Chapter 806: A Letter from the Crown Prince
Yu Sangning could not allow these secrets to be exposed. Once revealed, she would be expelled from the clan, and the Yu family would never let her go! Even the people she had painstakingly taken over from Yu Xiang would abandon her!
By then, she would truly have nothing left!
She could not afford to lose all this, yet she had no desire to remain under someone’s thumb, opposing Shen Xihe indefinitely. Otherwise, she would inevitably meet her end at Shen Xihe’s hands.
She had anticipated that she might become a disposable pawn. Yu Sangzi was originally kept as a leverage to bind the Yu family tightly in case her father and brother abandoned her someday. Little did she expect that Yu Sangzi would become the very reason for her downfall.
Left with no choice, she decided to take a desperate gamble and execute a "golden cicada shedding its shell" escape. She had already planned it out: with the people Yu Xiang left behind, she could leave the capital, far from the emperor’s reach, and live a life of comfort. This bustling capital, the pinnacle of power, was filled with too many terrifying individuals and was no place for her survival.
But in the end, she had still underestimated Shen Xihe!
In the underground passage, the raised torches cast a warm, glowing light that enveloped Shen Xihe’s exquisitely cold features. Instead of softening her contours, the illumination highlighted her intimidating depth.
After silently observing her for a moment, Shen Xihe spoke: "The Yu family has been exiled. Your grandmother is among them."
The former marquis’s wife, who had lived a life of luxury for most of her years, was now a convict. Driven into exile in such scorching summer heat, Shen Xihe doubted she would survive the journey to the exile destination.
Yu Sangning’s eyes flickered. In the Yu household, her grandmother was the only one who had genuinely cared for her. She had always remembered how her grandmother had jumped into the pond to save her back then.
"The Yu family need not have fallen to such a state," Shen Xihe added.
Even if Yu Sangzi’s affairs had been exposed, had it not been in such a manner—making His Majesty suspect something amiss in Xiao Huayong’s death while being restrained by Xiao Changqing from conducting an autopsy—His Majesty would, at most, have stripped the Yu family of their status.
Yu Sangning was aware of this as well, but only on the condition that she was left with nothing, abandoned by all!
Thus, she had made a different choice. As she expected, Yu Sangzi remained unaware that everything was her scheme, believing instead that Yu Sangning had helped her fake her death and that both she and the Yu family were merely collateral damage of Yu Sangzi’s own misdeeds. Consequently, Yu Sangzi was still protecting her!
This ensured that the people Yu Xiang had left behind continued to trust her, waiting to join her in secretly aiding the Yu family members in exile.
She could even adopt the role of a benefactor in the exile lands. After all, to live comfortably, she needed people to command, and the Yu family members were perfect for that.
Everything had been meticulously planned, yet she had still crossed paths with Shen Xihe. No matter how flawless her schemes, whenever she encountered Shen Xihe, they always came to nothing!
Though she appeared submissive, a trace of resentment still lingered, unconcealed. Shen Xihe paid it no mind: "In my lifetime, I have encountered countless people, but few as selfish and callous as you."
Human nature is ever-changing and complex. No one is upright and kind at all times. In Shen Xihe’s view, what makes us human is that even the most vicious individuals can be moved by a particular person, event, or moment.
Yu Sangning might not seem outright evil, but her callousness chilled to the bone.
"Heh heh heh…" Yu Sangning let out a low, mocking laugh. Tilting her head, she met Shen Xihe’s gaze. "Your Highness the Crown Princess, born into nobility, you have never experienced the taste of being trampled upon. What right do you have to accuse me of selfishness and callousness?"She had once been kind, but what had her kindness earned her? It earned her being sold into a brothel by her closest relatives for a few dozen taels of silver!
She had once trusted, but her trust led to her biological father handing her over to a beast—a creature worse than an animal, unwilling to spare even a ten-year-old girl!
She had once been forgiving, but her forgiveness resulted in being pushed into a den of thieves by the very person she had risked her life to save!
Her kindness was mocked as foolishness, her trust was seen as incompetence, and her forgiveness was taken as weakness!
"All the beauty in this world belongs only to the noble. Those who cannot even possess life, death, or peace—their noble character is not a glorious light to be praised, but a demon's claw dragging them into hell!" Yu Sangning's face was filled with malice, her entire body radiating a thick aura of hatred.
Knowing that she must have endured some ordeal, Shen Xihe, who had not experienced it herself, felt it inappropriate to say more and thus did not mention the Yu clan again. Instead, she said, "The people your mother left for you—I want them."
"Never!" Yu Sangning refused loudly!
All she received in return was Shen Xihe's indifferent back. Since she could not extract the mastermind, Shen Xihe did not wish to waste any more time on Yu Sangning.
Yu Sangning would not be killed for now; she might still be of use later. The place where she was intercepted had reported that no one had followed her along the way. Perhaps Yu Sangning's feigned death had already deceived those who were manipulating her from behind.
From then on, Yu Sangning was imprisoned in a lightless secret passage. Every day, Zhenzhu personally delivered three meals to her. As for the people left by Yu Xiang, after Luling paid a visit, Yu Sangning finally succumbed to the torture and revealed the information.
The Yu clan had some foundation, and the people they nurtured indeed had some skill. This was evident from their ability to evade Your Majesty and Xiao Huayong and bring back Yu Xiang's last words from the Min River.
Subduing these people was easy. All it took was for Shen Xihe to send some men to protect them along the way, ensuring the Yu clan's people safely reached their place of exile and could live without worry for food or clothing.
The places of exile were often gathering spots for the most vicious and ruthless individuals. The officials guarding these areas were not easy to deal with, and some took pleasure in tormenting those who had once been wealthy and powerful.
Shen Xihe's sending people to give a warning was far more effective than their secretly struggling and not daring to act recklessly.
Moreover, with the Yu clan fallen, these people still held some loyalty to their former masters, but they also needed to survive. Aligning with Shen Xihe was their best option.
Jing Wang's rebellion cast a shadow over the imperial capital. With the Crown Prince's passing and entertainment prohibited, the brilliance of countless lanterns and the interwoven melodies of strings and flutes that once lit up the evenings had vanished.
From civil and military officials down to the common people, everyone became a bit more cautious and reserved.
By the end of the seventh month, Shen Xihe, who seemed to live a reclusive and uneventful life, finally received a letter from Xiao Huayong in her anxiety.
It was brought back by Haidongqing. The letter said he had arrived safely, but the local residents lived in seclusion and did not allow him to communicate with the outside world. Haidongqing might not be permitted to enter the tribe again in the future, as doing so could jeopardize the tribe's peace and might lead to him being driven out by the clanspeople.
This letter was a special exception granted only after he had initially gained the tribe leader's trust. Obtaining another one would be very difficult.Additionally, he had already begun treatment, which showed initial effectiveness. He also had to thank her for allowing Duanming to accompany him. Detoxification required a specific type of snake, which was highly venomous and difficult to catch, and he needed a large quantity. Captive-bred snakes lacked sufficient medicinal potency, while wild ones were hard to find. However, Duanming seemed to be the natural predator of these snakes, catching them with unerring accuracy and thriving here even more effortlessly than Haidongqing.
(End of Chapter)
OpenNovel