Shen Xihe's lips curved slightly as she lowered her gaze. "Tell the princess I am too fatigued to move."
As if anticipating Shen Xihe's refusal, the palace maid responded, "The princess instructed this humble servant to inform the young mistress that this matter concerns the young master."
The "young master" she referred to was naturally Shen Yungan.
"What happened to my brother?" Shen Xihe frowned.
"This humble servant does not know." The young maid bowed her head in feigned apprehension.
"Biyu, go find my brother." Shen Xihe cast her a cold glance before issuing the order.
"Yes." Biyu immediately bowed and hurried away, disappearing into the shifting crowd in the blink of an eye.
The palace maid sent by Changling Princess stood with her thumbs clasped before her chest, properly maintaining a bowed-head posture as she waited.
After approximately fifteen minutes, Biyu returned with a grave expression. "Young mistress, I could not find the young master. I inquired along the way, but no one reported seeing him."
Upon hearing this, Shen Xihe fixed her deep, intense gaze on the palace maid. Initially, the maid maintained forced composure, but gradually she began to feel as if an icy wind were piercing through her, chilling her to the bones.
Only when the palace maid grew pale and involuntarily hunched her back did Shen Xihe withdraw her gaze. "Let's go."
The Hibiscus Garden was bisected by the Serpentine River. Today's birthday banquet was held in the water palace on this side, with numerous performances along the shore. The palace maid led them to a waterside pavilion, where the crowd gradually thinned until they reached a secluded corner where a small boat was moored.
"Young mistress, please board. The princess awaits you at Purple Cloud Tower." The palace maid stepped aside at the riverbank to make way.
Shen Xihe let out an almost imperceptible soft laugh. Biyu boarded first and reached out to assist Shen Xihe aboard. The palace maid followed. When Hongyu attempted to board, the small canopy boat clearly could not accommodate another person. The palace maid said, "Young mistress, the boat is too small to take more people."
"Did you intentionally procure this small boat?" Biyu frowned in dissatisfaction.
"This humble servant does not know." The palace maid bowed her head in reply.
"Hongyu, you stay behind." Shen Xihe commanded.
The Serpentine River was brilliantly illuminated, with numerous boats coming and going. Even the Youning Emperor was accompanying the Empress Dowager on the river. Shen Xihe did not believe they would dare to take action mid-river, and even if they did, it would only bring them humiliation.
Thus, during the boat ride, Shen Xihe remained composed and poised. The small boat skirted the deserted edges until it reached the opposite shore. Beyond the wooden platform on the bank lay a dense forest. Aside from a lone lantern hanging from a distant treetop, swaying in the wind, almost nothing else was visible.
Shen Xihe, accompanied by Biyu, followed the palace maid ashore. The ferryman rowed away. Before even entering the forest, Shen Xihe detected the faint scent of datura flowers. In the night, what appeared to be a cold mist was actually interwoven with tendrils of fragrant smoke.
The datura fragrance was not overpowering, blended with several other hallucinogenic fragrant spices. With incense permeating the entire garden, it was extremely difficult to detect anything amiss. Shen Xihe lightly coughed twice into her handkerchief.
"Young mistress, the cold wind is strong. Take care not to catch a chill." Biyu stepped forward, blocking the palace maid, and fastened Shen Xihe's cloak. She discreetly passed two tiny cotton plugs to Shen Xihe, who used her handkerchief as cover to insert them into her nostrils. These rice-sized plugs had been soaked for a long time in invigorating fragrant spices.
After completing this, Biyu stepped aside and followed the palace maid forward. Unseen by the other, Biyu also inserted nose plugs.
After merely twenty or thirty steps, upon reaching the end of the path, the palace maid's legs gave way and she collapsed, unconscious.Shen Xihe immediately collapsed onto the palace maid. Biyu seemed slightly better, letting out a startled cry as she rushed to support Shen Xihe, but the moment she crouched down, her vision darkened and she too fainted.
