner or later, he'll still die at the hands of you and your husband."
"No, A Lin, one shouldn't conduct themselves this way in life," Shen Xihe said gravely. "Since I'm uncertain it was him, I cannot recklessly entertain thoughts of killing. Killing the right person might bring temporary satisfaction, but killing the wrong one would indulge my own malevolence. Some evil acts, if never taken, will always be met with reverence and vigilance. Once that step is taken, facing similar situations in the future will become careless, until one grows numb.
I refuse to allow myself to become someone who prospers those who obey me and destroys those who oppose me."
Seeing Bu Shulin hesitate to speak, she continued: "Authoritarian decisiveness will eventually distort me beyond recognition. I might even cease to care for my closest family and dearest friends. Anyone living in this world without a shred of softness or kindness in their heart is destined to become a scourge upon humanity.
As for what you said about us inevitably crossing paths with him in the struggle for imperial power someday—when that time comes, we'll rely on our respective skills in both overt and covert strategies."
As long as she remained uncertain about someone's guilt, Shen Xihe would never act. There was another point she hadn't shared with Bu Shulin:
Currently unsure whether Zhao Wang was the culprit, her restraint in not targeting him maintained her vigilance against potential hidden threats. If she were to kill Zhao Wang believing him guilty, that vigilance would vanish.
Should the real culprit be someone else, even a minor oversight on her part could prove fatal.
"But if it is him, and you let him go today, only to fall for his scheme next time and lose your life because of it..." Bu Shulin felt compelled to remind Shen Xihe of this possibility.
"Then I would have been outmatched and would deserve the consequences," Shen Xihe replied.
"Ah," Bu Shulin sighed deeply. "Youyou, someone like you isn't suited to be a ruler."
"Does being a ruler require heavy suspicion? Viewing everyone as potential assassins and killing them without discrimination?" Shen Xihe shook her head with a light laugh. "While that might demonstrate authority, it's not advisable. Frequent wrongful killings would at best leave you isolated, with no one daring to speak truthfully to you. If the bloodshed becomes excessive and mistakes pile up, you'll be abandoned by all, ultimately destroyed by your own paranoia."
Bu Shulin pondered this and found Shen Xihe's reasoning sound: "You always think extremely far ahead. And I've noticed you apply this long-term thinking most strictly to yourself, while being remarkably lenient toward others.""If a man takes no thought about what is distant, he will find sorrow near at hand. This is my favorite saying," Shen Xihe smiled. "You are mistaken. My tolerance towards others is not born of magnanimity, but rather because others' affairs are none of my concern. If they do not hinder me, why should I comment or criticize?"
She was never lenient towards strangers; this simply meant she did not take them to heart. Their virtues and vices were their own business.
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