"Your Highness, do not speak nonsense." Shen Xihe frowned.
As if a clear stream had gently washed over his heart, refreshing and sweet, Xiao Huayong said joyfully: "Since Youyou dislikes hearing such words, I shall refrain from speaking recklessly henceforth."
She had once chosen him because his life was short, but now she not only no longer wished for his early demise but also disliked hearing him utter inauspicious words. This indicated that he was no longer an insignificant person to her.
Though it fell far short of what he longed for, it was enough to bring Xiao Huayong contentment and joy.
Shen Xihe said nothing more. Her feelings toward Xiao Huayong had changed since the moment he saved her—not with romantic affection, but with gratitude.
Though she might not invest deep emotions in her benefactor, Shen Xihe still did not wish for him to die young.
In Liyang Commandery, Shen Xihe and Xiao Huayong witnessed the grief of the people over the tomb robbery case. Some merely sought explanations from the authorities, while more aggressive ones scattered funeral money before the government office. The clever ones donned mourning clothes and knelt at the yamen entrance holding spirit tablets, and the most resolute even dashed themselves to death against the government gates.
Each incident fueled the anger of the entire city's populace. Killing one's parents was already an irreconcilable enmity, let alone disturbing the peace of the deceased. Any person with a conscience, even those unaffected, could understand the profound shock and pain.
If the government could not even protect the dead, how could the living expect protection from them?
"Could it be... that Prince Xin was unaware matters would escalate to this extent?" Shen Xihe personally witnessed a seventy-year-old woman dash herself to death against the government office after her late husband's grave was disturbed, her blood splattering and staining the stone lion statue crimson.
"These matters hold no importance to him." Xiao Huayong lowered his gaze.
Xiao Changqing had been groomed by the Youning Emperor as a reserve crown prince for over a decade, waiting only for the emperor's death to assume the throne. Had it not been for the complication involving the Young Lady of the Gu Family, he would likely be the most prestigious imperial prince by now.
He had learned many imperial tactics and, being exceptionally bright since youth, had likely discerned methods the Emperor had not yet taught him. Those destined to become emperors possess cold hearts.
Xiao Changqing now possessed the iron resolve and ruthlessness of an emperor but lacked the benevolent regard for the greater good and the welfare of the people that an emperor should uphold.
This was not because the Youning Emperor failed to teach him these virtues, nor because he could not comprehend them himself, but because they were not what he sought.
He had lost interest in the throne; his only desire now was to make the Emperor's life difficult.
"Will Your Highness not intervene?" Shen Xihe looked at Xiao Huayong.
At this stage of the matter, she could no longer get involved. Without evidence implicating Prince Xin, even with proof, exposing his bombing of the imperial mausoleum would not quell public anger.
"Now we can only wait for His Majesty to issue an Edict of Self-reproach." Xiao Huayong gazed toward the distant capital. "Whether it is the disturbance of ancestral peace by the explosion outside the imperial mausoleum or the widespread impact of this case, only an imperial Edict of Self-reproach can bring calm."
At this point, Xiao Huayong smiled ambiguously: "The Fifth Prince's actions, after all, bring more advantages than disadvantages."
"More advantages than disadvantages?" Shen Xihe was puzzled.Xiao Huayong said quietly, "Without the imperial mausoleum explosion, even if His Majesty issued an Edict of Self-reproach, the common people might not have been appeased. But now that the imperial mausoleum has also been bombed, it signifies that this wasn't the court's indulgence—the imperial family are victims too. As long as the Edict of Self-reproach is written with genuine emotion and empathy, mentioning His Majesty's twenty-year reign that brought national strength and prosperity to the people, and waiting until the public's grief has somewhat subsided, then having two respected local figures whose graves were also disturbed step forward to mediate—this turmoil won't be hard to quell."
After listening, Shen Xihe pondered carefully and realized it truly seemed so. Without the imperial mausoleum explosion, the people would likely have believed it was all due to officials shielding each other, exploiting the populace, and the imperial family covering up for them.
But with the imperial mausoleum incident, they could instead share the people's indignation. As long as the mastermind behind it was eventually uncovered and brought to justice, the matter would be completely resolved without leaving a thorn in the people's hearts.
"The only thing is, it puts His Majesty right in the hot seat." Xiao Huayong chuckled softly.
Now, whether His Majesty was willing or not, he had no choice but to issue the Edict of Self-reproach.
Shen Xihe glanced at the grief-stricken victims wailing in the distance and asked quietly, "His Majesty won't issue the Edict of Self-reproach immediately."
Xiao Huayong's smiling eyes were full of praise. "Youyou has seen through it."
Shen Xihe replied, "Thanks to Your Highness's guidance."
Xiao Changqing was targeting His Majesty. He might have arranged for news of the imperial mausoleum explosion to spread across the land overnight, but he definitely hadn't incited the people to riot. While the disturbance of their ancestors' graves filled them with shock, anger, and unbearable grief, it wasn't enough to drive them to sacrifice their lives.
Clearly, someone else had taken advantage of the situation to meddle, and that person was undoubtedly the mastermind behind the tomb-raiding case.
Since His Majesty couldn't avoid issuing the Edict of Self-reproach anyway, why not seize the chance to capture the mastermind and vent his fury?
"I hope fewer lives are lost in this turmoil," Shen Xihe sighed softly.
"Youyou, truly foolish people are as rare as the exceptionally clever ones. Most are ordinary folks, and ordinary people won't easily be incited to stake their lives," Xiao Huayong's tone carried a hint of coolness. "The woman who killed herself by crashing earlier—her family fortune had already been squandered by her son. She was over seventy, with not many years left, but she still had three grandchildren under her care.
Her crashing to death at the government office was partly to seek justice for her husband, but unless she felt her life was worth the sacrifice, she wouldn't have chosen to die."
Xiao Huayong wasn't making cold assumptions; he had sent people to investigate before concluding. The old woman was frail and ill, long worn down by age and sickness, only enduring for the sake of her daughter-in-law and three grandchildren. Now that the eldest grandson was grown and could support the family, her greatest need was to secure a future for her grandchildren. By dying this way at the government office, she freed herself from suffering and left a path for her descendants—the court would inevitably offer compensation and consolation.
This was human nature. She might not have been clever, but she was using all she had to plan for her descendants, unconcerned about whether someone was using her, as long as she achieved her goal.
"Your Highness means that ninety percent of those who stake their lives in this matter are doing it for gain."
"Yes." Only one or two might truly be driven by extreme stubbornness or fierce integrity.
Most people would rather witness how this matter is resolved and how they should face their disturbed ancestors."Even so, I still hope this matter can be resolved sooner rather than later," Shen Xihe said. "Your Highness, I depart for Henan Prefecture tomorrow—that is where the root of this lies."
This included the previously confessed Fenghe Pawnshop, which was also located in Henan Prefecture.
"I must return to the capital," Xiao Huayong said.
He would have liked to accompany Shen Xihe to Henan Prefecture, but firstly, the Jade Flower matter could not be delayed, and secondly, the imperial mausoleum affair was of grave importance. His absence from the palace at this moment would make it far too easy to expose him.
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