Chapter 67. Hengbo and Shen Guitang passed each other by...

Receiving Qiu Yun's murderous glare, Shen Guitang feigned innocence and retorted, "Lord Qiu, are my ears not working properly? What Princess Shenxiao? Isn't that my fiancée, Cui Cui?"

He was so half-hearted in his attempt to cover it up that Qiu Yun could easily see through his act. But there were clearly more important matters to attend to right now, and it wasn't the right time to pursue the matter.

He snorted, "Lord Shen, you'd better pray for yourself. The crime of deceiving the emperor is no joke."

Despite the threats and warnings, Shen Guitang remained unfazed, saying, "Thank you for the reminder, Lord Qiu." His gaze, however, never left the dazzling figure on the ship.

This parting may mean not seeing each other for some time, and all he wanted was to see her a few more times.

Qiu Yun raised his voice: "Princess Shenxiao passed away more than ten years ago. What is your intention in causing trouble and provoking conflict in the name of 'Shenxiao'?"

His voice was loud, but he was actually drenched in a cold sweat. Clenching his sticky palms, Qiu Yun knew that at this moment, he had to deny everything first. "Shenxiao" couldn't live, and today's events could only be defined as causing trouble.

Madam Hu stepped forward and asked, "Who are you? How dare you question the princess's identity?" As soon as she finished speaking, the White Dragon Gang members surrounded them, and in terms of sheer force, they far surpassed the officials led by Qiu Yun.

Qiu Yun's breath hitched, and his tone softened slightly. "I had no intention of offending you. It is a serious crime to confuse the royal bloodline. If the princess can prove her identity, I will apologize to her in person afterward."

Upon hearing this, Hengbo fell silent. The passage of time and the changes in circumstances were not merely empty words. And for her, who had left her hometown and lost both her parents, how easy was it to "go back"?

However, how could Shen Guitang miss anything that Qiu Yun could think of?

As soon as he finished speaking, a fat man with a protruding belly and an old man walked out from the crowd behind him. The old man, supported by the fat man, slowly came to Qiu Yun.

Qiu Yun was startled. "Lord Marquis?" The person who came was the Emperor's uncle, the still-living Prince of Yueyang, and the person supporting him was Ji Run, a member of the imperial clan who had only appeared briefly in the court.

King Yueyang is old and has rarely appeared in public in recent years due to poor health. I never expected that he would come all this way to this place today.

With Ji Run's support, the old man brandished his cane in his other hand with great force, as if he wanted to smash it directly onto Qiu Yun's forehead. "The matter of the princess should be decided by the clan. Who do you think you are to prove your identity to me!"

Qiu Yun, who had been struck several times by the old man's cane, dared not speak out in anger and could only apologize with a smile. However, he knew in his heart that even the Prince of Yueyang had come, so this "Princess Shenxiao" was probably real.

He couldn't help but curse Shen Guitang in his heart again, while secretly thinking that after returning to the capital, he would definitely make His Majesty thoroughly investigate this fellow's identity.

"Princess." Although Hengbo's identity was not yet confirmed, this distant call already indicated the attitude of the Prince of Yueyang. He left Ji Run aside and walked forward unsteadily. Perhaps due to his status, or perhaps because his expression was too solemn, the crowd of onlookers spontaneously made way for the slow-moving old man.

The old man walked up the pier to Hengbo. His eyes, slightly cloudy with age, were moistened by the salty seawater, and his weathered white eyebrows were tinged with sadness. He stretched out his wrinkled hand: "Shenxiao, good child, come back to the capital with your uncle."

Hengbo had actually forgotten about her great-uncle, but at this moment, the closeness and warmth from blood ties made her sniffle.

She gazed at the large hand etched with the marks of time before her, her eyes slightly unfocused. The Prince of Yueyang waited quietly for her, neither urging her nor withdrawing his hand.

This is an innocent child who lost the protection of his family at a young age. He can understand and tolerate the unfamiliarity, estrangement, and even suspicion.

Finally, under the watchful eyes of everyone, Hengbo jumped off the boat and placed her fair but not delicate hand in the large palm. The old man could no longer suppress his tears and hurriedly wiped the corners of his eyes with his sleeve. "Good child, good child, don't be afraid, let's go home."

Hengbo took over Ji Run's position, and the grandfather and grandson helped each other walk back. Although Qiu Yun and the other officials had different thoughts, they all bowed respectfully.

As they passed each other, Hengbo and Shen Guitang walked past each other, one with a calm expression and the other with impeccable manners, as if they didn't know each other.

...

As a princess of noble birth, and having just experienced a fierce battle, she will inevitably need to rest in Quzhou for a few days.

Although Ji Heng's imperial edict had not yet been issued, everyone with discerning eyes knew that the title of "Princess Shenxiao" was already a foregone conclusion. Those shrewd officials had already begun to visit him under the guise of offering condolences and gifts.

Because of the profound impression that Yokobo had left on everyone that day, everyone was prepared to be rejected. However, to their surprise, Yokobo welcomed everyone who came to visit.

As a result, the news that Princess Shenxiao was unable to speak quickly replaced the story that "Shenxiao was not dead, and there may have been other secrets back then" in the common people's minds.

Opinions varied, with some lamenting and others gloating. Only the old man, King Yueyang, felt a pang of sadness but also a sense of relief; this defect had actually greatly saved Shenxiao's life.

Besides these people who were testing her, Yokobo also met with Madam Hu and Kazama Noko, but what they talked about is unknown.

