Chapter 448: Two Groups of People
Xiao Changying halted his steps, his body stiffening as if he hadn't heard, then strode away and quickly disappeared into the swaying reeds. Following Xiao Huayong's directions, he exited the mountain without encountering any wild beasts. Upon reaching the main road, he met the guards who had remained to continue searching for them.
They swarmed forward, and one asked, "Your Highness Prince Lie, where is the Crown Prince?"
Xiao Changying glanced at him and coldly uttered two words: "Don't know."
The guards had no choice. Seeing Xiao Changying's disheveled state, they could only assign a few men to escort him back to the temporary palace while the rest continued the search.
The assassination attempt at the temporary palace soon concluded. Xiao Changmin, Prince Zhao, and Xiao Changqing, Prince Xin, were ordered to escort the Empress Dowager back. Naturally, everyone else followed, returning to their respective quarters. However, aside from Shen Xihe, no one could sleep.
Having experienced such a major upheaval, they were terrified of the temporary palace. Yet as long as the Youning Emperor didn't issue an order to leave, no one dared to speak up.
After catching two more hours of sleep, Shen Xihe woke to the news that Xiao Changying had been rescued. She merely responded indifferently, "Noted. Prepare the morning meal."
While leisurely eating her morning meal and listening to Zhenzhu's report, she learned that there was already news about last night's assassins—it involved the crown prince appointed by the previous emperor. The previous emperor had favored his consort, but she was a widow of low status who had remarried. Despite his willfulness, with an official wife already in place, he never elevated the consort to empress. Instead, he used fabricated charges to exile the Empress Dowager and her two sons to the northwest.
He had once attempted to depose the Empress, causing uproar in the court. The Empress Dowager's maternal clan was repeatedly persecuted, but in the end, the previous emperor did not get his wish. It wasn't until his dying moments that he named the consort's son as crown prince.
Unfortunately, this crown prince wasn't recognized by the ministers. The previous emperor passed away before the crown prince could ascend the throne. Prince Qian and the Youning Emperor then returned to seize power. The crown prince ultimately submitted a letter of surrender and disappeared within the palace. Many believed he had been secretly executed by the Youning Emperor.
Shen Xihe never thought so. If the Youning Emperor wanted him dead, he had the perfect pretext—the assassination attempt on Prince Qian.
However, she hadn't paid much attention to this matter or this person, never imagining he still possessed such capabilities. Yet the timing of this display was intriguing.
At this thought, Shen Xihe couldn't help but smile faintly. She was certain that Jiachen Crown Prince's ability to storm the temporary palace was inextricably linked to Xiao Huayong. Xiao Huayong's influence far exceeded her expectations—everyone thought Jiachen Crown Prince was dead, yet he was still alive.
Not only alive but had become a sharp blade in Xiao Huayong's hands, dealing a heavy blow to the Youning Emperor at this critical moment.
Her intuition told her this wasn't over—Xiao Huayong would surely make the Youning Emperor suffer deeply.
"The one leading the charge last night wasn't Jiachen Crown Prince himself but his servant, who committed suicide after being captured," Zhenzhu reported the widely known details to Shen Xihe.
Shen Xihe nodded and continued eating her meal unhurriedly.
Just as she finished her morning meal, Mo Yuan rushed in to report: "My Lady, the Crown Prince may have fallen into the hands of Jiachen Crown Prince."
She was washing her hands in a basin of water scented with a serene, delicate fragrance, floating with a few vibrant flower petals. Shen Xihe withdrew her hands from the basin, took the clean towel handed by Biyu, and slowly dried them: "Oh?"Mo Yuan couldn't help but glance at Shen Xihe. Seeing her composure, he repeated: "His Highness the Crown Prince has fallen into the hands of Jiachen Crown Prince. Those who ambushed Your Majesty and the Crown Prince that day were Jiachen Crown Prince's men. After Prince Lie was rescued, guards searching the mountain discovered many corpses—two factions had engaged in fierce combat. All the bodies have been brought back. Some wore the same attire as those who stormed the palace yesterday."
"Is that so." Shen Xihe remained unmoved upon hearing this. She wiped her hands clean, applied fragrant balm to protect them, took a shawl and draped it over her shoulders, then walked out of the courtyard with it draped over one arm, heading toward the Emperor's quarters.
At that moment, many guards were stationed, barring ordinary people from entering. Shen Xihe displayed the Golden Decree and, amid the envy of numerous civil and military officials as well as their families, gained passage.
With her keen sense of smell, Shen Xihe detected a strong odor of blood and decay the moment she stepped inside. She frowned slightly but maintained her composure, bypassing the courtyard and walking into the open grounds where rows of corpses were laid out, divided into two groups. One group wore black clothes with a flame emblem embroidered on the chest—this side was noticeably smaller.
The other group also wore black, some with faces uncovered, others masked with only two round holes for the eyes. This side was clearly larger; Shen Xihe roughly estimated two to three hundred bodies.
Coroners and imperial physicians were examining the corpses. The Youning Emperor stood at the forefront, his expression colder and sterner than Shen Xihe had ever seen.
"Go back quickly. How can a young lady like you witness such a bloody scene?" The Empress Dowager was also present. As soon as she saw Shen Xihe, she urged her to leave.
Shen Xihe respectfully bowed: "Zhaoning thanks the Empress Dowager for your concern. When Zhaoning was in the northwest and the Turks attacked, she also watched from the city walls as her father and brothers fought. The number of casualties then far surpasses what is here."
As she spoke, she faced the courtyard full of corpses with a calm expression, her gaze steady.
Seeing this, the Empress Dowager patted her hand: "Qilang needs a Crown Princess with courage like yours."
"Your Majesty, the investigation reveals these are two groups—one from yesterday's assassins, the other of unknown origin. It is unclear who abducted the Crown Prince first." Cui Jinbai stepped forward to report the preliminary findings to the Youning Emperor.
The Youning Emperor's gaze remained fixed on the nearly three hundred lost soldiers of the Invincible Army. His men had clashed with Xiao Juesong's forces the previous night—how could Xiao Juesong's men possess such skill, annihilating his own men so thoroughly, leaving not a single survivor?
He had invested immense effort and resources to train these men. On the battlefield, they were elite soldiers capable of taking on ten foes each, yet they had died so silently.
"Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is blessed and will surely be safe. There is no need for you to worry." Noticing the Youning Emperor's distraction, Liu Sanzhi quickly raised his voice.
The Youning Emperor snapped back to attention: "Investigate the origins of these people thoroughly."
"Yes." Cui Jinbai accepted the order. "Your Majesty, I request permission to inspect the site where the two sides clashed. Perhaps we can find clues to the Crown Prince's whereabouts."
The Youning Emperor absentmindedly grunted in agreement.
Seeing this, Shen Xihe stepped forward: "To investigate the Crown Prince's whereabouts, we must first determine who abducted him. Now that two groups have appeared, misjudgment could delay the rescue. Hasn't Prince Lie returned? Why not summon Prince Lie for questioning?"
The Youning Emperor seemed to notice Shen Xihe only then. Her suggestion was reasonable, and with so many people present, he had no choice but to agree: "Summon Prince Lie."Some matters require no concealment, and the Youning Emperor harbored not the slightest concern.
(End of Chapter)
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