The camphor trees cast their shade while the warm sun of Liyang wove through like silk. The sky stretched vast above, and Mirror Lake lay still without ripples.

Recently, peace had settled over everything. Shen Xihe stayed mostly secluded in the Eastern Palace, only leaving for regular visits to pay respects to Emperor Yuning and the Empress Dowager.

Not long after Bu Shulin’s wedding came Princess Pingling’s marriage day. With her birth mother Noble Consort Rong managing everything – the same Noble Consort Rong from whom Shen Xihe had wrested control of the inner palace, causing quite a stir and effectively breaking their relationship – Shen Xihe deliberately kept her distance. Princess Pingling was Noble Consort Rong’s only daughter, so she wouldn’t risk any mishaps with the wedding. Shen Xihe merely sent people to supervise from afar.

The days of pregnancy were especially leisurely. Zhenzhu and Biyu had taken over most of the palace duties. After half a year of training since last year, they had become quite adept at managing palace affairs. Shen Xihe spent most of her time with Xiao Huayong.

They tended to flowers together, brewed tea and painted, played music in duets, enjoyed games of chess while chatting, and discussed their unborn child…

The days were deeply satisfying, but news of the King of Shunan’s death had yet to reach the capital, causing Shen Xihe some worry: “Has something gone wrong?”

“His Majesty has spies in Shunan,” Xiao Huayong explained. “The King of Shunan likely doesn’t want His Majesty to learn of his impending death first, so he’s delaying the news.”

The King of Shunan wasn’t truly bedridden or beyond medical help yet – if he were, it couldn’t have been kept secret. Though his days were indeed numbered, he should have had at least three to five months left. But he couldn’t and wouldn’t take those months.

If he waited until he was bedridden to notify Bu Shulin, it would certainly not escape His Majesty’s attention. His Majesty would intercept the message and detain Bu Shulin. As long as news of the King of Shunan’s death hadn’t reached the capital, Bu Shulin would have no reason to request returning to Shunan.

He was making arrangements. After everything was properly settled, before anyone noticed anything amiss, he would use an opportunity to present the death notice to the Qinzheng Hall when His Majesty was caught off guard, forcing him to let Bu Shulin go.

“The King of Shunan truly has a father’s heart,” Shen Xihe sighed softly. Her eyes suddenly dimmed. “It reminds me of Mother…”

Lady Tao could have been saved back then, but she knew that if she hadn’t died because of Lady Xiao, Lady Xiao would have been stuck as a regular wife, and Shen Yun’an might have shared Bu Shulin’s fate.

Her glory today, her father’s escape from trouble then, and her brother’s freedom now – all were bought with her mother’s life. And now almost the same thing was happening between the King of Shunan and Bu Shulin.

Unconsciously, she placed her hand on her still-flat belly. “Is a parent’s love truly so selfless?”

Shen Xihe had never considered sacrificing her life for anyone. Perhaps because she had never seen Shen Yun’an or Shen Yueshan face death, and she wasn’t one to indulge in wild thoughts, she had never considered risking her life for her father and brother.

Therefore, she found such selfless dedication difficult to understand and relate to. Perhaps one day when she became a mother, she would understand this kind of resolute, moth-to-flame devotion.

“It depends on the person,” Xiao Huayong said, hands clasped behind his back as he turned his head to look down at Shen Xihe. “Many parents would disregard life and death for their children, but there are also plenty who would sell their children for wealth and glory.”

While filial piety and parental kindness weren’t rare, neither were family feuds uncommon.

“But I always feel that anyone with kindness in their heart and benevolence in their character will love their flesh and blood selflessly,” Xiao Huayong added finally.

Shen Xihe smiled slightly. Who could make definitive judgments about things that hadn’t happened yet? But she agreed with Xiao Huayong’s words.

“Your Highness, Princess Anling and the Prince of Zhao’s wife are quarreling in Cloud Moving Garden…” Just then, Biyu’s voice came from outside.

Shen Xihe raised her eyebrows slightly. Yu Sangning and Princess Anling?

Sisters-in-law and their husbands’ sisters, even when not related by blood, had always been difficult relationships throughout history, but this usually happened in ordinary households.

Princess Anning had become more dignified and steady since her marriage and often visited the palace. Yu Sangning was a person of delicate thoughts who was good at enduring, and she was pregnant. For the two of them to quarrel openly in the palace, Shen Xihe felt the matter wasn’t so simple.

Regardless, since it happened in the palace and involved two royal family members, Shen Xihe, as the one in charge of the inner palace, had to resolve it.

Shen Xihe stood up and said to Xiao Huayong: “I’ll be back shortly.”

On the way, Biyu told Shen Xihe the whole story.

It turned out that Princess Anling had married into the Lingwu Baron’s family. This Lingwu Baron and the former Pingyao Marquis had been at odds for generations, especially between Yu Xiang and the current Lingwu Baron, who were like fire and water.

The cause was that Lingwu Baron had once offended the Minister of Protocol due to Yu Xiang’s involvement. When it came time for the Lingwu Baron to inherit his title, the Ministry of Protocol’s review resulted in the Lingwu Marquis becoming today’s Lingwu Baron.

Since then, the two families viewed each other as enemies.

Today’s quarrel between Yu Sangning and Princess Anling happened because the other day, His Majesty had suddenly decided to test the Imperial Guards. Yu Sangning’s brother and the Lingwu Baron’s heir had gotten into such a heated fight that, reportedly, if His Majesty hadn’t stopped them, they would have fought to the death.

“The Crown Princess has arrived just in time!” Princess Anling, who had been blocking Yu Sangning from leaving, immediately came forward when she saw Shen Xihe. After they both paid their respects to Shen Xihe, Princess Anling hurriedly said, “Royal Sister-in-law, Second Sister-in-law is going too far. We had no previous grievances, but today when we met, she deliberately blocked my path and made me fall. Look, Royal Sister-in-law, the skin on my hand is scraped off!”

After listening, Shen Xihe looked at Yu Sangning. Meeting Shen Xihe’s gaze, Yu Sangning explained calmly: “The Princess has misunderstood. We simply happened to bump into each other. Perhaps because we both wanted to give way, we kept moving to the same side. The Princess became annoyed and assumed I was deliberately blocking her path, so she pushed me…”

Shen Xihe’s cold gaze circled between the two, and she asked without showing emotion: “If the Princess pushed you, why is the Princess the one who’s injured?”

“Because I’m with child, Your Highness worried about my care and assigned a maid who knows martial arts. When the Princess pushed me, this maid stepped in to block, and the Princess fell when she collided with the maid,” Yu Sangning explained unhurriedly.

Shen Xihe glanced at the sturdy maid kneeling to one side, then looked at Princess Anling: “Is this what happened?”

Princess Anling bit her lip and remained silent. This was indeed the truth, but in all her years, she had never been treated so rudely: “Royal Sister-in-law, I can tell whether Second Sister-in-law was truly giving way or blocking my path. She was deliberately blocking me!”

When ordinary people meet on a narrow path, they might try to avoid each other two or three times at most, but Yu Sangning had deliberately blocked her five or six times – why else would she have pushed her?