"This is no excuse for you to harm the loyal and virtuous!" Xiao Changfeng said sternly.
"Harm the loyal and virtuous?" Shen Xihe let out a low laugh, her eyes filled with mocking disbelief at his naivety. "Has Your Highness forgotten the imperial mission entrusted to you and Minister Pei?"
Xiao Changfeng stiffened slightly.
Shen Xihe's gaze remained calm. "If Your Highness has forgotten, allow me to speculate and help refresh your memory. My father went missing in Liangzhou, which borders the northwest. Had it not been for my father's concessions, Liangzhou would have belonged to the northwest as well. A great general, brave and skilled in battle, who devoted his entire life to defending the northwest, was attacked and went missing in Liangzhou.
You may not believe it, and His Majesty certainly doesn't. His Majesty is more inclined to believe this is a scheme orchestrated by my father, though the purpose remains unknown for now.
That is why I was permitted to come search for my father—using me as bait. On one hand, it tests whether my father was truly attacked; on the other, it gauges the Crown Prince's ability to protect his newlywed wife.
Liangzhou is an ideal place, carefully chosen for me. His Majesty cannot allow me to go further. If I were to enter the northwest and my father harbored rebellious intentions, or if he used this disappearance to plot against His Majesty and seize power, His Majesty would be placed in a passive position. Thus, taking action against me in Liangzhou is the best strategy.
Of course, as His Majesty's daughter-in-law, if possible, His Majesty would prefer to use me to force my father out. If my father refuses to appear, or if your plans go awry, and I die tragically in Liangzhou, then it is simply my fate."
Xiao Changfeng's expression tightened.
Shen Xihe lifted her chin and scoffed. "If I die in Liangzhou because of my father, my father cannot demand an explanation from the court. He can only blame himself for overreaching. If my father was truly attacked and unable to respond to your lure to save me, then it is his incompetence to blame.
Your Highness claims Minister Pei is innocent? Am I not innocent in His Majesty's eyes?
Because I am my father's daughter, I am a pawn. If I die accidentally, it is deemed deserved. Yet Pei Zhan, who serves His Majesty and acts on His Majesty's orders, if harmed, is considered a victim of our 'harm to the loyal and virtuous'?
So, in Your Highness's view, His Majesty's methods, no matter who they trample, are justified. What a loyal subject you are. Unfortunately, neither my father nor I possess such lofty loyalty."
Shen Xihe narrowed her eyes. "Your Highness, in this game, anyone can be the player, and anyone can be the pawn—you and I are no exception. With life and death at stake, you ask me to be loyal to the sovereign, yet the sovereign offers me no path to survival. You ask me to pity the loyal subjects, unaware that these loyal subjects are the blade His Majesty holds to my neck."
Xiao Changfeng was left speechless.
Shen Xihe continued, "In Liangzhou, you should be grateful for the traitor Geng Liangcheng. Otherwise, you would have long lost your life..."
If not for uncovering Geng Liangcheng, Shen Yueshan would not have needed to lie low or feign death. No matter how noble Xiao Changfeng's status, since he accepted His Majesty's order to capture her and lure out Shen Yueshan, he became her enemy. In the forest, she could have ended his life.
This would have compelled His Majesty to relentlessly investigate the matter, allowing her to remain in the northwest under the pretext of being frightened or the murderer being unknown.
However, because of Geng Liangcheng, who posed the most immediate threat, it was unwise to escalate the situation.Xiao Changfeng's heart trembled. So that day in the wilderness, Shen Xihe had truly intended to kill him!
How dare she? Was there anyone in this world she wouldn't consider eliminating?
As if sensing Xiao Changfeng's shock and disbelief, Shen Xihe smiled faintly. "A prince? I've killed one long ago."
In over a decade, only one prince had died—his uncle, Prince Kang.
He recalled how Prince Kang had been caught red-handed privately manufacturing weapons, exposed before everyone's eyes, leaving even His Majesty powerless to cover it up. So this had actually been Shen Xihe's scheme all along!
"Crown Princess, you have remarkable courage to reveal this to me. Aren't you afraid I'll report it to His Majesty?" Xiao Changfeng took a quiet deep breath as he asked.
A light chuckle escaped her lips, her rosy mouth blooming like a flower. Her peerlessly elegant features usually appeared aloof and condescending with a faint smile, but when her smile deepened slightly, she became as radiant as peach blossoms. "In His Majesty's eyes, taking my life is only a matter of time. Whether he knows this or not won't change his mind. Knowing would merely anger him temporarily. As long as my brother and father remain the rulers of the northwest, His Majesty cannot easily move against me. Opportunities like this one, where I voluntarily came to the northwest to seek my father, will likely never present themselves again.
I should thank Your Highness for informing His Majesty—allowing him to hate and grit his teeth against me while remaining helpless."
"You—"
Arrogant. Xiao Changfeng had long heard of Shen Xihe's audacity and pride, but this was his first time experiencing it firsthand.
Shen Xihe tilted her head slightly, her lips still curved in that dazzlingly brilliant smile. Her fearless, utterly unconcerned demeanor sent chills through Xiao Changfeng's heart. "If you don't fear His Majesty's increased wariness, then aren't you afraid Prince Jing will learn of Minister Pei's death and fight you to the death?"
The Pei family had few members left. If Pei Zhan lost his life here in Tingzhou, Prince Jing would surely go mad. Prince Jing wasn't like His Majesty—not constrained by the throne, his considerations wouldn't be as far-reaching.
"Hehehe..." Shen Xihe's smile grew even more unrestrained as she chuckled softly. "Your Highness, feel free to tell Prince Jing. But where is the evidence?"
Raising both eyebrows, Shen Xihe continued, "Just because Minister Pei died in the northwest? It wasn't my father who invited Minister Pei here. Prince Jing isn't foolish either. Since you serve His Majesty, and His Majesty distrusts my Shen family, what do you think Prince Jing would assume if you told him?"
What would he assume?
Most likely, he would think Xiao Changfeng was trying to sow discord, making Xiao Changyan confront the Shen family under His Majesty's orders, using him as the vanguard.
It wouldn't be the first time His Majesty used his own son—hadn't Prince Xin been treated the same way back then?
"No wonder, no wonder..." Xiao Changfeng understood now. No wonder Shen Xihe hadn't hesitated to reveal everything to him.
Because whether it was Shen Xihe's scheme or the Shen family killing Pei Zhan, he had no concrete evidence. His Majesty might believe his words, but it made no difference. As Shen Xihe said, His Majesty would take her life sooner or later.
It wouldn't happen earlier because of this matter, nor would it be delayed. It all depended on who would prevail in the contest with Shen Yueshan.
Shen Xihe glanced at Xiao Changfeng before turning to leave.
"Crown Princess, why did you tell Xun Wang all this?" Zhenzhu asked. Shen Xihe was never one to seek verbal satisfaction. While she didn't fear Xiao Changfeng knowing, there was no need to tell him these things. Zhenzhu felt Shen Xihe must have another purpose."Once Father returns, Beichen will be in danger," Shen Xihe sighed softly.
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