This boastful remark made Shen Xihe's temples throb faintly, and she couldn't resist raising her hand to gently massage them.
Ziyu and Biyu pressed their lips tightly together, afraid they might accidentally burst into laughter. There was nothing particularly amusing about the Crown Prince's words, but his feigned fragility and the sight of their decisive Crown Princess being utterly helpless against him were simply too irresistible, making the corners of their lips twitch uncontrollably.
"The Crown Prince being the Crown Princess's puppet—this was all orchestrated by Youyou herself. Surely Youyou wouldn't want others to uncover your carefully laid plans, would you? Therefore, Youyou, you must protect me." Xiao Huayong spoke with unwavering conviction.
Her fingertips pressed against her forehead, Shen Xihe paused for a moment, then outright ignored Xiao Huayong. She called Mo Yuan inside and instructed, "Ignore the rumors circulating among the commoners. Given the current situation in Dengzhou, few have the mind to pay attention to such gossip. Send a message to Qi Pei and have him spread these words in Jiangnan..."
At this point, Shen Xihe deliberately trailed off, retrieving a pre-written letter from her sleeve and handing it to Mo Yuan.
Xiao Huayong pricked up his ears to listen but heard nothing. Only then did he glance over, just in time to see Mo Yuan accept the letter and withdraw.
Now it was his turn to feel restless. Feigning composure, he occasionally made small noises in an attempt to catch Shen Xihe's attention, but she remained buried in her account books, completely undisturbed.
When his subtle antics failed to achieve their purpose, Xiao Huayong cleared his throat lightly, clasped his hands behind his back, and strolled over to Shen Xihe.
After staring at her for a while, he finally couldn't resist speaking up as she finished reviewing one ledger: "Youyou, if you have such a clever strategy, how could you not share it with me?"
Shen Xihe glanced up at him briefly before picking up another ledger to examine. "Your Highness will find out in due time."
But he wanted to know now!
His usual composure and steadiness crumbled completely in Shen Xihe's presence. When it came to anything about her, Xiao Huayong wanted to be the first to understand.
"If Youyou tells me, I'll tell you who spread these rumors here," Xiao Huayong attempted to bargain.
Shen Xihe remained unmoved. Her slender, jade-like fingers, delicate as scallion stems with rosy tips, flicked across the abacus beads, sliding up and down like camellia blossoms blooming and retracting—a truly captivating sight. "It's undoubtedly one of those people. Dengzhou is troubled waters; no one would dare reach in recklessly. The only ones who could are those who've already dipped their claws in. If Prince Xin intended to inform us, he'd do so privately, allowing us to owe him a favor.
Prince Jing certainly has the capability, but though I dislike him greatly, I shouldn't be biased. Such a trivial matter that only irritates us is beneath his effort.
That leaves only one person..."
Her clear, luminous eyes met Xiao Huayong's gradually fading smile. The ever-graceful Shen Xihe rarely revealed her pearly white teeth, but now she showed a hint of them. "The Second Prince, Zhao Wang."
Having a wife who was too clever was vexing—there was no way to gain the upper hand over her. Feeling somewhat defeated, Xiao Huayong sighed softly. "What must I do for you to tell me, Youyou?"
"Everything I just said was mere speculation; I haven't sent anyone to investigate. Your Highness's wisdom surpasses mine—why not take a guess?" Shen Xihe buried her head again, the clattering of the abacus beads growing even faster under her swift fingers.This was the first time Xiao Huayong had seen Shen Xihe using an abacus. In previous years, the account books sent from the Living-Alone Pavilion had always been handed over to Hongyu. This time, however, Hongyu had remained in the capital to keep an eye on the palace for Shen Xihe, while the consumption of grain supplies in Dengzhou was of utmost importance. Thus, Shen Xihe took matters into her own hands.
It turned out his wife was exceptionally skilled with the abacus.
For some reason, watching her fingers swiftly flick across the beads felt more pleasing to the eye than watching someone play the zither.
After observing for a while, he suddenly lowered his gaze, his tone tinged with an indescribable melancholy: "Youyou sees through my thoughts at once, yet I struggle to grasp hers, alas..."
That heavy sigh made even Shen Xihe feel as though she had committed a grave sin, wounding a heart of utmost sincerity.
The Crown Prince's talent lay not in feigning illness, but in his acting skills. If he claimed second place in this art, who in the world would dare claim first?
