Xiao Changyan displayed such evidence so blatantly before Xiao Changgeng that anyone with slightly weaker self-control would have found it hard to restrain themselves. After all, this was real evidence, and especially after Xiao Changgeng captured the remaining people and obtained another portion of the evidence, it could be called ironclad proof.
This was Deng Prefecture, not Mi Prefecture; it was not the Pei clan's territory. Someone slightly more reckless might not have hesitated to take a desperate risk.
Xiao Changgeng had lost his mother in his youth. After the Ninth Prince, two more princes had perished in succession. For him to have survived as the Twelfth Prince, he naturally possessed his own shrewd mind and cautious heart. That these people could even reach him was, in itself, a deliberate act of leniency from the Pei clan and Xiao Changyan.
These people were the Pei clan's true enemies, stray dogs who had lost in their struggle against them. They had likely fallen into the Pei clan's hands long ago, and the Peis had released them now simply to test him.
Now that he had killed the men and seen the evidence, he could be considered, to some extent, to have thrown in his lot with them.
Xiao Changgeng was not a man without his own schemes, nor did he intend to play the part of a naive and worldly-unaware younger brother before Xiao Changyan. Otherwise, he would never be able to gain Xiao Changyan's trust and be put in a position of importance.
After "helping" the Pei clan deal with these people and destroying the evidence that was unfavorable to them, Xiao Changgeng acted as if nothing had happened, not mentioning a single word of it to Xiao Changyan.
His ability to remain so composed earned Xiao Changyan's admiration. Xiao Changyan then took the initiative to seek him out, bringing fine wine he had brought back from An'nan City to drink with him. Only after three rounds of wine did he say, "I heard that before Twelfth Brother established his own residence, you briefly lived in the Eastern Palace?"
Xiao Changgeng gave a bitter smile. "Yes."
"It seems Twelfth Brother was deeply favored by our Crown Prince brother. Besides the Crown Prince himself, no other prince has ever resided in the Eastern Palace," Xiao Changyan sighed, as if unintentionally.
His gaze lowered, Xiao Changgeng remained silent in response, showing no eagerness to explain the matter.
Xiao Changyan, who had initially thought Xiao Changgeng was just being deliberately mysterious, waited for a long while without a reply. Only then did he realize that Xiao Changgeng truly intended to gloss over the matter, unafraid of being suspected of having a close relationship with the Crown Prince.
"From the looks of it, does Twelfth Brother have some hidden trouble?" Xiao Changyan asked again.
A cup of wine paused at his lips. Xiao Changgeng hesitated for a few breaths before suddenly tilting his head back and downing it in one gulp. As if he had made a decision, or perhaps bolstered by the wine, Xiao Changgeng let out a long, turbid breath. "I'm not afraid of Eighth Brother looking down on me. Back then, my situation was difficult. His Majesty kept delaying my entry into politics and the establishment of my own residence. In my desperation, I thought to use the then-ascendant Shen Shi to attract His Majesty's attention..."
He let his words trail off. Since Xiao Changyan had investigated everything, he should know how dazzlingly, unavoidably conspicuous Shen Xihe was at the time. Throughout the entire capital, no one dared to challenge her prominence. Furthermore, Shen Xihe was destined to marry into the imperial family; he was certainly not the only one with ideas.
This was, in fact, the truth. A mix of truth and falsehood was the best way to ensnare a clever person, just as Xiao Changyan had used real enemies and real evidence to test him.
Realization dawned on Xiao Changyan. Then, his profound eyes swept over Xiao Changgeng without a trace. So, Xiao Changgeng was also unwilling to be ordinary. A prince content with mediocrity would not have dared to have designs on Shen Xihe.
Shen Xihe was like a double-edged sword. The benefits of marrying her were clear and immensely rich, but the fatal drawbacks were just as plain to see. Marrying Shen Xihe was a gamble against His Majesty.
"Our Crown Prince brother certainly dotes on the Crown Princess." Just because Xiao Changgeng had harbored thoughts about Shen Xihe, Xiao Huayong had brought him into the Eastern Palace. Who knew what Xiao Huayong had done to Xiao Changgeng during that time.
