Chapter 791: The Crown Princess Truly Lives Up to Her Reputation
The night breeze was silent, stirring Xiao Changyan's ink-black hair. He tightened his grip on his long sword: "Sixth Brother, why? Why are even you willingly siding with the Eastern Palace?"
Xiao Changyan couldn't understand—what made the Eastern Palace so compelling?
Others might not realize how exceptionally talented Xiao Changyu was in both literary and martial arts, excelling in every aspect among the princes, but he knew all too well!
Xiao Changyu came from a lowly background and lost his mother at a young age. In this palace where the weak could be devoured and crushed, he could not afford to stand out or show excellence if he wanted to survive and grow up safely.
Just as he had said earlier, he was merely present by chance. He knew full well the dangers of the fiery abyss—stepping into it could cost him his life—but he had no choice but to enter. Because he was a prince with no one to rely on, someone anyone could trample upon. He died without even being granted a princely title...
This did not mean Xiao Changyu was not outstanding. On the contrary, he had seen through the royal family early on, which was why he turned away from the palace without a trace of nostalgia.
Yet even this clear-sighted, wise, and resolute Xiao Changyu had thrown his lot in with the Eastern Palace. Today, without hesitation, he severed the unique bond of brotherhood between them and drew his sword against him.
Not to mention Xiao Changqing, whom even he regarded as a formidable rival, had openly taken the Crown Prince's side. Otherwise, how could Shen Yueshan and his son have so smoothly concluded the conflict in the northern deserts?
"Did... the Crown Prince grant you your freedom?" Xiao Changyan couldn't help but speculate. Though they had never been as close as Xiao Changqing and his brothers, they had once been able to converse. He had some insight into Xiao Changyu's thoughts.
"No." Xiao Changyu shook his head. "I owe the Crown Princess a life."
He and Bian Xianyi owed Shen Xihe a life. Back then, Bian Xianyi had been coerced and nearly cost Shen Xihe her life. Shen Xihe could have demanded Bian Xianyi's life afterward, but she did not.
She only made him take poison as atonement, which was actually an act of mercy. Since Sui Axi was with them, detoxification was not difficult. He had always remembered this debt of gratitude.
Thus, when Xiao Huayong sent word, he came. Not because of Xiao Huayong's veiled threats, but to make up for his past regrets and to thank Shen Xihe for her leniency, allowing him and his wife to live together in harmony.
Xiao Changyan was taken aback, then let out a self-mocking laugh: "So that's how it is. The Crown Princess truly lives up to her reputation..."
A woman who had never hidden her ambitions since arriving in the capital, a woman who could force His Majesty into checkmate step by step, a woman who stripped him of his military power and left him with nothing!
Many had told him that the Crown Princess was cunning and resourceful, that even His Majesty had never gained the upper hand against her.
Xiao Changyan had not entirely disbelieved them, but without experiencing it firsthand, he had remained skeptical. He never imagined that his first personal encounter would lead to total defeat, with no chance of recovery!
"Sixth Brother, if I go with you, it means surrendering." Xiao Changyan suddenly laughed, a laugh of relief and desperation. "The Crown Princess said she would never let the matter of the Crown Prince rest. I've been waiting for her move. For nearly a month, there was no activity. I thought she couldn't devise a good strategy."
"Only now do I realize I underestimated her all along. She wants my life, but without staining her hands with my blood. Or perhaps my life can still be of some use to her schemes.""If I follow you today, it will be a path to certain death. Sixth Brother, I have always known that your martial skills are exceptional. In the past, you always kept them hidden and were unwilling to impart them to me. Today, I ask you to go all out, so that I may fulfill my wish and learn from you, leaving behind fewer regrets."
Xiao Changyu heard the resolute determination in his words, as if he were prepared to die, and sighed inwardly: "Eighth Brother, you should not have targeted the Crown Prince..."
It wasn't that Xiao Changyu held Shen Xihe in particularly high regard, but Shen Xihe was truly a man who distinguished clearly between public and private matters. Even if their interests clashed with Xiao Changyan's, as long as it was a fair and open confrontation where neither side harmed close relatives, Shen Xihe would never resort to annihilation in the future!
"Sixth Brother, there is no need to say more." His aspirations differed from Xiao Changyu's. No matter how broad-minded Shen Xihe might be, he would never willingly submit.
If he did not succeed, he would rather die!
Even now, with the tide turned against him, he had no regrets!
He had lost, and he accepted defeat!
From the moment he decided to contend for the throne, he knew that failure would come at the cost of his life—he had long been mentally prepared!
"Since that is the case, let us brothers fight to our heart's content!" Xiao Changyu tossed the box in his hand backward.
The summer night was long, the evening breeze warm, yet it could not conceal the sharp tension hanging in the air.
Almost simultaneously, they drew their swords. Their weapons were strikingly similar, their eyes steady as they charged toward each other like the wind.
When their swords met, sparks flew. The sweeping blades carved arcs of cold, pale light through the ink-black night, as if trying to tear the darkness apart.
Among the imperial princes, in terms of martial skill alone, aside from Xiao Huayong, Xiao Changyan and Xiao Changying were undoubtedly superior.
This was because Xiao Changyu had always been unassertive, never showing off his abilities. But Xiao Changyan had long known that Xiao Changyu's martial prowess ran deep.
He had wanted to test his skills against Xiao Changyu for a long time, but Xiao Changyu had always declined. He never imagined that their duel would take place under such circumstances—and that he no longer had the luxury of holding back!
"How much longer will these two fight? If they draw attention, won't it ruin His Highness's plans?" Jiu Zhang, standing guard at a distance, grew anxious.
"Soon!" Difang stood beside Jiu Zhang, holding his sword as straight as a poplar tree, his eyes fixed intently on the two combatants.
Their swords intertwined once more, like two agile serpents locked in struggle, each trying to overpower the other. Neither retreated; instead, they shifted sideways as their techniques evolved.
Suddenly, Xiao Changyu retracted his sword, spun his body, and swept his leg horizontally, forcing Xiao Changyan to leap into the air and bring his sword down in a fierce slash.
Xiao Changyu blocked horizontally with his sword, and Xiao Changyan's blade struck the edge of his weapon. Xiao Changyan's eyes darkened as he prepared to twist his sword and break Xiao Changyu's guard, but Xiao Changyu was a step faster.
Almost at the same moment he blocked Xiao Changyan's strike, his other hand seized the tip of Xiao Changyan's sword and flicked it.
The flexible tip of the sword flashed with reflected light, forcing Xiao Changyan to instinctively evade. In that split second of avoidance, Xiao Changyu released his grip on the hilt, shifted his body, raised his arm, and drove his elbow straight into Xiao Changyan's chest.
As Xiao Changyan staggered back from the impact, Xiao Changyu's other hand shot out like lightning, seizing Xiao Changyan's arm. Gripping Xiao Changyan's hand, he twisted around, moved behind him, and delivered a sharp palm strike to Xiao Changyan's back.Xiao Changyan leaped forward, spinning mid-air and twisting his body. He only stabilized himself when his sword tip touched the ground. Using the momentum from the sword tip, he swiftly rebounded upward, executing an extremely low backflip. His sword once again thrust toward Xiao Changyu, who had just kicked up the fallen longsword and caught it.
Xiao Changyu shifted his body sideways, his own sword following the path of Xiao Changyan's thrust. From the tip, it spiraled along the blade as he leaned forward, sliding all the way to the hilt of Xiao Changyan's sword.
(End of Chapter)
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