Chapter 30

Hehuan Palace.

Almost everyone from the Tai Hospital had gathered here, with palace servants panicking, fearing that Princess Yu’an would not wake up and that they too would meet their doom.

Only Shen Shufang took a sip of the freshly brewed tea, frowned, and said, “This spring mountain snow must be brewed with snow water to bring out its full flavor. You actually tried to fool this princess with spring water?”

The palace maid quickly stepped forward to admit her mistake and took the tea away.

The Crown Prince glanced at Shen Shufang, his meaning unspoken.

What time is it, and you’re still concerned about whether the tea is brewed with snow water?

Shen Shufang pretended not to see his gaze and remained silent.

In her heart, she didn’t care and continued to wait for the maid to bring a new cup of tea.

Another hour passed, and the sky was almost bright, yet there were still no signs of Princess Yu’an waking up.

The room had several braziers burning, the windows and doors were tightly shut, and the Crown Prince remained silent, making the atmosphere so stifling that Shen Shufang could hardly breathe.

Had she known it would be like this, when His Majesty had come earlier to visit and was persuaded by the Queen Mother to rest, she should have taken advantage of the situation, feigning illness, and returned to the Eastern Palace.

She turned her head, just about to cover her mouth, and yawned quietly when a familiar female voice suddenly entered.

“How could she have fallen into the water like this? How were you watching over the princess?”

Before the Queen appeared, all the palace servants inside immediately knelt to the ground, and Shen Shufang’s yawn was cut off mid-motion.
A moment ago, the Crown Prince, who had seemed languid and exhausted, straightened up immediately, adopting the dignified demeanor of the heir to the throne. He then led Shen Shufang in greeting.

The Queen waved her hand to dismiss their bows and quickly moved to the bedside. She glanced at her daughter’s pale face, then shifted her gaze to the Crown Prince.

When she had received news of Princess Yu’an falling into the water last night at the Huguo Temple, she had immediately suspected it was not an accident. Thus, she had rushed back to the palace overnight.

“What happened?”

The Crown Prince was about to speak when a loud, frightened scream suddenly came from the bed.

“Xie Hengzhi wants to kill me!”

Princess Yu’an suddenly sat up, her hair standing on end, her soul seemingly absent.

She clawed at the bedding as though still struggling in the water, muttering incomprehensible words.

Seeing this, the Queen immediately bent down to hold her.

“Don’t be afraid; Mother is here. Heling, don’t be afraid.”

Princess Yu’an’s face was ashen, trembling uncontrollably in the Queen’s arms, repeating the same phrase over and over.

The Queen had no choice but to forcefully lift Princess Yu’an’s face to look directly at her.

“Mother is here; don’t be afraid, Heling; don’t be afraid!”

Princess Yu’an stared at her blankly for a long time before finally recognizing who she was. She then threw herself into her embrace, crying out, “Mother, Xie Hengzhi wants to kill me!”

The Crown Prince’s brow twitched, his lips tightening.

Princess Yu’an’s cries added an even more severe tension to the already heavy atmosphere in the room.

The Queen’s gaze became momentarily frozen, but she spoke, “You child, you’ve been delirious from the fever.”

She then turned to Shen Shufang, “Shufang, since I’ve arrived, I will take good care of Heling. You’ve already kept watch for the whole night, so you should go back and rest.”

Shen Shufang rose and bowed, worriedly saying, “But with Heling in this state, I truly can’t feel at ease.”

The Queen replied, “Exactly because Heling is in this condition, she will need your care even more in the future. Therefore, you mustn’t harm your own health now.”

Shen Shufang had no choice but to bow and say, “Then, Your Majesty, please take care of your health.”

As she turned around, the worry on her face disappeared, and she silently sneered.

Did they really think she couldn’t figure out that it was Xie Hengzhi’s doing? Pretending to send her away so hypocritically.

If it were up to her, Xie Hengzhi should have shown more mercy. He should have let Princess Yu’an stay in the water a little longer before pulling her out, so she could fully experience the kind of hopelessness that feels like crying out to the heavens in vain.

As soon as Shen Shufang left the Hehuan Palace, the queen’s expression changed.

