Having dealt with Xiao Huayong so much, and knowing him to be such a dangerously clever person, how could Shen Xihe agree to marry him if she couldn’t understand him at all? Even under Xiao Huayong’s forceful pressure, that wouldn’t be enough.

If this incident hadn’t been orchestrated by Xiao Huayong, he certainly wouldn’t have displayed such deliberate weakness and a wounded appearance. Even if he couldn’t show a deeply contemplative expression, he should at least be tense with anger.

Shen Xihe maintained her serene composure, but only Xiao Huayong, who knew her exceptionally well, sensed the brief, deep coldness emanating from her. This fleeting emotion only indicated that she had already understood the cause of everything.

Indeed, Shen Xihe had pieced together the sequence of events. Mu Nuha dared to return and target Xiao Huayong and herself because Xiao Huayong had forced him into a corner, but would he resign himself to such a desperate suicide mission?

Even if he was willing, he would want to take Xiao Huayong down with him. The tiger attack was dangerous but not foolproof. Success would be ideal, but if it failed, he had another move waiting for Xiao Huayong.

That move was waiting until Xiao Huayong traced it back to him. With such a grave offense, how could Xiao Huayong let him go?

Even someone with the slightest bit of pride couldn’t swallow such an insult, let alone the Crown Prince who tolerated no offense.

Xiao Huayong’s pursuit had become almost certain, and Mu Nuha knew this well. Therefore, he and his collaborators must have set a trap for Xiao Huayong, waiting for him to come seeking revenge. This would expose all of Xiao Huayong’s forces under Emperor You Ning’s watchful eye.

“Your Majesty, someone has discovered…” Liu Sanzhi ran over at this moment to report quietly to Emperor You Ning.

Shen Xihe watched Liu Sanzhi’s lip movements without hearing the latter part of his words. Though she had her guesses, she could read the words “Mu Nuha,” and smiled imperceptibly.

Now it would be the Emperor’s men pursuing Mu Nuha, not Xiao Huayong and his people.

What made Mu Nuha think Xiao Huayong would be so easy to deal with?

“I’m truly fortunate that Youyou isn’t my enemy,” Xiao Huayong said softly with a laugh.

Dai Wang, having no serious injury, was sent back to his residence. The dragon boat races had ended, and His Majesty was returning to the palace. Concerned for Xiao Huayong’s safety, he wanted to bring him back to the palace as well, but Xiao Huayong, thinking only of Shen Xihe, insisted on escorting her home.

After delivering her to the Princess’s residence, the Crown Prince naturally lingered for a while.

“Your Highness need not praise me. Your thoughts are clear,” Shen Xihe smiled faintly.

Hearing this, Xiao Huayong suddenly said: “Scholar Qi once praised: ‘The Xie family’s sons are heaven’s pride, their hearts have one more chamber than Bi Gan.’ What do Youyou think of me compared to Scholar Qi?”

Shen Xihe detected strong jealousy, especially in Xiao Huayong’s seemingly casual but deeply concerned manner. It was a poor attempt at concealment: “Your Highness, why compare yourself to others? If you truly wish to compare, why not compare medical knowledge?”

Xiao Huayong: …

It was the first time he had been left speechless.

“Your Highness has your strengths, and Scholar Qi has his shortcomings,” Shen Xihe said softly. “Why compare? If it’s because of me…”

She paused, then smiled brightly, her clear eyes twinkling: “Is Your Highness lacking confidence, or lacking faith in me?”

How could the Crown Prince lack confidence? To admit a lack of confidence would suggest he considered himself inferior to Xie Yunhuai. And he certainly couldn’t distrust Shen Xihe, so he could only admit defeat: “Today I realize Youyou simply chose not to argue with me before.”

“Your Highness, aren’t you worried about Mu Nuha falling into His Majesty’s hands?” Shen Xihe returned to the main topic.

“What if he falls into His Majesty’s hands? His intention to kill me is obvious – how could His Majesty believe his claims against me?” Xiao Huayong’s eyes were calm. “He collaborated with others to expose me before His Majesty, so I’m now turning the tables, exposing him and his collaborators to His Majesty instead.

If he can escape, that’s his skill. If he falls into His Majesty’s hands, he and his collaborators can conveniently become the ones who plotted to assassinate you. The Yangling incident can also be pinned on them both.”

Regarding the deaths of Princess Yangling and Princess Changling, Emperor You Ning generally believed someone was using the princesses to target Shen Xihe, but they hadn’t discovered who. This time, Shen Xihe instinctively felt it wasn’t Mu Nuha’s collaborator.

However, it didn’t matter. First, let the matter be concluded with His Majesty; she would continue to guard against and wait for the real culprit to make another move.

“Can Mu Nuha escape?” Shen Xihe wasn’t certain.

Mu Nuha had come prepared. Without thorough preparation, how would he dare take such a risk? Even if uncertain of complete escape, he must have some confidence.

“I immediately directed His Majesty’s men there.” As the victim, he couldn’t get directly involved. Success depended on His Majesty’s men, though there might be some among them deliberately hindering the pursuit.

“Princess.” While Shen Xihe was deep in thought, Mo Yuan’s voice sounded from outside the pavilion.

“Come in,” Shen Xihe turned and said.

Mo Yuan entered, bowed to Xiao Huayong, and then presented a letter to Shen Xihe.

Shen Xihe took it and read carefully while pondering. After her long silence, Xiao Huayong stood up, and seeing she didn’t try to hide it, moved behind her to read as well.

It contained names of incense ingredients – the same types being sold at different incense shops.

“This is…” Xiao Huayong had a vague guess.

“Beast-luring incense, a foreign formula I happened to obtain. Very few in our Central Plains would know of it,” Shen Xihe put down the letter. “Creating beast-luring incense requires special ingredients. Unlike other compound incenses where the same ingredients can make many different blends, the beast-luring incense has only one possible combination.”

Since Du Huo Lou opened in the capital, other incense shops have gradually changed businesses or relocated. The incense crafted in Shen Xihe’s shop was purer, longer-lasting, and had stronger lingering notes compared to others.

Given Shen Xihe’s status, they dared not engage in any shady dealings and could only withdraw to seek development elsewhere. Some bought ingredients directly from Shen Xihe and sold them at several times the price to wealthy merchants and officials in Jiangnan.

Thus, it was easy to trace the purchases of ingredients needed for beast-luring incense in the capital. Combined with the strong fragrance she had noticed that day, they could roughly estimate the quantity. Checking against the letter made it very easy to determine the source of the incense.

Notably, since Shen Xihe started requiring names and addresses for incense purchases, other shops followed suit, making her subsequent investigation much quicker and simpler.