CHAPTER 352: CHAPTER 350 BETRAYAL ALSO BECAME DEEP LOVE

The Empress Dowager Li cast her a glance and immediately understood what she was contemplating.

With authority, she said, "Stay quietly by my side and don’t entertain any ill intentions. I have lived through imperial succession struggles and understand how treacherous and unpredictable the situation in the Capital can be. Until the very last moment, we will never know who the true victor is. Zhu’er, today’s lesson for you from me is to be patient and composed. You are the future hope of the Li Family, so don’t lose your sense of propriety."

Li Zhu returned to her senses, aware of her lapse in judgment, and a wave of apprehension surged in her heart. She immediately lowered her head and curtsied, saying, "Zhu’er will keep Imperial Grandmother’s admonition in mind."

The Empress Dowager Li cast a cold glance toward the hall’s entrance.

The figure of Shen Yinning had long vanished without a trace.

One by one, she rolled the Bixi Buddha beads in her fingers, chuckling coldly, "The hunter’s prey is yet to be determined. Zhaozhao, oh Zhaozhao, you young girls are far too impatient."

Shen Yinning was already seated in the carriage returning to Shen Garden.

She instructed Wei Yu, "Right now the Shen Garden is only full of maids and old servants. Find a way to recruit some guards for me. Money isn’t an issue; the key is that they must possess excellent kung fu and good character. Oh, and preferably they should be good-looking too—don’t bring in people who are scruffy and burly with unkempt beards."

Wei Yu understood that her Commandery Princess was expanding her influence.

She hesitated and said, "Those skilled in kung fu are easy to find, but it’s hard to find someone who is truly loyal. Commandery Princess, coming from an official family yourself, you surely know that the guards of noble families are often raised within the household for generations, and only then can they be trusted. Recruiting halfway through like this makes it difficult to secure loyalty."

Shen Yinning rested her chin on her hand.

What Wei Yu said was indeed a problem.

Money can’t buy absolute loyalty.

Without a bond built from growing up together, in the eyes of outsiders, the so-called guard is nothing more than a well-paying labor job. Why would they be loyal to her?

Haitang offered a reminder, "I’ve heard that the guards who served in the Commandery Princess’s former household were numerous back in the day. Do you know where they are now?"

Shen Yinning froze.

Her father, skilled in horseback archery and martial arts, had trained the household guards into an elite force—every one of them a warrior capable of holding their ground tenfold on the battlefield. When her family was confiscated, many servants, maids, and pages who could be released were let go. By now, who knows where they have scattered? It would take considerable effort to track them down.

She pondered briefly and said, "Send Wen Liluo over to Shen Garden tonight. As businesspeople, their network is extensive and should make it easier to dig up information. I’d like to ask them to find those who once served the household again."

While Shen Yinning was busy recruiting her old retinue, in the Cold Palace...

The court was preoccupied with the matter of appointing a new Crown Prince, leaving no one to pay attention to Lu Ying save Gui Quan and De Sun, who still attended closely to him.

The two young eunuchs hid behind the curtains, worriedly gazing at the figure studying maps and stratagems at the desk.

De Sun frowned, "Ever since His Highness arrived in this wretched place, he’s either studying maps or military tactics all day, barely sparing time to eat. What are we to do?"

"Have you noticed," Gui Quan elbowed him, "Our Highness seems to have grown much thinner?"

"If he doesn’t eat properly, how could he not slim down? You tell me, why did Princess Zhaoning go and betray His Highness? It’s so heartbreaking! His Highness had a tough life since childhood, and now she’s here to add insult to injury!"

Gui Quan sighed, "Not long ago, she was still exchanging letters with His Highness on good terms. Who would’ve thought she’d suddenly change..."

Speaking of the letters, Gui Quan retrieved them from a drawer in the outer chambers. "Here, they’re all here. His Highness instructed me to burn them when he left the Eastern Palace, but I kept them secretly just in case he regrets it later."

