Wind And Snow On The Jade Steps - Chapter 4

It was no wonder Shen Zhishu hadn’t recognized the girl’s identity.

Although her attire was of high quality, it wasn’t particularly flashy. She wore only a single white jade hairpin in her hair, without any other ornaments.

Furthermore, a Princess would normally be accompanied by a crowd of attendants during a daily outing. It was truly unexpected to find her alone and in such a distressed state.

The “fine” that had been on the tip of Shen Zhishu’s tongue shifted into, “Perhaps another day. I have matters at home today and must return quickly.”

As she spoke, she cupped her hands in a respectful salute from horseback and added, “This subordinate did not know your Highness was the Princess. I have offended you in previous matters and hope your Highness can be magnanimous.”

The Princess had already dismounted and was walking up the steps. Upon hearing Shen Zhishu’s words, she paused and turned back.

She walked slowly toward the horse, shaking her head. Her expression under the silvery moonlight was indifferent, her emotions faint and unreadable. “There is no need for the General to be so formal. Actually, I must thank the General for today. I hope the General will keep this matter strictly confidential.”

Keep it confidential? That suits me perfectly, Shen Zhishu thought.

She glanced at the mole at the corner of the woman’s eye and smiled, “Please rest assured, your Highness. Today’s events are known only to you and me, and no third party shall ever know. If your Highness encounters any trouble that is inconvenient to handle personally, you may send someone to inform me. It is late, and the dew is heavy. Please go inside, your Highness. If you were to catch a cold, it would be this subordinate’s fault.”

The Princess nodded slightly and turned away.

Shen Zhishu watched as she walked gracefully up the steps and knocked on the main gate.

There was a commotion at the entrance. Because she was far away, Shen Zhishu couldn’t hear clearly. A maid ran out in a hurry, frantically welcoming the Princess inside.

Then the heavy gates swung shut, and she could see no more.

In the darkness of the night, Shen Zhishu’s gaze deepened.

Come to think of it, the Princess being drugged was absurd. In the Kingdom of Nan’an, who would have the courage to trap a person who was above ten thousand but below only one?

If someone wanted to harm her, an assassination attempt would suffice. Why go through the trouble of drugging her, an act that was difficult, unrewarding, and might not even serve a purpose?

Recalling what the Princess had said earlier: “I cannot say too much right now, I can only tell you that someone tried to harm me.”

Shen Zhishu shook her head, planning to return and ask Shen Hantan about it.

By the time she returned to the General’s Mansion, the night was pitch black.

Lady He was pacing anxiously in the hall when she didn’t see her daughter. Shen Hantan, however, sat boldly in a chair, leisurely holding a purple clay teapot.

“Could something have happened to Shu’er?” Lady He murmured softly. “Why has she not returned yet?”

Shen Hantan set her teacup on the table and spoke casually, “Don’t worry, wife. In terms of skill within the capital, no one can do anything to her.”

Lady He didn’t respond but called over the attendant who had accompanied Shen Zhishu to the street earlier. “What did the General say to you before? Repeat it for me one more time.”

The attendant replied flatly, “She said she’s in no hurry, it’s been eight years since she last saw you, so what’s one more time?”

Lady He was silenced.

Shen Hantan was nearly dying from holding back her laughter.

She wanted to make a serious comment, but just as she started, she heard someone at the door report:

“The General is back!”

Shen Hantan slapped her thigh and stood up, straightening her clothes. She intended to call Lady He to go out and greet her together, but when she turned around…

Her wife, who had been pacing in circles just a second ago, was already gone.

Shen Zhishu, whom Lady He had been pining for, was standing tall in the corridor.

The young woman’s smiling face was cast in a warm glow by the lanterns hanging under the eaves as she spoke softly to a servant.

The servant blushed and said, “The Madame was worried sick.”

“It is my fault,” Shen Zhishu took off her cloak and handed it over gracefully, smiling. “I shouldn’t have returned late and caused Mother He unnecessary worry.”

The servant lowered his head and said timidly, “Don’t just say the Madame, even we were very worried.”

Shen Zhishu raised an eyebrow and teased, “Then how about you come to the streets with me next time?”

The servant’s face turned completely red.

