Chapter 360: Xihe Plans to Take Action
Regarding Gu Qingzhi, Shen Xihe felt grateful. Perhaps because she had inherited her life experiences, she held a slight bias toward everything related to her.
She turned her head to look at Xue Jinqiao, who was playing with Duanming, her eyes dark and unfocused as if lost in thought.
"Sister, what's wrong?" Xue Jinqiao was sensitive and immediately noticed something amiss with Shen Xihe's expression.
"Qiao Qiao, you and your father..."
"I don't have a father." Before Shen Xihe could finish, Xue Jinqiao coldly interrupted, her face stern. After a moment of discomfort, she corrected herself, "At present... at present I have no father."
She disliked Xue Hui. He had used her thoroughly, and over the years, she had repaid any debt of life she owed him.
She adored Shen Xihe's father. Ever since her engagement to Shen Yungan, the Northwest King never failed to include her whenever he brought gifts for Shen Xihe. No one had ever remembered her so consistently. Even when she was raised by her granduncle and grandaunt, she had never been separated from them for long.
Thus, the Northwest King and Shen Yungan were the first to bring her gifts on every festival and think of her whenever they obtained rare and precious items. This feeling of being constantly remembered warmed her heart, and she grew increasingly fond of her sister and Shen Xihe's family.
She could hardly wait to come of age so she could sooner become part of the Shen family.
Thinking of joining the Shen family, Xue Jinqiao asked, "Sister, after I marry your brother, can I stay in the capital to keep you company?"
"Weren't you going to the northwest to take care of him for me?" Shen Xihe was puzzled by her sudden desire to remain in the capital.
"I want to be with you, Sister... and I also want to receive gifts often." Xue Jinqiao murmured the last part softly.
Shen Xihe heard her clearly and smiled. "I will be married next year. After the wedding, I'll reside in the Eastern Palace and won't be able to leave easily. Summoning you to the palace every day isn't feasible either. If you stay alone in the Princess Manor, I would worry about you.
When you go to the northwest, I'll often send you gifts, and you can send some back to me as well."
Xue Jinqiao thought it over and decided this arrangement sounded even better, so she nodded with a smile, resting her chin in her hands. "I really wish I could get married soon."
Her dreamy, yearning expression made Shen Xihe laugh.
"Qiao Qiao, your sister might have to deal with your... Minister Xue." Shen Xihe changed her wording, not wanting to harm their relationship. She informed her in advance to prevent her from being caught in the middle.
"Really?" Xue Jinqiao's eyes sparkled like stars. "Sister, how will you deal with him? Will you have him dismissed from office or beheaded?"
Shen Xihe: ...
Her enthusiastic, eager, and expectant demeanor, as if she wanted to join in, left Shen Xihe both amused and exasperated.
"Dismissed from office," Shen Xihe said helplessly. "If he's beheaded, you'll have to observe mourning and won't be able to marry my brother early."
Although Xue Jinqiao had been adopted by another branch, the fact that Xue Hui had fathered and raised her couldn't be erased. If Xue Hui died, she would need to observe mourning for at least a year to fulfill her filial duties, if not three years.
"Then he mustn't die," Xue Jinqiao said urgently. She had no intention of observing mourning for Xue Hui.
Once she was married, if Xue Hui died then, she wouldn't have to observe mourning!
She hated Xue Hui so much she wished she could kill him herself.Back then when she was treated so unjustly, he not only failed to stand up for her, but even exploited the situation to gain benefits from the clan. After securing those advantages, he forbade her from holding grudges over the matter, fearing others would accuse him of greed and broken promises.
To stop her from obsessing over that incident, he controlled her, scolded her, and even deprived her of food!
Just thinking about these things made her wish she could perish together with him. If she hadn't met her grandaunt, she would have surely killed her father before ending her own life.
"Qiao Qiao." Xue Jinqiao's mood suddenly turned dark, her eyes profound and shadowy, radiating intense hostility from her entire being.
Shen Xihe drew her into an embrace: "It's alright, it's alright, your elder sister is here. Whatever wrongs he did to you, your elder sister will seek justice for you."
Amid Shen Xihe's soft, soothing words, Xue Jinqiao finally calmed down. Vulnerable and pitiful, she clung to Shen Xihe, resting in her arms, staring blankly at one spot like a frightened little rabbit. Shen Xihe's embrace was her safe harbor.
Shen Xihe felt some regret. It seemed there were many grievances between Xue Hui and Xue Jinqiao that even her investigations couldn't uncover. She couldn't bring herself to ask directly, as that would mean tearing open Xue Jinqiao's old wounds. She could only be more careful in the future and avoid mentioning this person in her presence.
Xue Jinqiao's reaction actually gave Shen Xihe clarity - she need not show any mercy toward Xue Hui.
Xue Hui had held the position of Minister of Personnel for five years. During these five years, he had accepted numerous bribes and appointed many incompetent officials.
He thought he had covered his tracks perfectly, but it was only because he had the Xue family backing him and his transgressions weren't major enough that no one opposed him.
Shen Xihe quickly identified a corrupt official in the local administration who had bribed Xue Hui to receive outstanding evaluations year after year. In just six years, this official had risen to become a provincial governor, albeit of a lower-ranking province.
Her arrangements couldn't escape the notice of Xiao Huayong, who watched her every move. When Xiao Huayong realized she was targeting Xue Hui, he was quite puzzled - after all, Xue Hui was Xue Jinqiao's biological father.
Unable to figure out the reason, Xiao Huayong simply summoned her to the Eastern Palace and asked directly: "Why are you setting a trap for Xue Hui, Youyou?"
Shen Xihe lowered her eyes and remained silent for a long moment before responding: "The late Consort of the Prince Xin and I were close friends. I owe much of what I am today to her guidance."
Ever since arriving in the capital, she had known that when matters related to the Gu family arose, she wouldn't be able to stand by indifferently. She always needed a reasonable pretext to intervene.
"You're doing this because of the late Consort?" Xiao Huayong still had unresolved doubts, "Because Xue Hui showed disrespect to Lord Gu, you feel indebted to the late Consort and thus target Xue Hui?"
The Shen Xihe he knew was an extremely resolute and detached person. Even regarding Bu Shulin, unless Bu Shulin came begging for help, she might not proactively intervene. Of course, this could be because she believed Bu Shulin could handle things herself, but it also reflected her cold nature.
The Consort of the Prince Xin had passed away, and she felt no one was standing up for Gu Zhao. Even though Gu Zhao ultimately wasn't successfully made the scapegoat by Xue Hui, she still couldn't swallow this injustice.
Just how important must the late Consort Gu have been to her, that someone of her temperament would go to such lengths to champion the Gu family?
"Your Highness, the late Consort of the Prince Xin was like my second chance at life." Shen Xihe could only reveal this much.
Seeing this, Xiao Huayong didn't press further: "What do you plan to do with Xue Hui, Youyou?""He is Qi Niang's biological father. I did not want to take his life, so I stripped him of his official position, leaving him to live out his remaining years in mediocrity."
This might have been even more severe than taking Xue Hui's life, for Xue Hui was someone who cared deeply about his official career, with an especially strong desire for fame and achievement.
"Youyou probably doesn't know that Prince Xin has also taken action—he wants Xue Hui's life," Xiao Huayong said.
(End of Chapter)
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