Before he could finish speaking, Shen Xihe walked away, leaving Xiao Huayong standing there with his fist pressed to his lips, smiling. From a distance, others might have thought the Crown Prince was having another bout of his old illness.

Since the spring banquet was held for the imperial family to observe potential matches, there naturally had to be a segment for displaying talents. The Empress Dowager and several imperial consorts offered some rare hairpins as prizes, setting up competitions in painting, dancing, and poetry.

Shen Xihe watched from the side, keeping a close eye on Princess Anling’s every move. Princess Anling was unusually quiet today, even appearing distracted at times. When Princess Pingling tried to engage her in conversation, she responded half-heartedly, eventually causing Princess Pingling to stop trying.

Half a month had passed since she’d warned His Majesty about potential threats to Princess Anling, yet the perpetrator still hadn’t acted. This person was remarkably patient, perhaps guessing that such a move would be too risky, or perhaps waiting for better timing.

Shen Xihe planned to add fuel to the fire today. She’d come to the spring banquet specifically for Princess Anling.

Lacking a reasonable justification for anyone to move against Princess Anling, she would provide one. She didn’t believe the perpetrator would let such an opportunity pass.

As the banquet was drawing to a close, Shen Xihe suddenly fainted, drawing everyone’s attention. They were all shocked to see her pale complexion and purple lips.

Xiao Huayong’s face changed in alarm. Forgetting to maintain his facade, he rushed straight to Shen Xihe. Love breeds worry – he thought Shen Xihe had truly been poisoned. Zhenzhu checked her pulse: “The Princess has been poisoned. Quickly summon Axi!”

Ziyu immediately went to find Axi. By then, the imperial physicians had arrived and examined Shen Xihe’s pulse. The symptoms indeed resembled poisoning, though there was something strange about it. Before they could identify what was odd, outside, following Shen Xihe’s earlier hint, Xue Jinqiao pushed through the crowd, causing Princess Anling to fall.

Princess Anling’s maid cushioned her fall to protect her, and a medicine bottle rolled from her person.

“Is the Princess hurt?” Xue Jinqiao hurried forward, seemingly not noticing the medicine bottle, kicking it as she rushed to help Princess Anling up.

Princess Anling, unaware that her fall was Xue Jinqiao’s doing, smiled gratefully at her. However, remembering that she was the Northwest Prince’s heir’s fiancée, she inevitably thought of Shen Xihe, and her smile quickly faded.

“Princess, this item fell from your palace maid,” Yu Sangning picked up the bottle that Xue Jinqiao had kicked away and brought it to Princess Anling.

The princess’s maid immediately said, “My lady is mistaken, this isn’t mine.”

Indeed, it wasn’t her possession, nor had she seen it fall from her person.

Upon hearing this, the Empress Dowager glanced at Shen Xihe, who was being carried away to the hall by Xiao Huayong. “Bring me that bottle.”

The Empress Dowager’s female historian retrieved the bottle for the imperial physician to examine. The results made his forehead break out in sweat: “Your Grace, this is poison, and its symptoms match those of the Princess.”

The physician had been trying to determine what poison Shen Xihe had taken, but with this evidence, everything suddenly became clear.

“Your Grace, Anling would never poison Zhaoning!” Princess Anling immediately knelt before the Empress Dowager.

“Whether you did or didn’t, let His Majesty decide,” the Empress Dowager had her chronicler take the bottle and Princess Anling to see Emperor Youning.

Emperor Youning was in the palace at the time. He didn’t need to attend social occasions like the spring banquet. The spring examinations had just concluded, and he paid great attention to them. His ability to divide the aristocratic families in recent years and achieve today’s results was inseparable from his strong support of scholars from humble backgrounds.

Of course, these scholars from humble origins had proven their worth, growing stronger despite pressure from established families. Many had fallen along the way, and those who reached their current positions were all highly capable.

The number of successful candidates in the spring examinations had expanded from thirty or forty during the previous emperor’s time to over a hundred now. This move further stimulated the scholarly ambitions of those from humble backgrounds. He placed even more emphasis on education throughout the realm, establishing several times more academies than during his predecessor’s reign.

Just as he was meeting with the Vice Minister of Rites to inquire about this year’s examination candidates, Princess Anling was brought in by the Empress Dowager’s chronicler, who informed him of the situation. Emperor Youning looked at his helpless and panicked daughter. Among his four princesses, if it had been any other one accused of poisoning Shen Xihe in public, he might have harbored some suspicion.

But with Anling, his instinct told him she didn’t have such courage.

After brief consideration, Emperor Youning said, “This must be a misunderstanding. I will go see Zhaoning myself.”

As he passed by Anling, he added, “Come with me.”

Meanwhile, in the side hall where Shen Xihe was resting, the imperial physicians weren’t allowed in. Only Axi and Zhenzhu attended her. After a few needles from Axi, Shen Xihe’s complexion returned to its snow-like luster, and Xiao Huayong’s rigid posture finally relaxed.

“Youyou, what was this about?” Xiao Huayong’s heart had nearly stopped at the sight of her earlier. That unprecedented panic still left him shaken.

“Framing Princess Anling,” Shen Xihe lay there looking at Xiao Huayong with open eyes. “That person hasn’t acted because they must think suddenly pinning Anling’s death on me wouldn’t be convincing. Today, I’m letting everyone know that Anling has tried to poison me. If anything happens to the Princess, who wouldn’t suspect me?”

After all, who would dare harm a perfectly fine princess without reason? Moreover, Princess Anling lived in the deep palace, and besides Shen Xihe as an enemy, she seemed to have no deep grudges against anyone.

Upon reflection, both Princess Changling and Princess Yangling had been at odds with Shen Xihe before their deaths.

“Did you take poison?” Xiao Huayong examined her face carefully, holding her hand, which no longer felt ice-cold.

“I just had Axi apply acupuncture to make it appear like poisoning.” Was Princess Anling worth her harming herself?

These needles created the appearance of poisoning while also benefiting her meridians.

Xiao Huayong finally relaxed completely: “In the future, if you plan such actions, you must inform me first.”

He had nearly lost his soul to fright earlier. If not for Shen Xihe’s condition being urgent, he would have confronted Anling directly.

“I thought we understood each other,” Shen Xihe said. “Neither of us is one to take losses.”

Just as Xiao Huayong wouldn’t sacrifice his eye when dealing with Wang Zheng, how could Shen Xihe take poison, even if she could counter it?

“I was… worried beyond reason,” Xiao Huayong gazed at her deeply.

He knew her intelligence, knew how unlikely it was for anyone to easily harm her. Especially with such a clumsy scheme, and given her keen intuition and cautious nature, no one could easily poison her.

Knowing all this, he still panicked, because when it came to matters concerning her, he had no room for reason.