Chapter 754: I Can Hold Up a Piece of the Sky
Before their grand wedding, Shen Xihe went to find the Jade Flower for him, and Xiao Huayong began sending letters over thousands of miles, each containing a strand of his black hair.
It started one morning when, after writing a letter, a strand of hair fell onto the letter paper that had yet to be sealed in an envelope while he was tying his hair. Xiao Huayong was struck by a whim, and the habit stuck. Most of the strands were naturally shed during his morning grooming, though some were deliberately plucked. Unknowingly, he had accumulated a lock of hair—and he never expected Shen Xihe to have collected every single strand.
Holding his own hair, Xiao Huayong couldn’t suppress a grin, his smile brimming with indescribable satisfaction and sweetness.
“The body, hair, and skin are received from one’s parents,” Shen Xihe said, taking the hair back from Xiao Huayong and returning it to its place. “As the Crown Prince, how can you treat your hair so carelessly?”
Shen Xihe did not believe in Daoism, Buddhism, ghosts, spirits, or witchcraft, nor did she think careless handling of these strands would bring about any ill consequences. Her words now carried a hint of evasion and awkwardness.
Xiao Huayong pressed his lips together, a smile dancing at the corners of his eyes. He didn’t expose her but replied, “Yes, Youyou is absolutely right. Thank you, Youyou, for being so considerate on my behalf.”
He didn’t pry or say more, simply agreeing with Shen Xihe. Yet his sparkling eyes and contented smile revealed his firm belief—Youyou is utterly fond of me!
Shen Xihe gave a deep look at Xiao Huayong, who was lost in boundless delight, immersed in a joy he seemed unwilling to wake from. Silently, she went to the study to reply to Shen Yungan’s letter.
Xiao Huayong reveled in his happiness for a long while before eagerly approaching Shen Xihe. Seeing that her reply to Shen Yungan contained nothing but meticulous concern for his well-being while he was away, a tinge of sourness seeped into his overwhelmingly sweet heart—much like the taste of candied hawthorn.
When he and Youyou were apart, she had never fussed over him in such detail!
“He’s not a three-year-old child, needing to be reminded like this…” he couldn’t help muttering under his breath.
Though his words were unclear, Shen Xihe could guess their meaning. She picked up a handheld bronze mirror from nearby and handed it to Xiao Huayong.
Xiao Huayong took it reflexively, then looked at her with confusion.
“It seems the person in the mirror resembles a three-year-old child,” Shen Xihe teased.
Xiao Huayong lowered his gaze—the reflection was indeed his own face.
Unbothered by her jest, he studied himself in the mirror. “Indeed, Youyou’s mirror captures my elegance more vividly.”
Shen Xihe: …
Often left speechless by Xiao Huayong, she walked past him expressionlessly and handed the letter to Zhenzhu.
Xiao Huayong hurried after her. “Youyou, would you like to visit the Blackwater Tribe?”
He had once promised to take Shen Xihe to the Blackwater Tribe, and a promise must be kept. With his time running short, he needed to arrange it soon.
“At this moment, with the Min River situation tense, Your Majesty would never permit me to leave the capital,” Shen Xihe replied. With Shen Yungan involved, staying in the capital under the Emperor’s watchful eye would keep His Majesty at ease.
“Not now, of course. After summer begins, we can go to the Blackwater Tribe to escape the heat,” Xiao Huayong said with a gentle smile.
By then, Shen Xihe’s pregnancy would be stable, and it would be close to Bu Shulin’s delivery date. They might even make it in time for Shulin’s childbirth."But I am with child..." Shen Xihe hesitated slightly. It wasn't that she was overly anxious about the baby in her womb, but this child concerned the survival of the Shen family, and perhaps it might be her only flesh and blood with Xiao Huayong, so she couldn't help but ponder more deeply.
"I will handle everything." Xiao Huayong grasped Shen Xihe's hand.
"Alright." Shen Xihe said no more, placing her trust in him.
Though neither spoke of it, they both knew in their hearts that no matter how they avoided facing it, Xiao Huayong had limited time left to accompany her.
She understood deeply that Xiao Huayong wanted to take her to the Blackwater Tribe not only to fulfill his earlier promise but also to entrust to her all the foundations he had established there.
Shen Xihe returned his grasp, noticing his fingertips were icy cold even in the warmth of May. In previous years, though he feared the cold, his hands and feet had never been this chilled.
During this period, he had been sleeping separately from her, using her pregnancy as an excuse, saying he was afraid of harming her.
But Shen Xihe knew he was afraid she would notice how unusually cold his feet became late at night.
Since he avoided letting her know, she complied with his wishes, pretending not to notice.
Just like now, the moment Shen Xihe returned his grasp, Xiao Huayong naturally withdrew his hand and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her into an embrace. It appeared more intimate, but in reality, it was to prevent her from detecting his abnormality.
Without any resistance, Shen Xihe leaned into Xiao Huayong's embrace.
"Yu Xiang won't easily trust Brother and me. Compared to seeking a way out through us, eliminating us would give him a greater chance of winning. He could even gain merit, receive titles, and restoring the Pingyao Marquis Title would be within reach..."
At this moment, Shen Xihe couldn't help but reveal her entire plan to Xiao Huayong.
"He will certainly pretend to surrender. Brother will lead Prince Jing to notice their frequent interactions. Prince Jing will inevitably confront Yu Xiang. Yu Xiang will realize from dealing with Brother that he alone cannot subdue him and will worry about later being suspected by Your Majesty of having genuinely surrendered to Brother at some point. It would be more advantageous for him to confess truthfully to Prince Jing.
Prince Jing, like you, isn't naive enough to believe that Brother and I would truly trust Yu Xiang to be swayed. But we still proceed this way, which must mean we have a purpose. Perhaps we only pretend to trust Yu Xiang while actually using him.
Prince Jing will surely try every means to place people near Brother, believing only what he sees with his own eyes.
But he can't plant anyone directly by Brother's side. You once said Prince Jing has people highly skilled in the Soul-seizing Art. I had Brother create an opening for him—to trace from the deaf-mute assigned to Yu Xiang and capture the trusted person communicating with Brother. Prince Jing will certainly use the Soul-seizing Art on this person, and he will place great trust in the results of this art.
I have no method to break the Soul-seizing Art, but I've already had Brother prepare in advance. What this person sees and hears is exactly what Brother wants Prince Jing to perceive.
When the great battle comes, Brother will inform Yu Xiang of the real deployment. Meanwhile, through this person under Prince Jing's Soul-seizing Art, Prince Jing will learn that this plan is merely a trap to lure Yu Xiang and himself in. Prince Jing will trust his own intelligence even more and make erroneous countermeasures.
Yu Xiang has people sent by Brother around him, so Prince Jing will be wary and won't reveal the truth to Yu Xiang.
Once the defeat begins to show, Yu Xiang will realize that Prince Jing doesn't trust him. At that point, someone will need to take responsibility for the defeat.
Having seen Brother's sincerity, witnessed Prince Jing's self-importance, and faced an irreversible defeat, Yu Xiang will have no choice but to cooperate with Brother, shifting all consequences onto Prince Jing."Shen Xihe rarely spoke so many words in one breath. After finishing, she looked up at Xiao Huayong: "Beichen, I dared to come to the capital alone and step into the vortex of the imperial family because I have the confidence and means to fight to the end.
You... you don't need to worry about me."
I just want to tell you that I can hold up my own sky. You can focus on recovering and reuniting with me in peace.
(End of Chapter)
OpenNovel