Like everyone else in the Shen family, Xiao Xuanzhou was seeing Shen Zhao dressed in such bright and dazzling colors for the very first time.
She was like the king of flowers herself
the kind that drew everyone’s eyes the moment she appeared…
And it was precisely that single glance that triggered a warning sound from Shen Qingrou’s Black Lotus System:
【Host, detected an increase in the Crown Prince’s attraction toward the Phoenix Star.】
Shen Qingrou abruptly looked toward Xiao Xuanzhou.
Sure enough, Xiao Xuanzhou was staring directly at Shen Zhao.
Without moving his gaze at all.
Panic rose in Shen Qingrou’s heart. She immediately ran toward Xiao Xuanzhou’s carriage, wanting to call out, “Your Highness the Crown Prince.”
But the words caught in her throat, and only broken syllables emerged.
“Y-Your… Your…”
“Bang!”
In her panic, Shen Qingrou fell to the ground.
The sound instantly interrupted Xiao Xuanzhou’s gaze.
Seeing Shen Qingrou sprawled on the ground, Xiao Xuanzhou shouted anxiously, “Rou’er!”
He was just about to step forward when the eunuch behind him quickly cried out:
“Your Highness, be careful of your injury! Allow this servant to carry you down from the carriage.”
Right.
He had almost forgotten his injured leg.
It was all Shen Zhao’s fault…
It was Shen Zhao who had caused Rou’er to fall.
The eunuch carried Xiao Xuanzhou down from the carriage so he could check on Shen Qingrou.
Only after confirming that Shen Qingrou was unharmed did he turn around and place the blame onto Shen Zhao.
“Shen Zhao, Mother Empress ordered you to cultivate quietly at Ziyun Temple, not to flaunt yourself in public and seduce me.”
“I advise you to give up that foolish idea. I will never be bewitched by you.”
Shen Zhao let out a soft scoff.
After giving Xiao Xuanzhou a formal salute, she directly boarded the carriage.
She did not even spare him a proper glance.
Yet Xiao Xuanzhou became dissatisfied with Shen Zhao’s attitude.
She had adorned herself with peonies and dressed so flamboyantly
wasn’t it all just to attract his attention?
Knowing he had personally come, she should have immediately knelt down and softened her attitude toward him. Yet instead, she dared show him such coldness.
What was she trying to do?
Playing hard to get with him?
Hmph. He would not fall for such tricks.
“I came under Mother Empress’s orders to tell you, Shen Zhao, that you must go to Ziyun Temple.”
“Don’t even think about pulling some scheme halfway there and returning to the Shen residence.”
“And you, Duke Jing…”
“I still advise you to simply send a few guards to escort her there.”
“Though you are protected by a guardian star, Shen Zhao is still a fiend star after all.”
“If one day your guardian spirit ceases to protect you, I fear Shen Zhao’s baleful energy may destroy Duke Jing’s fortune.”
Both Shen Zhao and Xie Chenyu inwardly laughed.
This was clearly Xiao Xuanzhou preparing to pin his future plan to kill Xie Chenyu onto the “fiend star.”
If Xie Chenyu were severely injured during the campaign against the bandits in Yanqing
then the people of the world would say:
“It was Eldest Miss Shen, the fiend star, who brought misfortune upon Duke Jing and caused the Great Yan God of War’s death.”
At that point, even if Shen Zhao were not truly a fiend star, she would become one in the eyes of the world.
Yet the Shen family merely stood there watching.
They allowed the Crown Prince to humiliate Shen Zhao publicly and even silently approved of his actions.
Xie Chenyu felt nothing but disgust toward the Shen family’s indifference.
Subconsciously, he looked toward Shen Zhao, who was already seated inside the carriage.
“Miss Shen, are you seated properly?”
With perfect tacit understanding, Shen Zhao replied, “I’m seated.”
Xie Chenyu lowered the carriage curtain in his hand, mounted his tall black horse, and tightened his grip on the reins.
Then he replied:
“Your Highness the Crown Prince, this minister is acting under my mother’s orders and must personally escort Miss Shen to Ziyun Temple.”
“Otherwise…”
“My mother will summon the family disciplinary rods and personally punish this minister for abandoning my fiancée.”
That answer did little to improve Xiao Xuanzhou’s mood.
But once he thought about how Xie Chenyu would soon die during the battle against the bandits in Yanqing, the irritation in his heart eased slightly.
He said:
“I only speak out of concern for the people of Yanqing in the northwest. Since you are not afraid of Shen Zhao, this fiend star”
“Then during the suppression of the bandits in Yanqing, make sure you return safely just as you have from every previous battle.”
“I’ll be waiting to attend Duke Jing’s victory banquet.”
And when that time comes, I’ll offer incense to your spirit.
Xie Chenyu smiled faintly.
From atop his horse, he cupped his fists in salute.
“This minister will certainly not disappoint Your Highness and will ensure that Your Highness attends my victory banquet.”
After speaking,
Xie Chenyu ordered:
“Escort Miss Shen to Ziyun Temple. Move out!”
The carriage procession slowly began moving forward.
