Li Yanyan reached out to steady Shen Xihe, and the fragrance on her became even more distinct. It indeed contained the agarwood scent that belonged to Xiao Changtai, and beyond that, there was also the aroma of burnt incense—Xiao Changtai would surely be offering incense daily at the imperial mausoleum...
So Li Yanyan and Xiao Changtai were actually...
Shen Xihe, supported by Zhenzhu, rose to her feet and left with a grim expression.
Xiao Changtai had secretly returned under the cover of the Lantern Festival—it couldn’t be merely for a clandestine meeting with Li Yanyan. What were they conspiring about? Was this chaos connected to the Fourth Prince, Xiao Changtai?
Back at the Princess Manor, Shen Xihe said to Tianyuan, "Inform His Highness that the Fourth Prince has secretly returned to the capital and met with the Princess Consort of Dai."
Tianyuan was slightly surprised, unable to comprehend how Shen Xihe, after just one encounter with the Princess Consort of Dai, could be so certain that she had met privately with the Fourth Prince. Her tone was resolute, not speculative in the least. Nevertheless, he respectfully acknowledged the order.
"Fourth Prince?" Xiao Huayong lowered his gaze in contemplation upon hearing this. "It does seem plausible, but the Fourth Prince alone wouldn’t have the capability for such a feat."
Tianyuan glanced at the wound on Xiao Huayong’s arm. "Could it be... His Majesty?"
"His Majesty wouldn’t use the Lantern Festival to test me," Xiao Huayong dismissed the idea. "With envoys from foreign countries present, the Lantern Festival is far too important. His Majesty wouldn’t risk our dynasty’s reputation just to probe me."
The chaos had particularly infuriated His Majesty. With so many envoys observing the court assembly, the intention had been to showcase the grandeur of a great nation. To that end, His Majesty had even erected lantern trees in the palace, celebrating with the people to demonstrate the unity and prosperity of the dynasty.
Someone had deliberately stirred trouble—a slap in the face to His Majesty. Two generals of the Golden Guard had been reprimanded as a result.
"Who could it be?" Tianyuan couldn’t fathom it.
All the princes were under their surveillance. Even if they occasionally slipped from control, their actions were never on such a scale. Causing such a major disturbance during the Lantern Festival without their prior detection seemed impossible.
Even Prince Xin, since the incident at the imperial mausoleum, had been placed under additional surveillance by the Crown Prince.
"Look at this from the opposite angle," Xiao Huayong said, a faint, cold smile flickering in his eyes. "This person targeted me directly. Their martial skills were exceptional. I had just given chase and hadn’t even exchanged a few moves before the Golden Guard arrived. If I hadn’t sensed it in advance, my true abilities would have been exposed to the Golden Guard."
"Their goal was to expose me before His Majesty, meaning they knew my true capabilities. The Fourth Prince is unaware of this."
This alone ruled out Xiao Changtai. Xiao Changtai was wholly absorbed in his own schemes, viewing only the Fifth and Eighth Princes as formidable rivals.
Those who knew his true nature were limited to Xiao Changqing, his brothers, and Xiao Changgeng. Xiao Changgeng’s influence was still too underdeveloped to pull off such a move.
Xiao Changqing and Xiao Changying were indeed the most suspicious, but Xiao Changqing would prefer him to live a few more years to aid in undermining His Majesty—he would never set such a trap for him.
"In that case, it wasn’t any of the princes," Tianyuan said, astonished.
"There are only a few in the capital who hold a grudge against me," Xiao Huayong remarked with a faint, mocking smile. "The one who hates me the most would be Wang Zheng."
If Wang Zheng hadn’t suspected the Crown Prince of acting deliberately during the previous incident at the palace gates, the near-drawing of blades by envoys at the grand assembly would have been enough to make it clear to him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have qualified for the position he held today.Furthermore, Munuha's words would deepen Wang Zheng's suspicions towards Xiao Huayong. Wang Zheng would believe the Crown Prince was pretending to be weak while secretly being formidable, targeting him to eliminate Your Majesty's trusted confidants. Following this line of thought, he would attribute the deaths of Dong Biquan, Prince Kang, and even Xun Wang to Xiao Huayong. The more he pondered, the more he would become convinced that Xiao Huayong was the most terrifying figure lurking in the shadows.