However, judging others by his own standards, if someone had designs on a woman he considered his, Xiao Changyan would show them no mercy. Even if he did not silence them for good, he would never associate with them.
Xiao Changyan naturally did not know that Xiao Changgeng's intentions toward Shen Xihe had been mostly calculation from the very beginning. As for any romantic feelings, there might have been a fleeting, hazy yearning of youthful fancy—after all, Shen Xihe was such an admirable young woman. However, this faint glimmer of affection had been mercilessly snuffed out by Xiao Huayong just as it began to sprout.
Xiao Huayong had not regarded him as a rival in love at all. Instead, finding him quite useful and convenient, he had forced him onto his pirate ship.
"Dotes on her?" Xiao Changgeng chuckled softly. "Dragging his ailing body all the way to the northwest to chase after her—is that merely doting?"
Xiao Changyan's gaze sharpened. "Is our Crown Prince brother's health truly..."
"It is true that the Crown Prince has an ailment, and it is likely not false that he will have great difficulty living past two zodiac cycles," Xiao Changgeng said with a solemn expression. "In the future, as Eighth Brother interacts more with the Crown Princess, you will come to understand that she is no ordinary woman. Her methods, intellect, and strategic judgment are no less than yours or mine. Her purpose in marrying our Crown Prince brother..."
Xiao Changgeng left him with a meaningful smile.
They were all intelligent men; how could they not understand the implication? Wasn't this to say that the Crown Princess married into the Eastern Palace for the title that came with it—that of the legitimate heir's wife?
In fact, upon careful consideration, Shen Shi's choice was both audacious and awe-inspiring.
If she had not chosen the Crown Prince but any other prince, no matter how much they cooperated at the beginning, she would inevitably have to guard against her husband and draw swords with him in the end. Choosing the Crown Prince, however, allowed her to bypass this step.
Because the Crown Prince was destined to die young, she only needed to give birth to a legitimate eldest son—His Majesty's legitimate eldest grandson—before the Crown Prince's passing. With her son, she would still have the right to contend for the throne, and her advantages would be no less than theirs. A son was, in any case, more reliable than a husband.
A child with Shen Shi's bloodline was the greatest protection for the Shen clan. Such a move could completely resolve the Shen clan's crisis. If the Northwest King and Shen Xihe could gradually relinquish their power during the child's reign, it would be a true and complete retreat.
This method was more effective than any other.
"I had only heard rumors before, but I witnessed it for myself at Xiangguo Temple this time." The mere fact that Shen Xihe dared to choose Xiao Huayong, embarking on a path to battle them with her legitimate eldest son, was enough to show that her vision and ambition were beyond that of any ordinary woman.
The events at Xiangguo Temple were strange through and through, but the biggest beneficiary was undoubtedly Shen Xihe. She had seized palace authority in one fell swoop. Noble Consort Rong—no, Rong Zhaoyi now. Rong Zhaoyi, who had managed the palace authority for over twenty years, probably never dreamed that in a single confrontation, she would be brought so low by Shen Xihe that she would have no chance of recovery.
It wasn't just Rong Zhaoyi who hadn't expected it; even they hadn't. One must remember that all of their mothers had been defeated by Rong Zhaoyi.
"Eighth Brother will witness even more in the future," Xiao Changgeng said, the corners of his lips turning up.
Xiao Changyan's heroic, resolute sword-like brows rose. "Twelfth Brother seems to... quite admire the Crown Princess."
As if not hearing the deeper meaning in Xiao Changyan's words, Xiao Changgeng met his gaze frankly with his clear, dark eyes. "The Crown Princess... a young woman whom a man would find it very difficult not to be impressed by."
Xiao Changgeng's words contained only pure praise and admiration for Shen Xihe, unmixed with any ambiguity or infatuation.
Precisely because he heard the true meaning, Xiao Changyan's curiosity about Shen Xihe reached an unprecedented height.
OpenNovel