She ordered someone to give Princess Yu’an a calming medicine, and after she had calmed down, she sternly asked, “What exactly happened?”

Princess Yu’an, who was always afraid of her strict mother, would usually avoid her and seek support from the Emperor or the Queen Mother whenever anything happened.

Now, scared and flustered, she didn’t care about anything else. After drinking the medicine, she told the queen everything about the events she and Yiyun had conspired on and how she had fallen into the water last night.

To her surprise, the queen’s face became darker the more she listened.

Finally, when Princess Yu’an cried and said she hadn’t ordered the assassin to take Shang Yiling’s life and didn’t know how things had turned out this way, the queen’s face darkened, and she scolded, “You fool! You don’t even realize you’ve been used!”

Princess Yu’an’s already pale face became even more bloodless, and tears welled up in her eyes, not daring to fall.

“Who… Who is trying to use me?”

“Who else?”

The queen looked at her daughter with frustration and said, “If you had killed Shang Yiling, just the crime of killing a minister’s wife would have been enough for the ministers to drown us three mother and child in their spit!”

A vague figure flashed through Princess Yu’an’s mind, and she muttered, “Elder Brother?”

“How did I end up with such a foolish daughter?”

After scolding, the queen turned to glare at the Crown Prince, “And you! You were completely unaware, letting your sister be used as a pawn!”

The Crown Prince lowered his head, cupped his hands, and said in a deep voice, “I know my mistake.”

None of them were of any use.

The queen closed her eyes to calm herself, gritting her teeth. “I personally asked His Majesty to demote several people from my family and had your elder brother sent to Shu for several months. I’ve been fasting and praying at the Guo Guo Temple since then, kneeling on a meditation cushion every day, reciting scriptures and praying for blessings. I’ve finally calmed the chaos of Peng San’s rebellion. And then you, one thought nearly ruined all my efforts!”

The queen made her words so clear that Princess Yu’an finally realized just how severe the consequences of her actions were.

But…

She thought about how she had been pushed into the water last night and still tearfully said, “But I’m a princess! Mother, you must make Father punish him! Otherwise, if Xie Hengzhi dares to kill a princess today, tomorrow he will dare to—”

Slap! The queen’s slap made Princess Yu’an doubt her life.

She… Princess Yu’an was actually slapped…

After venting her anger, the queen calmed down.

She no longer expected her spoiled daughter to understand everything on her own. Only after being slapped would she actually listen to reason.

“You think your elder brother only wants to make you take the blame for killing a minister’s wife?” The queen sneered. “If Xie Hengzhi grows distant from your brother because of this incident and becomes your elder brother’s guest in his inner circle, then you will have given your elder brother a big gift.”

Each word from the queen shattered Princess Yu’an’s understanding of the world built over seventeen years.

She had only wanted to stage a play with Yiyun, but had ended up in such a storm.

“Then… is it just over like this?”

Princess Yu’an, still running a fever, would probably have said nothing if she were not harboring resentment in her heart.

“Do I just suffer these hardships for nothing?!”

When she said this, even the Crown Prince could not take it anymore and sighed deeply.

“You have no choice but to endure.”

The queen looked meaningfully at the Crown Prince and said, “Not only that, but when necessary, you will also have to show your attitude toward Xie Hengzhi.”

Now the Eastern Palace was weak, without military power, and the Crown Prince’s ability to govern did not win the ministers’ favor.

If Xie Hengzhi turned around to support the Eldest Prince, the Crown Prince might not be able to hold his position as heir.

The Crown Prince thought for a moment and said, “I understand.”

Only then did the queen look at the palm print on Princess Yu’an’s face and, with a heart full of pity, pull her into her arms.

Such a reckless Xie Hengzhi could not be left alive once the Crown Prince ascended the throne.

At dawn, the regular biweekly lecture on the classics had already been going on for half an hour.

As usual, His Majesty was absent, and Zhou Ge Lao was nodding and quoting the classics.

Xie Hengzhi sat at the lower seat of the Crown Prince, both of them listening intently.

One appeared sickly; the other had dark circles under his eyes.

