Kneeling beside Shen Xihe, Shen Xihe felt her face burning more and more painfully. She carefully glanced at Shen Xihe, who maintained a straight spine, expressionless face, and dignified countenance.

“Oh my, Your Highness, the ground is cold. Please rise first. Whatever matter you have can be discussed with His Majesty inside. His Majesty summons you,” Liu Sangzhi came running over. He too was troubled by Shen Xihe.

However, Shen Xihe continued kneeling: “Please relay to Supervisor Liu that Zhaoning has brought her younger sister to request punishment. Zhaoning saw Princess Anling abuse and strike my younger sister, and in a moment of anger, I raised my hand against the Princess.”

Only then did Liu Sangzhi look at Shen Xihe beside her. The sight made him draw in a sharp breath. Half of Shen Xihe’s face was swollen, with clear purple-blue bruising in the shape of fingerprints. The force used must have been severe.

Her originally delicate and beautiful face now looked quite disturbing. Knowing this was no small matter, he had to report to Emperor Youning. Emperor Youning finally came out, and just as he emerged, Princess Anling rushed over as well. Upon seeing Emperor Youning, she threw herself down in tears: “Your Majesty, you must give justice to your daughter! Zhaoning committed the crime of attacking her superior. She dared to slap me! She has no respect for authority and acts without restraint!”

Emperor Youning looked at his tearful daughter, whose face bore a red mark. However, compared to Shen Xihe’s injury, it was hardly worth mentioning. The slap on Shen Xihe’s face was truly horrifying to behold.

Even as a princess, she shouldn’t strike a high official’s daughter so severely, especially since Shen Xihe was her cousin.

Regardless of the relationship between Shen Xihe and Shen Xihe, they shared the Shen surname. That slap was an insult to the entire Shen family’s face.

“Did you slap Huaiyang first, or did Zhaoning slap you first?” Emperor Youning asked Princess Anling sternly.

Princess Anling’s sobbing briefly faltered: “I had some disagreement with Huaiyang, and in my anger, I slapped her. I am a princess, and if I slap her once, she should accept it. Yet Zhaoning struck me for this – she doesn’t respect Your Majesty at all!”

Under normal circumstances, if Princess Anling had only given Shen Xihe a light slap, it wouldn’t have been a major issue, like ordinary siblings quarreling and fighting. But with Shen Xihe’s face in such a state, Emperor Youning couldn’t smooth things over by calling it sisterly conflict, nor could he accuse Shen Xihe of making a mountain out of a molehill.

“Look at Huaiyang’s face yourself!” Emperor Youning pointed at Shen Xihe.

Princess Anling finally looked past Shen Xihe at Shen Xihe and was startled herself: “Your Majesty, I didn’t do this. I only gave her a light slap…”

Then, as if suddenly realizing something, she pointed at Shen Xihe: “It was Zhaoning! Zhaoning is framing me!”

“How did she frame you?” There was only one clear handprint on Shen Xihe’s face. No matter how capable Shen Xihe might be, how could she make multiple slaps land in the same spot?

It was naturally impossible. Shen Xihe had indeed slapped Shen Xihe once, but it was no more than a pat on the face, to spread the fragrant powder on her hand onto Shen Xihe’s face. This powder would irritate the skin, with injured areas being more vulnerable and reacting more strongly, thus making Princess Anling’s handprint appear more prominent.

Princess Anling was left speechless by the question. They had been chasing after Shen Xihe the whole time, and Shen Xihe’s slap to Shen Xihe at the corner had been just a moment’s work. By the time they caught up, they only saw Shen Xihe dragging Shen Xihe straight here.

Logically, Shen Xihe couldn’t have worsened Shen Xihe’s injury, especially not with such a precise single handprint.

As Princess Anling stammered, Emperor Youning looked at Shen Xihe, who knelt perfectly straight, ostensibly requesting punishment but making a threat.

If he didn’t give justice, Shen Xihe would use the excuse of requesting punishment for striking a princess to keep kneeling here with Shen Xihe. If court officials and envoys were to see this, it would bring shame to the royal family.

“As a princess and role model for noble ladies, you should hold yourself to higher standards. You have failed in virtue and appearance. To use such force against your sister over a minor dispute – I sentence you to copy the ‘Female Instructions’ one hundred times and apologize to Huaiyang. Do you accept?”

“Your Majesty, I…” Princess Anling’s tears fell. She felt she was the wronged one.

True, she had struck Shen Xihe first, and Shen Xihe had returned the slap – a harsh one! Now she even had to apologize to Shen Xihe!

“You don’t accept?” Emperor Youning asked.

“I accept the imperial decree,” Princess Anling choked out.

Emperor Youning spent quite some time consoling both Shen Xihe and Shen Xihe before finally dismissing them.

“Your Majesty, the County Princess’s injury seems suspicious,” Liu Sangzhi said as he served tea after everyone had left.

Such a handprint could only have been made with a man’s strength; Princess Anling didn’t have such force.

“Suspicious? Could the Imperial Physician determine anything?” Emperor Youning asked. “Zhaoning dared to kneel before Mingzheng Hall because she had confidence.”

Indeed, Emperor Youning later summoned the Imperial Physician to ostensibly treat Shen Xihe’s injury but examine it. No irregularities were found. As for the fragrant residue on her face, the physician didn’t think much of it – it was common for young ladies to wear powder. With so many fragrances available, he could only detect a scent but couldn’t identify the specific fragrance or its herbal composition.

He wanted to support his daughter, but could he?

Neither Anling nor Yanling were matches for Zhaoning. When facing Zhaoning, they would both suffer.

“Your Majesty, Princess Changling…” Liu Sangzhi reminded obliquely.

“Changling’s matter was not Zhaoning’s doing.” Emperor Youning was certain of this.

It was Shen Xihe’s first time at the hunting grounds, and with no one there, she couldn’t have managed it so flawlessly.

Before the incident, the Crown Prince had also suffered a poison attack and coughed blood. Unless he had known about this beforehand and faked the blood-coughing. But three Imperial Physicians had checked his pulse regarding the blood-coughing, and there was no deception. If the Crown Prince had truly anticipated this matter, he wouldn’t have merely faked coughing blood to wait to punish Changling – he would have had Zhaoning avoid this trouble early on.

With even the Crown Prince, who was most likely to act on Shen Xihe’s behalf, ruled out, Emperor Youning truly couldn’t think who else it could be.

Unless Changling had genuinely been provoked into such incomprehensible actions.

Changling’s death was too mysterious, and combined with the appearance of the giant snake at the hunting grounds, it made Emperor Youning somewhat wary of that place.

“Thank you, Elder Sister.” After leaving the palace, Shen Xihe bowed to thank Shen Xihe.

Shen Xihe gestured with her eyes to Zhenzhu, who retrieved a box of medicinal ointment from the carriage and handed it to Madam Tan. Shen Xihe said, “Take it back. Apply it for two days, and the swelling on your face will subside. It won’t affect your appearance.”

Then Shen Xihe got into the carriage: “You don’t need to thank me. It’s only because you bear the surname Shen.”

No one could repeatedly insult members of the Shen family in front of her. This humiliation wasn’t just toward Shen Xihe alone, but against the face of her entire Shen family, and Shen Xihe would not tolerate it.

One slap from Princess Anling could be overlooked – she was a princess, and Shen Xihe herself didn’t resist. But if she wanted to strike again, she’d have to ask if Shen Xihe agreed!