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Jinshan had no time to worry about being suspected, quickly disengaged from the fight, and chased in the direction Bu Shulin had gone.
Xiao Changmin had brought quite a few people. Bu Shulin was intercepted along the way, but fortunately, she had someone with her who was extremely familiar with the local terrain. Relying on the terrain advantage and the desperate resistance of Jinshan and others, she managed to avoid falling into the hands of Xiao Changmin's men.
Compared to Bu Shulin, Shen Twenty-Seven had it much easier. He escaped first, and two Embroidered Uniform Envoys pursued him. Because he was Shen Xihe's man, the people Xiao Huayong had sent to assist in secret immediately stepped forward, fighting one against two to hold off the two Embroidered Uniform Envoys.
Seizing the chance to catch his breath, Shen Twenty-Seven briefly treated his injuries and then took a detour toward Bu Shulin. Coincidentally, Xiao Changmin had also recovered by then—the effects of the scent pill were intense but faded quickly.
Xiao Changmin immediately mounted his horse and chased in the direction Bu Shulin had fled. Xiao Changgeng also spurred his horse to follow Xiao Changmin: "Second Brother, Worldly Son Bu fled in another direction. Why are you chasing a woman?"
Xiao Changgeng genuinely didn't understand. Xiao Changmin whipped his horse more forcefully, his face as dark as water.
Perhaps others wouldn't dare to suspect this, but earlier, the woman's pregnancy had been confirmed by his attendant's personal search, which had made him careless and dismissive at the time!
Now he was eighty percent certain that the pregnant woman was the real Bu Shulin!
Months ago, he had suspected Bu Shulin was a woman and had even set a trap for her, only to be outmaneuvered later. Moreover, the daughter of the princess had married Bu Shulin, and during the farce at Zhao Wang's residence that day, Bu Shulin had bared his chest and back in front of many people, clearly revealing a male body, which had dispelled Xiao Changmin's doubts.
However, just now, when Bu Shulin made a move, her appearance had changed drastically, but her eyes and skills overlapped with Xiao Changmin's memory of Bu Shulin. Coupled with seeing Shen Twenty-Seven's face, which was identical to Bu Shulin's, what else was there for Xiao Changmin to not understand?
Bu Shulin had always had a double who resembled her in appearance, used at critical moments to conceal the fact that she was a woman!
The woman accompanying them along the way was not just an ordinary woman brought along for cover—she was Bu Shulin herself!
This speculation made Xiao Changmin's blood boil. As long as he captured Bu Shulin, he could not only fulfill His Majesty's orders but also deal a blow to the Eastern Palace in one fell swoop!
Shen Xihe and even Princess Ruyang must have known all along that Bu Shulin was a woman!
Just thinking about capturing Bu Shulin and exposing her identity, and the uproar it would cause, made Xiao Changmin uncontrollably excited. He whipped his horse even harder, and man and horse shot forward like an arrow from a bow.
Xiao Changgeng's eyes flickered, and he also sped up his pursuit.
Shen Twenty-Seven found Bu Shulin first, after nightfall. If he hadn't already known many of the Shunan Army's secret signals, it would have been difficult for him to locate Bu Shulin.
In a narrow cave hidden by low shrubs, accessible only by crawling on all fours, all traces outside the shrubs had been cleared away. Clearly, someone had handled this and then led the pursuers away.
Shen Twenty-Seven knelt and entered the cave. Inside, it widened and became spacious. Bu Shulin leaned against a rock, covered in blood. Hearing the noise, she tensed up, gripping a poisoned hidden weapon, ready to strike.
Only when she saw it was Shen Twenty-Seven did she slump down in relief.
"Worldly Son!" Shen Twenty-Seven rushed over to her.Bu Shulin handed him a scented sachet hanging from her body, her voice extremely weak: "Scatter this scented powder outside the cave, don't attract any fierce beasts!"
Mountain beasts were extremely sensitive to the smell of blood, and she had truly been completely drained of strength moments ago.
