What did he mean by this?

Pu Zhu looked down at Shen Yang crouching before her feet, holding her embroidered slipper in his upturned palm and smiling up at her. Besides a fear deeper than what she had felt before, surprise, revulsion, and bewilderment surged through her all at once.

Naturally she had no intention of doing as he suggested and allowing him to put the shoe on for her. She stood rigid, holding his gaze for a moment, then quickly abandoned any thought of calling for help or fleeing.

Although the falconry and hound kennels were not far off, the path on both sides was open countryside, with wild grass growing thick and untamed. She could make out the dim, shadowy figures of soldiers moving in the far distance — but they were too far away. Even if she screamed herself hoarse, no rescue would come.

Besides, if this man had revealed himself like this, he had clearly noticed her and deliberately waited. How could he possibly give her any opportunity to call for help or run?

The way he was behaving did not look like someone about to kill her and silence her on the spot.

That feeling finally let her compose herself somewhat. Seeing him still crouching there before her feet with that smile, looking less as though he were waiting for her to lift her foot and more as though he were observing her reaction, she gathered all her composure and spoke in the dignified, measured tone befitting her rank as Princess Consort: “There is no need for that. Please put the shoe down, General — I can manage on my own.”

Shen Yang slowly rose to his feet, yet one hand still held her embroidered slipper. He continued to smile without any sign of unease. “It seems that fate keeps bringing the Princess Consort and myself together. First the encounter at Cheng Garden, and now this chance meeting here today.”

Hearing him open by mentioning Cheng Garden, as though there were some deeper implication, Pu Zhu felt her heart tighten slightly, and quickly said: “General Shen, I was only passing by just now — by chance. I had no intention of listening to any private matter of yours. The reason I kept out of sight was simply to avoid an awkward situation. I believe that were our positions reversed, you would have done the same. If I have offended you in any way, I hope you will forgive me.”

She glanced at her shoe, still in his hand.

He still held it, showing not the slightest inclination to return it. In fact, he waved his other hand with an air of unconcern and said: “The Princess Consort need not worry about it — it is a trifling matter to me. As for offenses — it is I who gave offense first, having compelled you to overhear those rather discreditable private affairs of mine. I owe the Princess Consort an apology for subjecting her to such unworthy ears.”

Pu Zhu maintained a calm expression on her face, but inwardly her shock and unease deepened — she thought of the shadow this man had cast over her previous life, and her heart grew heavier.

What on earth did he want?

In contrast to her rigid stillness, Shen Yang was entirely at ease. He continued: “Last time, the fire at Cheng Garden must have given the Princess Consort a terrible fright. I have been truly sorry about it. Afterward I was occupied with many matters, and also feared being thought presumptuous — so I never came to make amends in person. But it has weighed on my mind. Since we have met here today, allow me to offer my apologies once again.”

Pu Zhu said coolly: “General Shen need not stand on such ceremony. That incident is long past for me.”

Shen Yang said: “Since the Princess Consort has put it behind her, that is good to hear, and I am genuinely relieved. But if I am being candid — for me, it has not yet passed…”

The smile gradually faded from his face.

Hearing him steer the conversation back to Cheng Garden yet again, Pu Zhu’s heartbeat accelerated. She understood now.

He was probing her. Sure enough, she heard him continue: “After the fire at Cheng Garden, I found myself troubled by something — and the source of that trouble was not some other person, but Princess Ningfu. The old nursemaid who died in the disaster at Cuicui Courtyard — the Princess is convinced she was murdered, and has been pressing me for an explanation. I could not refuse. I combed through every detail, intending only to give her a satisfactory answer, yet I unexpectedly made a discovery—”

He paused, his deep-set eyes fixed on her.

“Does the Princess Consort know what I found? On the day after the fire at Cuicui Garden, I found a set of footprints in the courtyard. From this I deduced that there had been another person in the courtyard at the time — a person who, trapped in the burning space, had the presence of mind to think of escaping through a drainage hole in the courtyard wall. I found myself rather impressed by that resourcefulness. Unfortunately, in a lapse of a hundred careful steps, she had not known that she left behind a set of footprints. I examined them carefully at the time and determined they belonged to a woman…”

As he spoke, he turned the embroidered slipper he was holding idly in his palm, apparently without thought.

