Chapter 44: Birthday

Xia Yuan spoke cautiously, not daring to voice his suspicions openly.

Xia Yuan did not know that during these days, Shen Hanxing’s people had been secretly watching the merchants connected to the gambling house and had discovered that they had all been in the same tea house or inn as Shen Lin.

Shen Hanxing became even more certain and firmly believed this could not be a coincidence.

“You should have already guessed who the mastermind is. Continue the investigation. What I want is not a conjecture but concrete evidence. Contact Chu Jiu and have him thoroughly investigate Shen Lin’s background in Nanming.”

“Shen Lin’s background? Isn’t he an orphan adopted by Old Madam? Could it be that General suspects he has connections with Nanming?” Xia Yuan’s eyes revealed surprise.

Luo Yan, seeing his confusion, explained quietly: “Years ago, the former Nanming King secretly trained a group of assassins and spies, including many young children. Given the time, they should now be of Shen Lin’s age.”

Xia Yuan immediately realized that if those assassins and spies had all integrated into Dongning pretending to be orphans like Shen Lin, then Shen Lin’s background could have been more terrifying than they had imagined.

This was not something that could be resolved by simply finding out who was behind it.

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He suddenly brought up this matter, surprising Lin Xingxue. She was holding the wine cup and now found she couldn’t continue drinking. She looked a bit uneasy: “I’ve never been to the palace before, and I haven’t prepared anything. If we go to the palace to celebrate the birthday, do we need to prepare any special clothes…”

“Don’t worry; I’ve had someone prepare it for you.”

Five days later, on the day of the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet.

Lin Xingxue lifted the beaded curtain and stepped out. She wore a dress that gradually transitioned from crimson red, with a light-colored cross-collared top and a skirt with colors shifting from dark to light, delicately embroidered with blooming Yulan magnolias.

The dress was made of cloud silk, light and airy, and slightly cool to the touch, suitable for summer wear.

Cloud silk was incredibly rare and valuable. While preparing garments for Lin Xingxue, Shen Hanxing remembered that the Emperor had once bestowed a piece of cloud silk, so he had the residence’s seamstresses use it to create this outfit.

The girl’s beauty was striking, and the dress did not overshadow her looks but made her even more enchanting.

She strolled to Shen Hanxing, and crouched down to let him inspect her makeup: “How is it? Is there anything inappropriate?”

Shen Hanxing’s gaze fell on her face. The girl’s usually plain face was now adorned with light rouge, her eyebrows lightly drawn with powder, and her lips coated with a deeper shade of lipstick, which made her complexion appear even more radiant.

As Shen Hanxing looked at her, he couldn’t help but recall her bridal makeup from when she first married. Back then, she was like a delicate lotus; now she had become even more enchanting than the moon.

Shen Hanxing’s fingertips touched her red lips, the color of the lipstick transferring onto his fingertip. The girl’s makeup became a bit lighter.

“It’s good.” Shen Hanxing wiped away the red from his fingertip.

“Then let’s go.”

The carriage traveled towards the palace, and as they approached, Lin Xingxue felt increasingly nervous while trying to maintain a calm appearance.
Shen Hanxing noticed her anxiety and held her hands, saying, “Grandmother said your etiquette is very good. Don’t worry, just stay by my side.”

When the carriage reached the palace gates, Lin Xingxue walked alongside Shen Hanxing.

Many gazes turned towards them, first landing on Shen Hanxing’s legs and then on the girl walking beside him. When they saw her face, they were all stunned.

“So this is the Lin family’s illegitimate daughter; her appearance…”

“Don’t stare. Look at General Shen’s expression; don’t cause trouble.”

The faint discussions from the people nearby reached Lin Xingran’s ears, and her actions of getting out of the carriage paused. She couldn’t help but glance towards the direction of their discussion. Upon seeing Lin Xingxue in her priceless cloud silk outfit, she tightened her grip on her maid’s hand.
She couldn’t calm her emotions.

Lin Xingxue had lived well at the Jinning Hou’s residence, but since her return to the Lin family, both she and her mother had found it difficult to be at peace¹ well maybe if you guys didn’t try to make her life horrible, it wouldn’t be like that .

Currently, Concubine Jiang was pregnant, and both Father and Grandmother were hoping for a son from this pregnancy. Previously, the troubles with the Xia family had caused quite a stir, and Shen Hanxing’s obvious disdain for Lin Xingyan’s rakish behavior had led to Younger Brother being notably less valued in the residence. Recently, he got into some trouble somewhere else; he returned with whip marks, which led to a scolding from Father.

If not for her taking risky measures last time, she and Gu Yan…

“What’s wrong? Are you nervous?” Gu Yan asked gently, noticing her lack of movement.

Gu Yan’s rank was still low, and he normally wouldn’t have had the opportunity to attend this palace banquet. However, due to the previous injustice suffered by Grand Tutor Gu, the Emperor likely made a special exception this time, allowing Gu Yan to bring his wife to the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet as well. Lin Xingran suddenly came back to her senses. She arched her brows and smiled lightly, her figure slightly moving to cover Lin Xingxue’s back figure. “I am a bit nervous, but with Husband by my side, I’m not afraid.”

As Lin Xingxue and Shen Hanxing walked away, the murmurs at the palace gate faded behind them.
They were initially headed for the Taiji Hall to attend the banquet, but halfway there, an old nanny stopped them.

