Shen Yungan was ultimately so disgusted that he couldn't stay any longer in the Eastern Palace!
Xiao Huayong's affectionate words genuinely made even a grown man like him feel creeped out.
"Your Highness, aren't you worried that His Highness the Prince will report your words to the County Princess?" Tianyuan truly couldn't understand.
His Highness clearly had feelings for the County Princess yet pretended to be indifferent in front of her, while adopting a completely different attitude before the Prince—as if desperate to pour out all the words he wished to say to the County Princess.
"Between siblings, no matter how close they are, some words remain unspeakable." Xiao Huayong's fingertips brushed against the black jade chess piece, a faint smile curling at his lips. Had it not been for this, why would he have spoken so bluntly?
Tianyuan pondered and found it reasonable. Even he couldn't help shivering at His Highness's earlier vows of eternal love—the Prince had fled in discomfort. Asking him to relay those words to the County Princess would truly be too much for the Prince.
"Aren't you concerned that the Prince... might mistake you for being overly sentimental?" Tianyuan simply couldn't imagine Xiao Huayong being capable of uttering those earlier remarks.
"Different positions lead to different expectations." Xiao Huayong let out a brief, light laugh. "Youyou doesn't believe in love—when it concerns herself, she remains calm and restrained. But as Youyou's elder brother, Buwei would rather entrust his sister to someone madly in love with her than to a cold, unfeeling qualified emperor."
If he had truly treated Shen Yungan with the same attitude he showed Shen Xihe, he would have been rejected by Shen Yungan.
After all, who in this world wouldn't want their cherished treasure to be loved and cared for by more people?
Only then did Tianyuan understand why Xiao Huayong had acted that way earlier. He couldn't help sighing, "Your Highness, aren't you tired?"
To marry Zhaoning County Princess, His Highness had exerted tremendous effort, scheming in every possible way. Just watching it made Tianyuan exhausted.
"Don't you find it interesting?" Xiao Huayong raised an eyebrow, flicked a black chess piece with his thumb, caught it mid-air, and grasped it in his palm. "Never before has anyone or anything made me scheme so meticulously. Life in this palace is too dreary—it's rare to encounter something amusing..."
As he spoke, the smile on his lips softened like a spring breeze brushing the willow-lined banks, stirring ripples across a lake.
Such pleasures of the Crown Prince were beyond the comprehension of ordinary mortals like Tianyuan.
Returning home, Shen Yungan grew increasingly convinced that the Crown Prince was slick-tongued and no good. Yet, faced with Shen Xihe, he truly couldn't bring himself to repeat Xiao Huayong's words. Neither did he want to vaguely tell his sister that the Crown Prince had feelings for her—wouldn't that be speaking in his favor?
One had to admit that Xiao Huayong had calculated human psychology to perfection.
As an elder brother, even though Shen Xihe repeatedly emphasized her emotional detachment and inability to fall in love, Shen Yungan subconsciously still hoped someone would cherish and care for his sister. He wished for his sister to marry someone who held her in their heart, and he refused to believe that a living person like her could truly have no need for love. Surely, it was only because she hadn't met the right person that she remained unmoved. How then could he tell Shen Xihe that Xiao Huayong had feelings for her?
Unable to mention the affection and too embarrassed to repeat those nauseatingly sweet words, he could only sulk in frustration!
"Brother?" Shen Xihe noticed Shen Yunnan's gloomy expression upon his return and asked with concern, "What happened?"
Bottled up with unresolved frustration, Shen Yungan could only mutter discontentedly, "Why did you have to accompany him to the city tower?"
Shen Xihe: "It was merely a comforting gesture. At that time, I didn't know you were coming to the capital, and I didn't want to be disturbed during the Double Ninth Festival, so I simply went with him."Shen Yungan's face remained displeased: "You even made wontons for him and prepared Cold-Warding Incense!"
Shen Xihe couldn't help but press her lips together in a smile.
Shen Yungan was renowned in the northwest for his fierce combat prowess—a veritable god of slaughter. Only in her presence would he act like a child. Not only did he get jealous of outsiders, but he'd even envy his own father. Every year when sending gifts to both of them, they had to be identical, or he'd argue for half the day.
Each time, it would end with Shen Yungan winning the verbal battle but suffering physical punishment from Shen Yueshan. Yet he never learned his lesson—next time, he'd dare to do it again!
"Hmph!" Shen Yungan hadn't expected Shen Xihe to laugh, so he snorted heavily in anger, crossing his arms and turning his head away.
Shen Xihe glided gracefully around to face him. Shen Yungan snorted again and turned his head the other way.
She placed both hands on his head, gradually turning it back toward her. "The Cold-Warding Incense was to thank him for helping me dismiss the Sixth Prince..."
Shen Xihe recounted everything Xiao Changtai had attempted to do.
Shen Yungan's fist slammed onto the table with a bang. "The Sixth Prince truly has remarkable skills!"
"Brother, I'm not so easily fooled," Shen Xihe grasped his fist. "Making wontons was about the Anxi matter..."
She then explained how Xiao Huayong had taken preemptive action, deliberately creating confusion to gloss over the Anxi affair.
After hearing this, Shen Yungan frowned deeply. "Each of these matters is no small affair. This Crown Prince... cannot be underestimated."
"Mm." Shen Xihe nodded. "This is just as well. If he doesn't have to rely entirely on us, then when he ascends the throne, he won't feel inferior before me. I've asked him about his intentions toward the northwest—whether they're genuine will be revealed by how he handles affairs in the future."
"If he has such far-reaching influence, what purpose does marrying you serve?" As for all that talk of deep affection, Shen Yungan had heard it sounded sincere, but he didn't believe a single word. Who knew what sinister schemes might be brewing in that mind?
"His illness must have resulted from palace strife. I investigated—twelve years ago, no royal family members were punished."
This meant that the mastermind who had reduced Xiao Huayong to such a pitiable state—forcing him to leave the palace and nearly costing him the throne—had escaped punishment.
"I truly can't think of anyone besides..." Shen Xihe cast a meaningful glance, "...who could make Your Majesty not even bother with superficial gestures."
"Your Majesty... how could he?" Shen Yungan was stunned. Throughout history, emperors growing wary of crown princes was common, but that usually happened in their declining years. Eleven years ago, the Emperor was in his prime...
"Back then, the only reason His Majesty established him as Crown Prince was to appease the meritorious officials—it was done under duress."
Whether it was the civil official families led by Chancellor Gu or the military generals with Shen Yueshan as their right arm, their initial allegiance wasn't to the Youning Emperor but to Qian Wang.
When Qian Wang died suddenly, these loyal followers who had staked their lives and fortunes to support him—how could they accept stepping aside at the final moment? Watch helplessly as the Youning Emperor's trusted aides rose to power?
The Youning Emperor had to steady their hearts at that time, making them clearly understand he would reward according to merit. Establishing the consort who died for him as empress posthumously and naming the motherless Xiao Huayong as Crown Prince were the best ways to reassure them.
Moreover, only by appointing a Crown Prince could he temporarily pacify the imperial consorts with sons and their respective factions.
Otherwise, just the struggle for the crown prince position could turn his trusted forces against each other, not to mention those who originally supported Qian Wang.
One could say that establishing the Crown Prince was a crucial move to stabilize his imperial throne!"That's far too early..." Shen Yungan knew the imperial family was heartless, but he still felt acting so soon would appear far too desperate.
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