“Since that woman was in the burning courtyard at the time, even if she was not the killer herself, she must surely be connected to the matter. Then I recalled something else: on that very night, when Cuicui Courtyard caught fire, I happened to encounter the Princess Consort at the edge of the fire. So I venture to ask: that night, in the vicinity — did the Princess Consort notice anything or anyone suspicious?”

He finished speaking and fixed her with a steady, unblinking gaze, a flicker of dark light moving in the depths of his eyes.

Now Pu Zhu understood completely.

Her earlier worry had not been unfounded.

Sure enough, Shen Yang had suspected from early on that she had been inside the courtyard that night. Yet he had sat on this suspicion, saying nothing, until today — when he chose to probe her with indirect, oblique questions.

The reason he had just now offered to retrieve her shoe and then held it in his hand, turning it over for a long while — it had been to compare it against the footprints she had left at that place!

The depth of his suspicion and the cunning of his scheming were plain to see. And the fineness of his observation and the meticulousness of his mind were equally startling.

Pu Zhu knew she could not deny it. She gritted her teeth inwardly.

“Since General Shen has laid things out plainly, I will not conceal them either. I was indeed in the courtyard at the time — I happened to pass through and became trapped. What I witnessed afterward was entirely against my wishes. I can tell you quite clearly, General: that night, I did not hear a single word that I ought not to have heard.”

“With the General’s keen intelligence, you can verify this for yourself. Where I was standing that night was at least several dozen paces from you. At such a distance, how could I possibly have heard anything spoken in a low voice? As for your private affairs, General — as I said just now, I have no interest in them, nor any wish to pursue the matter. And the old nursemaid that night died in the fire. That is fate. That is destiny.”

Shen Yang narrowed his eyes slightly, studying her, as if weighing her words.

Gradually, Pu Zhu grew less frightened than she had been at first.

She met Shen Yang’s scrutinizing gaze directly, staring back at him, and with deliberate emphasis said: “I value my life greatly, and I accept my lot. I have never had any intention of doing anything so foolish as to court disaster by going against heaven’s will. I am satisfied with my situation as it is. I want for nothing more, and my only wish is for things to continue quietly as they are. That would be enough for me.”

Beyond the ancient plain in the distance, the sun sank like blood, the golden-black disc about to drop below the horizon. On all sides, the sound of the evening wind sweeping through wild grass drifted past. In the thickening dusk, Pu Zhu heard Shen Yang suddenly lower his voice and say: “And Li Xuandu — what exactly is the nature of your relationship with him?”

Pu Zhu was startled. She had not expected him to ask something like that, and said: “Is Prince Qin someone you can address by his given name?”

Shen Yang smiled faintly, then corrected himself: “My disrespect — I should call him Prince Qin. What is your relationship with Prince Qin?”

“What do you mean?”

Shen Yang glanced in the direction where the Yellow One had retreated and said quietly: “Do you know who that old woman is? She is an old bondservant of the Shen family — the wet nurse of my uncle from his childhood. She entered the palace as a servant along with him several decades ago. Others may not know this, but how could I not? Some things need not be seen with one’s own eyes; trace the threads and clues, and one can piece together the general picture. To speak plainly — my uncle is extraordinarily tight-lipped, loyal to the Emperor alone. But when I saw the palace dispatch such an old maidservant to serve the Princess Consort, I was able to guess at certain secrets.”

He fixed his eyes on Pu Zhu and said, one word at a time: “May I ask the Princess Consort — are you a spy sent by my uncle, or should I say, by His Majesty, to observe Prince Qin?”

Pu Zhu looked at the man before her and pressed her lips firmly together.

Shen Yang spoke again: “The evidence does not end there. I also made inquiries — when you were living in He Xi, Princess Consort, you had another nursemaid who had been your companion through hardship. Yet before your wedding she was taken away by family members to enjoy a comfortable retirement. In itself there is nothing suspicious about that — it is entirely natural. But first there is the Yellow One, then this — put together, the coincidence is rather too convenient.”