Shen Zhishu chatted with the servant for a while until she caught a glimpse of Lady He walking elegantly out of the hall. She quickly stepped forward to support her, laughing as she said, “The dew is thick and the frost is heavy, Mother shouldn’t come out. Be careful not to catch a chill.”

Lady He asked, “Why were you out for so long? Were you held up at the Shen Estate?”

“No, I didn’t even enter the Shen Estate. I just took a look at the entrance and headed back, but I ran into an… old friend on the way, which delayed me for a bit.”

When the word “old friend” left her mouth, that faint mole under the moonlight and those cold, detached eyes flashed through Shen Zhishu’s mind.

It caused her to daze for a moment.

Lady He wasn’t buying it and clicked her tongue. “You haven’t been back to the capital in eight years. You were only fourteen when you left. Tell me, what kind of old friend could you possibly run into?”

“Exactly,” Shen Hantan added as she walked out of the hall, putting her arm around Lady He’s shoulder and fanning the flames. “I suspect she has secrets she won’t tell us. The child is grown and has her own ideas now. If she treats us like this now, who knows what she’ll be like once she gets married.”

Shen Zhishu was speechless.

Shen Zhishu feared nothing in heaven or on earth, except for Shen Hantan teasing her.

Her temples throbbed, and she felt a strong urge to rush over and cover Mother Shen’s mouth.

The servant kept his eyes on his feet and held his breath, leading the way with a glass hydrangea lantern.

The three of them walked into the brightly lit parlor.

A trusted subordinate had entered the hall at some point and was leaning against the table, eavesdropping. He was grinning widely, his eyes following Shen Zhishu with amusement as she approached.

Shen Zhishu unbuckled the sword at her waist and threw it toward the subordinate. “Stop grinning like an idiot. Why are you in the hall? Did you find out anything from the assassin we caught today?”

“Indeed,” the subordinate reached out and caught the sword with a “thud,” then cupped his hands in a report. “The waist token she carried does indeed belong to the Xie Estate. I have secured it and plan to go to the Xie Estate tomorrow to verify its authenticity. She refuses to confess anything, insisting that General Xie Jin sent her because General Xie is jealous of how you’ve surpassed her at such a young age.”

“That reason is far too absurd,” Shen Zhishu laughed. “Regardless of the fact that General Xie and I have always been on good terms, even if she wanted to get rid of me, she wouldn’t send someone with such mediocre skills who shouts ‘Xie Jin’ at every turn. Where is she now? I’ll interrogate her myself.”

The subordinate shook his head, looking somewhat ashamed. “She’s dead.”

“What?”

“It seems she took poison beforehand, and the toxin slowly took effect over time. Not long after we started the interrogation, she began foaming at the mouth.”

“So… she came on this mission with the intention to die?”

“Yes.”

Survival is a human instinct. Unless one is at the end of their rope, who would risk their life to do someone’s bidding?

Thinking this, Shen Zhishu turned to look at Shen Hantan. “What does the Minister of Rites think?”

Minister Shen caught the metaphorical ball her daughter had kicked her way and nodded toward the subordinate. “Go to the Xie Estate tomorrow to verify the token first, then follow the trail. The most important thing is to uncover that person’s identity. Don’t worry too much about how the token ended up in her hands. I’ll assign two more people to help you. I shouldn’t need to teach you how to investigate?”

The subordinate cupped his hands to Shen Hantan and said, “Understood. Thank you, Minister.”

The subordinate took his leave, teasing a sleeping sparrow on a tree branch as he walked out.

In the sudden chirping of the bird in the middle of the night, Shen Zhishu tilted her head and slumped lazily into a chair on the side of the hall.

“You really have no sense of decorum,” Shen Hantan glanced at her and gently set down her teacup. “You must be more restrained in front of the Emperor tomorrow. You can’t sit like that.”

Shen Zhishu closed her eyes, kicked her legs out, and wailed, “Mother, you don’t know how bitter life was while I was wandering outside.”

“She has indeed grown thinner,” Lady He nodded, her heart aching for her daughter.

“She grew from fourteen to twenty-two, her baby fat has disappeared. Of course she looks thinner,” Shen Hantan interjected with a laugh. “Why doesn’t my wife feel sorry for me? My days in the court are also bitter.”

