“Your Highness, everything has been investigated.”
In the East Palace, the current Grand Princess, the Crown Prince of the Empire, and the only daughter of the Empress, Xiao Yue, was staring gloomily at the large bowl of bitter medicine before her.
Her delicate face was full of disgust and displeasure.
“Mhm. Yao Huan, listen to me first.
There is no rush to discuss this. Sit down.”
“Xiao Tao, is there any candy left that Medical Officer Shen gave me?”
Xiao Yue spoke without looking up.
She didn’t notice that the Fenglin Guard Thousand Household, Yao Huan, was still kneeling respectfully before her, motionless.
Yao Huan’s expression was filled with tension.
Even on this deep autumn night, fine beads of sweat covered her forehead.
“Reporting to Your Highness, there is only one piece left.”
“Mhm, bring it to me.”
Xiao Yue nodded.
It was only then that she noticed Yao Huan still kneeling on the floor, unmoved.
Her expression hardened instantly.
“Is that Shen Yu truly from Qingfeng Village?”
Xiao Yue let out a helpless, long sigh, as if forced to accept reality.
“All the evidence suggests… she is indeed from Qingfeng Village. Her father is the local tyrant of the border, Shen Bashan, and her grandfather is Shen Qingtian, who once rebelled.”
“Although she disguised herself as the daughter of an innocent farming family, we still managed to find some clues. Following those leads, we discovered the identities of her father and grandfather. We couldn’t find anything about her maternal family, but just knowing those two names is enough for the Imperial Court to execute her.”
After hearing Yao Huan’s report, Xiao Yue fell into a long silence.
Her pale face, appearing sickly from her long illness, remained devoid of emotion.
It was unclear if she was thinking or reminiscing.
“Yao Huan, no one else knows about this yet, right? Let me ask you in a different way… tell me, am I the Crown Prince?”
Yao Huan was stunned by her master’s erratic line of questioning.
For a moment, she didn’t even know how to answer.
“Yes! You are Her Majesty’s only offspring and, naturally, the only Crown Prince of the Empire.”
“Then, as a Thousand Household of the Fenglin Guards who has made mistakes, Her Majesty dislikes you, and the other Thousand Households exclude you. In this massive East Palace, who do you think can protect you?”
“N-naturally, it is Your Highness!”
Yao Huan’s heart was racing with anxiety.
She didn’t know what the Princess wanted, but from those few words, she knew for certain that the Princess intended for her to do something that could cost her her head.
And yet, she had no opportunity to refuse.
“Then I say that Shen Yu is the daughter of a clean farming family, a pure wandering physician who traveled 1,000 miles to participate in the Medical Recruitment Exam in accordance with Her Majesty’s national policy… do you understand?”
Hearing Xiao Yue say this, Yao Huan understood the young Princess’s thoughts.
She wanted to protect Shen Yu!
“But… she is, after all, a major threat to the Imperial Court. How can we—”
“Foolish! cough cough cough…”
Xiao Yue slammed her hand on the table and stood up, then clutched her chest as she coughed violently.
Her gaze toward Yao Huan was full of frustration at the guard’s lack of insight.
“Yes, this servant has sinned. Your Highness, please calm yourself. Do not harm your Phoenix Body.”
A 13-year-old girl was lecturing Yao Huan, a Thousand Household of the Fenglin Guards nearly 30 years old, as if she were a dejected stray dog.
“Yao Huan, oh Yao Huan, can’t you see? Shen Qingtian is not that easy to deal with. He is showing us his cards. They came with good intentions, knowing some things couldn’t be hidden, so they simply laid it all out for you to see.”
“The highest level of a game is when the opponent shows you all their cards, and not only are you powerless to do anything, but you also have to cooperate with a smile and let them lead you by the nose.”
A trace of ruthlessness, similar to her mother’s, flickered in Xiao Yue’s eyes.
“Furthermore, the bandit problem at the border is massive. For so many years, we couldn’t even find out the maiden name of Shen Bashan’s wife. What does it matter if we know Shen Yu’s true identity? Wasn’t that intentionally shown to you by Shen Qingtian? Anything that old fellow Shen Qingtian doesn’t want you to see, you won’t find a single trace of even if you scratch your head raw.”
“As long as they want to, even if Shen Yu is in the Capital City, they can safely take her away before we can react. At that point — it would be a total falling out.”
“My illness can only be cured by Shen Yu. Arresting her benefits neither the Royal Family nor Qingfeng Village.”
“How much does Her Majesty know about this?”