None of the sons of the Youning Emperor were incompetent fools, but even among the shrewd there were distinctions of capability. Clearly, the Second Highness, Zhao Wang Xiao Changmin, was at the bottom, so it came as no surprise to Shen Xihe that Xiao Changqing used him as a scapegoat.
"Second Brother simply couldn't control his curiosity—this is the consequence of his own actions," Xiao Huayong remarked, craning his neck to watch Shen Xihe press down the incense ash.
She sat upright with her head slightly bowed, a light gauze robe cascading down along with her black hair. The white porcelain incense burner, silver-like and snow-white, had a fine, smooth texture that glowed with a subtle luster, much like her tender white hands emerging from her sleeves.
The bamboo-handled incense ash press moved gently under her fingertips, smoothing the frost-like ash into an even layer.
Xiao Huayong loved watching her process of preparing incense. It was as elegant as a painting, every movement captivating his undivided attention.
Seeing her silence, he continued, "The matter in Dengzhou originally had nothing to do with Second Brother. He merely wanted to uncover who was stirring up trouble, so he sent people to investigate. Fifth Prince was waiting for him to walk right into the trap. Fifth Prince abandoned the person who had previously spread the word about the Imperial Observatory's rain prediction date. That person, along with Second Brother's men, fell into Eighth Prince's hands. Fifth Prince's man insisted they were accomplices with Second Brother's men and produced some ambiguous evidence. Thus, the blame fell on Second Brother."
After leveling the incense ash, Shen Xihe selected a brush and traced it along the edge of the incense burner to clean off the dust. Then, she gently placed the incense stencil onto the smoothed ash. "The day after tomorrow is the predicted rain date."
Up to now, the Youning Emperor had not yet agreed to grant amnesty to the Imperial Harem. If this dragged on for two more days and it indeed rained on the predicted date, the matter of pardoning the harem would be quietly dropped.
"Within tomorrow, His Majesty will surely issue an edict to grant amnesty to the Imperial Harem," Xiao Huayong said, his gaze fixed on the incense stencil. Even as Shen Xihe spoke with him, she never paused in her actions.
There were various types of incense stencils used for sprinkling scented powder, creating patterns or characters on the ash. Shen Xihe's stencil was self-made. After sprinkling the powder, she lifted the stencil, leaving a earth-yellow powdered image of a eucommia leaf shaped like a butterfly's wings on the snow-white ash.
She took a lit incense stick and gently touched it to the stem of the powdered eucommia leaf. White smoke curled upward. Covering the incense burner, a refined fragrance began to diffuse.
Xiao Huayong inhaled and couldn't help raising his eyebrows. "This is the scent of eucommia leaf."
Faint and elusive, yet still distinguishable as the aroma of eucommia leaf.
"Eucommia leaf is too subtle to be the main ingredient," Shen Xihe said, having preserved its scent to the greatest extent possible. She waved her hand through the rising incense smoke, carefully savoring it for a moment before nodding in satisfaction. "This is the best it can be."
She had tried blending it before, but the initial scent was strong yet faded as it burned, eventually overwhelmed by other blended fragrant spices until no trace remained. That was why she had reformulated the recipe.
"This incense..." Xiao Huayong leaned in to smell it, then asked cautiously with hesitation, "It's not harmful, is it?"
After all, in his wife's hands, incense was no longer merely an elegant pastime for pleasure—it could become a lethal weapon capable of ending lives at any moment!
"Among the countless usable things in this world, why would I tarnish what I love?" Shen Xihe glanced sideways at Xiao Huayong.
Eucommia leaf wasn't entirely harmless; it could be used to harm others if desired. But since she cherished it, she naturally wouldn't exploit it for such purposes.
"My apologies for the misspoken words," Xiao Huayong hurriedly apologized.
Shen Xihe's lips curved slightly, but she didn't take it to heart.Her light laughter, like a breeze rippling across a lake, stirred Xiao Huayong's heart. Moved by the moment, he remarked, "So Youyou is this protective of those close to her."
"You're only realizing this now?" Shen Xihe was slightly surprised. Had she not made it obvious enough?
She had always been fiercely protective. Anyone or anything she held dear would be sheltered under her wings, never to be harmed by others.
"Then... when will Youyou protect me?" Xiao Huayong put on an ingratiating smile.
Shen Xihe turned to face him directly. "Haven't I been protecting you enough?"
To shield him, she had openly confronted His Majesty. In all the realm, even her own father had never directly challenged the Emperor so brazenly.
Short of publicly declaring war on the throne, she had done everything but leave concrete evidence behind.
Understanding her implication, Xiao Huayong's lips curved into a smile that reached the corners of his eyes. "I thought... I thought you were merely considering the bigger picture."
"I am considering the bigger picture." Shen Xihe nodded, not denying it. "Given our positions and the current political climate, there are many things I cannot do as you do—acting purely for romantic sentiments or for one person alone."
Noticing the faint fading of Xiao Huayong's smile, she continued, "My unwillingness to see you exposed before His Majesty and become subject to his suspicion and distrust is fundamentally personal."
Xiao Huayong had undertaken numerous schemes, especially since the Northwest affairs began, making the Eastern Palace a thorn in His Majesty's side. In such circumstances, one of them would inevitably incur the Emperor's wariness—or both would together.
Had Xiao Huayong not already held weight in her heart, given her temperament, she would have gladly watched as His Majesty and Xiao Huayong fought like the snipe and clam, only for her to reap the rewards as the fisherman. If the Emperor learned everything was Xiao Huayong's doing, he would undoubtedly regard him as a grave threat.
With Xiao Huayong's intelligence and methods, any conflict between them, even with a victor, would leave the winner severely weakened. Standing behind the scenes and waiting for the right moment, she could easily become the ultimate beneficiary.
Yet she hadn't chosen that path—because she had already counted Xiao Huayong among her own.
Xiao Huayong gazed at Shen Xihe with sparkling eyes, the words "fundamentally personal" echoing incessantly in his mind.
His reaction was foolish and dazed, utterly unlike the shrewd Crown Prince who held the world in his hands and stirred storms with a wave.
Shen Xihe couldn't help but chuckle softly, shaking her head in amusement. "Beichen, while it's true your schemes in the Northwest were for my sake, I am not one to be easily moved by gratitude. Those plans were not at my request. Had you been insignificant to me, none of your actions would have touched me, nor would I have stepped forward out of guilt or gratitude to shield you from view."
As the beloved daughter of the Northwest King, she had grown up in the Northwest with every noble family vying to curry her favor. If she were moved by every person who schemed for her or made unilateral sacrifices, she would never have enough gratitude to go around.
Occupying a high position, she had long grown impervious to flattery and sycophancy.
"So it was... for me as a person after all..." Xiao Huayong was stunned.
He had always believed Shen Xihe acted this way to maximize benefits or for the sake of the overall situation.
Only now did he realize he had been blinded by his involvement—or perhaps too afraid to consider otherwise. Given his understanding of her character, how could someone like her be moved purely by certain actions?She was telling him that if it weren't him doing such things, even if someone else did the exact same, she wouldn't feel grateful, nor would she step forward so forcefully just to cover up for them!
This realization made Xiao Huayong's heart pound uncontrollably.
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