“When did Your Majesty become aware? The year His Highness turned eight?” Shen Xihe pressed.
With a faint smile, Xiao Huayong gently shook his head: “This matter traces back twenty years ago…”
In the early winter of twenty years past, on the very day Xiao Huayong was born, the capital witnessed too many upheavals.
The imperial city was on the verge of falling by the next day. Qian Wang, gentle and refined, out of kinship ties, refrained from utter annihilation. He granted those barricaded within the palace walls a day to ponder—surrender by opening the gates or face invasion.
Among the imperial clan, who wished for a violent death? Some had already wavered. With the tide turned, they urged the newly enthroned child emperor—who hadn’t even held his coronation—to open the city gates and welcome Qian Wang and the Empress Dowager.
On that day, the Youning Emperor did the unthinkable. This man who had always obeyed his elder brother and revered his mother, upon learning the palace had submitted a surrender and would open the gates the next day, summoned Qian Wang and personally served him a cup of poisoned wine.
Shen Xihe’s expression stiffened.
Yet Xiao Huayong remained detached, narrating the events in a calm, storyteller’s tone: “Back then, most followed my father. If the Emperor could slaughter his own brother for the throne, who would dare align with him? Had this leaked, chaos would engulf the realm, and Father’s followers would have just cause to revolt.
The Emperor knew this well. So, while poisoning my father, he summoned our grandmother. She arrived just as my father succumbed to the toxin.”
The Empress Dowager, seized by shock and fury, drew her sword and stabbed the Emperor in the chest. The Youning Emperor didn’t evade, coldly laying out the situation: either the entire family perished together, or the Empress Dowager concealed the truth and secured his reign.
At that moment, Qian Wang, poisoned but clinging to life, grasped the Empress Dowager’s hand and uttered his final words: consent to the Youning Emperor’s ascension.
What alternative remained? Could they endure again the harsh, windswept trials of the northwest? They could not!
If the Youning Emperor’s murder of Qian Wang were exposed, rival forces would run amok, rising in rebellion to carve up the empire.
That same day, the Youning Emperor’s principal wife secretly visited Qian Wang’s consort. The couple had prearranged this—ostensibly for a casual exchange between sisters-in-law, both nine months pregnant.
But Qian Wang’s consort sensed something amiss. In the ensuing commotion, both women went into labor simultaneously.
Publicly, only Qian Wang’s consort was said to have given birth, to avoid speculation: why would the Emperor’s wife, heavy with child, seek out Qian Wang’s consort late at night, and why would both deliver prematurely at the same time?
At such a critical juncture, the slightest anomaly drew scrutiny. Qian Wang’s consort bore Xiao Huayong, while the Emperor’s wife delivered a princess. When news reached Qian Wang’s tent, he drew his last breath upon hearing of the birth.
The Empress Dowager, meeting his speechless yet pleading gaze—a final appeal to raise his only heir—agreed to shield the Youning Emperor and stage a cover-up, but under two conditions: first, the Emperor must execute his principal wife as atonement; second, Xiao Huayong would be recognized as the Emperor’s sole legitimate son, born of his principal wife.
The first condition served multiple purposes: vengeance, a warning to the Emperor, and protection for Xiao Huayong.Under such circumstances, Xiao Huayong could not be Qian Wang’s son. Otherwise, as he grew older, someone would inevitably tell him about the events of the past. Those who had once followed Qian Wang would harbor resentment toward the Youning Emperor, pinning their hopes on Xiao Huayong’s growth.
This would be detrimental to both the political situation and Xiao Huayong himself. The Youning Emperor agreed.
The so-called enemy ambush involving Qian Wang, the Empress Dowager, and His Majesty was nothing more than a carefully orchestrated performance forced upon the Empress Dowager to accompany the Youning Emperor. Of course, the success of this deception owed much to one person’s contribution.
"Who?" Shen Xihe’s heart inexplicably skipped a beat.
"Gu Zhao."
The anticipated answer left Shen Xihe feeling strangely unsettled.
"This is also one of the reasons why His Majesty cannot tolerate Gu Zhao remaining alive." It was not merely a power struggle between the emperor and his officials—Gu Zhao knew the Youning Emperor’s greatest secret.
At that time, the capital’s power was divided into two factions: inside the palace were the eunuchs promoted by the late emperor, and outside were the civil officials and ministers of Gu Zhao’s generation.
Only with Gu Zhao’s assistance could they deceive everyone. Even if suspicions arose, no evidence could be found.
As for why Gu Zhao assisted, it was due to the pressures of the situation. By then, he had no choice. If Qian Wang did not ascend the throne, the eunuchs within the palace would install another prince. In that case, eliminating these eunuchs would become even more difficult. When the time was ripe, the Gu family would be the first to be targeted.
If eunuchs seized power, what would become of the empire? How could Gu Zhao tolerate that?
"Father must have known…" Shen Xihe murmured after hearing the story.
How could someone as astute as Shen Yueshan not know what truly happened? But what could he do? The Youning Emperor dared to act because he had calculated everything. No matter how much the Empress Dowager, Gu Zhao, or Shen Yueshan suspected, feared, or despised His Majesty, they had no alternative.
If another prince had ascended the throne, Shen Yueshan would have been branded a traitor before he could even return to the northwest.
Shen Yueshan knew of Xiao Huayong’s origins. He had not previously considered Xiao Huayong because he believed the latter was fighting alone. Even with the Empress Dowager’s support, it seemed unlikely they could overpower the Youning Emperor. Moreover, Xiao Huayong’s life expectancy was short.
His swift agreement now must be due to Xiao Huayong revealing his abilities and influence, leading Shen Yueshan to mistakenly believe that Xiao Huayong’s short lifespan was merely a pretense.
Xiao Huayong, as Qian Wang’s son, bore the enmity of his parents’ deaths at the hands of the emperor. A confrontation with His Majesty was inevitable, and he would never betray his wife’s family for the emperor’s sake. As for whether marital discord would arise over imperial power in the future, no one could say for certain—it remained an open question.
But at the very least, it could be assured that before Xiao Huayong ascended the throne, he would stand united with his wife’s family.
"I told you, Youyou’s choice would inevitably be me." Xiao Huayong gazed deeply at her.
In truth, on the day she came to him seeking to annul their engagement, he had considered revealing his origins to her. By doing so, Shen Xihe would have chosen him again for the sake of利益. Yet, out of unwillingness, he refrained.
He still wanted to test whether his genuine feelings alone could gradually move her, making her notice the anomalies around her and prompting her to ask him about it herself.
If she asked, he would answer.
By confiding such a significant secret to her, he wished to convey the depth of his sincerity.
"Your Highness, we will face a tough battle ahead," Shen Xihe replied, meeting his gaze.Your Majesty has yet to take action, likely waiting for Xiao Huayong to die prematurely. If Xiao Huayong is still alive four years later, would Your Majesty tolerate a non-biological heir succeeding the throne?
OpenNovel