After the tiger incident, Xiao Huayong had no further thoughts of taking Shen Xihe out for leisure. First, the Dragon Boat Festival was in two days; second, the capital was already swelteringly hot near the festival, making it extremely difficult to find a cool, comfortable day; third, the festival was busy, and he needed to investigate who masterminded the tiger attack, plus essential government affairs kept him occupied, leaving him no time to spare.

Shen Xihe didn’t fear cold but dreaded heat. The only advantage of the Northwest was its short summers without extreme heat. The capital had barely entered the fifth month, yet heat waves seemed to shimmer in the air, leaving Shen Xihe completely listless.

While noble households hadn’t yet started using ice, Shen Xihe had already set up ice rooms daily, and Bu Shulin visited more frequently.

“Aren’t we both noble ladies? Why must I endure the wind and sun while you enjoy the cool ice?” Bu Shulin held a bowl of Suhe mountain dessert, eating heartily while watching Shen Xihe recline on a cold jade couch with her feet dangling, leaning against comfortable cushions. She was consumed with jealousy.

Both were daughters of foreign kings but look at Shen Xihe – living extravagantly, wearing light gauze without sweating. Bu Shulin didn’t dare use ice because it was expensive, and anyone who purchased large quantities would face impeachment.

Shen Xihe was different – she held no official position, had her fief, and owned the Duhuo Tower! She earned her own money and enjoyed it as she pleased, buying as much ice as she wanted.

Noble houses had concubines’ sons and female family members in business, but few earned money like Shen Xihe. The key difference was that Shen Xihe only needed to support herself – even her guards received government salaries – while others had to support entire families.

Some wealthy people wouldn’t dare take the lead in using ice before others, fearing jealousy and backstabbing.

Even the princes and princesses had to wait for the Emperor to bestow ice. If the Emperor could endure, they naturally had to follow suit.

“Zhenzhu, bring a mirror for Young Master Bu,” Shen Xihe raised her head and commanded.

Zhenzhu brought over a silver-plated copper mirror shaped like a flower petal. Bu Shulin thought she had gotten dessert on her face, but after a careful inspection found nothing. She lowered the mirror and looked at Shen Xihe in confusion.

Shen Xihe finished tying off the five-colored thread she was weaving and looked up at her: “Didn’t you see your greedy face?”

Bu Shulin: …

So she meant to scold her. How infuriating!

Shen Xihe was always like this, scolding without vulgar words but striking right at one’s heart.

“In previous years when I wasn’t in the capital, didn’t you survive just fine? Now that I’m here, you can openly come to enjoy my ice and Suhe mountain dessert. Isn’t this far more comfortable than your previous years?” Shen Xihe took a small sip of plum juice.

As she was still recovering, both Zhenzhu, Sui Axi, and Xie Yunhuai who had specially written to advise her, all wanted her to avoid cold foods. She could only drink plum juice to quench her thirst.

Setting down her cup, Shen Xihe continued: “Yet you’re not thinking about how life is more comfortable than before, but rather that you’re not living as well as me. Aren’t you being greedy?”

Bu Shulin blinked, seeming to realize this was true.

Quickly taking two more bites of dessert to clear her head, Bu Shulin then said: “I miss the years when Tao Gong was Chief Censor.”

When Tao Zhuanxian was Chief Censor, the Censorate would occasionally impeach her, but it was never serious. The impeachments were more about hoping she would recognize and correct her mistakes, without much aggressive rhetoric.

The newly appointed Chief Censor had been Tao Zhuanxian’s political enemy – it was the Emperor’s way of maintaining checks and balances. Upon taking office, he wanted to make his mark, but this was the capital – there wasn’t a single prince or important minister he dared offend, so he focused on harassing her, impeaching her daily.

Shen Xihe ignored her and continued weaving her colored threads.

“But today, he finally shifted his target and aimed at the Governor of Yangzhou,” Bu Shulin said with schadenfreude. “He impeached him for excessive luxury in Jiangdong harming agricultural affairs.”

Shen Xihe glanced at her quickly: “This isn’t a simple matter?”

Usually, unless she actively inquired, Bu Shulin wouldn’t discuss court matters with her in detail, as Bu Shulin had no interest in such affairs.

“Cui Shitou said the boat racing in Yangzhou is even grander than in the capital and Luoyang. This isn’t a major offense, as people’s boat racing demonstrates our dynasty’s peace and prosperity… However, in the Yangzhou area, they’ve created new schemes, using boat racing to collect money, secretly controlling the winners, and using racing victories to gain special treatment from officials…”

Bu Shulin spoke vaguely, but Shen Xihe understood clearly. It was simply about some unsavory official-merchant or official-official collusion, using the Dragon Boat Festival races to remove their thin veil of propriety and openly conduct their dealings. Some people saw through it but couldn’t point out right from wrong.

“Yangzhou had the rouge case just last year, and now another big incident this year. They really can’t avoid making headlines,” Shen Xihe carefully recalled how the explosive rouge case last year somehow hadn’t implicated the Governor of Yangzhou.

The scandal hadn’t even blown over, yet he wasn’t being more cautious. Did he think his official career was too smooth?

Shen Xihe just listened to these matters without commenting much. She had plenty to think about, and people unrelated to her weren’t worth dwelling on.

Yet unexpectedly, just after hearing about the Yangzhou Governor here, the next day she took advantage of cloudy weather to visit the Eastern Palace, bringing Xiao Huayong some zongzi she had personally wrapped, and heard the words “Yangzhou Governor” again.

“What’s this about the Yangzhou Governor?” Shen Xihe asked as she set down the food box.

“We’ve tracked down those who targeted us before,” Xiao Huayong set down his brush and walked toward her.

“It’s related to the Yangzhou Governor?” Shen Xihe was confused, running through what she knew of this governor in her mind. He seemed to have no grudges with them – could he be someone hidden within some faction?

“No, the Yangzhou Deputy Governor was escorting tribute gifts and rescued someone when their boat reached Luoyang,” Xiao Huayong’s eyes grew cold. “This person claimed to be a victim of bandits, blind in both eyes with nowhere to go, yet had considerable martial skills. He gained the Deputy Governor’s favor and traveled with them into the city.”

During festivals, various regions would send tribute gifts to the Emperor, dispatching subordinates as tribute envoys. From Yangzhou, they would take boats along the waterways into the Hangu Canal, transfer to the Huai River, and continue to Luoyang. From Luoyang, the water route wasn’t suitable for entering Guanzhong, so they generally switched to land routes through Tongguan Pass.

This was how Shen Xihe had traveled originally, which was why tribute envoys would depart in the early fourth month, arriving in the capital by the late fourth month. Her encounter with Xiao Huayong happened on the first day of the fifth month.

Blind in both eyes yet skilled in martial arts – Shen Xihe suddenly realized who it was: “Munuha!”

This Turkic prince was so bold, daring to secretly return and hide in the capital, directly targeting both Xiao Huayong and her!