Chapter 807: The War Begins
Shen Xihe and the others arrived at Shen Yungan's room, but there wasn't a single clue. It was as if Shen Yungan had vanished into thin air.
"The Heir Apparent didn't wake up?" Xiao Changfeng felt something was amiss and questioned the servant guarding the door.
The servant answered respectfully, "We have all been outside, waiting at any moment for the Heir Apparent to wake and give his orders. We did not hear the slightest sound. Before General Mo Yuan arrived, the door was never opened again."
"Search. Search every inch of the residence," Shen Xihe ordered, her face cold.
Xiao Changfeng thought for a moment, then stepped forward and bowed to Shen Xihe. "Crown Princess, the residence is currently beset with many matters, and there is little else I can help with. Regarding the search for the Heir Apparent, may I be so bold as to offer my humble assistance?"
"I shall trouble Your Highness, Xun Wang," Shen Xihe readily agreed.
Having received Shen Xihe's approval, Xiao Changfeng joined the residence's servants in the search. They did not even spare Shen Xihe's own courtyard, yet they simply could not find a trace of such a large, living person. There were no clues whatsoever.
After they had searched once, Geng Liangcheng and the others arrived, seemingly having heard the news.
"How could the Heir Apparent disappear for no reason?"
"I do not know why my brother has disappeared either," Shen Xihe said, a hint of worry and anxiety in her voice.
"The Heir Apparent was perfectly fine before. How could he suddenly be gone?" Meng Hu was the worst at hiding his emotions. His unfriendly gaze swept over Xiao Changfeng and Pei Zhan.
His suspicion was exceedingly obvious.
"General Meng, what is the meaning of this?" Pei Zhan asked.
"What meaning could I possibly have?" Meng Hu sneered. "At this critical juncture, the Heir Apparent has gone missing. Whoever stands to benefit the most is naturally the most suspect."
"Who could possibly benefit from the Heir Apparent's disappearance?" Xiao Changfeng retorted.
"Whoever doesn't want the Heir Apparent to inherit our Prince's peerage, that's who benefits." Meng Hu stopped just short of naming the Youning Emperor. And since the Youning Emperor was thousands of miles away, he naturally couldn't have done it himself. That left only Pei Zhan and Xiao Changfeng, who had been sent here by the Youning Emperor.
Especially since Shen Yungan had disappeared right after Pei Zhan's arrival, it was hard for anyone not to have second thoughts.
"General Meng truly thinks too highly of me," Pei Zhan said with a tone that was both mocking and sarcastic. "This is my first time in the Northwest, and my first time setting foot in the Northwest King's residence, yet I can make a living person vanish under everyone's watchful eyes. If I had such an ability, my Pei family would not have suffered such a disastrous defeat in Annam City that we were nearly wiped out."
"The Heir Apparent is eight chi tall. Even if he were unconscious, he could not be carried away easily," Xiao Changfeng naturally sided with Pei Zhan. "People are constantly coming and going in the residence, yet not a single person saw anything. Unless..."
"Unless what?" Geng Liangcheng pressed.
Xiao Changfeng glanced at Shen Xihe. "Unless the Heir Apparent regained consciousness and left on his own, hiding his departure from everyone. Otherwise, it must have been done by someone who knows the residence's layout like the back of their hand and can easily avoid the patrols."
No matter how one looked at it, it shouldn't have been something they were capable of.
"What a joke. It hasn't even been seven days since the Prince's passing. Why would the Heir Apparent wake up and leave quietly?" Meng Hu laughed in anger. "Does Your Highness, Xun Wang, mean to say that if the Heir Apparent didn't leave on his own, he must have been abducted by one of us who knows the residence so well?"
"I am merely making a reasonable deduction. I did not say that you generals harbor malicious intent," Xiao Changfeng said, proving to be quite eloquent. "On the contrary, a remark General Meng just made has reminded me of something."
Meng Hu glared fiercely at Xiao Changfeng.
