A wedding was a grand affair, especially among the scholarly families. The ten-li bridal procession was particularly eye-catching, as Tao Le’s wife came from a prominent family in Linchuan. Her father was a genuine Jinshi scholar who, rather than pursuing an official career, had returned to Linchuan to take over his grandfather’s academy, becoming a highly respected scholar in the region.

Given Shen Xihe’s special status, she couldn’t attend the public ceremony, as her presence would make the guests feel constrained and dampen the wedding’s festive atmosphere – that would have been her fault. The Tao brothers, Cheng and Yuan, were less concerned about the wedding’s liveliness than they were about Shen Xihe’s safety among the large crowd with its many prying eyes.

Even in the back courtyard, the sound of firecrackers was constant, and cheers of celebration could be heard. Infected by this joyous atmosphere, Shen Xihe gazed at the withered branches with a gentle, elegant smile.

Hong Yu ran to watch the entire ceremony from start to finish, carefully memorizing everything to recount to Shen Xihe later, as if Shen Xihe had attended herself.

As dusk fell, Shen Xihe received another reply from Xiao Huayong, containing just one line: “Snow makes plum branches more alluring, the heart yearns for the moon, yet moon remains unseen.”

As always, there was a strand of black hair included.

Zhenzhu quite admired how the Princess handled the Prince’s daily expressions of love, remaining unmoved and showing no impatience. While she had been somewhat annoyed at the first letter, she now treated them with indifference, checking only for any mentions of Young Master Bu before burning them.

“Give orders that we depart in two days. I want to take a detour through Liyang Prefecture,” Shen Xihe instructed Zhenzhu.

Zhenzhu raised her eyebrows imperceptibly and responded, “Yes, Your Highness.”

Though the Princess had no romantic feelings for the Prince, she must regard him differently from others. Otherwise, given her personality, she wouldn’t alter her schedule for anyone – she had just said a few days ago that she would stay two more days before departing, waiting for news from Mo Yu about Liyang.

Whether this special consideration was due to the Prince’s kindness to the Princess, because the Princess had already expressed to His Majesty her intention to marry the Prince, or for some other reason, Zhenzhu couldn’t tell.

The next day, when the new bride paid her respects to her parents-in-law, Shen Xihe did attend. The new bride was a gentle and beautiful woman whose soft-spoken manner and unhurried speech carried an air of literary refinement that immediately endeared her to others.

“This humble one pays respects to the Princess…”

“Third Sister-in-law is too formal,” Shen Xihe personally helped her up. “Third Cousin and I are simply brother and sister.”

Such formalities were merely for outsiders.

“In the north, there is a beauty, peerless and independent. In years past, when I pondered these words, I could never imagine what kind of stunning beauty could deserve such praise. Today, upon seeing the Princess, I finally understand our ancestors spoke true,” Li Shi softly praised Shen Xihe.

Shen Xihe wasn’t one to engage in mutual flattery. She smiled slightly: “Sister-in-law is too kind.”

Li shi’s eyes still sparkled with a moon-like gentle radiance. She took a carved purple sandalwood box from her maid: “I didn’t know the Princess’s preferences, so I asked Third Brother to help choose this. I hope the Princess likes it.”

Shen Xihe accepted it but didn’t open it in public: “A gift from Brother and Sister-in-law must be something delightful.”

Li shi still needed to meet her young cousin-in-law and then visit clan relatives with Tao Le, so she only said she would seek out Shen Xihe to talk later before continuing with Tao Le to pay their respects.

Only after returning to her chambers did Shen Xihe open the box. Inside was an exquisite bracelet – a jade cloud pattern bracelet.

The jade was celadon with overall brown weathering, featuring interlocking cloud patterns carved with fine detail.

Shen Xihe picked it up, and the jade’s coldness triggered a thought: “Bring me my fragrance set.”

Hong Yu immediately brought over the entire box. Shen Xihe first soaked it briefly in water mixed with fragrances, then took it out and carefully wiped it with a clean cloth. After wiping for quite some time, a brown residue appeared on the white cloth. Shen Xihe used silver tweezers to carefully transfer the specks into a bowl of water beside her, where they dissolved into wisps of smoke.

Shen Xihe waited until they had completely dissolved in the water before lifting it to smell: “This item has been in a tomb.”

Wealthy families were very particular about burials, using many fragrances to preserve the body. Though these fragrances weren’t different from those used by the living, the formula and fragrances that had been in tombs were ultimately distinct from those used by the living.

Hong Yu bent down to smell, but though the water was clear, she couldn’t detect any scent.

“Wait outside. When Third Cousin and his wife return, tell them I have something to discuss with Third Sister-in-law,” Shen Xihe instructed Hong Yu.

After Hong Yu withdrew, Shen Xihe gazed thoughtfully at the gray sky outside her window.

“Princess, it seems these grave-robbing activities aren’t limited to Henan Prefecture,” Zhenzhu said with some concern, suspecting this matter might be bigger than they had imagined.

“I’m wondering why my Third Sister-in-law would give me such an item,” Shen Xihe said. While the tomb-robbing case had wide implications, possibly no smaller than the rouge case, and Shen Xihe was prepared for that, what she was pondering was this jade cloud pattern bracelet.

She hadn’t just arrived yesterday – she’d been here several days, giving Li shi enough time to prepare a proper meeting gift. The Li family was also prominent, and Li shi was the legitimate daughter of the main branch. Her dowry had included eighty-six sets of items – didn’t they have anything suitable to give as a gift?

Why did they have to buy something at the last minute? And something of unclear origin at that? Given the Li family’s careful and steady reputation, Li shi shouldn’t have given her this.

“This jade cloud pattern bracelet has an unusual history.” All explanations would have to wait until Li Shi arrived.

Shen Xihe had just finished freshening up after her afternoon rest when Li Shi arrived with her maids.

“Sister-in-law, where did you find this item? I’m quite fond of it. I have a young friend in the capital whom I’d like to gift a similar one,” Shen Xihe pushed the open box toward Li Shi.

Hearing Shen Xihe speak thus, Li Shi was pleased: “This was given to me by my elder brother. I thought it unique, which is why I chose it as a gift for the Princess. However, it’s one of a kind.”

“Does your brother have other fine items?” Shen Xihe asked further. “When I came to Linchuan, I promised to bring back local specialties as gifts for friends.”

“If the Princess doesn’t mind, I could ask my brother to bring some fine items for the Princess to choose from?” Li Shi eagerly offered.

Even before her marriage, she had known that the Tao family had only this one young lady. Though not of their surname, she was still the Tao family’s precious darling. As the new bride, she naturally wanted to establish a good relationship with this cousin-in-law.

“Then I’ll trouble Sister-in-law,” Shen Xihe didn’t decline.

After Li Shi sent someone the message, she stayed to chat with Shen Xihe, who subtly probed for information.

The more she heard, the more concerning it became. She had initially thought Li Shi’s brother had simply acquired the item somewhere, but from Li Shi’s words, this brother of hers who had no interest in studies and only loved scheming seemed more like an accomplice in grave robbing, and neither Li Shi nor her parents were aware of it.

Zhenzhu’s expression also changed slightly as she listened. This matter would be difficult for the Princess to intervene in – one wrong move could strain the relationship between the new bride and her cousin.

“Princess…”

Shen Xihe gave her a calm glance, then said casually to Li Shi: “It’s a pity your brother’s business talents are going to waste.”