During the lecture, Xie Hengzhi coughed lightly, interrupting Zhou Ge Lao’s explanation.

He turned to look at the Crown Prince and asked, “Jin Xuan, have you been overworking recently?”

“Thank you for your concern, Teacher. I just caught a cold the day before yesterday.”

He raised his hand, signaling Zhou Ge Lao to continue without delay.

When Zhou Ge Lao’s voice resumed, everyone’s attention returned to the texts.

A bowl of ginger tea was quietly brought to Xie Hengzhi’s table. He turned his head and saw the Crown Prince signaling to him with his hand.

Xie Hengzhi nodded and drank the entire bowl of ginger tea.

By the time the lecture ended, it was near dusk.

Xie Hengzhi and the Crown Prince stepped out of Wenhua Palace, both of them silent.

As they walked through the long corridor, with no palace attendants around, the Crown Prince stopped and turned to Xie Hengzhi, saying, “How is your wife? Is she recovering?”

“Thank you, Your Highness, for your concern.”

Xie Hengzhi gazed at the end of the corridor, his tone calm. “Though her health is weak, her temperament is tough. She has pulled through.”

Hearing this, the Crown Prince fell silent again, then bluntly said, “Heling, though mischievous, never intended to harm your wife’s life.”

Xie Hengzhi let out a light laugh. “Your Highness, these words of yours are rather childish. Can a single word like ‘mischievous’ replace the fact that my wife nearly lost her life?”

“Indeed, the assassin at the scene was someone from Heling,” the Crown Prince responded.

“But she was also used by someone who bribed the assassin to push things along in order to—”

He stared directly into Xie Hengzhi’s eyes, speaking each word clearly: “To sow discord between the two of us.”

At these words, Xie Hengzhi raised his eyebrows, his expression growing more serious.

“So Your Highness means…”

Their eyes met, and the remaining words were left unspoken.

Xie Hengzhi suddenly understood. “So it was I who wrongly accused the princess.”

“Not exactly,” the Crown Prince replied slowly. “Heling is indeed too thoughtless and has repeatedly offended your wife, almost causing a great disaster.” He continued in a calm voice, “But last night she fell into the water, burning with fever and unable to recover. In a way, that was a punishment from fate.”

Xie Hengzhi thought for a moment, then sighed lightly. “The princess must be more careful in the future.”

“Of course,” the Crown Prince replied. “The palace servants who were involved in this and those who indulged her, like her governess, were all punished this morning.” He paused. “Once her fever subsides, my mother will take her to the Huguo Temple for meditation and self-reflection.”

With that, the conversation ended, and there was no need for further discussion.

The Crown Prince assumed Xie Hengzhi had understood that it was Princess Yu’an who wanted to kill Shang Yiling and that the misunderstanding had been cleared up.

In fact, Xie Hengzhi had already learned the full story the night he captured Yiyun and brought him back.

How could he not have guessed that the one pulling the strings behind this was the First Prince?

Everyone involved in this matter, regardless of who used whom, would face justice. As for Princess Yu’an, as the instigator, he had already given her a taste of the cold water, which was enough to show face to the Crown Prince and the queen.

However, he had not expected the queen to be so sincere, offering compensation in the form of more than ten lives.

Just as he was about to take his leave, the Crown Prince suddenly took hold of his hand, speaking earnestly, “Jin Xuan, you and I have weathered many storms together for over ten years.

We cannot let others stir up discord and ruin our friendship.”

These words were suggested by the queen, but they were the Crown Prince’s genuine feelings.

Everyone could see that the Crown Prince still relied on Xie Hengzhi, but only he knew that he considered Xie Hengzhi his only true friend.

Thus, as Xie Hengzhi remained silent, the Crown Prince cupped his hands and said, “I am here to offer my apologies on behalf of Heling for my wife’s actions.”

Hearing no response, the Crown Prince looked up, only to see Xie Hengzhi looking toward the end of the corridor.

“Your Highness, the Crown Princess is waiting for you.”

The Crown Prince turned and saw the figure of Shen Shufang in the distance.

However—

He shook his head. “She must be passing by.”

