"Meow!" Completely oblivious to Shen Xihe's actions, Duanming leaped into her arms, curling up in a comfortable position.
He began rubbing his head against Shen Xihe, wriggling to play with her. Shen Xihe patted him to quiet down, then opened the booklet and started reading carefully from the beginning.
When Zhenzhu and Biyu returned, they saw Shen Xihe sitting sideways on the daybed, leaning slightly against the small table. Her expression was gentle and serene.
Gone was the melancholy and gloom from her time in the northwest; vanished too was the cold sternness and unapproachable aura after Linglong's betrayal. At this moment, Shen Xihe resembled the hibiscus blooming in the vase beside her, stretching toward the light—gentle to her very core.
Neither of them had expected to see their mistress like this. This trip to the capital, just as the prince had said, might indeed be her rebirth. Their eyes reddened, though no one knew of their past worries and constant anxiety.
Li Yanyan learned of Ye Wantang's return to the capital only a step later than Shen Xihe. She sent another message to the Fourth Prince, Xiao Changtai, but as always, it sank without a trace. Her relationship with Xiao Changtai had always been purely cooperative; she never felt she needed to cater to his whims.
When they first decided to collaborate, she had explicitly stated that Xiao Changtian must not be involved. Yet this time, Xiao Changtai had broken his promise.
Fortunately, it was only a common poison. Had it been lethal, Xiao Changtian would have...
Li Yanyan dared not dwell on it. She demanded an explanation from Xiao Changtai.
After investigating the Ye family's affairs and waiting three days until Ye Wantang's mother showed improvement, she sent an invitation to Ye Wantang.
The Princess Consort Zhao had passed away early, leaving only three princess consorts in the royal family over the years. The three had gotten along fairly well, sharing some camaraderie. Now that Ye Wantang had returned to the capital, and Li Yanyan had personally sent an invitation, it would be impolite for her to refuse.
When Ye Qi heard his daughter was visiting Li Yanyan, he thought little of it. Even if Xiao Changtai had been completely honest with Ye Qi, he would never reveal his close ties with the Princess Consort of Dai. Though Xiao Changtai himself had a clear conscience, others might speculate, so he naturally wouldn't instruct Ye Qi to be wary of Li Yanyan.
He trusted Li Yanyan to exercise discretion and not harm Ye Wantang.
Li Yanyan, of course, had no intention of harming Ye Wantang. She merely invited her over, exchanged pleasantries, made small talk, and as she saw Ye Wantang off, said, "Fourth Sister-in-law, when you return to the imperial mausoleum, please remember to give my regards to Fourth Brother."
"My regards," not "regards from me and the Prince of Dai." Though Ye Wantang found the wording slightly odd, she dismissed it as a slip of the tongue and agreed with a smile.
Li Yanyan watched Ye Wantang's carriage disappear from the Wang residence, unaware that it had deviated from the route back to the Ye residence shortly after departure. Before Ye Wantang could react or cry out, a chop to the neck knocked her unconscious.
When Ye Qi returned home from duty and found his daughter still absent, he rushed to the Prince of Dai's residence. Li Yanyan informed him that Ye Wantang had left two hours earlier.
Both realized the gravity of the situation. Ye Qi immediately reported it to the authorities.
Meanwhile, at the imperial mausoleum, Xiao Changtai received another message from Li Yanyan—this one slightly thicker than usual. Upon opening it, he found a booklet inside. The contents so startled him that he flung it away instantly.His face turned extremely grim. He closed his eyes briefly before picking up the booklet again, flipping through the pages of small illustrations depicting three large beasts devouring a person in excruciating detail. The images seared into his mind, creating an intense sense of immersion as if he were witnessing the scene firsthand.
The person wore simple robes in Han Chinese attire, but Xiao Changtai knew it was Munuha.
"Wanwan has fallen into the Crown Prince's hands." Having steadied himself, he pressed the booklet onto the table. "The Crown Prince is warning me that if I don't go to the capital, Wanwan will vanish from this world as silently as Munuha did."
Munuha was dead, perishing in such a miserable fashion, yet no one knew of his death. Only Xiao Huayong and he were aware. But what did that change? Even if he produced this booklet as evidence of Munuha's gruesome demise, no one would believe him. Moreover, he couldn't explain how he came to know these were the details of Munuha's death.
"Your Highness, you must not go." The subordinate trembled with fear upon hearing this—Munuha was already dead!
His Majesty had dispatched numerous forces to capture Munuha, yet all had failed. Munuha possessed the sharp instincts of a wolf king on the grasslands. Though Xiao Huayong's men pursued him relentlessly, and despite their own covert assistance, it was ultimately Munuha's own early detection, swift evasion, and clever concealment that kept him alive.
That the Crown Prince could capture Munuha—who slipped through their fingers like an eel even within their own territory—revealed the vast extent of his power, far beyond their estimations.
If Xiao Changtai dared enter the capital now, he would be walking straight into a trap.
Xiao Changtai hesitated, refraining from an immediate decision. Dismissing his subordinate, he sat alone on the crude wooden bed, his eyes filled with uncertainty and his face contorted in struggle.
"Your Highness has captured the Fourth Prince's consort," Shen Xihe remarked upon hearing the rumors, questioning Xiao Huayong when he arrived.
"The person isn't in my hands," Xiao Huayong replied with a light laugh.
Shen Xihe paused briefly before understanding dawned. "The Princess Consort of Dai plays quite the deceptive game."
She had investigated the matter thoroughly and, like everyone else, believed Ye Wantang had already left the Dai residence. Yet she never imagined Li Yanyan had used this to clear herself of suspicion—first openly sending the woman away, then intercepting her return.
"Is she not afraid the Fourth Prince will turn against her over this?"
"Li Yanyan and the Third Prince grew up together. Over the years, he has sacrificed much for her. He might be the only person in this world she truly cares about," Xiao Huayong sighed softly.
Yet between them lay an insurmountable chasm of national and familial enmity. Li Yanyan refused to acknowledge her feelings for the Prince of Dai, for doing so would fill her with self-loathing—he was, after all, the son of her enemy.
She understood the rise and fall of dynasties and the law of the jungle, but such grand principles could never appease her conscience as a daughter. She couldn't simply accept the circumstances and joyfully embrace a life of unwavering affection with her enemy's son.
"I understand," Shen Xihe said, comprehending Li Yanyan's turmoil.
Gu Qingzhi was clearer-headed than Li Yanyan. She had long foreseen the inevitable conflict between the Gu family and the imperial house, thus maintaining rationality in her relationship with Xiao Changqing. Otherwise, she too would have been trapped between love and hatred, enduring endless torment each day like Li Yanyan.
Xiao Huayong gazed deeply at Shen Xihe. "Youyou, we will never come to such a pass."Witnessing the mutual torment between Li Yanyan and Xiao Changtian, Xiao Huayong felt an inexplicable fear—a dread that one day he and Shen Xihe might end up the same way. Driven by this apprehension, he would never take any action that could harm the Shen family or the Northwest.
He misunderstood. He thought her saying "I understand" meant she was projecting herself into their current situation or the future when he would ascend the throne.
"Your Highness, let us work together with one heart." Let us strive together to protect each other's future.
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