Shen Xihe glanced at her, letting her pace around scratching her head anxiously, while unhurriedly finishing the last stitch, burying the thread end, and removing the needle. Only then did she say, “His Majesty won’t issue a marriage decree next time.”
“How can you be so certain?” It wasn’t that Bu Shulin didn’t trust Shen Xihe, but this was truly a serious matter.
“You should thank Young Master Cui.” Shen Xihe smiled gently. “His Majesty trusts Young Master Cui, and Cui certainly hasn’t contradicted anything about his relationship with you before His Majesty. Otherwise, how could they so easily believe you suddenly prefer men?”
“Even if His Majesty believes I prefer men, his wariness of the Bu family, and his concern for appearances made it difficult to grant the Third Princess’s marriage to me. Now that Princess Yangling actively pursues me, putting on the appearance of marrying no one but me, if His Majesty isn’t rushing to arrange the marriage, it’s just to save face. Eventually, he’ll surely give in to Princess Yangling’s ‘devoted love’ and grant her wish.” By then, she would be in danger.
“He won’t,” Shen Xihe said calmly. “His Majesty has already harbored thoughts of killing you, so he won’t sacrifice another princess. Though His Majesty may not have a kind father’s heart, he is still human, still a father.”
“Youyou?” Bu Shulin didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. “You think there’s anything His Majesty won’t do for the sake of the empire? If he truly had a father’s heart, he wouldn’t have married Lady Gu to Prince Xin. If he can use his son without mercy, what more of a princess?”
“How do you know His Majesty isn’t testing Prince Xin?” Shen Xihe smiled faintly.
Bu Shulin was stunned. She thought carefully – it did seem possible. The Crown Prince was frail and destined for an early death, so who would inherit the throne in the future? His Majesty must have considered this question. From Bu Shulin’s understanding of the princes, Prince Xin and Prince Jing were undoubtedly the best choices.
“If that’s truly the case, Prince Xin has likely lost his chance at the throne,” Bu Shulin said.
Since the Gu family’s downfall and Lady Gu Qingzhi’s death, Prince Xin’s every action had openly or secretly opposed His Majesty.
He ultimately couldn’t overcome this emotional hurdle. Thinking of this, Bu Shulin was puzzled: “Actually, having sacrificed so much already, why not pretend not to care about what was lost? Why not at least pretend to have gotten over it and become His Majesty’s qualified heir?”
“Each has their aspirations,” Shen Xihe didn’t wish to continue this topic. “Regarding Princess Yangling’s matter, you needn’t worry. I want to draw out someone behind her. If His Majesty truly changes his mind and decrees the marriage, I’ll ensure your marriage cannot proceed, and you’ll be completely blameless. His Majesty might even feel guilty toward you, and perhaps compensate you by letting you meet the King of Shunan.”
“Really?” Bu Shulin was amazed and very curious about how Shen Xihe would accomplish this.
Meeting her inquiring gaze, Shen Xihe merely smiled without speaking.
“Alright, alright, I trust you. I’ll just let her keep pursuing me.” Bu Shulin particularly hated dealing with women, especially women like Princess Yangling who would burst into tears at the slightest raised voice!
Why couldn’t more women in this world be like Shen Xihe and herself, shedding blood but not tears?
“If she keeps pursuing you, go find Young Master Cui,” Shen Xihe suggested, with a fleeting mischievous glint in her eyes that even she didn’t notice.
“Find Stone Cui?” Bu Shulin shook her head. “She’s different from the Third Princess. She doesn’t care at all whether I prefer men. Even if I went to a brothel, she’d be brazen enough to follow.”
Shen Xihe raised an eyebrow – she had underestimated the Fifth Princess’s determination. “Just go find Young Master Cui. He will certainly help you deal with her.”
“Since when did Stone Cui become so kind-hearted?” Bu Shulin found it hard to believe. “He’s probably eager to laugh at my predicament. Besides, he’s always so proper – how could he be disrespectful to a princess?”
“If you trust me, give it a try,” Shen Xihe smiled meaningfully.
She couldn’t discern romantic feelings, but when Bu Shulin had previously said Cui Jin Bai had feelings for her, it had made her doubtful. How could Cui Jin Bai have feelings for her?
If so, why would Bu Shulin say such a thing? It must be that Cui Jin Bai had shown something that Bu Shulin had misinterpreted. That day when Bu Shulin took her horseback riding and Cui Jin Bai came with Xiao Fuxing, she paid attention and noticed that Cui Jin Bai treated Bu Shulin differently.
However, she could be certain that Cui Jin Bai hadn’t discovered Bu Shulin’s female identity. Whether this different treatment was because Cui Jin Bai truly had special preferences, Shen Xihe couldn’t know, so she dared not point it out.
Perhaps Cui Jin Bai just considered Bu Shulin a friend, the kind who shared everything. If she spoke carelessly, wouldn’t it cause discord between them? Regardless, Cui Jin Bai was of excellent character – Shen Xihe wasn’t worried Bu Shulin would fall victim to any schemes. Let them uncover the truth themselves.
Bu Shulin felt that Shen Xihe’s smile wasn’t entirely kind, but also believed she wouldn’t harm her. Half-believing, on a day when she wasn’t on duty, as soon as she saw Princess Yangling, she ran straight to the Ministry of Justice, directly to Cui Jin Bai’s office.
Cui Jin Bai was reviewing case files. Seeing her, he barely lifted his eyes, paying her no attention.
“Stone Cui, your love rival is here,” Bu Shulin immediately said something shocking.
Cui Jin Bai put down his book and asked her, “Do you know what ‘love rival’ means?”
“Of course! Everyone in the capital knows we’re lovers. Now Princess Yangling pursues me all day – aren’t you two love rivals?” Bu Shulin’s face showed contempt at his apparent ignorance.
“You and I…” The words “lovers” were too much for Cui Jin Bai, a well-read young master from a noble family, to say. “It’s all your rumor-mongering. The Princess’s affection for you has nothing to do with me.”
Bu Shulin’s eyes widened in disbelief: “You ungrateful man! When you needed me, you didn’t deny it, letting others misunderstand. Now that no one’s forcing marriage on you, you don’t care what happens to me?”
Cui Jin Bai let her accuse him and picked up his case files again.
Angered, Bu Shulin glared at him. After glaring for a long while with Cui Jin Bai showing no reaction, Bu Shulin simply stayed put, refusing to leave. She didn’t believe Princess Yangling would dare barge into Cui Jin Bai’s office.
Reality proved that Bu Shulin had underestimated Princess Yangling. Though she didn’t intrude into Cui Jin Bai’s office, she remained at the Ministry of Justice, refusing to leave.
This forced the Minister of Justice to accompany her, fearing something might happen to this noble princess. This severely disrupted the Ministry’s work efficiency, so the Minister called Cui Jin Bai over to instruct him to send Bu Shulin away.
After hearing this, Cui Jin Bai went straight to the main hall and bowed to Princess Yangling, who sat formally to one side: “Your Highness, this is the Ministry of Justice, a place where common people seek justice and redress grievances. If Your Highness has no case to report, your extended presence here may discourage civilians from coming to report cases. This humble official would have to report to His Majesty, asking for his forgiveness for the Ministry’s inefficiency.”
Princess Yangling bit her lip. She now feared Shen Xihe and only by constantly following Bu Shulin could she prevent Shen Xihe from taking action: “Isn’t Young Master Bu also staying here?”
“Young Master Bu is assisting this humble official with a case,” Cui Jin Bai said with complete seriousness.