Chapter 444: Captured Together
The fierce battle unfolding on the chessboard—encirclement countered by greater encirclement—made Shen Xihe's eyes flash. She abruptly stood up: "Zhenzhu, tighten our defenses. Instruct the remaining guards to remain extremely vigilant tonight."
Zhenzhu didn't understand why Shen Xihe suddenly gave such orders, but noticing her solemn expression, she quickly responded in a low voice: "Understood."
Her gaze followed Zhenzhu's figure as it disappeared outside, merging into the pale daylight. Shen Xihe momentarily lost focus before suddenly chuckling, her obsidian-like pupils filled with profound admiration.
Only then did she fully relax, instructing Ziyu to prepare some delicious dishes in her courtyard's small kitchen.
In stark contrast to Shen Xihe's leisurely state, Xiao Huayong was currently trapped in a deep mountain cave. Bound back-to-back with Xiao Changying, he felt the latter gradually awaken and begin struggling against their tight restraints.
"Stop moving." Xiao Huayong felt discomfort from Xiao Changying's struggles and coldly warned him.
Xiao Changying tried looking backward but couldn't see Xiao Huayong, his expression turning grim: "What exactly are you trying to do?"
Xiao Changying was furious. He had actually managed to rescue Xiao Huayong earlier—while he might not have been able to fight their way out completely, he could have at least created an escape opportunity. If he had drawn the enemies away, Xiao Huayong might have saved himself. He never expected Xiao Huayong to trip him, sending them both tumbling down through the bushes. Just as he was about to stand up, before he could confirm whether Xiao Huayong had acted deliberately, Xiao Huayong had tapped an acupoint on his body.
A thin needle pierced his flesh, draining his strength and creating the false appearance that he had knocked himself unconscious on a rock during the fall.
Before losing consciousness, Xiao Changying had thought these people were Xiao Huayong's own men, that perhaps he was staging some performance. He had foolishly tried to rescue him, only to become a nuisance and end up in this situation. Now awake and seeing their circumstances, Xiao Changying no longer believed these well-trained individuals were Xiao Huayong's people.
"None of your business." Xiao Huayong understood exactly why Xiao Changying had tried to save him. For this brother who had only complicated matters, he felt no gratitude—only anger at his coveting of the woman he loved.
With no one else in the cave, and their hearing telling them the entrance was deep with guards stationed some distance away, they kept their voices low to avoid being overheard.
Free from concerns about being heard, Xiao Changying demanded: "Did you tell her this was all your doing?"
If Shen Xihe knew Xiao Huayong was missing, she would surely be extremely anxious.
"None of your concern!" Xiao Huayong's voice carried a hidden warning.
"You didn't tell her. You've always been scheming, and she's not good at acting. If you had told her, she wouldn't show anxiety, undermining the effectiveness of your performance." Xiao Changying spoke through gritted teeth. The thought of Xiao Huayong causing her mental distress for his own selfish purposes made him twist his body, poised to confront Xiao Huayong physically.
Xiao Huayong allowed him to struggle before suddenly laughing: "Why are you angry? Angry that I hid it from her? Or angry that she cares about me?"
The words struck true. Xiao Changying stopped moving, though his face remained dark.
If Shen Xihe didn't care about Xiao Huayong, why would she worry and urgently search for him? If it were only him missing, Shen Xihe would certainly remain indifferent. But with Xiao Huayong gone, she shouldn't remain unaffected.Feeling somewhat better, Xiao Huayong lifted his chin slightly with the air of a victor: "Abandon those improper thoughts of yours. Do not provoke me, or else neither you nor your brother will come to a good end."
Considering that the other had been willing to come to his rescue—even if with impure motives, solely for Shen Xihe's sake—Xiao Huayong, though ungrateful, offered him some warning. Had it been anyone else, he wouldn't have wasted his breath and would have taken direct action instead.
"Isn't the Crown Prince equally adept at strategizing from afar, securing victory with confidence?" Xiao Changying, now calmer, retorted sarcastically. "What? Are you also afraid that someone admires her?"
Xiao Huayong shrugged his shoulders, flexed his back, and shook off Xiao Changying, who was on his back: "I find it repulsive!"
What man in this world could tolerate another coveting his woman?
"Heh." Xiao Changying let out a light scoff. "If the Crown Prince possesses only such narrow-mindedness, I fear you will seldom find contentment in this lifetime. I do not know how long my admiration will last, but I do know that a lady like her—even after marrying the Crown Prince and becoming the future Empress—will inevitably attract countless admirers, though they may keep their feelings hidden. Not to mention... Your Highness, you are still..."
The implication in his last sentence was unmistakable, clearly alluding to Xiao Huayong's short-lived fate. A cold glint flashed in Xiao Huayong's eyes.
He knew it—these people were all waiting for him to meet an untimely end so they could marry his widow!
He wouldn't even entertain the thought. He would never allow himself to succumb. Someone as ambitious and treacherous as Xiao Changying ought to be married off as soon as possible!
With this in mind, he decided that once this matter was resolved, he would urgently press the Empress Dowager to arrange a formal consort for Xiao Changying, to ensure his future compliance. Having resolved this, he saw no need to continue bickering.
Xiao Huayong fell silent, but Xiao Changying did not feel he had won this war of words. His intuition told him that Xiao Huayong was secretly plotting some sinister scheme against him. Just as he was about to speak, he noticed someone entering and reluctantly closed his mouth.
Two burly men, clearly trained fighters, entered. They wore black cloth sacks over their heads, revealing only their eyes. One of them asked in a muffled voice, "Water?"
Xiao Huayong stared ahead expressionlessly, ignoring them completely.
Xiao Changying also paid them no heed.
The two men exchanged a glance and left.
Once they were far enough away, Xiao Changying asked, "Who are these people?"
He was puzzled. These people had abducted them—or rather, abducted Xiao Huayong—yet Xiao Huayong seemed not only willing but also treated with care by them. It was nothing like how prisoners were usually treated. Xiao Changying didn't even sense any malice from them.
"Your Majesty's men," Xiao Huayong truthfully informed him.
Xiao Changying's body stiffened abruptly. He hadn't grasped it at first, but now he understood: if what Xiao Huayong said was true, these men had been sent to deliberately kidnap him. No wonder, even after leaving Your Majesty's sight, Xiao Huayong continued to feign ignorance, carefully concealing any trace of his martial skills.
Earlier, he had thought it was due to Xiao Huayong's caution. Only now did he realize that Xiao Huayong had been fully aware all along.
In that case, he had been a fool, blinded by his own stupidity, to get entangled in the power struggle between Your Majesty and the Crown Prince.Watching Xiao Huayong being abducted in that instant, he surprisingly didn't pray for some misfortune to befall Xiao Huayong—hoping he'd be beyond rescue so he could seize the opportunity to step in. Instead, he immediately gave chase, fearing that if she learned Xiao Huayong was in danger, she would be thrown into an extremely awkward yet helpless situation.
(End of Chapter)
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