Chapter 486: The Emperor's Test
Shen Xihe's actions made Xiao Huayong's heart feel as if it had been brushed with honey, so sweet that his heart pounded like a drum. He simply sat down beside her, silent, quietly watching her.
He always enjoyed doing this—gazing at her with affectionate eyes, tender to the extreme. In the past, she had always been aware of it, as if lost in thought, giving her the illusion that time itself had stood still.
Previously, he had stolen glances; now, he watched openly. They were newlyweds, and he had three days of marital leave. Shen Xihe couldn't very well send him away to attend to political affairs, so she allowed him to find a comfortable position, propping his head with one hand, tilting it slightly as he focused on her.
She thought it would be better to get used to such situations sooner rather than later.
Both were absorbed in their own focus—Shen Xihe's gaze was on the handkerchief in her hand, while Xiao Huayong's was fixed on her.
The Crown Prince's clinginess didn't stop there. Wherever Shen Xihe went, he followed, his eyes glued to her, utterly unable to look away.
The Eastern Palace was entirely under Xiao Huayong's control. Having been absent from the Eastern Palace for over a decade, no one had even considered placing spies there. Moreover, he had deliberately cultivated trusted aides within the palace over the years, and his efforts had gone unnoticed.
Upon his sudden return to the palace, attempts to make new arrangements revealed that the Eastern Palace was already fully staffed, with everyone cautious and meticulous. It was difficult to find excuses to dismiss a person or two to create vacancies, making the Eastern Palace as solid as a fortress. When Shen Xihe took over, there was no need for her to assert her authority.
The Eastern Palace staff had long been familiar with Shen Xihe. They were mentally prepared for her to become the Crown Princess. Originally, the Eastern Palace only had Tianyuan and his guards, as well as the eunuchs under Jiuzhang's command. There were only a few palace maids, none of whom were particularly useful.
Jiuzhang had already organized the internal affairs and handed them over to Zhenzhu. With Shen Xihe's arrival, the Eastern Palace gained more female attendants, making it appear brighter and more vibrant.
On the second day of their marriage, Shen Xihe and Xiao Huayong had to go to the ancestral temple early in the morning to pay their respects to the ancestors. It was another busy affair—the lengthy sacrificial text alone took half an hour to recite. After navigating the complicated rituals, by the time Shen Xihe and Xiao Huayong knelt on the cushions to kowtow, the sun was already high in the sky.
As they took the incense offered by the eunuchs and were about to bow after three prostrations, several spirit tablets at the front suddenly burst into flames. Xiao Huayong, quick-eyed and swift-handed, pulled Shen Xihe into his embrace. Seeing the spirit tablets ablaze, he immediately stepped forward and used his sleeve to extinguish the flames. The eunuchs quickly followed suit, putting out the fires on the other spirit tablets.
Xiao Huayong picked up the tablet and discovered tung oil on its base. The scent was faint, suggesting it had been applied the day before or even earlier. However, even with tung oil, someone must have set the fire. Xiao Huayong lifted the silk cloth covering the wooden platform beneath the spirit tablet rack and found it empty underneath. He keenly noticed some traces, suspecting there was a secret passage there.
Someone must have been crouching there earlier, but since he and Shen Xihe were standing farther away, they hadn't noticed. When they approached, this person set the fire and escaped through the secret passage.
"Your Highness, what are you looking at?" After the brief chaos, the Minister of Rites and the Minister of the Imperial Clan stabilized the order and stepped forward slightly.
Xiao Huayong decided to crawl under and tapped the floor. The echo didn't sound hollow. If the tunnel wasn't here, it must be behind. Without evidence, Xiao Huayong couldn't very well move the ancestral tablets to investigate.
If he found something, it would be fine, but if he didn't, it would be difficult to explain."The bases of these memorial tablets are coated with tung oil, while the others are not. Someone must have done this deliberately." Xiao Huayong handed the tablet in his hand to the Minister of the Imperial Clan Court.
