"Second Miss Yu is truly a shameless person." Xiao Huayong had immediately learned that Yu Sangning had approached Xiao Changfeng to confess her feelings.
This being a wager with his wife, he couldn't help paying extra attention. Recently, it had been Xiao Changqing stirring up trouble at court. Following his wife's advice, Xiao Huayong remained cautious. The Northwest incident had greatly agitated His Majesty, and they now needed to lie low, avoiding any prominence in all matters.
"Why bother keeping an eye on her? It's a waste of manpower." Shen Xihe was fiddling with an abacus, verifying the accounts. The profits from the Living-Alone Pavilion over the past few months, along with the Eastern Palace's income and expenditures, were generally organized by Zhenzhu and Biyu before she finalized the amounts.
She had merely happened to mention Zhao Wang in conversation with Xiao Huayong, which reminded her of Yu Sangning. It was just casual marital chatter. Occasionally, when the mood struck, they would make light bets. While neither would renege, neither took it seriously enough to monitor constantly.
"This is the first time Youyou has mentioned unrelated matters to me, and the first time she's engaged in playful banter with me. Of course I take it seriously." What he valued wasn't Yu Sangning, but the wager with Shen Xihe. "What I lack in other things, I don't lack in personnel. One less makes no difference."
"Just wait for the outcome." Shen Xihe kept her head down, her fingertips swiftly moving the abacus beads, producing crisp, rhythmic clicks.
"I'm just curious about what methods she'll use to achieve her goal while emerging unscathed." Truthfully, Xiao Huayong was simply bored, with his wife forbidding him from causing trouble. "Even after learning the result, I'd still need to investigate the reasons. Might as well observe from beginning to end."
"Bored and restless! A single day without seeing Youyou brings unrest!" As soon as Xiao Huayong finished speaking, Baisui squawked loudly in imitation.
Xiao Huayong's smiling face stiffened. He turned to glare at the silly bird that had stopped respecting him ever since being gifted to his wife.
He felt it necessary to summon Haidongqing to take it for a spin in the sky, teaching it exactly how high the heavens reach.
Hearing another fresh phrase from Baisui, Shen Xihe couldn't help but glance at Xiao Huayong.
Xiao Huayong's admiration for Shen Xihe wasn't a recent development. When this silly bird first arrived, refusing to speak despite all training, he had been somewhat careless in front of it. Who would have thought the bird would memorize everything and occasionally blurt things out?
Zhenzhu and the others lowered their heads, their servant's discipline barely containing the corners of their mouths.
Ahem! Xiao Huayong feigned a light cough into his loosely clenched fist. "I'll handle things here. All of you may withdraw."
"Acknowledged." Zhenzhu and the others had no desire to stay anyway. Who knows what other inappropriate things they might overhear? If the Crown Prince became embarrassed and angry, he might persuade the Crown Princess to marry them all off.
Soon, only Shen Xihe and Xiao Huayong remained in the room. Shen Xihe seemed to recall something, chuckled softly, and resumed her accounting.
Seeing Shen Xihe's slight smile lifted Xiao Huayong's mood immensely.
As if unable to bear his happiness, Baisui changed its tune: "Youyou admires the deer's call, Youyou delights in the deer's call, Youyou pursues the deer's call."
Shen Xihe slowly raised her head: "?"
Xiao Huayong: ...
"So His Highness has the habit of talking in his sleep." Shen Xihe couldn't resist teasing.
Xiao Huayong simply decided to embrace the embarrassment: "Youyou is absolutely right. Do I not dream of Youyou admiring me, delighting in me, pursuing me?"
In summary, Shen Xihe remained genuinely impressed by the Crown Prince's thick-skinned nature and his ability to adapt effortlessly to any situation."Youyou... caw!" Before Baisui could speak further, Xiao Huayong pinched a fish-eye pearl between his fingers and flicked it, striking Baisui squarely. The bird flapped its wings once before obediently retreating to a spot far from Xiao Huayong.
Xiao Huayong snorted lightly. "Silly bird."
