Chapter 773: The Couple Are Cut from the Same Cloth
The day seemed no different from any other, except that his concubine had used some aphrodisiacs. After returning, he hid in the princely residence—euphemistically called living in seclusion, but in truth, he was like a stray dog with its tail between its legs.
Frustrated and depressed, he did not restrain himself. How could he have known Yu Xiang would die? By the time the news arrived and Yu Sangning came looking for him, what had he done? Thinking back carefully now, he could not recall clearly. When he finally regained his senses, he heard that Yu Sangning had miscarried because of him.
Yu Xiang died in the Min River, and Xiao Changmin immediately sensed something was wrong. By the time he rushed over, Yu Sangning had already fled the residence and knelt at the palace gates. The letter of divorce she held was indeed in his handwriting and tone, but when had he written it? He could not remember.
In his dazed state, he only vaguely recalled arguing fiercely with Yu Sangning at the concubine’s quarters. He had some faint impressions of pushing and shoving, but he felt such actions were beneath him.
Because Yu Sangning had miscarried, Xiao Changmin did not suspect her of scheming. Instead, he began to doubt the aphrodisiacs used by the concubine. However, he could not speak of this to the Empress Dowager, let alone mention it in front of Xiao Huayong and his wife.
Though Xiao Changmin remained silent, Shen Xihe could roughly guess the truth. She had detected a faint medicinal scent on him—a complex blend of herbs, among which she could identify hallucinogenic ingredients like datura.
Thus, when Xiao Changmin appeared confused and unable to explain himself, Shen Xihe understood that he likely had no clear recollection of what had transpired...
With one person unconscious and the other incoherent, even the Empress Dowager could not determine the full truth.
Shen Xihe made an appearance and then left with Xiao Huayong. Since the Empress Dowager had taken charge of the matter, there was no room for her to intervene.
"Second Brother has been tripped up by his own woman, yet remains oblivious. He might even feel guilty toward her now," Xiao Huayong remarked, his tone laced with schadenfreude.
"Who could have guessed Princess Consort Zhao would be so ruthless?" Shen Xihe did not think Xiao Changmin’s failure to see through the scheme was due to a lack of intelligence.
Yu Sangning had sacrificed the child in her womb. Even a vicious tiger would not harm its own cub. Though dark secrets were common in noble households, who would expect a well-positioned prince like Xiao Changmin to cause his own wife’s miscarriage?
Yu Sangning was clever. She knew the Eastern Palace would eventually settle accounts with Xiao Changmin and had likely been waiting for an opportunity—a chance to break free from him without offending the imperial family or jeopardizing her future standing.
In terms of cunning, Shen Xihe admired Yu Sangning. Her methods were so masterful that even Shen Xihe was astounded.
In the current situation, if Yu Sangning sought a divorce, neither the Empress Dowager nor His Majesty could rightfully object. Her father was dead, her husband was carousing, and he had protected his concubine at the cost of her miscarriage. With Xiao Changmin’s divorce letter in hand, she could make a clean escape.
Xiao Huayong nodded in agreement. Had he and Shen Xihe not known Yu Sangning’s true nature, even as outsiders, they would never have guessed she was the mastermind behind the plot.
"It seems Yu Xiang sent a letter home before his death," Xiao Huayong said.The prerequisite for all of this was that Xiao Changmin remained unaware of Yu Xiang's death, while Yu Sangning had learned of it ahead of official court reports. Only then could she orchestrate this scheme—having a concubine drug Xiao Changmin, awaiting the court's delayed news to expose his debauchery, and letting subsequent events unfold naturally.
"Among the Yu family's current generation, only Princess Consort Zhao possesses some strategic acumen..." Yet confined to the inner quarters, her vision remained limited. Shen Xihe left the latter unspoken, for most women depended on men for survival, and countless others resembled Yu Sangning.
Still, few matched her combination of intelligence and ruthlessness. Had her circumstances been comparable to Shen Xihe's own, she believed Yu Sangning would not have been inferior.
"Yu Xiang must have left final instructions before his death. Sending an early message home would be expected."
It seemed Yu Xiang had disclosed much. Yet neither Shen Xihe nor Xiao Huayong feared this—whether Yu Xiang was clever enough to incite his children's hatred toward them mattered little. The Yu family simply wasn't worthy of their vigilance.
"Originally, I thought hastily setting a trap for Second Brother would leave suspicious loose ends," Xiao Huayong's eyes crinkled with deepening amusement. "But Princess Consort Zhao has handed me a ladder."
After escorting Shen Xihe back to the Eastern Palace, he busied himself with revising the original plan against Xiao Changmin, now leveraging Yu Sangning's scheme to seal all flaws.
That Yu Sangning dared such manipulation proved she had meticulously arranged every detail. Yet Shen Xihe knew: if Xiao Huayong needed evidence, he could conjure it from thin air.
They were two of a kind!
By nightfall, Xiao Huayong returned leisurely, hands clasped behind his back.
"Resolved?" Shen Xihe, fresh from her bath, sat at her dressing table drying her hair.
"All but the final step—I need Youyou's assistance." He produced a list from his robes and handed it to her.
The items were mostly medicinal herbs, several being fragrant spices.
"Is this..." Shen Xihe accepted it, "the prescription to throw Prince Zhao into disarray?"
Having recognized some ingredients from Xiao Changmin's scent earlier, she ventured the guess.
"Indeed." Xiao Huayong nodded. "I consulted A Xi and others—it's not a medical prescription. Recalling Youyou's incense manuals from her usual blending, I brought it for your insight."
Yu Sangning would never risk purchasing ready-made compounds—too traceable, too easily investigated.
It had to be rare ingredients, ideally with a formula only she possessed, mixed personally to leave no trace.
"Second Brother's concubine has already taken her own life in guilt," Xiao Huayong added. "The concubine's relatives have vanished without a trace. The Yu family moves swiftly—this was long planned." Given their viciousness, whether these people lived or died remained unknown, and Xiao Huayong saw no use expending effort to find out.
With the Yu-Xiao conflict still unresolved, the Yu family likely remained anxious and vigilant. Sending investigators might only startle the snake in the grass.
"Let me study this carefully." Shen Xihe examined the formula. These components could never form an incense recipe—some herbs were clearly incompatible.
Yet the abundance of fragrant spices undeniably confirmed this was no ordinary prescription.After a moment of thought, Shen Xihe had a speculation: "Perhaps she is a cautious person, and there are unnecessary herbs added here."
Xiao Huayong did not rule out this possibility either.
Shen Xihe also became interested, though she did not immediately set out to study it: "Give me three days. Within three days, I will definitely formulate this incense formula."
"No rush. There hasn't been a resolution between Lady Yu and the second prince yet. We can wait for two or three days."
(End of Chapter)
OpenNovel