This matter had nothing to do with him. The Crown Prince wanted to deal with the Fourth Brother, and since the Crown Prince was betrothed to Shen Xihe, the Fourth Brother kidnapped Shen Yingruo to restrain both Shen Xihe and the Crown Prince. Knowing his affection for Shen Yingruo, Fourth Brother used her to gain his protection.
Shen Yingruo’s complexion improved slightly. She gave Xiao Changmin a proper courtesy and moved to withdraw.
Xiao Changmin instinctively reached out to grab her arm, but Shen Yingruo quickly broke free, stepping back several paces.
Her snake-and-scorpion-like avoidance of him made Xiao Changmin’s breath catch, unable to suppress his rising anger: “Because I saved you, because I was the first person you saw, you suspect your suffering was due to association with me. The Crown Prince involves you, yet you don’t mind at all? Why? Is the Eastern Palace’s threshold higher than my Prince Zhao Manor? Do you still wish to serve one husband alongside your sister?”
Shen Yingruo clenched her fists. She nearly raised her hand to slap the person before her, but reason restrained her. Before she stood a Prince – there was a distinction between noble and commoner. She had no standing to defy her superior.
Her small face flushed with anger, Shen Yingruo coldly laughed: “Your Highness, Huaiyang’s courtesy wasn’t to thank you for saving my life, but merely to observe proper etiquette. Was I truly implicated by the Crown Prince? If Your Highness hadn’t made your improper intentions toward me known to all, how could I have met today’s misfortune? If the Fourth Prince hadn’t thought using me could gain Your Highness’s assistance, would he use an unfavored concubine-born daughter of the Shen family to restrain the Crown Prince?”
Of course not. Xiao Changtai kidnapping her was primarily to leverage Xiao Changmin’s influence.
Her questioning angered Xiao Changmin until his eyes reddened: “Shen Yingruo, do you have a heart? For your sake, I was forced to my manor? For you, I exposed my secret guards cultivated over years, losing over twenty men! Yet you say your suffering was all because of me?”
“Isn’t it?” Shen Yingruo refused to yield an inch. “Not just this time. That day in the palace when I was pushed into the icy lake – if not for your improper intentions toward me, how would others scheme to match us as a pair, trying to block the Crown Prince’s path to marry my sister?”
Blood rushed to Xiao Changmin’s head, feeling a sweet metallic taste rise in his throat.
What logic was this? So his love and care for her had become wrong. She was implicated because of Shen Xihe, yet she harbored not a trace of hatred toward Shen Xihe!
“For Huaiyang’s future safety, I beg Your Highness to treat Huaiyang as a stranger from today forward. In the future, even if someone kidnaps Huaiyang again, even with a knife at Huaiyang’s throat, please don’t spare Huaiyang a single glance. Your Highness’s deep affection – Huaiyang has no fortune to accept it!” After these ruthless words, Shen Yingruo turned and strode away.
Xiao Changmin was so angered he didn’t want to look at her again – fearing that one more glance would make him cough up blood!
Just as Shen Yingruo reached Prince Zhao Manor’s main gate, Xiao Changying was standing there. Their eyes met, and Shen Yingruo stepped forward to curtsey.
“This prince will escort County Princess Huaiyang back to the Shen residence,” Xiao Changying spoke first.
Shen Yingruo had thought Xiao Changying had come looking for Xiao Changmin. Hearing his unexpected words, she immediately became guarded.
“County Princess need not overthink. This prince won’t kidnap you in broad daylight before Second Brother’s gate,” Xiao Changying said impatiently. “This prince merely worries something might befall you after leaving the prince’s residence, causing the Princess to rush about for your sake.”
These days, Shen Xihe had sent people searching for Shen Yingruo. If someone took this opportunity to harm the Princess’s manor, he worried endlessly about Shen Xihe, but knowing she didn’t need his concern, he could only sit far away on others’ rooftops each night, watching the Princess’s manor’s every move.
So he loved…
Shen Yingruo understood and didn’t refuse Xiao Changying’s kindness: “Thank you for your trouble, Prince Lie.”
“Troublesome,” Xiao Changying tossed out two words and strode forward.
These women were all so annoying, acting coy and indecisive, nothing like Shen Xihe’s clean decisiveness.
Xiao Changying had prepared a carriage. Shen Yingruo pretended not to hear his words and boarded.
He escorted her to the main road where Mo Yuan and Madam Tan came with people to receive her. They had received the news a step later than those at the prince’s residence. Xiao Changying handed her over to Mo Yuan and Madam Tan, then turned his horse and left.
“Nanny, should I… go to the Princess’s manor?” After changing carriages, Shen Yingruo asked, “I’ve caused trouble for my sister.”
“County Princess, you were implicated because of the Crown Prince and the Princess, leading to your kidnapping. Yet you don’t hate the Princess and instead feel you’ve troubled her?” Madam Tan asked.
Shen Yingruo looked at Madam Tan in confusion: “Nanny, you taught me since childhood that we share both glory and misfortune. When complaining about being implicated, we should think more about how the benefits received usually outweigh the troubles. I bear the Shen surname, gaining glory and wealth because of it, so I shouldn’t only think of myself. In the future… more people will target me to deal with them.”
Madam Tan smiled, both pleased and pitying, stroking Shen Yingruo’s head: “County Princess speaks truly. County Princess was implicated because of the Shen surname. Similarly, the Princess worried for the County Princess and sent people searching because of the Shen surname. Therefore, County Princess need neither blame nor feel guilty.”
Shen Yingruo thought this made sense. In that case, she wouldn’t go to the Princess’s manor – she didn’t want to see Shen Xihe, and Shen Xihe didn’t want to see her either. Mo Yuan was Shen Xihe’s guard; delivering her safely home, Shen Xihe would naturally know.
At the Shen residence, however, Mo Yuan left six men: “County Princess, the Princess instructed them to stay and guard the Shen residence.”
The Shen residence belonged to the Shen family, and Shen Xihe’s authority exceeded Shen Yingruo’s. Shen Xihe telling her this was being frank.
The meaning was that they would only guard outside, neither monitoring her nor relaying messages. Additionally, if she wanted to avoid them, she could conduct her affairs accordingly.
“I understand,” Shen Yingruo nodded.
Mo Yuan brought the news back to the Princess’s manor. Shen Xihe merely gave a light “mm” in response.
She should have stationed people at the Shen residence earlier but had worried Shen Yingruo would overthink, mistakenly believing that while living at the Princess’s manor, she still wanted to control the Shen residence, embarrassing Shen Yingruo. Family harmony brings success in all matters. She had plenty of outsiders to deal with and didn’t want to tangle with Shen Yingruo, which was why she hadn’t stationed people there before.
Just then, Zhenzhu hurriedly ran over, saying gravely to Shen Xihe: “Princess, news from the palace – Fourth Prince self-immolated.”
“Self-immolated?” Shen Xihe was stunned. How did it suddenly become self-immolation?
“Yes, self-immolation. The results from the joint investigation by the Court of Judicature, Imperial Clan Court, and local magistrate confirm Fourth Prince died by self-immolation,” Zhenzhu’s eyes held a hint of hidden meaning. After hesitating for a moment, she continued: “Fourth Prince practiced witchcraft against His Majesty, discovered by tomb-guarding attendants. He killed the attendants but didn’t realize they had already sent out the news. He ultimately chose self-immolation.”
Witchcraft!
Shen Xihe hadn’t expected Xiao Huayong to be so ruthless. The Han Dynasty’s witchcraft incident had killed Consort Wei, the Crown Prince, and their faction. In the current dynasty, witchcraft was written into law as a serious crime!