Chapter 368: Riding the Same Horse
Shen Xihe personally escorted Xue Heng and Xue Jinqiao out of the city, watching them depart into the distance. Bu Shulin also came to join the excitement. After they had left, Bu Shulin remarked, "Duke Xue seems different from before."
Before resigning from his official post, he appeared robust but carried an air of weariness about him. Now, he seemed much more amiable, with a glimmer of light in his eyes, exuding vitality.
"It is the Crown Prince's doing," Shen Xihe said, the corners of her lips lifting slightly.
Xue Heng's condition had been due to inner turmoil and a lack of desire to live, which had gradually weakened him. But once he reignited his will to live, he naturally recovered quickly.
Shen Xihe felt that Xiao Huayong hoped Xue Heng would follow his own example—to travel and see more of the world, perhaps easing the burdens in his heart.
This way, not only would Xue Heng be safe, but Xue Hui would also be spared. If all went well, Xue Jinqiao could marry Shen Yueshan after her coming-of-age ceremony.
Having someone she trusted to care for her father and brother would ease many of Shen Xihe's worries.
Hearing this, Bu Shulin turned her head and cast a suggestive glance, scrutinizing Shen Xihe up and down. "You've changed. Lately, you always mention the Crown Prince, and every time you do, you smile and your eyes sparkle."
Shen Xihe hadn't realized it before. She turned to ask Zhenzhu, "Is that true?"
Zhenzhu nodded vigorously like pounding garlic.
After the incident with Duke Xue, the princess's attitude toward the Crown Prince had changed significantly. The frequency with which she mentioned him had increased noticeably, and her tone and demeanor were different. Zhenzhu felt that the princess was beginning to care about His Highness. Perhaps it hadn't reached the point where she would go through fire and water for him, but if he were injured or fell ill now, the princess would surely worry and fret, not just coldly inquire with the imperial physicians.
Receiving confirmation, Shen Xihe thought it over carefully. She didn't resist this change.
Her clarity of mind didn't mean she had to forcibly suppress her feelings. She had never been one to torment herself. Xiao Huayong had managed to change her perception of him through his own efforts, and she was simply following her heart. Turning around, she mounted her horse and headed back to the city.
"Hey, hey, wait for me! Where are you going?" Bu Shulin hastily mounted her own horse and called out.
Shen Xihe turned her head and raised an eyebrow at her. "To the Eastern Palace."
Bu Shulin immediately tightened her reins, watching as Shen Xihe galloped away. After Shen Yueshan's visit and personal guidance, Shen Xihe's riding skills had become exceptionally proficient. Her posture as she rode was indescribably free and pleasing to the eye.
As she watched, Bu Shulin felt a surge of pride, after all, she had been the first to teach Shen Xihow to ride.
"She's already disappeared, and you're still staring," a cool voice sounded from behind.
Bu Shulin turned to see Cui Jinbai holding a bundle. Glancing behind her toward the city gates, she smiled and said, "Cui Shaoqing, you're back?"
A few days ago, Cui Jinbai had been assigned a task that sent him away. Bu Shulin wished he would be on official business every day, preferably transferred to a local post as a high-ranking official so she could be free.
Cui Jinbai stared at her intently without saying a word.
Cui Jinbai had a problem—he forbade her from getting too close to Shen Xihe, always suspecting that she had feelings for Shen Xihe, just as she had once doubted Cui Jinbai. Bu Shulin couldn't be bothered to explain. "Where are your horse and men?"
He had returned from an assignment, so he must have ridden a horse. Bu Shulin had heard hoofbeats earlier but hadn't paid attention, thinking they weren't directed at her.
Only then did Cui Jinbai step forward and extend his hand to Bu Shulin.This was a clear invitation for Bu Shulin to pull him onto the horse and ride together. Bu Shulin responded with action, turning her horse around to make a swift escape. However, Cui Jinbai seemed to have anticipated her move. He seized the saddle first, using it as leverage to swing himself up behind her.
