Two days later.

Shen Miao rose early, and Luo Tan had already dressed herself up. Luo Tan had always been lively by nature and couldn’t sit still in the mansion. Since the previous incident, Shen Qiu and Luo Ling had reduced the number of times Shen Miao and Luo Tan went out. Even when they did go out, they were inevitably accompanied by a long line of guards. Shen Miao didn’t mind—she wasn’t a sixteen-year-old girl and naturally preferred tranquility, so staying in the mansion more often wasn’t a problem. Luo Tan, however, was extremely uncomfortable with this arrangement. Whenever she heard they could go out, regardless of the reason or purpose, she was always enthusiastic.

Shen Qiu and Luo Ling gave a few reminders and also told Shen Miao to bring along Ah Zhi and Mo Qing. Ah Zhi and Mo Qing were considered the most skilled guards in the entire Shen mansion and had now become Shen Miao’s guards. Shen Qiu said, “Don’t force yourself. If there’s anything you don’t want to do, just leave directly. Don’t worry about courtesy.”

When Shen Qiu first learned that Shen Miao was accepting Shen Dongling’s invitation, he was opposed to it. For some reason, Shen Qiu didn’t have a good impression of Shen Dongling either. Although Shen Dongling hadn’t been as obvious as Shen Qing and Shen Yue, and had previously coexisted peacefully with the First House in the Shen mansion, somehow Shen Qiu always felt that Shen Dongling wasn’t a good person. The Second House of the Shen family had experienced such a major incident, yet only Shen Dongling and Concubine Wan were unharmed. And then there was the exchange of marriage arrangements between Shen Yue and Shen Dongling—although he didn’t understand the specific reason, Shen Qiu always felt that Shen Dongling was involved.

Perhaps it was the instinct of someone who had been on the battlefield to seek advantages and avoid harm, but Shen Qiu was unwilling to be entangled with Shen Dongling and naturally didn’t want Shen Miao to get too close to her either. Someone like Shen Dongling might develop ulterior motives toward Shen Miao, using her to achieve her selfish desires, which would be troublesome.

Shen Miao smiled and said, “I know. Besides, Cousin will accompany me. Nothing will happen.”

Luo Tan said with a grin, “That’s right, that’s right. If Cousin Qiu is really worried, you can come with us.”

Shen Qiu shook his head: “The military department still has matters to attend to. Besides, what would a rough man like me be doing appreciating incense? It’s just irritating to the nose.” Just as civil officials looked down on the crudeness of military officials, military officials also couldn’t understand some of the civil officials’ practices. Shen Qiu just didn’t understand what was so good about appreciating incense, let alone why someone would spend several hundred taels of silver for one or two sticks of incense, which was truly baffling.

Luo Tan said, “Don’t worry, Cousin Qiu, I’ll take good care of little cousin.”

Shen Qiu scowled and admonished her, “With your cat-level martial arts, who was it that almost lost her life last time and had to be treated by Imperial Physician Gao for a whole month?”

Luo Tan was most afraid of people mentioning this matter. She quickly stuck out her tongue and looked to Luo Ling for help.

Luo Ling smiled gently and said, “Regardless, you should be careful. Return early after appreciating the incense. It gets dark early, and it’s not safe for young ladies.” As he said this, his gaze was fixed on Shen Miao, his eyes full of concern.

When news spread earlier that the Crown Prince intended to marry Shen Miao, Lady Luo was busy arranging a marriage for her first, and Luo Ling was the first to speak up. Luo Ling’s character and family background were impeccable, and they were already family, so Lady Luo considered him the best candidate. Later, because of something the Prince of Rui said, the marriage was put on hold, and Lady Luo was no longer as urgent about finding a good husband for Shen Miao. But Luo Ling had already expressed his intentions to Lady Luo and Shen Xin, so some things became particularly obvious.

Even Shen Miao, who had presided over the six palaces and seen all kinds of situations, couldn’t pretend not to notice such undisguised affection. She could only slightly avoid his gaze and say, “I understand. Thank you for your concern, Cousin Ling.”

Luo Tan urged them to leave, saying, “Alright, let’s set off quickly. It wouldn’t be good to be late on the road.”

