No sooner had Moyu approached than Xiao Changying sprang up with a carp's leap, evading her attack and lunging toward Shen Xihe.
Shen Xihe stood firm as a mountain, not retreating a single step. Beside her, Biyu swept her arm, sending a sewing basket flying toward Xiao Changying. By the time he deflected it, Moyu was already pressing forward with her sword from behind.
He became locked in combat with Moyu, just as Ziyu and Hongyu rushed in to join the fray.
Due to her frail constitution, Shen Xihe had never been able to practice martial arts. Given the propriety between men and women, guards could not protect her in close quarters. Since childhood, when selecting maids, her primary consideration had been their bone structure and perseverance. Over the years, the maids by her side didn't need to be clever or quick-witted—but they absolutely had to endure the hardships of martial training.
Though Biyu and the others weren't as specialized or exceptionally skilled as Moyu, they were far from mere decorative fighters.
Yet Xiao Changying, after all, had been trained by martial arts masters selected from the imperial court. For a time, even with Moyu and the two others against him, they couldn't gain the upper hand.
Biyu grew anxious. Having inhaled some of Shen Xihe's incense, she was feeling weak and had to stay close to protect her mistress. As someone trained in martial arts, she could see that Moyu and the others would soon be defeated.
"My lady..." Biyu looked at Shen Xihe.
With just one command from Shen Xihe, the guards lying in ambush outside would seal off her chambers completely, leaving the imperial prince with no chance of escape.
Shen Xihe raised a finger and gently shook it.
What Biyu and the others didn't know was that every son of the Youning Emperor was versed in both civil and martial arts and accompanied by Hidden Guards. If her guards stormed in, Xiao Changying's Hidden Guards would also act without restraint.
Duanming scurried over, landing on the table and yowling at Xiao Changying while sharpening his claws, poised to launch a sneak attack at any moment.
Just as he prepared to strike, Shen Xihe's pale hand pressed down on him. Picking up Duanming, she circled halfway around the table, her gaze fixed intently on the four locked in fierce combat.
One moment, her hand was gently stroking Duanming's fur; in the blink of an eye, she aimed at Xiao Changying. With a light flick of the trigger on her bracelet, needles as fine as ox hair and short as eyelashes shot out.
They struck Xiao Changying's arm with pinpoint accuracy.
At first, it was only a slight sting, but within moments, his arm went numb. Swept off his feet by Moyu's long leg, he crashed to the ground.
Unlike his previous dizziness, this time his mind remained clear, but his limbs refused to obey.
Already weakened by Shen Xihe's incense and barely holding on, Xiao Changying now had no strength left to resist.
"Wouldn't it have been better to surrender earlier?" Shen Xihe scratched Duanming's scruff as she slowly walked up to Xiao Changying.
"Are you really going to throw me at the entrance of the Wang residence?" Xiao Changying lay on his back, his narrow eyes fixed intently on Shen Xihe's face.
"I never make empty threats." Shen Xihe turned away, holding Duanming. "I visited the Eastern Palace today. The reason you rushed to find me in such a hurry is simply because you thought there was something between me and the Crown Prince. But you weren't the only one trying to probe—the Third Prince and Sixth Prince had already beaten you to it at the Eastern Palace."
Inviting the Crown Prince to watch a polo match—wasn't that like poking a sore spot?
Knowing full well the Crown Prince couldn't participate, yet still failing to avoid suspicion.She went openly to the Eastern Palace, with countless eyes watching. It was nothing more than the Crown Prince going, so she had to follow suit—wanting to test her true intentions, just like Xiao Changying, and to find out exactly what her relationship with the Crown Prince was.
"You princes, I know exactly what’s on your minds." Shen Xihe’s lips curved slightly, her faint smile tinged with mockery. "You don’t dare to seek my hand in marriage lightly, yet you can’t bear to see me wed to someone else."
As she spoke, Shen Xihe spun around gracefully and turned her gaze to Xiao Changying. "I don’t have the time to deal with each of you one by one. Since you’ve delivered yourself to my doorstep, I’ll have to use you as an example to warn the others."
After saying this, Shen Xihe tilted her head and gave Xiao Changying a light smile. Immediately after, Moyu dragged him out.
Shen Xihe followed closely behind. As soon as they stepped out of her chamber, several Hidden Guards swiftly rushed in.
Shen Xihe’s eyes flickered as she glanced at them. "You’re welcome to try and rescue him. But blades have no eyes—I have no intention of harming your master, but if you insist on testing the skills of my people, don’t blame me if a careless stroke leaves a few cuts on him."
Xiao Changying listened, a faint smile appearing in his eyes. After several encounters, he had come to understand Shen Xihe’s unwavering character.
She never cared about his status as a prince. If she said she would leave a few cuts, she would undoubtedly do so.
"Stand down." Since he was destined to be used as her warning to others, why suffer more needlessly?
Xiao Changying’s men retreated. Shen Xihe turned and gave him a smile, one that clearly conveyed: Smart move.
And so, the compliant Prince Lie was dragged by Shen Xihe’s people to the entrance of the royal residence, stripped down to his undergarments, and left there.
Fortunately, the royal residence was situated in a secluded area, making it difficult for commoners to access the lane. Coincidentally, two other princes happened to return home and witnessed the scene.
Thus, the news that Prince Lie had trespassed into the Shen residence, only to be stripped and thrown back to the royal residence by Shen’s servants, spread rapidly through the mansions of all civil and military officials.
Rumors spread like wildfire, with each person adding their own embellishments. Eventually, the story evolved into Zhaoning County Princess possessing unparalleled, breathtaking beauty, and Prince Lie, upon hearing of it, becoming so desperate to catch a glimpse of her that he barged into her residence. Unexpectedly, the County Princess’s guards proved highly skilled, and in the end…
This piqued many people’s curiosity about Shen Xihe’s appearance, while also deepening their fear of her.
She dared to throw the emperor’s cousin out of the Shen residence, and she even dared to strip the emperor’s son and toss him back to the royal residence.
These were members of the imperial family, yet she showed them not an ounce of mercy. If it were anyone else, wouldn’t they be lucky to escape with half their life intact?
When they recalled how the Dowager Consort of Kang Manor still suffered from nightmares every night, and how her eldest son, though saved, would break into a fever and cold sweat at the slightest provocation—to the point where Imperial Physicians were almost permanent residents of Kang Manor—their fear of Shen Xihe only grew.
Shen Xihe was quite satisfied with this.
As for the Dowager Consort of Kang Manor’s nightly terrors, it was merely Shen Xihe returning like for like. She had uncovered a spy in Kang Manor and replaced the Dowager Consort’s fragrant spices with ones that induced hallucinations.
Now that Xiao Shi had returned to Kang Manor, it was time to stir the pot a little more.
That very night, Kang Manor was overrun by rats scurrying everywhere, terrifying the women of the household into screaming all night long. The commotion was so loud that the neighbors thought Kang Manor was being raided."Your Highness, this rodent-attracting incense is so amusing. I'll go tonight," Ziyu fiddled with Shen Xihe's incense, her face full of anticipation.
The reason why Prince Kang's mansion was overrun with mice last night was because they had secretly infiltrated and lit this rodent-attracting incense.
The mice, one after another, seemed to have lost their minds, trying every possible way to burrow into Prince Kang's mansion, creating quite a spectacular scene.
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