Tianyuan knew his master best – whenever the palace and court grew peaceful, he would become restless, finding life dull and always stirring up some trouble.

“Anything else?” Xiao Huayong asked.

“The Princess and Young Master took a package of Pingzhong leaves from Xianguo Temple,” Tianyuan quickly reported, having already investigated. “They said it was for making pillows.”

“Hmm.” Xiao Huayong responded and walked out to the main hall – his courtyard also had Pingzhong trees.

Looking at the four Pingzhong trees with leaves yellow as golden butterflies, Xiao Huayong ordered: “Have some leaves picked and sent to the Princess’s mansion.”

“To request a pillow in return?” Tianyuan tentatively asked.

Xiao Huayong glanced at him: “Just ask how to make the pillow.”

He didn’t yet have the face to request something as intimate as a pillow from her.

Catching a falling Pingzhong leaf, Xiao Huayong smiled, the black mole at his eye corner hiding emotion: “It will happen eventually.”

Thus, the next day Shen Xihe saw Tianyuan again, this time not bringing food boxes but a chest of Pingzhong leaves.

“Princess, His Highness heard you like Pingzhong leaves. The Eastern Palace happens to have Pingzhong trees, and since the leaves were falling anyway, he sent this servant to deliver some,” Tianyuan said eagerly.

“Thank His Highness for me,” Shen Xihe had Biyu accept them.

“May I ask what the Princess plans to use the Pingzhong leaves for?” Tianyuan asked shyly.

“To make medicinal pillows,” Shen Xihe didn’t conceal it. “They help with sleep.”

“Really?” Tianyuan’s eyes lit up. “His Highness often has trouble sleeping at night. Would the Princess mind sharing the method with this servant?”

“Hongyu, explain the process to Guard Cao properly.” Shen Xihe considered it a return gift.

After Hongyu explained everything in detail, Tianyuan left happily without lingering.

“Ambitious wolf,” Shen Yun’an snorted disapprovingly.

“Brother,” Shen Xihe didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

“Youyou, the Crown Prince is deeply calculating,” Shen Yun’an advised his sister. “Look at him – if he’s not playing pitiful to make you unable to refuse, he’s catering to your interests, sending inexpensive items so you have no reason to decline.”

“Brother, since there’s the intention for marriage, why remain distant? I don’t need to be inseparable from him, but I’m willing to maintain mutual respect,” she could treat him like family – as long as Xiao Huayong didn’t harm the Northwest or violate her interests, mutual respect would make things easier for everyone.

“I see he’s not satisfied with just mutual respect.” In Shen Yun’an’s mind, Xiao Huayong was a black-hearted wolf cub.

But there was nothing to be done – his sister had chosen him herself. Among the adult princes, Second Prince Zhao already had legitimate children, Third Prince Dai and Fourth Prince Ding were married, Fifth Prince Xin had just lost his wife and deeply loved her, and Sixth Prince had someone in mind.

Ninth Prince Lie didn’t appeal to his sister – wasn’t only Seventh Prince, Crown Prince Xiao Huayong left?

Could he prevent or break this up?

“Never mind whether he’s satisfied or not, my attitude has always been clear,” Shen Xihe couldn’t control others.

Just like how Xiao Changqin once treated Gu Qingzhi with deep love, while Gu Qingzhi maintained an explicitly indifferent attitude from start to finish.

“I’m afraid…” Shen Yun’an understood men better. “Youyou, the reason I won’t marry is that loving you has become a habit. Every family’s daughter is their parents’ treasure. I can’t change myself, and I don’t want to force a lady to accept this unfair reality, don’t want to add an unhappy marriage.”

Shen Yun’an tried another approach: “When someone has deep feelings but receives no response for long, love can easily turn to hate.”

“Brother fears the Crown Prince truly has romantic feelings for me, and unwilling to remain unrequited, might hurt me from love turned bitter,” Shen Xihe understood. “Don’t worry, Brother. In this world, only I can hurt myself.”

If I don’t wish to be hurt, no one can hurt me.

Looking at his confident sister, Shen Yun’an had countless words but didn’t know how to say them.

No matter what’s said, everyone can make firm promises about things they haven’t faced. No amount of explanation can make someone truly understand.

“Enough, Brother, trust Youyou this once,” Shen Xihe softened her tone, somewhat coquettishly.

Shen Yun’an could face arrows raining down without changing expression but was helpless against Shen Xihe. He felt somewhat jealous: “Now you’re already taking his side…”

“Brother, honestly, am I taking his side?” Shen Xihe made a face.

Shen Yun’an immediately closed his mouth, not daring to say more, afraid of upsetting his sister.

Just then, Mo Yao returned with information about Xue Jinqiao – the events from eight years ago were true.

Xue Jinqiao had nearly been buried alive.

Eight years ago, when the Emperor had just stabilized his foundation, he employed eunuchs to weaken noble families’ power. The Military Affairs Commissioner was Emperor Youning’s right-hand man. Xue Jinqiao’s cousin had killed the son whom this eunuch had adopted from relatives to continue his lineage.

The other party wouldn’t let it go. The Xue family was wrong to kill, and Xue Jinqiao’s uncle had died early, leaving only this one heir in the eldest branch.

Emperor Youning hoped both sides would avoid too much scandal. The Military Affairs Commissioner insisted on reconciliation – let a Xue family’s legitimate daughter enter a ghost marriage with his deceased son. At that time, Xue Jinqiao’s birth parents were serving outside the capital.

The Xue family had only two legitimate daughters – one from the second branch with parents present, and Xue Jinqiao. The Xue family bullied this lonely girl whose parents weren’t around, thinking a ghost marriage just meant marrying her out to another family, and the other party agreed not to publicize the ghost marriage.

They planned to bring Xue Jinqiao back after overthrowing this eunuch, but unexpectedly, this eunuch was cruel enough to secretly nail Xue Jinqiao alive in a coffin. She clawed countless bloody marks inside the coffin.

Heaven showed mercy – lightning split the coffin, letting her crawl out barely alive.

Because of this incident, the Xue family felt guilty toward the third branch. Using the heaven-sent warning as a pretext, they overthrew the eunuch, but could never hold their heads up before the third branch. Xue Bei was recalled to the capital and rose rapidly thereafter.

Yet Xue Jinqiao remained cold and indifferent to everyone in the Xue family, including her birth parents.

“She…”

Even Shen Xihe, who considered herself cold-hearted, felt uncomfortable hearing this.

No wonder she always felt Xue Jinqiao was somewhat obsessive, dark, and strange, repeatedly keeping her at arm’s length.

Experiencing such an unbearable thing at age six – how strong-willed must she be to not have gone mad?

“Such are the self-proclaimed noble families,” Shen Yun’an was disgusted just hearing it.

Shen Xihe remained silent – if not for internal corruption, how could the noble families have weakened to this point?

While the two were heavy-hearted, Xiao Huayong in the Eastern Palace was in quite good spirits, immediately making a pillow according to the method Tianyuan obtained.

In broad daylight, Xiao Huayong lay down with closed eyes, indeed sensing waves of fragrance with each breath, an indescribable satisfaction lingering in his heart.

“I can consider this sharing a pillow, our breaths intertwined.”

Tianyuan: …