Shen Twenty-Seven hurriedly complied, then returned to find Bu Shulin's face pale, her hand resting weakly on a nearby rock trembling uncontrollably: "Young Master, you cannot just wait here for death."
Bu Shulin forced a faint smile with great difficulty: "Prince Zhao must have discovered my identity. He has set an inescapable net in these mountains - once I show myself, I will certainly die!"
From the relentless pursuit she had endured, it was clear Xiao Changmin had concentrated all his firepower on her alone. This indicated Xiao Changmin had confirmed she was the true heir, otherwise he wouldn't have expended so much manpower.
With trembling hands, Bu Shulin took out a black token that resembled stone but wasn't quite stone, handing the blood-stained token to Shen Twenty-Seven: "This is the Bu Clan's Young Master Token. Take it and leave this place, go to Shimi Creek in Maozhou. Our family's Hidden Guards are all stationed there. The leader is named Zha Pu - tell him..."
Bu Shulin relayed the secret code phrase to Shen Twenty-Seven. This was the Bu family's final trump card. While this token was crucial for mobilizing forces, it wasn't everything. Both the token and the secret phrase had to match perfectly to gain Zha Pu and the others' unwavering loyalty. Missing even one element, even someone wearing her face, would mean certain death!
Clutching the token tightly and looking at the completely exhausted Bu Shulin, Shen Twenty-Seven saluted military-style: "Young Master, please wait for me!"
Since Xiao Changmin was fully focused on pursuing Bu Shulin, he didn't have much extra capacity to intercept Shen Twenty-Seven. Escaping wouldn't be difficult for him.
Though worried about Bu Shulin, Shen Twenty-Seven also knew the Crown Prince had been having people follow him. If he could find Bu Shulin, so could those following him - they wouldn't truly stand by and let Bu Shulin lose her life.
The most urgent matter now was rescuing Bu Shulin from her predicament.
Just as Shen Twenty-Seven had anticipated, no sooner had he left than a dark figure swept into the cave.
After quickly administering acupuncture to stop Bu Shulin's bleeding, the figure guarded the unconscious Bu Shulin. About half an hour later, Bu Shulin awoke. Seeing the black-clad figure with its back to her, Bu Shulin shifted her painful body, finding a comfortable position to lean against: "I thought... I no longer had any value in staying alive."
The figure remained motionless, back still turned: "His Highness never intended to take your life. His Highness simply dislikes those who pledge allegiance while still keeping secrets."
The Bu family's trump card was one of Bu Shulin's true tests. Since Bu Shulin had gained Shen Xihe's trust and would be entrusted with important responsibilities in the future, Xiao Huayong absolutely would not permit her to have any hidden forces unknown to Shen Xihe, even if Bu Shulin had never harbored any intention of betraying Shen Xihe.
With the Bu family's trump card handed to Shen Twenty-Seven, and nearly all those who knew Bu Shulin was female already dead - including Zha Pu and the others who were unaware of her true gender - Shen Twenty-Seven could use the token while wearing Bu Shulin's face. With the correct secret phrase, he could become the true Prince of Shunan under their protection, someone absolutely loyal to Shen Xihe.
Indeed, with Bu Shulin dead now, the Eastern Palace would benefit most.
Bu Shulin smiled faintly. She knew if it were only the Crown Prince's consideration, there would be no need to keep her alive. After all, she was female, and keeping her would only bring other complications. The Crown Prince was keeping her alive for the Crown Princess's sake.The Crown Prince spared no effort in pushing her toward the Crown Princess—submission, gratitude, affection...
Layer upon layer of bonds left her no room to break free, yet she willingly accepted them without a trace of resentment.
For she firmly believed that Shen Xihe had no part in it and disdained such manipulative tactics.
The Crown Prince bore the role of the villain, while the Crown Princess remained the benevolent one all along.
So it turns out that even those in imperial power possess a heart, and are capable of profound devotion!
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