Chapter 528: Each With Their Own Thoughts
When Shen Xihe woke, Xiao Huayong lay sleeping beside her, his breathing soft and shallow. Turning her head, she caught sight of his face bathed in the morning light, glowing like polished jade. His long, dense, dark lashes were enough to make any woman envious.
Her gaze drifted downward to his lips. Their deeper hue, a result of the poison concealed within his body, subtly offset his striking beauty, lending a touch of masculinity that complemented his clean-cut features and added a hint of ruggedness.
Shen Xihe had never been one to fixate on appearances, yet she couldn't deny the sheer pleasure of waking beside someone whose visage was so pleasing to the eye.
"Does my lady stare so intently because she finds me delectable and wishes to take a bite?" Xiao Huayong, who had awakened at some point, curved his lips into a slight smile. He tilted his head and opened eyes that seemed to gather silvery light, his gaze tangling with hers as he emphasized the word "bite."
The gentle smile on Shen Xihe's face vanished instantly. She sat up, took a deep breath, and felt refreshed. Addressing the figure outside the room, she asked, "What time is it?"
"Your Highness, it is exactly Mao hour (6 a.m.)," Zhenzhu replied from outside.
"You should leave now. It will get busy soon, and I need to rise to see Father." Shen Xihe got out of bed, fetched the benzoin for Xiao Huayong, and urged him to go. It was already late—she should have risen half an hour earlier to visit her father at this hour.
Xiao Huayong took the benzoin and suddenly leaned in, planting a quick kiss on Shen Xihe's cheek. Before she could react, he had drifted to the window, half his body already outside. He blinked at her, the corner of his eye where a small mole rested crinkling, then vanished in a flash.
Shen Xihe shook her head helplessly, composed herself, and began her toilette. Only then did she notice how well-rested she looked after a good night's sleep, her complexion radiant—enough that she had to use makeup to conceal it somewhat. After hastily eating a few bites of her morning meal, she hurried to Shen Yueshan's room. By the time she arrived, everyone was already there.
Shen Yungan stepped forward and held her shoulders. "Look at you, so pale and weary. Why didn't you rest more? I am here for Father."
Her pallor was feigned, a disguise. Shen Xihe looked up at Shen Yungan, his eyes bloodshot and stubble shadowing his chin. He probably hadn't seen his own reflection lately.
"Brother, you should rest for a while. Let me watch over Father," Shen Xihe said with concern. "Youyou needs you, Father needs you, and the Northwest King's estate needs you. Even if not for yourself, you must take care of your health."
"Brother is fine. In the past, during military campaigns, I went days and nights without sleep, always on alert for enemy attacks. I endured it then, so don't worry." Shen Yungan couldn't sleep at a time like this, his heart entirely tied to Shen Yueshan's condition.
"Brother, if you insist on this, then from this moment on, I will stay by Father's side without leaving, just like you." Seeing that she couldn't persuade him, Shen Xihe resorted to a threat.
"Youyou..."
"Young Master, Her Highness the Crown Princess speaks wisely. At this critical juncture, anyone else may falter, but you cannot. We, your subordinates, are here, and Her Highness is present. Please, Young Master, go and rest for a while." Shen Yueshan's trusted aide joined in urging him.Next came Shen Yueshan's sworn brothers, who adopted the tone of elders to offer admonishments and commands. Only then was Shen Yungan escorted back to his bedchamber. Shen Xihe exchanged a meaningful glance with Zhenzhu.
Shen Yungan was currently unable to sleep and required tranquilizing incense.
After Shen Yungan departed, Geng Liangcheng led several brothers to surround Sang Yin. Following his cue, one of them spoke up: "Old Sang, give us the truth. How is His Highness really? We're all insiders here. Whether it's good or bad, we need to know where we stand."
Sang Yin looked haggard and unkempt. Ever since Shen Yueshan had been brought back, he had been scouring medical texts at home, neither eating nor drinking, yet failing to find any viable solution. When pressed about Shen Yueshan's condition, Sang Yin opened his mouth several times before finally rasping out: "His Highness was forced to take potent stimulants. These drugs aren't poison, yet they're more toxic than poison. They've violently triggered all the hidden injuries accumulated from years of campaigning and warfare, instantly riddling His Highness's iron constitution with countless afflictions. I... I am powerless..."
Sang Yin's words sent shockwaves through everyone present. The hot-tempered ones immediately charged toward the door: "Damn it! I'll kill the bastard—"
"Big Tiger, don't be rash."
"Rash? His Highness is nearly murdered, and you call me rash!"
"Where would you even find them? Do you know who reduced His Highness to this state?"
As the men pushed and pulled, Geng Liangcheng issued a cold rebuke that instantly silenced them.
Even from the side chamber, separated by a room, Shen Xihe could hear their argument at the main entrance. Geng Liangcheng's status in the Northwest was second only to Shen Yueshan's, with even Shen Yungan slightly inferior.
This was precisely why they needed solid evidence and irrefutable proof to eliminate Geng Liangcheng. Otherwise, he might turn the tables, causing the Northwest forces to fracture with mutual suspicion and lingering resentment.
They didn't know who had injured Shen Yueshan so severely. Geng Liangcheng knew but wouldn't tell them. Since Shen Yueshan's return, he had remained unconscious, leaving no opportunity for questioning. Everyone was preoccupied with concerns for Shen Yueshan's condition.
"His Highness was brought back by the Commandery Princess. Why not ask her?" someone suggested. The "Commandery Princess" naturally referred to Shen Xihe. In truth, they held little inherent reverence for the imperial court, subconsciously considering the Crown Princess less esteemed than their own Commandery Princess.
This was one reason Shen Yueshan dared not lightly relinquish authority over the Northwest. These men were rough but skilled warriors—ferce on the battlefield, though not necessarily shrewd off it. Their respect for Shen Yueshan stemmed from shared sacrifices, spilled blood, and multiple brushes with death in the crucible of war.
They guarded the Northwest and maintained peace for the court, yet His Majesty remained perpetually suspicious of them, which infuriated them deeply.
It was precisely because, under Shen Yueshan's leadership, they had never harbored rebellious intentions that they had fought tooth and nail to escort the current His Majesty back to the capital years ago, losing countless brothers along the way. His Majesty's position was paved with the blood of the Northwest Army.
As subjects, their loyalty to the royal family was expected, but when such devotion and sacrifice were met with suspicion, it made genuine reverence for His Majesty impossible to maintain from the heart.Shen Yueshan also tried to mediate, but he couldn't speak too bluntly, lest these men think he intended to abandon them and hand over the Northwest to the court to be ruined.
With a sigh in her heart, Shen Xihe was summoned to step outside. She took the opportunity to leave. Several men saluted her with clasped fists—Geng Liangcheng and others addressed her as Crown Princess, while Uncle Dahu and his companions still called her Princess.
(End of Chapter)
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