"These past few days, various matters have caused delays, and some complications have arisen regarding your affair..." Shen Xihe had never told Bu Shulin about Xiao Changmin's suspicions regarding her identity. Xiao Changmin and Shu Fei had already reached an agreement, planning to test Bu Shulin during his wedding ceremony with Yu Sangning.
Shu Fei hadn't specified the method of testing—this was to be decided by Xiao Changmin, who would inform her on the day itself. Shen Xihe felt Xiao Changmin's caution was reasonable under the circumstances.
"Will this matter alert His Majesty?" Bu Shulin's expression immediately turned grave.
"Yes." Shen Xihe nodded. "Prince Zhao is stubbornly principled. He will definitely arrange for someone to test you. Even if you evade it, His Majesty will inevitably be alerted. You've reached marriageable age—I fear His Majesty might use this opportunity to forcibly arrange a marriage for you. Lady Xiao is willing to marry you. The Grand Princess is aligned with the Crown Prince. Lady Xiao mentioned she owes you a life debt, and she also wishes to escape her current predicament..."
Xiao Wenxi was unwilling to marry just anyone, but as a young woman, her marriageable years were limited. If she continued refusing to marry, regardless of whether His Majesty would intervene, the gossip alone could affect her mother and brother. Thus, she planned to marry Bu Shulin.
After hearing this, Bu Shulin fell into a solemn silence.
Shen Xihe, feeling unusually lethargic and unwilling to exert herself, didn't bother pondering Bu Shulin's thoughts. Instead, she turned to the person beside her. "This is the substitute I found for you. However, your voices differ significantly. Take her back with you, keep her by your side, and use her carefully."
The substitute had to be handed over to Bu Shulin, as only Bu Shulin could train her to match her own temperament.
Bu Shulin looked at the substitute, then at the weary Shen Xihe, and bowed deeply. "Youyou, I am indebted to you."
She was deeply moved. Shen Xihe's kindness toward her even surpassed that of her own father.
She didn't linger long in the Eastern Palace. The Crown Prince was absent, having gone to the Council Hall, and as an unrelated man, it was improper for her to meet with the Crown Princess for too long. Mo Yuan escorted her out. With a token from Shen Xihe, who held palace authority, she passed through unimpeded.
Bu Shulin brought the substitute back, astonishing both Jinshan and Yinshan for quite some time. The three of them—master and servants—observed each other for a long while before eagerly discussing how to train the substitute. They eventually agreed on a dual approach: not only verbal instruction but also having her stay close to observe and emulate.
However, aside from Jinshan and Yinshan, no one else could detect this substitute. Thus, she was directly stationed in Bu Shulin's room—guarding the bedchamber during the day and outside it at night, never leaving Bu Shulin's quarters.
One day, Bu Shulin received a secret message from her father instructing her to meet someone discreetly. She decided to leave the substitute in her room to impersonate her while she secretly went to the rendezvous point to wait.
During this time, Bu Shulin's substitute had been practicing calligraphy in the room, striving to replicate Bu Shulin's handwriting as closely as possible.
While practicing, she tugged at a piece of paper underneath, accidentally overturning the inkstone. Ink splattered all over her—face, neck, and hands. Cleaning it up proved difficult, so she asked Yinshan to prepare bathwater for her.
Coincidentally, that same day, Cui Jinbai, who had repeatedly tried to summon Bu Shulin without success, had reached his limit. With Sui Axi's acupuncture assistance, he recovered faster than Xie Yunhuai had anticipated. Once he regained strength in his arms, he immediately rushed to the Bu residence.Cui Jinbai could come and go freely in the Bu residence, having reached the point where even the steward wouldn't stop him. Bu Shulin had secretly left the mansion, with only her trusted aides Jinshan and Yinshan aware. Jinshan had accompanied her, while Yinshan remained at the residence to cover for her.
Yinshan never expected Cui Jinbai to visit the Bu residence at this moment. After fetching water from the kitchen for the body double, he noticed the kitchen staff preparing a private meal—a pot of tender, stewed beef. Since slaughtering farm cattle was strictly forbidden, obtaining beef was extremely difficult. Tempted by the aroma, he stayed in the kitchen to indulge in the feast.
The body double was bathing in Bu Shulin's room when he heard someone approaching. Trained in martial arts, he naturally noticed but assumed it was Yinshan returning after his meal. Thus, he paid no mind when Yinshan pushed the door open.
It wasn't until the figure stepped around the screen that he turned and saw Cui Jinbai standing rigidly before him, face pale as a sheet!
He hastily pulled on his clothes. Knowing his voice differed from Bu Shulin's, he remained silent, standing stiffly across the bathtub, facing Cui Jinbai.
Cui Jinbai was utterly stunned, staring fixedly at the person before him. All his fantasies shattered in that instant.
He... he was actually a man!
But that night, he had clearly been intimate with a woman—the bloodstains on the sheets proved it. If it wasn't him, then who had he been with that night?
So, was it because he knew about his encounter with someone else that he had been avoiding him, unwilling to see him?
Cui Jinbai's mind reeled in chaos. All his deductions had been overturned, and the joy he had clung to now seemed a cruel mockery.
Having only recently regained some vitality, Cui Jinbai could no longer suppress the turmoil within. He spat out a mouthful of blood, splattering the sheer screen like blooming red plum blossoms. Overwhelmed by the shock, he collapsed unconscious.
The body double hurried over and helped the fainted Cui Jinbai onto the bed. Anxious and unsure what to do, he stiffly went to the kitchen, where Yinshan was still scrambling for beef. After shooting Yinshan a stern glare, he turned and left. Yinshan immediately stood up and followed.
Back in the room, Yinshan nearly collapsed at the sight of the unconscious Cui Jinbai. "I'll fetch a physician and inform the heir. Stay calm—just sit there as the heir usually would..."
The physician diagnosed Cui Jinbai as suffering from acute rage and emotional distress, which had inflamed his internal organs and drained his vitality. Combined with his unhealed old injuries, the condition was severe. Without immediate acupuncture to regulate his qi, he risked permanent paralysis.
"We can't enter the palace—Physician Sui must be there now," Yinshan fretted, tugging at his hair in desperation.
"I'll go," Bu Shulin's body double said tersely. Taking Bu Shulin's waist token, he rushed straight to the palace.
Fortunately, Shen Xihe now held palace authority, and Bu Shulin herself held a title in the Golden Guard. Feigning extreme urgency, the body double avoided small talk even with acquaintances and managed to reach the Eastern Palace smoothly. Upon hearing the full story, Shen Xihe was too stunned to speak. She immediately dispatched Sui Axi to accompany him out of the palace. With Sui Axi handling matters along the way, the round trip proceeded without incident.
By the time Sui Axi finished administering acupuncture to Cui Jinbai, Bu Shulin had rushed back in a frenzy. Cui Jinbai remained unconscious.
Her heart tightened. "How is he?"
"Aside from that, there's no major concern, but..." Sui Axi chose his words carefully, "Cui Shaoqing has suffered excessive shock and may retreat into avoidance. I'm afraid he might not wake for some time."Cui Jinbai had been severely stimulated. Originally gravely injured with his internal organs burning as if scorched, all the vitality he had regained through recent recuperation was completely depleted. When Sui Axi applied acupuncture to rouse him, he actually exhibited a defensive and resistant reaction.
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