Only then did they say their goodbyes and follow the carriage forward.

In the carriage, Luo Tan asked, “Little cousin, what are you thinking?”

Shen Miao turned to look at her, puzzled: “What do you mean, what am I thinking?”

“About your marriage, of course.” Luo Tan looked as if she was very concerned for her: “Even if the matter with the Crown Prince is temporarily at rest, you will have to marry someday. The other day I heard my aunt say that your marriage must be arranged this year, otherwise, if it’s not the Crown Prince, with your excellent conditions, you would inevitably attract covetous eyes.”

Shen Miao remained silent. The Shen family’s position in Ming Qi was indeed quite delicate. Used well, it could be a powerful sword; used poorly, it could invite disaster. One thing was certain: the Ming Qi royal family only feared the Shen family. What they wanted was Shen Xin’s army. If one day the person commanding the army decided to assert their power through military strength, that would be unacceptable.

So as the only legitimate daughter of the Shen family, the potential implications of her marriage alliance were numerous. Sometimes matters were beyond her control, and she couldn’t make her own decisions.

Involuntarily, Shen Miao’s mind drifted to what Xie Jingxing had said to her that day.

“Once this matter is resolved, I will marry you, Shen Jiaojiao.”

He had spoken so casually, so suddenly, that it didn’t seem like a promise, yet it was some kind of assurance. Most importantly, coming from him, these words carried an unquestionable quality, as if whatever he said would be done.

But how could that be possible? One was the legitimate daughter of a Ming Qi general, the other was the Prince of Rui from Great Liang. To put it bluntly, with Great Liang’s national strength, even a Ming Qi princess marrying the Prince of Rui would be considered marrying above her station, let alone someone like her. And if she did marry into Great Liang, how would the Shen family’s position be maintained? It was truly a difficult matter.

Shen Miao was lost in her thoughts with a solemn gaze when Luo Tan suddenly pushed her. She came back to her senses and heard Luo Tan say, “What are you thinking about so intently that you didn’t even answer my question?”

Shen Miao asked, “What did you ask me?”

Luo Tan looked at her somewhat helplessly, and after a while, she said, “I asked you, among these suitors, who do you prefer the most?”

Shen Miao was taken aback, but Luo Tan had already started counting on her fingers: “Cousin Ling is gentle and considerate, and we know him well. Su Mingfeng is deeply in love with you, and Madam Su also likes you very much. Feng Zixian also seems to be a refined and reasonable person, and with Feng Anning’s protection, you would live well. These three men could certainly be counted among the talented youth.” Luo Tan leaned closer to Shen Miao, carefully observing her expression: “Don’t you like any of them?”

Shen Miao laughed: “No.”

Luo Tan sat up straight and advised earnestly: “Little cousin, that’s not right. Although striving for perfection is good, setting your standards too high isn’t good either. From what I’ve seen these days, these three are among the finest talents in the capital. If they were in Xiao Chun City, girls would be fighting fiercely even for the position of a concubine. Yet all three of these men have agreed not to take concubines.”

She looked at Shen Miao for a moment, then shook her head and sighed: “But thinking about it, it makes sense. I’ve observed that you don’t show any particular interest in any of these three men, so you probably haven’t developed feelings. I’ve read in novels that when a girl falls in love, her face turns red as a sunset, and her heart races like a startled deer. The deer in your heart hasn’t been born yet, has it?”

Shen Miao couldn’t help but laugh at Luo Tan’s jumbled speech and said, “What nonsense are you talking about? Why are you so concerned about my affairs? Are you sick?”

“Speaking of which,” Luo Tan covered her throat, “my throat has been very dry these past few days. I probably caught a chill from going out at night. I wanted to find Doctor Gao to examine me, but I haven’t seen even his shadow these days.” Luo Tan was somewhat dissatisfied: “What kind of doctor has no medical ethics!”

Shen Miao was speechless. Putting aside the fact that Gao Yang’s true identity was a court official from Great Liang, even in Ming Qi, he was still an imperial physician. To have him regularly check on minor ailments like headaches and fevers was something only Luo Tan would do.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Shen Dongling was busy dressing up in her mansion. Today, she deliberately dressed extraordinarily simply, almost to the point of not wearing any makeup. She wore a pale yellow, hundred-pleated long dress made of exquisite fabric. Her accessories were also simple, mainly consisting of jade ornaments.

