Shen Xihe smiled and gave a soft affirmative sound.

“How could it come to this?” Bu Shulin didn’t understand.

Though they opposed His Majesty’s position, and His Majesty wasn’t a soft-hearted person, how could Princess Yanling’s transgression warrant her father wishing her dead?

“At ordinary times, it wouldn’t have come to this,” Shen Xihe stroked Duanming’s fur. “But His Majesty spent over a decade carefully planning, just waiting for today to announce to the foreign envoys that our dynasty would no longer arrange political marriages with barbarians, yet Princess Yanling destroyed it all in one moment.”

This was not just a scandalous affair showing ignorance of propriety and shamelessness. This had strangled Emperor Youning’s ambitions right at the crucial moment, forcing him to suppress all his burning passion.

The affair between Princess Yanling and Munuha was known throughout the court. If Emperor Youning announced at this time that they would no longer arrange political marriages with barbarians, what would it be if not a joke?

“His Majesty had such plans,” Bu Shulin muttered.

Regardless of His Majesty’s initial intentions, this resolve to end political marriages filled Bu Shulin with spontaneous admiration.

As a woman, she disliked those high-minded principles of sending women to marry for peace between nations. She felt it was a cowardly compromise by weak men.

As a frontier hereditary prince, she understood better than most how Han women suffered miserably after marrying into foreign tribes, even those who married as princesses.

“Father said that princesses who married into Tibet didn’t live long lives. They all died of grief in Tibet,” Bu Shulin sighed. “Our great nation, why shouldn’t we take a strong stance and end these political marriages? Sending brides for political marriages makes our receiving tribute from all nations seem like a joke!”

“I also dislike political marriages,” Shen Xihe agreed. “So, if Princess Yanling dies, His Majesty can still make his grand gesture of ending political marriages, and it would even seem more reasonable with this as justification.”

“Right!” Bu Shulin’s eyes lit up. “If Princess Yanling dies, especially at Munuha’s hands, His Majesty could righteously use this as cause to act, making the end of political marriages seem noble and justified. Even the common people would have no complaints.”

Bu Shulin didn’t care whether Princess Yanling died or not, especially after knowing Princess Yanling had instigated the Fourth Princess to harm Shen Xihe. That day, she saw the Fourth Princess viciously whip Shen Xihe’s horse. She had wanted to rush over and tear Fourth Princess apart.

If not for Shen Xihe’s great fortune, thinking of that giant snake still made Bu Shulin shudder.

“Ah Lin,” Shen Xihe suddenly called Bu Shulin intimately.

Bu Shulin inexplicably shivered, instinctively leaning backward and looking warily at Shen Xihe: “You… whatever you want to say, just say it…”

Shen Xihe smiled: “I have nothing to command. I just want to settle accounts with you.”

“Settle accounts?” Bu Shulin was bewildered.

“Yes.” Shen Xihe nodded and said, “His Majesty originally planned to break with Tibet, initially planning to take your life to provoke your father and have someone else take command of Shunan’s army. Though I contributed to preventing this, Cui Shaoqing had already made arrangements. I firmly believe you would have survived even without me. Therefore, I haven’t counted this debt.”

“What… what else do I owe you?” Bu Shulin asked weakly.

“Though His Majesty couldn’t kill you or bring down you and your father, he hadn’t given up on using Tibet as a starting point, making you both lead the vanguard in armor,” Shen Xihe continued. “His Majesty is determined to have Shunan. Once Shunan and Tibet begin fighting, you and your father would likely face grave danger, wouldn’t you agree?”

Bu Shulin nodded along.

Shen Xihe’s smile deepened: “I, for your sake, forcefully shifted His Majesty’s battlefield from Tibet to the Turks. You and your father can rest easy while my father and brother go to war. Wouldn’t you say you owe me greatly?”

It did seem so.

Bu Shulin looked at Shen Xihe with emotion: “I will forever remember Youyou’s kindness!”

Pearl and the others struggled to suppress their rising smiles.

After speaking, Bu Shulin felt she still couldn’t express her gratitude to Shen Xihe adequately, so she simply said: “In the future, whatever Youyou commands, I won’t refuse even if it means crossing mountains of blades or seas of fire!”

“Good, I’ll remember that,” Shen Xihe nodded with satisfaction.

Bu Shulin became even more attentive to Shen Xihe, completely missing Pearl and Biyu’s pitying glances.

Though Shen Xihe’s actions greatly benefited the Bu family, this wasn’t her primary intention. Shen Xihe wouldn’t allow His Majesty to destroy the Bu family and take Tibet through Shunan, or the Northwest would be in danger.

Tibet lay between Shunan and the Northwest. Once war broke out, the Northwest would need to cooperate with Shunan, making it easier for Emperor Youning to capture them all together, along with his mysterious Divine Brave Army.

Choosing the Turks was different. Shen Yueshan and Shen Yunan could focus entirely on fighting. If Tibet made any moves, the Bu family wouldn’t stand idle. Unlike Tibet, His Majesty might tolerate Tibet defeating Shunan, and then have Prince Jing provide aid to successfully control Shunan.

But he wouldn’t dare do this to the Northwest. If the Turks broke through the Northwest’s barrier, the capital would be in danger.

When Shunan and Tibet fought, Emperor Youning could scheme; when the Turks and Northwest fought, Emperor Youning had no choice but to provide full support.

As for Shen Yueshan and Shen Yunan’s safety, Shen Xihe had no way to guarantee it. War with the Turks was inevitable, better to keep the initiative in their hands. She had discussed this with Shen Yueshan after his last visit, and the Northwest must be prepared.

She seized every opportunity in the capital to disrupt His Majesty’s plans and direct him toward the Turks, while Shen Yueshan waited in battle formation in the Northwest. They just needed an east wind, but neither father nor daughter expected this wind to come so quickly.

Now only the final step remained – kill Princess Yanling and frame Munuha, ensuring Munuha couldn’t leave the capital!

While Shen Xihe was plotting her next move, in the Eastern Palace, Xiao Huayong’s face turned frighteningly dark upon hearing the details.

Clever as he was, he didn’t need to investigate to understand how things had developed to this point. Shen Xihe had turned the situation to her advantage. She had even anticipated Munuha’s attempt to violate her. His chest tightened, wanting to run to her immediately.

Yet he didn’t know what to say when he got there.

Reproach her? What wrong had she done?

Indeed, she was not wrong – others were wrong!

“Have people watch the diplomatic guesthouse closely. When there’s a chance, bind Munuha for this prince,” Xiao Huayong ordered tonelessly, narrowing his slender eyes.

“Your Highness, Munuha is an envoy, and His Majesty is watching you. If you kill Munuha…” Though Tianyuan knew his advice would be useless, he still had to try.

But Xiao Huayong curved his lips in a wicked smile: “This prince won’t kill him. This prince will just give him a small punishment, so he can never violate women again.”