The two leaned in to read, each letter filled with sincere emotion.

Princess Zhaoning clearly harbored deep feelings, so why did she suddenly betray His Highness?

De Sun suddenly had an idea: "What if we imitated Princess Zhaoning’s handwriting and wrote a letter to His Highness, expressing remorse for her betrayal, and advised him to take care of his health? What do you think?"

"Are you crazy?" Gui Quan was aghast. "His Highness has already been deceived by her so many times. He’ll never believe this time!"

De Sun muttered under his breath while rubbing his face, "Well, you never know, what if His Highness believes it again..."

"What are you two whispering about?"

Lu Jiazhe entered, carrying a food box.

He had come to visit Lu Ying. While he usually feared him, they were still cousins and shared a bond, especially since Lu Jiazhe’s parents were very fond of Lu Ying.

Gui Quan and De Sun aired their frustrations and asked, "Princely Heir, what do you think—will His Highness believe it?"

Lu Jiazhe glanced at the stack of letters, even guiltier as he rubbed his nose.

It seemed his cousin had yet to realize that these letters weren’t written by Shen Yinning at all.

He cleared his throat, "Maybe he’ll believe it."

De Sun cast a smug glance at Gui Quan and grinned, "That’s exactly what I think. I see how His Highness has been neither eating nor sleeping well, growing thinner by the day—it’s worrying me to no end. I plan to forge Princess Zhaoning’s handwriting to persuade His Highness to take better care of himself."

"Princess Zhaoning’s handwriting is so elegant—how are you going to mimic it?" Gui Quan countered, "This won’t work at all!"

As the two were about to quarrel again, Lu Jiazhe nervously chimed in, "Actually, it’s not impossible..."

Lu Jiazhe discreetly led the two out of the Imperial Palace and straight into the Seven Treasures Pavilion.

Wen Liluo fiddled with her golden abacus, curiously lifting her eyes to inspect them. Sharp-eyed, she identified their background instantly. "Eunuchs?"

Lu Jiazhe took a seat. "My cousin, recently depressed over Shen sister’s matters, refuses to eat or drink—he’s practically skin and bones. Wen sis, we must continue forging Shen sister’s handwriting to exchange letters with him. At the very least, let’s coax him through this toughest period."

"He’s that devoted..."

Wen Liluo sighed, glancing at the accounting books.

Her family’s boss had caused this emotional mess, yet was now completely ignoring matters, leaving the Crown Prince out in the cold, and had merely tasked her with tracking down former household servants.

Truly a heartless beauty.

Gui Quan and De Sun rubbed their hands together, eager. "If the handwriting can realistically resemble Princess Zhaoning’s, we have plenty of advice we’d like to offer His Highness—things that usually aren’t convenient to say outright, or that he wouldn’t listen to if spoken by us. In His Highness’s heart, Princess Zhaoning holds a unique place. If she’s the one to say it, he’ll surely heed her words."

Wen Liluo spread out the writing tools. "Tell me, I’ll write."

Gui Quan and De Sun exchanged excitable glances.

Gui Quan scratched his head, saying, "Miss Wen, you could write something like: Betraying His Highness was truly born of necessity. I am burdened by family vengeance that I must fulfill, yet His Highness persists in shielding the Shen Family and Shen Yunxi, forcing me to make such a choice. My love for His Highness runs deep—deeper than time itself. Yet the abundance of beauties surrounding Your Highness enrages me, especially when you have even taken my nemesis Shen Yunxi as your bride. These past days I often wonder, is it only if you cease being Crown Prince that I can monopolize you entirely?"

Lu Jiazhe shelled peanuts as he listened, ears pricking attentively.

The more he listened, the more plausible it sounded.

Truly, this eunuch had spent enough years by his cousin’s side to masterfully capture the sentiment. Look at that—every sentence exudes love, transforming betrayal into a manifestation of deep affection.