Within moments of the three collapsing, a man in black attire charged out, fixed his gaze on Shen Xihe, and brandished a gleaming blade. The cold steel shimmered sharply in the frigid night air as he thrust it directly toward Shen Xihe.
Just as the blade tip descended vertically, Biyu abruptly opened her eyes, drew the soft sword from her waist to block the lethal strike, and swept her leg to attack the assailant’s lower body. The black-clad man leaped back to evade, but in that instant, a swift arrow shot from afar, piercing his shoulder.
The blade clattered from the assassin’s hand, and he was swiftly subdued by Biyu. Before any interrogation could begin, he bit into a poison sac and took his own life.
Biyu helped Shen Xihe to her feet and restrained the unconscious palace maid. Soon, someone hurried over carrying a corpse, dropped it, bowed to Shen Xihe, and silently carried away the poisoned assassin.
Shen Xihe smiled at the delivered corpse, then lifted her gaze toward a distant tower ablaze with lights, brightening the night sky.
As the longevity banquet drew to a close, the Youning Emperor accompanied the Empress Dowager on a boat ride before returning to the waterside hall. Nobles, ministers, and distinguished ladies had all gathered, awaiting the Emperor’s dismissal to return home when a piercing cry echoed from outside: "Your Majesty—"
The cheerful expressions of the crowd faded as they turned to see Zhaoning County Princess’s two maids supporting a disheveled, blood-stained, and pale Shen Xihe, who rushed in breathlessly.
The Youning Emperor’s face darkened as he strode forward. "Summon the physicians!"
Physicians from the Imperial Hospital, already present for the banquet, reached Shen Xihe almost simultaneously with the Emperor.
"Your Majesty..." Shen Xihe’s voice was frail. "Someone tried... to silence me..."
The main hall fell into utter silence; even her faintest words were heard clearly by all.
"Let the physicians attend to you first. I will ensure justice is served!" the Youning Emperor declared angrily, disturbed that such an incident had occurred during the Empress Dowager’s banquet.
"Your Majesty, it was... Prince Kang..." Shen Xihe seemed to expend her last ounce of strength before slumping into Biyu’s arms.
The hall erupted in murmurs, all eyes turning to Prince Kang. Those near him instinctively stepped away.
Prince Kang, his face a mix of shock and fury, hurried forward and knelt before the Emperor. "Your Majesty, I beg you to investigate! I would never harm the County Princess!"
The Youning Emperor cast a cold glance at Prince Kang and ordered the physicians, "Attend to the County Princess’s injuries first!"
Shen Xihe was carried by palace maids to a side chamber. After examining her pulse, the physician detected signs of extreme fright-induced unconsciousness. Given Shen Xihe’s delicate health, her condition was critically perilous. With a grave expression, he reported truthfully to the Youning Emperor.
The Emperor instructed the physicians to spare no effort in saving Shen Xihe, then turned to question her two maids. At that moment, a somewhat disheveled Shen Yungan and Xue Jinqiao returned, their clothes soiled and disordered. Shen Yungan rushed to Shen Xihe’s side, his face ashen.
"Reporting to Your Majesty, it was Changling Princess who had a palace maid summon our County Princess..." Biyu recounted the events clearly and coherently. "Fortunately, I have trained in martial arts since childhood and protected the County Princess. The assassin was killed by me, refusing to utter a word before dying. But for some reason, the County Princess kept murmuring in panic along the way that Prince Kang intended to harm her."After hearing this, Prince Kang felt slightly reassured: "Your Majesty, it must be that the County Princess holds a grudge against me, which led her to mistakenly believe I was the mastermind."
Unexpectedly, Shen Yungan let out a cold laugh: "Your Majesty, I know why Prince Kang attempted to harm my younger sister."
"Speak!" the Youning Emperor demanded.
"A few days ago, my younger sister went to the southern mountains and accidentally discovered someone privately forging weapons. Moreover, she witnessed His Highness Prince Kang entering the mountains!"
As these words were spoken, everyone was shocked.
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