As she ran, the golden butterfly in her hair seemed poised to take flight.
“Princess, Princess, may I join you?” The young lady appeared no more than twelve or thirteen years old. From running so hastily, her small face was covered with a thin layer of blush. Her eyes sparkled brightly as she gazed at Shen Xihe.
“No.” Shen Xihe rejected her heartlessly.
The young lady wasn’t hurt at all and continued smiling adorably. “I promise I’ll be very good and won’t disturb your peace. I… I just want to be with you. I don’t like being with them either.”
Her large eyes blinked repeatedly as she stared pitifully at Shen Xihe, looking very much like Duanming at home when it wanted fish.
Shen Xihe didn’t drive her away. Instead, she found a place to sit, waiting for Bu Shulin to come find her.
The young lady cheerfully sat down beside Shen Xihe, cupping her face in both hands and staring intently at her. “Sister Xihe, you’re truly beautiful…”
Biyu, who accompanied Shen Xihe, was somewhat speechless. This young lady’s skill at pushing boundaries was quite remarkable.
From a distance, it had been “Princess Zhaoning,” up close it became just “Princess,” and after exchanging a few words, it turned into “Sister Xihe”…
She was yet another young lady enchanted by their Princess’s beauty. Such young ladies were extremely common in the Northwest, and Biyu was quite used to it.
“Sister Xihe, I’m the seventh daughter of the Xue family, named Jin Qiao,” Xue Jin Qiao informed her softly, as if truly afraid of disturbing her. “The ‘Jin’ from ’embracing jade with respect,’ and the ‘Qiao’ from ‘tall tree family.’ My nickname is Qiao Qiao.”
“Qiao Qiao?” Shen Xihe called with a light laugh.
“Yes!” Xue Jin Qiao responded crisply, her eyes instantly filled with light, radiating vitality.
Biyu didn’t even look, and Xue Jin Qiao’s maid had lowered her head so much it seemed about to sink into her chest.
“I’ll remember that. I have an appointment,” Shen Xihe politely dismissed her.
“Mm-hmm… oh?” Xue Jin Qiao, who had been utterly bewitched, nodded before finally processing Shen Xihe’s words. She opened and closed her small mouth, pouted somewhat dejectedly, then slowly got up and shuffled away, turning back to look with each step.
After shuffling past the moon gate, she poked her head back in: “Sister Xihe, can… can I visit you at the Princess’s mansion? I absolutely won’t disturb you, I just want to see you…”
“No.” Coquettish charm and pouting did not affect Shen Xihe, this woman with a heart of stone.
Xue Jin Qiao left with a pout.
“Only now do I realize how well you treat me,” Bu Shulin remarked with feeling as she emerged from behind the rockery?
She had always felt that Shen Xihe wasn’t particularly friendly toward her, but now, seeing such a charming young lady eagerly approaching only to be rebuffed—even Bu Shulin’s heart had softened a bit—while Shen Xihe remained unmoved, she realized how well Shen Xihe treated her by offering tea.
“You’re more useful,” Shen Xihe responded heartlessly.
Bu Shulin: …
The implication is that if she weren’t useful, she’d receive the same treatment.
Unexpectedly, Shen Xihe continued: “If you weren’t useful and sensible, Huangzhong Temple would have been your precedent.”
Bu Shulin: !!!
So her treatment was much worse than this pretty young lady’s.
Suddenly, the memory of her past poisoning incident at the Luoyang Inn surfaced again…
Biyu covered her mouth to hide her laughter; their Princess just loved teasing Young Master Bu.
Seeing Biyu laugh, Bu Shulin realized Shen Xihe was deliberately teasing her, but actually, they were all wrong—Shen Xihe was telling the truth.
Having already idealized Shen Xihe in their minds, they simply refused to believe this cruel reality.
“Sister Xihe, how exactly will you help me?” Bu Shulin asked seriously.