Xiao Xuanzhou’s expression remained ugly. The Shen father and sons stepped forward and invited him into the Shen residence study.
Once Xiao Xuanzhou entered Shen Huaiming’s study, he unleashed a tremendous burst of anger.
Shen Rong stepped forward to comfort him.
“Your Highness, why lower yourself by being angry at a dead man?”
“Xie Chenyu is merely someone doomed to die. Once he dies, Zhaozhao will naturally turn back and apologize to Your Highness.”
After hearing this, Xiao Xuanzhou’s expression eased somewhat.
“Although Shen Zhao fails to appreciate kindness…”
“I will still, for the sake of growing up together with her, allow her to spend the rest of her life at Ziyun Temple without worry for food or clothing.”
Not a single member of the Shen family objected to Xiao Xuanzhou’s decision.
To them, this was already Shen Zhao’s best possible ending.
Then they heard Xiao Xuanzhou ask:
“How are your preparations progressing?”
Shen Rong took out a bottle of poison.
“This is a medicine specially prepared for Duke Jing. It guarantees that even if he does not die, he will certainly be crippled.”
“I want absolute certainty.”
The Xie merchant fleet had brought back countless valuable gifts from the Western lands.
They had already deeply impressed the Emperor.
Once the campaign against the bandits succeeded, Xie Chenyu would certainly be granted the title of a king with a different surname.
Xiao Xuanzhou knew that both his imperial father and the veteran ministers of court constantly compared him with Xie Chenyu.
They were the same age.
They had studied under the same teachers.
Yet Xie Chenyu excelled in both civil and military affairs, while he…
Xie Chenyu, however, excelled in both civil and military affairs, while he…
Every time Xie Chenyu was mentioned, his imperial father would look at him as if he were looking at a useless piece of trash.
He had endured this humiliation long enough.
Shen Rong said confidently, “Your Highness, rest assured. This minister will ensure Xie Chenyu does not return intact.”
Only then did the anger in Xiao Xuanzhou’s heart completely dissipate.
After confirming that Shen Zhao had left the Shen residence and that everything was proceeding exactly according to his plan, he finally felt at ease and returned to the palace.
At that time, Nanny Zhou hurried out from the inner courtyard in panic.
Shen Rong frowned. “What is going on?”
Nanny Zhou lowered her voice. “It’s Second Miss… Second Miss, she’s… acting up again.”
Shen Cong also frowned. “What do you mean ‘acting up’? What happened to Second Miss?”
Shen Sui said impatiently, “Useless. Let’s go see for ourselves.”
The four Shen men returned to Bibo Courtyard.
They heard Shen Qingrou shouting loudly:
“I I I I I… I just… I just want… hairpins…”
“Peo-peo-peo… peonies… flowers flowers…”
Cui Xuenian showed a look of panic.
“How are you speaking like this again?”
“Speak properly!”
“Speak properly!”
“Mother will agree to whatever you want just speak properly!”
Shen Rong entered first and, seeing a floor full of jewelry and hairpins, asked, “Mother, what happened?”
Cui Xuenian had developed psychological trauma from Shen Qingrou’s speech disorder.
Now hearing her stuttering again, she felt her hands and feet go numb, her mind going blank in shock and anxiety.
For a moment, she didn’t even know where to begin.
The cause of everything… was still the peony hairpins in Shen Zhao’s hair.
After returning to Bibo Courtyard with Cui Xuenian, Shen Qingrou had demanded peony hairpins, along with the same clothes and makeup as Shen Zhao.
Cui Xuenian disliked peonies she even detested them.
So she immediately darkened her expression and scolded her:
“What your eldest sister wears is the style of courtesans. You are destined to be the Crown Princess how can you imitate her?”
With just those words, Shen Qingrou became emotionally agitated.
Her speech immediately became disordered. In her panic, she ripped out all the hairpins in her hair and threw them onto the ground.
Her speech disorder worsened.
It also frightened Cui Xuenian so badly that her face turned pale.
Madam Yao stepped forward and explained everything to Shen Rong.
After hearing it all, Cui Xuenian finally came back to her senses and said bitterly,
“It’s Shen Zhao’s fault.”
“She’s going to Ziyun Temple why dress so grandly, why wear red?”
“She can dress however she wants at any other time, but this time she is going there for cultivation and seclusion.”
“Dressing like that is simply causing trouble.”
She vented all her dissatisfaction in one breath.
And with Shen Qingrou’s breakdown adding fuel to the fire, her disappointment in Shen Zhao deepened further.
Although Shen Huaiming also felt some resentment toward Shen Zhao…
he still said,
“Rou’er wants hairpins just give them to her. She finally recovered. Why provoke her?”
Cui Xuenian’s eyes filled with tears.
“Master… I…”
How could she have known that just one refusal would trigger Shen Qingrou’s speech disorder again?
Under her sleeves, Cui Xuenian clenched her fists tightly, her breathing heavy.
“Madam Yao, go… buy two peony hairpins exactly like the Eldest Miss’s…”
She paused, her voice trembling slightly.
“…Peony hairpins.”