Shen Xihe stood by with lowered eyes and a compliant demeanor. Whatever the Empress Dowager’s intentions, the marriage arrangement was what she and Xiao Huayong wanted. Since it achieved its goal, Shen Xihe had no objections.

“Shaoning, about Seventh Son…” Emperor Youning still asked, “Do you still wish to marry into the Eastern Palace?”

“Your Majesty, Shaoning’s heart remains unchanged. Please grant us marriage,” Shen Xihe performed a deep bow.

Both the Empress Dowager and Emperor Youning were startled by her decisiveness. Where in the world was there a woman who cared nothing about her husband being sickly and possibly dying at any moment?

Could she truly be so devoted?

Emperor Youning nodded: “Very well, I shall decree your marriage today.”

With Emperor Youning’s decree, Sui Axi and Zhenzhu dared not delay. After letting the Crown Prince soak in the medicinal bath for half an incense stick’s time, they entered to apply acupuncture.

After opening the meridians, they poured the medicine up to Xiao Huayong’s chin. To maintain the medicine’s heat, the bathtub was placed on a stove. The palace had specially built square stoves that usually held copper vats of water for fire emergencies. Now they removed the copper vat and placed Xiao Huayong’s tub there to keep it heated.

Sui Axi had to constantly monitor the medicine’s temperature to avoid scalding Xiao Huayong while ensuring it remained hot enough to be effective.

Xiao Huayong’s face was flushed crimson, with sweat pouring down his forehead like rain.

After soaking for half an hour, Xiao Huayong was carried back, still unconscious. The Imperial Physician-in-Chief checked his pulse, a trace of joy flashing in his eyes, though he maintained a serious demeanor before Emperor Youning: “Reporting to Your Majesty and Empress Dowager, the poison in His Highness has been controlled. Two days of bed rest and he’ll be fine.”

Both the Empress Dowager and Emperor Youning showed relief. The Empress Dowager took Shen Xihe’s hand: “You’ve done well.”

“I merely did my duty, unworthy of Your Majesty’s praise,” Shen Xihe replied modestly.

Once Xiao Huayong’s condition stabilized, Emperor Youning sought the cause. Tianyuan had a quick thought: “Your Majesty, His Highness was attacked yesterday while pursuing the Lantern Festival troublemakers. When the Princess came to visit today and mentioned what she saw last night, the Crown Prince became emotionally agitated.”

Emperor Youning already knew about yesterday’s terrible events. Since Xiao Huayong had gone to chase the troublemakers early on, he must not have seen it all. The emperor had been furious when he first heard about it. Seeing no guilt in Shen Xihe’s manner, and knowing Xiao Huayong’s sudden attack wasn’t related to her, he believed Tianyuan’s words.

Moreover, Tianyuan was loyal only to Xiao Huayong – if Shen Xihe meant him harm, Tianyuan would never cover for her.

After the Empress Dowager and Emperor Youning left the Eastern Palace, Shen Xihe was still worried about Xiao Huayong. However, Sui Axi said letting him sleep for a day would help him absorb the medicine and control the poison, so Shen Xihe stayed for just another quarter-hour before leaving.

“Why did he react so strongly after learning about my keen sense of smell?” Shen Xihe couldn’t understand. He had been perfectly normal when they met, but after discussing her sense of smell, he thought of something that triggered his emotional turmoil.

She didn’t consider that Xiao Huayong might be struggling with fear of loss and guilt over his concealment, torn between confession and continued secrecy. She only wondered if her keen sense of smell had reminded him of some deeply affecting experience.

When Shen Xihe returned to the Princess’s manor, the imperial marriage decree arrived. She set up an incense altar and knelt to receive the decree personally delivered by the Chief Secretary.

“Heaven bestows virtue, uniting two people. Now the Crown Prince, of exemplary conduct and filial piety, has reached the proper age, with the Eastern Palace lacking a mistress. The eldest daughter of Northwestern Prince Shen Yueshan, Lady Shen, comes from a meritorious family and possesses all four virtues…”

As Shen Xihe accepted the decree, she felt a sense of settled peace. From today onward, she and Xiao Huayong were completely bound together. With an imperial marriage decree to the Eastern Palace, even if Xiao Huayong died before the wedding, she would still have to marry him.

What man in the world would dare marry a woman once betrothed to the Crown Prince?

“Congratulations to the Princess,” Chief Secretary Xue Heng offered his respects.

Shen Xihe smiled in thanks and asked: “Has Qiaoqiao returned?”

Xue Jinqiao had gone to her maternal grandparents’ home several days ago, and Shen Xihe hadn’t seen her for days.

“She’ll return tomorrow. When she does, we’ll have to trouble the Princess again,” Xue Heng smiled.

“Minister Xue is too polite. We’re family, how could it be trouble?” Shen Xihe exchanged pleasantries.

Xue Heng had to report back, so he didn’t stay long.

After enshrining the decree, Shen Xihe returned to her room and took out the golden hairpin Xiao Huayong had given her. She asked, turning her head: “Where is the hidden sword hairpin His Highness gave me?”

Hong Yu immediately found it and handed it to Shen Xihe. After Xiao Huayong mentioned it, she asked Hong Yu to select it and store it separately but hadn’t looked at it yet. She opened the wooden box to find a simple hairpin of black sandalwood, its end decorated with two Pingzhong leaves.

Shen Xihe gripped the top and gave it a gentle twist to loosen it, slowly drawing out the sword. The hairpin was slender, as was the blade within, but it gleamed brightly. Shen Xihe lightly touched the blade with her fingertip, wanting to test its sharpness.

She felt no pain and hadn’t applied pressure, but just touching it caused a line of blood to appear, dripping down.

“Princess!” Zhenzhu hurried forward to check Shen Xihe’s wound, relaxing only when she found it was just a thin cut. “Princess, there are weapons in this world sharp enough to split a hair or cut iron like mud.”

After Zhenzhu applied medicine and bandaged the wound, Shen Xihe continued examining the hidden sword hairpin. She closed it, turned to the mirror, and chose the perfect position to insert it in her hair, adjusting it to find the quickest and most stable way to draw the short sword.

Once she was comfortable with it, she studied her reflection. The sandalwood hairpin added a touch of depth to her hair, blending almost invisibly with her black tresses unless one looked closely. She nodded in satisfaction.

“Princess, would you like to review His Highness’s other gifts?” Hong Yu asked.

Things were different now that the Crown Prince and Princess were betrothed. Previously, the Princess had reviewed gift lists to keep track of everyone’s presents, but now shouldn’t she pay more attention to the Crown Prince’s gifts to avoid awkward conversations in the future?

Shen Xihe nodded: “Bring them all.”

Xiao Huayong had given many gifts, each one extremely thoughtful. As Shen Xihe reviewed them one by one, she paused at a pair of sandalwood bracelets inlaid with golden longevity characters. The rich agarwood scent wafted over – these bracelets were carved from agarwood.

Shen Xihe’s expression grew serious as she picked them up and sniffed them lightly. The more she smelled, the more impassive her expression became.

She stood at the table holding the two bracelets, staring expressionlessly at the Pingzhong leaf bonsai swaying in the early spring wind on the windowsill, her gaze cold.

Suddenly she smiled faintly and set the bracelets down.