Chapter Forty-Eight: The Former Resident of the Qi Mansion

Thinking of Emperor Yuanchang’s awareness of his presence at the Xijing silver mine as a guard, Wei Xiao shared the details with Shen Jifeng to ensure their stories aligned and avoid discrepancies if questioned.

"So, you only rushed over because you knew something had happened at the mine?"

"No," Wei Xiao paused. "Manager Li sent his nephew to seek help at the Xijing garrison camp."

Since the entire affair was shrouded in fog, it might be beneficial to stir up some minor internal trouble among them, which could yield unexpected results.

True enough, upon hearing the news, Shen Jifeng looked dazed for a moment before quickly returning to her usual composure. "I am deeply grateful for the General's repeated rescues. Once the General returns to the capital, I will certainly visit to express my thanks in person."

Her solemn words carried a sense of courtesy and aloofness, completely different from how they had interacted before. Feeling a pang of loss, Wei Xiao cupped his hands in farewell and told her to get some proper rest.

Li Leqi had been waiting in the adjacent room. Watching Wei Xiao enter, he knew deep down that this matter could no longer be concealed. So be it; since he had dared to ask Wei Xiao for help in the first place, he had already prepared himself for his true identity to be exposed.

"Uncle Li, are you there?" Shen Jifeng's voice struck Li Leqi's heart with measured clarity.

"This old servant is here." Bowing his head, Li Leqi walked into the room and stopped a zhang away from the bedside, dropping heavily to his knees before Shen Jifeng.

"Princess, this old servant is guilty."

Shen Jifeng straightened her back; maintaining the same posture for too long had grown tiring. "You are one of A-Pu's people?"

Not daring to meet Shen Jifeng's gaze, Li Leqi kept his head lowered. "Yes."

"If I remember correctly, it was the second year after you came to my brother's side that he finally found me. This means A-Pu had already found him even earlier than my brother did, and arranged for you to be by his side."

Li Leqi remained silent; silence was tantamount to admission.

Shen Jifeng let out a breath. She knew A-Pu was deeply calculating—a lotus root has nine holes, but his mind had even more twists and turns than that.

Defending his master, Li Leqi said, "Princess, the young Prince did this for no other reason than your safety."

Unlike Shen Jifeng, who had always been sheltered deep within the palace, Zhao Pu, as an imperial grandson, had many opportunities to leave the palace walls.

Four years ago on the streets of Bianjing, Zhao Pu had recognized Shen Jifeng's older brother, Shen Qiyun, at a glance—not for any other reason, but simply because the two looked astonishingly alike. At first, Zhao Pu suspected it might just be a coincidence, but upon seeing him carry a childhood portrait of Shen Jifeng, his last lingering doubt vanished.

What should he do? This was Shen Jifeng's biological brother; he could neither beat him nor kill him. Pretending not to see him was another option, as his status meant he would never cross paths with the Princess in this lifetime. How long could human patience last? Before long, he would likely give up on his own.

On second thought, that wouldn't work either. With a face bearing an eight-tenth resemblance to Shen Jifeng, asking around everywhere in Bianjing, he would sooner or later catch the eye of people with ulterior motives.

Perhaps it would be better to let them recognize each other, set his mind at ease, and give him a sum of money so he could find a good place to live a peaceful life. That way, it would fulfill Shen Jifeng's long-cherished wish, allowing her to peacefully remain a Princess from then on—killing two birds with one stone.

However, their reunion had to be based on a precondition: Shen Qiyun had to be a good brother devoted to his younger sister. If his character were base, driven by greed, and a menace, it would be better to just cut ties permanently.

After much deliberation, Zhao Pu arranged for Li Leqi to infiltrate Shen Qiyun's side. Through over a year of observation, he found that Shen Qiyun was candid and upright, and had never given up on searching for his sister over the years. Thus, he passed the test. Afterward, Zhao Pu found a suitable opportunity, and under his deliberate guidance, Shen Qiyun finally found Shen Jifeng.