Lady He whipped her head around and glared. “Is Shu’er really your own flesh and blood? Since she returned, you haven’t said a single kind word to her.”

Shen Hantan laughed again. “Look at what you’re saying. Didn’t I just help her push away a troublesome matter today?”

“What troublesome matter?” Shen Zhishu asked curiously.

“The State Preceptor sent a message to the General’s Mansion two hours ago, saying she wants to see you tomorrow afternoon. I told her that by the rules of the Shen family, you must rush to visit the family graves after the banquet tomorrow, so you wouldn’t be able to meet.”

“Why did you refuse her?”

“You’ve just returned to the capital and don’t know many things. It wasn’t convenient to tell you in my letters,” Shen Hantan suddenly lowered her voice. “The State Preceptor is very mysterious. Those who get close to her never meet a good end. You must have heard some rumors when you were young, saying the State Preceptor has lived for over three hundred years, carries a curse, and is a lone star of misfortune. It’s better to stay away.”

Shen Zhishu gave a soft “Oh.”

She shifted her gaze from Shen Hantan’s face and tucked a stray hair behind her ear, appearing obedient. But a second later, she changed her tune:

“No. I’m going to meet her.”

Shen Hantan was speechless.

Shen Hantan grabbed Lady He to complain. “Wife, look at this. As the saying goes, a grown daughter doesn’t listen to her mother. Now nothing we say matters, does it?”

“Speak for yourself, don’t drag Mother He into it,” Shen Zhishu said. “Mother He is different from you; she cares for me. Naturally, I’ll listen to her, but I only listen to half of what you say.”

Shen Hantan gave her a side-eye. “…You certainly have a personality.”

“Likewise.”

“Why don’t you be my mother instead?”

Shen Zhishu became interested and was eager to try. “That’s not impossible.”

Shen Hantan was speechless.

Lady He pulled her sleeve back from Shen Hantan’s hand. She had been standing there smiling for about the time it takes half a stick of incense to burn, finally feeling it was a bit unkind to just watch the fun. She asked, “Shu’er, why must you see the State Preceptor? I also think it’s better not to. While rumors may not be true, it’s a solid fact that those involved with her never die a peaceful death.”

“I know what I’m doing, and I won’t become close with her,” Shen Zhishu said. “It’s just that so many things have happened since I returned to the capital. I don’t mind adding a few more to stir the waters. Look, Mother, on my first day back, an assassin appeared among the servants gifted by the Emperor. Plus, the Princess…”

Shen Zhishu stopped abruptly.

“What about the Princess?” Shen Hantan asked.

“Nothing,” Shen Zhishu smiled. “I saw someone from a distance on the street today who looked like the Princess of Hua’an.”

“You recognize her?”

Shen Zhishu said, “I’ve seen her portrait before.”

…Bullshit.

Shen Zhishu spoke calmly, but contradicted herself in her heart.

Where would a portrait of the Princess come from in a military camp? If she had truly seen a portrait and recognized the person, it was uncertain whether she would have stepped in to help the girl who blocked her path.

Shen Hantan said, “That’s good. It’s best not to get involved with the Princess of Hua’an either.”

Shen Zhishu’s eyes flickered slightly. “Why is that? Is she mysterious too?”

“No,” Shen Hantan said. “The situation in the court is turbulent, and it’s hard to explain all the complex relationships to you right now. I’ll give you a brief overview for now. There are currently three major power factions among the Princesses. The Eldest Princess is one, the Second Princess is another. The Third and Fourth Princesses didn’t survive to adulthood. The Fifth Princess is another faction, and the remaining Princesses are too young to hold power.”

“The Second Princess and the Princess of Hua’an are very close. Many people classify the Princess of Hua’an as being part of the Second Princess’s faction. Our Shen family is loyal to the Emperor, so it’s best not to get involved to avoid raising the Emperor’s suspicion.”

Shen Zhishu was speechless.

Mother, you said that too late.

We’ve already shared a bed.

Fortunately, everything tonight happened in secret and wasn’t seen by anyone. The Princess also seemed to want to keep the matter unknown and pretend it never happened.

From now on, meeting the Princess of Hua’an would likely be a case of “you go your way, and I’ll go mine.”

No further contact.

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