Xinghua looked her over from left to right and said, “Why is Madam dressing so simply today? Although Madam is naturally beautiful, when going out, wouldn’t it be better to appear more glamorous?”

“What do you know?” Shen Dongling examined the beauty in the mirror. She was born with good looks, very much resembling Concubine Wan’s delicate charm in her younger days. Even such simple clothes looked quite charming on her. Perhaps because she was now a married woman, she had gained a certain indefinable allure.

The servants in the mansion sometimes whispered privately, saying Shen Dongling looked like a concubine. The mistresses of wealthy households were mostly upright, generous in appearance, round and blessed, looking honest. Shen Dongling, however, had large eyes and a pointed chin, as pretty as a fox—the typical appearance of a concubine. Madam Wang and the old master Wang also had some complaints about this, but since Wang Bi liked it, everything else could be ignored.

Shen Dongling examined herself for a moment, then pulled out the jade hairpin from her head and replaced it with a plain silver one.

Seeing this, Xinghua wanted to say something but hesitated.

Shen Dongling said, “Don’t think too much about it. Recently, I’m not the main character. If I dress too flamboyantly, I’ll steal someone else’s limelight. I won’t do such a foolish thing. There will be plenty of opportunities to compete for beauty; I can miss this one.”

Hearing this, Xinghua said, “Madam is naturally beautiful. Even without trying, you are still of superior beauty.”

Shen Dongling was pleased by these words, but what pleased her more wasn’t Xinghua’s flattery. Today was the day to make the Qin Crown Prince “fall in love at first sight” with Shen Miao. She was merely a supporting character; the more she appeared plain and unassuming, the more it would highlight Shen Miao’s ethereal grace, making this “match” seem more natural.

But since this “good match” needed many witnesses, the more people, the better. Wang Bi would also be there. This way, it would constantly remind the Crown Prince that Wang Bi deserved the most credit for this beautiful affair.

Shen Dongling stood up and glanced at the invitation card again. The time on the card was the hour of Si (9-11 AM), which was still quite early. She said, “Let’s have breakfast with my husband first, and then go to Yi Feng Pavilion. The timing will be just right.”

What she didn’t know was that while she was still going to have breakfast with Wang Bi, Huang Fu Hao had already left.

The incense appreciation was set at Yi Feng Pavilion, a pavilion in a suburban mountain town of the capital. It had once been a scenic spot renovated by the late Emperor for the late Empress. Situated at Yi Feng Pavilion, one could overlook a deep canyon below and be close to the blue sky above. Wealthy and cultured people often enjoyed appreciating incense at Yi Feng Pavilion. When a stick of incense was lit, and a gentle breeze blew, the scent would rise to the heavens, giving people a sense of vastness.

Although it was now winter, the canyon below was conveniently covered in silver snow, making the discussion of incense over snow an especially interesting experience.

Huang Fu Hao looked at the exquisitely made invitation card and smiled derisively. To “fall in love at first sight” with an official’s daughter in such a beautiful place sounded nice. However, it was merely benefiting others; he was just playing along with the act.

Huang Fu Hao’s guard came over to say that the carriage was ready and they could depart. Only then did Huang Fu Hao frown slightly and walk toward the mansion gate. No matter what, the invitation had been sent, insisting that he arrive at Yi Feng Pavilion by the hour of Chen (7-9 AM), which was too early. It forced him to wake up at dawn.

But to play the role properly, despite his dissatisfaction, Huang Fu Hao had to comply.

Yi Feng Pavilion was in the suburbs, some distance from the capital city. They had to set off at the crack of dawn, and after reaching the suburbs, there was still a considerable mountain path. Fortunately, wealthy families had specially constructed a road suitable for carriages, otherwise, it would have been much more difficult. Even so, after reaching Yi Feng Pavilion, it still took quite a while.

