Chapter 533: Only You Can Rival Me
Sang Yin staggered back a step before steadying himself. He braced one hand against the table to maintain his balance. "What do you intend to do?"
Geng Liangcheng's heart leaped with joy—Sang Yin was acquiescing. "His Highness suffers terribly in his current state. You must possess medicine that can grant him peaceful release."
This was a request to administer poison. If he complied, Sang Yin would become Geng Liangcheng's accomplice, forever barred from exposing him later.
Though Sang Yin had always known Geng Liangcheng to be calculating, he realized he had still underestimated the man.
"Allow me to consider it," Sang Yin replied, departing in a daze.
Geng Liangcheng rose and watched him leave without interference. Such a decision couldn't be made hastily, but he had methods to ensure Sang Yin would commit.
When Sang Yin later visited the Northwest King's residence to check Shen Yueshan's pulse, he was relieved to find it stronger than the previous day. But upon returning home, his gatekeeper presented him with a box. Inside was a bracelet—one he had gifted his wife—along with a letter warning that the next delivery would be one of her hands.
Soon after, Geng Liangcheng arrived with another box containing an earring belonging to his own wife and a similar threat: the next would be one of her ears.
"Old Sang, we cannot delay any longer," Geng Liangcheng pleaded. "They will not grant our loved ones a swift death but torture them slowly! If His Highness knew, he would surely prefer death to save our families!"
Sang Yin stared at the box in his hands, fingers tracing the bracelet for a long moment before he rasped, "Tomorrow... we act tomorrow..."
Suppressing his triumph, Geng Liangcheng clapped a heavy hand on Sang Yin's shoulder. "Old Sang, His Highness... will not blame us..."
Sang Yin ignored him, clutching the bracelet as he retreated indoors without another word. Geng Liangcheng wasn't offended—such a reaction was precisely what he expected.
That evening, Xiao Huayong slipped into Shen Xihe's chambers again. She had just lain down when he removed his outer robe and joined her on the bed. "Geng Liangcheng moves tomorrow. His Majesty's envoys will reach the northwest in two days."
"What of Uncle Sang's family?" Shen Xihe asked with concern.
"Rest assured," Xiao Huayong replied, amused. "Geng Liangcheng is more cunning than we anticipated. He didn't just kidnap Sang's relatives to pressure him—he staged his own wife's abduction too, framing the Jiachen Crown Prince for ordering their families seized to force them to conspire against your father." He chuckled. "The man's schemes are truly unfathomable. He's planning long-term—once Sang helps him poison Shen Yueshan, they'll be bound as accomplices. He won't harm Sang's family."
This served multiple purposes: compelling Sang Yin to assist in the assassination, preserving Geng Liangcheng's facade of innocence, and gaining an ally for when Shen Yungan eventually met his "accidental" demise.
Had Sang Yin not known the truth, he might have believed the ruse. Torn between his own kin and his dear friend's family, he might have chosen to sacrifice Shen Yueshan—unable to save him anyway—then taken his own life after Shen Yungan secured the throne, forever burdened by guilt toward his friend.Geng Liangcheng would not let Sang Yin die. He had plenty of ways to keep Sang Yin alive—for instance, by revealing the truth to Sang Yin’s family, having them plead together, or deciding to die alongside him. That would ensure Sang Yin stayed.
If Shen Yunnan were to encounter an accident at this point, with the blame directed at Your Majesty, Sang Yin would be even less likely to die. He would surely seek revenge for Shen Yunnan. If Geng Liangcheng then approached Sang Yin to share a common enemy, how could Sang Yin refuse to assist him?
"He’s not deep enough in his schemes—how else could he have hidden under Father’s watch for so long?" Shen Xihe was not surprised.
That Geng Liangcheng could conceal himself so thoroughly was partly due to his longstanding friendship with Shen Yueshan, who would never easily suspect he had switched allegiance to Your Majesty. On the other hand, it was also because Geng Liangcheng was cautious and shrewd enough.
"It’s just a pity..." Shen Xihe lifted her eyelids, gazing up at Xiao Huayong, "it’s just a pity he encountered you."
Xiao Huayong was half-reclining against the headboard, looking down at her. "Even without me, once exposed, could he ever escape your grasp?"
In all the world, when it came to strategy, the only person he acknowledged as his equal was the one in his arms.
"Without you, dealing with him would not have been easy for me." Shen Xihe had been reflecting lately: if Xiao Huayong weren’t here, how would she handle Geng Liangcheng? There were ways, but none as swift and decisive as Xiao Huayong’s.
"My lady praises me—I am overjoyed. If there could be some tangible reward, nothing would be better..." Xiao Huayong’s silver-bright eyes fixed on Shen Xihe’s soft, pink lips, his implication unmistakable.
Xiao Huayong always teased Shen Xihe like this, whether before or after marriage—unchanging, without the slightest alteration. In the past, Shen Xihe would either evade, helplessly endure, or simply change the subject.
What Xiao Huayong never expected was for Shen Xihe to suddenly lift her neck—their lips brushed for a fleeting moment. By the time Shen Xihe had lain back down, Xiao Huayong remained frozen in place, eyes wide and unblinking, as if unaware of what had just happened, dazed as if struck by a paralysis spell.
Seeing Xiao Huayong so stunned, Shen Xihe couldn’t help but chuckle. This was the same Xiao Huayong who, to the outside world, held the universe in his hands and secured victories from a thousand miles away—a man for whom all people were mere pawns, with none beyond his schemes.
Yet this very man, who could toy with the world as he pleased, seemed to have all his sharpness shattered in an instant before her. This realization suddenly filled her chest with a warmth, soft and deeply satisfying, like it was stuffed with cotton.
Shen Xihe’s laughter snapped Xiao Huayong out of his daze. His slender, well-shaped fingers unconsciously touched his lips, as if her warmth still lingered there. They were husband and wife—they had shared countless kisses, especially in the intimacy of their bed.
But this was the first time Shen Xihe had taken the initiative to kiss him, even if it was just a fleeting touch, so swift it felt almost illusory. Still, it set Xiao Huayong’s heart pounding like a drum. His gaze grew intense, locked firmly on Shen Xihe.
Meeting his burning stare, Shen Xihe’s smile stiffened. She tried to evade, but it was too late. Under his forceful advance, she still managed to gasp out a reminder between breaths, "A bath... you... haven’t bathed yet..."
"I bathed before I came."The reason for bathing wasn't due to any improper thoughts, but rather knowing Shen Xihe valued cleanliness. How could he dare to lie directly on her boudoir bed without having bathed first?
Shen Xihe's remaining words were muffled as she profoundly realized how dangerous it was to play with fire.
(End of Chapter)
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