"Your Highness..." After tending to Xiao Changying's wounds, Zhenzhu noticed the deep finger marks on Shen Xihe's wrist where she had pulled it from Xiao Changying's grasp. The bruises were shocking, yet Shen Xihe hadn't even furrowed her brow, as if she felt no pain.
While dressing Shen Xihe's wounds, Zhenzhu's eyes reddened. Her mistress was one of the Golden Branches and Jade Leaves—when had she ever suffered such injuries? So deep they might leave scars. What would become of a young lady bearing scars on her body...
"They're just some scars, and only on my arm, not my face. Why must all of you act as if in mourning?" Shen Xihe truly didn't mind. Once Zhenzhu finished bandaging her, she stood and walked toward her room. "Hongyu, Biyu, take turns watching over Prince Lie."
"Ziyu, I'll attend to Her Highness. You may rest." Outside the chamber door, Zhenzhu instructed Ziyu.
Ziyu glanced at Shen Xihe, who gave a slight nod, then bowed and withdrew.
Inside the room, Shen Xihe allowed Zhenzhu to attend to her. "Speak if you have something to say."
Only after meticulously arranging Shen Xihe's attire, waiting until she lay down, and covering her with the brocade quilt did Zhenzhu kneel by the footrest. "I beg Your Highness to punish me. This maid should not have acted on her own initiative."
Feeling somewhat drowsy, Shen Xihe closed her eyes and drifted into sleep without another word. The room fell into utter silence, but Zhenzhu remained kneeling, not daring to move an inch.
Shen Xihe awoke to the crowing of roosters, the world outside still dark. She turned her head to see Zhenzhu still kneeling with bowed head. "Do you know where you went wrong?"
"Please enlighten me, Your Highness." Zhenzhu's voice was hoarse.
"You erred in forgetting whose person you truly are." Shen Xihe slowly sat up. "Was it Mo Yuan who suggested you take me for a walk in the back hills?"
"Yes, General Mo said it was by the Prince's order..." Under Shen Xihe's increasingly sharp gaze, Zhenzhu's voice faded.
Shen Xihe: "You assumed Mo Yuan wouldn't disobey my Father's command, so you persuaded me. Why did I listen to you? Because I trusted you, believed you would never betray me. But how could you know Mo Yuan wasn't being used by others? Weren't you used by him as well?"
Zhenzhu opened her mouth but ultimately lowered her head in shame. "This maid acknowledges her fault. I beg Your Highness to punish me."
"Kneeling for three hours is punishment enough." Shen Xihe raised her voice toward the door, "Ziyu."
Ziyu, who had just risen and dressed, entered the room somewhat groggily. Seeing Zhenzhu kneeling, her sleepiness vanished instantly. She approached cautiously, not daring to breathe heavily. "Your Highness."
"Help your sister Zhenzhu up and tend properly to her knees with medicine," Shen Xihe instructed.
Ziyu hurried forward to support Zhenzhu, helping the unsteady maid withdraw. They had just reached the doorway when Shen Xihe spoke again: "Zhenzhu, what I need is obedience, understanding of boundaries, and assistance I can trust with my life—not a servant who acts cleverly for what they think is my good. In this, you fall short even of Ziyu."
"Having left the northwest, I am no longer the little girl who needs Father and Elder Brother to decide everything. As we approach the capital, I can no longer afford to be the naive maiden who only knows how to lament the autumn moon. No one but me may make decisions about my affairs."
"Yes, this maid understands." Zhenzhu responded with solemn humility.Shen Xihe said no more, quietly watching the two depart as the door closed behind them.
Each of Shen Xihe's maids had distinct qualities: Zhenzhu was knowledgeable in medicine and clever, Ziyu was innocent and skilled in cooking, Hongyu was obedient and excelled at embroidery, Biyu was quick-witted and good at calculations, while Moyu was taciturn and martial. Most precious was their unwavering loyalty.
The capital was different from the Northwest. In the Northwest, Shen Xihe was a shining pearl whom people vied to flatter—who would dare harbor even half a thought of scheming against her? If she didn't wake them to reality now and they suffered losses in the capital, it might cost them their lives.
The former Shen Xihe had been too naive and innocent, with a sensitive heart. Even though she clearly understood her mission in the imperial capital, she still somewhat avoided facing it.
That was why Mo Yuan and Zhenzhu had joined forces to keep things from her.
If it were the old Shen Xihe, she would have willingly believed that the assassination forced upon her was a coincidence. Her first encounter with Xiao Changying was just like the stories in books—saved by him, she should offer herself in marriage...
Even someone as suspicious as Xiao Changying would surely be convinced by her genuinely innocent eyes. This was precisely why Shen Yueshan had gone to such lengths.
But Shen Yueshan had forgotten: though his daughter was clever, she was truly a young maiden in the bloom of youth, at an age when girls admire handsome young men. If she were to encounter the exceptionally handsome and unruly Xiao Changying under such circumstances, it was uncertain who would become whose romantic tribulation.
Shen Xihe did not return to sleep. Soon, Biyu hurried in, carefully assisting Shen Xihe with her morning toilette. Just as she finished dressing, a maid announced from outside: "Your Highness, General Mo requests an audience."
A slight smile touched her lips. "Let him in," said Shen Xihe.
Having heard about Zhenzhu's matter, Mo Yuan had come immediately. Peering through the beaded curtain at the young woman grooming before the mirror, he lowered his head. "Your Highness, it was I who privately begged Miss Zhenzhu. If you wish to punish anyone, please punish me."
"The one deserving punishment has been dealt with. As my father's daughter, I understand clear rewards and punishments, just as he maintains strict military discipline," Shen Xihe said, rising with Biyu's support and slowly stepping forward. "Mo Yuan, I ask you once more: from now on, whose orders will you follow?"
Mo Yuan stiffened, then immediately dropped to one knee in pledge. "This subordinate follows only Your Highness's commands."
"Good. Remember your words today." Shen Xihe walked past Mo Yuan to the dining table. "Why was Prince Lie pursued here?"
"This..." Mo Yuan turned on his knee to face her, but found the words difficult to utter.
"Hmm?" Shen Xihe raised a brow lightly. "Unwilling to say?"
"Your Highness, Prince Lie went to Yangzhou to investigate the Rouge Case," Mo Yuan said euphemistically.
The Rouge Case...
Shen Xihe smiled faintly, finally understanding Mo Yuan's hesitation.
This "rouge case" had nothing to do with rouge and powder, but referred to women.
She knew of this case. The former Vice Minister of Personnel had a wildly favored concubine named Yanzhi, whose influence grew so extreme that she overshadowed the principal wife. Eventually, the wife, driven to desperation, killed the concubine before taking her own life by swallowing gold.
While the abuse and death of a concubine was unfortunately common among noble families, the death of a principal wife over such a matter caused an uproar.
When the Empress Dowager sent investigators, the findings were shocking: Yanzhi had repeatedly urged the vice minister to sell official positions. Considering the Ministry of Personnel oversaw evaluations of local officials' performances, the Youning Emperor was furious and ordered a strict investigation.The investigation revealed Rouge's origins, uncovering that behind this Miss Rouge was a den of thieves based in Yangzhou. This criminal organization specifically selected beautiful young girls, trained them from childhood, and sent them as concubines to influential families to whisper in their ears...
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