At the first crow of dawn, the servant sent to fetch Imperial Physician Chen finally hurried back. The steward immediately looked behind him, only to find no one there.
“Where is Imperial Physician Chen?”
The servant was drenched in sweat. “We couldn’t find Imperial Physician Chen. The people at his residence said he went drinking with someone last night and hasn’t returned yet. I searched every tavern, but there was no sign of him.”
The one person who could cure the poison had disappeared. What a coincidence. Anyone with half a brain could tell there was someone pulling strings behind the scenes.
The steward looked toward Cui Qingyuan.
Pale-faced, Cui Qingyuan ordered, “Keep looking. If you can’t find Imperial Physician Chen, find another physician who knows how to treat poison.”
Cui Qingyuan requested leave and did not attend court that morning.
……
Cui Yunchu had been sleeping when she suddenly sat bolt upright. At that moment, Shen Xiabai was getting dressed. Seeing her bleary-eyed appearance, he curved his lips into a gentle smile and stepped forward to pull her into his arms.
“Why did you suddenly wake up?”
“Cui Qingyuan isn’t dead, is he?”
Shen Xiabai smiled. “Don’t worry. The old bastard took the day off, claiming he was ill.”
“Oh.”
Cui Yunchu let out a long breath and sat there in a daze for a while.
Shen Xiabai waved a hand in front of her eyes, then knelt on one knee beside the bed.
“Would my dear wife be so kind as to fasten my belt for me?”
Cui Yunchu frowned and shot him a glance, then looked at his loosely hanging belt.
“When did you undo it?”
Although they shared a bed, aside from kissing and the occasional bit of touching＃, they had never done anything else. Their clothes were always worn properly.
“After you fell asleep,” Shen Xiabai replied, entirely unapologetic.
“Why are you so shameless?”
Shen Xiabai raised a brow. “Then you’re wronging me, A Chu. Your husband is very modest. It was you who clung to me and insisted that my belt was too＃, asking me to undo it.”
“……”
She seemed to recall something like that.
Cui Yunchu’s face grew hot. “Couldn’t you wear something else? Of course it would be uncomfortable with such a＃ belt.”
Shen Xiabai suddenly laughed—a low, restrained laugh.
“What are you laughing at?” Cui Yunchu lifted her head to look at him. There was something rather frightening about his expression.
Shen Xiabai said, “Could it be that A Chu has touched it before?”
Cui Yunchu reached out and tugged at his belt. “I have.”
Shen Xiabai caught both her hands and placed them around his waist. “Once we’re married, the belt won’t be＃ anymore.”
Cui Yunchu thought he meant he wouldn’t have to wear a belt after they were married. Her face flushed as she glared at him.
“You really are shameless.”
Shen Xiabai smiled with triumphant confidence. “Would my dear wife fasten it for me?”
Cui Yunchu deliberately pulled hard, tightening the belt until it cinched snugly around him and revealed the contours of his lower abdomen.
Her gaze suddenly settled on a certain＃ part of him, studying it carefully.
It looked a little bulging.
Shen Xiabai’s expression changed. He reached out and tapped the back of her head with one finger.
“What are you looking at?”
Cui Yunchu pouted. “I thought you’d cover it right away.”
“……”
Shen Xiabai quickly finished getting dressed. If he stayed any longer, his cultivation would be completely ruined.
Cui Yunchu tugged at his robe and earnestly reminded him, “You absolutely must succeed.”
Shen Xiabai leaned his face toward her. “My wife certainly has a way with words. If you’re worried, perhaps you could teach me yourself.”
Cui Yunchu shot him a reproachful look, then knelt on the bed, hooked her arms around his neck, and gave him a hard kiss.
“Good disciple, your master will be waiting for good news.”
Shen Xiabai gave her bottom a light smack. “And where has your respect for seniority gone?”
Cui Yunchu saw him off with her eyes as he went to court.
The Shen family carriage had been waiting at the side gate for some time. In high spirits, Shen Xiabai climbed aboard and headed to the morning court.
By the time he arrived at the palace gates, quite a few officials were already there. Shen Xiabai stood off to one side with his hands behind his back, his expression exceedingly severe.
The other officials instinctively moved farther away.
After all, when he looked like that at this hour, it usually meant the Office of Imperial Punishments was about to stir up trouble again.
“His Highness’s carriage was right behind Lord Shen’s just now.” Prince An’s voice suddenly came from behind him. “It seemed to me that Lord Shen didn’t come from the direction of the Shen residence.”
Shen Xiabai glanced sideways at Prince An but did not answer.
Prince An frowned and stopped beside him. “The delight in your eyes and brows is rather glaring, Lord Shen.”
“Then the Crown Prince must also find Your Highness’s smile rather glaring today,” Shen Xiabai replied indifferently.
Indeed, the Crown Prince, who usually loved to come over and ingratiate himself, was standing far away today.
Prince An looked back at where the Crown Prince was standing. The two brothers exchanged a perfunctory smile.
With his hands behind his back, Prince An said, “There’s nothing to be done about it. Envy and jealousy are only human nature.”
