Shen Yunan firmly believed that if anyone meant him harm at this moment, Mo Yao would still risk his life to protect him.
But that did not prevent Xiao Changyan from employing the Soul-seizing Art. Mo Yao would betray him unknowingly, and upon awakening, would remember nothing of the betrayal.
The Soul-seizing Art was indeed impossible to guard against. Fortunately, Shen Xihe had long known that Xiao Changyan would not refrain from using it. Rather than waiting for Xiao Changyan to deploy it unpredictably, leaving them defenseless, it was better to let Xiao Changyan use it as they intended.
The more formidable the Soul-seizing Art, the more confident—and thus reliant—Xiao Changyan would become!
Suppressing his thoughts, Shen Yunan calculated the timing and awoke feebly, instructing Mo Yao with a weak tone: "Go contact General Yu again. Ask him why Prince Jing is aware of Worldly Son Bu's whereabouts, and why he didn't inform me earlier."
"Young Master, after you left today, I received a message from General Yu regarding Worldly Son Bu. It seems Prince Jing still distrusts General Yu or has doubts about him. Hence, the message from General Yu stated that Worldly Son Bu would arrive at the ferry in three days..." Mo Yao relayed Yu Xiang's information to Shen Yunan.
His memory showed no gaps, as if he had simply received the message and returned. However, by the time he reached the rendezvous point, Xiao Changyan's advisor had already altered his memory through the Soul-seizing Art.
"Is that so?" Shen Yunan responded indifferently. "Since Prince Jing is wary of General Yu, General Yu should be made aware of it as well."
"Acknowledged. I will arrange it immediately." Mo Yao understood Shen Yunan's implication.
The next day, through Mo Yao's contact with the deaf-mute intermediary—who was already under the influence of the Soul-seizing Art—Mo Yao was easily controlled. Two taps of a bamboo clapper from within a small boat caused his clear eyes to glaze over vacantly.
Soon, a boat hidden in the reed marshes emerged, and Xiao Changyan appeared before Mo Yao: "Has the Northwest Prince Heir been poisoned?"
Shen Yunan was injured—Xiao Changyan was certain, for the arrow he had shot was embedded in the boat, and the marks left by the arrowhead confirmed his success.
"Yes," Mo Yao replied mechanically.
"Do you have an antidote?" Xiao Changyan pressed.
"No," Mo Yao answered truthfully.
Satisfied, Xiao Changyan gestured, and the boat swiftly departed. Two more taps of the bamboo clapper followed, and Mo Yao regained consciousness, watching the deaf-mute's boat recede into the distance.
He stared suspiciously at the faint ripples on the river surface, sensing something amiss but unable to pinpoint it, and could only turn back.
Had Prince Jing already used the Soul-seizing Art on him? But why did he not detect it at all?
Though suspicions arose in his heart, upon returning to Shen Yunan's side, Mo Yao mentioned nothing. This was their agreement. Beforehand, Shen Yunan had explained that he did not wish to exploit Mo Yao or keep him in the dark—a sign of respect, but also a risk.
Had the caster of the art asked him afterward if he knew about the Soul-seizing Art, he would have involuntarily revealed everything. But Shen Yunan was confident that Xiao Changyan, proud of his Soul-seizing Art, would not suspect others of knowing about it. Moreover, with time pressing, they dared not detain Mo Yao for long and thus would not inquire about such unforeseen matters.
Yet once Mo Yao suspected he had been ensorcelled, they could no longer discuss it. Otherwise, during his subsequent interactions with Xiao Changyan's men, he might inadvertently expose their plans."Your Highness, the message has been delivered to General Yu. General Yu said he would proceed with caution. Additionally, General Yu sent another message stating that Prince Jing has detained you, Worldly Son Bu, citing unsafe roads and rampant water bandits as reasons. He requests you wait one day while he deploys forces here, then he will personally escort you back to Shu tomorrow." As he spoke, Mo Yao also handed over a scroll.
