On a beautiful mid-autumn day, under a crystal-clear sky, dragon and phoenix-adorned roof ridges and qilin-decorated beams stood hidden among brilliant yellow Pingzhong leaves.
As the melancholy wind blew, butterfly-like leaves spiraled down, forming a golden carpet on the ground. Elegant upturned shoes made rustling sounds walking across it, while flowing skirts brushed past, lifting a few fallen leaves into butterfly-like dance.
After Shen Xihe sat down, Xiao Huayong brewed her Pingzhong leaf tea. As he had said, the tea was glossy blue-green, with a pure fragrance wafting about. The fresh scent of Pingzhong leaves came with the rising steam, causing Shen Xihe’s expression to soften.
She eagerly picked up the cup, inhaled deeply for a moment, and took a small sip. She had expected bitterness followed by sweetness, but instead found it smooth with a lingering sweetness, making her take another sip.
“Your Highness has ingenious thoughts; this tea has a unique flavor.” Shen Xihe, who usually disliked tea, found herself strangely drawn to this taste.
“If the Princess enjoys it, the effort wasn’t wasted. I have plenty more here, I’ll have some sent back with you later.” Xiao Huayong’s eyes danced with gentle laughter.
“Thank you, Your Highness.” Shen Xihe didn’t refuse.
Firstly, she genuinely liked the taste. Secondly, it wouldn’t be appropriate to ask for the preparation method – she hadn’t planned to be distant before, and now even less so.
Thirdly, she had come today to help Xiao Huayong. She had a feeling that if she refused the tea, Xiao Huayong might refuse Ah Xi’s help with his eyes.
It seemed illogical and somewhat amusing, but Shen Xihe inexplicably felt certain about this. She didn’t want to test her theory, lest Xiao Huayong react that way. If she then accepted the tea afterward, he might misinterpret it as her softening toward him.
Her insistence on having Ah Xi treat Xiao Huayong’s eyes was her way of trying to owe him less.
“Today I’ve brought some live bees, so Ah Xi can treat Your Highness’s eyes with bee stings,” Shen Xihe was characteristically straightforward.
Xiao Huayong’s gaze fell on the special medical box Ah Xi carried, from which buzzing sounds could be heard.
“Your Highness, live bee stings are more effective, though they are somewhat painful,” Ah Xi said softly. “We could use acupuncture needles instead.”
How could Xiao Huayong show fear of pain in front of Shen Xihe? Of course not!
“Let’s use the live bees,” Xiao Huayong said.
“Please lie down in the inner chamber, Your Highness.”
Shen Xihe couldn’t appropriately follow, so she could only wait here, enjoying the tea snacks Xiao Huayong had prepared.
Half an hour passed before she saw Xiao Huayong again. His eyes were now surrounded by small black dots, identical to the mole at the corner of his eye, giving him a somewhat festive appearance.
Shen Xihe couldn’t help but twitch her lips.
“If Youyou want to laugh, just laugh. If it can amuse Youyou, I don’t mind my appearance being less than perfect.” Xiao Huayong touched the mole at the corner of his eye with his little finger, a seductive charm flowing from his fingertip to his eye corner.
Shen Xihe’s smile faded as she became serious: “Your Highness, was the ancestral temple incident meant to force out Prince Xun?”
“Youyou are clever, I assume you’ve already figured out the reason,” Xiao Huayong nodded. “The one leading His Majesty’s private army is indeed Prince Xun.”
“Was Prince Xun forced back to the capital by Your Highness?” Shen Xihe had always been confused – Prince Xun must have been with His Majesty’s private army, and these people, including Prince Xun, shouldn’t leave their posts without imperial orders.
“The old Duchess is gravely ill, likely not long for this world,” Xiao Huayong said. “I let Prince Xun receive this news; whether to return or not was his choice.”
Xiao Huayong didn’t know where His Majesty’s private army was, nor Prince Xun’s location. It took him five years to find someone who could pass messages to Prince Xun.
He let this person know that the old Duchess was elderly and gravely ill, this time beyond hope of recovery. As a son, whether to return was his own choice.
Caught between loyalty and filial piety, Prince Xun had faked his death ten years ago, and his Princess Consort had passed away shortly after from excessive grief. His mother had struggled to maintain the Prince’s manor, raising his son to become today’s Prince Xun.
Shen Xihe had met this royal prince in his thirties, who held a sinecure position in the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs. He was a strong, martial man with exceptional skills, quite similar to his father’s imposing manner. If Shen Xihe wasn’t mistaken, Xiao Zhangfeng was the one Emperor Youning had favored to take over the Northwest.
“Your Highness seized the perfect timing,” Shen Xihe said softly.
His Majesty happened to be on the autumn hunt – Prince Xun might not have risked it at another time. His Majesty had taken most of the high officials with him, making the capital safest at this time.
“Perfect timing?” Xiao Huayong laughed lightly. “Doesn’t the Princess suspect this timing was orchestrated by me?”
Shen Xihe looked up, her obsidian-like eyes piercing as she gazed at Xiao Huayong: “Prince Xun is no ordinary person. Since he returned, it means the old Duchess’s illness wasn’t artificially induced.
If Your Highness wanted to extract information from Prince Xun, you absolutely couldn’t harm the old Duchess. Otherwise, once Prince Xun fell into your hands, he would realize Your Highness had schemed against him – that would become a blood debt for killing his mother.”
“I thought the Princess would say that I am pure-hearted and wouldn’t use the elderly and weak as pawns, using innocent people in schemes,” Xiao Huayong said with a slight smile.
“The elderly and weak? Innocent people?” Shen Xihe shook her head with a light laugh. “Your Highness, on the path to imperial power, when one person is involved, their entire clan cannot remain uninvolved.”
There are no innocents on the path to imperial power. Those who are soft-hearted have no right to walk this path – one misstep doesn’t doom just one person, but potentially nine generations of family.
“In that case, would the Princess harm the old Duchess to draw out Prince Xun?” Xiao Huayong asked in surprise.
He had known she was different from other ladies but hadn’t expected her views to be so unique.
“Your Highness, Prince Xun’s special forces, built over ten years, are aimed at the Northwest. If I confirmed he was the leader, with no other options, I would have to use such desperate measures to lure him out,” Shen Xihe said without hesitation. “As for whether the old Duchess’s life would be required, that would depend on how easily Prince Xun could be fooled.”
When interests conflict and each serves their own master, it’s all about survival.
“Acting this way, I wouldn’t fear Prince Xun’s revenge,” Shen Xihe took another sip of tea. “If someday someone uses my loved ones in a scheme to trap me, they need only be prepared to face my retaliation.”
“The Princess sees things.” The smile in Xiao Huayong’s eyes deepened – they were similar people.
“I know the old Duchess’s illness wasn’t Your Highness’s doing,” Shen Xihe returned to the main topic.
“Yes, no one tampered with the old Duchess’s illness. However, His Majesty’s autumn hunt was delayed by half a month compared to previous years, and I put in considerable effort for that,” Xiao Huayong said. “So it wasn’t merely perfect timing.”
If not for Xiao Zhangqing’s military funds issue, he would have also prepared a grand gift for His Majesty, necessarily delaying His Majesty’s autumn hunt until the old Duchess was near her end.
“Your Highness plans meticulously; Zhaoning is impressed,” Shen Xihe praised before asking, “Is Prince Xun in Your Highness’s custody?”
Before the autumn hunt, Shen Xihe certainly wouldn’t have asked so directly. Now that they had decided to marry, she viewed Xiao Huayong as someone walking the same path.