“In that case, the Crown Prince seems redundant,” Bu Shulin smiled, showing her teeth.

Shen Xihe gave her a bland glance: “I’ll help report your misdeeds when I enter the palace tomorrow.”

Bu Shulin’s smile instantly froze: …

Seeing her rapidly changing expression, Shen Xihe couldn’t help but laugh: “Did you come here just to chat with me?”

“I heard the Empress Dowager is planning a spring banquet next year. According to palace rumors, it’s to select brides for the princes,” Bu Shulin said excitedly. “Perhaps that’s why the Fifth Princess hasn’t been pestering me. I worried for several days before returning to the capital for nothing.”

“She’s not pestering you because I’m not here,” Shen Xihe said softly. “Once I enter the palace tomorrow, she’ll surely return to her old ways.”

Bu Shulin: ???

“Why would my absence stop her from pestering you?” Bu Shulin asked in confusion. A thought flashed through her mind, and she smiled somewhat narcissistically. “Could it be she thinks you have feelings for me and worries you’ll steal me away?”

Shen Xihe gave Bu Shulin a look reserved for idiots: “She fears I’ll kill her, so she’s using you for protection.”

Bu Shulin: !!!

After a moment of shock, Bu Shulin asked: “Why would you want to kill her?”

“Princess Changling’s antagonism toward me was her instigation,” Shen Xihe said softly while gently touching the emerald leaves.

“She instigated it? But why?” Bu Shulin couldn’t understand why Princess Yangling would provoke Princess Changling against Shen Xihe.

“I don’t know. She’s probably acting under someone’s orders or threats,” Shen Xihe gazed ahead as the wind rustled her dark hair, outlining half of her face and adding a touch of elegance. “I’ve only spared her life until now because I’m interested in whoever’s behind her. For her survival, she was clever enough to cling to you.”

She turned to look at Bu Shulin with some pity: “You’re merely a tool she’s using to protect herself.”

Bu Shulin: …

She had thought herself irresistibly charming, but the truth was so unbearable. Her heart felt slightly constricted.

With Bu Shulin involved, it would indeed be difficult for Shen Xihe to move against Princess Yangling, as Bu Shulin would be the first suspect. The Fifth Princess did show some cleverness there.

The heartache lasted only a moment before Bu Shulin thought of something else and said gleefully: “So even the Fifth Princess knows you care about me, enough to spare her life for my sake.”

Shen Xihe let out an almost inaudible laugh: “You and the Fifth Princess are well-matched.”

“What do you mean by that?” Bu Shulin felt she was being belittled.

“Equally foolish,” Shen Xihe said before turning to leave.

She had spared the Fifth Princess’s life solely because of the person behind her. If she wanted the princess dead, it wouldn’t matter who the princess allied with.

There were countless ways to avoid implicating Bu Shulin – only the Fifth Princess and Bu Shulin would truly believe such a simple solution would ensure their safety.

Her coming-of-age ceremony was approaching, and her father was coming to the capital. She didn’t want any deaths to mar her celebration, which was why she allowed the princess to live a while longer.

If she had discovered this a few months earlier, with the Fifth Princess wasting her time like this – did they think she had to know who was behind it? She had never been patient with enemies, preferring quick resolution. Giving the Fifth Princess one or two chances was already her limit.

The next day, Shen Xihe went to the palace to thank Emperor Youning for his grace and to visit the Crown Prince, bringing Sui Axi back to the palace.

The capital was in the north, where winter came early. Word was that early snow had already fallen days ago. The cold wind howled, and autumn’s golden hues were gone. Winter plum buds had formed in the Eastern Palace, their red dots trembling in the wind, their cold fragrance adding a touch of joy to the winter day.

Today, Xiao Huayong wore a cloisonné blue-collared robe with exquisitely beautiful golden embroidered fan-shaped leaves, and a white fox-fur-trimmed cape, looking elegant and distinguished. His grandeur carried a hint of languidness, his dignity touched with an ethereal quality.

“Youyou, I’ve been longing for you,” Xiao Huayong spoke with deep affection as soon as he saw Shen Xihe.

Shen Xihe stood under the eaves, tilting her head to look at Xiao Huayong for a moment.

“Why are you looking at me like that, Youyou?” Xiao Huayong asked, puzzled.

“I’m somewhat curious how Your Highness can make such frivolous words sound so refined,” Shen Xihe said honestly.

Though Xiao Huayong’s words were rather explicit, they didn’t sound vulgar when he spoke them. At least when he said them, Shen Xihe could tolerate it, but when she thought of his letters, it was beyond description.

“Every word comes from my heart,” Xiao Huayong said with a smile.

Shen Xihe didn’t dwell on this topic: “Has Your Highness’s condition improved?”

“My eyes occasionally see some colors now,” Xiao Huayong joyfully shared the good news with Shen Xihe. “The medicine made with the rose of Sharon has greatly improved my internal condition.”

In previous winters, when the cold penetrated his body, his lungs would ache like needles pricking him, and he would cough incessantly. His ability to disguise his cough so well these years came from winter’s torment year after year – over ten years had etched it into his bones.

“Besides this, are there other methods?” Rose of Sharon was rare, and the timing wasn’t right – finding any was already fortunate.

Rose of Sharon bloomed from May to September, perhaps until November in southern regions. Shen Xihe had already instructed her subordinates who collected spices to watch for it in the Southern Seas Prefecture, to harvest and send it to the capital if found. She had detailed instructions for harvest timing but feared there wouldn’t be much.

“There are some herbs that can substitute for rose of Sharon’s medicinal properties, but they’re either too cold or too dry, which would harm His Highness’s internal poison,” Sui Axi replied softly.

As Shen Xihe and Xiao Huayong entered the inner chamber, they felt a wave of warmth. Both removed their heavy capes, and Shen Xihe couldn’t help but remark: “Your Highness’s palace is exceptionally warm.”

Shen Xihe’s rooms burned excellent charcoal. Her love of fragrance led her to create aromatic coal by combining spices with several types of charcoal, making it long-lasting, smokeless, and fragrant.

She had prepared plenty in early autumn, sending much to the Northwest, where winters were as harsh as in the capital.

The warmth in Xiao Huayong’s palace was different from others, with no visible signs of burning charcoal.

“The Eastern Palace has wall furnaces,” Xiao Huayong explained. “They were installed ten years ago.”

“I see. It seems the gift I prepared today will be useless to Your Highness,” Shen Xihe said with a light laugh. She had brought two baskets of aromatic coal. Currently, the best coal in the palace was Rui coal from former Western Liang, now Western Prefecture.

This coal burned long, with one piece lasting several days, but supplies were limited. Worried about Xiao Huayong’s sensitivity to cold, she had brought him some aromatic coal.

“How could any gift from my sovereign be useless?” Xiao Huayong hastily replied. “The wall furnaces are quite dry, making me feel like meat being roasted. If I weren’t so susceptible to cold, I’d want to stop using them for a few days.”

“The Princess’s gift truly meets His Highness’s needs. He’s been complaining about wanting to stop the wall furnaces these past few days,” Tian Yuan added, and worried their words weren’t convincing enough, nudged Sui Axi.

“The wall furnaces’ dry heat isn’t good for His Highness,” Sui Axi nodded in agreement.