"I find it neither too early nor too late, but perfectly timed." Shen Xihe smiled faintly. "At eight years old, he contracted a strange illness and was forced to leave the palace for recuperation. All these years, his frail health made the entire court regard him as merely a figurehead. Unable to study literature or practice martial arts, and with no political factions aligning with him—how much trouble has this saved Your Majesty?"
Waiting until the Crown Prince grew older to take action would not only make it more difficult to act but also trigger turmoil among the court's power factions.
"The imperial family knows no tenderness." Shen Yungan sighed softly, lifting his eyes to gaze at Shen Xihe with affection. "Youyou, if you have no feelings for him, after you marry him, simply find him a manageable consort. When she bears a child, you can take the child to raise yourself..."
Giving birth is like walking through the gates of hell for a woman. With Shen Xihe's delicate health, it would be best to avoid matters of continuing the lineage if possible.
This way, she would never have to experience the heart-wrenching betrayal that occurs when imperial family members turn against each other for the throne.
"Let's see what the future holds..." Shen Xihe remained noncommittal.
She had no desire to take another's child—it was too cruel. Moreover, as someone of her cold nature, she would undoubtedly devote herself to raising her own child with care, but she couldn't muster genuine affection for another's offspring.
If her health permitted, she still wished to bear her own flesh and blood. As for the ruthlessness of the imperial family—if the day came when her own child turned against her, the birth mother, for the sake of power, she would have no one to blame but her own failure in upbringing.
Shen Yungan was unaware of Shen Xihe's thoughts. Considering her attitude, he wondered if she might actually have some interest in Xiao Huayong?
His emotions became tangled and complex. He wanted to speak ill of Xiao Huayong, but then he recalled Shen Xihe's previous indifference to romance, fearing that if he pushed his sister too hard, she might retreat into asceticism like a nun.
Yet saying nothing troubled him equally—the thought that his sister might develop feelings for Xiao Huayong and potentially get hurt by him made Shen Yungan wish he could take up a blade and slay Xiao Huayong right then!
This internal conflict tormented Shen Yungan endlessly.
"What's wrong now?" Shen Xihe looked at him in confusion. His recently calmed emotions had inexplicably turned agitated again.
Shen Yungan found it difficult to voice his concerns, so he fabricated an excuse: "I was thinking about the mastermind behind the Anxi incident."
"In this matter, we can only obtain new clues from Prince Lie himself." Shen Xihe had pondered this carefully today.
"He's probably waiting for us to come asking." Shen Yungan snorted coldly.
Xiao Changying had gone to the northwest, claiming throughout that he acted out of concern for Shen Xihe, yet never mentioning how he intercepted the Defense Map.
This matter concerned the peace of the northwest and was particularly important to Shen Yueshan. They couldn't avoid inquiring about it.
"No matter, I'll meet with him." Shen Xihe's lips curved slightly.
"Youyou..."
"Brother, I've already sent him an invitation." Shen Xihe spoke first. "There's no need for you to worry—I'm not one to suffer losses."
Regarding the northwest affair, Shen Xihe didn't want to delay. Both Xiao Changying and Shen Yungan had arrived in the capital yesterday. Xiao Changying had already reported to the emperor yesterday. Because of Xiao Changying's involvement, the Shen family, unwilling to owe favors, couldn't claim that what was lost was a fake Defense Map.
When Shen Yungan met with the Youning Emperor today, not only did the emperor not reprimand Shen Yueshan for negligence in this matter, but he went out of his way to comfort Shen Yungan.
This showed the emperor understood that reprimands would be meaningless since no major incident had occurred. With no grounds for serious action, he could only note it down, waiting for the day when Shen Yueshan fell from power—then it would become one of the charges against him.Throughout history, fallen powerful ministers have always faced countless accumulated charges.
This serves to highlight the emperor's benevolence and the defeated party's refusal to repent.
Shen Xihe arranged to meet Xiao Changying at the Living-Alone Pavilion, also taking the opportunity to personally inspect the pavilion's condition.
Naturally, Shen Yungan wasn't comfortable with his sister meeting Xiao Changying alone. The two waited in the pavilion's private room for fifteen minutes before Xiao Changying stepped in precisely at the appointed time.
Clad in fiery red robes, his round-collared gown exuding nobility, and his hair tied with a golden crown, he carried an air of triumphant confidence.
"What an honor to receive an invitation from the Young Master and the Lady." Xiao Changying's tone was sarcastic.
Shen Xihe personally poured tea, gracefully gesturing for him to drink.
Xiao Changying glanced sideways: "Wouldn't the Lady's tea be poisoned?"
"No poison is needed for me to make Your Highness speak." Shen Xihe smiled faintly.
Her confident composure always carried an imposing aura. Xiao Changying chuckled, picked up the teacup, inhaled its fragrance, and took a sip: "Please proceed, My Lady. I await your instruction."
"Regarding the Anxi matter, all clues have been cut off. There's one point I've never understood." Shen Xihe's cool eyes fixed directly on Xiao Changying. "Since you activated a spy buried for ten years, you must have been confident of success. Even if the Defense Map didn't reach your hands, why was there no follow-up action? Knowing the Defense Map was intercepted, how could you so readily accept your elaborate scheme coming to nothing?"
Shen Xihe's words made both Xiao Changying and Shen Yungan thoughtful.
Indeed, the perpetrator had been too quiet. Someone capable of reaching so far shouldn't be the type to sit idly by or become helpless when the Defense Map went astray.
Shen Xihe also took a delicate sip of osmanthus drink: "Therefore, I have reason to suspect this was all orchestrated by Prince Lie himself."
The moment Shen Xihe finished speaking, Xiao Changying's eyes darkened, his gaze sharpening as he stared at her, the anger in his eyes almost tangible.
"Your Highness shouldn't feel wronged. All actions serve interests, and you benefited most from this affair." Shen Xihe's smile remained faint, her eyes sparkling with moisture. "Therefore, we ask Prince Lie to give our Shen family and the Northwest an explanation."
Xiao Changying's temple twitched as he listened: "The Lady truly has a silver tongue."
"Are my words unreasonable?" Shen Xihe turned her clear black-and-white eyes toward Shen Yungan.
Shen Yungan's heart softened instantly. Regardless of what Shen Xihe said, it must be reasonable!
"Prince Lie, please offer an explanation."
Xiao Changying was both angered and amused by the siblings' audacity: "Does the Lady think this will force me to speak?"
"Of course it's not that simple." Shen Xihe smiled elegantly. "But if I inform His Majesty that I learned about the Defense Map's loss from you, what might His Majesty think?"
News of the Defense Map's disappearance hadn't yet spread, yet Xiao Changying already possessed this information, and Shen Xihe had even seen it in his possession.
The Youning Emperor would be furious. Even if he didn't suspect Xiao Changying was the mastermind, he would certainly think Xiao Changying held no regard for his imperial father!
"His Majesty isn't so easily swayed by rumors. You siblings would find it even harder to gain His Majesty's trust." Xiao Changying sneered.
Shen Xihe sighed softly with apparent regret: "I wonder if the Defense Map Your Highness retrieved from the Northwest has been delivered to His Majesty?"
Xiao Changying's eyelids twitched, his eyes narrowing as he scrutinized Shen Xihe.
Shen Xihe spread her pale, slender fingers: "Anything that passes through my hands leaves traces others would struggle to detect."
The Defense Map was now something Xiao Changying had retrieved from the Northwest. Shen Xihe, who had remained in the capital, shouldn't have seen it.Once she proved she had seen the Defense Map, Xiao Changying would inevitably lose the emperor's favor completely, and might even be stripped of his title!
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