“You fear Princess Shang because you’re worried about your identity being exposed. We need to solve the problem at its root,” Shen Xihe smiled faintly. “Today you’ve dispelled the Third Princess’s thoughts, but there’s still the Fourth Princess, Fifth Princess, and Sixth Princess. His Majesty will surely want to bestow a princess upon you. There’s one method that might make His Majesty give up the idea of matching you with a princess, and even if he persists, you won’t be exposed.”
“What method?” Bu Shulin’s eyes brightened.
“Male preference,” Shen Xihe said.
Bu Shulin shook her head: “I’ve thought of this method, but it’s not easy to fake. His Majesty certainly won’t believe it easily. Whoever I pretend with might be strictly investigated and closely monitored by His Majesty. If they slip up, it would be disadvantageous.”
Unless it was a death-sworn warrior who could withstand severe torture, anyone could recognize a death-sworn warrior, which would be equivalent to confessing without being forced. Bu Shulin wasn’t willing to take this risk without a death-sworn warrior.
“I’ve found you an excellent candidate,” Shen Xihe’s lips curved slightly.
“Who?”
“Deputy Chief of the Court of Judicial Review, Cui Jinbai.”
Bu Shulin instantly turned to stone. Had her ears deceived her?
Cui Jinbai, Emperor Youning’s trusted minister, who was being groomed as a potential regent!
Wasn’t this walking straight into a trap?
“If you trust me, just throw yourself at him,” Shen Xihe smiled mysteriously before leaving with Biyu.
At today’s Chrysanthemum Viewing Banquet, many eligible young ladies and gentlemen were invited. Shen Xihe wasn’t sure if Cui Jinbai would come, so she made a special trip to see for herself and create an opportunity for Bu Shulin.
After finishing her conversation with Bu Shulin, Shen Xihe had just returned to the main garden of the Chrysanthemum Viewing Banquet when she saw the bored Xue Jin Qiao standing by the lotus pond. Several elegantly dressed noble ladies walked past, exchanging meaningful glances as they looked at Xue Jin Qiao, who had her back to them.
One of them walked over and deliberately bumped into Xue Jin Qiao, pushing her into the pond.
She had originally intended to ignore it, but then she heard the lady who had pushed her say: “Rushing to curry favor with others when they won’t even look at you. Our noble families have always been at odds with those in power. Today, I’ll teach you a lesson for bringing shame to our traditions.”
Shen Xihe, who had already started walking in another direction, stopped in her tracks: “Biyu, go find a bamboo pole.”
“Yes.”
While Biyu went to find a bamboo pole, Shen Xihe adjusted her shawl and turned toward the pond. When the group saw Shen Xihe, they became somewhat flustered but tried to maintain their composure.
Xue Jin Qiao was pulled out by her maid and was glaring fiercely at the person who had pushed her in, like an angered young beast about to pounce. Shen Xihe extended her hand through the air to stop her.
She approached step by step, closing in on the lady who had done the pushing. The others, intimidated by Shen Xihe’s aura, couldn’t help but retreat.
The one who had pushed wanted to retreat as well but forced herself to resist, unwilling to submit.
Shen Xihe stood before her, reached out, and directly pushed her into the pond. Just then, Biyu returned with a bamboo pole. Shen Xihe took it and used it to press against the lady’s back, forcefully pushing her down.
Shen Xihe’s actions shocked everyone pale with fear, except for the soaking-wet Xue Jin Qiao, who clapped and cheered without regard for etiquette.
“I… kakh kakh… Prin…”
The lady held down by Shen Xihe’s bamboo pole occasionally managed to surface for air. When she tried to swim to the side, Shen Xihe’s pole thrust down hard, cutting off her path, before pressing against her back again.
“Princess, Princess, please calm down…” The ladies who had come with her finally came to their senses. Some hurriedly tried to persuade her, while others immediately ran off to spread the news. “Someone will die, Princess!”
“Oh, so you know someone could die?” Shen Xihe revealed a cold smile. “I thought you didn’t know. But if you cause someone’s death, you’ll certainly have to pay with your life. But if I take her life right now, do you think I’d have to pay with mine?”