Whether overtly or covertly, he was implying that she had not opened her heart to him. Had it been shortly after their marriage, Shen Xihe might have retorted that he had brought it upon himself, but now she could not bear to hurt him so. Just as she was about to speak, she recalled that if it had been early in their marriage, would Xiao Huayong have dared to insinuate such things about her? If she had told him to guess, he would have obediently done so. Now, however, he seemed to be... presuming on her favor.
And he claimed he couldn't decipher her thoughts? In her opinion, he had already seen right through her!
"Whether Your Majesty believes these baseless rumors or not, they are like a thorn in his side. If we do not promptly quell these rumors, while we are still in Dengzhou providing disaster relief, no one would dare stir up trouble," Shen Xihe said, her voice softening despite her awareness of Xiao Huayong's pushing his luck. "If this relief effort succeeds, it will be another act benefiting the people. The Eastern Palace will inevitably gain significant momentum, but I fear some may add fuel to the fire, harming the Eastern Palace.
Therefore, the best approach is to remove that thorn from His Majesty's heart.
As for the divine possession—since we have used it to unite the people of Dengzhou and rally them to control the floods, we cannot outright refute it. Instead, we must clarify why the divine guidance chose you and not Your Majesty..."
It was simple: divine possession must not offend the emperor, for the emperor receives his mandate from heaven. Moreover, in tales of the supernatural, those possessed are never individuals of robust health or firm will. Coincidentally, Xiao Huayong was frail, which was why the possession fell upon him.
Shen Xihe had instructed Qi Pei to carefully select some people to write a play and have it performed at the finest dining establishments.
They must vividly portray His Majesty's inviolable sanctity and unimpeachable dignity. This way, no one could exploit the matter to harm the Eastern Palace.
"Using rumors to counter rumors," Xiao Huayong gently clapped his hands.
The common people delighted in novel and legendary tales, and Shen Xihe's version was sufficiently intriguing and memorable to captivate them.
"Youyou, you had already anticipated that someone would seize this opportunity to cause trouble." Thus, she had long prepared a countermeasure.
"The earlier incense offering at Xiangguo Temple coinciding with this incident—one occurrence might be overlooked, but three cannot be ignored without preparation," Shen Xihe nodded.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Huayong rolled over and lay on the nearby chaise lounge, crossing his legs and resting his head on his hands, boasting smugly, "I am truly fortunate to have such a wife."
With a wife as shrewd as Zhuge Liang, he could lie back and effortlessly win in the end.
Shen Xihe didn't know what expression to make, eventually shaking her head helplessly before returning to her account checking.The message was delivered by carrier pigeon and quickly reached Qi Pei, who was stationed in Jiangnan. The task was almost too easy—Jiangnan was teeming with talented individuals, especially literati, and there was no shortage of creative ideas. Within a single night, Qi Pei obtained the script and immediately began organizing storytellers to spread the tale.
In no time, rumors swept across the land: how noble the Youning Emperor was, how even the deities could not bear to see the people suffer under His Majesty’s rule, and thus the gods frequently sent warnings. How His Majesty’s robust health kept malevolent spirits at bay, and even the gods dared not harm the imperial body.
In essence, the Crown Prince had not overstepped His Majesty. Instead, because even the deities yielded to the Emperor, the Crown Prince had humbly accepted the secondary role—a testament to the Emperor’s discerning eye in selecting a successor.
All credit belonged to the Emperor, who remained the foremost figure in the people’s hearts. The narrative also highlighted various achievements during His Majesty’s reign, lavishing praise upon him.
Though the Youning Emperor knew it was all fabricated, the widespread public adoration undeniably bolstered imperial prestige, and he couldn’t help but feel pleased.
At this juncture, Shen Xihe took another step: she presented evidence of the rumors previously spread by Zhao Wang to the Emperor’s desk. With firm proof in hand, she solemnly accused Zhao Wang of destabilizing the people of Dengzhou and sowing discord between the Emperor and the Crown Prince, declaring his intentions reprehensible and urging His Majesty to punish him severely to reassure the populace.
She also mentioned in passing that the Crown Prince, already frail, had traveled tirelessly to Dengzhou to oversee disaster relief on His Majesty’s behalf. Upon hearing the rumors, he had grown anxious and his condition had worsened. She pleaded for the Emperor to grant the Crown Prince justice.
When Xiao Huayong learned of Shen Xihe’s actions, he couldn’t help but laugh aloud, proudly remarking once more, "Youyou takes after me."
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