Lady Shen was shocked, "You..."
She wanted to say "how could that be?", but considering she resembled Princess Zhenmin, she had shared her thoughts with Shen Xian after returning to the residence. With the assassination attempt on Princess Qingping yesterday combined with this, Shen Xian had taken a leave of absence today, not even going to the Ministry of Personnel, waiting patiently at home.
Shen Xian narrowed his eyes, "This matter is actually easy to understand. Princess Qingping wouldn’t just randomly be the target of an assassination. Even if someone wanted to kill her, they wouldn’t take such a big risk. Her actions over the years haven’t engendered intense hatred in anyone. Only you have been staying at the Princess Residence since your arrival, always with the palace people, and it happened in broad daylight. The palace guards wouldn’t have expected an assassination attempt on the main street of the Capital City, so their guard was inevitably lowered. Despite the high risk, it was a golden opportunity for the assassin. A rational person would deduce that the person close to you was likely the intended target of that spear."
Su Rong nodded, "Everything Uncle Shen said is correct."
Shen Xian stared at her, "Given your age, wouldn’t your mother be Princess Zhenmin?"
Su Rong thought to herself, Shen Xian certainly lives up to his reputation. Even Princess Qingping and the prince consort only asked her about her relationship with Princess Zhenmin, not directly whether her mother was Princess Zhenmin. She cocked her head and asked, "Uncle Shen, do you know something?"
Shen Xian shook his head, "All I know is that Xie Yuan wouldn’t stay in Jiangning County for years without reason. A man like him staying in Jiangning County for so long must be due to some obligation. And you resemble Princess Zhenmin closely, it’s not unusual for a daughter to take after her mother."
Su Rong nodded, "That’s right, my mother was indeed Princess Zhenmin."
Lady Shen gasped in surprise, "Wasn’t Princess Zhenmin supposed to have already..."
She wanted to say, got engaged to Dawei and then died in Dawei, right?
Shen Xian straightened up, "Xie Yuan and I share a deep bond, and you, Lady, are not a dull and frivolous person. You’ve just arrived in the city and already survived an assassination attempt. The city is dangerous, a minor misstep could be disastrous. If you trust us, you can tell us everything. Of course, if you don’t trust us, you don’t have to. We can end this topic here, you can just live peacefully in the Shen Residence during your time in the capital."
Su Rong laughed softly, "Uncle Shen and Uncle Xie are good friends and treat us like their own children. Obviously, there’s nothing we can’t say to you and Aunt Shen. I came to the capital prepared to reveal my identity."
She laughed and said, "My biological father is the Nanchu King and my mother is Princess Zhenmin."
Shen Xian had already guessed as much and showed an understanding look.
Lady Shen rose to her feet in a start, "How could it be the Nanchu King? I thought..."
"You thought my father is Uncle Xie, didn’t you?" Su Rong sighed, "When I was young, I also thought my biological father was Uncle Xie. If that were the case, I would have far fewer troubles, and no one would want to kill me. Unfortunately, that’s not the case."
Lady Shen took a moment to process it, then turned to Shen Xian.
"Is the person who wants to kill you from Nanchu?" Shen Xian asked.
Su Rong nodded, "Should be."
She briefly explained how her mother had faked her death to escape, ended up in the residence of the Jiangning County Governor, and how her mother had revealed to the previous emperor and empress dowager that she hadn’t really died—to prevent Daliang from going to war again and to get Daliang and Dawei to sign a peace treaty. This had probably leaked the information that she was still alive, caught the attention of the Nanchu Queen, traced her to Jiangning County, and after her mother’s death, the Nanchu Queen had been relentlessly trying to kill her, etc.
"So, the person who came this time was sent by the Nanchu Queen?" asked Lady Shen, slowly sitting down.
"Not necessarily." Su Rong shook her head, "The news that I’m alive should have already reached many people in Nanchu. On my way to the capital, I encountered several groups of assassins. It could be the people of Nanchu Queen, the main Nangong family, the members of the royal family of Nanchu, or any ambitious person in the Nanchu dynasty."
Lady Shen sucked in a sharp breath.
Shen Xian remained remarkably calm, "The Nanchu King has always been childless in Nanchu, and since you are the daughter of the Nanchu King, you are the only princess. The people who want to kill you each have their own motives, it’s not surprising."
Su Rong nodded, "Therefore, Uncle Shen, Aunt Shen, I really don’t want to drag you into trouble. After entering the capital, I just went to the Princess Residence. My brother and I should move to Xie Residence in Dongsi Hutong!"
Lady Shen immediately spoke, "No, you just stay here. There’s no guard in Dongsi Hutong, it’s too dangerous."
Shen Xian also wore a solemn expression, "What are you talking about? You don’t need to be so polite considering my close association with Xie Yuan. Furthermore, as the daughter of Princess Zhenmin, through whom Daliang has enjoyed sixteen years of peace, it will be incumbent upon anyone who is not utterly devoid of conscience to safeguard you once they learn of your identity."
