Xiao Changqing's expression instantly turned somber. With just one glance, Xiao Changying knew why his brother was like this again. He softly called out, "Brother..."
Brother and sister-in-law were destined to have no happy ending—not because of their personalities, nor because Brother was too young to cherish their relationship, but because of the opposing stances of the Gu family and the imperial family.
If sister-in-law hadn't been a daughter of the Gu family—if she had been from the Xue, Wang, Cui, or even Fan families—any prominent clan might have had a sliver of hope.
But it had to be the Gu family, the leading noble house. To kill a chicken to scare the monkeys, to strike the mountain to shock the tiger—only by taking down the Gu family could a deterrent effect be achieved.
"Brother, His Majesty he..." Xiao Changying wanted to say something, but meeting Xiao Changqing's calm gaze, the words died in his throat.
He wanted to say that it was understandable Father couldn't spare the Gu family. Unless the Gu family was destroyed, even if they retreated from public life, they would still represent the enduring power of noble families. With one rallying cry, they might still guide the scholars from humble backgrounds across the land. For thousands of years, the strength and unshakable myth of aristocratic clans had been deeply ingrained. Only by making the noble families collapse once could their influence be shattered.
But Brother resented Father not for destroying the Gu family, but for giving him false hope, leading him to make the wrong choice. If Father hadn't given Brother that expectation, perhaps Brother and sister-in-law would have had a different experience during their brief time together.
Xiao Changying didn't speak. After waiting a moment, Xiao Changqing had already guessed what he wanted to say. He didn't press further but collected his thoughts and said, "If Fourth Brother seeks me out, it won't escape the Crown Prince's notice. To avoid the Crown Prince's surveillance, I need a seamless reason to leave the capital first, so I can free my hands to make proper arrangements."
"Leave the capital?" And it had to be seamless. Xiao Changying felt it was quite impossible at the moment.
Due to the tea price case, any prince leaving the capital now would appear to others as trying to cover up the truth.
"Since we can't go against the tide, we should go with it." Xiao Changqing smiled confidently. "I'm not one to be easily coerced. The Crown Prince is under His Majesty's watch and will inevitably be restrained. Besides leaving the capital, I also need to use Second Brother to lay false trails. You don't need to worry about my affairs. Fourth Brother is cunning; if you want to ambush him, prepare early."
In the following days, the capital remained calm. Everyone waited in the summer heat for the tea price case to be resolved. Regarding His Majesty sending the young Prince of Yan to Jiangzhe, the ministers had some complaints but also felt that Xiao Changgeng was the most suitable for the task.
The other adult princes had established their own households for years and were highly likely to be the masterminds behind the scenes.
"Ye Qi has been frequently leaving his residence these days." Due to the tea price case, the itinerary for the summer retreat to the temporary palace had been delayed. Xiao Huayong had started visiting Shen Xihe's Princess Manor daily, becoming a common sight in the imperial city.
Everyone in the capital knew about it. The day before yesterday, someone even mustered the courage to wait outside the Princess Manor for the Crown Prince, to report a local tyrant bribing county officials to monopolize the market.
Xiao Huayong ordered someone to intervene in the matter. It was indeed a corruption case, earning him praise from many commoners.
Shen Xihe was worried that others would follow suit, as some people felt wronged or treated unfairly simply because they weren't beneficiaries under the law.
Somehow, Xiao Huayong managed to prevent this from happening later.
"Has anyone else in the Ye residence been acting unusually?" Shen Xihe asked as she placed a piece on the board."There is nothing unusual." Xiao Huayong also placed a piece on the board. "But I suspect Xiao Changtai has already found someone to assist him and is secretly planning to leave the capital."
"Who does Your Highness suspect?" Shen Xihe asked.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Huayong gently twirled the chess piece between his fingers, his smile gradually taking on an ambiguous meaning. "I suspect the Fifth Prince the most."
Shen Xihe remained silent for a moment. "Prince Xin is the most capable and reliable person, but he is also the hardest to control."
It would be extremely difficult to make Xiao Changqing compromise. When Xiao Huayong captured Gu Qingshu, Xiao Changqing immediately dared to bring her into the open. His decisiveness and assertiveness made it nearly impossible for anyone to coerce him.
"I have also been thinking, if Xiao Changtai seeks the Fifth Prince's help, how could he possibly succeed?" Xiao Huayong agreed with Shen Xihe's assessment. "Whether he can succeed at all."
If he could succeed, then naturally, they should keep an eye on Xiao Changqing. But if he could not, then he would have to settle for someone else. In that case, watching Xiao Changqing would be futile.
If it weren't for His Majesty keeping a close watch, he wouldn't worry about lacking people to cast a wide net. It wasn't that he feared a complete break with His Majesty, but rather that he hadn't yet married Shen Xihe. A fallout with His Majesty would complicate this alliance.
Xiao Huayong did not want any setbacks in his marriage to Shen Xihe, nor did he wish to undermine her confidence in their union. For now, he had no choice but to lie low and yield.
"Your Highness might consider this: if Xiao Changtai truly has the ability to make Prince Xin compromise, how would Prince Xin help him escape?" Shen Xihe suggested.
"How do you think the Fifth Prince would do it, Youyou?" Xiao Huayong countered.
Shen Xihe fell silent at the question. A cool breeze drifted by, carrying with it a faint fragrance. After a long pause, she replied, "Prince Xin is also skilled at reading people. If Your Highness wishes to stay one step ahead, you must consider how many of your moves he can anticipate and how he might mislead you."
Xiao Changqing was no ordinary opponent. A rival of equal strength was both more challenging and more thrilling to face.
Xiao Huayong smiled faintly. "Youyou just said that the Fifth Prince is extremely difficult to sway. I am somewhat indecisive and cannot be certain that the Fifth Prince would yield to the Fourth Prince. Both you and I can see this, and the Fifth Prince can as well. If I were him and truly intended to help the Fourth Prince this once, while facing an opponent like me..."
Xiao Huayong lowered his gaze to the chessboard and placed a piece. The crisp sound of the chess piece echoed as he looked up, exuding calm composure. "The first step would be to make me believe that Xiao Changtai has sought help from someone else."
Shen Xihe looked down and saw that Xiao Huayong had preemptively blocked her intended move. He had already anticipated her strategy and set a trap. If she hadn't noticed and continued with her original plan, she would have fallen into his snare.
Her full, soft lips curved into a slight smile. Just by looking at the board, Shen Xihe knew everything was under his control. She shifted her position to avoid Xiao Huayong's trap and, after placing her piece, looked up and said, "Your Highness, intelligent people adapt to circumstances. Prince Xin is also highly adaptable. Your Highness must not let your guard down."
A glimmer of laughter shone in his dark eyes, silver light gathering within them. Xiao Huayong scanned the board and, unhurriedly, placed another piece. "On the chessboard, everything is ever-changing. Yet within its bounds, rules constrain us. Whoever masters the rules will be the final victor."After gazing deeply at the ever-changing chessboard, Shen Xihe realized Xiao Huayong had exploited the rules to create a repeated mutual capture situation with her. According to the rules, she had to make a move elsewhere before continuing the exchange.
This single concession would determine the outcome.
Shen Xihe conceded gracefully: "I look forward to witnessing Your Highness compete against Prince Xin."
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