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Chapter 783: Admitting It Was His Secret Plot
"Youyou!" The soup splashed onto Shen Xihe's hand. Xiao Huayong hastily dropped the bowl he was holding, grasped her hand, and used his sleeve to wipe it clean.
Fortunately, the soup wasn't hot, so it didn't burn her. However, due to her delicate skin, it still turned slightly red. Xiao Huayong looked at it with heartache, pulled her into the side room, and fetched the healing medicine to apply to her hand.
Shen Xihe let him tend to her without saying a word. Her gaze was dazed, as if she had lost her spirit, staring at him intently without blinking.
After applying the medicine, Xiao Huayong finally looked up and unexpectedly met her vacant, soul-less eyes. His heart suddenly tightened, and he spread his arms to pull her into an embrace.
Pressing his cheek against her hair, he murmured softly, "I'm sorry, Youyou. I've wronged you."
Shen Xihe remained as still as a wooden puppet for a moment before snapping back to reality. She parted her lips, wanting to say something, but in the end, no words came out.
Instead, she burrowed deeper into his embrace, pressing closer to him, absorbing his scent and warmth...
The silent stillness made every breath feel like a threat to Xiao Huayong. He didn't know what to say to her at this moment.
After a long, long while, Shen Xihe finally spoke, her voice low and hoarse: "Who was it?"
Who had schemed against him?
Who had torn him away from her side half a year earlier?
There was no gritting of teeth, no surge of resentment—it was as if she had merely asked calmly who it was. But Xiao Huayong, holding her, could feel her entire body tense, like a wild beast poised to ambush and tear apart its nemesis.
"The clues point to Little Eight, but I have my doubts..." Xiao Huayong shared his suspicions.
Even with such fury burning in her chest, Shen Xihe could maintain her rationality. She believed Xiao Huayong's doubts were justified: "Why would he frame his former master? Unless his true master was never Xiao Changyan!"
"On that point, both the local authorities and Luling have conducted rigorous interrogations. Luling has his own methods of extracting information—even if it were Your Majesty's Invincible Army in his hands, he could make them talk." Xiao Huayong had full confidence in his subordinate's abilities. "Under Luling's handling, almost no one can lie."
What Luling presented was naturally confirmed to be true. So, Xiao Changyan's advisor absolutely could not have lied. Had they overcomplicated the matter?
"Perhaps the one who used Aler's hand to harm me really was Little Eight. He now hates us to the bone. According to his advisor's testimony, as long as he sees Aler, he should be able to recognize him, especially since he already knew I had been poisoned with the Unique Poison." At this moment, even Xiao Huayong was uncertain about the truth of the matter.
"Xiao Changyan and I are enemies, but I will not wrong him unjustly. I will never let the one who harmed you roam free, nor will I blindly vent my anger on the innocent!" Shen Xihe's usually calm and composed eyes were now filled with ferocity. "Since we're unsure whether he did it, why not go ask him directly!"
Without testing or guessing, Shen Xihe directly arranged to meet Xiao Changyan.
Coincidentally, Shen Yingruo and Xiao Changfeng's wedding was approaching. Xiao Changyan, owing Xiao Changfeng two life-saving favors and now free from official duties, frequently visited Xiao Changfeng's residence. Shen Xihe arranged to meet Xiao Changyan at the Shen residence.Xiao Changyan arrived as promised. Seeing Shen Xihe waiting alone in the side hall, he showed some surprise: "The Crown Princess summoned me, yet dismissed all attendants. I wonder what private matters we could possibly have to discuss?"
His current predicament was entirely Shen Yungan's doing, and Shen Yungan had acted under Shen Xihe's orders. They were already mortal enemies.
With indifferent eyes, Shen Xihe neither invited him to sit nor ordered refreshments. The absence of drawn swords and glaring hostility was due to their cultivated restraint, not because pleasantries were still necessary between them.
"Prince Jing, grievances have their source. If you seek revenge, direct it at me alone. The Min River affair has nothing to do with the Crown Prince," Shen Xihe stated bluntly.
Xiao Changyan rubbed his thumb ring and chuckled lightly: "Everyone says the Crown Princess harbors grand ambitions, that her marriage into the Eastern Palace serves deeper schemes. How could mere romance restrain a woman driven solely by power and ambition? So it turns out the Crown Princess does care for His Highness the Crown Prince?"
Having seemingly mocked Shen Xihe, Xiao Changyan looked noticeably more at ease: "The Crown Princess and Crown Prince are one entity. Without the Crown Prince, what foundation would the Crown Princess have for her schemes? How could she compete with us descendants of dragons and phoenixes? From the moment you became Crown Princess, the Crown Prince was already drawn into your game. Life and death follow fate, victory or defeat determines master and vanquished—none can blame others! I thought a woman of your caliber wouldn't naively spout nonsense about remaining unscathed!"
Xiao Changyan wasn't wrong. Xiao Huayong was indeed involved. Even if he had merely been Shen Xihe's stepping stone from start to finish, he couldn't be called innocent. Shen Xihe simply wanted to confirm whether Xiao Changyan was the one who targeted Xiao Huayong!
"So it seems," Shen Xihe's voice turned icy, "after the Min River campaign cost you troops and reputation, you burned with hatred for me but found no way to retaliate. So you vented your fury on the Crown Prince. Knowing he was poisoned with a Unique Poison, you targeted his healer, commanding them to harm him secretly!" Her sharp gaze held lethal intent.
Xiao Changyan showed no fear. Instead, he sat down leisurely, crossing his legs as he observed Shen Xihe's anger with some satisfaction: "Why such fury, Crown Princess? When I returned to the capital from Min River like a stray dog, did I gnash my teeth at you? Victory and defeat are common in warfare. Surely you don't expect to scheme against others—leaving them with nothing or their families destroyed—while forbidding retaliation? Save such autocracy and tyranny for when you achieve your ambitions and rule the world."
Shen Xihe had no desire for verbal sparring. She fixed a heavy stare on Xiao Changyan: "I ask once more: did you use the Soul-seizing Art to command the Crown Prince's healer to poison his medicine?"
Xiao Changyan's smile vanished. He met her gaze expressionlessly: "It seems it succeeded. The Crown Prince, already living on borrowed time, appears to have even fewer days left."
Shen Xihe rose abruptly, looking down at him with frigid contempt: "Good that you admit it, Prince Jing!"
With those words, she turned and left. She couldn't bear to look at Xiao Changyan any longer, fearing she might lose control and act recklessly.
She was carrying a child—she mustn't be impulsive or agitated."Youyou, it's not worth getting angry with him!" Xiao Huayong strode forward to meet the returning Shen Xihe.
Seeing her grim expression as she struggled to suppress her fury, he comforted her with concern: "In life-and-death confrontations, every time we fall for a trap reflects our own lack of skill. We should accept defeat gracefully when we've lost the gamble."
(End of Chapter)
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