He watched Pu Zhu’s expression shift, and that usually heavy, wooden face of his, always seeming blank of feeling, now showed brows smoothed with evident satisfaction at the profound effect his words were having on her.

“Princess Consort, I have been candid with you to the very heart of the matter. Will you truly not say a single word in reply?”

He spoke at his leisure, watching her, a thin smile touching the corners of his lips.

Pu Zhu was genuinely shaken — by this man’s terrifying acuity and his almost uncanny perceptiveness.

No wonder he had managed in her previous life to turn everything upside down in the end, holding the entire court in the palm of his hand.

A person like this would never go to all this trouble for nothing. Having spent so many words on her now — what was his purpose?

Pu Zhu thought of the conversation she had once had with Magistrate Guo’s wife, and her heart gave a small lurch. Suddenly the clouds parted and clarity came.

If she was not mistaken, Shen Yang also wanted to use her as a pair of eyes — to serve his own ends.

In Li Xuandu’s eyes, she was a spy sent by the Emperor who had then turned around and betrayed the Emperor — opportunistic and self-serving.

In her own view, Li Xuandu was nothing more than a stepping stone for achieving what she wanted. He and she would never truly be of one mind.

She had already made too many enemies. She had no wish to add another as formidable as the man standing before her.

Showing a calculated degree of weakness could only benefit her.

Suppressing the revulsion churning inside her, she met his gaze — and gave him a faint smile.

Two lifetimes lived, and this was the first time she had ever smiled at this man. Bright eyes, gleaming teeth, radiant beauty without equal.

She said softly: “What you think, General, is your own affair. What is it you want to hear me say?”

She glanced at her shoe, still resting in his palm.

“Would you be so kind as to return my shoe first?”

Shen Yang seemed to startle slightly, then came back to himself — and rather than returning it, his gaze upon her gleamed all the more brightly. He also said quietly: “Princess Consort, I am genuinely concerned for your situation. As for His Majesty — the principle that hunting dogs are cooked once the prey is caught: with your intelligence, I need not spell it out for you. As for Prince Qin — given his caution and the changes he has endured over these years, how could he ever truly regard you as a trusted confidante?”

He paused for a moment.

“I mean no malice in what I am about to say, only that I would not have you kept in the dark. Xiao Shi married me — but before that, she had been betrothed to him. This I suspect the Princess Consort already knows. But there is another matter of which the Princess Consort may not yet be aware. In those earlier years, had he not met with misfortune and been imprisoned — besides Xiao Shi, there was another woman who was also to have been his wife…”

Pu Zhu’s heart gave a quiet lurch. She looked at Shen Yang.

Shen Yang smiled faintly and continued: “That woman was his maternal cousin from Que Kingdom. As I understand it, the two of them grew up together and had deep feelings for each other. The reason she was not installed as his formal consort at the time was a consideration of clan bloodlines. I can tell you — that cousin of his from Que Kingdom is now of considerable age, yet she remains unmarried. I put it to you: how could Prince Qin ever truly share a heart with you in the future?”

Pu Zhu kept her expression cool and said nothing.

“Princess Consort, you are like someone walking barefoot across a mountain of blades with a pit of fire below — and you walk that path alone. I worry for you: not only will your feet be cut, but if you stumble and fall, your very bones may never be found. Who would pity you?”

Pu Zhu laughed at his words, though she did not look at him directly — only glanced at him from the corner of her eye: “Is that so? From what General Shen is implying, could it be that you intend to be that person who pities me?” Her tone carried a note of mockery, yet invited speculation.

Shen Yang was not in the least put out. He gazed at her steadily and said: “I have always held the Princess Consort’s father and grandfather in the highest respect, and between you and me there is neither enmity nor grievance. Even that small misunderstanding from the Cheng Garden affair has now been cleared up. As for the polo match the other day — it was my great fortune to watch every moment of the Princess Consort’s splendid display on horseback. Setting aside everything else: simply in terms of being willing to step forward and take responsibility, the Princess Consort has put to shame more men in this world than I could count, to say nothing of those women who call themselves noble while reeking of the fishmonger’s stall.”