Now that Hengbo has regained her status as a princess, she naturally cannot live in her original secluded courtyard. At this moment, only Shen Guitang is left sitting on the stone table in the courtyard, seemingly lost in thought.

Hei Feng strode into the courtyard, glanced at him for a moment, and finally interrupted his thoughts, "The angel has arrived, and the princess will probably be returning to the capital tomorrow."

As everyone knows, Shen Guitang has a close relationship with Hengbo, and it seems that he has already been recognized by Ji Heng. Fortunately, he has already obtained what he wanted. What Kazama Noko showed the fake Heisou was actually a letter forged by Shen Guitang, but what she returned to Shen Guitang in the end was the one that Ishikawa Ichiro had given her before his death more than ten years ago.

There's nothing to regret about giving up this position as a worker. They just need to lie low for a while.

Therefore, Hei Feng came here to ask him if he really didn't want to say goodbye to the princess.

Shen Guitang understood his implication, but only sighed: "Why do you think the princess allowed those people to spread rumors about her physical defects so widely?"

Without hesitation, Hei Feng replied, "Of course, it's to show weakness and lower Ji Heng's guard."

Shen Guitang played with a sachet on her body, a smile in her eyes: "Yes and no, she's smarter than you."

Black Wind was now genuinely curious. "Why is that?"

Shen Guitang stood up. Just then, a gust of wind blew by, and some fallen leaves fluttered in the wind, while others remained quietly in place, steadfast and unwavering.

"The princess did this to show weakness, and secondly, to select truly capable people."

Hei Feng now understood. Heng Bo was using her muteness as a touchstone. She only needed to release this information, and then she didn't need to worry about anything else. Those who still chose to gather around her after returning to Yujing were the ones who had passed the first screening, and those people might not even realize it themselves.

After figuring it out, he couldn't help but exclaim, "When did the princess become so intelligent?!" He wasn't saying that the princess was dull-witted before, but he still remembered Hengbo's innocent and naive demeanor when they first met.

Shen Guitang's lips curled slightly, her words full of self-satisfaction, "I told you long ago, this is a rough gem."

“But,” returning to the initial question, “what does this have to do with whether or not you want to say goodbye to the princess?”

Shen Guitang coughed lightly, "It's nothing."

Black Wind: ? ? ?

He stared at the man's unusually guilty face: "So, you just want to praise the princess, right?"

Just as the two were talking, a maid carrying a box suddenly came looking for Black Wind.

Black Wind was a little confused: "Looking for me?"

The maid handed the box to Hei Feng: "You're the right person. The servants were careless when they were tidying up and took an extra box. The princess saw it and said that it was the one you had put in her room before, so she specially sent me to return it to you."

After saying that, the little maid ran off in a flash, leaving Hei Feng completely bewildered and... Shen Guitang with an inscrutable expression.

Shen Guitang licked his back teeth. "Oh? You even left something in the princess's room?" His words were full of murderous intent.

Hei Feng immediately knelt down, "Your subordinate is innocent!" Heaven knows how careful he was with the princess every day. He couldn't be too cold or too warm. Being too cold would offend the princess, while being too warm would offend Shen Guitang.

well……

Shen Guitang sneered, then fixed his gaze on the box, his meaning clear.

Black Wind was somewhat speechless. This person clearly wanted to see what was in the box, but refused to say so. He looked very serious on the surface, but he didn't know that the sour smell emanating from him was enough to make others faint.

However, he was also curious about what the princess had given him. So, he went along with it and said, "Let's open it and take a look. Perhaps the princess has made a mistake."

The murderous intent in Shen Guitang's eyes lessened slightly, clearly indicating his satisfaction with his tact. Under Shen Guitang's unwavering gaze, Hei Feng finally opened the box slowly, only to find...

A roll of bright yellow cloth.

Black Wind exclaimed in astonishment: "This is an imperial edict?!"

Shen Guitang suddenly remembered that she had asked Crown Prince Hengbo if he had given her any instructions before he left, but she hadn't been able to recall anything at the time. So, now that she was giving him this imperial edict… did she think it might help him?

Could it be... that King Yueyang told Hengbo something?

The more Shen Guitang thought about it, the more likely it seemed. He turned around to go find Hengbo, but then stopped in his tracks.

"This imperial edict should be related to the gold-embroidered ball we found in the late emperor's tomb, and this secret may finally see the light of day again."

With that, he put away the imperial edict and prepared to decipher its secrets.

Black Wind remained, muttering to himself, "So why didn't the princess just say it was yours? It's made me..."

Shen Guitang paused for a moment, then returned to her room as if nothing had happened.

The wooden door closed, and Shen Guitang, clutching the wooden box in his arms, leaned against the door and finally chuckled softly. Unbeknownst to anyone, as he laughed heartily, his eyes narrowed into crescent moons.

He didn't go to say goodbye to Hengbo, and Hengbo didn't directly tell him that he was going to give him the things.

It turns out her heart was the same as his.

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Author's note: The princess and Wangcai both knew that they were about to face very difficult conditions, so they wanted to do as little as possible to burden each other.

In response, Heifeng said: So it's okay to drag me down?

This volume concludes here. In the next volume, the princess will return to her own battlefield. Thank you to all the little angels who voted for me or watered my plants between 2024-04-10 00:54:03 and 2024-04-12 00:37:07!

Thank you to the little angel who watered the nutrient solution: Wow, oh my god~ 1 bottle;

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!