The Wang Residence had been sealed off for over a month, but Xie Heng didn’t think it was a bad thing. Not only had his wounds healed, but he also spent a blissful, honeyed period with Shen Yunshu.
Because Ruoda promised to give their son a little sister “by planting one,” Xie Heng deliberately placed a flowerpot filled with only soil and no flowers in their bedroom to keep up this kind lie.
During the day, little Che’er would make a special trip to water the flowerpot, eagerly hoping a little sister would sprout soon.
At night, Xie Heng diligently watered the soil, clutching Shen Yunshu’s waist and unwilling to stop.
No one truly took the so-called “treason” seriously. After some time, the Dali Temple uncovered the truth, and the Wang Residence was unsealed.
But barely a month later, what awaited them was not freedom, but a charge of guilt.
The Dali Temple had found some poetry in Xie Heng’s study, a few of which were his casual, crude verses—impromptu jottings dismissed as evidence of his arrogance and disloyalty to His Majesty. They also found a letter in reply from a powerful figure in Longzhou whom Xie Heng had befriended, which was twisted into proof of him harboring private soldiers.
The Dali Temple handed over the evidence and witness testimonies to the Emperor for judgment. When news arrived that His Majesty was furious and deeply disappointed in Xie Heng, many ministers spoke on Xie Heng’s behalf, preventing the Emperor from stripping his title.
However, he was forbidden to stay in the capital and was assigned three remote, barren prefectures, ordered to depart for his fief immediately.
From soaring heights, Xie Heng plummeted into the mud, unable to accept this outcome.
He vividly remembered the favor his imperial grandfather had bestowed upon him and refused to believe that with just a few papers and so-called witness testimony, his grandfather would doubt him so deeply.
He attempted to enter the palace personally to explain to his grandfather, but the palace guards refused to let him in.
Shen Yunshu hadn’t anticipated this outcome either. With Xie Heng barred from the palace, she could not enter either. She had to find another way, secretly meeting with Xiao Ci at the Dali Temple without Xie Heng’s knowledge.
At first, Xiao Ci refused to see her, but after Shen Yunshu asked Pei Huaijin to mediate, Xiao Ci reluctantly agreed to meet her.
Shen Yunshu raised her doubts to Xiao Ci, who evaded, saying, “Though this case is handled by our Dali Temple, the final verdict lies with His Majesty. We only report the facts as they are.”
“Did you really investigate the so-called evidence thoroughly?”
“We have examined everything possible. We wish to believe that Prince Rui is innocent, but His Majesty does not, and we have no choice…”
Shen Yunshu lifted her sleeve and bowed deeply to him. “I beg Lord Xiao to reopen the investigation. Please do not let my husband suffer this injustice.”
“Your Highness, you must not,” Xiao Ci refused her bow and quickly returned it with a kowtow. “His Majesty has already ruled on this. Please do not trouble me further…”
He simply would not agree to help.
Shen Yunshu recalled how the previous Crown Prince had been wrongfully accused like this. It took her father and Third Uncle Pei over a decade to clear the Crown Prince’s name. Now, with Xie Heng wronged again, who knew when his innocence would be proven…
The only consolation was that His Majesty was not as ruthless as he had been with the previous Crown Prince—at least Xie Heng’s title remained, and he was given three prefectures as fiefs.
But the journey to his fiefdom would be perilous. Some imperial uncles who saw him as a rival would not miss this chance to strike him down.
Shen Yunshu felt dizzy from all this and, having been physically weakened by worry and sleepless nights, fainted just steps after leaving Xiao Ci.
“Your Highness!” Xiao Ci caught her as she collapsed, his expression complicated.
Shen Yunshu did not wake immediately. Worried it was more than just fainting, Xiao Ci summoned a physician to check her pulse.
The diagnosis shocked everyone—she was pregnant.
Xiao Ci gave the doctor a bribe to keep this secret. When Shen Yunshu regained consciousness, he informed her quietly.
Upon hearing she was with child, Shen Yunshu was stunned for a long moment before saying, “I ask Lord Xiao to keep this confidential for now.”
“Yes, the doctor has been instructed accordingly.”
Now that Xie Heng was sent to his fief, His Majesty was likely to hold their son back in the capital. If her pregnancy were revealed, no one could say whether the Emperor might detain her as well.
Xie Heng had been raised too high before, and this blow sent him into despair. Shen Yunshu worried he might never recover and couldn’t bear to let him go alone.
Xiao Ci handed her a cup of warm water, hesitating slightly. “Your Highness, I have a humble suggestion…”
“What is your opinion, Lord Xiao?”
“The Prince Rui case differs from the former Crown Prince’s. His Majesty’s attitude is not the same. The Crown Prince was demoted to Prince Qi and imprisoned outside the capital, whereas now Prince Rui still retains three fiefs. Though remote and barren, if managed well, this could be a merit…”
His words awakened Shen Yunshu from her nightmare.
She looked at him, hope gradually kindling on her face.
The decree of punishment had come suddenly in recent days.
Clearly, His Majesty had not attacked her directly before. He even deliberately refused to recognize her as a granddaughter-in-law for a time.
His harsh methods were meant to test Xie Heng. She hadn’t realized this at first.
Everything had gone too smoothly for them—they enjoyed the Emperor’s favor and the support of the Pei and Shen families. Whether in achievements or recruiting talent, everything came too easily. They thought it was all theirs, but they hadn’t expected a sudden blow that left even her disoriented and powerless.