He held her embroidered slipper in his hand, letting his long fingers slowly turn it in his palm — then closed his fingers around it and lifted his eyes. His gaze settled on her beautiful, smiling face. He said slowly: “I greatly admire the Princess Consort, and I feel a deep sympathy for your situation. If the Princess Consort will honor me with her trust, I, Shen Yang, would not only willingly gather up your shoe and put it on for you — from this day forward, I would also protect you as you walk this road of blades.”

At that, Pu Zhu finally exhaled fully.

Shen Yang would not kill her. Her life was safe.

This scene felt deeply, unsettlingly familiar.

In her previous life, after Li Chengyu’s death, the man before her — who had killed her husband and effectively seized control of the court — had come many times to her final refuge at Wanshou Palace and said these very same kinds of sweet words to her.

In this life, this man was again revealing such intentions toward her. Pu Zhu was not surprised — but the deep-seated aversion she carried over from her previous existence could not simply be erased.

His words sounded moving enough, but it was nothing more than a man’s desire for possession. A man as dark and unscrupulous as Shen Yang — one who would stop at nothing to achieve his ends — what kind of future could she possibly hope for if she ever submitted to him?

In her previous life, even when she had been reduced to that utterly helpless and isolated state, she had never been able to overcome the resistance and revulsion she felt toward this man. She had never once given herself to him — much less in this life.

Men were all the same in the end, Li Xuandu included, and of course this Shen Yang as well.

Admiration and sympathy — four words that boiled down to four others: desire sparked by beauty. Besides that, she knew perfectly well he simply wanted to use her for his own purposes.

Beneath her skirts, one foot was still bare against the ground.

She continued to smile: “The General’s kind intentions move me. Only I am of ordinary, unremarkable stock and of little use to anyone, I fear — I could offer no return, and the General would be disappointed. I shall have to ask the General to return the shoe first. I would not dare have the General perform such a menial task on my behalf as a servant would — if word were to spread, I fear it would damage the General’s reputation.”

He stared at Pu Zhu, his eyes gleaming.

Above them, the dusk thickened further. Night was almost upon them.

Pu Zhu did not know how he would respond. She felt herself growing tense again and was also sick with worry over Huaiwei — she was desperate to leave and did not want to drag this out any longer. After a brief hesitation, she gathered her courage, decided to take the gamble.

She extended her hand, about to reach directly into his and take back her shoe — when from behind her came the sound of hoofbeats.

She spun around quickly. Through the gathering dusk, a lone rider was coming fast on horseback. As the figure grew clearer and clearer, she made him out at last.

Li Xuandu. It was Li Xuandu.

Every muscle in Pu Zhu’s body went slack at once. She had no time to run toward him — she watched him bring the horse to a halt, swing himself down, and stride over in long steps.

“Your Highness—”

She called out to him. Before she had finished, she noticed his gaze had landed on her embroidered slipper, still clasped in Shen Yang’s hand.

An inexplicable chill passed through Pu Zhu’s heart. She closed her mouth and looked toward him with a trace of unease.

Li Xuandu’s expression remained calm and even. He reached out, took the embroidered slipper from Shen Yang’s hand, walked to where Pu Zhu stood, crouched down — said nothing — only looked up at her with a faint smile, then reached beneath her skirt, found her bare foot, and slipped the shoe onto it.

Once he had put the shoe on for her, he stood back up and turned toward Shen Yang.

Shen Yang had already stepped back several paces. He said respectfully: “I happened to encounter the Princess Consort here just now. I saw her foot had sunk into the mud and her slipper had come off — she was unable to walk comfortably, so I came forward to offer my humble assistance.”

Li Xuandu’s expression was still as water. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, looking at him.

