"Do you mean to say... that the assassins who targeted me and Twelfth Brother that day were truly sent by our Imperial Uncle? Was Commandery Governor Yu truly colluding with our Imperial Uncle?" Xiao Changyan stood beneath the eaves, hands clasped behind his back, watching the slanting fine rain fall like broken threads.
"This humble servant dare not make rash assertions," the advisor bowed his head. "But Your Highness, Prince Yan's capture, poisoning, and injuries must be accounted for to the Crown Prince and Crown Princess. How should we handle the aftermath?"
How to handle the aftermath? Xiao Changyan had been pondering this very matter. Though he hadn't explicitly asked Xiao Changgeng to cover for him, since they had forged a bond through life-and-death circumstances, such understanding went without saying—Xiao Changgeng would inevitably shield him.
When the Crown Prince pressed for answers, Xiao Changgeng would likely claim he had encountered danger while out that night, and that Xiao Changyan, growing concerned by his delayed return, went searching for him, after which they both faced the assassins together. Beyond that, no further lies would be necessary.
Yet the place where Xiao Changgeng had been imprisoned for half a month—to completely erase all traces would require blowing up the mountain, reducing everything to ashes.
Blowing up a mountain without cause, especially at this critical juncture, was no task for one person alone. Involving more people risked exposing their scheme before it could be accomplished.
Moreover, though this area hadn't experienced the torrential downpours of Wendeng County, it had been shrouded in continuous drizzle for nearly a month. The consequences of detonating the mountain were unpredictable, so Xiao Changyan abandoned the idea of destroying the evidence.
Since the evidence couldn't be eliminated and its discovery was inevitable, only one method remained... pinning it all on someone else.
The Governor of Dengzhou Commandery was sufficiently prominent to serve as the mastermind behind the kidnapping of a royal prince. Within this small territory of Dengzhou, abducting a prince would appear logically plausible.
Seeing the fleeting sharpness in Xiao Changyan's eyes, the advisor roughly guessed his intention and hesitantly said, "Your Highness, it might not be Commandery Governor Yu..."
If they targeted the wrong person, they would lose the chance to uncover the true mastermind behind the plot.
"Whether it is him or not no longer matters. Our priority now is to clear ourselves of suspicion," Xiao Changyan declared. He no longer had time to unravel the entire chain of events. The urgent matter was to gloss over Xiao Changgeng's disappearance before Xiao Huayong, and especially Shen Xihe.
The advisor paused, recognizing the pressing nature of the situation. Had they not rescued Prince Yan, there would have been room for maneuver. But now that the rescue had alerted the Crown Prince and Crown Princess, delay was no longer an option.
Furthermore, the audacity to kidnap a prince and imprison a royal kinsman required someone substantial to make the story credible. Amid the current disaster, even finding a suitable bandit to take the blame proved difficult. After careful consideration, Commandery Governor Yu indeed emerged as the most fitting candidate.
"Your Highness, the Yu residence is about to form a marriage alliance with Prince Zhao. If you move against Commandery Governor Yu at this time, it would be declaring war against Prince Zhao..." The advisor still harbored some reservations.
"Him?" Xiao Changyan sneered coldly. "This prince does not fear him."
Among all his brothers, Xiao Changyan particularly disliked this elder brother. After the eldest prince's passing, this second brother had constantly assumed an elder's posture, lecturing and criticizing them under the guise of guidance, forever flaunting his senior status.
In those years following the eldest prince's death, with the Crown Prince recuperating in a Taoist temple, this brother—now the eldest among the princes—had become utterly insufferable in his self-importance.As he grew older, this elder brother had learned to restrain himself, but this restraint was even more detestable—like a venomous snake hiding in the grass, rarely showing itself yet secretly waiting for an opportunity. Though he craved the throne to the extreme, he put on the facade of a virtuous prince, acting like a loyal minister solely dedicated to his duties, indifferent to fame and fortune.
Xiao Changmin had plenty of cunning but lacked self-awareness, always failing to see his own limitations.
He was no longer the young brother in the Imperial Academy who had to respect his elder brothers at every turn. If Xiao Changmin truly intended to stand up for Yu Gong, he would meet the challenge head-on!
The advisor still wished to persuade him, but in the end, the words at the tip of his tongue were swallowed back. Firstly, he could not think of a better plan, and secondly, having followed Xiao Changyan for so many years, he understood him well enough—once Xiao Changyan had made up his mind, further persuasion would be futile.
"Little Eighth has made his move." As soon as Xiao Changyan's men began setting their trap for Yu Gong, Xiao Huayong, who had been monitoring his every move, became aware of it.
"People act in their own self-interest. At this moment, Prince Jing has no choice but to firmly pin the crime of kidnapping Xiao Changgeng on Prefect Yu," Shen Xihe remarked, having stolen a rare half-day of leisure to sit in her room, fiddling with her fragrant spices. "As for the reason why Prefect Yu would abduct and imprison a prince, I have already thought of one for him." It was only too fitting to drag Xiao Juesong into this matter.
"Whether Pingyao Marquis' estate can be implicated depends on how ruthless Prince Jing is willing to be." A faint glimmer shone in Shen Xihe's eyes.
She didn't even need to personally frame anyone—Xiao Changyan would naturally see to it that the matter was settled. If Xiao Changmin and Pingyao Marquis' estate were to harbor hatred, they would have no reason to direct it at her.
"Youyou's brilliance leaves me in awe." Xiao Huayong even playfully bowed to Shen Xihe as he spoke.
To execute a scheme of using others to eliminate one's enemies with such finesse—Xiao Huayong was not merely flattering Shen Xihe; he was genuinely impressed.
Neither the wielder of the blade, Xiao Changyan, nor the victim, Yu Gong, knew that they were merely pawns in Shen Xihe's hands.
Without revealing a trace, she eliminated her foes invisibly; she achieved her goal without getting her hands dirty, withdrawing cleanly and decisively.
"If I lacked some wit, how would I dare marry you?" Shen Xihe replied without looking up.
To this day, Shen Xihe had never been defeated by anyone. The only person she had no certainty of defeating was the one who now shared her pillow. Had she not possessed some confidence in herself, even if Xiao Huayong had backed her into a corner back then, she might not have conceded.
"To be held in such high esteem by Youyou is the greatest honor." A smile spilled from the corners of Xiao Huayong's eyes, spreading to his brows, casting a soft glow over his handsome face, which was already fairer than most.
Shen Xihe turned her head and shared a smile with him before lowering her gaze again to continue grinding her spices. Xiao Huayong stepped closer, handing her the tools she needed by her side.
Each time, he passed them to her promptly and accurately, so Shen Xihe did not find him bothersome and gladly accepted his presence beside her. Their silhouettes, leaning against each other, were cast onto the screen by the candlelight, intimate and tender.
Xiao Changyan acted swiftly. The very next day, Yu Gong's son was caught red-handed attempting to sabotage the waterway.
While digging the waterway, they had constructed several temporary reservoirs to collect the accumulated water and ongoing rainfall, storing it all there. Once the waterway was completed, the water would be released from the reservoirs and channeled into the sea.During this period, the temporary reservoir was particularly crucial and required constant guarding. Especially for a reservoir that had accumulated water for so long—if water were released at this moment, all the civilians digging waterways along the route would be swept away, and the unstoppable force of the water would cause a flood.
The son of Yu Gong intended to sabotage the reservoir. Shen Xihe did not know how Xiao Changyan managed it, but as the investigation proceeded, even before Yu Gong, who was away, could return, numerous irrefutable pieces of evidence against him had already been laid out before Shen Xihe.
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