"Since my brother and I have already recognized each other, your mission was accomplished. Why did you choose to remain by his side?"

Li Leqi raised his head, a flash of shame crossing his face. The eldest young master treated him with utmost sincerity, yet he had been a spy monitoring him.

"The young Prince said that people's hearts change, and even a biological brother cannot guarantee he will never harm the Princess in the future. Therefore, he had me stay by the eldest young master's side—both to help him manage affairs and to easily keep track of his movements, preventing any threat to the Princess."

Having confessed his biggest secret, Li Leqi felt a great weight lift from his shoulders. Though he would face punishment from the young Prince, he had no regrets. Shen Qiyun was kind-hearted and had always treated him like an elder; the longer they spent together, the deeper his guilt grew.

"Princess, although the young Prince sent this old servant to monitor the eldest young master, he never once intended to harm him. He simply wanted to protect the Princess to the greatest extent possible."

Having listened to the story for so long, the bowl of congee Shen Jifeng had just consumed was completely digested, and her stomach began to growl again. As if hearing the cries of her empty stomach, Jinchai walked in carrying a pot of porridge.

With a bowl of congee down her throat, Shen Jifeng felt about thirty percent of her strength return.

"So, A-Pu has always known that I established the Shen Firm and knew what kind of business I was running?"

Li Leqi nodded, then immediately shook his head, causing Shen Jifeng to frown in confusion. What did that mean?

"The young Prince said that the Princess likes silver, and doing business makes you happy, so he let you do as you pleased. Unless the firm suffered losses, matters concerning the business were never to be reported to him, lest you find out one day and become angry."

Shen Jifeng leaned weakly against the bed. Zhao Pu was the person in this world who understood her better than she understood herself. Just as he had predicted, though she wanted to be angry, she couldn't muster any real rage.

Yet, to simply let the matter pass felt deeply unsatisfactory. Looking at the white-haired old man before her, Shen Jifeng's mind was in a whirl. The mastermind was A-Pu; if it weren't Uncle Li, it would have been someone else. Even if she wanted to settle accounts, she had to find the primary culprit.

"Uncle Li, you essentially exposed your own identity. When A-Pu returns, will you be punished?"

Without answering directly, Li Leqi simply said, "This old servant is an old retainer of Prince Qi's estate; everything I have was bestowed by Prince Qi's estate."

Then she would take him under her own banner; that would count as venting some frustration, Shen Jifeng thought to herself. "From now on, you are no longer a man of Prince Qi's estate; you belong to the Shen family. When A-Pu returns, tell him to come to me if he wants you back. I refuse to believe he would dare lay a single finger on you."

Tears streamed down Li Leqi's aged face. "Princess, this old servant is... not worth the Princess doing this."

Shen Jifeng chuckled with a hint of slyness. "The surveillance was real, but the care was also real, and your devotion to me is genuine as well. I am no fool; I can tell the difference between true sincerity and deceit."

"By the way, does A-Pu know about the military provisions?"

"He knows. Because it concerns the Yunnan army, and this old servant was afraid of leaving behind any handles for others to exploit, I went to consult the young Prince."

Knowing how stubborn someone like Wei Xiao was, Shen Jifeng realized he would continue his investigation. "If General Wei asks you about the military provisions, just tell him it was a modest contribution offered by the chief steward of the Shen family. As for me, I am merely a shareholder with a twenty percent stake."

Li Leqi nodded in acknowledgment. Earlier, he had sensed an intense murderous aura emanating from Ma Yao, never expecting him to be the renowned commander of the Southern Pacification Army.

"How did you know Ma Yao was Wei Xiao? Was that another tidbit A-Pu gave you?"

"Yes. Though the young Prince is away in the south, he has always kept the Princess in his thoughts, sending someone every seven days to exchange information with me. This old servant figured that since General Wei used to be the Princess's guard, he would surely extend a helping hand."

That made the entire sequence of events make sense. However, with A-Pu away in another region, how did he know Wei Xiao was by her side? Could her imperial grandfather have told him?