“Is the Princess going to Linchuan?”

The next day, Xie Yunhuai came to examine Shen Xihe again. By then, both inside and outside the palace knew about Shen Xihe’s plans to visit Linchuan.

“Yes, my cousin is getting married,” Shen Xihe wasn’t wearing any makeup today. Her natural, unpainted eyebrows gave her an air of casual comfort.

“The Princess seems very happy about it,” Xie Yunhuai could sense her joy.

Shen Xihe lowered her eyes gently, her expression relaxed and her pupils bright: “My uncle and aunt treat me like their own daughter, and my cousin and I are as close as real siblings.”

During the time she spent at her uncle’s home, those were some of her happiest and most relaxed days. While she was certainly precious and pampered in the Northwest, where her father and brother made every effort to spend time with her, at her younger uncle’s home in Linchuan she had her aunt, three older male cousins, younger male cousin, and little brother cousin to keep her company.

Every day was lively and bustling. Even though she couldn’t move around much or overexert herself, those naturally energetic young men would set aside their friends and spend each day talking with her, running around at her bidding.

Seeing her smile so purely and sweetly was rare, and Xie Yunhuai asked, “The Princess likes Linchuan, doesn’t she?”

After careful consideration, Shen Xihe shook her head slightly: “Besides the Northwest, all places are the same to me. What’s different are the people.”

She liked that place because the people she cared about were there.

“The Princess’s health has recovered extremely well. You can still take the Bone-Shedding Pills six more times. After you finish them, you mustn’t suddenly stop taking supplements. I’ve prepared some nourishing medicine pills here – take them after you finish the Bone-Shedding Pills, one pill every two days, and you must still take them with the medicinal soup. I’ve prepared more of that as well.”

Xie Yunhuai brought up a medicine box and opened it, explaining each item to Shen Xihe one by one: “There are also some hemostatic medicines here, healing medicines, and medicines for dealing with climate change…”

After a pause, Xie Yunhuai pointed to two jade-green medicine bottles: “These contain poison. This bottle is lethal – taking it will cause immediate death. This bottle takes two days after consumption for the poison to take effect.”

Shen Xihe felt touched. She had entered the palace yesterday to request permission to leave the capital, and Xie Yunhuai couldn’t have received the news until late afternoon at the earliest. He must have prepared these overnight: “Thank you, Doctor Qi.”

Xie Yunhuai organized his medicine box: “I hope the Princess brings me some local specialties from Linchuan when she returns.”

“Certainly,” Shen Xihe agreed with a smile, then added cautiously, “Doctor Qi, please be careful in the capital.”

“The matter between me and the Duke’s mansion should be settled. The Princess needn’t worry about me,” Xie Yunhuai picked up his medicine box, “The Princess should be careful too.”

“Would Doctor Qi like to stay for a farewell meal at the mansion today?” Shen Xihe asked with a smile.

“I prefer welcome-back meals. I’ll host one for the Princess when you return,” Xie Yunhuai declined politely.

Shen Xihe didn’t insist and personally saw him out.

Soon after, the people sent by Emperor Youning arrived. To Shen Xihe’s great surprise, the Emperor had assigned fifty guards to escort and protect her on her journey, with no other interference.

Shen Xihe had prepared some wedding gifts. Her elder uncle Tao Yuan had gone to Linchuan half a month ago with her first and second cousins to help arrange the wedding.

She had thought Xiao Huayong would do something or send some people, but by the time of departure the next day, she hadn’t seen anyone from the Eastern Palace. While she wasn’t dissatisfied or disappointed, Hong Yu, who had been full of expectations for Xiao Huayong, began looking unwell as soon as the carriage left the city. Shen Xihe couldn’t help but shake her head at the sight.

After leaving the capital and traveling for half a day, the dozing Duanming suddenly meowed. Shen Xihe lifted the carriage curtain but saw nothing unusual. Then Duanming became very agitated and tried to run outside, but Shen Xihe held it back. Suddenly, a large shadow flashed past her peripheral vision. When Shen Xihe lifted the curtain again, she saw the disappearing silhouette of a gyrfalcon.

“There, stop sulking. Your Prince has come,” Shen Xihe turned to Hong Yu.

Hong Yu’s face paled as she fell to her knees: “Princess, please don’t scare your servant like that. How could the Prince be mine! I just felt that given how attentive the Prince usually is, and now that the Princess is leaving the capital, even Doctor Qi prepared gifts for the Princess, yet the Prince showed no reaction at all as if he doesn’t care about the Princess at all.”

“When have I ever cared about him?” Shen Xihe never made unreasonable demands. Even if she truly cared about Xiao Huayong, she wouldn’t expect him to care about her in everything.

Hearing this, Hong Yu felt heartache for her mistress. Her mistress was perfect in every way, except that she thought too clearly about everything.

When they stopped at the post station, as Shen Xihe was getting down from the carriage, a pair of hands reached out to help her. These hands were slender and fair, with strong joints, and most notably, two fingernails were particularly short, clearly not properly grown.

Shen Xihe paused briefly. Though she usually refused help from others, she placed her hand on his. As she descended, she felt the arm beneath her hand tense with full strength, as if worried she might be unsteady.

“What’s your name?” After getting down, Shen Xihe withdrew her hand and asked.

Xiao Huayong had deliberately exposed his fingernails so she would recognize him: “This humble servant is Teng Jing, Chief Historian of the Imperial Guards.”

“Come to my room later, I have some matters to instruct you about,” Shen Xihe casually ordered as she placed her hand on her chest and walked away.

“Yes,” Xiao Huayong responded softly.

Shen Xihe had a simple evening meal at the post station before going to her assigned room. There weren’t enough rooms for all the guards accompanying her, so they had to camp outside.

Shortly after Shen Xihe sat down, Xiao Huayong arrived. As she stood up to bow, he quickly stopped her: “Youyou, no need for formalities. No one knows I’m here.”

Shen Xihe didn’t insist, but Zhenzhu and the others quickly bowed. Xiao Huayong waved them off and handed a box to Shen Xihe: “Youyou, this journey holds some dangers. Though I don’t wish you to go, I don’t want to force you either. Teng Jing is trustworthy. Keep this item well – it can save your life in danger, and if… if you think of me, you can use it to send a message.”

After speaking, Xiao Huayong looked at Shen Xihe with barely concealed expectation.

Shen Xihe opened the box and found, as she had expected, a whistle that appeared to be carved from white jade. It wasn’t jade but bone, though she couldn’t identify what kind of bone from its patterns.

“What if I don’t accept it?” Shen Xihe truly didn’t want to take it.

“If Youyou doesn’t want the gyrfalcon’s protection, and I can’t rest easy, then I’ll have no choice but to… provide personal protection,” he deliberately leaned in, whispering the last four words by her ear, in a voice only they could hear.

“Your Highness is different today from usual. You mustn’t act so willfully anymore,” Shen Xihe frowned.

“I will certainly obey Youyou’s instructions, but Youyou must also put my mind at ease,” Xiao Huayong said with a smile in his eyes.