Chapter 476: Collaborative Acting
This remote location had no nearby villagers. Shen Xihe took Princess Yaoxi away, and the other party cooperated fully, leaving no traces behind. They had agreed to hang Princess Yaoxi here overnight. Shen Xihe originally intended to hang her for just an hour before dawn, merely for appearances.
However, Princess Yaoxi insisted on being hung the entire night. She wanted a full night of embarrassment and scars to win the Youning Emperor's pity, and to use this as a legitimate reason to no longer pursue Xiao Huayong, thus avoiding suspicion.
Shen Xihe did not stay behind but had Moyu and Mo Yuan take turns keeping watch from a distance to prevent any unexpected dangers. If the Tubo envoys or the Golden Guard found her in advance, it would be Princess Yaoxi's luck, and they would not interfere.
To ensure no one suspected her of intentionally punishing Princess Yaoxi, Shen Xihe left no traces behind, making it highly unlikely for Princess Yaoxi to be found in advance.
As Shen Xihe anticipated, Princess Yaoxi was not discovered. After being hung for nearly three hours in the cold October capital, Princess Yaoxi's lips turned purple and her face pale. Mo Yuan, calculating the time, took her down.
Sui Axi, who had been accompanying her, was awakened and proceeded to use acupuncture to stimulate Princess Yaoxi's blood circulation. After confirming that Princess Yaoxi was not in mortal danger and her hands would not be permanently disabled, Sui Axi followed Shen Xihe's earlier instructions and returned the unconscious princess to their embassy.
Shen Xihe woke up, finished her grooming, and was having her morning meal when a Eunuch from the palace arrived with an imperial edict from Your Majesty, summoning her to the palace.
Shen Xihe knew why she was being summoned. She remained composed, not even glancing at the Eunuch delivering the edict. Upon arriving at the palace, she stood at the entrance of the Hall of Bright Governance but was not announced for a long time.
The biting cold wind blows, sharp enough to feel like it could slice through hair. Zhenzhu stepped forward to inquire, but the palace Eunuch explained that Your Majesty was in a meeting with ministers discussing urgent matters that had just arisen. He dared not interrupt for fear of provoking imperial wrath.
"Is the princess frail?" If she catches a cold in this fierce cold wind, can you bear the responsibility?" Zhenzhu whispered angrily.
The Eunuch trembled: "Please calm down, miss. The first snow came early this year, causing snow disasters in many areas. Some places concealed the reports until today, which has infuriated Your Majesty. The officials from the Three Departments and Six Ministries are all inside."
"Is there no shelter from the wind and rain in this vast palace?" Zhenzhu asked with a stern face.
"Miss...The Eunuch looked troubled. "Your Majesty is in a rage..."
They dared not act on their own. The Hall of Bright Governance strictly forbade entry without announcement. If they let Shen Xihe in without permission and Your Majesty was angry, they would be punished. Leaving Shen Xihe outside also risked her falling ill, for which they would also be blamed. In short, they were caught in a no-win situation—when immortals fight, mortals suffer.
Shen Xihe listened quietly and smiled faintly. She gazed ahead, standing proudly, much like the winter plum blossoms quietly blooming on branches not far behind her in the wind and snow.
After waiting a while longer as the wind and snow grew stronger, Shen Xihe extended her hand from her sleeve, caught a falling snowflake, rubbed it between her fingers until it melted, and then lifted her foot. With graceful steps, she advanced slowly through the wind and snow, causing the Eunuchs watching her at the hall's entrance to tense as if facing a great enemy."Your Highness, this humble servant will go announce your arrival..." Seeing her approach, the eunuch stammered and turned to go inside.
Shen Xihe spoke calmly, "No need. Since His Majesty is occupied with state affairs, I shall not wait here and risk disturbing important matters. I will wait at the Eastern Palace. When His Majesty has finished discussing court affairs, you may come to inform me."
The state affairs were certainly real, but whether they happened to be so urgent at this moment was debatable. Regardless, having waited here for a quarter of an hour, she had already preserved His Majesty's dignity.
Having delivered her message, Shen Xihe turned gracefully. Her silver-white fox fur cloak fluttered in the snowy landscape, casting faint silver glimmers—both luxurious and seemingly concealing a sharp edge.
The eunuch could only watch her leave, not daring to stop her, and quickly slipped away to report to Liu Sanzhi.
When Shen Xihe arrived at the Eastern Palace, Xiao Huayong was also absent. It seemed the state affairs discussion was genuine. Tianyuan had known early that Shen Xihe was left waiting at the Hall of Bright Governance, but since Shen Xihe had given prior instructions, he dared not report to Xiao Huayong. When Shen Xihe arrived, he hurriedly ordered hot water to be brought.
"At exactly Chen hour, Princess Yaoxi entered the palace and accused you of abducting her last night," Tianyuan said to Shen Xihe as she soaked her hands.
Shen Xihe nodded slightly, her gaze falling on her hands resting in the basin of hot water. The ripples gradually calmed after circling quietly, much like her thoughts—unfathomable to others.
"The Chief Imperial Physician personally examined Princess Yaoxi's injuries and said her hands were nearly crippled. Princess Yaoxi also caught a severe cold and is now unconscious. His Majesty is quite angered," Tianyuan added.
Shen Xihe lifted her hands, took the handkerchief offered by Zhenzhu, and wiped them slowly. Smiling at Tianyuan, she said, "It's fine."
Tianyuan was somewhat puzzled about Shen Xihe's intentions. He firmly believed that Princess Yaoxi must have been abducted by Shen Xihe—not just him, but the entire capital knew, especially since news had spread that Princess Yaoxi was hung from a tree branch overnight, which fit Shen Xihe's style perfectly.
But hadn't Princess Yaoxi already retreated after recognizing the difficulty? Why would the princess still resort to such harsh measures because she was pestering the Crown Prince? If it was an act, based on the miserable state he had heard about Princess Yaoxi, the sacrifice seemed too great.
The Imperial Hospital said Princess Yaoxi was hanging by a thread; though not dead or mutilated, she had lost most of her vitality.
Shen Xihe offered no explanation to Tianyuan. After waiting about half an hour at the Eastern Palace, a eunuch from the Hall of Bright Governance came to summon her.
When she met the Youning Emperor, the court officials had already left. Only Xiao Huayong, occasionally coughing softly, remained in the grand hall.
"Zhaoning, Princess Yaoxi came to the palace early this morning in poor health, accusing you of abducting her and hanging her from a tree branch overnight. She is now unconscious. What explanation do you have?" the Youning Emperor asked.
Shen Xihe replied unhurriedly, "Your Majesty, does the princess have any evidence?"
"Zhaoning is different from others. Most would first cry innocence, but you immediately demand evidence with confidence..." The Youning Emperor chuckled ambiguously. "By your words, if there is no evidence, even if it was you, nothing can be done to you?"
"Your Majesty, Zhaoning merely believes in the law and evidence. Since the princess has accused me, she must have evidence. She cannot simply slander without basis. Thus, I am very curious what evidence makes the princess so certain it was me," Shen Xihe responded composedly.
"Princess Yaoxi says she witnessed it was your subordinates who did it," the Youning Emperor stated.Shen Xihe chuckled softly: "Your Majesty, Princess Yaoxi's intentions toward the Eastern Palace are crystal clear. My interests and hers are fundamentally at odds."
(End of Chapter)
OpenNovel