Huang Fu Hao instructed his guards to stay halfway up the mountain while he continued forward alone. This wasn’t for any other reason except that the invitation had specifically instructed him not to bring guards. The more guards, the less natural this “marriage alliance” would seem. Besides, the Crown Prince would arrive earlier to discuss important matters with Huang Fu Hao, and having too many people would be inconvenient.

Huang Fu Hao wasn’t afraid of any mishap. First, this place would certainly have other guards stationed by the Crown Prince, so assassins weren’t a concern. Second, the Crown Prince wouldn’t harm him. With so many people watching, and everyone at the Qin Prince’s mansion knowing he had gone to meet the Crown Prince, if anything happened to him, the Crown Prince couldn’t escape responsibility.

Therefore, Huang Fu Hao confidently left his guards behind and went up alone.

However, there’s no medicine for regret in this world. Huang Fu Hao would soon pay a life-long remorseful price for his self-assured decision.

While Huang Fu Hao was climbing up from the mountain’s waist, the Crown Prince and his guards were also heading toward Yi Feng Pavilion from another path. The two of them were precisely at a distance where one was ahead and one behind, not far apart, but because they were on different paths and coming from different directions, they just missed each other.

Two incense sticks later, Huang Fu Hao arrived at Yi Feng Pavilion.

In the long pavilion of Yi Feng Pavilion, someone was already seated. When that person saw Huang Fu Hao, he immediately stood up—it was the Crown Prince.

Huang Fu Hao was somewhat surprised, not expecting the Crown Prince to arrive before him. With this in mind, the requirement on the invitation card to arrive at the hour of Chen suddenly didn’t seem so unreasonable, since the other party had come even earlier.

He looked around and asked, “Where is everyone else?”

Since they were supposed to start a “love at first sight” drama, if the others hadn’t arrived, how would the show begin?

The Crown Prince smiled and said, “No rush, no rush. The reason I called you here so early today is because I have some words I want to say to you privately.”

Huang Fu Hao found it a bit strange but didn’t think too much about it. His guards were just at the mountain’s waist and could come up if needed. Seeing that the Crown Prince’s guards were by his side, he thought nothing could go wrong, so he asked, “Please speak.”

The Crown Prince walked up to Huang Fu Hao and said, “Doesn’t Prince Huang Fu find it strange why I asked you to come so early today, and why I wanted your guards to stay at the mountain’s waist?”

“Probably because you have something important to discuss.” Huang Fu Hao was a bit impatient with the Crown Prince’s indirect approach. Now that they had reached this point, there was no need to hide anything if they had something to say.

“Doesn’t Prince Huang Fu think this is very much like someone trying to silence a witness?” the Crown Prince asked.

Huang Fu Hao laughed heartily and said, “Joking is not your style.”

The Crown Prince didn’t answer. Huang Fu Hao turned to look at him and felt his heart skip a beat.

The Crown Prince’s expression was calm, with no other movement, but this very calmness suddenly gave Huang Fu Hao a deep sense of unease. He suddenly felt a chill running down his spine. But why would the Crown Prince want to silence him? Unless the Crown Prince could kill all the servants in the Qin Prince’s mansion, he couldn’t escape responsibility. Moreover, Huang Fu Hao still couldn’t figure out why the Crown Prince would want to kill him.

But before he could get an answer, he saw the Crown Prince’s gaze flicker slightly. Huang Fu Hao’s heart jolted, and he instinctively dodged to the side, barely avoiding a silver sword light thrusting from behind.

That was the Crown Prince’s guard!

Huang Fu Hao was both shocked and frightened, finally realizing something was wrong. The Crown Prince had brought his guards, while his guards were left halfway up the mountain. Huang Fu Hao couldn’t understand why the Crown Prince would attempt to kill him, which was why he had so easily fallen into the trap. He angrily shouted, “What are you trying to do?”

The Crown Prince looked at him expressionlessly: “I apologize.”

Several guards simultaneously pounced on Huang Fu Hao. In desperation, Huang Fu Hao shouted, “Fu Xiuyan! You harm me! Qin will not let this go! Fu Xiuyan!”

Fu Xiuyan was the Crown Prince’s name.

