The incident of Shen Yingruo falling into the water became an unsolved case, with no clues to trace. The whereabouts of the Jingjie in the palace was also clear. That day was Shen Xihe's coming-of-age ceremony, and many people were entering and leaving the palace. To check for the Jingjie, who might have been hidden in the sachet and showed no abnormalities, would undoubtedly be like looking for a needle in a haystack. If a thorough investigation was conducted, Shen Yingruo's falling into the water could no longer be concealed.
The mastermind probably saw that Emperor Youning intervened and his plan failed, so he dared not spread rumors anymore, further forcing Shen Yingruo and Xiao Changmin to succeed.
Although Shen Xihe also felt that it might be an attempt to prevent her marriage with Xiao Huayong, it was not necessarily the case. Besides, this matter was difficult to investigate in depth, so she did not pay too much attention to it.
What's more, Shen Yueshan is going back to the Northwest. The New Year is very important to them, and the Lantern Festival is celebrated by the whole country. The Turks outside the Northwest do not celebrate such festivals. They like to launch surprise attacks at this time. If they know that Shen Yueshan is not there, they will not miss this great opportunity.
Before Shen Yueshan left, he received a reply from Shen Yun'an, who was willing to marry Xue Qinnan. Shen Yueshan then went to the house in person. The Xue family was pressured by Xue Heng and could only pretend to be overjoyed and accept the marriage.
After the marriage was decided, it naturally could not be kept secret, and Emperor Youning even summoned Xue Heng for this purpose, and neither the emperor nor the minister was allowed to say anything. In the end, Emperor Youning generously granted the marriage to Shen Yun'an and Xue Jinqiao, and the marriage would be held after Xue Jinqiao reached the age of 15.
"Hey, why did your brother marry that little witch? A girl as heroic and skilled in martial arts as me, wouldn't I be a better match for your brother?" After Bu Shulin knew this, he ran towards Shen Xihe with a look of resentment on his face as if he had been abandoned by Shen Xihe.
"If you dare to seek His Majesty's help and take away your female body, and you can survive, I will also try to help you." Shen Xihe was in a good mood. She didn't care about Bu Shulin because she wanted to find a good match for her brother. She just choked her casually and asked seriously, "You have always been on good terms with the playboys in the capital. Have you heard anything about the Minister of War and the Minister of Justice?"
There are advantages to Bu Shulin pretending to be a dandy. Most of these dandies are not very smart and have prominent status in their families, so it is easy to get information out of them.
Bu Shulin was just taking a bite of a piece of plum cake when he heard this and asked mysteriously, "How did they offend you?"
Shen Xihe rarely takes the initiative to make things difficult for others. Unless it is her fault, she will basically not harm others.
"You didn't offend me this time, but you blocked my way." Shen Xihe smiled slightly.
When Xue Heng came back from the palace, he only said that he had informed His Majesty that he had been feeling weak recently and was about to retire. As the Xue family depended entirely on their descendants, he only had Xue Jinqiao as his own son, and at the last minute he just wanted to fulfill the child's wish.
Since he was about to step down, he naturally had no intention of forming an alliance with Shen Yueshan. This was a tactful way of telling Emperor Youning that he was willing to use his official career to help his child find a partner.
Emperor Youning had no reason to blame or vent his anger on Xue Heng. He was thinking about how to promote his own confidants after Xue Heng stepped down.
However, Xue Heng did not tell Emperor Youning when he would resign. Emperor Youning assumed that it would be after Xue Jinqiao got married. In fact, Xue Heng might not be able to hold on until then. This was not considered deceiving the emperor, but it bought them time. They had to pave the way for everything before His Majesty had made plans and Xue Heng could no longer hold on.