Shen Yungan took the scroll and unrolled it. Those familiar with military campaigns could recognize it as a simplified deployment map, discreetly marking Xiao Changyan's arrangements.
Shen Yunnan revealed a satisfied and pleased smile: "General Yu has indeed been of great help!"
After his joy subsided, Shen Yungan sank into contemplation: "However, since Worldly Son Bu's information was inaccurate last time, this might not be reliable either."
"Your Highness suspects that Prince Jing intentionally leaked this to us through General Yu?" Mo Yao asked.
"It's quite possible," Shen Yungan nodded. "We can test whether it's true." "How shall we test it?" Mo Yao pondered. "This subordinate also finds it suspicious, but if it is genuine, any testing from Your Highness might instead arouse Prince Jing's suspicion."
Shen Yungan remained silent for a long while, his gaze fixed on the scroll. According to Yu Xiang's information, Xiao Changyan planned to prepare three military ships to escort Worldly Son Bu.
In reality, Shen Twenty-Seven wasn't on any of the ships. To conceal this, Xiao Changyan had forcefully demanded Shen Twenty-Seven's cooperation, dispersing most of Zha Pu's men across the three ships while he himself would follow later with Shen Twenty-Seven and Zha Pu.
This effectively scattered all of Shen Twenty-Seven's people. With circumstances overpowering him, Shen Twenty-Seven couldn't resist unless he seized an opportunity to escape. Otherwise, he would inevitably fall under Xiao Changyan's control. Xiao Changyan's justification was plausible and faultless.
If Shen Twenty-Seven truly escaped, Xiao Changyan could openly send men to search while secretly assassinating him, then blame it on the so-called water bandits. Moreover, it would be Shen Twenty-Seven's own distrust that led to his death during escape, leaving even Shu Nan unable to hold anyone accountable.
The most critical point was that with Shen Twenty-Seven in Xiao Changyan's hands, even if he didn't send rescuers, Xiao Changyan could stage an assassination attempt himself and kill Shen Twenty-Seven in the chaos.
If he did send people to rescue Shen Twenty-Seven, they would naturally be framed as those intending harm toward Shen Twenty-Seven. Xiao Changyan could then legitimately deploy troops and seize the opportunity to eliminate both him and Shen Twenty-Seven, this "Worldly Son Bu"!
"Create a diversion—we act tonight!" Shen Yungan's eyes sharpened, his bloodless lips dry and pale, accentuating his grim expression. "First, rescue Worldly Son Bu. Only when he's no longer in Xiao Changyan's hands can we take the initiative. Whether General Yu has betrayed us for Prince Jing, or whether Prince Jing suspects and is using General Yu to deceive us—we'll test it and see the truth!"
Dragging his sick body, Shen Yungan forced himself up and went to the study. He wrote a letter and handed it to Mo Yao: "Deliver this to General Yu."
Mo Yao turned to carry out the order.
Qi Pei, sitting in his wheelchair, watched Mo Yao depart before clasping his hands toward Shen Yungan: "Your Highness, brilliant strategy."
"All of this is within the Crown Princess's control," Shen Yungan dared not claim credit.
Shen Twenty-Seven's whereabouts were deliberately leaked to Xiao Changyan through Xiao Changgeng. Xiao Changyan trusted Xiao Changgeng, and indeed, Xiao Changgeng's information did not disappoint him.He had captured Worldly Son Bu, but his ultimate target was Shen Yungan. To make Shen Yungan fall into the trap and capture him, he needed Shen Yungan to believe that the information delivered by Yu Xiang was completely accurate.
To gain Shen Yungan's trust, Xiao Changyan would definitely have Yu Xiang cooperate with Shen Yungan to rescue Worldly Son Bu this time—this was what they called "you can't catch a wolf without risking a child."
Yet within this scheme lay another scheme. Xiao Changyan thought he had calculated everything, unaware that all his plans were within Shen Xihe's own calculations!
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