When All Other Flowers Wither, Mine Alone Blossoms
"I've sent Twenty-Seven to A Lin's side." Shen Xihe, who was applying makeup before the mirror, sensed the shift in presence beside her. Opening her eyes, she saw Xiao Huayong take the brush from Hongyu and bend down to paint a Hua Dian between her brows.
He always enjoyed adorning her with Hua Dian. Since their marriage, he had taken over this task most of the time. She had progressed from initial resistance to reluctant acceptance, and now to joyful familiarity.
"I know." Xiao Huayong turned her to face him, straddling a stool as he leaned forward, his gaze intently fixed on the space between her eyebrows.
The cool brush tip touched her forehead. Shen Xihe kept still: "Beichen, I..."
For a moment, Shen Xihe found herself at a loss for words. She seemed to have developed a woman's softheartedness.
Thinking of Bu Shulin's current predicament and her pregnancy, while feeling the small life growing within her own womb day by day, Shen Xihe couldn't bear the thought of Bu Shulin's child becoming collateral damage in their power struggle.
"My Youyou possesses both compassion and integrity. Why should you trouble yourself over this?" Xiao Huayong continued painting without pause, skillfully capturing the essence of Eucommia Leaf with a few delicate, steady strokes.
"I shouldn't be like this..." Shen Xihe closed her eyes, genuinely aware of how she had changed.
She should prioritize strategic advantages, should emulate Xiao Huayong's decisiveness in moments requiring ruthlessness.
She especially shouldn't show mercy during critical confrontations.
"The fault lies with me." Xiao Huayong's gaze lowered to meet her eyes. "I shouldn't have drawn you into these worldly troubles."
He had forcibly immersed this ethereal being in mundane mortal concerns.
Had she never met him, she might have remained forever the aloof and detached Shen Xihe, untethered by emotional attachments, her heart perpetually solitary and tranquil, undisturbed by anyone or anything.
He had brought her into this extravagant world of human passions, yet lacked the ability to shield her from all worries. To expect her to revert to that isolated observer of humanity - what an utter scoundrel he was.
Shen Xihe's eyes snapped open, their obsidian depths meeting his midnight gaze: "No, this isn't your doing. Perhaps I never truly understood myself. This might be my true nature all along - you merely helped me recognize it sooner."
Gently grasping his wrist, her gaze remained steadfast: "Beichen, whatever challenges await us, I believe I can handle them with ease."
"Every moment of our meeting, understanding, and companionship remains etched in my heart. When I look back at life's sunset, I'll have no regrets."
"Because of you, I've experienced what love between man and woman truly means."
A faint smile touched Xiao Huayong's lips as he set aside the brush. After careful inspection confirmed his work satisfactory, he rose and drew her into his embrace, her cheek resting against his chest: "I led you into love's waters, yet cannot accompany you through life's journey. You don't resent me for this. Today you merely disrupted one move in my strategy - why torment yourself over it?"
"Youyou, I don't wish you to become someone strict with yourself and lenient with others. Be someone who shows compassion to both yourself and others."
Shen Xihe paused momentarily before understanding dawned - he had perceived her guilt over disrupting his plans and was deliberately comforting her.
Warmth flooded through her, permeating her entire being from heart to limbs.Seeing her smile and no longer dwell on the matter, Xiao Huayong finally felt a weight lift from his chest. His heart swelled with warmth—Shen Xihe, who was always decisive and unburdened by trivialities, had hesitated over such a gesture precisely because she cared for him so deeply.
"It was I who disrupted your plans, yet you ended up comforting me instead..." Shen Xihe suddenly realized she had been somewhat affected.
"Did you truly disrupt my plans?" Xiao Huayong countered.
Shen Xihe lowered her head with a soft laugh, then quickly looked up, putting on a haughty expression: "What if I really did?"
Xiao Huayong had never seen Shen Xihe like this—playfully sulking and teasing. He couldn't resist leaning down to plant a deep kiss on her forehead before holding her tightly, restraining his excitement: "As you wish, as you wish. Everything is as you wish. Even my life is in your hands!"
Pressed tightly against Xiao Huayong's chest, surrounded by his scent, Shen Xihe couldn't help but purse her lips in a silent laugh.
She knew he was still Xiao Huayong. She truly couldn't bear to let Bu Shulin fall into danger and had altered Xiao Huayong's plans. The Min River campaign was inevitable—if Bu Shulin wasn't involved, what other method could ignite this conflict?
It wasn't actually difficult. All it took was someone whose presence would make Your Majesty even more eager to eliminate them than Bu Shulin, someone who similarly couldn't be dealt with openly.
"You sent Brother to the Min River." Xiao Huayong hadn't investigated nor received any news from Shen Yungan, yet he knew exactly what Shen Xihe had planned.
By replacing the bait with Shen Yungan, Your Majesty would be even less likely to let slip this rare opportunity. Compared to the Shu Southern Royal Manor, the Northwest King's domain was the true threat that weighed heavily on his mind.
And Shen Yunnan wasn't merely going to the Min River as bait—he was going as commander.
Since Your Majesty had already committed to serious measures by mobilizing the Jiannan Governor's headquarters, with both Bu Shulin and them absent, even with Xiao Huayong's meticulous arrangements, they lacked a field commander to handle unpredictable emergencies.
"Brother has been eager to experience naval warfare. This finally gives her the chance she's been longing for." Shen Xihe nodded.
This was indeed an opportunity Shen Yunnan had been craving. The northwest consisted of grasslands and deserts, but Shen Yunnan was truly obsessed with military strategy and had long yearned to experience naval combat, though he'd never had the chance before.
When Shen Xihe sent word, Shen Yunnan couldn't wait—he departed first and sent notice afterward. By the time she received the message, he had already been on the road for two days.
"Then we shall quietly await Brother's victorious report!" Truth be told, Xiao Huayong felt more at ease knowing Shen Yunnan was going personally.
Though Shen Xihe could involve Shen Yunnan, Xiao Huayong couldn't—after all, weapons knew no eyes. Even if the likelihood of anything happening to Shen Yunnan was extremely low, the possibility couldn't be entirely ruled out. Xiao Huayong couldn't bear the responsibility of endangering him.
Shen Xihe had considered this too. Firstly, she trusted her brother's capabilities. Secondly, as long as their Shen family guarded the northwest, they could never stay far from battlefields. As generals, they shouldn't fear any kind of warfare.
The more experience they gained, the more it would become their lifesaving talisman on some inevitable future battlefield.
Shen Xihe lifted her gaze to the vast, serene sky. Her confidence in her brother left no room for worry in her heart.Taking a detour through Tubo from the northwest and turning into the Min River, Shen Yungan accomplished the journey in just five days. At this time, Xiao Changying, leading Bu Shulin’s subordinates, was facing wave after wave of assassins. Bu Shulin, dragging her nearly five-month pregnancy, was also approaching Tubo, while the vanguard Twenty-Seven arrived simultaneously at the Min River.
Thus, the Youning Emperor soon received the news.
“Shen Yungan is at the Min River?”
“Reporting to Your Majesty, the news is absolutely true. However, with the Northwest King controlling the northwest, everyone believes the Northwest Prince Heir and his consort are worshipping Buddha at the temple…”
Now that they had no informants left in the northwest, there was no way to expose Shen Yungan’s unauthorized departure from the northwest and dereliction of duty unless they captured Shen Yungan himself.
“Good, good, truly excellent!” The Youning Emperor’s gaze turned icy. The Shen clan truly had no regard for him. “Dispatch three divisions of the Invincible Army to rush to the Min River immediately. Bu Shulin and Shen Yungan—spare neither!”
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