Chapter 478: Delivering the Dowry
"Noble Consort Rong has two sons and a daughter under her care, none of whom are ordinary individuals. To oppose her requires careful consideration." Shen Xihe felt compelled to remind her.
"Kindness goes unappreciated." Princess Yaoxi pouted.
Shen Xihe smiled faintly. "It is precisely because I value your kindness that I offer this reminder."
"Believe me when I say Noble Consort Rong is undoubtedly someone with a benevolent face but a bitter heart. Unless you relinquish palace authority, you and she are destined to become irreconcilable enemies." Princess Yaoxi stood firm in her opinion.
"It matters not. If she remains discontent, let her come and seize it." Shen Xihe appeared largely indifferent.
Princess Yaoxi observed her. Dressed in a plain silver jacket and skirt, her figure was slender and her posture erect. Sitting there, her back seemed to be supported by a ruler—proper yet not overly deliberate. Every movement she made was impeccably graceful, exuding the innate nobility of Kyoto's elite young women. She remained composed and steady in dealing with people and matters, as if she could effortlessly resolve even the most turbulent and unpredictable situations.
"Rather than worrying about me, you should focus on yourself. His Majesty is a man of exceptional intelligence." Noting Princess Yaoxi's gaze that seemed to misunderstand her good intentions, Shen Xihe shifted the reminder."
"You need not worry. His Majesty has already given me some hints. I am currently evading after understanding the imperial intention." Princess Yaoxi said with full confidence, "This is called playing hard to get."
After being enlightened by Shen Xihe, she found an opportunity. Naturally, she couldn't rashly inquire about the emperor's whereabouts, but Xiao Huayong had provided her with information. Knowing that the emperor would spend a few days each month reading in the library—a place accessible to anyone who could enter the palace—she waited for several days. Each day, she read a particular book, one that held great importance to the Queen.
Because of this book, she met the Youning Emperor. When he asked for the reason, she mentioned the Queen, mixing truth with falsehood. As a Tibetan, she naturally wouldn't know where the emperor's heart lay, so the conversation smoothly turned to the Queen.
At this moment, she felt grateful to her mother for placing her under the Queen's care to curry favor. She could recount every detail about the Queen vividly. She genuinely admired the Queen, and in front of the Youning Emperor, she extended her seven parts of admiration into three parts of affectionate attachment.
They both loved the same person; the Emperor was too eager to learn every bit about the Queen's life in Tibet.
However, during their interactions, Princess Yaoxi still marveled at the Emperor's perseverance. Despite his intense longing, he never indulged it, nor did he summon her every day. Even when he did, he didn't always steer the conversation toward the Queen, likely to avoid her detecting the Emperor's thoughts.
Sometimes, before she could even react, the Emperor would skillfully extract information from her, and it would take her a long time to realize it.
If she hadn't known from the start that the Emperor was fixated on the Queen, his current words and actions might have led her to misunderstand, thinking that the Emperor had taken a fancy to her and was trying every means to learn about her past life in Tibet.
For an emperor to win a woman's heart is all too easy. Fortunately, she remained vigilant at all times.
Thinking of this, she couldn't help but admire the woman before her even more. If Shen Xihe hadn't early on informed her of the Emperor's intention to attack Tibet, and if Shen Xihe hadn't made her aware that the Emperor had always held someone in his heart, she would have long fallen into the Emperor's tender trap.He was a man who held the world in his hands, yet he used meticulous care, like an ordinary man, to make her feel cherished and protected—a lethally gentle approach.
Shen Xihe smiled faintly. At that moment, Zhenzhu made a gesture, and she said, "Let's go. Someone is coming."
Princess Yaoxi stood up and left.
After the Plum Blossom Appreciation Banquet, Shen Xihe began spending the winter with Duanming, rarely even visiting the Eastern Palace. As their wedding date drew near, Xiao Huayong was extremely busy. It was during this time that Shen Yueshan finalized Shen Xihe's dowry and set off for the capital with Xue Heng and Xue Jinqiao.
"Father, you must personally deliver the congratulatory gift I prepared for my sister to Youyou," Shen Yungan urged repeatedly, having escorted them to the edge of the northwest before having to turn back.
"Go back now," Shen Yueshan waved impatiently.
Shen Yunnan, wearing a felt hat trimmed with fox fur, had a red nose from the wind and snow. Squinting, he rode his horse to the carriage and tapped on the window. The window cracked open slightly, revealing Xue Jinqiao bundled up tightly, only her furry head and two eyes visible: "Hmm?"
After a year of interaction, affection had grown between them. Shen Yunnan gazed at Xue Jinqiao with immense tenderness: "Take good care of yourself. Don’t bully others, and don’t let others bully you. Once Youyou goes to the Eastern Palace, you can visit her in the palace often..."
"You're so annoying."
Shen Yunnan: ...
With a snap, Xue Jinqiao shut the window. Through the wooden carriage, her impatient voice urged: "Hurry up, hurry up! I miss my sister!"
Even after becoming engaged to Shen Yunnan, Xue Jinqiao refused to stop calling Shen Xihe "sister." After being corrected a few times, she grew irritated and declared they should each use their own terms—she would call Shen Xihe "sister" forever.
She didn’t want Shen Xihe to call her "sister-in-law," feeling it would distance her from Shen Xihe. When pressed too hard, she would complain to Shen Yunnan: "Why were you born earlier? Why couldn’t you be Sister’s younger brother?"
Shen Yunnan: ...
Stunned into silence, it took him a long time to recover his voice: "If I were the younger brother, wouldn’t Youyou have had a pitiful childhood? No mother, and having to care for a young brother."
Xue Jinqiao found this reasoning quite sound: "Hmm, you should remain the older brother. From now on, I’ll call you Brother too."
Shen Yunnan: ...
"We’re engaged, we’ll be husband and wife someday, you..."
"It’s just a title, why fuss over it? Calling you Brother clearly means I’m the one being taken advantage of, and you’re still unhappy."
Shen Yunnan was left speechless.
The horses kicked up flying snow, and the grand procession vanished from his sight in an instant, leaving only the vast, whispering snowfall.
He recalled how, just days ago, when Xue Heng told Xue Jinqiao they were leaving, she had hugged his waist and wept loudly, saying she would miss him and couldn’t bear to part—especially since Grandfather was old and needed her company.
He had been deeply moved and was about to hold her for comfort when Xue Heng clarified they were returning to the capital.
Before he could embrace her, she pushed him away, dashed into the house, and started packing immediately. Wiping away the tears she now found bothersome, she exclaimed: "Back to the capital, back to the capital! I get to see Youyou—I miss Youyou the most!"
Shen Yunnan: ...In the past, when he doted on his younger sister, he had always worried that finding a wife might make her feel wronged. Now that he had finally found a woman who cherished his sister, and she truly cared for Youyou so deeply, his heart was filled with a bittersweet mix of emotions—both aching and sweet. This feeling was truly indescribable.
Several times, he nearly couldn’t resist asking, "Did you marry me because I am Youyou’s brother?"
(End of Chapter)
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