Shen Yang finished his explanation. Seeing that Li Xuandu made no reply, his own expression remained entirely composed. He gave a cupped-hands salute, said he would not dare disturb the couple any further, glanced once at Pu Zhu, turned, and walked away.

Pu Zhu’s mind was in a tangle. Once Shen Yang was gone, she quickly said to Li Xuandu: “Your Highness, please do not misunderstand — it truly was a chance encounter between us. I will explain the details to you later. I came to the kennels to look for Huaiwei; I didn’t know if he might be with Han Chijiao…”

Li Xuandu said nothing. He left her standing there and strode toward the kennels.

Pu Zhu started, then hurried after him.

Han Chijiao had just emerged from the kennels with Yuichi Shengde and others, talking and laughing. When told that Pu Zhu was looking for him, his eyes lit up and he came over quickly — then, upon hearing it was about Huaiwei’s whereabouts, he shook his head and said he had not set eyes on him all day.

So she had been wrong to think what she had thought.

If he was not here, where could Huaiwei have gone?

Night was almost upon them. If he was not found soon — if something were to happen…

Pu Zhu did not dare imagine that dreadful outcome. Her anxiety mounted, panic rising with it, and she could not stop her eyes from reddening.

Han Chijiao scratched his head and stared at her blankly.

Li Xuandu finally spoke: “He has two legs — he cannot have gone far. The hunting grounds extend for dozens of li in all directions, and with all the noise and activity of these past few days, any animals that could run have long since fled. Even if he wandered off some distance, he should be fine. The area around the riding grounds is thick with trees and undergrowth — it’s possible he went in and lost his way. His Majesty has already been informed and has sent out another search party. There is no need to worry excessively — perhaps by the time we return there will already be news.”

Pu Zhu dabbed at the corners of her eyes, lowered her head, and hurried back toward the riding grounds. Halfway there, she saw Luo Bao coming in the other direction at an eager trot, his face beaming. When he spotted her and Li Xuandu, he called out loudly: “Your Highness! Princess Consort! Good news! The little prince has been found!”

Pu Zhu was overjoyed. She gathered her skirts and ran toward Luo Bao. When she reached him she pressed for details.

Luo Bao said: “He was found at the bottom of a gully beside the riding grounds — he’d slid down a slope! He said he was resting and saw a rabbit dart out from the grass, so he chased it, ran into the forest, and slipped down the slope by accident. He got wedged into the fork of a tree branch at the bottom, stuck so tight he couldn’t get himself free. He shouted but no one heard him — and the little prince, bless his nerves, just hung there in the tree fork and fell asleep! Just now he woke up and started shouting again. Ye Xiao happened to hear him, called some men with ropes, and someone climbed down and pulled him up. The little prince is very lucky — no serious harm done, just a twisted ankle and a few scrapes on his legs. He’s already back at the palace. This servant was afraid Your Highnesses would be worried, so I came ahead to report!”

Pu Zhu finally felt the last of her dread lift away. She immediately rushed back to the palace and entered the Western Court.

Exactly as Luo Bao had said, Huaiwei was unharmed. The imperial physician had already treated his external injuries. The Noble Consort, Li Lihua, Princess Consort Duan, and others were all crowded around him, everyone asking questions one after another.

Huaiwei had a plump, glistening chicken leg in his mouth, cheeks puffed out, eating as he mumbled his replies. Then he suddenly saw Pu Zhu come rushing in, and fearing she would scold him for his mischief, immediately cried out: “Don’t worry, Sister-in-law! I’m perfectly fine — I slept in the tree for a bit, and now I’m hungry!”

Pu Zhu was both exasperated and amused. Everyone around laughed as well. The Noble Consort and the Princess Imperial offered a few more words of comfort and withdrew, each having their own affairs to attend to. Only Princess Consort Duan had not yet left.

Princess Consort Duan was quite fond of the Grand Princess’s mixed-race son. Seeing him busily wolfing down his food, she was afraid he might choke, and helped him drink some broth.