His voice abruptly ceased. The sword that pierced his chest was like a silver snake, emitting a cold white light, and the slowly seeping blood congealed with the thin ice on the ground.

Yi Feng Pavilion backed onto a great canyon. Huang Fu Hao’s final angry roar, using his entire life force, echoed down, lingering.

Layer upon layer, like ripples spreading across water.

On the other side, the Crown Prince and his entourage, who were heading toward Yi Feng Pavilion, suddenly stopped. They were on the shaded downhill path, and the echo was not very clear. The Crown Prince frowned and asked, “Was someone just calling my name?”

The guards looked at each other in confusion, all claiming they couldn’t hear clearly.

The Crown Prince thought for a moment and then said, “I probably misheard.”

Under heaven, besides the Emperor and Empress, no one dared to call his full name. Besides, Yi Feng Pavilion should be empty at this moment. The invitation cards for everyone specified the hour of Si, but the Crown Prince had always had a habit of arriving early, so he had set out at the hour of Chen. He should be the first to arrive.

Thinking this way, he concluded that it was just an auditory hallucination. But for some unknown reason, the Crown Prince felt a vague sense of unease rising in his heart. He involuntarily quickened his pace.

When he arrived at Yi Feng Pavilion, from a distance, he saw someone sitting with their back to him in the pavilion. Judging by the silhouette, it was Huang Fu Hao. The Crown Prince was somewhat surprised, never expecting Huang Fu Hao to arrive so early. He smiled and greeted him: “I didn’t expect Prince Huang Fu to come so—”

Before the word “early” could leave his mouth, just as the Crown Prince’s hand patted Huang Fu Hao’s shoulder, Huang Fu Hao fell straight down with a “thud.” The Crown Prince was startled and immediately reached out to pull Huang Fu Hao up. As he pulled, Huang Fu Hao’s face turned toward him, and the Crown Prince screamed “Ah!” and immediately let go.

Huang Fu Hao’s eyes were wide open, his mouth agape, appearing extremely angry and shocked. However, his clothes were wet and cold because the silver robe at his chest had been dyed red with large patches of fresh blood.

“What’s going on?” The Crown Prince panicked, his mind instantly going blank. Huang Fu Hao was dead?

How could this be possible?

Before he could react to this situation, a large group of people suddenly rushed in from outside, all dressed as guards. Seeing Huang Fu Hao lying on the ground, lifeless, they angrily shouted at the Crown Prince: “How dare you! You plotted to murder the Crown Prince! Your life for his!” Without another word, they charged at the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince had brought his guards, who naturally couldn’t let the Crown Prince be harmed, so they engaged in a battle with those guards. At this point, the Crown Prince finally understood that these people drawing swords against him were Huang Fu Hao’s guards. But where had Huang Fu Hao’s guards been earlier? Why did they only rush out now?

The Crown Prince still tried to explain, shouting: “I just arrived at this place! When I arrived, Prince Huang Fu was already harmed. It was not my doing!”

One of the leading guards heard this and said hatefully: “Nonsense! Earlier, we were waiting halfway up the mountain as ordered by the Crown Prince. We heard the Crown Prince personally shout that it was you who harmed him! We couldn’t arrive immediately due to the distance, but now with both witness and evidence, how can you deny it?” With that, he charged forward again with his sword.

While being protected by his guards, the Crown Prince was dumbfounded. Huang Fu Hao had shouted that he had harmed him?

This was simply ridiculous!

He had just arrived, and Huang Fu Hao was already dead. Why would Huang Fu Hao implicate him? Wait… The Crown Prince’s heart suddenly stirred. Before reaching Yi Feng Pavilion, he seemed to have heard someone calling his name. He had been on the shaded mountainside and couldn’t hear clearly. Could it not have been an illusion but reality?

But how could Huang Fu Hao have called out his name?

The Crown Prince’s mind was in chaos, but he still insisted: “I just arrived here. How could I have harmed him?”

“Ming Qi dogs! You lured our Crown Prince out and specified in the invitation that he should leave us halfway up the mountain, all to facilitate your poisonous scheme! If this revenge is not taken, Qin has lived in vain!”

The Crown Prince was thunderstruck.

