Having interacted with Xiao Huayong so extensively, and knowing he was such an extremely dangerous and intelligent man, if Shen Xihe couldn't grasp his nature at all, how would she dare speak lightly of marriage? Even if Xiao Huayong pressured her forcefully, it wouldn't work.
If this matter wasn't orchestrated by Xiao Huayong, he certainly wouldn't put on such an act of feigned fragility and a deeply wounded expression. Even if he couldn't appear contemplative and profound, he would at least be stern-faced and furious.
Shen Xihe remained calm and composed, but only Xiao Huayong, who understood her exceptionally well, had sensed a faint, subdued chill emanating from her just moments before. This fleeting emotion could only mean she had already grasped the entire situation.
Indeed, Shen Xihe had fully deciphered the ins and outs of the matter. Munuha dared to return and target Xiao Huayong and herself precisely because Xiao Huayong had backed him into a corner with no way out. But was he truly willing to stake everything on this desperate, suicidal move?
Even if he were genuinely resigned, he would want to take Xiao Huayong down with him. The tiger attack was perilous but not foolproof. If it succeeded, all would be well; if it failed, he had another move waiting for Xiao Huayong.
That was to wait until Xiao Huayong traced the plot back to him. With such a deep grievance, how could Xiao Huayong let him go?
Anyone with even a shred of pride would be unable to swallow such an insult, let alone the Crown Prince, who tolerated no disrespect.
Xiao Huayong pursuing him had almost become a foregone conclusion. Munuha knew this well, so he and his collaborators would surely set a trap for Xiao Huayong, waiting for him to give chase. This way, all of Xiao Huayong's forces would be exposed under the watchful eyes of the Youning Emperor.
"Your Majesty, someone has discovered..." Liu Sanzhi hurried over at that moment, whispering a report into the Youning Emperor's ear.
Shen Xihe watched Liu Sanzhi's lips, unable to hear the rest but able to discern the name "Munuha." She smiled faintly, almost imperceptibly.
Now, it wouldn't be Xiao Huayong and his men pursuing Munuha—it would be the Emperor's men.
What made Munuha think Xiao Huayong was so easy to deal with?
"How fortunate that Youyou is not my enemy," Xiao Huayong chuckled softly.
With Prince Dai safely returned to his manor and the dragon boat race concluded, the Emperor prepared to return to the palace. Concerned for Xiao Huayong's safety, the Emperor wished to bring him back to the palace as well. However, Xiao Huayong's thoughts were solely on Shen Xihe, insisting on escorting her back to her residence.
After seeing her to the Princess Manor, the Crown Prince inevitably lingered a while longer.
"Your Highness need not praise me. Your thoughts are as intricate as a labyrinth," Shen Xihe replied with a faint smile.
Hearing this, Xiao Huayong suddenly remarked, "Doctor Qi was once praised with the saying, 'The Xie family's son, heaven's favored, has a heart more intricate than Bi Gan's.' How do you think I compare to Doctor Qi, Youyou?"
Shen Xihe detected a strong whiff of jealousy, especially in Xiao Huayong's seemingly casual remark that betrayed his deep concern—a clear case of protesting too much. "Your Highness, why compare yourself to others? If you must compare, why not compete in medical knowledge?"
Xiao Huayong: ...
It was the first time he had been left speechless by someone.
"Your Highness has your strengths; Doctor Qi has his shortcomings," Shen Xihe said calmly. "Why must there be a contest of superiority? If it's because of me..."
She paused, then smiled radiantly, her bright eyes sparkling. "Is Your Highness lacking in confidence, or do you not trust me?"How could the Crown Prince lack confidence? If he admitted to lacking confidence, wouldn't that imply he considered himself inferior to Xie Yunhuai? It certainly couldn't mean he distrusted Shen Xihe, so he could only concede defeat: "Today I finally understand that Youyou merely refrained from arguing with me in the past."
"Your Highness, aren't you concerned about Munuha falling into His Majesty's hands?" Shen Xihe returned to the main subject.
"What if he falls into His Majesty's hands? His intention to kill me is blatantly obvious. How would His Majesty believe his words about posing a threat to me?" Xiao Huayong's eyes remained calm. "He collaborated with others to lure me into exposing myself before His Majesty. Now I'm turning the tables, making him and his accomplice expose themselves before His Majesty instead."
"If he manages to escape, that's his skill. If he falls into His Majesty's hands, then his accomplice can conveniently become the one who attempted to assassinate you. The matter concerning Yangling can also be pinned on both of them."
Regarding the deaths of Princess Yangling and Princess Changling, the Youning Emperor generally leaned toward the theory that someone was using the princesses to target Shen Xihe. However, they hadn't yet identified who this person was. Though Shen Xihe intuitively felt the one who collaborated with Munuha wasn't the same person, it didn't matter. First, they needed to bring closure to the matter before His Majesty, while she would continue to guard secretly and wait for the culprit to strike again.
"Can Munuha escape unscathed?" Shen Xihe was uncertain.
Munuha had clearly come prepared. Without thorough preparations, how would he dare take such a risky move? Even if unsure of complete escape, he must have had some degree of confidence.
"I immediately directed His Majesty's men to the scene." As the victim, he couldn't easily involve himself directly. Success depended on His Majesty's men, though there might be those around His Majesty who intentionally hindered progress.
"Your Ladyship." While Shen Xihe was deep in thought, Mo Yuan's voice sounded outside the pavilion.
"Enter." Shen Xihe turned and said.
Mo Yuan entered, paid respects to Xiao Huayong, and then presented a letter to Shen Xihe.
Shen Xihe took it, unfolded it, and read carefully while pondering. She remained silent for a long time. Xiao Huayong stood up and, seeing she had no intention of avoiding him, moved behind her to read along.
The letter contained records of the same few fragrant spices being sold at different incense shops.
"This is..." Xiao Huayong began to form a suspicion.
"Beast-Luring Incense is a foreign incense manual I obtained by chance. Very few in our Central Plains would know about it," Shen Xihe set down the letter. "Preparing Beast-Luring Incense requires some special fragrant spices. Unlike other composite incenses where the same spices can create various blends, Beast-Luring Incense has no alternative formulations."
Since the Living-Alone Pavilion opened in the capital, other incense shops had gradually shifted businesses or relocated away from the capital. The incense blended by Shen Xihe's shop was more pure, rich, and long-lasting compared to similar products from other shops.
Coupled with Shen Xihe's status, other shops dared not engage in underhanded schemes, so they had to withdraw from the area and seek development elsewhere. Some even purchased fragrant spices directly from Shen Xihe and sold them at several times the price to wealthy merchants and officials in regions like Jiangnan.
Thus, it was easy to investigate the trade of fragrant spices needed for Beast-Luring Incense in the capital. Combined with the strong scent she detected that day and an approximate estimate of the quantity, cross-referencing with the letter made it simple to identify where the incense originated.It is worth mentioning that since Shen Xihe set the precedent of requiring customers to provide their addresses and names when purchasing incense, other incense shops followed suit. This significantly expedited Shen Xihe's subsequent investigations.
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