"He must have said this to Your Majesty. Unfortunately, the poison in my body is clearer to Your Majesty than anyone else." Xiao Huayong smiled mockingly.
Xiao Huayong was indeed poisoned, something the Youning Emperor knew full well. The reason it was publicly announced that he had suddenly contracted a strange illness was because he had been poisoned in the Hall of Bright Governance after consuming cheese cherries originally prepared for Your Majesty. At that time, it was a critical moment in dealing with the eunuchs, and to avoid unsettling the court officials, the truth was concealed.
Over the years, the cases Your Majesty witnessed were indeed fabricated, but Your Majesty knew they were falsified. However, his poison remained unresolved, and to this day, there was no antidote—something Your Majesty was also aware of. What Your Majesty didn't know was that he had encountered Linghu Zheng again, who managed to control the toxins in his body. Aside from fearing the cold in winter, he could still study literature and practice martial arts as usual.
Your Majesty naturally wouldn't fully believe Wang Zheng's words and would suspect that Wang Zheng was slandering him out of resentment.
Wang Zheng was desperate. He deeply understood the threat Xiao Huayong posed to the emperor, and Xiao Huayong clearly disliked him. If Xiao Huayong were to win, he would face certain death. This was why he went to great lengths to expose Xiao Huayong.
"Wang Zheng has immense audacity!" Tianyuan was so furious he wished he could immediately take up a blade and cut Wang Zheng down, especially upon seeing Xiao Huayong's arm still seeping blood.
"If he weren't audacious, how could he have achieved his current status?" Xiao Huayong chuckled lightly. "Since he has made a move, if I don't return the favor, how could I live up to his efforts?"
Tianyuan: "Your Highness, please give your orders."
"Not so fast. Now that he knows I'm not to be trifled with and this ambush failed, he will surely assume I've guessed his intentions." Xiao Huayong twirled a black chess piece between his fingers. "I'll let him suffer for a couple of days first. When he lets his guard down, I'll use Your Majesty's hand... to eliminate him.Knowing the Crown Prince already had a plan, Tianyuan remembered another matter: "Your Highness, why didn't you let the princess know you were injured?"This way, even if the princess wouldn't worry or pity him, Your Highness could still use the injury to seek favors.
Xiao Huayong glanced at him. "That would be too deliberate. She will surely come to visit me tomorrow."
Wouldn't she find out about his injury then? Why deliberately inform her and appear inferior?
Shen Xihe naturally had to enter the palace to see Xiao Huayong, primarily concerning the matters of the Lantern Festival.
"Your Highness is injured?" As soon as Shen Xihe approached Xiao Huayong, she detected a faint scent of blood.
Xiao Huayong was slightly surprised. To avoid appearing deliberate, he had specifically worn a cloak. The injury was on his arm, completely concealed by the cloak. He had planned to casually raise his hand to let Shen Xihe see, never expecting her to realize he was injured as soon as she sat down.
"How did Youyou know I was injured?" Xiao Huayong asked curiously.
After he was injured yesterday, he had returned to the palace in secret. Only Your Majesty knew he was injured; even the Empress Dowager was kept in the dark.
Her sense of smell was exceptionally sharp—a fact she had only revealed to Bu Shulin when she exposed him. She hadn't told anyone else. Lowering her long eyelashes, she took a sip of Eucommia Leaf tea and, gazing at the clear, bright liquid, said, "Since childhood, my sense of smell has been different from others. I detected a trace of blood, emanating from Your Highness."Xiao Huayong's gaze sharpened slightly, and Tianyuan was equally astonished. Xiao Huayong's wound had been left for an entire night; though it had not yet scabbed over, it had also stopped bleeding. As a martial artist, he had not detected any scent of blood, yet the princess had actually caught the smell of blood.
Her sense of smell was not merely different from ordinary people—it was truly a gift from heaven!
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