"For the oil to ignite, a flame is required."
Shen Xihe was accompanying him in ancestral worship. If the tablets caught fire during the ceremony, it would be a grave taboo. It could easily be misinterpreted as the ancestors rejecting Shen Xihe. He had to confirm that this was indeed a malicious plot.
The Minister of the Imperial Clan Court and the Minister of Rites inspected the tablets and found that the burned ones did have tung oil on their bases. Though the oil had dried, a faint scent remained. Actually, all tablets were usually coated with tung oil for preservation.
"Your Highness may not know, but these particular tablets were found to have cracks a few days ago by the eunuchs guarding the ancestral hall. I ordered them to be coated with tung oil for preservation," the Minister of the Imperial Clan Court explained. "That was three days ago."
Normally, after three days, the oil shouldn't ignite so easily unless exposed to intense fire. But how could a large fire go unnoticed? Moreover, no suspicious individuals were seen around. Where did the fire come from?
This inevitably led to ominous speculation.
Noticing the subtle glances directed at Shen Xihe, Xiao Huayong sneered coldly: "What a coincidence that the burned tablets happen to be exactly those the Minister ordered to be preserved, and they all belong to ancestors unrelated to me."
The burned tablets were those of collateral branches, not the direct ancestors of the Youning Emperor. The only one closely related to Xiao Huayong was Qian Wang's tablet, which had also been affected.
Upon closer inspection, everyone found it strange. If the ancestors were truly manifesting their disapproval of Shen Xihe, they should have burned the previous emperor's tablet first. With both the late emperor's tablet and the Crown Prince's great-grandfather's tablet present, why would a paternal uncle's tablet be the one to issue a warning?
"Remove these tablets. The Crown Princess and I will continue paying respects to our ancestors," Xiao Huayong ordered.
"Your Highness..."
The Minister of Rites tried to dissuade him but found himself speechless under Xiao Huayong's deep, calm gaze. Though the Crown Prince's eyes weren't sharp or pressuring, the Minister's words stuck in his throat.
"Your Highness, when tablets catch fire, we should immediately investigate the cause. Continuing the ceremony now would be disrespectful to the ancestors and is inauspicious," the Vice Minister of Rites stepped forward to advise. "I beg Your Highness to reconsider. Choosing another auspicious date for ancestral worship would be the wiser course."
"Your Highness, please reconsider and choose another auspicious time!" A crowd of officials knelt in unison.
Xiao Huayong scanned them, then knelt heavily on the prayer mat. He kowtowed to the tablets before rising and declaring: "Ancestors above, your descendant Xiao Huayong comes with his new bride Shen Shi to report our union. With this virtuous wife by my side, I pray for your blessings."
Seeing Xiao Huayong's determination, and not wanting to offend him - especially since the burned tablets were connected to his preservation order - the Minister of the Imperial Clan Court complied with the Crown Prince's wishes. He removed the charred tablets and continued presiding over the interrupted ceremony.
This time, Shen Xihe and Xiao Huayong completed their obeisances to the ancestors smoothly, without further incident.
After the ceremony, Xiao Huayong brought Shen Xihe back to the palace. Once inside the carriage, he took her hand: "Don't be afraid. I will get to the bottom of this."
"Who does Your Highness think was behind this?" Shen Xihe smiled faintly.
"Whoever did it must have acted with His Majesty's approval," Xiao Huayong knew she understood this already. "Perhaps he wants to test me."When he saw Qian Wang's spirit tablet catch fire, Xiao Huayong nearly couldn't restrain himself from rushing forward. It was Shen Xihe who pulled him back, for Qian Wang's tablet was the farthest from him. Had he charged forth like that, it would have exposed the fact that he knew about his own origins.
I'm very busy today. Yesterday's extra updates caused many tasks to pile up. I'll likely have to update in separate parts, aiming for around six thousand words in total. Here's the first chapter for now—I'll write whenever I have a moment.
(End of Chapter)
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