“General Shen, there is still an hour before the Taiji Hall birthday banquet. The Empress Dowager, considering that you have not yet visited the palace since your marriage, would like to meet General and Madam first,” said the person, Nanny Yu, who was a close aide to the Empress Dowager. Her tone was polite, with no sense of pressure, and her face wore a kind smile.

“Then we’ll trouble Nanny Yu to guide us.”

“General Shen is too polite.”

Nanny Yu led them to the Funing Palace. There was no need for formal announcements; the palace maids stationed outside immediately guided them in upon seeing them.

After passing through two hallways, they finally arrived at the inner chambers where the Empress Dowager was waiting.

The Empress Dowager was reclining on a soft pillow with golden threads. Her hair was completely white. Hearing the commotion outside, she slowly opened her eyes. By the time Nanny Yu entered, the drowsiness in her eyes had completely faded.

“Your Highness, General Shen and Madam Shen have arrived,” Nanny Yu announced.

Lin Xingxue pushed Shen Hanxing forward into the room. Shen Hanxing nodded and said, “Chen pays respects to the Empress Dowager.”

He could not perform a full bow, so Lin Xingxue followed the etiquette and bowed to the Empress Dowager.

“Rise. You must be the Lin family’s young lady. Come closer and let Aijia², a term used by Empress Dowagers to refer to themselves, used to reflect their high status have a look,” the Empress Dowager said with a gracious smile, gesturing for Lin Xingxue to approach.

Lin Xingxue glanced at Shen Hanxing and, seeing him nod, slowly stepped forward to stand before the Empress Dowager. The Empress Dowager carefully examined her, then gently patted her hand. “You’re a graceful and dignified young lady, and indeed match well with Hanxing.”

The Empress Dowager waved her hand, and Nanny Yu presented the prepared gift. Inside the box was a string of pink pearls made into a necklace, with a soft, luxurious luster.

Lin Xingxue hesitated to accept, but Empress Dowager Mo smiled and said, “Don’t hesitate to accept it. When your husband was younger, he would always find ways to take the beautiful and interesting things in the palace. He’s not as polite as you.”

The Empress Dowager spoke as if conversing with younger family members, which made Lin Xingxue feel a bit more at ease. She accepted the gift box with both hands and handed it over to the maid behind her.

“You seldom come to the palace now, so the Funing Palace is much quieter. Since you rarely have the chance to come, you must stay and keep me company for a while.”

Empress Dowager Mo did not carry the airs of someone in a superior position; she treated Shen Hanxing and Lin Xingxue as if they were close juniors. Her questions were like those an elder in the family would ask. She frequently brought up Old Madam Shen, saying, “Aijia heard that your grandmother has been having headaches recently. Aijia intended to send a physician but thought your grandmother would probably think Aijia was making a fuss over nothing, so Aijia decided against it. However, Aijia still can’t rest easy, so I must ask. Don’t help your grandmother hide it from me.”

“Chen would not dare, Your Highness,” Shen Hanxing said with a smile, reassuring Empress Dowager Mo. “Grandmother’s headache was caused by indulging in too much cold food. The doctor said that a few days of rest would be enough. She was unable to come to the palace to celebrate her birthday, so she asked Chen to bring the gift. Chen hopes the Empress Dowager is not displeased.”

After Shen Hanxing finished speaking, Luo Yan, who had been waiting outside, handed the brocade box to the palace maid.

When the box was presented to the Empress Dowager, it contained a long-lost geographical record. Empress Dowager Mo opened the first page and saw the congratulatory message written by Old Madam Shen. She couldn’t help but smile and said, “Your grandmother is thoughtful. Even after so many years, she hasn’t forgotten Aijia’s preferences, unlike others who only study clever but useless things.”

At the Empress Dowager’s birthday banquet, the officials put in a lot of effort in presenting their gifts. Little did they expect that none of the lavish presents would be as heartfelt as a single book.

“Go back and tell your grandmother that Aijia is very pleased with this birthday gift. Ask her if there is anything she desires for her birthday this year, and Aijia will make sure to send something that truly touches her heart.” Empress Dowager Mo said happily as she accepted the gift.

“Chen will certainly ask her in detail and provide Your Highness with an answer.”

“Don’t just give a perfunctory response, or Aijia will have to hold you accountable later.”

The Empress Dowager handed the gift over to Nanny Yu and chatted a bit more before waving her hand. “Alright, Aijia won’t keep you any longer. The scenery in the palace is quite nice now, and there is still sometime before the banquet. Let someone take you around, don’t be too formal.”

The Empress Dowager was clearly eager to read the geographical record. Once everyone left, she opened the book and stroked the congratulatory message on the first page, which simply read “Joy and Happiness for the Rest of Your Life.” As she looked at it, she couldn’t help but smile, though her eyes held a hint of melancholy. She softly said, “Everyone, leave now. Aijia wants to rest for a while.”

With the room now truly empty, Empress Dowager Mo quietly looked at the book for a while. She then stood up and walked to a locked chest. Opening it, she looked at the paper inside, and her smile grew more bitter.

The poison of Yuehua is indeed such a poison of Yuehua.

She had such a good son, one that left her unable to face her old friends.

TL’s Note: Is this a lead on who set their family up?? The emperor killed off his most loyal generals?? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!