Madame Shen nodded continuously, "Indeed."
Since both Shen Xian and Lady Shen said so, Su Rong did not dodge the issue and laughed, "Since both of you have said so, I will cheekily stay."
Lady Shen also laughed, "Feel at ease and stay. Adding up, you are an honored guest, others who beg to stay can’t even get the chance."
Shen Xian gave a clear cough, "Hmm, can you explain about your annulment of the betrothal with the Duke Residence?"
Su Rong briefly explained the reasons.
After listening, Shen Xian said, "Zhou Gu is a good young man. He may be a bit young and naive, but his character is commendable. Moreover, the Emperor had been supported to the throne by the old Duke and Princess Sheng An. Given that the old Duke and Princess Sheng An hold strong positions, for the time being, the Duke Residence will not fail and the Emperor will not act rashly; you need not fear that your troubles will bring danger to the Duke Residence."
Su Rong shook her head, "I have considered this, but would the old Duke send his beloved grandson, whom he has painstakingly nurtured since childhood, to Nanchu to be my king consort? Isn’t that ruining his life? I’d better leave it alone."
Shen Xian was silent for a moment, "That’s right. If I were in his position, I couldn’t bear to sacrifice Zhou Gu either."
Lady Shen scoffed, gathering herself after a shock, she remained calm and said, "There are plenty of good men in the world, don’t hang your hopes on just one tree. Even without Zhou Gu, there are others eager to go to Nanchu and be your king consort."
Being a queen, there was no fear of not having a king consort, according to Lady Shen, it was not a big deal. Zhou Gu may be good, but there are plenty of good men out there.
Shen Xian chuckled and glanced at his wife, "My lady speaks wisely."
Su Rong also laughed, looking at the two of them. She thought of the rumors that Shen Xian is reticent and demure, but in front of Lady Shen, in front of her and Su Xingze, he was amicable and amiable, not as rigid and serious as he was rumored to be.
Shen Xian asked again, "I have had people investigate. You didn’t enter the capital on the day of the imperial examination, but rather before that. Yet someone has erased your tracks. If it wasn’t for having my men at the city gate who eventually broke down and dropped the hint, no one would have been able to find out that you were already in the capital. Before you briefly stayed at the Princess Residence, where were you?"
Su Rong was surprised. She didn’t expect that Shen Xian had even uncovered this. The Duke Residence thought she had just entered the capital on the day of the imperial examination. After all, the Crown Prince had already helped her and Fen Ling erase the traces. Due to limited exposure to the outside, the traces were easily covered up.
"After all, I have been an official for many years, it wasn’t in vain." Shen Xian said, "While others were focusing on the examination, I paid attention to other things."
Su Rong grinned sincerely, "Uncle Shen, you are incredible."
She trusted Shen Xian more than Princess Qingping and the Prince, especially since Xie Yuan trusted him. She decided to tell him the truth, "I came to the capital several days in advance, however, I stayed in the Eastern Palace all the time."
Shen Xian sat up straight at this moment, "The Crown Prince?"
"Yes." Su Rong could only explain how she met Yan Huisheng, how she learned from him that the Nanchu Queen wanted to kill her, how she took Xie Yuan’s advice, agreed to cooperate with the Eastern Palace, and sought a powerful backing to deal with the aggressive forces in Nanchu who were eager to kill her.
Hearing this, Shen Xian took a deep breath, "That Xie Yuan!"
Su Rong laughed, "Uncle Xie is also looking out for me. After all, the situation is as it is, I was pressured by the various parties in Nanchu to such an extent that if I want to live peacefuly, I have no choice but to fight for the throne in Nanchu."
Shen Xian was silent for a moment, he nodded and asked, "When is Xie Yuan coming to the capital?"
"Uncle Xie probably won’t come to the capital in the short term. He said that I have grown up and I can solve my own problems." Su Rong shook her head, "My father can’t do without him. Now that he has been promoted to the Inspector of Jiangzhou, he needs Uncle Xie’s help to establish control over Jiangzhou in such a short period of time. After all, both the Crown Prince and the Second Prince are eyeing Jiangzhou. If they aren’t careful, they might report my father, and now that he has been promoted, he has to secure his position."
Shen Xian nodded, "Well, whether he is here or not, it’s for the best. The capital is a place of sorrow for him, he is probably reluctant to return." 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚
Having said that, he asked Madame Shen, "Tomorrow is the birthday banquet at the Duke Residence, isn’t it? That niece of the Second Young Master of Ye, you could go to the Duke Residence, use the opportunity to meet Ye Guixue. He is the most promising descendant of Ye Xiang Residence, probe his bottom line, see what direction the Ye Family is heading. It’s not logical that while all the factions in Nanchu are mobilizing, the Ye family would be ignorant of Xiaoqi’s identity. Especially at this time when he arrives in the capital, it’s very suspicious. He did not send anyone earlier or later, but at this point, it must serve a purpose and I am afraid it’s aimed at Xiaoqi."
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