After uttering these words, Xiao Huayong tugged the reins, steering his horse aside and riding away. The bloody scene should not taint his wife's eyes, though he knew she was not afraid.
Shen Xihe remained silent throughout the journey until she noticed Xiao Huayong deviating from their return route. "Where are we going?" she finally asked.
"Wherever you wish to go," Xiao Huayong whispered close to her ear.
Sitting in front of him, Shen Xihe tilted her head slightly. "You knew Jing Wang had set an ambush here and used his scheme to separate us from Prince Xin and the others. Since we've left the landslide area, have you arranged for people to impersonate us?"
This was the only explanation Shen Xihe could think of for Xiao Huayong's blatant actions. It couldn't possibly be a deliberate disappearance—besides delaying their journey, it would alert both Jing Wang ahead and the Youning Emperor behind them.
"Nothing escapes your notice," Xiao Huayong said as he leisurely guided his horse. If not for the drizzling rain, onlookers might have thought he was taking his beloved for a leisurely spring outing.
"Why do this?" Shen Xihe asked.
"Fighting and killing are utterly dull. Let the Fifth Prince and Eighth Prince deal with the chaos. This rare opportunity for just the two of us to travel together shouldn't be missed." A carefree smile played on Xiao Huayong's lips.
"The people you arranged might not deceive Prince Xin."
Xiao Changqing was an exceptionally clever man. During the landslide earlier, Xiao Huayong had used her as cover to break through—this might fool others but not Xiao Changqing. Moreover, Xiao Changqing was already well acquainted with Xiao Huayong's true nature.
Thus, when Xiao Huayong charged forward and deliberately severed contact with them, it had already planted suspicion in Xiao Changqing's mind.
Once the road was cleared and the groups reunited, Xiao Changqing would pay close attention and easily discern the impersonation.
"Even if he knows they're impostors, what can he do? Besides treating the false as real, what other options does he have?" Xiao Huayong showed no concern.
Since Xiao Changqing already knew his true face, there was no need for pretense. Xiao Huayong was openly letting Xiao Changqing know that he and Shen Xihe had departed.
Xiao Changqing's duty was to escort them. Even if he discovered their absence, he couldn't reveal it—otherwise, he would bear full responsibility. Moreover, Xiao Changqing wouldn't worry about their safety because, after this incident, he would understand everything was part of Xiao Huayong's plan.
"You deliberately made them confront each other first," Shen Xihe instantly grasped Xiao Huayong's intention.
If there was an ambush here, the road ahead would certainly be treacherous. If Xiao Huayong were present, Xiao Changqing—aware of his capabilities—would conserve his strength, waiting for Xiao Huayong and Shen Xihe to take action.
But now that the couple was gone, if they encountered another ambush set by Xiao Changyan, Xiao Changqing would have to exert his full effort. Especially after discovering the Crown Prince and his wife had been replaced without immediately reporting it—if he failed to protect the Crown Prince couple and the impersonation was exposed, he would become the prime suspect in harming them.
Without Xiao Huayong and Shen Xihe, Tianyuan and Zhenzhu, following Xiao Changqing, could use the confusion over whom to obey as an excuse to avoid taking initiative. In essence, Xiao Huayong's disappearance tactic directly pushed Xiao Changqing into Xiao Changyan's line of fire."Isn't it better to sit back and watch?" Xiao Huayong's gentle laughter carried an indescribable hint of mischief.
"Aren't you afraid Prince Xin might become angry and instead ally with Jing Wang?" Shen Xihe asked calmly.
"If that happens, it would be Fifth Prince's own choice. Whom he chooses to conspire with is his right." Xiao Huayong remained composed, his slightly casual tone suggesting he didn't take a potential alliance between the two seriously at all.
Shen Xihe fell silent.
The horse descended from the other side onto a winding, narrow yet smooth path. Though rain had washed away most traces, Shen Xihe inexplicably felt this path had been newly opened not long ago.
"You sent people to scout the route," she stated with certainty.
"Since I brought you along, I naturally had to take every precaution," Xiao Huayong acknowledged indirectly.
Shen Xihe fell silent again. Since he had already arranged everything, there was no need for her to inquire further.
The mountain path was muddy, with hooves splattering earth. The damp air carried the scent of soil and mountain trees. The pattering rain fell amidst utter silence, with no animal calls to be heard anywhere.
It was late autumn, with flowers withered and rains frequent. Unable to casually pick blossoms or accompany Shen Xihe through the wilderness while she dug for rare herbs with her medicine hoe, Xiao Huayong broke the silence between them: "Xiao Changyan has trained a group of Shadow Guards."
Wealthy families privately maintained strong servants, while noble clans secretly cultivated death warriors. Since Xiao Changyan harbored imperial ambitions, how could he not keep a trump card? Didn't Xiao Huayong himself possess his own covert forces?
"These Shadow Guards were trained for military combat. Individually they can take on ten opponents each, and in group formations they're said to coordinate seamlessly. Their ferocity could overwhelm tens of thousands of troops," Xiao Huayong continued. "Not only that, these Shadow Guards move like wind on land and swim like fish in water."
Shen Xihe detected Xiao Huayong's particular interest in Xiao Changyan's Shadow Guards: "Do you think he'll deploy them this time?"
Xiao Changyan's objective was merely to probe who was causing trouble for him in Dengzhou, or to test Xiao Huayong and Xiao Changqing's capabilities—far from reaching the point of lethal intent. Would he easily reveal such a hidden asset?
However, coming from a military family, Shen Xihe understood elite troops better than most. Training soldiers who could individually defeat ten opponents was no easy feat—setting aside the effort required, the financial expenditure alone was staggering. Otherwise, the Youning Emperor's Invincible Army wouldn't have drained the national treasury. That Xiao Changyan, having been in Annan for only five years, could cultivate such Shadow Guards while evading the Youning Emperor's notice demonstrated his considerable ability.
That these Shadow Guards excelled in both land and water operations made her all the more impressed.
"Fifth Prince has also cultivated his own people," Xiao Huayong noted, uncertain whether the two would escalate to lethal conflict. Originally he had planned to sow discord between them, pushing them to bloodshed to weaken both sides and achieve mutual destruction.
But since Shen Xihe forbade him from setting this battlefield in Dengzhou, he could only shelve his original plan.
"Fifth Prince used to be His Majesty's confidant, handling secret unsavory tasks for him. The people he trained are all ruthless—more vicious than even the most notorious assassins that strike fear in hearts." As he spoke, Xiao Huayong couldn't help but chuckle softly.If the two of them were to truly confront each other, the outcome would be genuinely unpredictable.
Even if it didn't escalate to a life-or-death struggle, given their profound cunning, it would still make for a remarkable spectacle.
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