If such a position were truly so easy to obtain, with Xie Heng’s current abilities and temperament, it would be difficult for him to hold onto it long.
His Majesty now sending Xie Heng to a remote fief was most likely to temper him.
Just like how His Majesty had made her serve as a court maid for several years, with the same purpose.
The confused cannot see clearly, but bystanders can.
She was deeply grateful to the man before her for awakening her, dissipating all her anxiety and confusion.
“Lord Xiao, it was my lack of foresight that caused you trouble today.”
“Care breeds confusion; I understand.”
“I will not forget this kindness of guidance,” Shen Yunshu said sincerely as she stood. “Lord Xiao, until we meet again.”
“Until we meet again, Your Highness.”
As Shen Yunshu had predicted, His Majesty ordered that their three-year-old son, Xie Mingche, remain in the capital.
Xie Heng was reluctant to leave their son behind and wanted to resist the order, but Shen Yunshu held him back.
Her attitude was gentle and compliant. She told the palace messenger that they were willing to leave Che’er in the capital, temporarily entrusted to the Pei family’s care.
The imperial edict only specified that their child be left in the capital; it did not require the child be brought into the palace. She could not trust anyone else and was only willing to entrust their little sister and Pei Huaijin.
After the messenger left, no one came again to demand the child.
The little boy did not yet understand the pain of parting. When she and Xie Heng left the capital, three-year-old Che’er and his four-year-old cousin Yuanyuan squatted beside the carriage playing with stones.
Only when the carriage started moving did the little boy realize and chase after it, shouting, “Mother, you forgot me! Mother, Father, I haven’t gotten on the carriage yet…”
Shen Yunshu and Xie Heng looked back through the carriage window. Che’er was being held by Shen Youran, crying and throwing his head back.
Shen Yunshu cried inside the carriage, tears flowing like a river.
The journey to the fief was fraught with danger. They encountered several ambushes. Thanks to Xie Heng’s second brother and many guards escorting them, they arrived safely at the fief, settling in Qingzhou.
Qingzhou was the most complicated of the three prefectures, rife with unrest.
The gap between rich and poor was vast, the people lived in hardship, many were landless refugees and starving. Tyrants ran rampant, and ruffians roamed the streets. Even in the bustling marketplaces, over half the shops were empty.
Inside and outside the city, the environment was harsh, and the people were simmering with resentment.
Xie Heng took in the scene so unlike the prosperous capital, his mind swirling.
From the capital to Qingzhou, the journey took three full months.
Shen Yunshu’s child grew with her, and only when her waist began to swell did she share the good news with Xie Heng.
She took his hand, gently resting it on her small belly. “Husband, this is the little sister Che’er has longed for. We cannot let her grow up in such a chaotic place…”
Xie Heng looked at her faintly rounded belly. The dullness in his eyes began to fade, replaced by light.
Back when he studied in the palace, the teachings of the scholars finally bore fruit.
From Qingzhou onward, he began implementing virtuous governance: rooting out corruption, reforming customs, repairing waterways, maintaining order, enlightening the people, breaking superstitions, encouraging agriculture, and promoting commerce.
Shen Yunshu stayed with him at the fief for five years, witnessing three collapsing prefectures transformed.
The people lived peacefully, merchants prospered, and the prefectures flourished.
Their achievements soon reached the capital, and before long, an imperial edict summoned them back.
At this point, Xie Heng felt reluctant to leave. He had poured so much effort and emotion into these three cities and began to understand his imperial grandfather’s painstaking intentions.
When they arrived, the city had been full of complaints; when they left, the people lined the roads to see them off, tossing melons and peaches onto their carriage in thanks.
Their daughter Mingyi was a little foodie and happily gathered fallen fruit in the carriage. “This one’s my favorite, this one’s my favorite, and this one’s too…”
Their daughter’s pet name was Little Tangerine.
Xie Heng asked her, “Little Tangerine, what do you like best to eat?”
Coincidentally, someone tossed a few honey tangerines into the carriage. The little girl picked one up and happily held it aloft. “Of course, I like to eat myself! Daddy peels the tangerine for me…”
The journey back to the capital was smooth, less than a month with all arrangements made along the way.
They didn’t go straight to the palace but went first to the Pei residence to fetch their son.
Eight-year-old Mingche had grown into a fair, handsome young boy, rocking his head back and forth as he read with cousin Yuanyuan in the study.
Four-year-old Mingyi, with her pouting, blistered mouth from eating too many tangerines, ran happily into the study at her parents’ encouragement and threw herself into her brother’s arms, planting an orange-scented kiss on his cheek.
The young boy was startled. “Who are you?”
“I’m Little Tangerine, Brother…”
Five years had passed. The children had grown, and the Emperor had aged considerably, his health waning.
The following spring, the Emperor issued an edict officially naming Xie Heng as heir apparent.
By September, another edict was issued, and the Emperor abdicated in favor of Xie Heng.
At the abdication ceremony, the Retired Emperor moved to Fushou Palace. Xie Heng escorted him in a sedan chair all the way to the palace gate.
The Retired Emperor patted his hand and said, “Go back now. Don’t delay the coronation…”
Xie Heng knelt, bidding farewell to his grandfather. When he stood and looked back,
under the warm sunlight, Shen Yunshu’s eyes curved into a gentle arc, smiling softly at him…