As his warm body pressed against her back, Bu Shulin’s expression turned cold. "Get down, or I’ll push you off."
"Go ahead," Cui Jinbai retorted without a trace of fear.
Infuriated, Bu Shulin made the horse rear back, trying to shake him off. Just as Cui Jinbai was about to slide off, he didn’t cling to her but instead let go.
Alarmed, Bu Shulin turned and saw him halfway off the horse—if he fell, wouldn’t he crack his head on the ground?
Panicked, she grabbed the reins with one hand, yanked him back with the other, and steadied the horse with her legs.
As the horse’s front hooves landed firmly, Cui Jinbai immediately pressed close again, wrapping his arms around Bu Shulin’s waist. With a delighted laugh, he leaned against her shoulder and said, "You couldn’t bear to see me get hurt."
"I just don’t want to be accused of harming a court official!" Bu Shulin fumed.
Ignoring her protests, Cui Jinbai tightened his grip and urged the horse forward with his legs. When they reached the city gate, he flashed his Dali Temple badge, and the two rode openly into the city on the same horse, drawing stares and whispers from onlookers.
After Xue Heng resigned from his post, officials had yet to strategize over the position of Grand Secretary when the Youning Emperor issued an edict appointing Censor-in-Chief Tao Zhuanxian to the role.
In terms of seniority, Tao Zhuanxian had served in the capital for over a decade. His achievements were notable—not only had he assisted in resolving several major cases in the past, but his recent discovery of how the Wenshan Kingdom infiltrated the court was a significant merit. Rank-wise, he stood just below the Six Ministries, whose ministers were mostly newly appointed and thus unsuitable for further promotion.
Moreover, everyone knew the Crown Prince was about to marry. With the Crown Prince’s maternal clan in decline, emphasis was placed on bolstering his wife’s family connections.
This left those who had previously dismissed the Crown Prince as short-lived and forbidden their daughters from aspiring to him lamenting their shortsightedness.
Tao Zhuanxian’s promotion to Grand Secretary proceeded smoothly, and Xue Cheng’s transition from Chief of Dali Temple to Minister of Personnel faced little opposition. Attention then turned to the vacancies of Censor-in-Chief and Chief of Dali Temple.
The Censor-in-Chief position was filled by the former Vice Censor-in-Chief. By convention, the Chief of Dali Temple should have been succeeded by the Vice Chief of Dali Temple. However, the court erupted in disputes. Some immediately cited Cui Jinbai’s public horseback ride with Bu Shulin as indecent and damaging to public morals.
Moreover, rumors swirled about Cui Jinbai and Worldly Son Bu’s lack of discretion, with tales of their alleged romantic relationship spreading like wildfire.
Others defended Cui Jinbai, arguing, "Since when must men avoid each other? We’ve only ever heard that men and women should maintain distance. If Cui Jinbai and Bu Shulin are close, does that mean none of you ever shared a bed with a childhood friend? Can’t they be intimate companions?"
The two factions argued relentlessly, refusing to yield. Ultimately, the Youning Emperor summoned Cui Jinbai and asked, "Cui Shaoqing, what is your view on this matter?"
"Your Majesty," Cui Jinbai replied with a stern and righteous expression in the court, "I and Worldly Son Bu have clear consciences and fear no rumors. In fact, I plan to reside at Worldly Son Bu’s residence. I am young and inexperienced, still in need of tempering. The role of Chief of Dali Temple carries heavy responsibilities, and I fear I may fail to live up to Your Majesty’s expectations. I humbly request that you appoint another capable individual. I will spare no effort in assisting them."Since Cui Jinbai himself had declined the position, his supporters naturally refrained from further comment. The Youning Emperor recalled a top scholar from the sixth year of his reign—a provincial governor who had served fourteen years in local administration—to the capital to assume the role of Chief Minister of the Court of Judicial Review.
(End of Chapter)
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