When Xie Hengzhi left the palace, it was still not yet evening, but the sky was murky, with thick clouds like a wall, lacking any lightness.

The winters in the Beijing were growing colder each year, and even the fox fur cloak could not block the biting wind.

As he made his way back, it felt as though he were wrapped in a blanket of snow, surrounded by a chilling cold.

Entering the Xie residence, he saw servants busily moving in and out with various items, clearly in a hurry.

Xie Hengzhi sensed that it might be related to Yiling and asked, “Where is my wife?”

A maid replied, “She is with the Old Madam, Mrs. Xie.”

Not long after Xie Hengzhi married, his mother-in-law, the Mrs. Xie, had exempted him from daily greetings, citing her love for peace and concern for her daughter-in-law’s discomfort with the capital’s climate.

In truth, she was from the countryside and couldn’t keep up with the complicated rituals of the capital’s noblewomen, nor did she know how to interact with a cultured, scholarly lady. Fearing she might embarrass herself, she chose to avoid her daughter-in-law altogether.

As a result, over time, the two women only met in necessary situations and hardly saw each other even once every half month.

So why had Yiling gone to Cicin Palace today?

Xie Hengzhi turned and headed straight for Cicin Palace.

Before he could step through the moon gate, the sound of ritual drums and bells echoed.

He followed the sound into the Buddhist hall, where he saw a small group of monks standing and Yiling kneeling before the Buddha statue, stumbling over the chant of sutras with the Old Madam.

Xie Hengzhi, confused, watched for a moment before asking, “What are you doing?”

As soon as he spoke, the sound of the ritual drums and bells abruptly stopped.

Yiling turned to see him and fell silent.

It was the Old Madam who spoke. “Jin Xuan, after Yiling faced such danger, you didn’t think to tell me?”

Xie Hengzhi did not respond. He glanced at the monks and asked, “What is this?”

The Old Madam sighed. “Yiling heard that six guards and a stable boy died trying to save her, so she came here to chant sutras for them and offer them peace.”

The wind in the yard grew louder, blowing into the Buddhist hall and lifting Yiling’s robes.

Xie Hengzhi remained silent, walking inside and noting how pale Yiling still looked, as if the wind might knock her over.

He spoke gently, “There’s no need to rush with the chanting. You are still sick. Go rest first.”

After all this commotion, she truly seemed to have no strength left.

After bidding the Old Madam farewell, the two walked side by side back to Linfeng Yuan.

Along the way, Yiling kept glancing at Xie Hengzhi out of the corner of her eye but did not speak.

It wasn’t until a maid passed by with several bolts of fabric that Xie Hengzhi finally asked, “What have you been busy with today?”

“Oh…” Yiling hesitated, then said, “I think some things still need to be mentioned to you.”

She stammered, “I just learned that six guards died trying to save me, along with a stable boy from the Eastern Palace.”

Xie Hengzhi nodded. “Mm.”

“I thought they were in the prime of life, the backbone of their families, and now they’ve died so suddenly. If I don’t compensate them properly, I’ll feel guilty.”

“So I had someone—”

As she spoke, Yiling suddenly met Xie Hengzhi’s gaze.

His brows and eyes were already deep-set, and when he quietly gazed at others, his intense stare seemed to carry weight, making it impossible to ignore.

Yiling was momentarily stunned; her words halted. She averted her gaze before continuing to speak.

“I’ve already had someone give each of their families a hundred taels of silver, and it’s been noted on your account.”

“I also told them that if they need anything in the future, they can come to the Xie residence and find you; you’re the one who’ll handle it.”

“That Zhang Surabaya’s father has been deaf for more than ten years. You should arrange for a doctor to treat him.”

“Also, Wang Erhu’s family has a younger sister who isn’t married. After the New Year, make sure to arrange for her to marry into a well-off family with good character.”

“There’s a guard; I forgot his name, but his family’s village road needs some repairs. Have someone go fix it. Also, the roof at Zhang Da’s house needs patching.”

Xie Hengzhi: “…me?”

Yiling thought for a moment, then turned to look at him.

“Oh, right, you now have four godsisters, six god brothers, and three godsons.”