Huaiwei had eaten his fill, gave a satisfied belch, and then suddenly saw Li Xuandu walk in. At once he remembered the sight of him and his sister-in-law sleeping with their arms around each other that very morning — and no sheep between them in the middle! He also thought of how originally he was supposed to be the one to marry his sister-in-law, but in the end Li Xuandu had taken her away from him.

He sat in a daze for a moment, feeling put out. Then a thought struck him and he said: “Sister-in-law, my leg is hurt — it hurts. If I can’t sleep tonight, will you stay with me?”

Princess Consort Duan glanced at a silent Li Xuandu, then smiled and patted Huaiwei on the head, coaxing him: “Your aunt has nothing else on, so tonight your aunt will sleep with you — don’t disturb your fourth brother and fourth sister-in-law.”

Huaiwei said nothing, but looked at Pu Zhu with the most pitiful expression.

Pu Zhu was just about to agree, when she suddenly thought of Li Xuandu and instinctively glanced back at him. He was already wearing a gentle smile, and said to Princess Consort Duan: “It is no trouble at all. Huaiwei had quite a fright today — it’s better for her to keep him company.”

Princess Consort Duan, seeing him agree so readily, left it at that. She cuddled Huaiwei affectionately for a little while longer, then, remembering her own Prince Duan with his similarly injured leg waiting at home, rose and took her leave.

Pu Zhu saw Princess Consort Duan out, and when she came back she found Li Xuandu had already left. She turned her attention to taking care of Huaiwei and seeing him to bed. She kept him company until the last quarter of the hour of Xu, when he finally calmed down from his excitement and fell asleep.

After such a tumultuous day, Pu Zhu was utterly exhausted. Once she had bathed and climbed into bed, she lay there thinking carefully over everything that had happened that evening.

Truly the last thing she had imagined — that Li Xuandu had a cousin from Que Kingdom who had been waiting for him all this time!

She had once wondered: in her previous life, in the later years, which family’s daughter had Li Xuandu eventually taken as his wife and elevated to Empress?

Now she knew. It must have been this maternal cousin of his from Que Kingdom.

Childhood sweethearts, years of patient waiting, separated by circumstances beyond their control — and then, in the lowest point of his life, his mother’s people had given him their full support.

Such deep and loyal devotion — whether from the perspective of family or from the purely personal — meant that this cousin from Que Kingdom must hold a uniquely special place in his heart. If not her, then who would he marry?

She thought further: in this life, had it not been for a twist of fate that made her his Princess Consort, the woman he would eventually wed was surely destined to be that cousin. A perfect match between them, made in the heavens — and she herself was nothing more than a surplus presence.

A sour, deflated feeling rose in her chest — but she quickly expelled it. Not only was that kind of feeling entirely inappropriate, it set off fresh alarm bells in her mind.

Her goal was not to grow old with Li Xuandu, living out their days together side by side. And until now she had assumed there was no one who could possibly compete with her for the position of Empress in the future.

Now she knew she had been wrong again.

Not only was there competition — the competition was formidable.

One could put it this way: if Li Xuandu turned out to be the final victor in this life as well, then the very thing she had always feared most — him turning on her and casting her aside — was extremely likely to happen: he would depose her and install his cousin from Que Kingdom as Empress in her place.

The thought made Pu Zhu’s fingertips go cold with dread.

She gritted her teeth inwardly, then thought over the strange coincidence of Shen Yang and Li Xuandu both crouching one after the other before her feet to put on her shoe. The image made her head swim with a restless unease. And then she thought of how Li Xuandu had not waited for her to return tonight and had already left the Western Court — and the feeling of unease doubled.

No — she had to go and find him right away.

Everything that had happened before his arrival this evening she naturally could not tell him in full. But the parts that could be shared, she should tell him as soon as possible.

This was how she would show him something of her attitude.

Her mind was made up quickly. She sat up at once, climbed out of bed, opened the door, and called someone in to help her dress and fix her hair.

She had to bring Li Xuandu to heel first. She had no hope of displacing that cousin from Que Kingdom in his heart — that was not a realistic goal. But keeping the inner household stable was achievable. And only with the inner household stable could she think of anything else.

Winning him over — that was her first and most urgent task right now.