Xiao Changfeng's gaze swept over Meng Hu and the other generals. "The Northwest King has passed away, and the Heir Apparent, who should have inherited the peerage, is now also missing. If this news gets out, it will surely cause discontent among the common people, and the Northwest will inevitably fall into chaos. At that point, even with His Majesty's imperial edict, I and Minister Pei would likely be unable to win the conviction of the Northwest's people. Someone would have to step forward to take charge of the overall situation..."
Xiao Changfeng paused meaningfully at this point. "It is still uncertain who truly stands to benefit."
"You... You're a thief crying 'thief'..."
"Who is General Meng calling a thief?" Xiao Changfeng's face turned cold.
Shen Xihe suddenly flicked her sleeve and strode away. Geng Liangcheng and the others called out "Crown Princess" and chased after her. Meng Hu also clenched his fists and threatened, "It had better not be your doing. Otherwise, I'll risk my life to ensure you never leave the Northwest!"
After making his threat, Meng Hu also hurried after them.
"On the grounds of Father's funeral rites, seal the city gates. No one is to leave the city for three days," Shen Xihe ordered Mo Yao upon reaching the main hall. "Post a notice saying that my brother, distraught over Father's passing, has left the residence in a daze. I am worried, so if anyone sees my brother, please inform the residence."
When Xiao Changfeng and Pei Zhan came over, they heard Shen Xihe's words.
After giving her orders, Shen Xihe turned to the two of them. "There is no one in this entire city who does not recognize my brother. If he left the residence on his own, unless he could walk on eaves and run on walls, it is absolutely impossible for him not to have encountered a single person."
If no one came to the residence to report a sighting, it would mean Shen Yungan had absolutely not left on his own but had been captured and was being held somewhere out of sight.
"Are you satisfied now?" Xiao Huayong asked, his face grim.
It seemed he was asking Xiao Changfeng, Pei Zhan, and Meng Hu's group, but in reality, his displeasure was directed entirely at Xiao Changfeng and Pei Zhan.
One had to bow their head when under another's roof, especially when it was the Crown Prince. Xiao Changfeng clasped his hands and bowed. "May Your Highness quell your anger. It was I who spoke rashly just now and offended the generals."
Shen Xihe glanced at Xiao Changfeng. This young man was truly worthy of being meticulously cultivated by His Majesty. Not only was he skilled in both literary and martial arts, possessing both courage and strategy, but he also knew when to advance and when to retreat. Even more rare was his ability to be flexible.
"Your Highness, my brother's sudden disappearance has everyone puzzled. It's inevitable that there would be some suspicion. The words spoken were all unintentional," Shen Xihe said, placating Xiao Huayong.
"Let's find the Heir Apparent first," Xiao Huayong said, taking the opportunity to let the matter drop.
Could they find Shen Yungan?
Of course not. Shen Yungan had long been sent to a secret location by Xiao Huayong. Because the Northwest King's residence also had a secret passage, which Shen Xihe had told Xiao Huayong about, the person who had carried Shen Yungan back to his room had been arranged by Shen Xihe. The one who entered the room was not the real Shen Yungan, but Mo Yao. With Mo Yao's skills and his familiarity with the residence, leaving the room and then walking out openly was an easy way to pull the wool over everyone's eyes.
Shen Yungan's disappearance threw the Northwest King's residence into a state of panic, with everyone having their own thoughts.
That evening, another piece of terrible news arrived. An urgent report came from Ting Prefecture: the Turks were already attacking the Beiting Protectorate Headquarters.
This news made everyone's expression turn grave. Shen Yueshan was gone, Shen Yungan was missing, and the Northwest had no commander-in-chief. Who would give the orders?
Everyone's gaze fell upon Xiao Huayong. Here, the Crown Prince had the most distinguished status. Moreover, the Crown Prince was Shen Xihe's husband. Although he was a member of the imperial family, thanks to Shen Yueshan's previous good words and the earlier gift of the hawk-taming method, everyone except Geng Liangcheng at least acknowledged Xiao Huayong.
"I know very little about the Northwest. With the battle now imminent, why don't you generals discuss it first? I will listen from the side." Xiao Huayong did not directly seize power. Instead, he humbly yielded the decision-making authority, giving the Northwest generals sufficient respect.
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