Shen Xiabai shot him a glance. “Then Your Highness should be all the more discreet and restrained.”
“Sound advice. However, I sought Lord Shen out because I have something important to discuss.”
“Please, Your Highness.”
Prince An said, “My child will be born soon, and raising a child is no small expense. When does Lord Shen plan to return the money you owe me?”
“…”
The palace gates opened, and Shen Xiabai followed the assembled officials into the palace.
Prince An trailed behind at an unhurried pace. “Never mind. When a meat bun is tossed to a dog, it generally never comes back.”
“Your Highness is the dog,” Shen Xiabai replied lazily.
“…”
Xiao Yi raised a brow. “I am an imperial prince, at least. Shen Xiabai, your courage is getting rather excessive.”
“I’m helping Your Highness,” Shen Xiabai said. “If the Princess Consort learns that you’ve called the entire Cui clan a pack of dogs, you’ll probably be sleeping in the streets again.”
“…”
Prince An said, “What I mean is, for the sake of my child’s safe arrival, I hope that over the next few months, Lord Shen will keep your wife under control and make sure she doesn’t appear before my consort.”
He knew perfectly well what had caused yesterday’s clash with Xiao Lan. That bold and reckless Yunfeng would dare do anything for Cui Yunchu. How could he not be frightened and worried?
The words “your wife” pleased Shen Xiabai. He cupped his hands politely. “Rest assured, Your Highness. I will.”
Prince An acknowledged this with a sound, then added, “Why are you strutting around so fiercely? Who are you planning to deal with today?”
Shen Xiabai lowered his head and glanced at his official robes.
“No one in particular. Your Highness’s father-in-law was poisoned last night. You didn’t know?”
Prince An halted mid-step and stared blankly for a moment. By then, Shen Xiabai had already entered the main hall and taken his place.
——
Apart from the officials who had come to attend the morning court, there was another person who had entered the palace at first light.
In the Empress Dowager’s palace, Xiao Lan knelt beside the Empress Dowager and tearfully recounted the hardships she had endured these past few days.
“Mother, I’m a princess, after all! How dare they behave with such arrogance? They clearly have no regard for the imperial family. You must stand up for your daughter!”
The Empress Dowager’s expression was cold. She gave the palace maid beside her a look, and the maid escorted Xiao Lan to a chair and made her sit.
Xiao Lan was about to speak when the maid cut her off. “Princess, forgive me.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the maid delivered a heavy slap across Xiao Lan’s face. Xiao Lan’s head jerked to the side, and the metallic taste of blood filled her mouth.
She froze. Only after a long moment did she raise her head and stare at the Empress Dowager in disbelief.
The Empress Dowager kept her eyes closed, her fingers swiftly turning the Buddhist prayer beads in her hand.
“Who gave you the illusion that you could make an enemy of a powerful minister who holds the reins of power?”
“Mother.” Xiao Lan rose from the chair and fell to her knees with a thud.
The Empress Dowager slowly opened her eyes and gazed at her coolly. “My only nephew died at his hands, and even I could not demand justice for him. What made you think that merely bearing the empty title of princess would allow you to triumph over him? Who gave you such courage?”
“Your own foolishness?” The Empress Dowager raised her voice, and Xiao Lan began to tremble violently.
“Shen Xiabai is a rising power personally elevated by the Emperor. Between the Cui and Tang families, the Crown Prince, and Prince An, he occupies a position of vital importance. Even the Emperor is treating him with caution at this critical juncture, yet you had the audacity to provoke him?”
“You think I spared him in exchange for bringing you back? In truth, even without that bargain, I could not have harmed so much as a finger of his.”
“Lan, you are my daughter, so naturally I love you. But the Emperor is my son, too, and the realm of Great Liang matters more than anything else. Anyone who threatens the stability of the state has no path to survival. I warned you long ago: be a princess who enjoys silks and fine food, and nothing more. Did you truly believe that Shen Xiabai was like your previous two husbands—someone you could mold and manipulate as you pleased?”
Xiao Lan felt as though she had been struck by a heavy blow. Her body swayed, barely able to remain upright.
Even in times of war, a princess was nothing more than a bargaining chip to be exchanged in a political marriage, buying the nation time to recover and regain its strength.
And with Shen Xiabai’s power, only a few words from him could decide whether a princess would be sent away for such a marriage—or allowed to remain.
The Empress Dowager’s gaze was icy, and she was deeply disappointed in Xiao Lan.
She had thought Xiao Lan would be able to bring Shen Xiabai to heel. Instead, Xiao Lan had been thoroughly dealt with and still could not see the situation clearly.
From head to toe, Xiao Lan felt utterly cold. “Mother, this was my fault, but those women from the Cui family are merely daughters of ministers. They actually dared to scheme against me like this. How could I possibly accept it?”
The Empress Dowager shook her head, disappointed beyond measure. “I will inform the Emperor later. Leave. Return to Anshan Temple. Perhaps that will be enough to preserve your life.”
“Mother.” Xiao Lan’s eyes widened in disbelief.
