When she heard this, Shen Xihe was puzzled. Even if Munuha had truly escaped the city, it shouldn’t have made Crown Prince Xiao Huayong this angry.

After careful thought, Zhenzhu said, “Princess, His Highness is probably jealous.”

“Jealous?” Shen Xihe was even more confused. What was there to be jealous about?

“Princess… because you painted for another man?” Zhenzhu said with some awkwardness. She felt the Crown Prince’s jealousy was inexplicable, but her intuition told her this was the reason.

Shen Xihe rarely showed such a startled expression. Looking at Zhenzhu and Hongyu, both seemed to find this reason sufficient. She didn’t know what expression to make as she processed this information.

Was she painting for another man?

If he was jealous over this, wouldn’t he die of sourness later?

She had painted so many people that when she used to work with her brother, she couldn’t even count how many men she had painted.

“His Highness just… cares too much about the Princess…” Hongyu dryly defended the Crown Prince.

“Heh.” Shen Xihe let out a cold laugh and turned to go to the garden.

The palace garden was a sea of spring green, occasionally dotted with early spring flowers, adding another kind of vitality. As she was starting to calm down while looking at the scenery, she encountered someone she didn’t want to see.

Since being slapped by Shen Xihe last time, Princess Anling had harbored hatred for her but didn’t dare to oppose her directly after experiencing her formidability. She was about to turn and leave, but then thought – she was a princess, while Shen Xihe was merely an outside-family princess, why should she yield?

She angrily walked toward Shen Xihe. Though the path was quite wide, Shen Xihe saw her and performed a slight curtsy according to protocol.

Afterward, she stood up and continued admiring the scenery, completely ignoring the princess’s existence.

Princess Anling, who had already walked some distance away, turned back unsatisfied. She stared at Shen Xihe as she approached and said in a voice only they could hear: “Yanling was harmed by you!”

Shen Xihe slowly lifted her eyelids, looking at her indifferently: “Princess Anling, if one slap wasn’t enough, I can reward you with another.”

“You— you’re insolent!” Princess Anling’s face flushed red with anger.

“Princess Anling, if you utter one more nonsensical word, I’ll take you to His Majesty right now to let him judge who’s right and wrong, and whether Princess Yanling was truly harmed by me.” Shen Xihe remained composed and calm.

Princess Anling remembered how last time Shen Xihe had dragged Shen Yingruo before His Majesty to make accusations first. Now she had no evidence, and if Shen Xihe went to His Majesty, he wouldn’t believe her, and it would only make him more annoyed with her.

“Yanling said more than once before her death that if she were ever killed, it would be by your hand. You knew she was instigating Changling against you!” Princess Anling refused to give up. “Shen Xihe, just you wait, I’ll find evidence eventually…”

“Slap—” Before Princess Anling could finish, Shen Xihe raised her hand and struck her face.

In all her life, Princess Anling had only been slapped twice, both times by Shen Xihe. Her resentment reached its peak: “I’ll fight you to the death—”

Princess Anling was tripped by Zhenzhu and fell to the ground. Her two palace maids were subdued by Hongyu before they could cry out, knocked unconscious by Hongyu’s hand strikes.

Shen Xihe had deliberately chosen a quiet, secluded spot, not expecting to encounter Princess Anling.

Princess Anling’s mouth was covered, her face pale with fear. Shen Xihe slowly crouched in front of her: “You want to make a scene. Today I slapped you first, so you’d have reason to turn the tables.”

Facing Princess Anling’s glaring eyes, Shen Xihe smiled softly: “But do you know that even if you make a scene, you won’t get justice?”

Princess Anling didn’t believe this. Shen Xihe gave Zhenzhu a look, and Zhenzhu released her.

Though she had the chance to cry out, somehow Princess Anling couldn’t make a sound.

Shen Xihe looked at her leisurely for a moment before saying: “If you just shout that Princess Yanling was harmed by me, the Turkic envoys would latch onto it. You’re a princess – how could you speak nonsense without evidence? Your words must be true.”

“The Turkic delegation would believe it and pressure His Majesty, thinking he’s protecting me and deliberately harming their prince. Then it wouldn’t be His Majesty demanding an explanation from the Turks, but the Turks demanding an explanation from His Majesty. What do you think His Majesty would do?”

Anling completely calmed down, her face showing fear.

“Would he investigate whether I’m the true culprit, turning the victim into an accomplice? And face having to compensate the Turks for a prince? Or would he view you as having lost your mind, speaking recklessly out of hatred for me?”

Princess Anling shuddered, finally suppressing her resentment and arrogance.

At this moment, Shen Xihe’s hand touched Princess Anling’s face, making her so frightened it was as if a poisonous snake was crawling on her face, but she dared not lean back.

Enjoying Princess Anling’s fear, Shen Xihe revealed a cold smile: “Your Highness, if one is foolish, one must learn to hide it. Those who are foolish without knowing it usually don’t live long. For example… Princess Changling.”

After thoroughly frightening Princess Anling, Shen Xihe finally released her and left with Zhenzhu and Hongyu.

“Princess, Princess Anling…”

Shen Xihe raised her hand to interrupt Zhenzhu: “I deliberately scared her to see if the person who used Princess Yanling would try to use her again…”

After a pause, Shen Xihe felt the possibility was low: “She’s not as clever as Princess Yanling.”

Such a person, that person probably wouldn’t be interested in.

It didn’t matter if they weren’t interested. Too many people had died in the palace, it was time for a break. Of His Majesty’s four daughters, two had died tragically after conflicts with her. Princess Yanling hadn’t suspected her only because of Munuha.

If she had just had a conflict with Princess Anling and Princess Anling died, she would undoubtedly be the prime suspect…

Thinking of this, Shen Xihe’s eyes narrowed: “Perhaps Princess Anling can be used differently.”

With this thought, Shen Xihe lifted her skirts and changed course to the Eastern Palace.

When she arrived, Master Xuqing had just left. Crown Prince Xiao Huayong’s eyes were covered with black cloth. Though he knew Shen Xihe had come, he sat beside her with a stern face, without his usual eagerness and joy, wearing his sullen mood openly, waiting to be coaxed.

In all her life, Shen Xihe had never coaxed anyone – how would she coax Xiao Huayong?

“Is Your Highness’s sour face because you think I painted for another man?” she asked directly. “If so, I might as well tell Your Highness that I started learning to paint at six and could paint portraits by twelve. I’ve painted so many men I can’t even remember them all.”

Xiao Huayong suddenly turned his head toward Shen Xihe. Though his eyes were covered by the black cloth and she couldn’t see them, she could imagine the angry eyes beneath.

Getting more childish…

Realizing that the romantically insensitive Shen Xihe wouldn’t coax him, Xiao Huayong had to find his way out: “Youyou have painted so many men, yet never painted me!”