Shen Xihe couldn't help but be amused by his pettiness toward a bird. For Baisui's sake, she proactively changed the subject: "Second Miss Yu is someone who covers all bases. Her most skilled tactic is harming people behind their backs while saving them to their faces..."
Shen Xihe explained to Xiao Huayong how Second Miss Yu, in order to return to Pingyao Marquis residence, had someone push Old Madam Yu into the water so she could rescue her herself. To gain fame in the capital, she drugged her elder sister Yu Sangzi, causing rashes to appear on her face, while finding opportunities to appear alongside Yu Sangzi. She harmed the old madam, yet the old madam felt grateful to her; she harmed Yu Sangzi, yet Yu Sangzi remained grateful to her.
This time, to achieve her goals: first, she must prevent Yu Sangzi from marrying Zhao Wang Xiao Changmin; second, she must ensure the marquis household suffers no losses, as she needs her maternal family's support; third, she must arrange the rescue in such a way that even without Yu Sangzi, Xiao Changmin would still marry her, and even His Majesty wouldn't disdain her humble origins.
"Indeed, accomplishing all three points completely won't be easy," Xiao Huayong nodded.
"There is one method that could achieve it." Shen Xihe smiled faintly, sliding the last bead into place. "If Prince Zhao were attacked, and Eldest Miss Yu courageously sacrificed herself to save him, entrusting Second Miss Yu to Prince Zhao with her dying breath."
Xiao Huayong raised an eyebrow. "Indeed, one should never underestimate these young ladies."
Shen Xihe closed the account books one by one. "This is her habitual method. As the legitimate daughter of the marquis household, if Eldest Miss Yu were betrothed to Lie Wang, Second Miss Yu would likely find it difficult to succeed. But since she's betrothed to Prince Zhao instead, and Eldest Miss Yu is unwilling to become a stepmother, she naturally feels resistant toward Prince Zhao. Second Miss Yu can then find someone who matches Eldest Miss Yu's heart's desire according to her preferences."
"Working behind the scenes to facilitate their mutual affection—if Eldest Miss Yu were someone who prioritizes the bigger picture, Second Miss Yu would have to be ruthless enough to make them cross the line, forcing Eldest Miss Yu to leave. To leave the capital and live under an assumed identity, naturally, feigning death would be necessary."
"But to avoid implicating the Yu family while preserving their wealth and status, the feigned death must be made valuable."
Nothing could be more foolproof than hiring assassins to attack Prince Zhao, having Eldest Miss Yu die for him, and entrusting Second Miss Yu to him with her final breath.
"Brilliant."Even Xiao Huayong had to admire this scheme, though it was a pity her vision was limited to the narrow confines of the inner chambers, always seeking to attach herself to men." Compared to his wife—no, there was no comparison.
Quickly dismissing the thought, Xiao Huayong said, "Based on what you've said, I'm afraid Eldest Miss Yu's feigned death might become real death."
Only the dead can keep secrets forever.
"She wouldn't leave such a glaring flaw." Shen Xihe nodded.
Yu Sangning's entire plan was within Shen Xihe's expectations. Long ago, she had found a man for Yu Sangzi whom she couldn't refuse—a scholar coming to the capital for the imperial exams. He truly had talent and was originally confident about passing the spring exams, but for the sake of the plan, Yu Sangning arranged for him to miss the final exam, causing him to fail.
"Second Miss, we..." Yu Sangning's maid found the poison she had requested. Knowing the full plan, she was terrified."We have no other path." Yu Sangning's gaze was icy and somber.
The maid, who had more contact with Yu Sangzi, conceived a bold idea: "Why not target the County Lord of Huaiyang? If the County Lord of Huaiyang were to pass away as the Princess Consort of Xun Wang, His Highness Xun Wang would surely remarry..."
Slap! Before the maid could finish, Yu Sangning struck her across the face with the back of her hand. "Do you think you're the only clever one? She bears the surname Shen!"
Yu Sangning harbored a bone-deep fear of Shen Xihe. She had merely contemplated a move against the Empress Dowager, and Shen Xihe had nearly taken her life. If she were to kill Shen Yingluo, wouldn't Shen Xihe skin her alive?
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