The invitation to Huang Fu Hao had been personally written by him, intended to make the “love at first sight” scenario more natural and authentic. The Crown Prince had invited Huang Fu Hao to appreciate incense, which happened to be a stick of incense that Wang Bi had found by chance. Who knew that Wang Bi’s new wife, “not knowing better,” would also invite her sister to see something novel. The four of them would accidentally gather together, and subsequent events would naturally unfold.

But the invitation had never mentioned anything about “leaving his guards halfway up the mountain.”

A guard shielded the Crown Prince and said, “Your Highness, we can’t hold on. These people are fighting with no regard for their lives. Your Highness should leave first.”

The Crown Prince looked up at the opposing side. Huang Fu Hao was dead, and the dead couldn’t be brought back to life. Those guards probably knew that with their master dead, even if they returned to Qin, they would be punished by the Qin Emperor for failing to protect the Crown Prince, ultimately facing death anyway. They might as well place all the blame on the Crown Prince and were now determined to die together with him.

Their attacks were vicious, while the Crown Prince’s guards still had to protect him, making it difficult to resist. The Crown Prince hesitated. If he left without resolving everything, it would almost be an admission of guilt. But if he didn’t leave, seeing the fierce onslaught of the attackers, the Crown Prince wasn’t sure if he could safely return alive.

He bit his lip, looked once more at Huang Fu Hao on the ground, and with a hardened heart, said: “Let’s go!”

The events that occurred at Yi Feng Pavilion were still unknown to those outside.

Shen Dongling and Wang Bi sat in their carriage, which was still on the way up the mountain, some distance from the foot of the mountain. Today they were merely coming to “witness,” and arriving too early would be inappropriate. Moreover, the distance from the Shen residence to Yi Feng Pavilion was greater, and if Shen Miao hadn’t gone, it would be inconvenient for them to arrive early and interrupt the Crown Prince and Huang Fu Hao’s conversation. So Wang Bi had instructed the carriage to deliberately go slower.

Shen Dongling nestled in Wang Bi’s embrace and smiled, “Husband seems to be in a good mood today.”

Wang Bi held her close: “Having married a beauty, my mood is naturally good.” Just thinking about how his standing in the Crown Prince’s heart would rise after today, Wang Bi couldn’t help but feel immensely proud.

Although the Outer Courtier Lang’s mansion was filthy rich from the private salt business, it was secretly wealthy, constantly having to guard against discovery by vigilant people who might report them, implicating the entire household. People always need to look forward. In the past, Wang Bi had taken a steady, step-by-step approach, but when money was no longer lacking, power became somewhat important.

He also wanted to rise meteorically.

Wang Bi was the Crown Prince’s man. Initially, among the princes, although the Crown Prince held the title of legitimacy, he wasn’t particularly outstanding. But now, with other princes fighting for power, the Emperor would value the Crown Prince more, finding him easier to control. With the Emperor intending to support the Crown Prince, the Crown Prince gradually changed his former style, and consequently, those who followed the Crown Prince also gradually developed ambitious aspirations.

In addition, Wang Bi glanced at the beauty in his arms. After marrying Shen Dongling, he increasingly felt that his previous cautious approach, though stable, didn’t easily allow him to rise above others. After decades of hard work, people would be old—what was the point?

Shen Dongling seemed to align with his interests, always seeming to encourage him to do things he hadn’t dared to imagine before. Wang Bi was very grateful in his heart. Now, if only Shen Miao’s matter succeeded, the Crown Prince would have a better chance of inheriting the throne. When one person rises, even the chickens and dogs ascend to heaven—he would also rise to prominence.

While thinking about this, the carriage suddenly stopped.

Wang Bi lifted the curtain and asked, “What’s happening?”

A guard ran over. Wang Bi recognized him as someone from the Crown Prince’s side. The Crown Prince had sent this person to relay messages to Wang Bi several times, so Wang Bi was fairly familiar with him.

However, at this moment, the man’s expression was truly unsightly. Not only that, but his clothes were also somewhat disheveled. He waved at Wang Bi and said, “Master Wang, something has happened.”

Inside the carriage, Shen Dongling heard this and paused.